Tales of a Girl Named Tsukiko

Tsukiko Matsudo, now 17, surveys the studio of Happy-Go-Friday while taking in the fruits of her labor.  Looking around, she finds herself surrounded by friends. All of her work, all of the times she had to fight tooth and nail to convince the executives to give her friends second chances is paying off. Many new acts work with Jiyu Records now, and thanks to her, almost everyone who joins on still works at the company. She makes herself a permanent fixture at the boardroom table whether they want her to be or not. They really do not. However, everyone knows that firing her would be a huge mistake, seeing as she holds an ongoing streak of 20 consecutive #1 hits. 

Things outside of Jiyu Records are also changing. For one, more independent record labels are starting to get recognition. Their musicians tend to rise and disappear pretty quickly, but they exist nonetheless. Bakers’ Entertainment is also doing much better for itself with the arrival of a few new talents. They originally debuted as Teacher’s Nightmare, which wasn’t a particularly talented trio, but after going their separate ways, each member now has more room to blossom. 

The leader, Maxy Konno, has all but cemented himself in the 2nd place spot on the Musicon charts. His singing is okay and he doesn’t really dance so much as run around the stage, but Tsuki can see his appeal. Maxy is a walking example of how presentation can make or break someone’s success. He’s bursting with a personality no one can ignore. He’s a big guy with big, curly hair and a big, fanged smile. His voice isn’t too deep, but it’s loud enough to be heard. His style, rife with leather and denim, signals a rough and tumble, larger than life personality willing to take on the world. He embodies the wildness of youth....or at least that’s what his posters say. Tsuki rarely gets a chance to talk to him off stage, but he seems a lot nicer than he likes to make himself out to be.

Yoshinori Noboru went on to become the lead guitarist of Adios after Nicky Kezwick left. Though the band lost Nicky’s powerful vocals, Yoshi more than made up for it with his guitar skills. His velvety yet raspy voice is also a nice addition. Unfortunately, the band’s popularity was already dwindling a little before Nicky left, and Yoshi’s addition only helps them so much. Tsuki hopes that maybe they’ll pick up more steam as time goes on. Yoshi is a nice, unassuming guy on and off stage. It made him seem down-to-earth, sure, but it also makes Tsuki a little sad that he doesn’t seem to realize the strength of his abilities. She thinks back to Sayori, who used to be that way. His band is completely eclipsed by the likes of his former bandmate, Maxy. However, Maxy himself is their biggest fan. He always showers Yoshi with praises and compliments; he cheers louder than anyone else during the band’s performances, even the rehearsals! They appear to have been friends for a long time, even before they got famous. Tsuki admires their friendship from a distance, hoping neither of them will have to experience the same heartbreak as she did with Sayori.

The last and littlest ex-member of Teacher’s Nightmare, Toni...is running down the stairs to greet Tsuki. His arms are outstretched, and as soon as he’s close enough, she envelops him in her own.

“You were amazing out there, darling! I’m so proud of you!” Tsuki squeezes his cheeks together. He’s too cute not to squeeze, even if he looks like a fish at the moment. 

She lets go of his face. “You did really great, too, Matsudo-san!” His curled up fists rest on his face as he twists from side to side. It’s something he normally does when excited. 

During the few times Teacher’s Nightmare performed in this studio, Tsuki knew of Toni only as that weird freckled kid who sometimes stared at her. It was only until Maxy formally introduced the two that she came to know Toni as the sweet little brother she didn’t know she wanted. A month later and now they’re inseparable. Tsuki would do anything to keep that smile on his adorable little face, and she can only see admiration sparkling in his deep brown eyes whenever he looks at her. He’s so happy for her success, it’s like he doesn’t even care that his own band barely scrapes the #14 mark most weeks. But there’s someone else who does.

“Toni. Meet us over at the front in 30 minutes.” orders a familiar nasally voice. 

“Okay, senpai!”

Tsuki wraps an arm around Toni as Higgy walks past. Nicky towers behind him, smiling and waving at Toni and Tsuki, while the shorter boy doesn’t even look at them.

Higgy Nardin, no doubt thinking he’s the best thing to come out of Roller Breakers, left the group a few months ago, only to sink lower on the ratings than he’s ever been. Tsuki would find this comical if only he hadn’t formed a group with lovable Toni and kind-hearted Nicky. This new group, Hinito, is unfortunately led by Higgy. It breaks Tsuki’s heart to hear Toni tell her how much they practice dancing. He doesn’t seem to mind, and he’s a really talented dancer in his own right, but no matter how much he and Nicky try to downplay it, she knows that the amount of practice they do is excessive and inhumane. That’s just the kind of person Higgy is.

