The pillars looked so sturdy. Sunrays and lights are radiated enough to fill entire rooms. The fresh air that everybody can smell is a sign that it is a good start. Some trucks were seen entering the fence, putting some furniture and stuff into the building, while six guys in their casual clothes and three guys with suits were guiding them here and there. Today is a new, fresh start. The first page of their new fate.
"Okay, let’s choose the room,"
Juri brought a piece of paper with a layout written on it.
"I’ll get the room on the first floor, near the living room," Hokuto chose his room based on his convenience to commuting, not only to the whole house's facilities but also to the entrance.
"Imma take the furthest room on the second floor!" Jesse chose his. "I probably set the music the whole time, so I’d better separate myself from all of you,"
"Then I’ll take the room next to Jesse!" Shintaro added. "I can’t sleep without TV. The noise must bother you all, so…."
"I’ll take the one nearer to the garage," Yugo said, picking the furthest room on the first floor.
"How about you, Kyomo?" Juri asked.
"Maybe I just take the last room on the second floor. You okay with that?"
"Sure," Juri replied. "Then I’ll take the one next to Hokuto’s!"
Juri, Taiga, Jesse, Hokuto, Shintaro, and Yugo are now living under the same roof. This decision came as they started to get very busy with their solo activities and almost neglected their main occupation as idols. No matter how many times they gather to do rehearsals, the limited time they have until the time for the next job never reaches its goal. They barely rehearse together as the six of them, and even though the choreographer takes one’s place, there are freestyle parts that they can’t do better without the chemistry from the person themselves.
"Kochi-kun! You’re messing up again!"
"Juri-kun! Don’t skip this part!"
"Not brushing your chin! Your lips! Sexier! C’mon!"
" I don’t debut all of you to see shit like this! "
A countless fury of dissatisfaction from every party makes them think that they won’t match everybody’s expectations, including themselves. No one's going to let go of their solo activities, but of course, they have this big responsibility to do their main job and come as the six of them for their own prestige.
Moreover, the assortment of their solo activities finally put control of their lifestyle to guardless.
Jesse has a lot of friends, which makes him have an uncontrollable alcohol intake every time he went outside. He went to so many parties and not missing even a glass for cheers. This was actually one of the advantages he got from being so extroverted. He could link his connection to his job and took opportunities to spread their names as a group. But he tends to bloat his stomach while they are supposed to be in shape due to their image as idols. Plus, their branding as delinquents expected them to be muscular all the time to bring sexiness, yet so rough appearances.
Shintaro has this extra personality to do everything he is interested in. He likes to eat, then he makes deliveries and eats more. He likes to surf, so he surfs a lot. He likes riding, and then he rides more. His extroverted behavior made him dedicate his life to outdoor activities. Despite that, he got tanned easily for not putting on sunscreen, he got fat since he didn’t do any exercises but dance rehearsals only, and he got skin problems from pollution as he didn’t cover himself enough while he took some rides and other outdoor activities.
And Juri, despite being so loud outside, is such a worrisome creature that he could survive with very few meals but can not survive without his cigarettes. He stays up very late every night, facing his face to the screen to play games, and comes late every time he has a job the next morning. And as this was said in the morning , it means whenever it is before 2 PM .
That being the case, the six of them are wheeling and dealing and have come to the conclusion that they should live together for some period of time. They agreed to use their resting time to practice, so there’s no excuse for being late, another useless mobility time that can be used for rehearsals, and they could watch each other’s backs to push their limits.
"How about the house chores?" Juri brought up another topic as the six of them were having dinner together. They already put their things done quickly and had another light meeting to make the adaptation go faster.
"I think it’s kinda impossible to make the duty crystal clear since we all don’t have an exact working time," Hokuto said. "How about the last person who made themselves home got their duty to clean the bathroom every day ?"
"Fair enough," Hokuto’s idea seemed to have no objection.
" Every day , okay? I can’t stand a dirty toilet with all the stains, mold, and smells," Hokuto stressed out in his sentence.
"How about the meals?" Shintaro asked.
"How about gathering all the meal costs and leaving it to the person who has the most time the next day?" Juri suggested. "Or maybe someone who woke up in the first morning could help to contribute? Well, whichever is which, but there’s also a possibility that someone is busy in the morning but has so many times after that, or they have time in the morning but are occupied after that,"
"That’s a good point,"
"And the house cleaning?"
"I’d say everyone should take responsibility for their own space, but for common spaces like this, I beg you all to keep the space clean," Yugo stressed out his sentence as he knew a few of such bad habits of his guys. "And I’d suggest we clean the house every day or at least three times a week, divided into three groups based on working schedules,"
"What if I had so much spare time in a week? Do I have to do the house chores for the whole week?" Jesse asked.
"What’s so wrong with that?"Yugo shrugged.
"That’s unfair,"
"Fair doesn’t mean it has to be equal. How are we supposed to ask for something from the person who has bigger fish to fry?" Yugo’s logical answer shut Jesse up. "And didn’t you hear I suggest it every day and take responsibility for your own space? You just have to keep the space clean to prevent more jobs then,"
"And the laundry?"
