The following days were calm. The girls were focused on their studies, Jun was getting more and more excited about this new phase of his life, and Kenji, as always, was living his peaceful routine.
"Kenji!" Yume called out. "Did you change the website settings?"
"Settings?"
Yume looked visibly annoyed.
"Yes. I received several complaints saying the comments were disabled and private messages too."
Kenji scratched the back of his neck with a smile.
"You know what happened? I forgot to turn them back on... my bad..."
"My bad? Do you even understand how important that is for visibility? Fan interaction is essential... why did you do that?"
"That girl, Usagui... she's really strange, so I disabled it for a while so she would stop... but I forgot to turn it back on. It's nothing serious..."
Yume looked at him with a cold stare that could almost cut him in half.
"Don't touch the settings anymore, Kenji..."
When Yume finally managed to fix everything, a flood of notifications filled the screen. More than five hundred messages, and most of them... were from Usagui.
"Alright, everything is organized. But where are Jun and Sayuri? They're late."
"We're here," Jun said, placing his helmet on the table.
"Finally! You guys took forever!"
Sayuri yawned and sat on the sofa.
"We were finishing painting the living room. I'm exhausted..."
"Do you want to rest?"
"No, Jun, I just need something to drink and I'll be fine. I'm not missing your performance."
Kenji went to the kitchen and brought a cup of coffee for Sayuri.
"Thank you, Kenji. I really needed this."
While she drank, he and Jun started loading the instruments into the car, and Yume prepared the camera to take new photos for the website.
"Ready, girls, shall we go?"
"Let's go," Sayuri replied.
They were excited. After so long, the guys would finally be back on stage. And that night, for the first time, "Cherry Blossom" would be performed in front of a live audience.
In your eyes I found myself
I walked alone and dreamed
I don't know when I started loving you
But I know I always desired you
Cherry blossom that enchants me
Honey lips I desire
A scream trapped in my throat
A love I aspire to...
"Wow, this song is so beautiful, Say... how does it feel being the inspiration behind it?"
Sayuri sighed and replied that it felt like a dream to be loved like that, such a pure and beautiful love.
"Awww, love... it really makes people silly," Yume teased.
"I can't believe it's them."
"That's Jun."
"They're amazing."
Sayuri looked at Yume.
"Did you hear that? Are those fans? Did they come because of the website?"
"Probably. That's amazing. The guys are going to go crazy."
When the performance ended, applause filled the bar. Girls were screaming their names, phones recording every second, and for the first time, Jun and Kenji realized something was changing.
When they tried to leave the backstage area, they were surrounded by fans waiting for them. They didn't fully understand it yet... but that was only the first night of something much bigger.
Yume grabbed Sayuri's arm and they both slipped to the other side of the stage, entering backstage without being noticed.
"Girls, did you see that chaos? So many people..."
"We couldn't even reach you guys," Jun said excitedly.
Yume picked up the camera and suggested they take pictures with the fans for the website.
"Sure, let me fix my hair," Kenji said, looking in the mirror.
Jun asked Sayuri to fix his bandana.
"You look great, love..."
Yume went out first to organize a line, making it easier to take photos.
When they stepped out from behind the stage, the venue security had to help Yume, as the DJ music was barely audible over the crowd.
"JUN!!! JUN!!! OVER HERE!! KENJIIII!!! KENJIIII!!! LOOK AT ME!!!"
They couldn't stop smiling. It was surreal, and the adrenaline was at its peak.
Fshhh… Fshhh…
Sayuri's father turned another page of the newspaper, already irritated.
"Where is that girl who keeps staying out so late now?"
"She's with friends, she'll be back soon," her mother tried to reassure him.
Fshhh… Fshhh…
He slowly closed the newspaper.
"I don't like this... you're giving her too much freedom. Something tells me something is going on."
After taking a few photos, they all returned backstage, waiting for the bar to close so they could finally leave.
"This is crazy..." Jun kept repeating. "This is insane."
"Dude, I think someone grabbed my butt," Kenji said, making everyone laugh.
Jun, who was holding Sayuri, whispered in her ear.
"Sleep at my place tonight..."
She looked at him and bit her lip.
"Jun..."
He lifted his hand to her face, lightly brushing her lips with his thumb.
"Please... stay with me..."
She couldn't resist and gave in, texting her mother saying she would sleep at a friend's house.
"Let's go, lovebirds," Kenji said, handing some boxes to Jun to carry to the car.
Meanwhile, at Sayuri's house, the atmosphere grew heavier. Her father had already lost patience, and that message only increased his suspicions.
"From today on, I'm keeping an eye on that girl," he said before going to bed.