Aoki dragged Yuujin all the way to the music club room—basically, his band's space.
"Guys! I brought us a new songwriter!" Aoki announced with way too much excitement.
"Oh, so that's what he was gonna be for? Honestly, Aoki, better give up now," Taylor muttered, arms crossed.
"Hold on, we haven't even seen the newbie's skills yet!" Aoki let go of Yuujin, grabbed a notebook and a pen, and tossed them onto Yuujin's lap.
"Uh… what's this for?" Yuujin asked.
"For writing, silly!" Aoki laughed, plopping down next to Yuujin, who awkwardly sat beside the blond boy.
"But… I don't even know what to write. I'm not really good with words…" Yuujin said, gripping the pen so tightly it burst, staining the notebook. "AH! I'm so sorry, I—" He tried to calm Aoki down, but Aoki was already laughing.
"Relax, I'll just buy another one. But I do need you to collaborate," Aoki got up, grabbed another pen, and handed it over. "I'll buy a new notebook today and give it to you tomorrow as soon as you get here!" he said cheerfully.
"But… why me, specifically?" Yuujin asked, clearly waiting for a convincing answer.
"I already told you—it'd be way too easy with a professional. Besides, you're super cute, and you're exactly the type of guy I would be interested." Aoki teased, pretending his fingers were a camera zooming in on Yuujin's face.
"You…" Yuujin's cheeks flushed as he leaned back against the sofa, droplets of nervous sweat rolling down the sides of his head.
"Haha, I'm just messing with you—don't take everything I say so seriously," Aoki said, leaning close with a provocative grin before pulling away the moment Yuujin recoiled.
"Uh… did you guys forget we're still here?" Max interrupted, visibly uncomfortable.
"Relax, Max Steel," Aoki teased, striding toward the mic stand. "Enjoy this masterpiece with the lyrics I came up with!"
Taylor, Max, and Yuri adjusted their instruments.
"One, two, three!" Yuri counted, and the music started.
The room filled with the clash of guitar, bass, and drums. Aoki moved with the rhythm, letting the instrumental build before his voice joined in.
"You come and go… like you don't even care about me. I see you far away… I want to feel your arms around my cold body. Not so distant…" Aoki sang, with the others echoing the chorus: "Not so distant…"
"Not so far away from me, I want to reach out, without fearing the moment you'll walk away… I need your embrace to feel alright… Without you near me, I'm always alone… oh… I need your embrace to feel alright… With you beside me, I'll never feel alone…"
Aoki paused after the chorus, letting the guitar, bass, and drums take over, filling the air and transforming the room into a safe haven for music.
Yuujin sat still, listening intently, eyes always drawn to Aoki's movements. Suddenly, the song stopped, and Aoki let out a deep breath.
"But… what about the rest?" Yuujin asked, his eyes sparkling.
"That's the problem. I couldn't come up with anything else. Honestly, I can't even say this song was original—it's more like a knockoff. And that's exactly why I hired you!" Aoki stepped away from the mic, grabbed a bottle of water, and sat next to Yuujin.
"Hired me? But I never said I agreed," Yuujin blinked in confusion.
"Exactly. You don't need to agree. I'm the one in charge of the group." Aoki winked at him playfully.
"But… what if I refuse?" Yuujin clenched his fists, staring at the floor.
"You can only refuse after you've written something and I'm not satisfied with it," Aoki replied, smirking.
"Aoki, are you sure about this?" Taylor asked with a yawn.
"Of course I am. If he fails, we'll just find someone else. Anyway, I feel like chilling by the cherry tree. Let's go?" Aoki suggested, and Max and Taylor agreed, heading out first. That left only Yuujin and Yuri in the room.
"You'll get used to him. That's just how he is," Yuri smiled warmly at Yuujin, her tone friendlier than the others'.
"But he's so…" Yuujin tried to speak, but the words stuck in his throat.
"Selfish? Bossy? Annoying? If that's what you mean… well, it's probably because he's a Shizuka. Ever heard of them? He's literally the son of one of Tokyo's biggest tech moguls, and his mom's a fashion icon. He's always on magazine covers," Yuri explained. Yuujin swallowed hard.
"Then… I'm nothing compared to him. Why am I even his songwriter when he hasn't even tried being my friend…" Yuujin thought to himself, frustration bubbling under his calm exterior.
"Let's go—they're probably waiting for us," Yuri said, motioning for him to follow.
Yuujin trailed behind her slowly, spotting Taylor sipping tea while Aoki laughed with Max under the cherry blossom tree.
"We're here!" Yuri announced brightly, sitting down near the tree. Yuujin let drops of sweat fall and vanish into the warm ground, sitting beside Yuri instead of the others.
"Feel it, Yuujin… look at this view, this moment. We're relaxing. Don't tell me this doesn't spark some creativity for writing lyrics?" Aoki slipped up behind Yuujin, hugging him from behind and whispering close to his ear.
"Actually… it makes me want to draw…" Yuujin admitted, letting a sheet of paper slip into his palm.
"We're not gonna earn anything from drawings, only from lyrics. So let's focus on writing!" Aoki said, brimming with energy.
Yuujin sighed. He knew this was going to be a long lunch break…
What he didn't know was what Aoki's next sly move would be.