"Let’s do the janken to pick your own laundry day. Sunday is for sheets, so all of us have one day to do our own laundry," Shintaro suggested.
"Sorry, can I get more laundry days? I can’t do laundry once a week or I’ll fuck up my skin," Hokuto raised his hand.
"I think there’s no problem with that. You just have to talk over about who’s going first on that day," Shintaro added. "Anybody got more ideas to add to the house rules?"
"We have meals together on the same dining table instead of taking them to our room?" Jesse suggested.
"That’s already our standard to keep!" Juri laughed gently.
"I’m gonna set my PlayStation in the living room!" Taiga got up from his place in excitement.
"This is not a leisure facility!" Juri laughed.
"Then don’t you ever join me!" Taiga threw down the gauntlet.
"I’m kidding. Please let me join you," Juri grinned.
Not only picking their own room but deciding the house rules turned out to be fun. They’re supposed to focus their talk on the work subject as now they are all gathered under one roof, but it seems like keeping harmony in peace is more important than that. The idea of living together might not stay for a long time, but if they are trapped in the same situation next time, they bet that there’s also a next time for them to play house.
"G’morning,"
Hokuto greeted as he heard someone walking nearer him and found Yugo yawning. It’s 8 o'clock, and Hokuto seems so busy while everybody is still sleeping.
"What did you make?"
"Banana smoothies. I gotta go to the gym and go straight to the set," Hokuto replied while turning on the mixer. "You've got your duty for meals?"
"Sort of," Yugo answered. "I have a day off today,"
"I doubt it. We still have to do rehearsals, and none of us has a synchronized schedule in the meantime,"
"For sure," Yugo sighed. "….You didn’t go with Jesse?"
"Should I ask him to go with me?"
"Of course! He seemed to not have anything before 11 AM," said Yugo while scrolling a tab on the table to check the schedule for the six of them. "He relied on you to watch his diet, though…"
"You're right! Do you want to help me wake him up or with the breakfast?"
"Imma just wake him up. Counting the breakfast on you!"
Yugo dashed to the stairs as he had to wake Jesse up while Hokuto served breakfast for the rest of them.
"Jesse!!! Hokuto is going to the gym very soon!!! You better wake up now!!"
Hokuto grinned inwardly as he heard a harsh knocking sound and Yugo’s scream from the first floor. It's not like Yugo was always that haphazard, but he knew Hokuto had a tight schedule, so he couldn't mess with that one.
As Hokuto always stays silent and does everything by himself, this loud situation brings a breath of fresh air. All of them have their own style of living that feels new to him. He realized that he couldn't just think about himself but had to start caring about his surroundings.
"G’morning, Hokuto! Can I take a sip of water before we go?" Jesse seemed in haste as he dashed from his room with a black sleeveless shirt, black shorts, messy hair, and a big gym bag.
"I saved you a banana smoothie. Let’s go!" Hokuto passed him a bottle of banana smoothie.
"Thank you," Jesse said as he grabbed Hokuto's pass and sipped it quickly. "This is good, Hokuto!"
"Yeah, this is my to-go energy drink when I barely have time," Hokuto takes a sip of his smoothie. "What do you usually make for breakfast?"
"I don’t actually get breakfast for myself. The manager tends to bring me a morning coffee, so I’d just dash to the car once I’m ready to go,"
"Why so?"
"Because I think preparing dishes for myself is troublesome," Jesse answered. "But now that we’re living together, I guess I have to ask my mom and granny for some recipes,"
"You’d better do that!" Hokuto chuckled.
The first week of living together seemed so exciting, as the six of them were not thinking about work, but a long-time field trip. They knew that this share house idea might not work for them, as they tend to mess around, especially if they’re next to each other. Moreover, as SixTONES didn’t consider each other as working partners but as something deeper than their own family, they felt like they just built an emperor for the six of them, dreaming about their own future.
However, the peaceful harmony doesn’t last long as their different living styles finally catch one’s eye.
"Taiga, that's so gross! Can you not splatter the water all over the place?"
Yugo’s first concern at the house is when he finds out about Taiga’s bad habit of being so indifferent. Taiga seemed to shake his toothbrush or wipe his face with his hands so that the water splattered on the mirror and everywhere.
"I’m not!"
"Oh yeah? C’mere and see what you’ve done! You used the bathroom just now, right?"
Not only Taiga, but Yugo also found Juri going out of his room a couple of times with the smell of cigarettes all over his body.
"Juri, did you open your window every time you smoked in your room?" Yugo crossed his hands towards Juri. "I don’t want the whole house filled with the smoke of cigarettes. And why don’t you use the balcony to smoke?"
"Hey, why is there a pile of lunch boxes with different kinds of breakfast in the fridge?" Yugo hadn't got his answer when Hokuto suddenly cut in.
