“I wouldn’t lie about something like that. It makes me wish they’d allow you back here more often than they do.” I explained, then watched as my sister let out a huff,then marched in the direction of where I knew Toshi and several of the other label executives would be hanging out. Sometimes I wondered why they put up with us, but we made them a shit ton of money. We deserved to be treated with more respect than we got.
What didn’t surprise me was the way Itsuki jumped me after that, wrapping his legs around me. I had to rush to hold him up. It was a task since it was harder to get a good grasp on him with all those petticoats in the way. In a way, they also helped because now I was free to grab hold of his ass and no one was any the wiser to what I was doing. I gave the firm globes a little squeeze, laughing when Itsuki’s face heated, but I loved seeing those little reactions from him now.
He kissed my cheek before jumping out of my hold, tackling Ryosuke as well. The other two members of the band didn’t seem to mind that they were never on the receiving end of the guitar player’s love attacks.
We went back to the changing room, started switching into our street clothes, although for Itsuki, that normally just meant taking off his numerous petticoats. He loved them, but he didn’t like trying to squeeze into train cars or the subway with them on. Most days we didn’t stand out much. Except for maybe him. Itsuki hadn’t ever given a damn what people thought of him or the way he dressed. It was one of the things I loved about him.
Tatsuki left first, saying something about how his girlfriend would be waiting for him. Riku wasn’t too far behind him. No one ever really knew where he went besides home if he didn’t come hang out with the band.
I didn’t want to leave until Reiko came back.
She’d been gone for a while. That wasn’t normal. She normally went to chew out Toshi and was back relatively quickly, but by the time we’d waited for an hour, I went to find her. While she was more than capable of taking care of herself, she was my sister. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her.
“You’re such an asshole.”
That was her voice, and while she was clearly insulting someone, there was a playful edge to it I wasn’t expecting.
“Come on, babe. It’s one of the things you love the most about me.”
What the hell? I knew that voice well. What was Toshi talking about?
When I rounded the corner, I didn’t expect to find our manager leaning over my sister, who was giving him the biggest heart eyes I’d ever seen. What the fuck was happening there.
I immediately saw red.
“What the hell, Reiko.”
Her eyes widened as she shoved Toshi away from her, pushing herself in my direction. Betrayal almost didn’t cover what I felt in the moment because Reiko was the person we’d trusted to look out for our well-being when the label had tried to shove us down again and again.
“Otouto-chan. Please wait.”
I snorted, shoved through a door to the outside, where I startled Ryosuke, who was leaning against a wall smoking a cigarette. I’d never touched the damn things in my life, but I wanted one so fucking badly in that moment.
Reiko came bursting through the door behind me, crashing into my back because I’d been so distracted by the red-headed man standing there.
That needed to stop.
That’s what he was becoming. A giant ass distraction. The more involved with him I became, the more my life seemed to be spiraling out of control. Ryosuke was danger wrapped in a pretty package.
“Yasu. Please listen to me,” Reiko had tears in her eyes. I hated Ryosuke seeing her like that because, while I was angry, she was still my sister and she deserved to have some dignity.
But... anger got the better of me. I spun to face Reiko, Ryosuke be damned.
“How fucking long has that been going on? Fucking Toshi? Really? I thought you had a lot more class than that.”
My sister flinched at my words but didn’t back down.
“It started off as me trying to get him to be nicer. I’ll admit to how fucked up that is. I don’t know, Yasu. Yeah, he’s a complete dick sometimes, but the more I’ve gotten to know him...”
I scoffed.
I couldn’t sit there and listen to my sister defend the man who had been messing with our heads so damn much lately.
My throat constricted as I marched down the alleyway, ignoring the pleas of my sister to stop and let her finish. Crying would be even more humiliating. I wouldn’t give the label that win. They’d already torn down my band enough. Maybe it was time to look into new representation. We had to be close to the end of our contract terms. That was something I’d have Reiko look into, but now that she was sleeping with the enemy?
“Stop.”
My lungs seized as a hard body pressed me into the bricks of the building I was passing. The street was empty and quiet, and while I’d lost my sister, it looked like Ryosuke had followed me.
