jpoplover_101 | Living with KAT-TUN. Ch. 11

Chapter 11

It ended like that. It was pretty long time-wise, but it didn't feel like the 5 hours it took to finish shooting it. All of us went home right after that. I waited until midnight to watch the show. I was sort of wondering how it turned out and stuff. Like what they cut out and what they kept. I watched a lot of variety shows on the Internet back in America and saw that they cut out the boring parts, but the shooting wasn't boring at all. It was actually interesting the whole time. I wonder what the editers concidered boring. "Oyasumi [Good night]," I told everyone as I ran upstairs to my room.

"Oyasumi," everyone else replied.

When I entered my room I closed the door and turned the TV on. Oh crap. I don't even know what channel Cartoon KAT-TUN airs on. I left the remote on my bed and made my way to the hallway. When I opened the door, Jin was right there in front of my room. "Ah," I said surprised.

"Nan desu ka [What is it]?" he asked with a scary attitude.

"Etto..." I stuttered nervously. For some reason, the aura was different from the usual. "What channel does the show air?"

"Show? What show?"

"Cartoon KAT-TUN," I said with my English accent.

He chuckled at me unexpectadly. "NTV," he answered normally.

"NTV? What channel is that?" I asked, the fear and awkwardness gone.

"4. 5. 8," he answered as he showed me the numbers.

"Ah, arigatou gozaimasu [thank you]," I thanked and bowed. I was about to close the door, but Jin grabbed it. "Doushita [What's wrong]?"

"Anou sa [You see]," he started.

"Hai [Yes]?"

He sighed and then let go of the door. "Nan da mou nai [It's nothing]."

"Ah, hai. Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi."

I closed the door and went back to the TV. I switched it to 458, but it seemed to already be on that channel. "Ah, baka dayo [I'm stupid]."

The next morning

The show was pretty interesting. After I got pass the fact that I was watching myself and I was actually living with the people on TV, it became quite hilarious. The questions they used on air wasn't the embarrassing ones. I was so glad. But there was that one scene I was sure they would use. It was the one when they asked me about who I wanted to be my best friend and stuff in KAT-TUN. I thought that scene was prety interesting, plus it involved KAT-TUN. I was 100% sure they would use that one. Oh well. I guess now I know what they don't find interesting. the editors I mean.

This time I woke up right on time. Despite going to sleep at 1:00 a.m. I got dressed and went downstairs to meet the group again. "Ohayo gozaimasu [Good Morning]," I greeted as I walked down the stairs.

"Omedetou gozaimasu [Congratulations]!" everyone shouted from the kitchen. They shot poppers and confetti flew out of them and onto my face.

"Eh? Nani kore [What is this]?" I asked totally confused.

"It's your welcoing party," Ueda answered.

"Welcoming party?" I totally forgot about it. I can't just have one day off from chaos?

"Yeah. Don't you remember? The niece of Johnny-san said you were to have one," Maru reminded me.

"Ah! Sou dayo [That's right]."

"Baka [Stupid]~ Wasureteta [You forgot]?" Jin teased me.

"Urese [Shut up]. It was only for a moment," I lied.

"Sure~" he sarcastically responded.

I clenched my fists in anger, and held in my words. "Tonikaku [Anyways]," I said trying to leave the annoying one alone, "I don't want to be rude or anything, but isn't Arashi-san, NEWS-san, and HEY!SAY!JUMP-san supposed to be at my so called welcoming party?"

"Hai. Sou dayo [Yeah. That's true]," Maru confirmed.

"Jaa...doko desu ka [So...where are they]?"

"Mada mada [Not yet]," Junno told me as if I was too excited.

"Sou dayo. The party doesn't start 'till 6:00 p.m. It's only 10:00 a.m. " Koki told me.

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

"Saa [Don't know]," Ueda said unsure.

"Why don't we just plan the stuff and get the food ready?" Kame suggested.

"Ah! Ii yo [That's good]," Maru shouted.

"But isn't it too early to do that?" I jumped in.

"Sono koto nai yo [There's no such thing]," Junno told me laughing.

"Yeah. Whenever you prepare a party or even treat your senpais [seniors/upperclassmen], there's no such thing as too early," Koki informed.

"Ah, sou ka [Is that so]," I said embarrassed. "Ah, but isn't HEY!SAY! your kohai [juniors/underclassmen]?"

"Sou dayo. But Arashi and NEWS are senpais. They overtake HEY!SAY! Never the less, we must get ready," Junno told me.