Hokuto just got back from groceries, and he found three boxes of lunch boxes containing their three breakfast menus from the last three days. He was about to put the raw materials inside when he realized there was no space left but those mysterious lunch boxes.
"That’s Juri’s!" Shintaro, who was on duty with Hokuto, recalled who had been eating breakfast for the past three days. "Juri! You left your breakfast in the fridge!"
"Ah, yeah! I forgot about that!" Juri, who was playing games with Taiga in the living room, answered them nonchalantly.
"Can you please not leave your food like that? It caused the fridge to smell!" Yugo seemed peeved.
"I barely wake up in the morning, so I forgot to take them," Juri answered without feeling guilty. "You know I barely make it on time,"
"Does that mean you don’t need breakfast afterward?" Shintaro asked.
"Ah, yeah. Whatever!" Juri answered in haste, as Taiga ended up beating him in the game. "Shit!!! Can you please not talk to me when I'm in a battle next time?"
"Jesse! What are you gonna do with your things? Should I throw them away? I don’t care how much it costs!"
and Jesse, who doesn’t really clean up and put things back in their place after using the common space. Yugo's rage seemed to got bigger as he found out his members don't give a thing about hygiene.
"Okay! Okay! I’ll bring them to my room!"
"And Hokuto! Could you carry your things right away after your packages arrived?! The pantry is not your own receptionist!"
Everything goes wrong because the level of cleanliness that everyone has is different. Sometimes Yugo misses his own place, because everything looks neat and easy to find things. By living with his members, he feels his tidy life fall apart. He doesn't know where to find the right stuff, and the rest of them often complain about missing things they put down carelessly. That way, they will be searching for the missing item, mess up the area that was previously neatly arranged, but not fix it again.
Knowing them for years doesn’t mean they know each other inside out. There’s a saying that someone’s true nature can be seen as they start to live together. Couples, travel buddies, and strangers become roommates. It could be a blessing, or ruin all the connections that have been built.
"Taiga, isn’t today your turn to prepare the dishes?" Yugo knocked on Taiga’s opened door and found the man still drowning in his game. "Everybody will be back before 7, and we still need to do rehearsals after that! You’d better move your ass to the kitchen right now!"
Taiga’s second week of living with them was a disaster. Speaking truthfully, he had never been in the kitchen in his whole life to make something. Not to mention, now he has to serve dinner for the six of them. He might have run away in the first week as he got Shintaro to take care of the meals while he did the cleaning, but now, he can’t get away as Yugo already said that he’s already cleaned the whole house properly.
His cooking ability is exposed as he exploded eggs by putting them into the microwave. He was also almost burning the kitchen with the alcohol he put into the fire, and he didn’t even taste the dishes he made.
"What is this?" Yugo asked.
"Yakisoba?"
"Why did it taste a little bit orange?" He put some noodles up and found an orange liquid dripping from the noodles.
"Isn’t it refreshing? I added orange juice instead of lemon juice," Taiga rolled his eyes, searching for a random side to get away.
"Are you stupid?!"
"You can try to close your eyes too if you don’t like how it looks like,"
Despite knowing Taiga was spoiled from an early age, the rest of them were knocked down by a feather to know the amateurism of Taiga’s basic common sense of living. Thus, the rest of them made their time special for Taiga to teach him how to cook until the man got the hang of it.
"Don’t worry about the size. Just cut them like this, and make sure the knife faces the cutting board. Don’t you ever cut anything horizontally if you still wanna have two hands," Shintaro, with his messy style and a little bit of humor, taught Taiga to not really bother about the outward appearance and focus on how it would taste.
"If you wanna make sure the meat is perfectly cooked, make sure you put some forks in to make the heat go perfectly in. To make a half-boiled egg, boil the water, insert the egg when the water is boiled, boil for 6 minutes in a small fire, turn off the fire, leave it for 10 minutes, and put it in ice water so the surface would harden before you cracked it. Don’t you ever try to throw anything into hot oil, and put the fire off first to prevent oil from splattering," With his good teaching skills, Hokuto taught Taiga the basics so he could grasp when he could go to the next step and how he could keep himself safe while cooking the dishes. "...You got it?"
"What are you doing?! I said steam! Not boil!!!"
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"You don’t know that???"
While with Yugo, everything always becomes a war. Yugo tends to ask Taiga to do something without guiding Taiga on how to do it before he names it. He even named some particular techniques that not everyone–especially amateurs—knows how to do. Of course, Taiga won’t know what to do even though Yugo asks him to do something. He’s an amateur who didn’t even know the difference between steam and boiling. And as Taiga thinks he didn’t do something wrong but is clueless, he strokes back at Yugo for not telling him what to do properly. In the end, cooking class with Yugo is more about bickering than gesticulating.
".....What are you doing?"
One fine night right before bedtime, Hokuto walked to the kitchen to grab some water. He found the lights in the living room still on, and he saw Taiga standing behind the pantry.
