01
The day promised to be just like any other for Asagi; there was no hint of what was about to unfold. He drank his morning coffee as usual and made sure everything was in order. Only then did he feel ready to leave his hotel room, all the while trying desperately to suppress the feelings that had been taking root in his heart for some time. That was precisely why he was reluctant to step out and face the rest of his band—or the other two bands, for that matter. Above all, he wanted to avoid any unnecessary contact with Kamijo himself.
„At this rate, I’m going to look like a madman...,” Asagi muttered under his breath, hovering his hand over the doorknob yet again.
He placed his hand on the knob, only to pull it away a moment later—a cycle he repeated a dozen times before finally deciding to open the door. He knew full well that if he didn’t leave soon, a staff member or someone from the band would come knocking.
The mere thought made him feel sick; he would have to explain why he had delayed leaving his room for so long. Naturally, he wanted to avoid that, as it would make for an awkward situation. It was no wonder he felt conflicted about the day ahead, which was set to be spent preparing for the upcoming shows of their current tour.
„It’ll be fine, you’ll see...,” Those were the last words Asagi spoke as he finally stepped out of his hotel room.
He was well aware that things might turn out completely differently than he had planned. That was something he was yet to discover; for the moment, his focus was simply on finally leaving that damned hotel room. He wasn’t having much luck with it, though, as he kept pulling back the hand meant to press down on the wretched door handle.
It took several attempts before he finally managed to press it—right after unlocking the door. He took a deep breath and finally pushed down on the cursed handle; it seared his hand mercilessly, as if something were heating it up. Of course, it wasn’t actually being heated, nor was it hot to the touch, despite how it felt to Asagi.
He was simply so anxious about the possibility of running into Kamijo in the hallway that he had no desire to leave the room he was in. Yet, he knew full well that sooner or later, he would have to leave and face the problem head-on.
„What will be, will be—I can’t just stand around in this place for the rest of my life, right?,” Asagi muttered under his breath, fully aware that sooner or later, he would have to leave—whether he wanted to or not.
He felt it would be better to leave the room on his own terms rather than have someone from the crew or his team come knocking. The mere thought made him feel sick; he could already picture himself having to explain to them why he hadn’t left his room yet.
Especially since they were scheduled to inspect the venue for the final concert that day, meaning he had to show up. He let out a quiet sigh and, after counting to ten, finally stepped out into the hallway. Fortunately, he didn’t run into anyone he knew—which suited the dark-haired man just fine.
He really wasn’t in the mood for small talk about the weather or anything of the sort. Of course, he was well aware that the situation wasn’t as simple as it had initially seemed. Regardless, he had managed to step out, and there was no turning back now.
His conflicting emotions only made his already wretched mood worse. He had no idea if he could keep these growing feelings hidden until the end, but he had to ensure—at all costs—that no one found out about them.
And above all, he couldn’t let the very object of his budding feelings find out! Asagi knew full well that if Kamijo discovered his feelings, he would be done for. Especially since he couldn’t be entirely certain how Kamijo would react to such a revelation. An uncontrollable sigh escaped his lips once more; he couldn’t hold it back. He had even stopped counting how many times he’d sighed by now—which was understandable, given the circumstances. Regardless, he focused on walking briskly toward the restaurant to have a quiet breakfast.
He knew full well that if he didn’t get some food into his system soon, things could end badly. After all, he had no intention of pouncing on an ordinary mortal, not knowing if Hunters were watching him. He wanted nothing to do with them; a run-in would jeopardize his music career.
„Maybe I should just skip today’s rehearsal?,” Asagi muttered under his breath as he walked down the corridor toward the nearest elevator to head downstairs.
He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the person approaching him at all. Then again, that worked out in his favor; had he noticed, he likely would have turned right around and gone back to his room. As it stood, that wasn’t the case—something Asagi was about to discover. Still, he was keenly aware that he couldn’t simply skip the rehearsal, and the thought was really weighing him down.
„Maybe if I revealed my feelings for him, everything would change?,” Asagi thought after a moment, wandering down the corridor in the direction he had chosen.
Not even in his wildest dreams did he realize what was about to happen—let alone that he would end up trapped in an elevator with none other than Kamijo himself! Regardless, he focused on getting something to eat; otherwise, he’d be in a really bad mood.
He didn’t even notice when he reached the elevators, which displayed the floors they were currently on. He simply sighed quietly and pressed the button to summon one to his floor. It was the only way the dark-haired young man could get down to the lower level where the restaurant was located.
He was so focused on what he was doing that he didn’t even notice someone very familiar approaching him. It was only then that he remembered he was supposed to meet the rest of the band at the restaurant. Consequently, there was no way he could just bail and not show up.
On the other hand, if he did go, he would be forced to run into Kamijo—something he really didn’t want to do right now. He wasn’t happy about it at all, but he had no other choice, which was really getting him down. Still, he had to come to terms with it, whether he liked it or not.
„So, what am I supposed to do now?!,” Asagi muttered under his breath, trying to figure out what he should actually do next, but nothing really came to mind.
For Kamijo, the day was shaping up to be anything but ordinary. He had been harboring a strange feeling for some time that something was up, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint the actual problem. Still, something deep down told him that the issue weighing on his mind had to do with Asagi.
Yet, he wasn’t entirely certain that Asagi was the source of the trouble, which didn’t help matters at all. He had no clue whether he could keep his growing feelings hidden until the end, but he knew he had to prevent anyone from finding out about them at all costs.
Above all, he couldn’t let the very object of his budding feelings find out! Kamijo was well aware that if Asagi discovered his feelings, he would be done for—especially since he couldn’t be absolutely sure how Asagi would react to such a revelation.
An uncontrollable sigh escaped his lips once more—one he couldn’t suppress. He had even stopped counting how many times he’d sighed by now, which was understandable enough given the circumstances. Regardless, he focused on making his way briskly toward the restaurant to have a quiet breakfast.
He was well aware that if he didn’t get something to eat right away, things could end badly. After all, he had no intention of pouncing on a mere mortal, not knowing if he was being watched by Hunters. He wanted nothing to do with them; a run-in would jeopardize his music career.
That was something he certainly didn’t want, so he had to handle the situation carefully. Simply leaving the room he was in turned out to be not quite as easy as he had initially thought—especially since he had barely managed to drag himself out of bed and get ready, something he had desperately wanted to avoid doing.
