CHAPTER 19

Two years passed and a lot of things had changed among STARISH.

First of all, due to his extremely hard work, the already famous Tokiya eventually shot to stardom. When it meant stardom, he basically epitomized his group and be the exemplar among the idols. His standing was way higher than his teammates. While Masato was the second one in terms of popularity, he still had time to spend on group activities so he still could maintain his relationship with everyone. For Tokiya, it was almost impossible unless it was for a grand event like STARISH's concert.

"We should limit your appearance in variety shows since you're too popular for that. Idols attend variety shows when they want to gain attention but you already gained that from your acting. But, if you do attend it once in a while, it will surely skyrocket the rating. We should make the audience always anticipates you," was what Saotome said.

If truth be told, being a guest for variety shows was never easy for an introvert like Tokiya. Idols were expected to have fun, be all cute and witty while at the same time, always winning at whatever games they were assigned to. The only time when he felt confident was when his teammates were around. Times passed and since they managed to soothe his nervousness, he silently anticipated attending one with any of his teammates.

And yet, Saotome had always been Saotome. He insisted to promote Tokiya as the Stripper who was superb in acting rather than a regular idol who tried their luck at various fields. As always, the blue head did not have any choice. After all, it was his goal to make money as much as Saotome wanted and single-handedly beat Raging Entertainment so that he would never meet Yuna, Kouda or any 'animal' out there. He could read Saotome's mind perfectly thanks to their regular encounter. Once he reached the target profit, the president would stop 'renting' him.

Yet, in order to achieve his fame, Tokiya had lost so many important parts in his life. Of course, sacrificing his sleep until he got physically sick was not a big deal. He had suffered from it since he debuted as STARISH member so he could always endure it. Yet, when his mental disorders obstructed him from working properly, he decided that he had to consult a psychiatrist who would not be in cahoots with Saotome and falsely claimed that his mental health was just fine. He had to seek treatment from other hospital but at the same time, he could not let his friends know his secret.

That was when he decided to buy a house and move out of the dorm. It caused an uproar among his teammates who could not accept his sudden decision.

"Do you really have to move out, Tokiya?" Otoya asked. His red eyes cast worry and sadness. Syo and Cecil also wore the similar expression, especially when Tokiya's room side was already empty and he just needed to pack his clothes. They wished the other three could cancel their works at that moment so that they could talk this out together.

"And why are you even asking? It's bound to happen, right? You guys will get married eventually and you can't expect me to live here forever," Tokiya said coldly. His emotion instability led him to get easily annoyed with how caring his teammates were no matter how many times he asked them to mind their own business.

"Still, you can't just move out so sudden," Syo said. His mind was desperately coaxing him not to yell right away. He really wanted to be as collected as his other friends but so far it was to no avail.

"It's not even sudden. I already told Otoya since two weeks ago but he didn't let me told you guys. I really don't understand this guy," Tokiya said. "What's he? Four? He acted like a kid who can't sleep alone."

Cecil swore he could see that Otoya felt insulted by his roommate's words, judging from how he suddenly lowered his head and his hands were balled into fists. The only foreign member in STARISH always had a soft spot for the redhead. He could not stand the most if such a sweet person like Otoya got hurt especially by a seemingly insensitive person like Tokiya.

"You can put it in a nicer way, Tokiya," Cecil supplied, silently holding Otoya's arm for comfort.

"I think the four-years-old kid here is you, Tokiya. You can't even understand your own best friend. Obviously, he didn't allow you to tell us because he wanted to convince you until you changed your mind. And don't make me call you stupid since you don't even realize that the issue here is not him sleeping alone. He just doesn't want you to live separately because he loves it the most when all of us are together. Is that too hard for a smart person like you to understand!?" At last, Syo snapped when he could not sense any regret from Tokiya. "I thought that you already love STARISH as much as the rest of us do. I thought that you already see us as your home."

I do, Syo. In fact, you guys are the only home I have, Tokiya thought.

"I bet it's not like you really want to live separately from us. In fact, you have a secret, right?" Otoya added, sending his roommate's face to be slightly pale. It managed to stop Tokiya from packing the last shirt.

"I don't," Tokiya said as calm as possible. He was done with his packing but he doubted he could escape from their questions easily. The way they stood next to each other also sent him the same message.

"Your personality changed so much, Tokiya. I know you're stressed out with your workload but like I said, you had changed so much. Are you sure you're really okay?" Otoya said.

"I said I am okay. How many times do I have to tell you?" the familiar fury started to flow in his veins. He knew this moment would not end well. Even Tokiya himself hated it when this certain kind of fury towered over his calmness since he could not control it.