"I’m hungry," Taiga replied. His hands grabbed something from the fridge.
"But it’s almost 12 AM," Hokuto furrowed his eyebrows.
Turns out that Taiga has this bad habit of sneaking into the kitchen and making half-whipped cream for his snacks and chugging it while he’s supposed to be in shape.
"No wonder you get fat easier!" Hokuto crossed his arms. He then jolted as he found Yugo hiding behind the pantry, enjoying his snacks. Despite all the fights they had, Taiga and Yugo were still pulling together for a night's craving. "…And you also his minion,"
"Don’t tell Jesse I grabbed another snack," Yugo placed his pointy finger before his mouth, asking Hokuto not to snitch on Jesse.
"I won’t! Besides, you won’t tell nothing who’s walking toward you by hiding here. He’ll find you after all," Hokuto shrugged. "You know what? Let me decide what we eat every day, and I’ll pass it on to all of you,"
Hokuto is no longer feeling the excitement as he witnesses how the five of them are so reckless about their diet. One’s lack of acknowledgment is something he could tolerate, but lacking something despite knowing what to do and what the consequences were pissed him off. He probably wouldn’t say a thing as he saw the members enjoying their sinful bad habits, but one sigh from him was worth the anger. If this wouldn’t affect their job as a team, he would only mind his own business.
However, there are also days when Hokuto can’t help himself from night cravings. Despite that, the five of them don't take it personally if they find Hokuto grabbing some meals in the middle of the night. Because if he did that, that means Hokuto had a rough day, or can barely eat properly.
"Hey, where’s the breakfast?"
One fine morning, Juri unusually woke up early. As he saw Hokuto sipping his tea while reading his scenario, he asked why the breakfast wasn't ready.
"Shintaro said he’d prepare the breakfast. Probably he went outside to do some groceries," Hokuto said. "Didn’t you say you don’t need breakfast anymore? Why so sudden?"
"I got morning shooting, and it seems like it’d take a lot of energy, so….,"
"I see," Hokuto hummed. "Seems like Kyomoto and Kochi are sneaking for another night snack again, so we are out of materials now,"
"Hmm, then I guess I’ll get my lunch box the first thing I arrived,"
"There’s some dessert left if you need sugar, though..,"
"No, thanks!" Juri closed the fridge and started to make himself a coffee.
"Hey, where’s the breakfast?" Jesse walked to the kitchen while checking his phone. The smell of fresh air instead of good food bothers him, as he always wakes up to some food.
"Shintaro was out for groceries," Juri replied quickly.
"Nothing left?"
"There’s bread, though… But the jam’s out," Juri showed him a loaf of bread and took some of it raw. He decided to put in some intake, whatever it was, to prevent wasting any more time when he reached the site. "There are still eggs if you want to make egg sandwiches,"
"I don’t want to go out the first morning smells like a kitchen," Jesse denied. "I guess I’ll just have to stop by the convenience store then,"
"Right! Why didn't that come to mind?"
The effect of taking care of each other’s backs seemed to have side effects. As they usually take care of themselves by living on their own, there are so many ways to skin a cat. But, as they started living together, all the survival modes they had was all downgraded as they loosen a bit since everybody was taking care of each other. All the duty job they had makes them rely too much upon the rest of them as they don't really prepare themselves anymore for something that comes out of expectations.
They thought that it was very usual to have their needs met on the first morning. But little things that come out unpredictably take their attention.
Bam…
"I’m home,"
The cheerful sound from Shintaro, who just got back from the morning run, made Hokuto walk nearer to him. He’s all set and just about to leave the house after picking up some stuff.
"Where were you?"
"Morning, Hokuto!" Shintaro greeted cheerfully. "I was coming back from the morning run. Then I saw a cute little dog playing frisbee, and I joined them, and then I stopped by the supermarket, and they had a big sale. Here! There’s ice cream for all of you, salmon, vegetables……"
"Didn’t you say you're gonna take care of the breakfast last night? It’s already near lunchtime! Jesse and Juri are gone, and we ended up picking some random stuff from the fridge,"
"I’m sorry. I think I lost track of time. Should I make lunch now?"
"What do you think you're gonna do now?" Hokuto returned the question.
"……..Making lunch?"
"Don’t bother! I’m going to the gym now. Thank you for ruining my calorie intake," Hokuto sighed.
"Wait, what do you want for dinner? I want to make it up to you,"
"Stick to the schedule!!" Hokuto didn’t bother to turn around to look at Shintaro.
Normally, Shintaro would be pissed up as somebody scolded him blindly, but the thing is, he knew it was his fault to lose track of time, and he had a duty to be responsible. Shintaro wouldn’t be this anxious if he made the other member angry, but for Hokuto, it’s another story. He knew it took years to make Hokuto open his heart to the others, and one mistake he caused made Shintaro overthink that Hokuto could probably be one step away from him.
One month has passed, and they haven’t gotten better as they had expected. It’s not even like the long fun field trip they imagined before. Now it’s more like worrying about the harmony that is almost scattered due to everyone’s bad habits that had never been known before they lived together.
