"It's showtime! Are you ready?" Grinning in place, the crowd went wild as Risette struck her customary victory pose, microphone in hand. The lights were flickering on and off, swinging wildly, and then she brought the mic up to her mouth as the music kicked in. Club Escapade was full to the ceiling with her fans. She'd gotten a lot of them since returning to the life of an idol after Inaba, and after her show had gotten canceled way back then, she'd always promised to come back and make up for it. Now that she knew what had caused that blackout in the first place, it was even more important that she kept her promise.
Risette danced, jumped, moved her arms and hips, getting the crowd pumped. The backup band wasn't too shabby, at all, either. By the end of the set she was sweaty, exhausted, but thrumming with exuberant energy. Someone shouted "We love you Risette!" and she laughed, winking, and caught sight of a familiarly tousled head of hair that she hadn't seen in -- Gosh, forever. Her lips made a perfect moue, but she couldn't simply call out his name like that. The crowd would totally freak out.
Instead she took her bow and went off stage, snagging a security guard as she did so, whispering, "Hey, you see that cute boy in the back next to the door? Bring him backstage in a bit." She definitely needed a shower first.<|im_end|>
Ken watched the show from the back of the club with a small smile on his face. He wasn't much of a partyer or club-goer, but when he heard Risette was going to be the main attraction tonight, all the Shadows in Tartarus would have been unable to keep him away.
He was a senior at Gekkokan High now, and he had met Rise a few years ago. He formed a crush on her almost at once. She was so charming, funny and down to earth, all of which were qualities that appealed to him. Not to mention the fact that she was downright stunning. He blushed slightly as he watched Rise dance and sing on stage. He was of that age now where suggestive thoughts were entering his mind and he certainly had a few about the idol on stage.
He could have sworn he saw her wink at him, directly at him. Did she remember him after so long? That would be news to him. As the show ended and Rise left, Ken lingered around, wondering if he should try to talk to her in any way. He let out a sigh as he decided against it and got ready to leave, but then a guard pulled him aside and told him Rise wanted to see him backstage.
He stammered out an affirmative and the guard escorted backstage to wait outside Rise's dressing room. He could hear the running of the shower and his blush intensified. Knowing that one of the most, if not the most beautiful girl in existence was showering not far away was enough to make the young man aroused.<|im_end|>