T ea(t)ch and L(y)earn

Of the concert

This is gonna be short bc Im losing all my motivation lol and no one cares anyway soooo here u go!! E n j oy

We soon prepared and left the apartment, the car drove us to our destination, and as soon as I left, I shivered, it was a cold and windy night, but that's not what made me shiver...Something tells me this night won't end well. But I can't just argue and freak out like a chicken, I need to do this.
To move forward...Just because someone feels like something bad will happen, doesn't mean it will. It's normally called paranoia, and paranoia is never a good thing, except if you're alone at home, then paranoia is totally acceptable.
And with that thought in mind, we stepped forward.
I was feeling so anxious, even though I already did this a thousand times before, somehow this night felt different. Good thing Leon was by my side and he kept checking up on me to see if I was okay, meanwhile White man and Take were fixing their outfit, and Soda was fixing his shoulder-length pink hair.

After a while I finally managed to my nerves, it felt good to see that so many people were there, the place was completely crowded.
The lights were out for a moment when we stepped into the stage. I was already used to how this works, it wasn't either shocking or surprising, just one more day of work of course...And I'm pretty sure this won't be the last...yeah it won't, right?
...
It didn't take long for us to start the show. My mind was running wild, I couldn't think of anything but to work hard and have fun as well. I felt my heart was pounding  every time  my part of the song was near. The fans were screaming with excitement and joy, it was such an amazing sight that I'll never get tired of seeing. All of their love was reaching out to me, andto the others as well, they felt the same way I do. It was so...overwhelming. Leon smiled at the fans as he sang his lines...

'I'm not who you think I am~
You think I'm him...~
Well I'm not.~
I acted selfish and did awful things.~
Disguised myself, afraid that you would judge me'~

Then next up it was Soda...'

I still love you...~
But not like before.~
I want to remember happy times.
We had, together.
So little but still too precious...'~

Taka-

'Why do I feel restless?I also feel uselessI'm all about lessPlease, someone will you bless?Nothing will happenAnd no one told me the rest

Then it was my turn!

'I'm being tortured by this game
I wanted to say that it was lame
I'm the only one to blame
Anger, shocky and thundering
It's true, It's like pretending to be happy and actually being
Your brain gets so easily tricked.
Did that happen to me?
I'm certain I'm still myself, I'm sure am...'

I felt White man push me to the side as he started singing-

'That's what I want to say, even after my mask is gone.
Oh, but who am I kidding? Nothing like that would ever happen.
All I see is my sad reflection on the mirror.
My eyes red, my hands shaking.
When I'm having fun with him, I forget I'm supposed to act like the one that he loves!
Like the one he truly loves
It's obviously not me'

