“What are you looking at me like that for?” Harue asked. “Of course I signed you all up! Oh, but only the girls. No one’s interested in hearing guys sing.”

  James stared at her. “I don’t know where to start,” he said. “Maybe with, I expected you to go after Mitsue.”

  “What for striking out?” Harue’s eyes briefly flickered towards Midoriko. “Listen. My sisters leave way too many broken men wandering through the wreckage of their dignity for me to make jokes about rejection. I’ve seen the light die in their eyes. I’ve heard them sobbing in stairwells, stripped of their money and a portion of their souls, begging for just one more chance. It’s not funny.”

  She paused. “Well, it’s kinda funny the first few times. But it gets old!”

  “That’s surprisingly empathetic of you,” Suki said. “But why, exactly, did you sign us up for a competition without asking?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Harue exclaimed. “We’re the Idol Club! Of course, we have to compete!”

  “I’m not a member,” Midoriko put in.

  “An honorary one! Just for tonight. You’ve got boobs, you’ll be a hit.”

  Midorko’s expression became strained. “That’s not how singing works, and—”

  “—That’s not the point.” Suki interrupted. “Why did you do this without asking? I’m sure Kana doesn’t appreciate being forced into this.”

  “I don’t mind,” Kana said. “It is an opportunity to show my superiority and bask in adulation.”

  “As for why,” Harue explained, “Registration closed fifteen minutes ago, so if I’d waited, you’d have missed out! No need to thank me, I’ll just borrow some of Kana’s adulation.”

  “You will not. All of my adulation is mine, by definition.”

  “I’m not ready to perform!” Suki blurted. “Not in front of an audience.”

  “What are you talking about?” Harue asked incredulously. “You’re the best singer of any of us!”

  “While I do not agree that you are the best, your performances are more than deserving of the term fantastic,” Kana reluctantly agreed. “They are almost as good as mine.”

  “Is it because of who you used to have to perform for?” James asked. He put his arm around her shoulder. To his relief, she leaned into him. “You don’t have to sing, no matter what Harue signed you up for.”

  “Hey! You respect the sanctity of the unsecured sign-up sheet!” Harue protested.

  “It’s not that,” Suki assured him. She rested her head against his chest; her hair smelled of flowers. “It’s just—I’m—It’s you.”

  “Me? Suki, if you think I’m going to be a tough audience for you—”

  “Not that,” Suki said. “There are things I said I would explain—things I want to explain—when I performed for you. But I’m not ready.”

  “You did say something about that, didn’t you?” James gently lifted Suki’s chin until she was looking him in the eyes. “There are a lot of mysteries about you, and I do want to know what the answers are… but I trust you, Suki. You can take as long as you need to tell me.”

  “Really?” Suki asked, looking up at him. She was so beautiful that it made James’s heart ache. He carefully didn’t think about how his hands were pressed against the bare skin of her back.

  “Absolutely,” James said. “Take as much time as you need.”

  “I will. Thank you.” Suki laid her head against his chest and hugged him tightly. Then she turned to Harue, who was smiling smugly.

  “I guess I’ll sing, then. What are we singing?”

  Harue shrugged. “It’s an individual competition, just pick a song you know. Things will go more smoothly if you tell the staff in advance. Oh, but you—” she pointed at Midoriko, “—will have to go back to the hotel to get changed.”

  “Why?” Midoriko asked.

  “Check out the sign,” Harue said, pointing. James looked at the pavilion, the first time he’d given it more than a glance. The sign on the top of it read Bikini Karaoke.

  “Aren’t you glad I didn’t sign you up?” Harue asked James cheekily.

  “Ecstatic,” he replied sourly.

  “I never said I would do it,” Midoriko stated. “I don’t see why I should expose myself just to perform in a competition I don’t care about.”

  “Aw, come on,” Harue crooned. “Don’t tell me you aren’t itching to show that body off. You can make it a consolation prize for Mitsue.”

