Toshi still had said nothing. He sat motionless as if he were studying the situation. The longer he was quiet, my pulse picked up, and I began to sweat. He had to say something because he was what held our careers together.
Reiko giggled before she turned to her brother and playfully slapped him on the arm. “Is that where you were staying while we weren’t talking? With your boyfriends? I’m almost sad you didn’t think you could tell me.”
Yasu rolled his eyes before he leveled his sister with a glare. “It’s not like you were very honest with me about your boyfriend.”
Toshi laughed as Reiko blushed, and I never thought I’d see the day when the man honest to god laughed. This tiny karaoke room felt as if it had become a parallel dimension. Had we died and been isekai’d? Didn’t that shit only happen in anime?
“In all seriousness. The three of you being in a relationship needs to be on paper. The next time you’re in the studio, come by my office and we’ll sign the documents.” Was all that Toshi said before he kissed the side of Reiko’s head and picked the tablet up to start scrolling through the song list.
Yup. I’d died.
There was no way this was the real world, and it had really been that easy to tell everyone. Being queer in Japan was still somewhat of a taboo, much less what Itsuki was going through with his gender identity. While we were catching up with the rest of the world, we still had a long way to go.
But maybe tonight wasn’t the time to worry about all of that. Tonight was for unwinding with friends, getting drunk, and singing some good songs.
I’d never laughed so hard in my life as I learned just how bad a singer Itsuki was. Normally musicians can at least somewhat carry a tune, but not him. The guys had all covered their ears like someone had run their nails down a chalkboard the entire time Itsuki had the microphone.
Since there were so many of us, we ran out of time before we’d gotten around the room a second time, but part of that was because we’d spent so much time drinking and being stupid then actually singing like we were supposed to.
By the time we left, I felt like I was finally a part of a family the way I’d always desired. They didn’t care that I was in love withtwo men, because yeah, even though I’d told Itsuki that I needed time and that still stood, I was falling for them.
Chapter 39
Itsuki
“Konnichiwa, Saporro!”
Yasu had a huge smile on his face as he greeted the crowd. It was taking everything in me not to race onto the stage and tackle him. If Ryosuke hadn’t had his arm around me, there would have been nothing stopping me.
That was one of the things I’d grown to love over the last few months. Even though we still had to be careful about where we were physical with each other, the three of us had fallen into such easy affection. I loved the feel of my men and when they wanted to touch me. It never seemed to matter who was around. One of them always had my hand or an arm around me. It was all the security I could ever have wished for.
This was our last stop on our tour before we went on a break for the summer, and I couldn’t wait to spend more time with both Yasu and Ryosuke. We’d finally decided we’d take a trip to the beach, I’d also managed to convince them we needed to getto an amusement park. Our break was full of lots of adventures, and I couldn’t wait to get started.
The crowd cheered again, and Ryosuke gave me a small push. I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t even noticed that Yasu had introduced me.
In true Itsuki fashion, I couldn’t just walk out onto the stage. No, that’s no fun at all. I sprinted, leaping at our vocalist and tackling him in the biggest hug. He laughed, causing the audience to shout even louder.
Sachiko had trouble maintaining my pink streaks, as much as I loved them. But now that we knew that my hair could handle the dye, I was rocking blond hair for the first time in my life. It made me feel so fresh and energetic. I wished that I could have done it well before now.
The crowd continued to roar as the rest of the band came onto the stage. I lived for those moments because they were what I’d always craved. To be with my friends and make beautiful music while being with the people I loved.
As things settled down, I took the microphone from Yasu. The crowd laughed because while I was always playful, I’d never gone as far as to take his mic away.
“Konnichwa!” I shouted, making everyone cheer. I waved my hands, trying to get them to quiet down again.
What I was about to do was a huge risk, but I didn’t care. I’d spent far too much of my life wondering about who I was and if I could be a role model for someone, then I was going to do it. I’d talked it through with the rest of the band, and they were okay with me talking about it.
“Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought that you didn’t completely feel like you? I felt like that for a huge part of my life.”
The audience remained quiet, and my heart slammed against my ribcage while I kept talking. This was scary, but it neededto be said. If I could be a voice for the voiceless, then it was all worth it in the end.
“Who in here is a boy?”
That earned me a few small laughs, but hands rose into the air, regardless.
“And who in here is a girl?”
Even more hands shot into the air, making me smile. Our female following had always been much larger, but that wasn’t the reason I was doing this.