Yugo strictly asks the boys to keep the common space tidy and use the facilities only when they need them. But the tidiness level of the rest of them seemed to be different than his. Jesse was scattering his stuff here and there and always forgetting to put his things back in his room. Juri tends to fall asleep in the living room, not changing his clothes from outside, and he'd rather just get back from going outside in the middle of the night, or playing games until he fell asleep.
Taiga sometimes joins Jesse to mess the space around and falls asleep with Juri as they play games together. Moreover, he is currently taking a cooking class by himself after Yugo and Hokuto taught him the basics. However, he's not clearing all of them up after that. Shintaro tends to leave the lights on, and not close the windows, and Hokuto is barely at home while a pile of packages he bought online keeps coming.
From Jesse’s point of view, he’s actually grateful for the idea of living together. Being that he could stay together with Hokuto, the stoic energy that the man had influenced him so much that Jesse could keep himself stuck to the rule. However, the tendency for him to be mad at Yugo is increased since Yugo can’t help holding himself back from night snacks, especially crackers and sugary ones, and not having a proper workout. He can’t blame Shintaro for the same thing, even though both don’t get enough exercise, but Shintaro has a lot of outside shooting locations that require enough energy. And he couldn’t stop worrying about Taiga, who has impulsive behavior to do this and that recklessly. The picture of how Taiga almost burned the kitchen is already scary enough to let the man by himself.
The main reason why they had to start living together is barely seen. They barely practiced as a complete member, and if they had enough time to sync their time, some of them usually came late due to another job, so the effective complete member only stood for an hour in total, not more than twice a week. There won’t be any difference if they continue this, but it could be even worse if they get back to living on their own.
However, they do not have enough time. The decision to come as an artist rather than an idol makes them chased by all the music works. They have to memorize the lyrics, the notes, the choreographies, and the idea to make one’s art wonderful. When they show it to the world, they have already stepped up to the next job, memorizing new lyrics, notes, choreographies, and making new ideas for the new works. And as the cycle kept going, they also had to fly back to the old times, memorizing all the past songs, choreographies, and stuff to be performed in their lives. Not to mention if they got YouTube shootings, or if they got employed in such drama and movies, magazines, guest appearances, radio, fashion works, and all the greetings and parties they have to attend.
In one way, it is such a big dilemma. They are all very grateful to have the opportunity to have solo activities. But solo activities seemed to decrease their spread of the name of the six and what they do with the six of them. The more they appeared separately, the more they were rated by their solo performances. "SixTONES" is just their name, and it will be buried without being known if the six of them don’t do anything. They are still figuring out how everything could work perfectly without ruining the harmony.
Hokuto, as mentioned before, was rarely at home since he had a lot of filming schedules, whether within the city or out of town. He was the biggest reason why SixTONES barely practiced as full members due to his crazy schedules. Whenever he got home quickly, he would isolate himself in his room to memorize the script before everyone went back home and ruined his concentration. However, since he has a very good memory, he doesn’t really have difficulties catching up on the choreography he left. He was aware that he had so much left and that he got to be on the same level with them. So he works harder to catch up since he doesn’t want to cause trouble for everyone. After all the hard work, he doesn’t even find help. He tends to be by himself, distancing himself from others due to the silence he needs to fulfill all the jobs perfectly.
As Hokuto used to have his house as a safe place to do all the remaining work, he now wants the share house to be his perfect home to rest. Although he admits he’s not always in good condition and the rest of the five sometimes don’t meet his expectations, the share house is his second home, where he could take his burden off and get some pampering from the members. The crowd even got him in peace, as he felt happy that someone was waiting for his return home.
On the other side, rather than being envious of Hokuto's business compared to the others, the members keep worrying about him and his absence. The time that Hokuto spent outside makes them worry if Hokuto gets a proper meal for himself and rests enough. And as the stoic man always wants to be in shape all the time, his figure of working out sometimes feels painful as they tend to think about where he gets that much energy from. All can’t complain more about Hokuto’s bad habits like piling stuff or not doing much housework since he’s the role model for them all doing the job.
" Haah… haahhh… "
The panting sound could be heard in the little studio they had in the basement for their dance practice session. Hokuto was still looking at himself through the big mirror, picturing how it’s gonna look if he syncs his dance to the rest of the five, while he was copying the dance practice video he got from the choreographer.
Knock… knock…
Hokuto’s concentration was distracted by someone knocking on the wooden wall.
"You did great," Jesse greeted. "Why's the music so low?"
" Low ?" Hokuto's eyes were on the stalk.
"For me. HAHAHA," Jesse's unique laughter echoed. "Can I join you?"
"Yeah, sure," Hokuto seemed not to be bothered, but that doesn’t mean he wants something from Jesse. He still focused on himself to catch up on the new choreography until a specific part. Even though Jesse was there, he ignored his presence, frowned over the video while moving his hands and legs, and growled in frustration as the speed didn’t match his ability in the meantime.
