"MIKE!!" Sayuri shouted. "My sock!"
Jun picked up the little dog, who was happily running around the apartment with the sock in his mouth:
"Come on, Mike, give Mommy her sock back..." he laughed. "Here you go, love."
"Thank you. Jun, can you put some food in his bowl before you leave? I'm already late."
"Of course, love. Go ahead, don't worry."
She finished getting ready and opened the door. Before leaving, she said she would arrive at the studio at eight-thirty after work.
"Okay, love." Jun kissed her goodbye.
"Oh, one more thing: don't forget Mike's little backpack."
Jun chuckled and reassured her:
"Got it. Now go, or you'll be even later."
He closed the door and finished a few chores around the apartment before heading to work.
Sayuri's job was peaceful. She arranged clothes, did sewing, replaced buttons and zippers. Sometimes she also helped assemble custom pieces, showing her natural talent for fashion:
"Sayuri, you're really good at this," her boss said. "Have you ever thought about showing your work to other people?"
Sayuri smiled happily at the comment:
"Thank you... but I've only shown it to one friend so far."
"You really should. You have amazing talent."
Throughout the rest of the day, those words stayed in her mind:
"Maybe I should..." she thought. "A portfolio... Yume could help me with that."
Later, Jun arrived at the studio carrying a cute little backpack with tiny paw prints embroidered on it, while Mike rested in his arms:
"I'm exhausted," he muttered as he took off his helmet.
"Wow, where's my Mike? Come here, cutie!" Yume said, grabbing the puppy faster than lightning.
"'Cutie'? You should've seen the mess Mike made at the apartment. I had to clean everything before coming here."
A laugh echoed through the studio:
"Ha! You thought being a parent was easy?" Kenji teased, tossing him a beer.
"And Sayuri?" Yume asked.
"She's probably on her way..." Jun sighed. "She's been so exhausted lately that I'm worried she might get sick..."
Kenji sat on the sofa, taking a sip of beer:
"It must be hard for her... college and work at the same time."
Jun lowered his gaze to his hands. A feeling of helplessness hit him, until a voice pulled him back:
"I'm here."
It was Sayuri, with a tired smile on her face.
"Say!!" Yume greeted her excitedly. "Tired, huh, girl? Come sit here."
"Exhausted, but happy... where's my little cutie?" she asked while hugging Mike.
"Hey, what about me?" Jun complained.
"Ohhh, someone's jealous..."
She sat next to him and slowly exhaled.
After dinner, Yume grabbed her laptop. She looked way too excited to hide it:
"I've got news for you guys."
Jun and Sayuri leaned closer, while Kenji raised an eyebrow:
"What are you up to now, Yume?"
"Relax, it's something really cool."
They all stared at the screen as she logged into the band's website:
"Ta-da!" she said dramatically.
The three of them kept staring, confused:
"Cool, right?"
"What?" Jun asked, puzzled.
Yume's eyes widened:
"Oh my gosh, the fan club!"
Kenji took the laptop from her hands:
"You created a fan club for us?"
"Ha! I didn't... someone did. And it already has over fifteen hundred members."
"That's insane... this is really cool," Jun said, surprised.
"This is amazing, guys. You're going to grow so much now," Sayuri said proudly.
They spent the rest of the night talking about the band, music, and random topics. At some point, Jun noticed Sayuri had fallen asleep leaning on his shoulder.
Kenji, seeing the scene, grabbed his car keys:
"I'll take you guys home."
During the drive, the silence inside the car was comfortable. Sayuri slept deeply while Jun gently stroked her hair.
Kenji kept his eyes on the road for a moment before speaking:
"Jun... Sayuri looks really tired."
He glanced at her and let out a slow breath:
"I wish I could help her more..."
"You can," Kenji replied bluntly. "You have money."
Jun immediately looked up:
"Don't talk about that here."
Kenji noticed the serious tone:
"She can't find out," Jun continued in a low voice. "I'll figure something out... I'll find another way to help her."
He looked back at Sayuri sleeping on his shoulder.
Weeks passed, and the fan club had already reached over fifteen hundred members:
"This is insane..." Kenji said while reading and replying to comments.
But Yume was focused on another computer.
"Still working on the portfolio?" he asked.
"Yeah..." Yume stretched her back. "It has to be perfect."
"That's going to help Say a lot."
She kept working until something caught her attention:
"What is this...?"
"What is it, Yume? Problem?"
She quickly stood up and showed Kenji a newly arrived email:
Good afternoon,
My name is U.T, I am a representative of the fan club and TK Studios.
We are impressed with what you have created. We would like to send a representative to do an interview and take photos for the fan club.
Please contact us as soon as possible.
Sincerely, TK Studios.
Kenji finished reading, still processing it:
"Is this real? What even is TK Studios?"
"TK Studios?" Jun asked as he entered the studio. "What about it?"
"You know it, Jun?" Yume asked.
"Yeah... it's one of the biggest recording studios in Tokyo. They've launched many famous artists."
"You're kidding??" Kenji exclaimed.
"Why?"
Yume turned the laptop toward Jun. His expression changed instantly:
"It must be a scam..."
"What if it isn't?" Yume shot back. "We can't miss this opportunity."
"I don't know..." Jun muttered. "TK Studios interested in us... hard to believe."
Silence filled the studio for a few seconds. Then Yume tried to lighten the mood:
"And Sayuri? Is she coming today?"
Jun shook his head:
"No... she was too tired. Went straight home to rest... but she sent her love to you guys."
Kenji immediately opened his arms and waited.
"What is it?" Jun asked.
"The hug. Give it."
"Get lost."
Jun stepped back, making Yume join in and open her arms too:
"You two are idiots."
They laughed until they ran out of breath, then Kenji pulled the laptop back:
"What are you going to do?" Yume asked.
"I'm replying to the email... I'm curious."
Jun crossed his arms and shook his head:
"You're going to fall for a scam..."
"We'll see..."
An hour later, Jun left. When he got home, he quietly opened the door, saw Sayuri sleeping on the couch, and picked her up, placing her on the bed:
"Jun..." she murmured. "How was practice?"
"It was fine, love..."
He gently adjusted her and noticed the small calluses on her fingers:
"Come to bed," she asked sleepily.
"In a bit, I'm taking Mike for a walk," he said, kissing her forehead.
While walking Mike, Jun stayed deep in thought. Those calluses on Sayuri's delicate hands broke something inside him:
"I need to do something..."
Back at the apartment, after showering and drying his hair, he looked at the desk drawer. He walked over and opened it.
"That's it," he murmured, pulling out the bankbook his grandmother had given him. "I know what I'm going to do."