"Hai," I said unenthusiastically.

"So, what do we need?" Koki asked looking at Junno.

"We're going to need some party stuff and some food," Junno answered. Then he looked at me. "Erika-chan, do you mind getting those?"

"Eh? Watashi [Me]?" I asked pointing at myself. He nodded. "I have to get ready for my own welcoming party?"

"Atarimai deshou [That's obvious, isn't it]?" he answered.

"Hai~" I replied lazily.

"Yokata [That's good]. There's a store nearby here. Just go down the street until you see the police station, then turn right. It'll be the first store on the next street," he explained. Then he dug into his pocket and took out some money. "Hora [Here]. Use this for the food and stuff. Don't mind the change or the price. Just make sure you can afford it." He opened my hand and placed the cash there. "Now go."

"Hai~" I replied the same way from before. They all saw me off from the door as I was putting my shoes on. "Ittikimasu [I'm going]."

"Ittirashai [Take care]," they all responded naturally.

And so, I was on my way to the store! The road was soooo long it wasn't even funny. I had to stop and rest three times just to catch my breath, and I wasn't even running. When I finally made it to the store, it was already 12:00 p.m. It took me an hour! An hour just to get food. I was planning to take a taxi back home so it wouldn't take so much time.

When I arrived at the store, I got all the food Junno had put on the list. "Pork, beef, vegetables, fruits," I read as I placed the items into the basket. "Plates, forks, spoons, disposable chopsticks, and napkins." I ripped the list from the memo pad he had given me and threw it away. "That's all." I walked over to the cashier and placed both baskets onto the counter.

"That'll be 3,000 yen [About $30]," the cashier told me.

"Phew~ Just enough." I gave the cashier exactly 3,000 since that was all Junno gave me.

"Arigatou gozaimasu [Thank you]," the cashier thanked me.

"Arigatou," I replied and left the store with 4 heavy plastic bags. When I saw a taxi drive by me I realized something...I had no more money! "Shimatta [Damn it]!" I shouted at myself. "I forgot the money for the taxi! Uso [You're kidding]!"

And so, I ended up walking the one hour walk back home for the second time. It was so much more tiring than the first time since I had the 4 heavy bags. I was so worried that the meat would go bad or something since they needed to be kept frozen. The whole way back home I was thinking how dumb I was for forgetting such an important thing. On my way home I saw a shortcut I missed. Damn. But I finally made it back home. "Okairii [Welcome back]," Kame greeted as I walked through the door.

"Tadaima [I'm home]," I replied completely beat.

"Eh? Doushita no [What's wrong]?" Kame asked me in a worried tone. "Daijoubu [Are you alright]?"

"I'm so tired," I told him as Iaied down on the floor with the bags next to me.

"Erika-chan, daijoubu?" Junno asked when he saw me. He was wearing his apron and was holding onto his spatula.

"U-usotsuki [L-liar]," I called him unintentionally.

"Eh? Ore [Me]?"

"You said it was near the house. It took me an hour just to get there," I told him.

"Eh? You didn't take the shortcut?" he asked.

"Short-shortcut?"

"Yeah, the one right after the house next to us. If you go by there, then the distance is cut by half," he explained.

"Ha-half?" I got up on my feet with all the strength I had left and grabbed onto Junno's collar. "Anou sa [You see]," I started, "don't you think it would've been better if you had told me that before I left?"

"Eh? I didn't tell you?" he said totally disregarding the fact that I was grabbing onto his shirt.

Are you kidding me? "Maa maa [Well, well]," Kame said disattaching me from Junno. "Don't worry about it. As least you came back safe and sound. Tha's all that matters, right?"

I looked at him trying to look not tired. "Hai."

"So what'd you get?" Ueda asked as he picked the bags up.

"Everything that Taguchi-san wrote down on the list," I confidently said.

"Let's see. Right, right, right, right, right. Seems like she got everything," Ueda told him.

"Let me see." Junno walked up to the island and opened the bags. He nodded at every item he saw, but then he suddenly pulled his head back. "Where's the rice?" he asked looking at me.

"Rice?" I tried to recall all the items he wrote down on the food section. Pork, beef, vegetables, and fruits. Wasn't that it? "I didn't see rice on the list," I honestly told him.

"That's impossible. I wrote it on the back of the list," he explained.