"Relax! You don’t need to be rushed!"
"I am! Do you think I have much time left before the tour? Two months left! And I could barely catch up to our new choreography,"
"Let’s do this together!"
"Don’t bother! I can do it myself,"
"I need your company!" Jesse asserted.
The chaotic condition of Hokuto is definitely not a good sign. And now that he doesn’t accept his defeat, it doesn’t even make the situation better. All that Jesse could do to make Hokuto receive the help was pretend that he was the one who needed company.
Hokuto sometimes clearly needs help, but his overthinking about how he could return kindness sometimes makes him stubborn enough to stick to hustling by himself. The members have to know which gap they should fill so Hokuto doesn’t deny all the attention he actually needs.
"Seems like you’re having a rough day today,"
It’s already near 12 AM. While everybody has already gotten their rest time, Hokuto is still hustling due to his target to finish one new choreography. And as Jesse heard a hazy sound of music from downstairs, he asked Yugo--who was just relaxing in the living room after a night bath--, who was using the rehearsal room.
"All didn’t go well today. I don’t know what is wrong with me,"
"There must be some days like that. You must take a deep breath for a while, relax, put some water on, and when you’re ready, let’s start again," Jesse handed Hokuto his tumbler.
"I am ready!" Hokuto chugged in haste and stand up from where he sat his ass down.
"No, you’re not!" Jesse pulled his wrist. "Sit down! Listen to your breath! Are you in good condition to do this tough choreography?"
Hokuto clamped up.
"How about taking a shower for today, and let’s do this again in the first morning? Your job started after lunch, right?" he blandished. "....I’ll join you tomorrow. Don’t worry, Kochi didn’t even get to your level, and he’s relaxing on the couch now. I’ll drag him up along with you tomorrow,"
Hokuto and Jesse are crazy ambitious. But like Yin and Yang, both have different approaches to facing their surroundings. Hokuto tends to be quiet and not touch a thing when he sees someone in trouble. He thought that it’d bother others more, or even push them harder from the edge. On the other hand, Jesse tends to offer help when he sees someone in trouble. He’s a hero who is ready for the rescue all the time but never shares what bothers his mind.
Hokuto was quite overthinking what others thought of him, so he tends to shut up and get everything done while having no words. He always tries to do his job perfectly. He loves his job so much, but he tends to forget that his body is not as almighty as his ambition. All could tell when Hokuto was sometimes in trouble, but as he said nothing, that also made people at sea lend him a hand. Hokuto might be good at managing himself in his daily activities, whether private or at work, but sometimes he forgets how to take care of himself, both physically and mentally.
Meanwhile, Jesse is an ambitious man who seeks spontaneity and fun. His life is such a party, and he can not stay still in the silence. He admitted that he was not as clever as Hokuto, and he knew that he couldn’t compare himself to something he even couldn’t level himself up to it. So he prefers to live in the surroundings, being their mental supporter, and now he’s ended up being the soul of SixTONES. He might not be the best at his job, but his positivity brings everyone’s smile and spirit, so he could be the best every time he’s doing his job. And once he thought he got his place, he was second to none.
Thud!
"Where’s Hokuto?" Juri asked, distracting his attention from the game for a while as he knew Jesse joined Hokuto just a while ago.
"He’s soaking himself to bathe," Jesse replied while snuggling with Yugo, annoying him to get his attention. "You should learn from Hokuto! He’s already one step ahead of you,"
"Already??!!" Yugo's jaw dropped.
"Isn’t he pushing himself too hard?" Juri frowned. He knew that Yugo’s level was lower than the others, even though he never slacked off the rehearsal, but the last person who had the least presence is now one step ahead of him. Now they are terrified of Hokuto’s ability to push the limits.
"Didn’t we actually need to put our schedule together and find the right time to rehearse? We haven't made any difference so far…" Jesse hummed.
"Should we talk about that?"
Jesse, Yugo, and Juri chew over how they should go from now on. Their position is actually not in a good situation. There’s a tour coming up and there are also recordings along the way. The idea to start this quarantine situation was actually made based on how busy they are as the end of the year coming. While everybody is having their festivity of the year-end events, as a performer, this is a peak period, and no one can go down while it lasts.
As they set in stone that they should brood over the circumstances, they decided to hold a barbecue in their yard. Juri told Shintaro about the idea and told him to buy the raw materials. Jesse told Taiga to keep his schedule open, and Yugo told Hokuto audibly that they were having a barbecue party and that everyone would be there on time.
The time has been shown as 7 PM. Everyone seemed to be gathered except for Hokuto. Even though Yugo said that everything would come on time, Hokuto seemed to not put in so much effort to come home since, in the end, he would return to the same house with them.
"Why don’t you tell him we’re having a meeting?" Juri scolded Yugo for saying important things lightly.
"You don’t have to worry about that! Even though I didn’t tell him, he won’t go anywhere! Didn’t you remember he’s the fastest person to go home every time we’re having a job done, the six of us?"
