A Rich Experience of Understudy (Luka)

[Akira Nakajima]

Everyone knew that a busy person needed some form of stress relief, some way to relax while enriching themselves in a productive manner. At least, that was what Akira believed should be the case. Realistically, there were likely many that wasted their so-called relaxation on things that were deadening or otherwise just wastes of time. Others still worked with no end for some reason they had forgotten. That wasn't the way of that young man. No, he knew that a balance of work and play was necessary for the stability of any mind. Thanks to the division of labor and appropriation of responsibility, the boy was able to amass wealth while remaining relatively free.

“Miki-san” was strolling through a particular bookstore in the Akihabara area. It was a relatively quiet store, despite the region. There was no torrent of otaku, though there were plenty around in certain spots. With a light hum, the boy picked out another light novel. That made, well, more than he probably should be picking up at one time. It didn't matter, though. He'd read them all eventually. If they were particularly good, he'd even hunt down the next volumes when they all finally released. It was a simple, but vicious, cycle of interest, really. Still, it was probably best to head up towards the register.

Maybe it was a fan. Maybe it was the fact that the boy in drag was wearing thigh-highs. Or maybe the guy had a fetish for knee-length skirts? It could have also been the belt, or the simple T-shirt left revealed by the half-zipped jacket. Or maybe he was the sort to have a fetish for caps on “girls”? Well, whatever the case, the mildly overweight cashier was panting a little at the sight of the boy. It'd be creepy if not for the fact that he was already aware of what some of his actual fans wanted to do. Either way, light novels get! And with a smile and a bit of “service”, he left the shop.

The sky was clear. The sun burned bright. He would've been a little toasty in those clothes, thanks to the jacket, but since awakening to Hayagriva, he'd found that heat didn't bother him too much. Alternatively, the cold was a right and true bitch. From the waist down, he wore all black. The shirt was a plain white canvas with a saying blocked off by the black jacket. Oh well. Nobody needed to read it. As for the cap, the jean-material pocket cap was a nice cherry on top, really. The ensemble wasn't designed to impress. It was a simple outfit that worked for public transit. Fortunately, not too many fans were around, either. “Miki” was a trouble identity to wander about with in the open-world dungeon known as Akihabara.

Now the youth only needed to return to the studio to figure out what all was going on. Or just to nap. Probably to nap. Or read. Or both.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Everyone has that age where they're old enough to want to go out and walk around town and see things that aren't well known to them, while still being just a bit too young to actually know what to do while you're out and about. That would be the age this young model and upcoming idol is at; with an unsettling age of 18 years. From a glance, she seems to be a normal girl out and ready to go shopping, even if she is in the most unlikely of places for her to be shopping at. She would fit in much better in some mall or shopping district, yet here she is in the middle of Akihabara. Wearing a blue batwing top over a white shirt, some black jeans, and a sunhat, she gave off that she either had a rich father or a rich boyfriend. Underneath that hat, the girl was wearing a pair of sunglasses; earrings adorning each ear. It would be hard to tell that the girl didn't actually know how to put earrings on in the first place; or the fact that someone else dressed her. In truth, the girl was simply browsing the various unknown stores absentmindedly. She had no intentions of buying anything even if she would have liked them. She was more than content simply browsing.

She tried talking to a few other people browsing the stores for information, only to be met with unease. They didn't seem to want to talk to her for some reason. Eventually she found an arcade and played a few games only to get lost inside the arcade. After finally escaping, the flustered young girl continued walking down the streets of Akihabara, looking over the various ads along the buildings. Truth be told, she was only supposed to be walking around the immediate area while her father was taking care of a business deal. She had just gotten done some modeling work in the area and saw all the pretty pictures along the buildings. Needless to say, she had wandered more than a little bit from the place where they had the photoshoot. Not that she cared, or noticed.

