The crowd clapped, and Tomoe’s band members and choir singers entered the stage, going to their positions. The lights diminished as the first accord of the electric guitar sounded, and Tomoe rhythmically clapped, and the entire Stadium joined her.
Meanwhile, Sakamo was changing his clothes again, and when he placed the weapons against the wall, a group of quick knocks on the door and some shouts alarmed him. The door opened, and a very surprised Hangaku Mae entered, running and stopping close to him.
She looked at the clothes on the hangers and stuttered, “I-It… r-really was you… I thought it was weird the way you left, and the next thing I saw was someone in that ninja suit, fighting… H-how… I mean, when did you learn that? Did Tomoe-chan call you Master Ryu? Why?”
“Well… I learned at the Shrine, along with everything else. Meditation, acupuncture, prayers, and Martial Arts. Tomoe-chan called me Master because I am, in fact, her Master. She has been my student since she was five years old. She is a karate black belt, and she is also very good with weapons, especially with the Naginata spear.”
Hangaku caressed his left cheek with dreamy eyes. “You know… I am about to rip your clothes off and take you right now… You have two seconds to run away, or I will attack you…”
Sakamo held her hand and kissed her fingertips. “And I would probably let you, but that would stop us from enjoying Tomoe-chan’s concert. Maybe you could keep this secret. I would prefer it if the others didn’t know.”
“Yeah, right, as if they aren’t suspicious as well. Let’s go then, I also want to see the concert. But one of these days…”
Sakamo held her hand, and they left, going to meet the others near the stage, who kept on asking him if he saw the ninja guy, receiving a smile and an excuse that he went to the bathroom and didn’t see it.
Tomoe-chan was singing one of her well-known songs, and the crowd was singing along with her. Sakamo smiled, as he remembered the little Tomoe singing like that to him when they were very young. Hangaku joined Tomiko and the other girls in the singing and in the dance choreography that Tomoe was doing.
The Stadium was vibrating with the music, and the audience was ecstatic. Shubuyaky Tomoe heard the group on the left side and waved at them with a big smile.
Song after song, the Stadium kept on echoing her lyrics, and after one song, the lights diminished. Tomoe stood in the middle of the stage, looking around and catching her breath, while the crowd was clapping and shouting her name.
She waved and said, “Some years ago, I fell in love with the greatest little kid. We were six, and he gave me my first kiss. While thinking about him, I wrote the beginning of this song before going to bed that night. Over the years, we became the best of friends. He is like a brother to me, and I know I can count on him forever. This one is for you, big brother!”
Tomoe nodded her head to the lead guitar player, and the first accords of her most famous song made the crowd shout in ecstasy. On the left side of the stage, Tomiko and all the girls screamed, and Hangaku pulled Sakamo’s arm. “I love this song, ‘Into the sun’. She wrote that for you?”
“Yeah, I helped a bit with some rhymes. It was her debut song if I recall correctly.”
Hangaku looked in front again and saw Tomoe signalling at her and the others to join her. Hangaku stared at Tomiko, wondering what Tomoe wanted, and they heard her introduce them. “With you, my friends from Tokyo Metropolitan Nishi High School! Come here everyone, join my choir in this song!”
Hangaku drew the obstinate Sakamo, who refused to join them on stage, and she dragged him with Tomiko grabbing his other arm.
Tomoe sang, and all of Sakamo’s classmates joined her, singing along with the choir. Hangaku was the one that was singing louder than the others, and Tomoe approached her while singing her part. She pulled Hangaku to the front, and they both shared the microphone. Hangaku continued singing, not noticing that she was now singing alone to the thousands of people that were watching in the Stadium and on television because the show was being transmitted live on several channels. When Hangaku realised she wasn’t hearing Tomoe’s voice, she saw her signal to continue, and while Hangaku kept on singing and doing the dance choreography, Tomoe went to the drummer’s elevated platform and sat on the edge, enjoying the singing with a big smile while tapping her foot on the ground, into the rhythm.
Hangaku kept on singing, and the crowd joined her, fascinated by how good her voice was. Even Sakamo was dumbfounded, staring at her, unable to utter a word.
Tomiko shouted in his ear, above the music, “You didn’t know she sings so well, right? She always wanted to be a singer, ever since we were little! And look at her now!”
Sakamo nodded, and Tomoe got up and slowly approached Hangaku, and after a couple of seconds waiting for her opportunity, she joined the dance choreography in perfect sync with Hangaku, and the crowd went wild. She sang together with Hangaku the last verses, and in the end, they both waved at the crowd.
Tomoe spoke to the microphone, impressed by her singing partner, “Hangaku-chan, your singing voice is amazing! You even knew the choreography, and that wasn’t an easy one!”
Hangaku answered the microphone with a big smile and said, “I am not at your level, but I have always been practising since I was very little. I am a member of your fan club, you know?”
Tomoe let out a loud scream that drew a lot of smiles from the audience. “Kyahh! You are? Thanks, that’s so nice of you!”
