“She was right about that. You really do act on impulse. Like a puppy.” Ryo’s said, disgust in his tone.
“Well what then?”
“You could just tell her.” Hiro suggesting.
“No, I’ve tried. She doesn’t see it.”
“Does she know you clip your finger nails in the car?” Ryo offered flippantly.
“Ha, no. She’s never here when I do.”
“I’ll take a picture next time,” Shun replied.
“That...oh.” Gakino laughed.
“What?” Sano asked.
“I just got an idea.”
“Somehow, I don’t feel relieved,” Ryo called out from behind him. “Now move your seat up. I’m getting a leg cramp back here.”
Opening his phone, Gakino starting punching the keyboard.
“What are you typing back there? A novel?” Shun asked.
“Yes. It’s called We Lived Happily Ever After Because My Friends Shun and Ryo are Assholes and Accidental Geniuses.”
“Snappy title,” Ryo called back.
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Hi, Eloise. Just checking in. Thinking about you a lot and wondering how you’re doing. I don’t have much to tell you as not much has changed since we last talked. Honestly, I’ve been waiting for a reason to contact you, but nothing seemed important enough to bother you with. Not now. Not with everything’s that’s happening. But, eventually, I decided that an excuse to talk to you wasn’t strictly necessary. So, my daily minutiae.
Right now, because there isn’t sufficient room in a particular Hyundai van for five grown men. Ryo is repeatedly poking me in the back with his foot. I deserve it because I am taking up all the room. However, I was hoping the cachet of maturity and the shame of acting like a child would stop him from seeking his vengeance. I have never been so wrong. I think there’ll be bruises later.
You might also like to know that at lunch today, I spilled omurice all over my tuxedo shirt. I tried to lick it off, but it didn’t work. Actually, it made a spectacular mess. Then Shun slapped me in the head and lectured me for a full ten minutes about how idols don’t lick their shirts. Wardrobe was finally called in to repair the damage.
12/07/2013 14:24
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
Oh. Wow. Though I wish I could have seen all this, it must be said: score one for Shun.
Be more vigilant in future, Gakino Yoh! (Don’t let our team loose to that close-the-door-in-your-facer!)
12/07/2013 13:34
__________
Gakino laughed out loud before finally shoving his phone back into his pocket. “It’s working.”
“I’ll probably regret this, but what’s working?” Shun asked.
“Eloise. I told her about lunch today… and about how Ryo won’t stop kicking my seat like a brat.” He said the last in a full yell.
“If you’d move forward just a little bit, I’d kick you in your head instead, but my mobility is somewhat limited,” Ryo replied, with another swift kick to the seat.
“Didn’t you try to lick your shirt clean?” Sano asked.
“Why would you tell her that? I thought you wanted to get her back.” Hiro said.
“I do. So she has to see how normal I am.”
“That is not normal,” Shun insisted.
“Says who?” Gakino asked.
“I do. It’s disgusting,” Shun answered.
“Yeah, but you’re the Idol King. I need to be the normal boy.” Gakino said.
“I repeat. That is not normal,” Shun said.
“So you’re going to gross her out? That’s your brilliant plan?” Ryo asked.
“No. I’m going to tell her the story of a normal boy who lives in an Idol world. Over the next few days or weeks, however long it takes, every time I do something, you know, normal or stupid, something an idol shouldn’t do, I’m going to send a message to Eloise about it.”
“That’s going to be a lot of mail,” Shun said.
“A lot of mail and a lot of fun,” Ryo said, laughing.
“You’re making me nervous, Ryo,” Gakino said.
“Oh, don’t worry about me, Normal Boy. An idol’s far too busy to worry about idiots like you. You know, I used to think your baka thing was just an act, but now I’m not so sure.”
“I’ve always known,” Shun added.
“If I see anything normal about you, do you want me to send Eloise an email? I will if you give me her address,” Sano offered.
“All right. Thanks.”
“Hey, I want the same deal,” Ryo hollered.”
“Me, too,” Shun repeated.
“Should I do it, too? My English is terrible though.” Hiro asked.
“Leader, you can if you want to. Eloise is an English teacher and she doesn’t speak Japanese. She knows how hard it is to learn a foreign language. She won’t judge you. Ryo. Shun. Absolutely not.”
“We’ll see,” Ryo said, rattling his dice, a sign that he was thinking.
Just to stack the odds in his favor, Gakino moved his seat forward and heard Ryo laughing behind him
*
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
I ran out of toothpaste this morning.
12/09/2013 12:37
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
I’m sorry… That’s tragic?
12/09/2013 11:38
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
It was. When I went to the convenience store to buy some more, I locked myself out of my apartment.
12/09/2013 12:39
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
What?!
12/09/2013 11:39
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
I had to wait an hour before Sano could bring me an extra key. I was late to work and had to formally apologize to everyone.
12/09/2013 12:40
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
This is Ryo. I thought you should know that my great and powerful fellow Idol left his toilet un-flushed. His stomach is healthy it appears.
12/10/2013 13:01
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
That’s disgusting. Why are you messaging me from Gakino’s phone?
12/10/2013 12:05
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
He left it on top of the toilet.
12/10/2013 13:06
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
….
12/10/2013 12:07
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
I did not leave it on top of the toilet!
12/10/2013 14:19
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
I don’t really care.
12/10/2013 13:21
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
No! I didn’t. I left it on the counter.
