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...I guess not.

[ He has to laugh. What else can he do? And it isn't as if Hiyori is wrong. He has new opportunities. A new life. He can try to find some meaning in that. He can make something for himself. ]

It's tasty, at least.

[ He pops a bit of food into his mouth, looking a little thoughtful. What else can he do? What else is there? He's... well. Is he happy? Maybe. He thinks he is. Or he's on his way there, anyway. Hiyori is around and-

Hiyori does make him happy, he has to admit. As strange as he can be sometimes, he makes Elan feel like he belongs. It's so effortless. ]

Maybe I can fall into your arms and you make me feel better about my tragic past. [ He sticks his tongue out again. ]

Or something like that. I'm just making things up now.

[Well, he might as well follow his own advice. He picks up another skewer, chewing on the food daintily (or as daintily as one can chew on fatty meat). Elan has also given him a lot to chew on metaphorically, of course. For starters, is it really alright to keep calling him "Elan-kun" when that name was something forced upon him...? He did say he didn't mind, but something about it doesn't sit right.

He's just not sure how to act. This whole thing has been terribly complicated. Elan's past seems like a great big dark abyss; the more time he spends digging around in there, the more likely he is to get swallowed up...

But as he's thinking that, Elan breaks the silence that's settled over them with a flirty (?) line. Hiyori blinks at him for a moment, before his lips curve into a wry smile. Right, of course—tragic past or no, "Elan-kun" is still "Elan-kun," and that includes a hefty dose of sarcasm.]

Already done "singing our hearts out," huh? You want to head straight to your room?

[His voice takes on a teasing lilt.]

Well, I already got to hear your singing voice, so I suppose we could do that. I'll hold you nice and tight inside my arms, and you can cry all you want. Unless that's not the sort of comfort you're looking for...

Some peace and quiet wouldn't be bad. And I'm definitely not going to be crying about my tragic past...

[ He gives Hiyori an amused look. ]

If you want to keep me company, I wouldn't object.

[ Which is... not exactly an invitation but it's not not an invitation, either. It's a little weird for him. He's been intimate with Hiyori. He thinks of him as... what? A friend, sort of? Someone he can get along with? A lover? That feels too intimate and yet- ]

I wouldn't want to leave you all disappointed and worrying about me for the rest of the night.

That's fine, I suppose. Just about everyone looks lovelier with a smile on their face.

[Assuming their smile doesn't look villainous like a certain someone's...

He sips his tea again, wondering idly to himself if Elan ever cried from the unfairness of it all. It sounds like there was no one else to cry on his behalf, anyway. And that's just awfully sad to contemplate.

The "invitation," however, pushes such thoughts from his mind. He observes his tablemate with an amused smile to match the one on Five's own face. There's no reason to doubt Elan's sincerity—they've already been together once. If anything, he might be holding back some of his enthusiasm... right? Saying "if you want," saying "I wouldn't want to disappoint you," when Hiyori doubts he'd be the only one disappointed.]

Well, if you did reject me, I would start to wonder if your eyes were working properly... so that might be a bit worrying?

[He smirks.]

Sure, why not ♪ I can't give you all night, but I can promise to make the most of our time together.

Well... even if it isn't all night, you'll cheer me up anyway. And it'll keep my mind off of that depressing topic we were just talking about.

[ Which he's still a bit blase about, all things considered. Maybe he's just had time to get used to it. Or maybe he's compartmentalized it. Hard to say, really. ]

And I don't want anyone crying about me, anyway. Not with real tears, anyway. That's just depressing.

[ He picks up a bit of skewer and pops it into his mouth. ]

Better to try and live, right?

[All night isn't doable when the three other members of his unit are still at the hotel (plus a couple of other CosPro staff). They'll definitely notice if he never returns to his room. Stopping by the room of a male acquaintance just to chat, however, shouldn't seem too fishy. They'll just have to keep it subtle! That's all.

He's back to work on his second skewer when Elan drops that line about "crying for him," causing Hiyori's brows to jump. Can Elan-kun read minds?? That was an awfully uncanny coincidence just now! Though, if he doesn't want anyone crying for him, well, that's fine. After recovering from his surprise, Hiyori says as much.]

Mm, that's true.

[He hums his assent.]

I don't like crying, either. It makes my eyes all red and puffy, and I'd much rather look my best. I just wanted to let you know you could cry if you wanted, that's all.