Otoya was absolutely right. His personality had changed so much.

"Don't lie to us, Tokiya. Obviously, you're not okay. You should tell us..." Cecil could not finish his words as Tokiya suddenly slammed down his baggage. He turned to his teammates, anger burning in the blue eyes.

"Which part of 'I am okay' that you don't understand, huh!? I am okay!" Unlike his high note which was honey-like pleasant, his voice at this moment was like a thunder; too loud and intimidating. He figured the fact more when he realized how pallid and disappointed all his teammates were but his mouth was too loose to hold back. "If you have this much free time, you guys should practice instead of sticking your noses into my life! You know there are a lot of reasons why you don't have works today, right!?"

"We just care about you, Tokiya. Is that what a friend should do?" Cecil said. This guy was usually childish but when he got all gloomy, Tokiya knew he had made a big mistake. "I am glad that I am in STARISH due to our friendship. I bet everybody wants us to be like before."

Not a chance, Cecil, Tokiya mentally commented. This was the first time he realized that his determination to be a celebrity also cost his friendship other than his health.

But, it's okay. This is only temporary.

"I... I am sorry, you guys. I am so sorry," Tokiya replied. He mildly massaged his spinning forehead as if it could help him control his temper. "I don't mean to yell. It's just that, I am so tired to answer the same question over and over again. When I say I am okay, trust me. I really mean it. Again, I am really sorry."

He grabbed his baggage before quickly leaving his shocked teammates. It was bad to think that it ended this way but Tokiya did not have any choice. He had to hide his disorders from them.

Meanwhile, Syo breathed out heavily as he slowly headed for the door.

"I am going back to my room," he said. It was hard to drag his legs since he was still heavy with sadness but it was more important to find another place to comfort himself.

For Otoya and Cecil, they still had a huge shock from the first yell from Tokiya. Sure, the guy did not have the nicest temper out of them but he never raised his voice.

Unlike today.

"Well, Otoya..." Cecil who still struggled to calm down rested his hand on Otoya's shoulder. "Don't worry. From now on, I'll be your roommate. I know it must be lonely for you to have the whole room by yourself, right?"

Otoya knew Cecil did not mean it when he mentioned the 'lonely' part. That was just his way to comfort him.

"Thank you, Cecil. I really appreciate that."

For Himura Koji, being Ichinose Tokiya's manager was as easy as when he was HAYATO's manager. He was the same guy who was very punctual and well-prepared for his job but unfortunately...

The blue head also managed to unconsciously make Himura anxious about his 'professionalism and seriousness in works' principle.

First of all, when it comes to racy scenes in movies...

"This film will have a lot of bed scenes so I really count on you, Ichinose-san," Ryota, a director of Tokiya's movie said.

"It's okay. I'll try my best."

The answer which was delivered in a friendly tone was one thing but to know that someone prim like Tokiya was perfectly fine with it was weird according to Himura. He knew it had been a long time since the last time he met the guy and growing older might make Tokiya change his life principle but still...

Himura just could not believe that Tokiya would agree on it easily.

"Excuse me, Ryota-san," Himura said, softly pulling Tokiya to him. "You know you can always decline the scenes if you're not comfortable, right? Why don't you ask for a double instead doing it on your own? Plus, don't you think you're too young to do that?"

"It's my job, Himura-san. I have to do it," Tokiya whispered back as if the 'job' he referred to would kill a person if he declined it.

Hearing the answer, Himura had nothing to say. Regarding this matter, there were only two types of actors. The first one was like Tokiya; too professional even it ruined his morals.

"I know it's easier to work with you, Ichinose-san. At first, Saotome-san suggested me to offer this role to Hijirikawa-san since he's more experienced in action movies. Yet, he refused to do the bed scenes so I am glad that you agree on it easily. Thank you so much, Ichinose-san!"

The perfect example of the second type of actors was Masato. He still valued his morals so he refused to do kissing scenes or worse than them.

The world is so weird. They extolled someone 'professional' like Tokiya but found it hard to work with someone pure like Masato, Himura thought. What's wrong with removing the bed scenes? Are they really that important?

But that was not the end of Tokiya's weirdness. While he was willing to do anything for Ryota and other directors who he got chummy with, he was extremely hostile towards certain people like Kouda Shin, Nakamura Yuna, and a few other giant company owners. They all offered Tokiya the highest pay for every single movie and CF but instead of being grateful, Tokiya still had the audacity to treat them as his underlings. When he was with them, he would show a clichéd celebrity's personality; stuck-up and demanding.

"I demand you to remove this scene. It's stupid and useless."

