by Raine Koh
“What is your name?” Shuji asked.
“Please call me Mimi,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Sato’s little sister, eh?” he said, walking closer to her. He passed his mobile phone to Mimi and said seriously, “Please call yourself now.”
Despite feeling slightly confused, she dialed her own number. Filth’s previous single, “Grim Beauty” started to play from her own mobile phone. She felt her face turn red. Shuji smiled and said, “I’ll send you our new single once it’s done.”
At this moment, Filth’s manager Shiba shouted from behind, “Shuji, we need you inside!”
Shuji leaned towards Mimi and whispered, “I saved my number in your phone. Call me when you feel lonely.” He left her to stare blankly at the vending machine.
“What the...” she thought aloud. Her phone started to beep, further startling her. Mimi read the message with bated breath.
Hi Mimi, Shina here. Free for a quick lunch?
Mimi sighed in relief and texted back:
Sure, I’m at Ginza, at the Niji building.”
Shina replied:
Great! I’ll pick you up in ten minutes time. Hope your leg is feeling better!
Mimi didn’t really feel like going back to the studio so she left Sato a text message, informing him that she had gone off to meet a friend. He didn’t bother replying back.
He probably doesn’t need me anymore, she thought.
Shina drove up in her sky blue Volkswagen beetle. “Hi darling!” greeted the fashion editor after getting out of the car to help Mimi inside. Shina was dressed in a cyan-coloured sheath dress and flower stockings. Her Japanese friend was exactly how Mimi remembered her, except her brown bob was now permed and was a light brown shade. She was all smiles and gave Mimi a tight hug.
“Oh dear, your poor ankle! How have you been? What are you doing at the Niji Building? Wow, you have so much to tell me, you need to fill me in with all the details. I still cannot believe that you’re here!” She was always so easily hyped up.
“Are you hungry? I remembered you like desserts. Let me bring you to a place that serves up the best cakes!” said Shina.
“Desserts first?” Mimi asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course! They should make up the main course as well,” she said. Mimi laughed and remembered why they got along so well in Hong Kong. Both of them got into the car. “But first I need to do some work-related matters. I hope you don’t mind coming with me?” Shina asked as she started the engine.
“Sure, what kind of work-related matter? You need to pick up some clothes for your shoot?” Mimi wondered, remembering that Shina was a fashion editor.
The petite girl flashed a bright smile at Mimi and asked, “Have you ever been to a goukon?”
“Isn’t that a group date? How is that work-related?”
“Well, it’s because our features editor resigned out of the blue, so I have to help out for this month. You don’t even have to do anything. Just sit there and look pretty. You don’t have to talk to anyone if you don’t want to.”
“So we are going to be drinking in the middle of the day?” Mimi wondered. Her impression of Japanese dating rituals may be a little fuzzy but she always thought that a group date in Japan required an equal number of guys and girls getting to know each other in a pub.
“It’s going to be a little different this time. We’re just having coffee and it won’t take longer than an hour. It’s the guys’ lunch break. Anyway I apologise, it’s more like a double date since there’s only the two of us.” Shina parked the car and helped Mimi out. They walked along a pavement towards the café. It was a lovely day and nothing seemed out of the ordinary but Mimi couldn’t shake off a nagging feeling.
“Do you feel like someone is following us?”
Shina turned around and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “I don’t see anyone. It’s probably your imagination,” Shina said airily, although she kept shooting glares behind her back. They made their way to what Mimi thought wasn’t exactly a romantic venue for a blind date – Jonathan’s, a 24-hr family restaurant chain. Mimi pretended not to care but she was feeling nervous inside. She wasn’t even looking her best nor was she good at making friends with complete strangers.
“Good afternoon,” said Shina, waving at a pair of guys. Mimi looked in the direction of her gaze and was faced with a duo of bespectacled men in their mid-twenties. They looked like each other, had a bowl-shaped hair cut and wore a checkered shirt in a different colour. Mimi bowed at them and they both quickly got out of their seats and pulled a chair for her. “Thank you,” Mimi said, feeling awkward but appreciating the gesture.
