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sucroseverse · 1 year

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That Evening on a Bleak Night, She Approached Me With an Offer

[LIGHT] - Brief mentions of non-specific abuse.

2024 words

Main Characters: Fujimura Natsumi, Chibana Yuri

~ ~

Natsumi could have gone anywhere that night. She almost considered stopping by a convenience store, if for nothing else than to convince herself that she was busy. But she kept walking by streetlight after streetlight, keeping her eyes to the ground and her hands forcibly shoved into her hoodie pockets. She only stopped when her legs refused to carry her any further, stopping to lean against a wall, shivering before a judgemental breeze. She was silently hoping no one recognized her, that they were to pass her by just like any other sorry excuse for a contributing member of society.

As she entertained that thought, a piercing, bright voice locked its crosshairs on her.

“It's awfully bitter out here, Natsucchan.” Yuri looked up at her friend, who didn't return the gesture. “You’ll catch a cold if you stay out here for too long.”

“You know that's just a myth, right? Don't tell me you still believe in those kids’ stories.”

Yuri giggled, and stood beside Natsumi. “Of course I don't. But you really shouldn't be outside in the snow all alone.”

“How’d you find me out here, anyway? I hardly told anyone where I was going.”

Yuri clicked her tongue. “See, that was your mistake. You ‘hardly told anyone’. I asked Hoshizora-senpai where you were going, and that led me here.”

“I assume by ‘Hoshizora-senpai’, you mean Sensei, right?” Natsumi raised an eyebrow. “There's two of ‘em, you know, and one of them you've known a lot longer than the other.”

“There's Hoshizora-senpai, and there's Yumiko-chan-senpai. There's a difference.”

Natsumi rolled her eyes playfully. “I can hardly keep up with your little name rules, Yucchan.”

Yuri giggled again, which spread mildly to her companion. As Yuri’s eyes opened again, she noticed Natsumi’s chuckling had turned into a shiver, prompting her to offer the girl her coat.

“Y-You know damn well that's not gonna fit me.”

“Just give it a try, please?”

Natsumi sighed and draped the coat over her shoulders. Once she secured it in place by tying the sleeves around her neck, she looked back over at Yuri and noticed the clothes she was wearing underneath that had just been revealed.

“...Did you just get back from a photoshoot?”

The smile left Yuri’s face. “...Yes, I did. I told them I needed to use the restroom for a ‘feminine emergency’. You know, the men I work with are pretty stupid when it comes to that stuff.”

“Yeesh. I’m almost tempted to hand this coat back to you.”

“I’ll be fine!” Yuri’s smile returned, a little forced. “I won't be out here as long as you, after all.”

The pair went silent for a moment, but after a few seconds, Yuri reached over Natsumi’s shoulder to rummage through her coat pocket.

“What--”

“I actually didn't just come out here to make smalltalk, you know. I’m a very busy girl, and we’re both in similar circles now. I wanted to talk to you... about the whole sponsorship deal.”

“Oh, yeah. Sensei and I have been talking about it, and we're hoping to get there pretty soon. Just the application is all we need.”

Yuri sighed. “That's what I was afraid of hearing.”

“Huh?” Natsumi, puzzled, turned to Yuri with her entire body. “...Wait a minute, hold on. I thought you were--”

“Yes, I’m the leader of the sponsor unit union. I know, I’m ‘supposed to be on the side of people getting involved’. But see, there's more to it than that. But before I say anything...”

Yuri grabbed Natsumi’s hand gently, and looked her in the eye, pleading.

“...I need you to promise, promise me you won't tell anyone what I'm about to say. Otherwise... I could be completely ruined. Shirogane-dono and Uso-senpai could be ruined. I haven't told anyone outside of the two of them this... and even they don't know everything. They wouldn't understand like you do. So, please. Will you keep this a secret, and hear me out?”

Natsumi thought for a second, and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall again. “Fine. What's going on?”

Yuri took a deep breath, and fiddled with the unknown object in her hands. “Well... I don't want Aurora to get sponsored.”

“What?”

“Now-- hear me out. I don't want Aurora to get sponsored. But that doesn't mean I don't want you to be a part of the little sponsorship circle... I just don't know if Hoshizora-senpai will be of any use. He has zero experience. He picked you up on a whim. He's flaky. I don't trust him. Not one bit.”

Natsumi stood silently, thinking. She... kind of had a point. The highly-praised Hoshizora Akira wasn't really known for being the most competent leader, nor the most dedicated idol. But, then again, did that mean he really deserved...?

“I see that look on your face, Natsucchan.” Yuri smiled. “You've gotten attached to him, haven't you?”

Natsumi groaned. “No, absolutely not, Sensei is just as annoying as ever. I just... I don't get what you're saying.”

Yuri’s smile fell again. “A part of me thinks you do, but you just don't want to betray him. After all, I haven't seen you cringe or wince a single time calling him ‘Sensei’, yet.”

Natsumi’s eyes faintly widened, but she didn't reply.

“That's what I was really worried about,” Yuri mumbled, “and to be honest, I face a similar issue with KIRA. I wasn't at all attached to them when they invited me... I thought I was just going to leave them the moment I could. But it only took a few months-- imagine that, right?-- for me to get comfortable with them. And as much as I bemoan their shortcomings, I've gotta hand it to them. They almost feel like family now... is that how Hoshizora-senpai feels to you?”

