(9 am, April 7th, 2020. The sunlight was strong enough for the rays to go through the clouds, some light on the road after a heavy rainstorm last night. Emiya's with Aoi, who's in the driver's seat while Emiya's in the passenger seat. Emiya was looking out of the window, thinking about what happened during the past 3 months now that everything was going back to normal for her, even if the trauma she had been through would never go away. An hour and a half later, Aoi and Emiya reached the apartment and both of them carried Emiya's belongings. Once they reached Emiya's apartment, they saw three people waiting for them. Iselin Haagen, Yoshinori Densuke, and last but not least...)
Emiya: (running towards the third person) ...Mako-kun?, What are you doing here?
Mako: I heard that you were in court fighting for yourself, I saw the news and went through social media to see what's up. As soon as I saw that you were taken advantage of, I decided to tell everyone affiliated with the company to speak against it and tell their experience with the company. Of course, we only spoke to the people who were willing to show themselves on the court for you and were familiar with your work.
(Emiya's eyes widened before looking at him with a soft gaze and a smile.)
Emiya: Ah... I figured that it was you when I found out about the anonymous tip from a singer from Eigaharu...
(They went inside the apartment and sat in the living room. The once cluttered place had become tidy thanks to Iselin and Aoi. While Iselin was in the kitchen preparing food for everyone, Emiya and Aoi were busy taking care of Emiya's belongings. The manager and Emiya's colleague and best friend were sitting in the living room discussing Mako's next album and future songs. Once everyone came to the living room with food and drinks in hand, Emiya told her manager and her best friend what happened when she was still going through psychiatric care.)
Emiya: So... when the police found evidence of the assault, the company's CEO decided to throw me under the bus and expose private information which is against the record company's terms and conditions. Yet, they still filed a case against me regardless...
(Aoi's eyebrows furrowed and she clenched her fists, but Iselin put her hand on Aoi's tense shoulders to calm her down. Meanwhile, Yoshinori had a pensive and concerned look, and Mako was intensely listening to what Emiya had to say as she explained what happened to her while she was in recovery and in court.)
Emiya: Even though the doctors told me to not be in court because it can make me more stressed than I already was, I still decided to testify and be in court while it was going on. Fortunately, someone recommended me a lawyer who had experience with contracts in the music industry, and she did a wonderful job dealing with the persecutor who was on Eigaharu's side. Though... I don't know why she took my case since she's more well-known as a prosecutor than a defendant...
Iselin: Probably because she was recommended to you by the person who was in the same ward as you.
Emiya: (*nods*) Probably... Anyway, I won the case. But... (She grabs her dress and bites her lips.) All my songs will become theirs and... I won't get any of them back...
Yoshinori: Actually, that's not the case. There's a way for you to separate yourself from the company and still have creative freedom as an artist.
(Emiya looks up and listens to what her manager has to say.)
Yoshinori: If I remember correctly in the contract before the current CEO took over, if an artist is famous enough in the company where they are gaining more money than the average musician, then they can create a subsidiary where the artist can have more control than the company... I'm guessing the CEO got rid of that part since the previous CEO retired 8 years ago... I can't believe this flew across my mind...
Emiya: It's okay, manager. I should've known how they would've taken advantage of me... but it doesn't matter anymore... the best thing I can do is move from all this and start anew.
Mako: Oh speaking of which, I listened to the song that you and Ikuro-san worked on and it's on the Billboard 100.
Iselin: Not to mention, Ikuro-san's album's doing really good, and also opened up her own music company called Gardenia-
Aoi: (Clears throat and whispers.) I was supposed to tell the good news, you know?
Mako and Iselin: Ah, sorry.
(They were surprised how they said the same thing and looked away from each other.)
Iselin: Umm, sorry Aoi-chan. We just wanted to cheer you guys up after what happened over the past 3 months or so.
Emiya: (*chuckles*) It's okay... I'm just glad that I'm still here... If it wasn't for Aoi and Iselin, then I wouldn't be here...
(Besides Iselin and Aoi, the men look at Emiya with sadness and guilt since they couldn't help Emiya when she was with her ex-boyfriend. Aoi gets up and takes Emiya's hand.)
Aoi: Umm... can we talk alone? We'll be back in a few minutes.
(They gave them privacy so that they could talk. Aoi and Emiya go to the balcony together... once they are out, Aoi closes the sliding door and puts her arms on the railing. Emiya begins to feel something inside her chest, her heart beating rapidly, but it's not out of fear...)
Emiya: So... what did you want to talk to me about?
Aoi: (not taking her eyes off of the view) ...I was thinking about a lot of things when you were gone, how everything ended up the way it ended, the way your record company took advantage of people like you, how I was with you after we broke up... all of it. And... I wanted to say that... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being there for you when you were going through so much at that time... I should've taken the time to realize how they were treating you...
Emiya: (*shakes head*) No, I should be apologizing too since I couldn't say anything about it. It was an NDA, so...
(Aoi takes her arms off from the railing and looks at Emiya.)
Aoi: I know, they showed the NDA in court, so I understand why you were always late... Also... whatever happened to you when you were in that relationship was not your fault, it was never your fault in the first place. The person who should be at fault is finally behind bars now, even the law can't let someone like him out even if his father's well-connected. (*sighs*) What I'm trying to say is, that no matter what happens, I'll be by your side from now on.
(Emiya puts her hands on her chest, trying her best not to show her excitement while keeping a surprised face)
Emiya: Wait... does that mean...
Aoi: (smiles and nods) Yeah...
(Emiya and Aoi gave each other a big hug and cried like when they confessed to each other in high school. Meanwhile, Iselin takes the curtains and draws them towards the center so that the men in the living room can't see what's happening on the balcony.)
YOU ARE READING
Aome (青目; Vol.2)
FanfictionAoi has decided to collaborate with Yame (Emiya) for her upcoming album. However, in the months before the album release comes around, something doesn't seem right with Emiya as she becomes quieter and less vocal about her wants and needs than befor...