As soon as the song finished, we all caught our breaths, feeling the sweat drop down our forehead. That was so intense, but I loved it, every second of it, it felt like it was going to last forever, but all good things must come to an end, of course. And quickly.
Sadly only the bad stuff lives longer.
But this is not the end...
We were about to keep going when we all heard the music getting interrupted. The crowd, including us, stayed paralysed in confusion.
"What's happening?" Leon annoyingly asked.
"Maybe it's some bad connection or something?" Taka said, biting his nails.
"Did you hear what you just said?" White man frowned at him, shaking his head.
"Let's all calm down, it's probably nothing-"
Then, my voice was cut in by another voice...a familiar one, a voice that neither of us expected to hear. We stood there in shock as we see Gundham Tanaka take his first steps into the stage, with his four hamsters on his shoulders.
What the hell is he doing here with all of us? Did someone let him in? Who? And why?!
I was so stupefied just like the others, I didn't know what to do...
"Why, hello everyone!" he said with a big smile, walking towards us and waving at the public. "Some of you shall recognize my image, and some don't. I'll introduce myself..." he stops walking and faces the crowd. "I am Gundham Tanaka, the most famous writer on the world!"
We heard our fans scream with excitement, they probably think this is some kind of collab, but one that we totally didn't ask for.
"I'm sorry for the sudden interruption, however there is something I need to do, and quickly, I expect the guards to come in here and pick me up at anytime now." he carefully looked around as if he's waiting for someone to barge in and take him away.
"What are you doing here?!" White man was fuming with anger. "This is OUR show, Gundham!"
"Could it be he's a big fan as well...?!" Soda nervously laughed, feeling awkward.
"I doubt it, he looks like he's up to something evil." Leon pointed out, crossing his arms.
"Everyone, let's listen to what the man has to say!" Taka shouted.
"I understand you're all upset, but do not panic, you'll despair even more after you hear this!"
Gundham snapped his fingers and we all hear another familiar voice, on the speakers this time...It was Fuyuhiko's voice!
The recording was apparently taken when he was discussing with Gundham about the photos, he sounded mad like he always does, but that wasn't the problem...
If he was talking to Gundham and they were having a discussion about the Yag direction being gay...then that means...oh god...
"I'll do anything, do you want money? I can do that. Just delete those pictures as fast as possible and write an apology."
"Fuhahaha, are you sure about that, mortal? Bribing me to do such things won't end really well for you."
"Why are you doing this anyways? It's meaningless, we're just trying to make money."
"And by doing that you're lying to everyone out there, isn't that a sin? I just want everyone to open their eyes and see the truth, that's the one thing I'm good at. Revealing mysteries about everything."
"Who the fck cares about that?! That's the price almost all of us pay in order to live a good life. Wouldn't you agree as well?"
"Sincerely, that is true, it does not necessarily means we'll all have to follow that path, I choose the truth, no matter how bad or hurtful it is. It's way better than living a lie, a fantasy, imagination."
"...Just delete the freaking photos, man."
".......As you wish, but I won't do any of this for free.
"Then, the recording stopped abruptly just as it started.
...
That was a short conversation between our manager and Gundham, who is now staring at us blankly.
He actually did it...he played that audio in front of all of us...we look like total fools...
"I apologize yet again, but the world needs to know the truth. And that truth is..."
Gundham brings the mic closer to his lips and says.
"The Yag Direction you all love so much...is gay."
That phrase...that one single line that struck us silent...
Everyone knows the truth..that we fought so hard to hide...is now...out..out of the closet...
"Wa-wa-wait, that's fake, it's gotta be, right, guys?" White man shouted, and looked at us.
"U-uh...yeah..." Leon reluctantly agrees. "It stinks if you ask me..!"
"J-jeez, that startled me for a bit, heh heh..." Soda was sweating nervously just like me.
"There's no way, there's no way...!" I join in, nodding my head firmly.
"Yeah! I agree with that!" Taka smiles.
Gundham scoffs at us and points at the crowd.
"Do that all you want, it won't change the facts. Nothing was faked, that chat took place right after I ended my live, I just happened to be ready for everything and record every part of it."
Damn it...no matter what we do or say, he'll continue with those stupid arguments...there's no way people will actually believe in him, right...?
...
We look over to our fans and widen our eyes in shock when we see some of them starting to leave the concert.
One by one...two by two...three by three...then ten...then twenty...then a hundred.
...
they were all..leaving..
Leaving our sight and leaving us behind. We didn't even notice the guards taking Gundham away, however the latter noticed he was not welcomed anymore and left on his own.
In the end, it was just us on stage, sweating and breathing heavily, still paralysed.
People were recording...they will most definitely publish it on the internet...and this will go viral...
And everyone will know...It's just now a matter of time...
Soon the world will know...
The Yag Direction is Gay.
....
It felt like this was a scene from a movie, the only difference was that this was real, it wasn't fiction. And I was very much aware of that.
After what happened, everything felt like a blur, like it was a dazzling dream, I couldn't focus, I couldn't feel anything. If all of them left, imagine the rest of the world.I was trying to stay on a more positive note, and we all left the concert early, going back to our hotel.
We found Fuyuhiko in there, of course he already knew what happened. The yag direction took slow steps into the room, dejectedly looking at the manager.
"..." he was sat down on the couch, holding a cup of wine. "I'm sorry, guys..." he said in a depressed tone. "It was....it was all my fault."
Someone as proud as him...to swallow it and admit the truth? Yeah, I was mad, I was angry, but not enough to explode in front of everyone.
"Manager..." Taka bit his tongue, looking down. "I-it's okay..."
"No it's not! There's a high chance of you all losing your jobs!"
"But..that's not too bad, right?" White man suddenly says.
We all stared at him, widening our eyes in shock.
"Wha-wha-wha-whaat?!" Soda screamed.
"...Well, so what if we lose our job? We can find others..." he gazed at us.
"I think he has a point..." Leon quietly agrees.
Is he actually serious right now?!
"Na-...White man, what are you saying? Everyone will soon know about our secret, who will be as kind as to giving us new jobs?!" I asked him, shocked.
"Don't worry, it's not the end of the world, we still have hope, especially you, Hinata-kun." he stared at me with a mysterious smile.
"I don't like any of this, I want everything back the way it was!!" Soda whined loudly.
"I admit it was good while it lasted though...I just didn't expect this to happen!" Leon scratched his hair, disappointed.
"How can we fix this, manager?!" Taka desperately asked Fuyuhiko who was still sipping his cup wistfully.
"Well...I can't bribe anymore, or blackmail..."he jokingly said. "I guess all we do is wait and see what the public will say."
"The public..." I mutter out the words. "Then...this will all depend on them..."
I tried making an effort to think about the situation, however I could only find despair, despair, despair, despair..
I feel tired.
"We should go to sleep, it's late." Kuwata raised his voice. "Come on, let's go to our rooms."
We reluctantly said goodnight to each other and prepared to go to sleep.
Tomorrow we will find out what everyone is saying...it's way too late and my exhaustion is reaching it's peak. I know my eyelids will soon give in and I'll fall on the land of dreams...or nightmares.
I already know what to expect anyway, so the anxiety I'm feeling right now won't be in vain. I know exactly what will happen, and it's not a happy ending.
But why, why did this had to happen?! I was so happy, why did Gundham do that to us?! We literally had nothing against him...I mean some of us dislike him, but we had reasons to.
And now we have even more reasons. And white man...why did he say that? He doesn't get it, we have no chances, this is the end...
This is...
The...
.........
I almost forgot everything that has happened when I woke up, but then I noticed my surroundings, and quickly picked up my phone that was on the table.
They were filled with notifications, of course, but I didn't pay any attention and opened up my twitter.
.....
.......
........
I think I'm spending a lot of time just scrolling up and down, I sigh and leave my bed, the phone still in my hands. I join the breakfast table, everyone was already there...including him.
"So..you all saw it too, right?" I say, slowly sitting down.
The manager gave us a sad smile.
"Yeah, it's all over, you idiots."
Of course he said that out of habit, we all knew he was...the guilty one.
"Mhm...Tanaka really delivered a low blow on us yesterday." White man grinned.
"I thought...I thought he was different..." Soda lowered his head and stared at the table.
"Hey, it's okay, it's not anyone's fault!" Taka patted Soda's back, nodding firmly. "No matter what happens, we still got each other, right, guys?!"
"That...that's true..." Leon nervously said, biting down on a piece of burger.
"What do we do now...with our lives? Can we continue with our career?" I ask Fuyuhiko.
A long silence followed after that.
"It's not fair that we'd stop after a simple thing, and I'm not even gay!"
The one guy I was spending time with glared at me, frowning suspiciously.
I gulp and continue staring at Fuyuhiko, waiting for an answer.
"It seems that even though we're super famous, the media is quickly losing interest in the band."
Leon sighs.
"Should we quit, boys?"
"QUIT, QUIT?!!!?!?" Soda stood up and hit the table. "We cant! This job is our life now! Let's just work harder and ignore what happened, just we did with the photos, right??"
He looked at us, waiting for our approval.
"Well, yes, but-"
I got interrupted by White man.
"If that's the only option, then we have no other choice..." he stood up as well and approached Soda. "Listen, you need to calm down for a second, this is not the end, we still have hope, and with that hope, we can move forward and reach greater heights in life!"
The manager coughed nervously and lifts up.
"Yeah, sure, whatever, are we done here, then?"
"Are you serious...?" Kazuichi looked at White man with teary eyes.
"Yes, it's okay!" he responded, softly laughing. "There's still hope for us yet, we can't give up, right, Hajime?" he looked at me.
I almost choked on the orange juice I was drinking. I set the cup down and looked back at him.
"Y-yeah, you're right..." I flashed a smile at Soda. "It's okay, Kazuichi, It's not too late."
He smiled back, that's a good sign.
...
But, I was still left, wondering.What will we really do, now?
......
What...now...?
Is this actually going to end here, just like that?
No...Of course I'm sad that this is over...We have been doing this for such a long time now, it's unbelievable, I don't want to believe in such things! It's absurd, and yet...White man is right.
He wants to live a different life.
Soda needs to let go
Taka needs to take a break
Leon needs one as well
And I...I don't know, I feel strange. I don't know what I should do if we really stop this. Yeah, we're still unsure, however everyone else has already decided that we're going to stop.
And stop...for good?
I can't, I can't imagine things, I need to ask Gundham what that was all about.
I quickly took out my phone and sent him a message on instagram, asking why he did that to the Yag Direction.