  “That’s disgusting,” Midoriko said. She looked over at Mitsue, who was on the edge of the group, not participating in the discussion. “I thought you weren’t going to tease him about this.”

  “Not for getting his heart broken, that’s true. You, for breaking his heart? That makes us practically sisters! Do you mind if I call you Midori-nee?”

  “I do mind. Very much. Try it and I’ll kill you.”

  “Whoa there, shrine maiden. That’s hardly exhibiting Purity, Grace and Humility.”

  Midoriko glared at Harue, but Harue’s grin was irrepressible. For a moment, James felt what had to be the killing intent that he’d heard of in stories, but it passed.

  “Fine. I’ll get changed.” Midoriko stalked towards the hotel.

  “How did that convince her?” James exclaimed. “You were terrible!”

  “It’s all about knowing what buttons to press,” Harue said. “You should go with her, we’re not supposed to go anywhere alone.”

  “Why me?”

  “Who else?” Harue replied. James looked over the group and realised that she was right. After promising Suki that he would return soon, he jogged after Midoriko.

  “Sorry about Harue,” he said when he caught up to her. “She’s very… Harue.”

  “I noticed,” Midoriko said dryly. She looked up at him. “You weren’t expecting to follow me all the way into my room, were you?”

  “I’ll wait outside,” James said, blushing. “It’s Professor Toei’s security precaution.”

  “Ah, yes.” They walked a few paces more before she spoke again. “Are you going to chastise me for hurting your friend?”

  “Ah, no?” James said hesitantly. As they walked on, he felt the need to explain. “I didn’t think he had much of a chance. You have a reputation for not accepting confessions.”

  Midoriko stumbled slightly. “I have a reputation?” she asked.

  “Not a bad one! It’s just…” James hesitated. “You do know that the boys in my year are basically always talking about you and maybe five other ‘top-tier’ girls, don’t you?”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “I didn’t, and I’m not sure I like being referred to as ‘top-tier’.”

  They got to the hotel and started crossing the lobby.

  “If you could get them to stop, I’d be grateful,” he said. “One of the girls they go on about is Suki.”

  “If you can’t get them to stop, I doubt I can do anything. What do they say?”

  “Oh, it’s all harmless enough. That you’re beautiful and that you reject anyone who confesses to you.”

  “That doesn’t seem like much for them to constantly go over.”

  “The repetitiveness is the worst part,” James told her. “There’s also a lot of speculation about the one special move that will win your heart.”

  Midoriko frowned as they got in the elevator. “There is no such move,” she said.

  “I know, but they won’t listen,” James complained. “They’re constantly asking how I ‘won’ Suki, like there was a trick to it.”

  “I see.” Midoriko lapsed into thoughtful silence until they got to her room. When she came out again, she was wearing a sarong and a T-shirt over a bikini.

  “In the interest of quelling rumours,” she said, “I should explain why I rejected Mitsue-san— why I rejected all my suitors.”

  “Shouldn’t you tell this to Mitsue-kun?” James asked.

  “I did, though I’m not sure if he was listening.” Midoriko sighed. “Most of the boys, I can’t explain things to. Mitsue-san was an exception since he’s already caught up in his own… thing.”

  “This is about… your dimensional thing,” James guessed.

  “Yes. The Earth is in great danger, and I, along with a few others, have been chosen to save it. You know how it is.”

  “I guess I do,” James admitted.

  “The Vaikarana Dominion… I can’t say more, I don’t want anyone else to get dragged into this. But my friends and I have been fighting against them for two years, and we’re getting close to finding the key… dimensional interchange, is what Asako-san calls it. It won’t be long before we head out to destroy it… and we might not come back.”

  “You don’t want anyone getting close to you, because you might die,” James guessed. Midoriko nodded slowly.

  “I lost my parents,” she said. “It hurts. I don’t want anyone else to feel the same pain for me. It’s bad enough that my brother will… nobody else.”

