The Disconsolate Maiden

Chapter Thirty

After school...

"So you're Miss Homura Kanojo," a kind lady with a pale, smooth, round face said. The lady pushed her thick brimmed glasses up further on her face, yet they only fell down again, as did thin strands of her long black hair, which was supposed to be held back by a loose ponytail. "It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Hanaika, the daytime manager here at 455 Idol."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Hanaika," Homura said, bowing to the lady at the small desk, cluttered with stacks of papers as well as notebooks and random pens and pencils. "I'm so glad I was accepted to come here last night. It really made me happy."

Hanaika squinted her eyes a little at Homura, studying the girl from head to toe. She scrunched up her nose a bit, but then smiled sweetly.

"It's without a doubt that you'll be accepted. You have a nice body, and your hair is just as silky as can be. Even if you have no musical talent or anything with your voice, you'll make a great model." Hanaika said, clapping her hands together as she pushed away from her desk.

Standing up, Hanaika dipped her head in respect to Homura, then directed her down a short, empty hallway towards a room with a steel door, unlike the rest, which were just a simple wood.

"That's the interview room," Hanaika said, checking her watch to make sure Homura was on time. "I'll be right back, but don't go anywhere. I'm going to see if the producer would like to see you."

"Y-Yes ma'am," Homura said politely, bowing in respect as Hanaika disappeared into the room with the steel door, which seemed to give off a dark aura.

Tapping her shoes on the floor a little to distract herself, Homura began to think about what Jyushimatsu had asked her.

"Of all the beautiful girls in my school...Jyushimatsu sought me out just days ago..." Homura thought, nervousness sending chills through her veins.

Hair standing on end, she glanced about, praying Hanaika wouldn't be too long. The longer Homura waited, the more nervous she seemed to get.

And just like that, her wish came true as Hanaika exited the terrifying room, grimacing slightly.

"He's in a foul mood today," Hanaika sighed, scribbling something down on a clipboard. "Be careful, Miss...Homura."

Homura stared into the lady's eyes and dipped her head politely. Hanaika held open the heavy door for the student, allowing her to step into a brand new life.

Glancing about nervously, Homura found herself in a somewhat messy room, papers on tables, the floor, and a large desk just ahead of her. Messy environments never failed to make the girl uncomfortable, causing her to feel like she had to watch out for bugs constantly.

A dark headed man with wide shoulders sat in an office chair, jus glaring at Homura, his head resting on one of his hands. Drumming his fingers impatiently on the cluttered desk in front of him, he sighed, clearly impatient with Homura already. Yet, she had made sure not to take forever to get to his desk. She really wanted this job.

"Hello, sir," Homura said, bowing, keeping her eyes lowered to the floor. "I am Homura Kanojo. I'm sixteen years old and I will be finishing my second year of high school soon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I don't care," the producer spat, exhaling loudly as he rolled his eyes a little. "Just tell me why you want the job."

"I-I-I-I!" Homura exclaimed nervously, already beginning to panic as she struggled to find the right words. "I've always wanted t-t-to be an i-i-i-idol! I've been playing piano since I could w-w-walk! A-And t-t-this is a d-d-d-dream! I w-w-want...." Homura paused, memories of Yuka flashing through her mind. She was unable to finish her sentence as a small realization washed over her once again.

"Have you ever been on stage?" the producer growled. "You seem shy for a kid your age! What are you, homeschooled?"

"W-What..." Homura stammered nervously.

"Just..." the producer sighed, breaking his angry expression. "You seem like a kind, sweet girl. You're also extremely pretty. But being an idol to sing on stage? Can you really do that? I'm not so sure."

"W-What else could I do then...?" Homura asked desperately, knowing how important this was to her sister.

"Meet with me tomorrow at this location," the producer said as he wrote an address down on an index card, passing it over to Homura. "We'll discuss things there. You have a beautiful body and complexion. I'm sure we can get things smoothed over. You are dismissed."