“My name is Takeshi,” said the man in the red checkered shirt.
“And my name is Takashi, nice...to...to...to meet you,” stuttered the man in the blue checkered shirt. He was seated opposite Mimi.
“Nice to meet you, my name is Mimi,” she said.
“I’m Shina, let’s order!” she said brightly, picking up the menu. Takashi who was also holding on to a menu kept sneaking glances at Mimi. She started to squirm in her seat and nudged Shina. Her friend however seemed engrossed in the process of ordering food.
“Mimi do...you...you... like manga?” asked Takashi, who had started to twiddle his thumbs nervously.
“I do read some of it,” Mimi answered, scratching her head.
“Really? Do you have a favourite series?” Mimi noticed his face brighten and he had lost his stutter.
“Beck?” she answered. Beck was a Japanese comic book series about a bunch of teenagers who formed a rock band and it had been adapted into an anime series and live-action movie too. “What about you?” she asked, rather timidly.
“Gundam Suit Destiny,” he answered solemnly. Takashi suddenly stood up, and with his hand on his heart while staring into the distance, he added, “It’s not that I want to fight but I do want to protect this ship... Because of the people on board.”
To Mimi’s horror, Takeshi also stood up, and with the same posture as his comrade, continued the rather stirring yet inappropriate speech, “It’s the same for us all. You won’t find too many people who fight for no reason at all. We fight, because unless we fight, we cannot protect at all.”
Mimi blinked twice while her mouth fell open. She continued nudging Shina, who seemed oblivious to the standing pair and had buried her face in the menu. Takeshi and Takeshi finally sat down and started talking excitedly. Takeshi looked at Mimi unblinkingly, “You remind me of Lacus Clyne.”
“Who?” Mimi asked.
“She is the heroine in Mobile Suit Gundam Seed. She is the daughter of PLANT Supreme Chairman who becomes the co-leader of the Clyne Faction,” explained Takashi, not that it made anything clearer.
“Right...” she mumbled.
“She is also an idol singer. Do you like to sing, Mimi?” asked Takashi.
“Erm...” If only she didn’t have a broken ankle. She would have run off to the Ladies or something.
“Mimi, if you don’t mind, would you like to try on a pink wig?” asked Takeshi, suddenly fishing out a long pink wig from his backpack.
Someone burst through the restaurant’s door and shouted, “Shina, I found you! Why are you dating behind my back?”
Mimi turned to see a tall man with long wavy hair and a goatee. “Isaki, what do you want?” Shina cried, finally taking her eyes off the menu, visibly annoyed.
“We have only been apart for a few months and you’re seeing someone. Are they the reason why we split up?” Isaki demanded, pointing a finger at the two bowl-shaped haircut guys.
Shina stood up and looked at the accused duo. “Look, Takeshi, Takashi, I’m sorry but we need to leave now. Please order whatever you want, I will pay for it.” She continued, turning to glare at Isaki, “Go away, Isaki. We both know why we split up, so don’t blame me. I’ll contact you through my lawyers and stop following me!”
“Let’s go Mimi,” she said. Mimi quickly grabbed on to her
crutches and limped out with her fuming friend. “Who was that?” Mimi asked, in a low voice, although she was kind of glad that they were able to leave the place before she was forced to try on a pink wig and sing pop songs. Only after they both got into the Volkswagen Beetle did Shina answer her, “Isaki. My ex-husband. Although we have yet to sign the papers.”
“I’m sorry, Shina.”
“I’m sorry too, but I don’t really want to talk about that jerk. Lunch was a disaster. Let me make it up to you,” she said, starting the engine. Shina’s way of atonement was by bringing Mimi to the Shiseido Parlour – a place renowned for desserts. It had luxurious burgundy walls and was furnished with dark wooden bookshelves and counters. Mimi’s face lit up as she caught sight of the decadent-looking cakes and chocolates. The desserts were displayed lovingly in glass cases – in the same degree of reverence as jewelry at Tiffany’s – only Mimi thought the cakes looked better. Maybe it’s because she had been cooped up indoors for so long, but she was finally starting to like being in Tokyo.