Either way, the girl wasn't paying attention to where she was going whatsoever. She was more focused on on the pretty anime people! So when the time came for her to turn a corner, she wasn't expecting someone to run into her. More than that, the other person seemed to knock her back instead of the other way around. With a ringing noise in her head, the girl felt herself his the concrete. Her sunglasses were partially off and her sunhat was underneath her head, cushioning her partially. Squinting, the girl was still unaware of what was going on. Auuuuu. Tears welled up slightly, but she wasn't the sort to cry. All she could tell by this point was that she bumped into someone who was still on top of her. She couldn't really see yet though.

[Akira Nakajima]

”Ah?” Really, there wasn't that much that Akira could say on the matter of a head-on collision of flesh against flesh, and there were several reasons for that. For one, it wasn't like he ran into a wall or hit the ground. He actually found the collision to be soft, as was the subsequent fall. The other reason? Well, it was entirely too sudden to react to. How often was it that two different people hugged the corner so tightly that they perfectly collided and went sprawling downward? Not very often, he imagined, in reality. It happened plenty in fiction as a generic plot device, though. If it were anything like fiction, he'd soon find himself link to the assailant by the red string of fate, or some other nonsense.

”Ow.” Though fabricated, his exclamation of pain sounded authentic. Needed to be to avoid dealing with the other party's complaints. Especially when he ended up on top, and the other was whining. More importantly, the boy in drag noticed his bag of acquired tomes had regurgitated its contents onto the sidewalk. No, no, no, no, no. Some of them were intended to remain wrapped as part of the still-sealed collection! If even one of them was opened, there would be much hell to pay. He did, however, quickly rein those feelings in. Slowly, he pushed himself up, grunting all the while to make it seem as though there was a degree of effort involved. Fortunately, it seemed his colored contact was still firmly placed over his eye. His cap, apparently, flopped around. Oh well, he figured. Standing and brushing his hair away from his face, he squatted, then offered a hand to the blue-haired girl. He kind of wanted to pinch her for sticking as close to the corner as he had. That was bothersome. And it was really going to be annoying if the wrapping on any of those light novels was ripped.

”It seems like you and I like walls. I can't say I've ever had the pleasure of running into somebody like that.” Orbs of red, though only one was authentic, peered down at the stranger. She looked faintly familiar for some reason or another, but he figured it didn't matter. This was reality. They likely wouldn't meet in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo again. His lips were curled into a slight, pleasant smile. Surely she wouldn't make a fuss about all this? She also looked taller than him. Bigger in general, actually. Well, whatever.

”I trust you can stand up just fine, miss?” He tilted his head. A fall like that wasn't going to break anything. It was more a formality- or a way of appearing concerned, really. ”No unusual pain?” The moment the girl was up again, he could get his books together without ruining the image of “Miki-san” that he'd worked to build. It wasn't likely that a fan would have witnessed that, but all it took was one.

[Luka Kurokawa]

The girl on the bottom of the person pile very quickly came back to reality as she heard the other person groan in pain; at least they seemed to be. Opening her eyes, she saw a young girl who was probably a bit shorter than her. Probably younger as well. The first thought in the blue-haired girl's mind was the fact that this was an actual girl. Since she began walking around, the only girls she had really seen were in maid outfits. Quite honestly, it was a relief that a girl landed on her. She wasn't sure how she would react if a boy landed on her and was lying on top of her like just now. At least she could remain at ease now. By now the other girl had gotten up and offered a hand to her. Still a little dizzy, she took the other girl's hand and pulled herself up.

After being up on her feet, she essentially didn't even look at the other girl and dizzily began picking up the books all over. It was more of a subconscious thing to do. She didn't ignore the other girl of course, and answered her. I'm sorry. The walls were just. . . so nice looking. That may have sounded like she was looking at the wall she was so close to even if it was the wall on the other side. She had honestly never seen them in such frequency before. At least not with things relevant to her likes. I'm fine, though. I'm actually a lot more sturdy than I look. I hope I at least cushioned your fall. She spoke nonchalantly with a slight smile. Honestly, Shishou had landed worse blows on her than this. A slight fall on concrete was nothing. More importantly. . . She handed the books over to the other girl, only just now realizing what they were. Keeping her eyes on the books, she slowly bent down and grabbed the hat and her glasses off the ground, depositing the glasses in a pocket and holding her hat against her chest.

