[1] Smile Magic (UtaPri - Ittoki Otoya Fanfic)

Chapter Three: He Aims to Become an Idol

C H A P T E R 3 :

☆ Local Park ☆ Noon ☆

"I knew you'd come!"

Mae couldn't believe her eyes. She felt like she was dreaming. The smile of the male before her was so bright, and so mesmerizing; it was the type that could fill you up with hope anytime. The type that was always so cheerful, and accepting.

She thought that such an expression never existed. The only kind of look she ever received were glares, or looks of pity.

Never once had someone smiled so warmly at her.

And in his hands... her notebook...

Relief flooded throughout the once anxious teen and she let out a shaky breath.

"Akahana...?" Otoya asked, questioning her silence. He cocked his head to get a better glimpse of her lowered face. His eyelids shot up once he saw her tears.

"E-eh! Why are y-you crying!?"

.

.

.

Otoya looked at the auburn haired female who was still sniffling. They were seated on one of the benches in the park and after a bunch of panicking from him, he had finally managed to calm her down.

Mae held her notebook closer, wiping her face. She couldn't believe how unsightly she was acting in front of him. She didn't even know him, yet he was the first person she had ever shown this side of her to.

It frustrated her...

"Sorry." Mae's eyes enlarged. She snapped her head towards a guilty looking Otoya.

"I-I went through your notebook!" he cried and Mae was caught off guard. "You left it behind in the hospital and I thought that if I could look through it I'd be able to come up with a way to contact you, and-"

"It's okay," Mae said, cutting him off. "That's better than having it end up in the garbage."

"You're... not mad?" Otoya asked in surprise.

"No, I'm more relieved..." She clutched the notebook in her arms. "Thank you."

Otoya was confused. Baffled. Perplexed. Flabbergasted?

The girl beside him wasn't the one he met in the hospital. For the most part, the girl he had met didn't even seem to have the vocabulary 'cry' in her system.

The Akahana Mae he encountered was cold and untrusting; she was somebody who couldn't seem to interact with others no matter what. She was like an empty shell...

But now, he could see that something had happened to her to end up that way. And that notebook; it was as if it was the only thing keeping her from breaking completely.

"Your songs are really good!" Otoya declared with a sudden burst of energy.

Mae looked at him in astonishment.

"It really speaks to the heart! You'd be an amazing composer! Um-" Otoya stopped himself from continuing when he realized the saddened look that enveloped her face.

"S-sorry," he quickly apologized. "I'm aiming to be an idol too, so I just thought..."

"An idol...?" Mae inquired and Otoya flinched.

He waved his hands around dismissively. "Yeah, I want to attend Saotome Academy one day," he confessed, his ruby eyes glistening at the idea. "I even have a couple of friend who want to go there with me. It's funny because we all met in front of the school itself."

Otoya laughed at the memory. "It was really hilarious too because Natsuki was chasing Syo there, and Ren and Masa were the ones to get pushed over by them. Cecil was humming happily in the tree beside us. And Tokiya tried to act all cold and unaffected despite wanting to yell at them... Nanami, though, we met her playing the piano for a bunch of kids nearby."

Mae listened in as his face practically glowed.

"This year we attend a normal high school with music classes but next year we're all going to take the exam for sure and we'll aim to make our dreams come true!"

Mae bit the inside of her cheek as Otoya kept going. He truly wanted to go to that school. And here she was, abusing the fact that she already was, but didn't even attend.

"I've gotta go," Mae announced, standing up. Her inexpressive look was already on her face, but Otoya shot up before she could go.

"Hey..."

Mae stared at him curiously.

Otoya swallowed hard before smiling. "Um, the local daycare is having a bazaar in two weeks; how about you come?"

He pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. Wide-eyed, Mae studied the paper.

"We're all going to be there helping out," he said cheerfully. "If you're free, come on by."

"Bazaar," Mae repeated, reading off the colourful paper. She looked at Otoya, her eyebrows knitted together warily. Though, the sight of his bubbly smile portrayed no ulterior motive.

Mae's lips parted and she hung her head. "Okay... Bye..." she said before turning off and walking away.

She felt Otoya's eyes watching her go until she was out of sight, and she frowned. She looked at the paper once more before reaching out her hand towards the garbage.

She clenched the paper tightly. Even if he may have been sincere, she couldn't go... She wouldn't allow herself to.

She trembled slightly as she dropped the paper inside, staring painfully as it went inside.

"Sorry, Ittoki-kun..."

Shaking her head, she continued to walk off without daring to look back.

I don't want to get involved with anymore people.

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[A/N:]

That was an AU alert haha. I guess I made it so that this takes place before the first season, and that they all knew each other despite that xD In the beginning, I actually wanted it while they're in the Master Course, but nah. AU's gotta stay AU's amiright?? :D I hope I'm not making this story too OOC though... :/

And things are progressing slowly for a reason. I like those types of stories even though I suck at them and end up ruining the pace of things by making things go too fast xD

This was a short chapter though. Thoughts?

-Lev-chan~