“There’s a seating area upstairs. Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot about your leg,” said Shina apologetically.
“Don’t worry, I think I can manage,” Mimi replied.
“I know, let’s buy our cakes here and I’ll bring you to my house, we’ll eat there!” she suggested.
“Sure!”
So after selecting some Mille Feuille au Chocolat and strawberry cheesecakes, among other yummy sweet treats, they made their way to Shina’s place. Shina lived in an apartment called Comforia Harajuku and her apartment was decorated with Andy Warhol posters, had pale blue walls and a huge black-and-white self-portrait hung in the living room. Her furniture was quirky and mostly designed by Marcel Wanders.
“Take a seat anywhere,” Shina offered. Mimi sat down on the sofa, which had purple printed flowers and square patterns and looked as if it came from a kimono. Mimi’s mobile phone started to ring. She saw an unfamiliar number flash on the display screen.
“Hello?”
“Miss Mimi? This is Yamada!” chirped the elderly lady.
“Hi Yamada.”
“How is everything? Mr. Sato told me you were out.”
“I am with my friend. Is everything alright?” Mimi asked, starting to feel a little worried.
“Actually, I won some tickets for a television music show tomorrow afternoon. Mr. Sato said I can’t go unless I bring you with me. Would you like to come?”
“Oh... Okay, sure why not?” Mimi said, without thinking. She was getting distracted by the desserts Shina had placed on the coffee table.
“It’s for a popular music show called Music Stage. I will bring you there tomorrow then!” said Yamada, sounding extremely delighted. Mimi hung up the phone and wondered why people around her always had so much energy. Shina strolled back to the living room with some hot green tea.
“So update me on what you have been up to,” she said, sitting beside Mimi. As they shared the delicious desserts, Mimi told her about how about how she got involved with Sato, how his stupid car banged into her, how she ended up living in his house, what an idiot he is, about meeting Filth and how awesome Shuji is, about how heartless Sato is...
“Wait a minute, you have been talking so much about Sato that you haven’t even mentioned Yuki. Are you sure you are not in love with Sato instead?” Shina asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend.
Mimi stared at her friend, stunned, “Are you sure you did not put any alcohol in your tea? Of course not! Who can possibly be in love with such an airhead?”
“That airhead is the reason why your dear Filth is even worth listening to. And I have seen him in person. He is handsome. My magazine has been trying to feature him on our cover for ages, but he seldom gives interviews. I believe the only magazine that succeeded in interviewing him was one of those global news magazines.”
Mimi snorted in disgust, “He is better off not giving any interviews, if not, everyone will know what a vile person he is. Anyway if I talk about him anymore, this lovely cake will start to taste bad.”
Shina shrugged and passed a copy of her magazine, Flash! to Mimi. Flash! was an edgy lifestyle monthly publication which included dining spots, entertainment news, street fashion and dating rules – all essentials for the Tokyo urbanite. Mimi flipped through the magazine with interest and paused when she saw a fashion shoot with the Fire Boys. The five pop stars were dressed in the latest collection from Y-3, a collaboration between avant-garde designer Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas.
“They were very sweet, if you’re curious. Seemed really closeto each other too. The shoot was done about four months ago,” remarked Shina. Mimi couldn’t take her eyes off Yuki, who was clad in a deconstructed black jacket and khaki pants. She couldn’t help but sigh.
“I’m not in love with Sato. He is the kind of guy that just irritates you and you find it hard to ignore him. But the reason why I am not mentioning Yuki is because I want to forget him.”
“Then why are you still in Tokyo?”
“Because I still want to see him. Pathetic, aren’t I?” she said, burying her face in her hands.