Those books look interesting. They looked like something she'd like. Well, she was assuming the whole book looked like the cover though. Blinking, she noted the characters on the cover. Yeah. That seemed relevant to her likes. I'm actually learning how to fight too. Well, it'll be a while before I'm as good as anything in a book. As she said that, she finally got a better look at the other girl. something about her seemed. . . off? No. More like, she seemed familiar. Something about that smile gave her that impression.

[Akira Nakajima]

There didn't seem to be any complaints just yet. The girl obediently took his hand and stood. And, oddly enough, she then focused on his books. What a polite young lady! Though the way she responded to the situation was a bit worrisome. Was she afflicted in the head? Well, either way, she was a nice enough girl. She didn't try to start anything odd. So long as the seals on the novels were fine, Akira had absolutely no issues with the way things had played out so far. With a slight giggle, the boy in drag shifted to a different spot where the novels had spilled out, taking up the bag as well. Rather than dismissing each book, like most would, he carefully inspected the seals, rubbing his fingers over them to verify their integrity.

”I'll be quite fine, thank you.” He casually dismissed the trouble. Five books were verified as fine. The number was rising. He'd have to go over the ones the girl picked up, but he was mostly relieved by that point. It was when he received the other bunch from the girl. With a quiet “Huhu” after the girl's observation, the boy quickly went through the bunch, depositing them, one after another, into the bag. Finally, at the last one, there was an actual rip. Fortunately, it was one he had intended to open. Given the girl's politeness, he could dismiss that potential issue.

”Of course they look interesting.” He puffed his chest out slightly, letting his index, middle, and ring finger of his left hand rest against his chest. ”Excluding new, unverified series, I only purchase the best.” Call it bias, but he definitely did have standards for what he read. Usually. There were a few “guilty pleasures” among what he followed, for some reason or another. With his purchases situated and re-bagged, he looked off to his cap. It seemed to have disappeared! Well, whatever. A cap could be replaced. They were cheap enough. Cheaper than some of those first-editions he had bought.

”I suppose it is good for a girl to know how to defend herself.” He casually noted before shrugging lightly with the loss of the cap. Maybe a bird snatched it. Maybe that cashier from before nabbed it and was sniffing it? Whatever the case, it was gone. ”That'd also explain your sturdiness. Fortunately, though, I doubt you'll ever need to be as good as the heroes of some of those stories. Not unless you're planning on punching out a god anytime soon.” That relaxed smile remained. There was little else to consider, he figured. All was well, and it seemed the little warrior to be was all right. He casually wondered how she'd fare against those blobs.

”I trust everything is fine for you? Nothing missing or broken?” Once he verified she lost nothing, that would be that. Even if it was probably kind of sort of still not really his fault at all but kind of was on some level, it'd annoy him if she lost something. It was a matter of standards.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Well the other girl didn't seem mad. That was good. In fact, she was quite cheery. Much nicer than the other girls who usually said mean things about her at the pageants and when she was training to be an idol. The girl stood wide-eyed at the other girl's answer. The best? She peered at the bag for a moment. Maybe this was some book series that she needed to know about? Hell, it looked like something she would need to know about. This girl was only making her more curious! I suppose I'll have to check it out for myself later then. She actually had no idea what the series was, nor how to find it. She was going to leave it at that though. She was a bit apprehensive about going and asking about another person's purchase after knocking them down.

Am I really that sturdy? Most girls might take that as an insult, but this girl felt it was a result of her hard work and accepted it happily. Though the second comment took her off guard. As she recalled the events from that other night, and what she has been experiencing since returned to the forefront of her mind. Oh. Yeah! Not like I'll ever fight some demon lord! Just doing it for fun. Ehehe. She played it off pretty well even if her mind was a bit fuzzy for just a moment. Honestly, she couldn't divulge such important info about such a thing to an innocent bystander. Not like they'd believe her anyway. Still, for such a question to come up to her so soon. What are the odds?

