At the destruction of Kenji Sato's life- his house, his robotic companion, and everything in between- he begins the task of rebuilding what he had lost. But when his floating eyeball robot inexplicably disappears, and a familiar shadow crosses the c...
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KENJI strode with confidence filling his footsteps as he walked towards the conference room, fans lined up and parted like the red sea at his presence. Flashes blurred his vision, yet he wasn't fazed; it was all part of his status, and he couldn't deny that seeing hundreds of people lined up for a mere sight of him didn't fuel his repairing ego.
He had sustained various injuries in the battle against the destroyer, but the only one that had been noticeable was his arm, which was currently constricted in a cast.
The metals doors clanged against each other as guards on either side of it slid the doors open, allowing him to saunter through. He was greeted by sounds of shuttering as chatters filtered throughout the room.
As his eyes roamed around the filled room, his steps taking him to the elevated table at the forefront of the room, a sudden pain emerged from his arm, his right hand coming to clutch his injury as a way to soothe the sudden pain.
"I'm sorry." A finger barely grazed his cast as a voice sounded out, the pain of the impact sending him back for a moment, yet as he turned, he could barely recognise who had bumped into him in the sea of suits and perfectly styled hair.
Through the pain, Kenji forced himself to continue moving forwards, finally stepping onto the platform and sending an appreciative smile to his teammates and the press. Short greetings were exchanged between the members, smiles filling up the atmosphere of the room despite the cold void of colours that filled it.
Settling into his seat at the head of the room, along with his teammates, Kenji scanned each crevice of the bleakly decorated room. Reporters and journalists clad in colours of black and white blurred together in the audience, several cameras stood at the front row of the audience, and the production team stood at the sidelines, quietly barking orders at each other.
As his gaze flitted from faces, movement dragged his attention from the corner of his sight, following the obscured face of a reporter as she confidently strode out the room.
A brow raised at the implications of her actions: a reporter leaving before the conference even started?
Kenji snapped out of his daze at the booming mention of his name, the surprise caused him to hurriedly straighten up, flashing his signature smile at the audience as he dipped his head towards the microphone, "Sorry, what was that?"
The conference continued without a hiccup, Kenji feeling more at ease with every passing minute. He looked to his teammates with admiration, his newfound support increasing with every moment he spent in their presence.
Several questions were thrown at him regarding his injury, ones which he gave a completely believable answer to. Consequently, questions which asked about his performance in the former season were surprisingly met with grace, appreciation, and a promise to do better.
As he walked out the room, the strain in his arm weighed him down. His steps slowed in the middle of the hallway, a hand coming up to his shoulder to massage the sore muscle. His fingers pressed on the skin under his jacket, pain evident in his ministrations, yet it felt too soothing to stop.
"Sato!"
The gruff voice caught his attention, turning his back around to face the stout, yet muscular man. His hand dropped down as he closed the approaching distance between them. "Hey, Coach," the corners of his lips quirked up at the conjoined eyebrows of the man due to scrunching it so often.
"Have you been taking care of that arm of yours?" Coach Shimura questioned, yet it sounded more akin to a demand to answer his question with a response that will satisfy him.
A brief laugh escaped his lips, "Of course I am, got to be in perfect shape before the new season."
A gruff sound of approval escaped his coach's throat, yet it always sounded like he was hacking up a phlegm. "Make sure of it, Sato."
Kenji's brows lifted in anticipation as the man dug something from his pockets, handing him a stack of muscle pain relievers. A laugh erupted from him, both from appreciation and surprise as he reached out to take the wad of flimsy gel strips.
Kenji opened his mouth to speak, "You know, coach, if-"
The same figure who had caught his attention at the beginning of the conference paid no mind to the player and coach as she walked past them, her steps quick and calculated as if she were hurrying to reach some place.
His gaze snapped back to Coach Shimura who looked at him with an expectant gaze, the look pushed his hand upwards as he scratched the back of his neck.
"Nevermind," an awkward chuckle left his lips as the man eventually let out a sound of acknowledgement, patting his good arm before moving past him to leave.