[But as he said before, he'd rather see Elan smile.

He finishes chewing the rest of his meat in silence, takes another few sips of tea, and dabs at his mouth with the napkin. That's all he planned to eat, and since Elan-kun's still going, he decides to make a suggestion.]

Want to hear one more song? It'd give you something to pleasant to listen to besides just chewing sounds.

...I don't like crying. And after spending so many years having to keep tears out of my eyes, I don't know if I particularly want to start doing it all over again.

[ OK, last reference to his depressing past, he promises. He pops another bite in his mouth, looking a bit distant - and then blinks at Hiyori. ]

If you'd like to give one to me, go for it. How can I complain about a personal show? I doubt anyone else gets front row seats with you like this.

[Now there's a bit of honesty he hadn't expected. Spending years trying to keep tears out of his eyes, huh...? Now that's a somber thought.

Songs, however, are a great way to spread cheer. It's just impossible to stay gloomy when there's a fun song being sung. And music could be considered the universal language, making songs the best way to touch people's hearts. To that end, he gets up from his seat, answering Elan's comment in affirmative.]

That's right ♪ It's a special perk just for Elan-kun. Aren't you blessed today?

[He goes up to the song selector again, scrolling through the selection. He didn't have anything in mind this time, so it's going to take a minute. He could just sing another one of his other songs, but maybe he'll see if there's anything else that strikes his fancy...?

Actually, maybe he'll see what's popular. He hits the list of most-played songs, finding a mix of classics and oldies, foreign songs, and pop music, including idol songs. There's a surprising amount of Knights in there (well, they are one of the big three, he supposes). And Eden's most recent track also made it to the bottom of the list, something that makes him smile. He'll have to tell Jun-kun. He's not really in the mood to sing Exceed, though, just because he's already showed it to Elan once, so let's see here...

Well, there's always the "randomize" option. If he doesn't like what it picks, he can just ignore the suggestion! So, he clicks on that, waiting to see which popular song it'll choose... and it looks like the song is D*sney. Which isn't too surprising, given the popularity of those movies. Can he handle this one, though?

Trick question. Of course he can, he's Hiyori Tomoe, the dazzling idol who can take on any role! He grabs the mic and addresses Elan with a smile.]

Looks like I'll be your princess for this next song. Prepare to be amazed...♪

Oh, the most blessed in this entire country.

[ Ok, he's a little sarcastic, but there's a bit of appreciation there. He settles in his seat and he watches as Hiyori filters through the song selector. Again, music isn't his strong suit - but he's still interested in what Hiyori decides to pick. After all... it tells hims something more about him. Which he's finding he enjoys, a bit to his chagrin. He taps his foot on the fllor as he waits, watching and waiting. ]

You're something else...

[ And then he laughs. ]

From the way you've treated me, I thought I was the princess. Was I wrong about that?

[ He's joking about a few different aspects of their relationship, such as it is. ]

But I'll wait with bated breath. And hold my applause until the end.

Ah, well if that's what you want ♪

[He smirks. It's not lost on him that he's taken the "man's" role in some of their interactions, if only in the sense that he pays for stuff due to his wealth. That's fine, he can play any role to perfection!]

This'll just be for one song, and everything will return to normal between us afterwards. But for now, here's this ♪

[And here the song starts, this particular version opening on some light guitar. Hiyori holds the mic to his chest, a soft smile on his lips, doing his best to channel his inner Disney princess. And then he sings.

Look at this stuff, isn't it neat, wouldn't you think my collection's complete? That's right, it's that song! One of the ones that anyone with any familiarity with D*sney should know, though Hiyori isn't sure if Elan falls under that category. He's heard the song before himself, but never actually sung it, so he needs to look at the lyrics as he sings. He's also not an especially huge fan of the song, or anything. So why'd he accept the machine's suggestion instead of tossing it back to the sea? Well, three reasons!

1. He wanted to try something new for a change!
2. He was mistaken for a mermaid princess by a child at the beach once, so it seemed somewhat fitting. (Long story.)
3. Elan's been talking about how he wanted to live, so this song about longing to explore more of the world and walk on land as a human seemed fitting for those reasons, too.

All of that is why. And it's why he'll sing his heart out!]