“Yes, I am the member three hundred thirty-five, Tokyo branch. We are mostly active during the weekends, doing volunteer work like you asked your fan club to do! I was supposed to go to bed early tonight because tomorrow morning I am going to an elderly home to help.”
Tomoe grabbed Hangaku’s hands, and she almost shouted, “Can I go? I could hang out with you and the girls all morning! I have nothing scheduled for tomorrow morning!”
“I guess I can fit you in, but you have to work hard! I don’t want you to be lazy and leave all the work to us!”
Tomoe gave a military salute with a serious face. “I won’t let you down, boss!”
Hangaku signalled with her head to the front of the stage. “You forgot what you were supposed to be doing here? They are all waiting to hear you sing, instead of babbling here with me!”
Tomoe looked around and placed one hand over her mouth. “Oh! I am sorry, everyone! I got distracted! You know what happens when two girls meet, right? We always have too much to catch up!”
The audience laughed, and a lot of cheering followed it. Tomoe made a slight bow to Hangaku while saying, “This is my friend, Hangaku-chan! I bet she will become a talented singer one day with her amazing voice!”
Hangaku waved at the crowd with a big smile and followed her classmates, who were going to their seats again. When Tomoe began singing another song, Sakamo approached Hangaku and asked, “Since when did you sing so well? And why have you never told me you sing like that? That was amazing!”
“A girl is entitled to have some secrets, you know? My parents never gave me a chance to follow my dream, but I always wanted to be a singer like Tomoe-chan. I can’t believe she liked my voice so much that she would let me sing her song all alone! That was so cool of her!”
“Yeah, she even sat on the edge of the drummer’s platform, and she seemed to be really enjoying hearing you.”
Hangaku Mae made a big smile and faced the stage to watch Tomoe’s performance, while Sakamo was still staring at her. Tomiko noticed his baffled look and spoke to Takechi’s right ear, “It seems that Sakamo-kun fell for Hangaku! I never saw him staring like that at her!”
“We can’t be sure, right? They make a nice couple, but I see a girl over there that is not happy about that.”
Tomiko looked to where Takechi was signalling with his head and saw Hojo Masako staring at Sakamo and Hangaku with a frown. She had her face all red, and she didn’t look very pleased with the view. Tomiko slowly nodded and answered, “It’s her fault for being so slow. Hangaku-chan was faster, and she managed to catch Sakamo-kun. I bet there are other girls in our class and in our School that don’t look thrilled when those two are together. Hangaku-chan is my longest friend, and she deserves to be happy. I like Hojo-chan as well, but between the two of them, I would always stay at Hangaku-chan side.”
They both looked at Hangaku and Sakamo with a slight smile, noticing how they kept on singing at each other with the most beautiful smiles plastered on their faces.
When the show was about to end, Tomoe was asked to sing again. She sang two more songs, with Hangaku joining her on the last one, and they improvised a duet for the delight of the audience.
When the song finished, they both hugged each other and waved at the crowd.
They left the stage while waving, and Tomoe jumped to hug Sakamo and kissed his left cheek. “This was so much fun, Ryu-kun! That’s settled! You will always come to my concerts! I won’t accept ‘no’ as an answer! And you guys, you were all amazing! I am so tired, but I can’t stop smiling, and I just want to jump! Where are we going now? It’s still early, right? Can we go have a drink somewhere? I just need to change and find a hat and some glasses, or I won’t be able to get past the crowd outside!”
Hangaku poked her left shoulder with a frown. “What are you talking about? You are supposed to go tomorrow morning with me. Shouldn’t you go to sleep and get some rest? Or are you going to stay in bed tomorrow morning instead of helping?”
“For sure I will! But I am too excited to go to bed right now and sleep! Let’s have a quick drink for me to relax. I promise I won’t fail you tomorrow!”
“Well, as long as you keep your promise. If you oversleep tomorrow, I will go to your hotel and drag you out of bed by your hair! Go change, or do you need help with that? Why are you still looking at me like that? Let him go already, and go find a man for yourself. This one is already taken!”
Shubuyaky Tomoe blinked a few times and stared at Sakamo with a slight smile. “Is she always like this? So bossy and jealous? Because it’s kind of fun to see you with a girl that has you on such a short leash.”
Before Sakamo could answer, Hangaku asked with an angry look, “Why are you still here, Shubuyaky Tomoe?”
Tomoe immediately let Sakamo go and made a slight bow. “I am sorry, I will be right back!”
She gave a thumbs-up to Sakamo and signalled with her head to the angry-looking Hangaku Mae. “This one is to keep, Ryu-kun! Don’t you let her escape!”
She ran away while protecting her head from Hangaku’s raised hand. “I am going, no need to slap me! Geez, girl, calm down, will you?”
Hangaku crossed her arms and stood next to Sakamo while mumbling, “Annoying girl, making fun of me and grabbing my man like that…”
Sakamo disguised a smile, and when Hangaku looked at him, he was completely serious and was looking at the front of the stage, watching the crowd leaving.