"But if you told him specifically, he’d put in more effort to get his job done faster," he exclaimed.
"I’m home,"
A squeaking sound from a heavy door opening could be heard. Juri and Yugo stopped their quibble and welcomed Hokuto cheerfully. The smell of burning charcoal is filling the entire living room, so Yugo dashed to the fan exhaust to keep the house smelling good.
"You came on time!" Yugo felt relieved as his words proved
"Hey! C’mere! We’re just about to start," Juri asked Hokuto to join them. "Jesse, why did you bring your guitar?! Help us cook the dishes!"
"There are already Shintaro and Kochi in there. My big body is definitely bothering them," Jesse defended himself, trying to get away from cooking duties. "And Hokuto must be tired, so I’m just gonna comfort him with my songs,"
"You got the point right, though," Juri pouted.
"I’m bringing you all drinks!" Hokuto put his belongings on the table. "Anything I can help?"
"Just sit down! We made this party for you," Juri asked Hokuto to relax. His playful sound made Hokuto look suspiciously at Juri.
The refreshing atmosphere, which was literally different from his crowded work life, made Hokuto take a deep breath of fresh air. No matter how chaotic it was, he would end up thinking the existence of the six of them was the best for him.
The sound of the acoustic guitar healed Hokuto’s mind. Coupled with Jesse’s soft voice and Taiga’s high voice, the land feels a little bit romantic. Sometimes, Juri added his improvised rap, reminding them of their main job as idols.
"Why can’t we release something like this on our own?" Shintaro murmured.
"Maybe someday," Juri replied faintly. "Anyways, what are you up to recently, Hokuto?"
"Two dramas, some auditions, and commercials," Hokuto replied vaguely. Even though they work as a team, Hokuto tends to not speak openly about what’s coming up. Not like Juri and Jesse, who used to make appearances in variety shows, Hokuto’s work tends to be revealed approximately half a year after the filming has been done. And as long as it hadn’t been announced, he thought he could lose his job at any time. Therefore, the rest of them could just ask him what he had done recently.
"As expected, there’s no one who can stop you as usual!" he chuckled. ".....you know what? I really appreciate all the work we did as a solo. I mean, we became known the more we made our appearances on TV. And that means people accept our unique personalities as well. But sometimes, it concerns me how we will grow as SixTONES,"
Jesse caught the sign as the meeting started. He stopped singing and changed his guitar chord to something relaxing. As he’s humming while facing himself to Juri, Taiga, who was sitting before him, seems to go with the flow that he's no longer singing anymore. Their plan is not to make it feel so heavy. So it has to be so natural that everyone doesn’t feel offended. Because it’s not only about Hokuto, but it’s for everyone’s sake.
Despite how Juri tends to slack things off and is not good at taking care of himself, his quick-wittedness balanced his attitude. He’s not a rigid type when doing his work. But he’s a committed, subtle person who could keep the harmony well by letting things always be on track. He looks at his surroundings, and he served people well, so people tend to rely on him.
"......I think it’s time for us to pay attention to what the main purpose of living together is. We’re too comfy for the six of us to be in this house. We’re not even spared our time to make extra time to practice as the six of us for certain hours. And did you all see how we've progressed so far? Not even a little," he added. "For example, Hokuto. He’s rarely at home,"
Hokuto jolted as his name was called. He thought he was doing something wrong since Juri gave a little bit longer interval than he usually takes.
"….But he could catch up to our level. To be honest, hands down to his ability. But I’m aware that everybody has their own ability to catch up. He’s always been our role model for work to us. So why can’t we learn from him as an example? Because if this continues, we will just bury SixTONES by ourselves. I mean, we all have no time. That’s why we’ve gathered here, right? We saw each other’s living styles. So we should’ve known each other’s patterns,"
Juri doesn’t mention who he's talking about because he knows everyone knows their shortfall that affects their job. Yugo with his weakness of memorizing things, Jesse with his habit of going outside to meet a lot of people, Hokuto rarely at home due to work, and Juri, Taiga, and Shintaro with all the time they had for their own world.
"Yeah, we’ve been talking about this recently," Jesse said, taking over the spotlight. He has to voice his opinion as well so that what they’re talking about right now doesn’t sound like Juri blabbering about his dissatisfaction but as the result of the previous deep talk. "We also worried about you, Hokuto,"
Hokuto jolted for the second time. As he expected, he thought he was doing something wrong.
".....You always struggle all alone. I’m afraid if you’re forcing yourself like this, your body can’t keep up with you," Jesse added. "I know that you don’t want to cause any trouble, but why don’t you try to rely on us? It’s just the six of us, and we must look after each other’s backs. We’re more than friends, and we spent more time with each other than with our own families, right? Who will look after us if we’re not relying on each other?"