"That amount is too cheap for a celebrity like me. Make it triple or find someone else to play the role."

"Why should I listen to you? Who're you to force me? Your company can't even survive without me."

Et cetera. There were a lot of arrogant remarks from Tokiya that Himura could not register in his mind.

"Is it okay for you to say such things to them?" Himura could not help but ask.

And Tokiya's answer was always similar.

"They have to do this much if they want to hire me."

Yet, Tokiya was the sweetest when it comes to his teammates.

"I think Ittoki Otoya will be the best choice for this role. He has this vibe that makes people love him easily. Out of us, we treat him like our youngest brother so I guess to be a cute brother suits him the most."

"Syo is very manly. You can give him any kind of stunt and he can do them flawlessly. It's his thing to perform stunts on his own."

"Natsuki is not a one-trick-pony. Just because he loves children shows, it doesn't mean he can't be versatile. Just let him plays the evil role and you'll see what I mean."

Thus, he would receive compliments from the directors for recommending his teammates and proving them that he was never wrong.

"I guess the rumor is true. You're so considerate towards your teammates that you always recommended good roles for them."

"You're so admirable. Even you've become this famous, you never forget to let your teammates shine as well."

I just want to work more with them and I have to let them shine as well. Lately, the president doesn't really give them chances, he thought.

Nevertheless, this was what he wanted. He ruled them, not them oppressing him. He was glad to be on his level now.

"For heaven's sake, please control your temper, Syo," was the first thing Ren said when they were in their company car. He knew the mood was already down because of the talk show that they attended just now but he could not help but admonish Syo. "Just like your height, your temper is very short."

"You should tell the emcees off who kept asking about Tokiya from us instead. What's the use of inviting us then? We're not Tokiya's manager!" Syo retorted. It was a torture for Otoya who was sitting between the two fighting guys "And one more thing, stop relating my height to every single situation!"

"But still, you shouldn't answer negatively like that, Syo. We're expected to answer them nicely. The emcees just did their job which was delivering what the fans wanted to know the most," Ren said back as he fully turned to Syo's direction.

"I can't believe the public sometimes. They glorify someone indecent and strip a lot like Tokiya while at the same, they don't even curious about Natsuki who really loves children. And just now, the emcees even said that they shouldn't ask about Masato's love life since apparently he and Haruka got haters for that," Syo remarked.

"I couldn't thank the emcees enough, though. He saved us and I don't want to see Haruka have a hard time again," Masato said from their back. He and Haruka were so happy around each other but the public seemed to hate Haruka for dating him.

When in fact, he should be the one who they hated since he asked her out first.

"Yeah and Otoya here is even pitiful, though. He got a screen time a lot just by telling them how's Tokiya in their room."

Syo's remark gained him the sweetest smile from Otoya. The red eyes kept staring at him but for some reasons, they looked creepy. From the way Ren widened his eyes while the others sat silently, he knew it was not only him that found Otoya intimidating.

It was like Otoya tried to say 'shut up!' or 'go to hell!' in a sweet way.

"Please calm down, Syo," Otoya said as he rested against the seat, closing his eyes. "Or else, the shorter your temper, the shorter your height will turn out."

"What the... What's with the hypothesis? Since when did you learn how to tease my height, Otoya!?" Syo exclaimed.

"Since you don't know how to shut up," Cecil replied from his back which later caused another fracas between them.

At least when they fought amusingly, all of them could temporarily forget the bitterness that they felt after attending the talk show.

Tokiya could swear that his own destiny hated him most of the time. He felt extremely terrible after fighting with his teammates just now when Saotome suddenly summoned him to his office. As soon as Nakamura Yuna and Nakamura Takeshi's glares met his eyes, they managed to make his mind and heart bloomed. They did not have any idea of how much he yearned for their discontent.

It was the time when he smirked at them evilly instead of the other way around.

"I want my money back! There's no way I want to invest in this agency for him anymore!" Yuna said as she rudely pointed at Tokiya's poker face. She deliberately screamed at the top of her lungs just for notifying Saotome how chronic her problem was. "This jerk has made me insane with his stuck-up attitude! He even got a nerve kicking me out of his house!"

"I can say the same thing to you too. You got a nerve to insult and force my manager to give you my password. Who do you think you're? My girlfriend?" Tokiya remarked. His voice was far from ear-splitting but he always managed to make his opponents felt like he just kicked them in their stomachs.

"We had slept together for a few times, Tokiya. So, what else am I supposed to be?"