  James sighed. “That’s pretty heavy,” he said. “I can understand, but I don’t know if I agree.” They had exited the hotel, and he looked ahead to where the karaoke pavilion was.

  “Mitsue-kun is helping me pilot a fifteen-thousand-year-old robot to fight a Dragon-God-King. It sounds crazy when I say it.”

  “You get used to it,” Midoriko said wryly. “But, that is just another reason for me not to date him. If he were to die…”

  “Don’t take this as being about Mitsue-kun, specifically,” James said. “I don’t want to tell you who you should date. It’s just…”

  He paused, trying to form the words. “That’s true for Suki as well. Not just the piloting thing, but she’s facing… other dangers. She could die tomorrow.”

  He needed to stop talking there, to deal with the pang of fear that even saying the words generated. They could see the rest of the group up ahead in the crowd. Suki was waving at him. For some reason, she was holding a mask. He waved back.

  “If that happened… I’d be devastated, of course. But it wouldn’t take away the time we spent together. And I’d rather have that, than… than anything. Protecting people from caring about you means you can’t ever have that.”

  “That is… a good point,” Midoriko said. “I will think about it.”

  Harue waved frantically as they approached. “Hurry up, slowpokes! Midoriko-senpai has to choose her song!”

  She dragged the older girl towards the pavilion. James greeted the rest of the gang.

  “What’s with the mask?” he asked Suki.

  “Oh, people will be taking pictures of the competition,” she replied. She held up the mask, and James could see it was a standard oni mask with a disfigured face and a single horn. “Some of them will go on social media, so I thought I should wear a disguise.”

  She glanced over at Kana. “I didn’t want to wear the sunglasses at night.”

  “Ha!” Kana scoffed. She was wearing the sunglasses. “As if my vision could be impaired by mere glass.”

  “What about Harue?”

  “She said she’d just change her face,” Suki sighed. “So don’t worry too much if she looks different.”

  Harue came back and started chivvying them all back to the pavilion. “Competitors and their companions get special VIP seating!” she told them. James looked at her closely… he thought he might see a small difference. She winked at him.

  “The trick is to do it slowly, then no one notices a thing,” she said.

  The special part of the VIP seating was that there were seats. The main crowd had to stand. It was also separated from the main crowd by a canvas wall. It wasn’t behind the stage but off to one side, so the guests had a view of the performers, but the crowd didn’t have a view of them.

  Suki took a seat next to James. She was fifth on the schedule.

  “Are you nervous?” he asked, seeing how she shifted in her seat.

  “A little,” Suki admitted. “There’s so much more shouting than I’m used to.”

  The first singer was a girl whom James didn’t know, singing a song announced as Blue Bird. James didn’t know much about J-Pop, but it seemed pretty well received.

  Kana was next, and to James’s surprise, she was pretty good. He was used to her arrogance covering for her lack of knowledge, so it was startling to see that she could sing well.

  She sang a song called Sakurazaka, and judging by the lower register and the video showing in the background, it was normally sung by a guy. It suited her. From the cheers, the crowd agreed. They sounded more enthusiastic than they were for the last singer.

  Kana seemed pleased by the response, striding pridefully off the stage. For the first time, James started to wonder if the Idol Club was going to be successful. Harue had said that wasn’t the point, that they were just there to have fun. But if Kana was that good, and the others were comparable…

  James was one hundred percent sure that Suki would be even better.

  Harue was next. She bounced onto the stage, yelling an exuberant greeting to the crowd. Her sound started out slowly, almost mournful, and Harue played it straight, looking earnestly out into the crowd. It didn’t last. Once the intro was over, the music picked up, and Harue started dancing all over the stage. James could have guessed the song’s title, even if it hadn’t been displayed on the screen. Even if he hadn’t spoken Japanese, for that matter.

  “Linda, Linda!” Harue sang at the top of her voice. “Linda, Linda, LindDAH!”

  By the second repetition, she had the crowd singing along. Her energy was infectious, and it was only loyalty to Suki that kept James from joining in.