Natsumi still kept quiet.

“...But, Natsucchan, KIRA embraced me with open arms. None of them cared about where I came from, all of them understand me, they all care about me for who I am. And I think they'd love nothing more than to have you as a member. You could be with people who really understand you, who have all the benefits of a sponsored unit... you wouldn't have to just rely on him. You'd actually have peers.”

“You flatter me, but I don't think a unit like KIRA would do good with a voice like mine.”

“Are you kidding?! Even if your voice didn't leave me starstruck... have you heard Kaede-senpai’s voice?” Yuri snickered. “It's not exactly ‘traditionally cutesy’, so to speak. Not to mention Rio’s voice, she sounds like she could beat Sumiya in a fight, but she's singing songs about cloud parties and flower field dreams.”

Natsumi chuckled. “I guess you're right.”

“But...” Yuri’s tone darkened. “... there's another reason I don't want you guys to go through with that sponsorship deal. It's because... well, having Hoshizora-senpai here would be... a burden on my plan. I would be left with no choice but to get rid of him.”

“A ‘burden’...? Your ‘plan’...? ‘Get rid of him’...?!”

“I know it sounds scary, but-- ...actually, it would be pretty scary. Not just for him, but for you, too. I don't want you to get caught up in that, Natsucchan. See, there's a reason everyone so far who's been sponsored is in the union. And it's not because there have been no other applicants who would get accepted.”

Natsumi furrowed her brow, and a chill went down her spine. “What do you mean...?”

Yuri got in a little closer, and spoke in a low whisper.

“There have been at least four other applicants that I've had my eyes on. Each one of them told me no, or that they would ‘think about it’, which is just a ‘no’ in disguise. And without them on my side... I can't function. My plan falls apart.”

“Your ‘plan’? What ‘plan’?!”

“It's simple, Natsucchan. I want to destroy this industry and drain it for every cent it's worth.”

Natsumi froze in place.

Yuri kept talking.

“And the only way I can do that, is if I can get a bunch of people on my side, and we all work together to tear it apart. But if I have an army stacked against me, people who get in our circle and want to keep it and its exploitative nature alive, I’ll crumble. So I... I had to get rid of them.”

Natsumi looked back down at the pavement in disbelief.

“It started with trying to convince them not to come, but you can't just convince someone out of free money. So I had no choice but to turn to other practices. I’ll be honest... I've done terrible things. Things I regret. I cheated people out of a show deal. I’ve framed people for libel. I’ve even... I’m sure you heard about the incident a couple weeks ago, with the stage collapse?”

Natsumi couldn't respond.

“I... I never intended that one to go the way it did. Him getting hurt was by complete accident. But I couldn't say anything. Shirogane-dono couldn't say anything. We got out of there as fast as we could, and no one knows about it to this day. I’m just glad he survived... I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep at night again after that.”

Natsumi looked over at Yuri. “...And you... you wanted to save me from that. You didn't want me to get caught in the cross-fire.”

“Exactly.” Yuri nodded, holding what was now revealed to be her business card, handing it to Natsumi. She pulled out her phone, quickly turning it on and shutting it off again. “And listen, I can't explain everything right now. But written on the back here is my new number-- my personal number. Uso-senpai said this one can't be tracked or recorded, full guarantee. Make sure you're in a private space. Call me tonight at your earliest convenience. I should be home in two and a half hours or so.”

Natsumi stood in awe as Yuri pulled her coat off and started walking away.

“Remember! You're always wanted with KIRA, just consider it for me, ‘kay?”

Before she could reply, Yuri was already running off, leaving her stranded in her own abyss once again.

That night, Natsumi laid flat on her back in bed, phone pressed against her chest. She could feel it sliding off every so often, causing her to fiddle with it more, only for it to slide off again less than a minute later. She hadn't stopped thinking about her conversation with Yuri all evening. In all honesty... this kind of ‘plan’ wasn't entirely out of the question for Yuri. She'd always been dedicated, after all... and Natsumi knew for a long time she felt nothing but spite for her destined career. And after everything she'd seen and heard about what happened to Yuri, all the stories of what those men did to her... she was torn on whose side to take. She couldn't knowingly take the side of a criminal, but... could she take the side of a hurt friend?

She thought about it for a long while. She checked the time-- 22:37. God, was it that late already? And if she was going to call someone... would they even still be awake?

She knew damn well her recipient would be awake for another little while at least.

So, she sat up and, with a shaky hand, picked up her phone. She was still clutching the business card, and she looked it over once again, flipping to the back and reading this new number. It did seem awfully strange, but she wasn't going to question how Uso of all people managed to get his illegal phone numbers.

She looked back at her phone, and after one last moment of thought and extreme hesitation, she began punching in the number she wanted to call.

She knew this could only turn out horribly, but she couldn't resist.

The opportunity was so right.

She knew this was the only way.

The phone rang.

...

“He~llo?”

“Sensei, it's Natsumi. I need to tell you something about that union.”

#sucroseverse #sponsorverse #sv: short fic #sv: LIGHT #fujimura natsumi #natsumi fujimura #chibana yuri #yuri chibana #enstars au #ensemble stars au #ouhgh.... ough...........

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