"Back of the list?" Oh crap! I ripped the list without looking at the back of it! Dammit! "I-I didn't look at the back of the list," I said as I shamingly looked at the floor.

"Erika-chan," Junno said disappointingly. "Sore ga dame [That's bad]."

"Gomennasai [I'm sorry]," I apologized and bowed.

"Well nothing can be done. It's okay," Junno said trying to cheer me up.

"But how are we going to have a party with no rice? There's no side dish," Ueda pointed out. And it was true.

"I guess we'll just have to get some again," Junno said. "Jin-kun," he called.

"Hai [Yes]?" he answered.

"Do you mind if you go to the store with Erika-chan to get the rice? It might be too heavy for her to carry, plus if you went alone then it might be dangerous if you were discovered," Junno asked him.

"Aitsu to [With her]?" Jin pointed at me and I felt disrespected.

"Jin-kun, tannamo [Jin, I'm beggin you]."

Jin sighed and then looked at me. Then he looked at Junno. "Wakata [I understand]," he finally answered.

"Arigatou." Junno dug into his pockets for the second time and pulled out more cash. "Here. This is for the rice. Just get rice."

"Hai," Jin answered and stuffed the money into his back pocket.

"Ittikimasu [We're going]," I said as Jin and I was putting our shoes on.

"Ittirashai [Take care]," everyone replied.

"Erika-chan," Kame called out.

"Hai?" I answered.

"Ittirashai."

"Hai. Ittikimasu." I told him and he smiled.

"Let's go already," Jin whined from the door.

"Coming," I told him and followed him out.

The walk there was pretty silent. Until we reached the shortcut. "It's this one," Jin told me. He pointed at a narrow pathway cutting in between the house next to us and an arcade. "We go through this and then up some stairs. After that it's just straight down the road."

"Hai," I answered.

After that, it was dead silent. When we reached the store Jin chose the rice. "Let's get this one," he said pointing at a rather expensive bag of rice.

"But we just have enough for that," I told him. It cost 1,200 yen [about $12]. We had exactly that.

"So? If we have enough then we should get it," he replied.

I sighed. I wasn't in the mood to fight over him so I just agreed. "Wakata. We'll get it."

After getting the rice we walked to the shortcut, but it was blocked by trash and metal. "What happened?" Jin mummbled to himself.

"It looks like someone did that on purpose. Maybe it was a bunch of kids playing cops and robbers and the robber was close to getting caught," I suggested.

"That's a strange prediction," he said coldly.

I rolled my eyes. "Gomen [Sorry],"

"I guess we just have to go the long way."

"Eh? But my feet hurt already. Is there no other shortcut?" I asked in a pleading tone.

"There might. But I can't gaurantee that'll it's really a shortcut. I've never taken it before."

"I don't care. Anything is better than that one hour way," I told him.

"Fine, but if we get lost don't blame me."

"Hai."

And so we took Jin's way. It turned out to be not a shortcut. It felt the same distance and just as time consuming as the one hour way. If not, maybe even more. "I told you I could've been wrong," Jin said as he held onto his stomach, trying to catch his breath.

"Gomen," I apologized sarcastically.

"Are you tired?" he asked in a concerned tone. First time I ever heard that one.

"H-hai," I answered just a bit shocked from his concern.

"Let's rest then." He placed the rice bag behind me and pointed at it. "Dozo [Go ahead]," he offered.

"A-arigatou." I sat down on the rice bag and wiped my forhead. "Ah~ I'm so tired."

"Ore mou [Me too]," Jin answered. I laied down on the street and closed my eyes. "Na [Hey]," Jin suddenly said.

"Hai?" I answered.

"Dare...suki [Who...do you like]?" he asked in a very low tone.

"Eh?" I wasn't able to hear him very clear.

"Dare," he said louder. But a series of bangs and booms suddenly appeared behind us.

They were fireworks! "Kirei [Beautiful]~" I said as I watched them explode in the dark blue sky. I stood up and continued to watch them.

Then Jin stood up and watched the fireworks next to me. "Kirei..." he mummbled.

"Hontou da [It's true]."

"Na," Jin repeated.

"Hai-" I turned around to face Jin, but my lips were suddenly connected with his. My eyes shot wide open and my body grew completely numb. Jin didn't move an inch, and I couldn't either. My mind went blank. My body grew numb. My eyes shot open. I didn't know what to do. Everything was a blur.

I knew one thing though, deep inside my heart, I didn't want to to stop.

Bang! Boom! Bang! Boom!