Throne For The Next Idol Queen 4 The Foundation Of Your Dreams

"Nevermind, dad," She laughed. She scratched the nape of her neck. She pointed at a random shop. "How about we go window shopping instead?"

"That's an idol store," Her father remarked and, her heart got shot by his words. Nimble and powerful. Guilty as charged. Her knees got weak and, she's defeated. She looked up to her father to see his eyes were glowing victorious.

"Is that bad?" She asked and, her father c.o.c.ked his head to the side. He even laughed, but after a while, he stopped. His expression turned serious. His smile slowly disappeared from his lips.

"No, but, getting Howard's signature is," He said sternly, "Why couldn't you just tell me?"

Eika acted innocent. She braced for the worse. "Tell me what?" She fired another question and, her father frowned at this. He folded his arms.

"The application form, I saw it on your desk last night," He told her and Eika's eyes grew wide. She covered her mouth and, she quietly approached her father.

"I thought it was mum," She said softly, her guilt rus.h.i.+ng up to her throat and, her father brushed back her hair with his fingers. He observed her expressions.

"No, she barged into my office and told me to check up on you, when I walked in your room, you didn't even try to hide the form. It sat there, waiting for me to look at it." He grinned, hoping that Eika would at least look at his eyes again. "You're lucky it wasn't your mother that saw it, she would have ripped it apart."

"Why?" Eika raised a question. Her father hesitated for a moment. He paused but, he didn't answer instead he just took Eika's hands and wrapped it on his own. He stared at her intently like he was waiting for something to collapse but there wasn't anything he expected.

"Think twice, no, think about it a lot of times," Her father said almost like it's a warning. "Idol life ain't easy,"

"My life was never anything either," Eika answered back. It took him by surprise. His face holds a message of conflict and uncertainty.

"What do you know about life? You're a kid!" He exclaimed and, Eika pouted. She stood her ground and clenched her fist. "What do you know about idol life too? You're old!"

Her father became silent. His face came closer to Eika and, he pinched her cheeks lightly. "Ow! OW!" Eika tried to slap his hand away but, he avoided it in time.

"Do you still want that signature?" He asked. Eika rubbed her cheeks to ease the pain, but she stopped when she felt her father's gaze. She couldn't tell what exactly her father's deal is. He's unpredictable. He s.h.i.+fts his mood or, maybe he wanted to be unpredictable.

She nodded, but her father shook his head. "No, I want you to say it."

Eika opened her mouth, but then she paused. "Yes."

Without knowing why her father came closer and hugged her tightly, he could break her bones if he didn't let go but, somehow Eika knew there are some secrets that she didn't know and, it's better left unsaid.

Her father took the application form from Eika's backpack. She still doesn't know the reason why her father would oblige to this when he used to be following her mother's wants all the time. He took out a pen from his pocket and signed it with his signature that's too delicate.

"Where did you get the pen?" She asked, and her father smiled at this.

"Someone important gave it to me," He hinted. The conversation between the two ended with those simple words.

After a week, Eika showed up in front of MSquare Theatre. She turned her head and lowered herself to meet with her father who's inside the car. She gave him a nervous smile.

"Will mum disown me after this?" She asked as a joke, but it's probably true once she gets home. Her father laughed at that and, he grabbed the bandages from the cupboard.

"Ready to defend you," He rea.s.sured, and Eika's eyes started to form tears. Her father eyes grew wide at this, and he reached for his daughter. He wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry I only listened to your mother all these years,"

She sniffed and wiped her ugly tears with her arm. "Y-you're a terrible dad!"

"I wish I could have been better," He replied honestly. He took the paper bag from the back seat. It's filled with snacks and a bottle of water. He pa.s.sed it to Eika and, her hands s.h.i.+vered. She took it from him.

"Dad, thanks." She said simply and, her father waved his hand with a genuine smile on his face. "Break a leg!" He called out. Eika walked away holding the paper bag on her arms. She has her early bird pa.s.s and her application form at hand.

She raised her head to look at the skysc.r.a.per that never felt so out of reach.

Hazuki watched his daughter walk inside the building. He smiled to himself as he took out his pen from his pocket. "I had your determination back then, I wish I could my dreams too, it's too late for it now," He said to himself. He placed his hands at the stirring wheel and, he drove away from the theatre.

After a month for a callback, Eika's phone rang at 7 pm. She picked up the call and heard a woman's voice from the other side.

"Miss Miyamoto? You made it in." Eika covered her mouth. She didn't want to scream or cry. "We prepared your flight ticket to Tokyo, j.a.pan. Please come and pick it up soon,"

"Thank you."