What worries Tsuki is that Higgy doesn’t even seem to realize what’s holding Hinito back. He thinks improving their choreography is going to save them when their problems lie elsewhere. As much as Tsuki likes hearing Toni’s voice, he’s 14, and he’s at a point where his voice is unstable and scratchy. Higgy, being the same age as Tsuki, has a mature and deeper voice. It can carry a tune okay, at least until it cracks, which has proven to be very likely. Nicky’s voice far outshines the others and is probably the main reason they’re doing as well as they are in the first place. In short, only one-third of the group can sing, and Higgy’s worried about how well they can dance. Does he not know that they’re singers first, dancers second?

Tsuki can’t remember anyone getting fired from Bakers’ Entertainment; Jiyu Records specifically looks down on them for this. However, Tsuki knows better than to bank on that; there’s always a first time. While she hopes Toni isn’t that first time, she has no way of keeping tabs on his company and its goals. The least she can do is give him a couple words of caution. Tsuki leads him over to a nearby table.

“Toni-chan~, how was your day?”

Toni sits in his chair with perfect posture. “It was really exciting! Senpai woke us up earlier so we could get more practice in.”

“Oh how lovely~” Under the table, Tsuki tightens the grip of her right hand.

“I still messed up a turn just now, so we’re probably gonna have to practice more later today. That’s probably why Higgy-senpai told me to meet him later. How was your day?” He smiles.

“It was just fine, Toni. Just fine!” She swirls her finger in an imaginary glass. “You know... If you get tired of working at Bakers’ or if... something happens where you can’t, I could probably get you a spot at Jiyu Records!” Tsuki winks. “It’d be lovely to have you around.”

Toni blinks. “I would love to work where you are, but I really like being a Baker Boy! Nicky’s really nice, and so is Mr. Kenji and Mr. Benji! I’d be sad if I had to go.”

Tsuki smiles, glad that her friend likes where he works. “Do they treat you nice there?”

“Hai!” Toni nods vigorously. “Mr. Kenji is the nicest teacher I know! I do kind of badly in class, but he helps me a lot! And Nicky-senpai is my friend, I think.”

“Kenji’s your teacher? I thought he was a manager.”

“Oh yeah, he does that too!” Toni manages to sit up even straighter. “He teaches us, manages us, drives us places, though sometimes Mr. Benji does that instead.”

“Wow, he might as well be the only one working there!” Tsuki jokes.

“He is!” Toni replies. He is not joking.

Tsuki is left speechless for a moment. “...So it’s just Kenji and Benji?”

“Hai!” Toni nods.

She doesn’t know what to say. Tsuki heard rumors of Benji Baker’s company being understaffed--it’s the subject of many jokes back at Jiyu Records--but this is ridiculous! In fact, she swears she remembers another guy who used to show up with Kenji. She hasn’t seen him in years, though. Even still, a company run entirely by two or three people sounds like a catastrophe. No wonder they don’t have many musicians!

“Mr. Kenji also gives us tips when we’re feeling bad about something.” Toni continues. “So does Mr. Benji, too, but less! When I first started out, I had stage… stage scare?”

“You know you can always use Japanese around me, right?” Tsuki reminds him, taking note of his awkward English. She thinks back to when they first met; Maxy mentioned Toni struggled with the language.

“I know that! I’m just trying to practice as much as I can.”

“Ohhhh! How admirable of you!” Toni grins at her compliment. “And I think the word you were looking for is ‘stage fright’, darling.”

“Yeah! That’s what I mean! Thank you, Matsudo-san!”

“You can call me Tsuki.” Tsuki watches with glee as Toni’s face lights up. She wonders if Madoka felt this way.

“R-really?”

Tsuki nods.

“O-Okay, Tsuki…-san.”

“What a well-behaved boy…” Tsuki chuckles at his over-politeness. She then gives him a pat on the head for his troubles. “I’ve interrupted you long enough, please continue your story.”

“Okay! When I had stage fright, Mr. Kenji and Mr. Benji helped me not have it anymore. Mr. Kenji told me to imagine the crowd as stuffed animals, and then I did, and then I wasn’t as scared. It took awhile for me to get over it, but they kept checking in on me and saying I was doing a good job! Now I’m not scared! And it helped the band out, too.”