But, yes. I'm fine. Actually, I've just been wandering around since I got done work just a little ways back. To be honest, I just started walking around looking at all the pretty ads on the walls. I even went into one of the arcades. Honestly, she was just having fun since she had the chance. Of course, before she could recall that she should probably be heading back to her father soon, the girl decided to ask another question. Are you missing anythi- oh. Looking down into her sunhat, the girl found a cap. Honestly, it looked like something the other girl would be wearing. Is this yours? It seemed to have fallen into mine. She pulled it out of her own hat and presented it to the other girl. At this rate, she probably was going to forget. That, or someone would come looking for her.

[Akira Nakajima]

”Your words, not mine.” Akira casually commented with the question of sturdiness. That laughter after the bit of not fighting a demon lord was somewhat suspicious. Then again, this girl was definitely odd- staring at walls and calling them pretty and whatnot. Perhaps that was just common fare with her? Actually, no, that was almost definitely it. And then she corrected herself. She was looking at the ads. Well, that was certainly different, to say the least. It certainly seemed that this girl was easy-going. Kind of stupid, too. But she seemed to be polite and good-natured. A nice idiot was fine in this world.

”Oh.” And then the mysterious disappearance of his cap was explained. Well then. Gently retrieving it from her, he whipped it once and situated it on his head. ”Yes, thank you. It seems your hat was trying to eat mine. Hopefully that trait does carry over to the wearer.” It was a teasing remark, delivered with a wink. He was about to follow up on it before the sound of vibrations stirred in his jacket's pocket, followed by a rather generic, default ringtone. It stood in stark contrast with the boy's flighty, casual, even “free” aesthetic. It sounded like something that belonged to a salaryman in his late forties, not a peppy boy in drag. Or girl, for that matter.

”Well, pardon me. I'm sorry, but I'll need to take this. Give me a moment, please.” With a wink and a turn on the heel, Akira took a few steps away from the blue-haired girl, his free hand retrieving the device from his pocket. It was an old flip-phone model. Old-fashioned and simple was the best way to go, he believed. The device itself was a dull red, close to maroon. The device flipped open and found itself against the boy's face. It wasn't like it was going to go weird places.

”It's me. What's up?” It was a brief exchange. Only a few seconds later, the boy nodded, mostly to himself. ”Right, then. Got it. Thanks. I'll see you later. You take care, too.” And, just like that, the call was over. A moment later, though, the phone buzzed in his hand, and he navigated it pretty quickly. A deal had been made. “Miki^3” had a new partner. It was when he opened the text he received that his lips curled into an amused smirk. This was supposed to be reality, not some rom-com nonsense. The absurdity of it made him laugh, and shake his head. Of course, it sounded girlish. He wasn't just going to break his image that easily.

”Wow. You're really something.” He commented casually before looking over at the girl, his lips completely parted and showing a toothy grin. Amusement and wonder had saturated his expression. Really, what kind of nonsense was that? Slowly, he stepped closer, putting his phone away. He watched her expectantly. She should've been getting one soon, too.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Well, I suppose I did. This girl seemed like a smart talker. Luka couldn't really put her finger on it. It wasn't that she couldn't trust this person, but they were definitely smarter than the girls she dealt with at work. Something about this person was off. That's all she could tell. Whether it be that they were hiding something or secretly plotting wasn't for her to guess. She didn't think too much of it, of course. They were honestly pretty nice so far.

After handing her the hat back, the other girl made a rather confusing comment. Something about the owner eating hats? It took her a moment, but she finally understood what was being said. She frowned, of course. She wasn't so simple that she didn't know she was at the butt of a joke. Even if she didn't understand all the implications behind it. How mean. If you say things like that, maybe I really will bite. She puffed her cheeks a bit. Before she could say anything in return though, it seemed the other girl was getting a call of some sort. Deciding to stick around even though she could honestly just go, Luka waited for the other girl to finish up her call.