Track #5
Yuki sneezed on stage. He didn’t remember Yoyogi Stadium being so cold before. Together with the other Fire Boys, they were rehearsing in the 8000 seating capacity arena for their summer concert, “Burning Up”. Standing on stage, together with the four other members, the Fire Boys were currently doing a dry run for their opening act. The problem was, he could not stop sneezing. He hoped he wasn’t coming down with something, although he did feel a little under the weather ever since he came back to Tokyo. Maybe he just wasn’t used to the lower temperatures here. Or maybe it’s because he had been working non-stop, coping with only two hours of sleep after coming back from his “holiday”.
“Yuki, are you alright?” asked Jiro. They were going through the dance steps for their new single, “Love Love Night”. Yuki answered him with three consecutive sneezes. Jiro placed his hand on Yuki’s forehead. “Maybe it’s hay fever?”
“Do you want to go and see the doctor?” suggested Makoto, who had rushed down to the stadium after he was done with his drama filming.
“No, there’s nothing wrong with me! Let’s continue...” insisted Yuki, rubbing his nose. The introduction for “Love Love Night” started to blare through the speakers, and the five of them swayed their hips to the music. The dance routine had traces of finger-jabbing from the movie, Saturday Night Fever and included various b-boy moves. Yuki and Naoki were the rappers of the group and were widely considered by their fans to be the strongest dancers. The other three were in charge of the vocals. Although they’ve known each other since they were kids, the five of them spent three years together as a professional group at Fame Factory. Yuki recalled the previous year to be the most challenging by far, with various troubles and politics surrounding the Fire Boys. But the members always believed, that as long as they stuck together, there was nothing that couldn’t be resolved. In Japan, pop idols were not expected to just sing and dance, but had to host various variety and radio shows and act in dramas too.
Their latest single was to be released in music stores in a week’s time and it was the opening theme song for Makoto’s drama. Pre-order sales have been reported to hit the roof and critics in the music industry were speculating that it would be their 8th consecutive number one single. The group had been doing endless media promotions and there was also talk of an Asia Tour. Out of all the activities the Fire Boys did together, Yuki loved holding concerts the best. He was pretty sure the other members felt the same way too. Naoki even took it upon himself to be in charge of the stage direction. It was the only time they could interact directly with the fans who supported and adored them.
“There’s a television performance tomorrow at Music Stage,” reminded Naoki. “So we’ll pretty much be stuck at the television station. We’ll return to the stadium at night.”
Their manager, Jun, came on the stage to talk to Yuki. “The CEO wants
to see you tomorrow morning at 8.”
“Yes Jun, I understand,” said Yuki, biting his lower lip. He caught Jiro looking worriedly in his direction.
*
Mimi arrived home late that night. The whole house was quiet and she had a feeling that Sato wasn’t home yet. She should be doing some song writing, she thought. But instead she switched on the television and turned to the MTV channel. An old music video of Filth was playing with Shuji singing and looking very beautiful on screen. It suddenly dawned upon her that she had met her idol. She regretted not taking a photograph with him even though it would have seemed unprofessional.
“Who cares about looking stupid since I’m leaving Tokyo in a month’s time?” she muttered to herself. She turned the television off and sat slouched on the couch. Shutting her eyes, Mimi felt drained. The sound of a running tap was heard echoing in the house. She quickly woke up and looked around. The strange thing was, the sound seemed to come from her bathroom. “Did I forget to turn off the tap?” she thought out loud, scratching the back of her head. Mimi limped over to her room to investigate. The bathroom door was shut and the sound of running water was getting louder. It seemed like she forgot to switch off the bathroom lights too. She pushed the door open and to her horror, there was a stranger in her bathtub! The brown-haired stranger had the whole tub filled with soap foam bubbles and Mimi even spotted some rubber duckies floating around. He was oblivious to her presence and was even happily humming a tune. Mimi let out a high-pitch shriek and lost her balance, causing her to fall on her butt on the toilet floor.