"A bitch?" Hearing Tokiya's spontaneous reaction, Takeshi quickly rose from his chair. His fair skin turned all red and he did not know how much Tokiya loved it. "You should be glad that I didn't hit you for talking so rude to my manager. Seriously, did your father teach you to treat everyone like a toy?"

Tokiya did not even need to ask for Saotome's approval for being rude to their investors. He knew the president was already on his side, just from judging how quiet he was. His quietness meant he enjoyed Yuna's dramatic whines as much as Tokiya did.

"I suppose you mind your words, Ichinose-san. Do you have any idea that all this time, you should be grateful that we're your investor?" Takeshi said, standing just next to his daughter.

"No, you guys are the one who should be grateful that I sold your products well."

"Ojisan, please say something!" The frustrated woman ended up fishing for sympathy from Saotome. "Tokiya is very cold to me when he's supposed to give me what I want!"

"The problem is why were you in Tokiya's house, Yuna? Didn't we agree that you both are not allowed to spend time together in each other's house?" Even Saotome obviously blurted out the logic, Takeshi's eyes sized up in disbelief. Their long-lasting relationship had convinced him that no matter in any situation, Saotome would take his side.

But apparently, it depended on which side brought profit to the founder of Shining Agency the most.

"Well, you know... I kind of missed him and I want to..." Yuna stuttered as pink dust spread over her face. Unlike Haruka who looked so endearing every time she blushed, Yuna's effect was totally opposite.

She looked so disgusting, unlike Haruka.

God, Tokiya... Can you please stop thinking about Haruka! She is dating your own friend, his mind coaxed him.

"I want to rest, president. I have a lot of shooting to attend tomorrow but somebody who already has a husband barged in on my house. Logically speaking, I should prioritize my work, right?"

"Absolutely," Saotome said, much to Yuna's shock. "Tokiya takes his job seriously so we expect you not to bother his personal time, Yuna. It's for the sake of your company too."

Yuna's immature thinking quickly got the best of her as a certain face crossed her mind. She chuckled sardonically even her heart was about to explode with hatred.

"What a lame excuse you have there, Tokiya. As if everyone is stupid," Yuna mocked.

She's so loud. I really want to go back home now, Tokiya thought. He massaged his neck in order to soothe his anger but the woman before him did not seem to get a clue.

"You can lie to the whole world but for me, you don't want me because you're still in love with that Nanami, right? For heaven's sake, she's Masato's girlfriend! Don't tell me that she seduced you and Masato at the same time and that's why you kept rejecting me! I can't believe that you can be besotted by a greedy bitch like her!"

It was so rare for Ichinose Tokiya to act without thinking twice. He was supposed to be level-headed in any kind of situation but thanks to Yuna and her stupid imagination, she turned him into a monster. Once Haruka was referred in such a slurring way, he could feel how fast his large hand moved on its own, slapping Yuna across her face. It managed to send her to the floor which caused Takeshi quickly comforted his daughter and yelled at Tokiya at the same time. Without leaving any comment nor reflecting on his 'wrongdoing', Tokiya left them.

Ah, finally... it turns quiet again.

Now, he left everything to Saotome. He knew the old man would handle the two 'animals' well.

"Ojisan, look what the hell did he do to my face!? How am I supposed to meet my client after this!?" Yuna screamed. Her red-nailed finger pointed at her red cheek.

"Just cancel the meeting, then," Saotome said nonchalantly. The way he steadily chained himself to his chair without bothering to apologize just wounded the Nakamura family.

"Excuse me? Your idol just hurt my daughter and that's all you had to say?" Takeshi remarked. As one of the elites in the country, he could not believe that his own friend managed to make him feel insulted.

"Your daughter had made him angry so she literally asked for a slap. I don't blame Tokiya in this case. He needed to be well-prepared for his works and your daughter has been inconsiderate and disrespectful for him."

"Excuse me, ojisan? What did you just say?" Yuna stepped forward, trying her hardest to be as intimidating as her brown eyes met Saotome's. "Why should I respect him when he's supposed to be my underling? I paid him and I can do whatever I pleased to him."

"That's the story from two years ago, honey. Now, Tokiya is way more successful and elite than you both. You can't control him anymore. In fact, he has all the rights to treat you and your father as an underling instead."

The father and daughter stared at him but he knew, their minds were not as empty as how their expressions looked like.

"Do you guys want to end his contract with your company? Sure but you will lose a lot of profits and your customers will side him. Do you guys want to sue a lawsuit or something? Bring it on. I have a lot of evidence regarding how lascivious Nakamura Yuna is to the point of she dared to cheat on her husband."

That was enough to numb the Nakamura family.  

Thank you for reading! If you have something to say about this chapter, feel free to leave a comment :)