pool,” Masaaki replied. “You were very drunk at the time of the incident.”
Yori agreed. The media had a field day with that little fiasco. Takumijo craved attention and sometimes went out of the way to get it. One of these days, he was going to get his ass in a whole lot of trouble that Mr. Niigata couldn’t buy him out of. He just wasn’t satisfied that his face donned the cover of most of all the magazines since his debut. His calendar was filled with requests for personal appearance appointments and more photo sessions. It surprised him that Takumijo wasn’t more enthusiastic about the situation.
Niigata Enterprises played up their looks and bodies, sparing no expense to transform them into a desirable package. It had been fun at first until the first time he was mistaken for a girl. Till this day, people questioned his sexuality. Yori frowned. He couldn’t help it if he was born that way…more feminine looking than male. He had a penis. That had to count for something.
Anyway, it wasn’t anyone’s business but his own if he was gay or not. The media didn’t consider it so by always printing stories about him dating some guy. It got to a point where he couldn’t even hang out with his friends for fear that he’d be linked to one of them sexually. He wondered if the others felt the same way about themselves or about him. Of course, they were much too polite to ask. On the flip side, Ichiro had it worse than the others. Sometimes it was even hard for them to remember that Ichiro was a male.
“The last thing on the agenda is your upcoming trip to the United States. Everything has been arranged and all we have to do is show up. We’re going to do a total of forty concerts in the next six months and I’m hoping you guys will give it your all. Aomori needs to take America by storm.”
“Then we have no problem,” Yori replied. “I’m looking forward to visiting Los Angeles and New York and meeting our fans from all around America.” In reality, he needed a change of scenery. Life was getting a bit stale in Japan and if something different didn’t happen in his life, he’d go stir crazy. The group was his life, but he needed some him time.
“That’s all I have,” Masaaki said. “Do you have any more questions?”
Ichiro raised his hand. “About those authors? What are we supposed to do with them?”
“Take pictures with them and maybe be seen in public together. Mr. Niigata thinks it could be good for your image to be seen with some of the most brilliant minds in the publishing world.”
“Why would I want to be associated with a bunch of stuffy old men?” Takumijo asked.
Masaaki rolled his dark eyes behind his glasses. “That’s the kind of attitude Mr. Niigata was afraid of. It wouldn’t harm you to hang around with people outside the music world. You’d be surprised what you can learn from a bunch of stuffy old men.” He gathered up his paperwork and prepared to dismiss them. “I think we’re covered just about everything we need to cover today. Try to stay out of trouble.”
Yori looked over at the others.
Takumijo stared at him. “Yeah, he’s talking about you too. You’re not innocent, Yori. Not by a long shot.”
Yori smirked innocently.
* * * *
“Ms. Morrison, it’s time to wake up.”
Shaundra opened her eyes slowly and found a stewardess smiling down at her and Harper seated beside her.
“I’ve been trying to wake her for the last ten minutes,” Harper explained to the stewardess.
Shaundra yawned and moved the blanket down her chest. “Where are we?”
“Narita Airport, in Tokyo,” Harper explained as he sent the stewardess on her way. He opened the curtain.
Shaundra looked over at the window, but didn’t make a move because she would have to bend over him to see out. It was dark anyway. What did she expect to see?
“Welcome back to reality,” Dorothy Brown, one of her fellow authors accompanying her on the tour, said. She was seated across the
Yori agreed. The media had a field day with that little fiasco. Takumijo craved attention and sometimes went out of the way to get it. One of these days, he was going to get his ass in a whole lot of trouble that Mr. Niigata couldn’t buy him out of. He just wasn’t satisfied that his face donned the cover of most of all the magazines since his debut. His calendar was filled with requests for personal appearance appointments and more photo sessions. It surprised him that Takumijo wasn’t more enthusiastic about the situation.
Niigata Enterprises played up their looks and bodies, sparing no expense to transform them into a desirable package. It had been fun at first until the first time he was mistaken for a girl. Till this day, people questioned his sexuality. Yori frowned. He couldn’t help it if he was born that way…more feminine looking than male. He had a penis. That had to count for something.
Anyway, it wasn’t anyone’s business but his own if he was gay or not. The media didn’t consider it so by always printing stories about him dating some guy. It got to a point where he couldn’t even hang out with his friends for fear that he’d be linked to one of them sexually. He wondered if the others felt the same way about themselves or about him. Of course, they were much too polite to ask. On the flip side, Ichiro had it worse than the others. Sometimes it was even hard for them to remember that Ichiro was a male.
“The last thing on the agenda is your upcoming trip to the United States. Everything has been arranged and all we have to do is show up. We’re going to do a total of forty concerts in the next six months and I’m hoping you guys will give it your all. Aomori needs to take America by storm.”
“Then we have no problem,” Yori replied. “I’m looking forward to visiting Los Angeles and New York and meeting our fans from all around America.” In reality, he needed a change of scenery. Life was getting a bit stale in Japan and if something different didn’t happen in his life, he’d go stir crazy. The group was his life, but he needed some him time.
“That’s all I have,” Masaaki said. “Do you have any more questions?”
Ichiro raised his hand. “About those authors? What are we supposed to do with them?”
“Take pictures with them and maybe be seen in public together. Mr. Niigata thinks it could be good for your image to be seen with some of the most brilliant minds in the publishing world.”
“Why would I want to be associated with a bunch of stuffy old men?” Takumijo asked.
Masaaki rolled his dark eyes behind his glasses. “That’s the kind of attitude Mr. Niigata was afraid of. It wouldn’t harm you to hang around with people outside the music world. You’d be surprised what you can learn from a bunch of stuffy old men.” He gathered up his paperwork and prepared to dismiss them. “I think we’re covered just about everything we need to cover today. Try to stay out of trouble.”
Yori looked over at the others.
Takumijo stared at him. “Yeah, he’s talking about you too. You’re not innocent, Yori. Not by a long shot.”
Yori smirked innocently.
* * * *
“Ms. Morrison, it’s time to wake up.”
Shaundra opened her eyes slowly and found a stewardess smiling down at her and Harper seated beside her.
“I’ve been trying to wake her for the last ten minutes,” Harper explained to the stewardess.
Shaundra yawned and moved the blanket down her chest. “Where are we?”
“Narita Airport, in Tokyo,” Harper explained as he sent the stewardess on her way. He opened the curtain.
Shaundra looked over at the window, but didn’t make a move because she would have to bend over him to see out. It was dark anyway. What did she expect to see?
“Welcome back to reality,” Dorothy Brown, one of her fellow authors accompanying her on the tour, said. She was seated across the