  Harue was the only performer so far who had done what James would classify as an idol performance. This was a karaoke competition, so James wasn’t sure if the dancing was doing her any favours. It sure got the crowd excited, though.

  When she skipped off the stage, James wasn’t sure if she’d done the next act a favour or not. Harue’s enthusiasm made the girl’s performance—a perfectly adequate one—seem anemic in comparison. On the other hand, Harue had pumped up the audience. A few of the crowd were calling for her to come back, but overall, James thought that the crowd's reaction was louder than it would have ordinarily been.

  Then it was Suki’s turn. James gave her a hug for good luck, and then she was on the stage.

  The screen said she was singing First Love. She started to sing, and James was… lost.

  He barely had time to notice the beauty of her voice before everything became dreamlike. He struggled to remember who was singing, what she was singing. He forgot where he was, who he was. There was only the entrancing music that led him on, towards…

  It took a moment for him to realise the song had ended. The rest of the audience must have been the same, because the crowd was completely silent. Suki was halfway across the stage before the clapping started.

  It was just a few scattered claps at first, as people came back to themselves. That might have startled others into waking as the applause grew and swelled to something much louder and more fervent than any of the other singers had managed. James found himself clapping as well, only stopping when Suki was before him.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Why?” James asked, honestly confused. “That was… magical.”

  “Yes,” Suki agreed. “I thought I might be able to… but I was still too afraid. So, sorry.”

  She stretched up to kiss him on the cheek. “I’ll explain some other time, okay?”

  “Okay,” James said, mystified. He touched his face where she’d kissed him.

  She smiled wistfully at him and then turned to Midoriko, who was just heading for the stage.

  “Oh, Midoriko-senpai! You should know before you go up on stage, there are five agents of the Vaikarana Dominion in the audience.”

  Everyone looked at Suki, but most of the looks were confused. Only Midoriko’s face was shocked.

  “What? How do you know?”

  “I can’t really go into that,” Suki said with a grimace, “But they’re here for you—to assassinate you.”

  “What else would they be here for?” Midoriko muttered. “I presume they’re under some kind of illusion?”

  “They have camouflage devices, but their leader is an illusionist,” Suki confirmed. “She plans to make their concerted attack look like a freak lightning bolt.”

  James looked up into the clear evening sky. Suki shrugged. “I don’t think they need people to believe it,” she said. “They just need to confuse matters long enough for them to get back to their own dimension.”

  “Their own dimension?” Mitsue asked.

  “They’re aliens,” Suki explained.

  “From another dimension, though?”

  “Inter-dimensional aliens, yes,” Midoriko said shortly. She looked like she was thinking furiously. “Just five of them?”

  “Yes. Their leader is ranked as a Harbinger.”

  Midoriko swore bitterly in Japanese, shocking both James and Mitsue. They’d gotten quite informal during training, but they’d never heard their trainer swear.

  “What are you going to do?” Mitsue asked.

  “The same thing I always do when I walk into a Vaikarana ambush.”

  Midoriko reached into her handbag and pulled out a pad of paper and a marker pen. She started quickly drawing a set of complicated kanji that James was unfamiliar with.

  “I’m going to kick their trap open and make them regret trying it,” she said as she drew.

  “We’ll help,” Mitsue said quickly.

  Midoriko started to shake her head, but then changed her mind. “All right,” she agreed. “You know your capabilities better than I do. Just wait for my signal.”

  The competition organisers had been thrown off by Suki’s performance, but they were getting their act back together. They started calling the fake name that was on Midoriko’s documentation.

  Finishing her kanji, Midoriko stood up and handed her purse to Suki. With a crackle of lightning, her scabbarded sword appeared in her left hand.

  “Wait for my signal,” she repeated.

  “What will it be?” Mitsue asked.

  “Oh, you’ll know when it happens.”

  Sakurazaka

  Linda, Linda

  First Love