It was a very short call admittedly. But it wasn't the call that interested Luka, more what came following it. For whatever reason, the girl looked back at her with a scary smile. And, what was with that comment? Did they really know each other from somewhere? Was her intuition totally right on this person? Just a mo- Her phone rang. Looking at the other girl for a moment with a confused look, she pulled out a rather expensive smart phone. It was her father calling. Likely about where she was. Are you looking for me?. . . Oh. What is it. Right then and there, she got the news that she would be teaming up with another idol to form a duo group. Well, that was certainly news. Even as she got that, she looked at the other girl near her with confusion. Finally her dad simply said that he'd send her a picture of her new partner and that a car would be sent to fetch her. Alright. I'll see you soon. She closed out of the call and opened up the picture. She could tell almost immediately what the situation was. she blinked a few times before closing out her phone. Hmm. Well, this is. . . unexpected. The picture that was sent was a striking resemblance to the girl in front of her.

For some reason, Luka began to blush a bit. This was a bit of an embarrassing way to meet. I suppose I should introduce myself, even if you probably know my stage name. Rukako Kurokawa. You can call me Luka like I'm known as. And this girl would be Miki^3; a girl who has been in the idol scene a bit longer than her apparently. Luka didn't know how popular she was though. She didn't know her actual name either. She would soon find out everything and more about this girl, she figured.

[Akira Nakajima]

The reaction that Kurokawa Rukako had was a bit boring. There was a slight blush on her cheeks, though. Akira gave it a four out of ten. Not terrible, despite the rating, but severely underwhelming. Still, he supposed it'd have to be that way if it were a model. Emotional expression had to be reined in to keep a position in modeling or performing as an idol. Anybody that failed that likely wouldn't get very far. All the same, he just closed in further before giving a slight bow. A curtsy was not an option for several reasons. Besides, he was Japanese. When he straightened his posture, his expression was a bit more formal, but that smile still lingered ever so slightly.

”Hoshimiya Miki. Of course, everyone knows me more readily as 'Mi-ki-san'~ you know? You really made an impact on me, Ruka-san.” He winked playfully before lightly tilting his head. ”It seems that you're new to this, though. Just let me know if you have any questions about idols, specifically. I'm your elder in this, after all. Just leave everything to me.” A light, chime-like laugh escaped his lips before he offered his left hand, smiling warmly.

”Even so, I'll be in your care as well. I hope we get along well, and that this collaboration is both profitable and enjoyable to us both. Treat me well, partner.” He winked, leaving his hand out. Right and truly, if she were as nice as she played herself out to be earlier, then it was very likely that this partnership would go over well. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time that he had encountered someone that was two-faced within the business side of things. How would “Luka” play out? It would be an interesting turnover, either way.

And, to think, this wasn't even a rom-com.

[Luka Kurokawa]

She got a formal bow followed by an introduction. It wasn't too far out of her expectations. But now she had the name of this person; her new partner in her line of work. Hoshimiya Miki. She seemed rather confident in herself. Sure, it was an important trait for idols, but Luka still found this one to be a bit more than that. Luka was beginning to get the feeling she was being looked down on a bit. She blushed after seeing that wink again. What sort of impact was she referring to? I-Impact? She seemed awfully intent on establishing the role of dominance already. Then again, Luka couldn't really say much to that. This girl was more experienced in this line of work despite her age.

With a frown, Luka decided to issue a little less than a complaint. Don't get so full of yourself yet just because you've been here a little longer. I've been in show business since I was a kid. I can hold my own just fine. Her competitive side was beginning to show from beneath her normally docile and happy nature. Even so, her cheeks were puffed slightly. Still. She grasped the other girl's hand and gave it a firm shake before smiling. This might be fun. Having a partner was a first for Luka. It was wasn't exactly a regular friendship, but Luka never had one to begin with. To be honest, she was a little excited. Maybe you can show me those books later.

As she spoke though, Luka's attention perked up towards the road. It was her ride. Oh. That's my escort. I guess I have to go now. I'll. . . see you around? Slowly, Luka brought herself over to the car and entered. She smiled at the other girl as she drove off. Well, that's the second most unexpected thing to happen to her recently. Then again, the first was pretty hard to beat.