My Crown: Reimagined [IDOLiSH7 Fanfiction]

19: My Family

"Come and take a peek, Riku-kun."

It was Riku's official first day as an I6 training coach. He spent the rest of yesterday going through intense training with a choreographer. There was a lot he needed to adjust to. He understood I6's image and vibe as a fan. With his position, he needed to know how to create that vibe. Banri led him to the practice room in the agency, then slid the door open with the lightest touch so the boys wouldn't notice. He and Riku watched I6 through the small gap. They were reading and singing the lyrics to 'Viva! Fantastic Life!!!!!!!'

Yamato was rapping when his tongue twisted halfway through. At the end of their take, he sighed. "Ah, this is tougher than I thought."

Riku turned his attention to Iori next. The young boy remained composed as if he had it together. Not quite. Riku knew full well that that was Iori's worried face. The redhead had worked with I6 enough times to read their expressions quite well.

"I was too slow, huh?" Mitsuki seemed pretty discouraged, and he wasn't the only one. Sougo looked like he was deep in thought. Tamaki was scratching his head and groaning. According to Riku's observation, Nagi was the only one who looked comfortable there.

Riku closed the door as silently as he could. He looked at Banri. "I'm not going in there right now." Right. If it was the puppet Kujou Riku, he would have walked right in and made them dance because he was instructed to teach them choreography. Over months of therapy and spending time with Iori, he had learned to read the room better. "They need time to adjust to the song style."

"You could go in there and help them, you know?" Here came Banri's first test. He wanted to understand the logic behind Riku's decision.

"I don't want to give them commands." For a brief moment, the usually expressionless Riku became sad. "They should be free to create their own version of the song. Going in this early will destroy what they're trying to build." The last thing Riku ever wanted was to become a man like his adoptive father. He held the power as an I6 training coach, sure, but he'd rather be the coach that encourages people, not the one that commands them.

Satisfied with the answer, Banri nodded. "Alright. Let us wait for a while longer then." It was a relief in some ways, actually. He was Riku's manager and supervisor. Otoharu asked him to keep an eye on Riku's demeanour and to report to him about Riku's work performance. Riku's recruitment came so unexpectedly that he wondered what the president had in mind.

Riku listened in through the door for a while longer, until the boys could almost sing a harmony. He then knocked and opened the door fully. "Excuse me," said Riku, bowing to the members of I6.

"Kujou!?!" Yamato was the first to notice since he was facing the direction of the door.

"Sorry for the sudden intrusion. I am Kujou Riku. Starting from today, I am your training coach."

The I6 boys went wide-eyed. They shouted, "EHHHHHHHHH???????"

~~

Riku soon found himself in the middle of the room, going over dance moves that the choreographer had taught him with the boys. He summoned his inner energy and put it into the execution of each move. He reminded himself to keep the energy high. That was the point of this song. He went over each part while carefully observing the I6 members, making sure they got all the moves before moving on to the next. After that, Riku went over the respective parts for each member.

Such power. Just as Riku was observing every member of I6, Iori was observing him in a similar manner. Riku was tired from all the dancing, he could tell, yet he didn't let his energy level drop at all. That was the talent formed from years of training solely to become an idol. Iori looked around. The mood felt different from before. Everyone seemed to have gained a burst of energy from Riku.