My Crown: Reimagined [IDOLiSH7 Fanfiction]

18: My Purpose

"Welcome ba- Kujou-san!?!" Iori dropped his chopsticks, which he was using to flip dumplings in the pan. His mouth opened wide. He was expecting Yamato and Nagi's return, sure, but what was Riku doing with them?

"That's Rikkun?" Tamaki walked to the entrance area to get a closer look at the redhead. He then smiled. "Your cosplay looks cool."

Riku looked around. Oh gosh no. Hell no. Everyone was there, and 'everyone' did not just include idols. Otoharu, Banri, and Tsumugi were there too! "Sorry for the intrusion!" He turned around, trying to leave when Yamato grabbed him by the back collar of his jacket.

"You're not going anywhere, Kujou." While everyone's attention was on them, Yamato announced Riku's good deed. "This guy saved our day!" Well, imagine the state of everyone's mental health had Nagi not obtained that precious figure. I6 would be in peril.

"Don't be a stranger, Kujou-kun." Otoharu, who was holding an excited-looking Kinako, welcomed the boy with a smile.

Riku froze on the spot. Crack. The boy felt like he had lived in the room of illusive darkness for too long that when he opened the door to the world of reality, the light was hurting his eyes, burning, and cleansing his soul from the inside out. The ice wall surrounding his heart began to crack as the voices of people around him were getting louder and louder.

Tsumugi laughed dryly. "Da-I mean, president, I think you're scaring him even more."

"Maybe a drink will loosen him right up." Mitsuki thought of a good idea and was about to grab a can of beer from the fridge.

"Riku-kun is not old enough to drink, Mitsuki-san!" Sougo stopped Mitsuki. Good thing Mitsuki had not touched a can yet or Sougo might have broken his arm with a slap.

"'Riku-kun', huh?" Mitsuki smirked.

"Ah! I-I mean Kujou-kun." Sougo corrected himself.

"A bit late for that." Tamaki pouted. He looked jealous. "You always go on and on and on about Rikkun. Not fair."

"Sougo is your BIG fan." Nagi gave Riku a wink. "And I'm now your big fan too!"

Riku was at a loss as to what to do. Now that his heart was no longer frozen solid; now that his time started ticking once again, being surrounded by these happy people with big personalities overwhelmed him. If he was an idol, then at least that title would grant him an 'equal' standing with the I6 boys. However, he didn't have that title anymore. No matter how he looked at it, Riku felt he did not belong there. "I'm sorry!" He forced his eyes shut, causing his welling tears to fall. He bowed, then bolted out of the place as fast as he could. For the first time in weeks, he let his tears run.

That's right.

I'm not an idol anymore!

~~

"Kujou-san!" Iori was trying to stop Riku when the door slammed shut. Alarmed by Riku's reaction, he felt the need to go after the former idol right away. Hmmm, but he couldn't help notice that the other IDOLiSH6 members seemed just as uneasy. Tamaki's voice stopped Iori in his track.

"Was Rikkun crying?" Tamaki asked worriedly. "Is he sick?"

"I don't think so, Tamaki-kun." Sougo answered with a sad tone. "Seeing us as idols probably hurts him. We were singing together at Friends' Day and all of a sudden,"

"...he isn't an idol anymore." Mitsuki finished Sougo's sentence. Clouded by anger, he made a fist. "He's such a nice guy. It's unfair what his agency did to him!"

Iori looked at his brother, surprised. He wondered what made Mitsuki so riled up. Those two weren't exactly close, as far as he knew.

"I saw Riku-kun sing for the kids at the hospital many times. He's always been warm and kind. The kids seem to adore him." Sougo explained how he became Kujou Riku's fan.