This was his reply
...

'I'm really sorry, Hajime, and I'm sorry to the others as well. All of you had the potential to become even better at singing, and I ruined years of career because of my selfish reasons. I started to realize my mistakes when I left yesterday. I thought about it for a long time now. However I'm not willing to look behind and apologize. I did what had to be done. I really am the lord of supreme evil! And, if Soda is reading this, then yes, I know you're a big fan, and I'm a big fan as well. All my actions have consequences, and I truly believe this one, was for the...best.'

Could it be...?
A smile formed my lips.
After all this time we thought we were happy with what we were doing. And we actually were. But with so much work on our shoulders, with how little time we had, and when we could have fun, it was the best. Gundham didn't do that to make us miserable.
He did to save us.
Save from our own cage that we created for ourselves.
The world knows what we were hiding, we shouldn't be scared or worried. We should be glad. Glad that it's finally out. It's out, and we couldn't be happier about it.
White man is right, we still have hope, it's shining within me, and grasping my heart. I'll never let go of this feeling ever again!!
I was so worried for nothing, it's silly now."Hehe..." I laugh, staring down at my phone.
That's it...Now I can look around for my future, my future job and..my future lover...It's obvious who it is by now, considering I've been spending time with him a lot, and maybe only him.

And as soon as I have everything in my hands, he'll be the last one I'll take.
Thank you Gundham...you showed us the true lights.