♫♪♫♪~

[It's not a very practiced solo, but he sings with a steadily building passion, trying to convey the princess's longing through his face and his voice. He even reaches his arms into the air as though reaching towards the surface of the sea. But he finishes with the microphone held to his chest again, quelling his sense of longing at the end.]

[ Elan is familiar with it, if only because it's hard not to be aware of such a pop culture juggernaut. Still, there's a moment where he blinks slowly, as if he's trying to make sure he's hearing this correctly and not imagining it. Then he laughs. It's a little silly, but... honestly it's kind of what he needs right now. And it's catchy! Those guys know how to write a song. So he watches, he listens, then he finally gives him a little round of applause as it wraps up.

Part of him wonders if the choice was deliberate. He can read a bit into it, after all - and he knows that Hiyori definitely isn't beyond that kind of symbolism. But he'll keep that to himself for now and instead he just gives him a nod. ]

Well, you weren't joking about the "princess" thing. But it'd be absolutely tragic if some sea-witch stole your voice.

[He closes his eyes as the music fades out. When he opens them again, he's no longer a princess. Just an idol surveying his audience of one.

And the reaction doesn't disappoint, despite Elan's visible amusement while he sang. Does he like being laughed at? No, not normally. But as an idol, he's good at figuring out what his audience needs, and he also knows what he wanted: something that would lighten up the mood, that's what!]

Now that would be tragic! It'd be one of the absolute worst days in human history. They'd teach it in all the history books: "the day Hiyori Tomoe lost his voice." Within a few hours, everyone would be clamoring to hear from me again. My fans, Elan-kun, my roommates, Jun-kun, everyone! All of you would beg for me to sing with tears inside your eyes.

[He rattles all that off with a self-satisfied look. In reality, several people he knows would surely be glad to obtain some peace and quiet. But he's sure they'd start to miss him if he quieted down too long.]

And that's exactly why I must keep singing. For my fans, my precious family, and for people like Elan-kun ♪ And for own self, too, I suppose.

[Done with that spiel, he sets the microphone down and meanders on back to their table. Is Elan-kun done with his skewer yet?]

I think for yourself is the most important bit.

[ Elan overs a little smile. ]

After all, if you're just singing for others and you've stopped enjoying it, wouldn't you end up resenting it after a while? So do it for yourself, Hiyori. It'll be better that way.

[ Well, that's a sort of wisdom. And yes, he is done with his skewer. ]

Elan-kun's dabbling in philosophy now, huh?

[How unexpected. Yet he seems unbothered as he sits back down.

Elan's talking from experience, isn't he? Not singing experience, but experience "performing." It makes sense that he grew to resent his job. But there's a difference between performing as "yourself" and being forced to live as someone else, and their situations differed in other ways too. For example, while Elan-kun was all alone in the world, Hiyori had friends and family by his side. And that truly changes everything, doesn't it?]

Honestly, this whole thing wasn't my idea. It was Nagisa-kun's—or rather, someone planted the idea in his head that he must become an idol, and I don't think he knew of any alternatives. So we joined our pinkies together, and made a pledge to follow the same dream.

[The look in his eyes grows soft, though there's a bit of an odd curl to his lip. Nagisa's upbringing wasn't normal, and his "dream" didn't exactly come from a pure place.]

It's been a hard road at times. I used to wonder if we'd ever get anywhere, given the state of things. But I couldn't possibly quit nowadays. I'm having just a wonderful time now. Whenever I step out under those lights, I think, "Ah, this really is the place where I shine brightest ♪"

[His voice gains noticeable cheer at the end, smile spreading wide across his lips. It's clear he's being honest. Perhaps none of them had pure motives for becoming idols originally, but that doesn't change their current success, or their current happiness.

And, anyway, enough about Eden! He sticks an elbow on the table and leans forward to ask:]

What about you? Did you enjoy your taste of the spotlight? I could go for a serenade if you'd like to sing again, or we could perform a duet together! But it also sounded like Elan-kun was eager to go back to his room, so if that's what you'd prefer...♪

That's an interesting way to get dragged into it. But I guess you've made the most of it.

[ He puts his chin in his hand to listen to the story. Hiyori really does seem like the type to pinkie promise on something like "let's become idols!" It's almost a little cliche, but he can't really say that out loud, can he? ]

If that's where you feel like you belong... good luck. I'm going to try and find something else. Not my place.

[ He makes a low noise and sits back in his chair, lips quirking into a smile. ]

...how about a duet? For the hell of it. You can carry me and my amateur attempts.

