A tall, lanky man in his thirties was making his way through the crowded streets of Tokyo. He walked quickly, glancing every so often at a pocket watch. He dressed as he might have a century ago, but his clothes suited him perfectly and he moved with practiced ease. Had it not been for that, one might have mistaken him for a cosplayer, and indeed he was one but those were his “regular clothes” and he wasn’t “in character”, he was simply late.
He finally reached his destination, a cozy coffee shop occupying several floors of a building in the heart of the nerd mecca known as Akihabara. He pushed through the shop, dodging a few French maids and a cutie dressed as a ninja, and headed to the elevator halfway hidden behind a man-sized statue of Gundam. Shortly after, he was entering a private room.
It was tastefully decorated in Japanese style, as would be expected of a meeting room in such an establishment, but the posters on the wall, the figurines and the bookshelves were clear evidence it served a different purpose altogether. It was indeed the permanent home of Kaori’s fan club, the KFC as they sometimes called it jokingly, a small but exclusive group of wealthy otakus.
“Quick, Hotaru, it’s starting.”
Four other men already waited inside and welcomed him with a casual bow.
Hotaru returned the bow and sat down, turning his attention to the massive TV screen on the opposite wall. It was playing the evening news: a male and a female anchor were commenting the latest happenings. A large picture of Kaori, elegant and reserved as always, was displayed next to them. Beside her was a gentleman in his late thirties. The man was tall and well built. Many Japanese celebrities had adopted a very androgynous look, but he clearly hadn’t gotten in with the trend, for he exuded manliness. The female anchor was speaking with the chirpy voice typical of Japanese TV:
“……social event of the year. Actress and singer Mashiro Kaori, only daughter of industry magnate Mashiro Daisuke, has officially announced a date for her wedding with the handsome Matsuko Oroshi, heir apparent to Matsuko Enterprises. The ceremony will take place on April 4th, just a month from now. In spite of the short notice, rumor has it they secured the Meiji Jingu shrine at the peak of the cherry blossoms. Thousands will be in attendance.”
KFC members stared at each other in shock, but the news anchors carried on, oblivious to their turmoil:
“No surprise there.” The host added. “I’d cancel my own wedding to attend hers. Oroshi is the luckiest man in the world.”
“On more than one count. Later this year, Matsuko Enterprises will merge into Mashiro’s conglomerate. Oroshi could find himself at the helm of the largest industrial empire in Japan.”
“Indeed, this wedding might be more of a business arrangement—”
“Oh, don’t be jealous. Oroshi is amongst Japan’s most eligible bachelors and he is as charismatic as any actor.”
“Fine, but in my defense, I’m by no means an exception. Thousands of Kaori’s fans will be mourning….”
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A single glance around the table would have proven the TV anchor right. Not that any of the KFC members ever believed they had a chance with their goddess, but while she remained single and pure… they could—not hope, but perhaps… not even that, actually. Misery loves company, and as long as she was unattached, it felt as if she belonged to them all.
They had not been rejected, they just hadn’t met yet. She couldn’t know how much they loved her, and there lay the ultimate fantasy, the “if she only knew the real me, how I truly feel about her, she might love me back.”
It was irrational, selfish and supremely foolish, but love and obsession cared little for such considerations. Kaori getting married made things final. Now came the bitter time of acceptance, and wishing her all the best in that new life of her choosing, one in which they existed even less than they did previously.
Hotaru turned off the TV as the newscast had moved on to the next topic. None of them had the slightest bit of interest for the Sumo tournament down in Osaka.
They looked at each other. They had known Kaori would be in the news—Ishiro knew an editor at the NHK and cultivated that relationship to remain up to date on all things Kaori, but even he didn’t know about the wedding.
He looked furious. He alone thought he might have had a chance, however faint—his family was wealthy and well connected, and he was rather good looking, albeit in a somewhat effeminate sort of way. He would have looked right at home in a K-Pop band, if not for the fact he couldn’t sing or dance.
“What the hell? Oroshi? Seriously? My family is twice as respectable as his…”
His rant was just getting started, but Hotaru shut him down dead in his tracks with a single word: “Support!”
All attention focused on him. He was right. They had sworn they would support Kaori no matter what. As bitter as the news was, it was her decision, her life, and they were but mere spectators to her greatness. Devotion, like love, was beyond reason, and in the real world, Oroshi’s social standing left nothing to be desired.
Still, they were dumbfounded. Kaori had been seen with Oroshi a few times in the past, but that was mostly because they belonged to the same social circles. Other than that, there had been no indication they were even seeing each other, and God only knew how much work they had put in on tracking her every move in public. Idol fans are an obsessive breed at best, and few had anything close to the level of resources at their disposition. How could they have failed to hear about this? It was just too strange.
Hotaru stood up.
“We should never fail in our support. Koji, make sure you file for your Oshi vacations tomorrow—get your company to clear you for Kaori’s wedding. The least we can do is attend and bear witness to her great day. Does anyone of you have contacts with the Meiji shrine?”
Hotaru was looking directly at Kenji. He owned the Yoyogi dog park, located inside the same park as the Meiji shrine itself, barely a stone’s throw away. Still, asking them all was the polite thing to do.
Kenji didn’t disappoint.
“I’ll have all the details on Monday. No worries, we will get in.”
It was a bold claim, but no one doubted his devotion to the cause. If Kenji said he could do it, he would.
“Actually, there is a virtual tour of the shrine online. Put on your VR headsets and I’ll show you around.”
A short moment later, they were all standing in front of the Torii gate. Kenji took the lead, guiding them to the most likely locations for the wedding and figuring out the best vantage points.
Having an insider was a stroke of luck, and one they meant to take full advantage of.