12/10/2013 14:21
__________
&nbs
p; From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
Does it matter?
12/10/2013 13:21
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
I wasn’t texting in the toilet! I was texting while I waited for the toilet.
12/10/2013 14:22
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
And apparently, you forgot to flush. @_@
12/10/2013 13:23
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
My parents own a restaurant. We live above it. The toilets auto-flush. It was an error of habit.
12/10/2013 14:23
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
Thrilled as I am to know there is a reason…
12/10/2013 13:24
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Your Idol split his pants today. He did not split them on a fence or dancing. He split them trying to climb a tree. He wanted to see how high he could go.
12/12/2013 17:03
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
Is this Ryo again?
12/12/2013 16:04
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
No, this is Yamamoto Shun.
12/12/2013 17:05
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
Why do you guys keep stealing his phone?
12/12/2013 16:05
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
I don’t steal anything. He leaves his stuff everywhere. Last night I tripped on his iPod because he left it on the floor next to the bathtub.
12/12/2013 17:07
__________
From: Hiroya Nori <81-3-7984-6868>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Hi. My name is Hiro. Here is a pic 4 u. ice-cream + Gaki.
12/12/2013 23:11
__________
Eloise opened the attachment and stared at Gakino in mid-laugh. His eyes were half-closed and wrinkles and laugh lines expressed how full of joy he normally was. There was a streak of something across his eyebrow and onto his forehead, but he was dressed in a flashy suit and his hair was styled. He was in what Eloise now thought of as his full idol mode.
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Hiroya Nori <81-3-7984-6868>
How did you get this number?
12/12/2013 22:15
__________
From: Hiroya Nori <81-3-7984-6868>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Gaki
12/12/2013 23:19
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Hiroya Nori <81-3-7984-6868>
How’d he end up with ice cream on his face?
12/12/2013 22:20
__________
From: Hiroya Nori <81-3-7984-6868>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
do not no. Shun say 2 mail it. This is after TV review
12/12/2013 23:27
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Hiroya Nori <81-3-7984-6868>
You took this picture AFTER a TV interview? Was it there on camera?
12/12/2013 22:29
__________
From: Hiroya Nori <81-3-7984-6868>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Yes, he was angry. Did not no.
12/12/2013 23:34
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Hiroya Nori <81-3-7984-6868>
You were with him before the interview and you just left him like that?
12/12/2013 22:35
__________
From: Hiroya Nori <81-3-7984-6868>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Yes. Many laughs.
12/12/2013 23:39
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Here’s a classic pic of your boyfriend. This is Yamamoto by the way.
12/14/2013 12:03
__________
Eloise clicked on the link, thinking that she should probably email Gakino and ask him to have his friends cease their texting barrage. She didn’t know if it was right to get details about his life from them, especially if he didn’t know it was happening. And she couldn’t imagine why he’d want his friends sending this kind of thing to her or to anyone. When it loaded, it was hard to understand what she was seeing. Gakino seemed upside down, but he was blurry with movement. It was taken from the height of a raised stage and Gakino was buried in a tumble of chairs.
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
Oh my god. What happened?
12/14/2013 11:07
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
Does Gakino know you’re sending me messages?
12/14/2013 11:07
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
And he’s not my boyfriend.
12/14/2013 11:07
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Right. He’s not your boyfriend. Cause that’s what you first cared about.
12/14/2013 12:08
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Don't worry, though. He won't read that. I'll delete the messages before I hand his phone back over.
12/14/2013 12:09
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
WHAT HAPPENED?
12/14/2013 11:09
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
He decided it would be fun to jump off of the stage.
12/14/2013 12:10
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
And he fell?
12/14/2013 11:10
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Not exactly. He got a leg cramp. While he was jumping. He landed on his ass. Tipping off the stage was just a bonus.
12/14/2013 12:12
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
Is he okay?!
12/14/2013 11:12
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
What do you care? He’s not your boyfriend.
12/14/2013 12:21
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
IS HE OKAY?
12/14/2013 11:21
__________
From: Gakino Yoh
<81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Physically, yes. Mentally, the jury is out.
12/14/2013 12:23
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
Hey. How are you doing today? Everything ok? I think I’m coming down with a cold…
12/14/2013 11:53
__________
She waited, feeling awkward about the lie, but needing to hear from Gakino that he was fine. One day, Shun…
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Ok. A little sore from something stupid I did at work, but I’ll be fine by tomorrow.
12/14/2013 12:55
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
Something stupid?
12/14/2013 11:55
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Long story. Too boring to tell you about. Take some vitamins. Drink water. And go to bed early, ok?
12/14/2013 12:56
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
All right. You get some rest, too. Good night, Gakino.
12/14/2013 11:56
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Sweet dreams, El-chan.
12/14/2013 12:56
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
Can you get blood out of clothes?
12/16/2013 21:19
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
Why?
12/16/2013 20:20
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
I have blood on my clothes.
12/16/2013 21:20
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
I gathered that. How?
12/16/2013 20:22
__________
From: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
To: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
I hit myself with a door and my nose bled. I really like this shirt. Sano bought it for me our first year in Tenshi.
12/16/2013 21:23
__________
From: Eloise Bromleigh <886-4-2539-5011>
To: Gakino Yoh <81-3-5330-5250>
You hit yourself with a door?
How to Date Japanese Idols (The Tenshi Series) Page 25