"I’m sorry,"
"You don’t have to be sorry. We’re all here for you. For all of us," Jesse expressed his tenderness. "How about changing your mindset first priority? Not only for you but for everyone. Let’s normalize saying thank you than sorry. Instead of sorry for bothering you , let’s say thank you for helping me , and stuff,"
"He’s right," Shintaro said in response. " Thank you rather than sorry . That's amazing,"
"...I know trust is gained, and I have no right to ask you to give us trust. But as you rely on us, you're helping us as well. There's also a part of us that feels we’re useful to you, regardless of whether you trust us or not," Juri added.
"Asking for help doesn’t mean you cause any trouble. Instead, you’re helping us to be more concerned about our surroundings," Jesse stated. "You can always ask for help anytime you need us. You can say anything you mean, and you can say you’re tired if you reach your limit,"
Juri and Jesse’s words touch everyone’s hearts. This is not about catching up with one another and being the most superior to be a good role model. This is all about accepting each other's flaws, working hand in hand to fix them and make them strengths.
Jesse also persuades everyone to try not to think about the pride of working on things perfectly. Of course, working things out perfectly is obvious. But as perfection does not exist, he convinced everyone to always try their best to seek perfection, so they always do their best and know their limit instead of pursuing perfection and being depressed about how they couldn't catch up to it.
"Alright, I’ll try to get rid of the pride of working things perfectly," Hokuto muttered.
"Do we even have pride in the first place?" Juri scoffed.
The six of them exchange views about implementing some joint work rules for the betterment of SixTONES. In addition to taking the most votes to make decisions, they also prioritize deliberation to make the best decisions. They promise to support and protect each other, not putting any suspicion on their surroundings, and keep their circle tight to protect their own names.
The idea of living together turns out to have so many favorable moments for them. They not only become more familiar with each other, but also become more accepting of each other’s weaknesses, and then boost their potential to the greatest extent. Even though it went worst the first time as they were adapting to each other even more, in the end, they thought it had to be the six of them. Something is always missing if someone can’t make it on time to the reserved time for extra rehearsal, or if someone is out of town. Even though they are moving within the city, they started to worry as if someone was coming home late and didn’t hit them through the text.
" Hey, the recording still takes time. Could you please save the dinner for me? I guess I'm still taking my dinner at home instead, "
"Me too. But I'll get my dinner for tomorrow's lunch. Counting on you!"
The harmony has gradually been back on track since the evaluation meeting night. The hallway has never been empty. The house is always lively. The stepping sound of someone is always heard almost every hour. The aroma of cooking is always present every morning and night, and the room is always calm during the day. A humming sound will be heard every time someone returns home. And as dinner time came, the sound of laughter and some serious talk felt so pleasing.
"Shintaro, you’re getting skinnier lately,"
"It's all thanks to your healthy recipe!"
"Don’t forget to continue your exercise, or it’s all nothing,"
"Can I have some ice cream after this?"
"What have I just told you?"
When the night arrived, the basement was flaming with their spirit. They are shining with sweat and the remaining enthusiasm they had for that day.
"Five, six, seven, eight! Harder! "
When break time has come, the sound of television can still be heard. Some of them even murmur the fantasy of their upcoming social media content while watching videos on their big screen.
"That prank videos are just giving me ideas!" Shintaro sat with one knee drawn up, munching his cereal while watching TV and scrolling through his phone. "....and that could be used for the upcoming overseas imported game. What do you think?"
"Shintaro! Your cereal is dropping!"
"Who even let you eat cereal at this time?"
Sometimes, the guitar and a pleasant humming joined in playing, and sometimes there was someone who was still busy in the kitchen. Either to make snacks, wash the dishes, or prepare their meal for tomorrow.
Taiga could also be found in the kitchen when he has some more time. He deepened his cooking ability, and he got compliments as he improved so much. His ability to absorb new things very quickly makes him an expert in making dishes. He doesn’t even count himself on Yugo and Hokuto anymore. Instead, he’s now being a tutor for Juri when the man can’t ask Yugo for some fancy recipes.
"Kyomo, what are you making today?"
"Oxtongue Stew. I simmered it for like three days,"
The sound of complaints about each other's bad habits that are still ingrained is still heard. There’s still someone waking up late in the morning, eating too much, skipping exercise, sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night, drinking until morning, and being so indifferent to their house duty. Some of them even targeted the easier house chores to avoid tasks they didn’t like. But all always remained back on track. The frequency of them working hand in hand together to complete their work as a group increased dramatically. Everybody put aside their private time for hangouts with people but SixTONES in order to save SixTONES's future. They work together to harmonize the harmony, and elevate their abilities as a group.
They know everyone has different abilities, so they work harder to make it fair. Fair doesn’t have to be equal, but by making it all equal, everything will be fair.
Hokuto, the role model workhorse. Yugo, their reminder to stay humble. Shintaro, the energy of SixTONES, Juri, the equilibrium of SixTONES, Taiga, the natural-born talented artist, and Jesse, the soul of SixTONES.
“Okay, everyone! Let's get the party started!”
~~~ Fin.