Two-Point Seven Percent (Two-Point Seven Percent 1)

Chapter Seven

July 3rd, 2028

Her cell phone screen said the time was 3:47 am. She had a full day of filming ahead of her, and an emergency staff meeting at 8 am. Arisa knew that she needed to sleep. But she didn't feel tired.

She was sitting up in bed in her hotel room, her knees curled up to her chest. She stared into the darkness of her room. "Something's different," she whispered to herself. "I can feel it."

It was...startling to her the mix of emotions she had felt at her hangout party. A mix of emotions that were related to Suzue Basaki exclusively. When she had thought that Suzue would be missing the party, she had been disappointed and...sad. Her chest had ached and she had felt like crying. There really hadn't been a reason to be sad, was there? She should have only been sad if no one had come to her party. But her friends, classmates and Club members had all arrived and had fun with her.

But when she had thought Suzue had skipped her party, it had hurt Arisa deeply. And when Suzue arrived (albeit two hours late), the pain evaporated and she felt great joy. She had been so happy that she ran and gave Suzue a hug when she arrived. She...had acted like Suzue was the person she wanted to see most of all at the party.

Arisa knew this. And it bothered her because she couldn't understand why.

She sighed quietly and ran a hand through her hair. When she closed her eyes, she saw Suzue's beautiful face and her heart began to pound. She didn't think someone so naturally elegant and beautiful could be real, but Suzue was living proof that such people existed. Her face was beautiful, her eyes were beautiful, her hands...her complexion, her low voice, her quiet personality...her small smiles. Arisa knew that she had been in awe the moment she first saw Suzue. But the awe hadn't faded from that moment and instead seemed to grow. Heighten, even.

"What is going on with me?" Arisa murmured, closing her eyes. Suzue's face appeared again and she snapped her eyes open with a startled gasp. Alarmingly her heart-rate started to pounded and she did a few breathing exercises to calm herself. After a few moments her nerves started to relax, but her stomach was still churning.

I'm confused. I'm so confused. I want to be her friend. I think I'm her friend. I have many friends. But this—this feeling I have...it's not the same. Not the same at all.

Arisa laid down on her right side and curled into a fetal position. She tucked her head in. "Why am I feeling like this?"

~*~

Once breakfast was finished the following morning, everyone was directed to the hotel's largest conference room for the staff meeting. Arisa felt her stomach doing flip flops, because she knew that the meeting was dire if it was happening so early and with everyone present. She quickly found a seat at the front of the group, and Fujikawa moved to stand at the front. Matsuri Ai was standing with him, as was her manager, and Arisa's brow rose in surprise. For Matsuri to be standing before them with the director, she knew that the emergency meeting meant one thing.

Matsuri-san is leaving the show.

From the murmurs from the actors and crew, she could tell that everyone else had drawn the same conclusion. Arisa's heart ached even before Fujikawa began speaking, as she had genuinely enjoyed working with Matsuri Ai. Because of her youthful features she had made a career out of playing high school students or college-age students despite nearly being thirty. Arisa had seen many of her dramas and movies, and Matsuri was genuinely a sweet and open-minded woman. She was going to miss working with her.

Of course, the pain quickly subsided when her departure from Phantoms was confirmed—and the reason behind it.

"You're going to have a baby?!" Arisa shrieked, startling the people around her. She rushed forward and threw her arms around Matsuri. "Oh, congratulations Matsuri-san!"