[If he's a cliche, then so be it! He likes being a cliche with Nagisa-kun.

Honestly, being an idol isn't for everyone. It's more work than fans might guess, since part of their job is to make things look effortless: to go out there and dazzle onstage without a hair out of place, leaving no trace of blood, sweat, or tears. It's not the right fit for Elan, and that's fine. Hiyori wishes him luck finding something he does enjoy.

But that doesn't mean he's not happy to sing with him. When Elan picks the duet option he grins, leaping right out of his seat (even though he just sat back down).]

Now that sounds wonderful! Come on, let's go! Fufu, I simply can't wait to hear how our voices will sound...♪

[He tugs on Elan's arm, attempting to pull him from his chair and over to the karaoke machine. Once there, he wastes no time in scrolling, but doesn't click on anything just yet.]

I wonder what songs we might both know. Any ideas?

[ Elan is on his feet a moment later to join him, giving into the tugging. His sigh is very mock put-upon, but the fact he's standing there and looking at the list is a minor miracle. He makes a little 'hmm' sound as he looks at the list. ]

Like I said, I don't know much music... a stage song maybe? Or... pop?

[ He glances at Hiyori with a shrug. ]

Anything from your repertoire that you think would fit?

Well, all of Eve's songs are duets, of course...

[If Elan wants to try taking Jun-kun's place.]

Since you're asking about our "repertoire," does that mean you'd feel comfortable singing our songs? Have you been watching our videos a lot? Are you a fan now? Which one's your favorite?

[His eyes sparkle curiously, his demeanor growing more excited with every question.]

I can try, but no guarantees I'll be any good at it. And I've watched one or two, but I'm not a fan.

[ He's a bit dry, as always. ]

I don't think I'm qualified to answer that kind of thing, though. I'm not an expert!

[Not a fan, huh? What a pity.]

You don't need to be an expert just to have a favorite, you know!

[And it's not like there's much to choose from. Since, well... Eve's only released two tracks! There will be a third coming up for Valentine's Day, but that's still a few months off, after SS. For now, it's a choice between two. So, he glances at Elan sideways and asks,]

I guess it's down to what you're in the mood for. Would you rather sing something passionate and "adult," or something energetic and youthful?

[ Well, he's a fan of Hiyori. Does that count? ]

Let's go with adult. Seems on theme for us.

[ He says with a coy grin. Cheeky little so-and-so. ]

[It counts for something.]

I'd say both of them sound on-theme. That's the nice thing about being our age: you can have fun like a child one day, and have some adult fun the next day! But if "passionate" is what Elan-kun wants...

[He types into the song selector, pulls up the song in question, and smirks.]

You should know this one already. Now it's time to test what your memory ♪ I'll be me, you'll be my partner! Unless you'd rather do my parts and have me do Jun-kun's? The choiec is yours...♪

I think I have a good enough memory for this. Besides the words are going to be on the screen anyway, right?

[ He sticks his tongue out as he takes the microphone and steps up to join Hiyori. ]

Let me take your parts. It'll be fun to see if I can match up to the real idol, right?

[ Cheeky, as always. ]

That performance seared itself in your memory forever, hmm?

[Hiyori's smile spreads wider. With Elan confidently grabbing the other microphone, there's no need to hesitate.]

Fine, we'll do things your way. Tap into that passion inside you, and be the very best version of me that you can be. Alright? ♪

[And without waiting for an affirmative, he hits play. On what song, you ask?

Why, on that song. The Eve song he's already shown Elan; their debut, which racked up close to 5 million views, thanks in part to their fanservicey choreography. The one his journal name was taken from! The horns come on, the jazzy intro plays, and Hiyori smiles at his "partner" expectantly. Soon it'll be his part, but for once, he's not the one singing it. That's Elan's job now! And with his eyes, he tries sending him a look that says, do your best.]

[ Oh, well.

He'll just have to do his best. He listens to the beat, the jazzy intro and watches as the words start to come up. He takes a breath and launches into it, singing as if his life depended on it. He's not, of course, the real thing. He doesn't have the years and years of practice or vocal training, but he's got a good enough voice, honestly - and he's managing it even if he's a little off-key here and there.

He even gets into it with some gestures and a little bit of swaying or footwork to go with all of it! ]

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sorry for being slow lately

no worries, i know the feeling.

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