“That’s… very interesting.” Toni’s story presents a very different method of operating than Tsuki is used to.

Stage fright itself is something Tsuki has pondered for a while now. She notices that the ways it can manifest affects different stars in different ways. For herself, the Ueda Sisters, and Yoshinori, their modesty impacted them positively, helping them to look more approachable. For Toni and Sayori, however, it makes them look awkward. Tsuki even remembers President Hawthorne pointing out Sayori’s awkwardness in one meeting, but neither her nor the other staff members took the time to tell her that it impacted her career. If Tsuki knew what she does now, she would’ve tried harder to help Sayori overcome her fears. Now, she is a lot better at giving suggestions to help lift up the other idols, but if only she could go back in time. She’s glad someone was there for Toni.

“Mr. Kenji being our teacher is really nice, ‘cause he used to perform too, so he knows a couple things about problems we might have.”

Tsuki’s eyes widen. “That’s… That’s amazing! Toni, you’re so lucky!” Why doesn’t Jiyu Records have anyone like that? The older talents are nice to Tsuki and the younger stars, but rarely do they ever give advice. To have someone that does is invaluable.

“Yeah, he’s really cool!” Toni chimes. “But you’re also really cool too!”

“Wh-what?” Tsuki laughs, caught off guard. “Where did that come from?”

“Julie-san told me that you do secret important boardroom stuff when you think no one’s looking. She said you save people’s jobs.”

“Wh-how does she know about that??” Tsuki covers her face, flustered beyond belief.

“She said she saw you go upstairs the same day every week and not come back down for awhile, and then she got suspicious, and then she asked Ms. Garcia, and she told her where you were.” Toni explains.

“How did Madoka know?”

Toni shrugs. “Ask her.”

Across the room, Tsuki could see Madoka and Maxy talking. Or rather, Maxy excitedly talking to Madoka while she nods every so often. She would seem uninterested to most, but Maxy doesn’t seem to notice or care. As for Madoka, Tsuki remembers her once saying 'That kid seems like the kind of guy cats would be drawn to. I need to figure out why.' 

“I guess I’ll have to question her later.” Tsuki decides.

“Yeah!” Toni agrees. “So is it true that you save people’s jobs? I think that’s really cool of you!”

“I... suppose…” Tsuki mulls it over. “Yes, I suppose that’s what I do. Or at least try to do.”

“Neat!” Toni’s smile fades away to a look of confusion. “Wait, why do you have to save people’s jobs? Do the Jiyu Records people fire people a lot?”

“They don’t believe in their idols the way I do, so yes.” Tsuki gives Toni a saddened smile.

“But... you tried to get me to work there. Why?” Toni tilts his head.

“To be honest, I didn’t know how good you had it!” Tsuki admits. “I thought Bakers’ operated the same way as Jiyu Records, and I figured, well, if you were with us, at least I could protect you.”

“Ohhhh.” Toni gazes at Tsuki sympathetically. “Is it really that bad over there?”

“Usually it’s not, but…” Tsuki sighs. “We don’t... We don’t have a Kenji! We don’t have a Benji, either.” She gets a little more passionate than she originally intended, but doesn’t care. “We’re practically left to fend for ourselves, and the only hope for guidance we have relies on someone having a big enough heart to tell us what’s going on. And you know what, Toni? I’m gonna try to be that someone!”

“...I think you already are.”

By the time Toni’s words register, tears are already welling up in Tsuki’s eyes. A smile crosses her face.

“Thank you.” She sniffles. “What a kind thing to say...” Tsuki pats him on the cheek. She feels silly crying like this in front of Toni, but she's unable to stop. “Ahhh, sorry for getting so... sentimental. I didn’t mean to cry on you.”

“Oh no, it’s okay! I cry a lot too! Here--” Toni gets up from the table and walks over to Tsukiko. He embraces her. They continue hugging for a minute or so until Toni lets go. 

“I would stay longer, but I think it might be time for me to meet up with my band.” Toni starts heading off, waving at Tsuki. “Do your best, Tsuki-san!”

“You too, Toni…” Tsuki waves.

She silently vows to do her best. Not just for Toni, not just for herself, but for all the friends she’s made and lost in the industry. She has learned that as much of a joke as they’re made out to be, Bakers’ Entertainment knows that communication is key to any idol’s success. She’s determined to bring that communication to those who need it most.