Chapter 9

                                    

                                          
"Ruki, wake up!" 
                          
Ruki opened his eyes to discover Shion standing in the doorway. 
                          
"What the hell?" Ruki mumbled. 
                          
Ignoring him, Shion continued, "You had better get up right now. Sho says the manager is coming over in an hour." 
                          
Ruki grunted. As he sat up, his mind was inundated with all the memories of the previous day. One thing he knew for sure, he was in deep shit with their manager, if not the whole company. 
                          
"A good morning to you too, Shion," Ruki drawled. 
                          
Shion dodged Ruki's sarcasm. "Are you okay, Ruki?" Reminiscent of his trainee days, Shion actually looked quite sullen. 
                          
Ruki nodded indifferently. "Yes." 
                          
"Ruki, I feel really bad about all of this. I was the one who gave you the tickets for the amusement park, after all. I was the only one who thought you'd gone to the amusement park, by the way—that's where I went with Keigo last night to look for you." 
                          
Ruki's expression softened. "It's not your fault. I'm the one who decided to leave without telling anyone." 
                          
"I'm just glad you're okay, Ruki." Shion gave Ruki a soft smile. "I'll leave so you can get ready." 
                          
Shion shuffled out of Ruki's room. 
                          
Ruki shook his head in amazement at Shion's endearing behavior. Sometimes that kid can be so empathetic it's crazy. 
                          
Suddenly remembering his rushed message to Momoko the night before, he grabbed his phone and unlocked it. He frowned as he realized that he didn't have any new messages. 
                          
She'll respond eventually, right? He considered for a moment possible reasons why she hadn't answered. Why am I even thinking about this? It's not like I care that much. He placed his phone facedown on his nightstand with an air of finality.  
                          
******
                          
Ruki had showered, gotten dressed, and eaten a snack by the time their manager came storming into the apartment. The manager slapped a copy of a magazine on the kitchen table where Ruki and Sho were sitting. "What the hell is the meaning of this?" the manager shouted.
                          
 Ruki squinted at the magazine to make out the image on the page. A sudden panic filled his chest as he realized the photo was of him at the amusement park. It only quelled his fears a bit as he realized that from the angle the photo was taken at, the paparazzi had not captured Momoko at all. Thank you, kami-sama, he thought.  
                          
Clearing his throat, Ruki said, "I guess the paparazzi actually took my picture yesterday."
                          
The manager gave Ruki a blank look. "Yes, obviously! But what were you even doing yesterday for this to happen?" 
                          
"I went to an amusement park," Ruki replied, but hesitated before continuing, "and to a club." 
                          
"A club? Lord help me." The manager seemed to be channeling all his energy into trying to maintain his calm and not completely scream his lungs out at them. "Is this really the Ruki that I know sitting in front of me? This is really out of character for you..." He let out a stressed sigh. "Why were you doing any of this?"
                          
"Well, that's—" 
                          
"Ruki was on a date with a girl all day," Sho suddenly cut in. 
                          
"It wasn't a date!" Ruki protested.  
                          
"But you don't deny that there was a girl involved?" their manager verified.
                          
Ruki let his eyes drop to the floor. "I was with a girl yesterday, yes."