The Goddess of Music [UtaPri fanfic]

Chapter 25: The Day of the Duel Live

Late that night, Haruka was sitting on her bed, ready to get some rest when Miyako walked in, finally back from her tiring schedule. The short haired female could not keep her eyes off of her upperclassmen as who was walking back and fourth between their room and the washroom across the hall, getting ready to end the day.

"Um...Miyako-senpai?" Haruka called out at last to the pink haired female who was changed into her pyjamas. The orange haired composer paused as she got Miyako's attention, her mind occupied with how to bring up the topic about TriHime's bet.

"Something bothering you?" Miyako asked when she saw that Haruka could not bring what she wanted to say out of her mouth.

"Ah, no, not at all!" Haruka shook her head, "Uh...how was your day?" She asked awkwardly, trying to figure out a good timing to ask about the conditions of the duel live.

"Same as always," Miyako replied with an exhausted tone and a sigh, "So much to do, yet so little time~"

"I guess that was kind of obvious...?" Haruka murmured with a robotic laugh, trying to hide the embarrassment.

"How was yours?" Miyako asked back as she sat down on the edge of her bed that was placed parallel to Haruka's across the room.

"It was the same as always for me too, although I did not have much to do," Haruka smiled and Miyako nodded back as a sign to show that she understood. With that, silence fell in the room.

"We both had a long day. Why don't we get some sleep now?" Miyako suggested, breaking the tension between the two. She repositioned herself on her bed so that she was now sitting near the middle of the bed, her covers over her legs, ready to be pulled up as she laid her upper body down. There were multiple teddy bears, stuffed bunnies and characters like alpacas placed neatly around Miyako. These plushies were all presents that her fans sent her regularly after she had revealed that she liked a popular character named "Rilakkuma" during a magazine interview. However, amongst all of these cute dolls, one black cat plush caught Haruka's interest. Even if all of the stuffed animals were placed on Miyako's bed, they were either in between Miyako and the wall by her side and above her pillow or in between her feet and the footboard. However, only the cat plush was always kept within her arms. Miyako seemed to care about that doll more than any other one as if there was a special reason behind it.

Haruka was snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed Miyako reaching out to her lamp on the small bedside table to turn off the lights.

"M-Miyako-senpai! If...if you're troubled about something, then I will always be here to help!" Haruka exclaimed suddenly, causing Miyako to flinch for a quick second.

"Thank you," Miyako gave her concerned underclassmen a warm smile after regaining her calm, "But, really, I'm okay. Have a good nights sleep!" With those words, the pink haired idol turned off her lamp and tucked herself in.

"Goodnight," Haruka whispered as she turned off her lamp and the room fell into darkness.

Moments later, the room was tranquil and the two females took harmonized breaths. Haruka was sound asleep, but on the other side of the room, Miyako got up without a sound and quickly changed into a navy sweater and comfortable black shorts. She tied her hair up into a high ponytail and put on a black baseball cap. The door creaked as it opened, and the pink haired idol paused to look back at the short haired girl buried under her covers.

"I'm okay. This is my fight," she thought as she pulled her cap down slightly, hiding her eyes, and flicked the hood of her sweater over her cap to cover her face and hair. She slid out the door and closed it behind her, cautious not to make too much noise. Miyako made her way out of the dorms rapidly and soundlessly and immediately after passing the main doors, the idol let out a small sigh. She looked up to see the dark sky dimly illuminated by stars and a moon that was barely visible. After catching a breath, she started sprinting through the night down the path that she had gone so many times that she would know her way blindfolded.

---

The next few days passed quickly without much difference. Miyako did not seem too down which relieved Haruka slightly, but the idol seemed to evade most conversations and was unusually tired during the day, as if she had not gotten any sleep for the past few nights. Mikaze explained quite some time ago that this was normal as Miyako normally becomes extremely concentrated in her work and unconsciously builds a bubble between her and the world before something important. However, Haruka could not stop feeling like something was off.

It was the day of the duel live and the whole world was buzzing about the showdown that would be taking place in the evening. TV stations, magazines and social media sites were overflowing with anticipation, encouraging their side, making assumptions of the winner, and commenting about what kind of performance they might see. The concert would be broadcasted live throughout the country and even online for international fans, and many were already glued to the television screen.

Miyako was busy scurrying around the concert hall, making sure everything was in place. She went around talking to the staff in charge of the lighting, special effects, props, sound, and more. The pink haired idol noticed three pairs of wires and harnesses fixed to the ceiling and immediately knew that TriHime was going to do a performance mid-air. Without much thought, Miyako just shrugged it off as she had a mountain load of things that mattered to her more than a circus act.

The long haired idol finally managed to get everything into place and was taking a breather when she got a text calling her down to an old alley outside the concert venue. She knew immediately who it was even though the number was not registered. She let her manager know that she was going to get some fresh air and made her way out.

When Miyako arrived at the alley, there was no one to be seen. The female tapped the wall gently with her right foot as she waited for TriHime to show up. She heard footsteps behind her and she spun around, but what she saw was not three girls but four masked men dressed in black. Startled, Miyako spun back around in attempt to run away but one of the men grabbed her arm as the others caught up. Soon, she was being restrained by three men and the last man covered the idol's face with a white cloth. Miyako fought back with all her might but she could not handle four adult males at once. At last, the chemical substance in the cloth kicked in, making the idol lose focus and fall hard onto the ground. That was the last thing Miyako remembered before everything went black.

Two hours before the live began, the Quartet Night members received a phone call from Miyako's manager, Takahiro, who seemed in a hurry.

"Have you guys seen Miyako?" He asked, and the idols could almost see Miyako's manager pacing back and fourth, biting his nails in worry through his shaking voice.

"No, is there something going on?" Reiji asked, a bad vibe surrounding the four idols as they realized that something had happened.

"Miyako has...disappeared."