Work Text:
Layla observed the raindrops falling gently from the biggest glass window in the office, as she shivers a little bit. It was probably her own fault for snacking on ice cream a while ago though she knows a stormy rain is coming, then she’s not the kind to get sick easily from her love to ice cream.
Due to the rain, that evening was dark, as if it was already going to be the night. Alas, it wasn’t. It was still four in the Saturday evening. Layla finished her job faster than she expected and that’s why she’s here, lamenting the fact that the rain prevented her from going to take a walk in the nearby park to spend time.
The girl sighed softly as she leans to the window, and that was when the door opened.
“We’re back!” Soaked from the stormy rain was the woman known to Layla as her ‘producer’, along with the other idol of this division, Kanzaki Ranko, who does look dry as compared as with her Producer. The producer blinked as she spotted Layla, then she goes back to look at her own watch.
“Ah, ‘good morning’, Producer-dono also then Miss Kanzaki.” Raising up from her leaning to approach the two familiar figures, regardless, the adult of the two got confused.
“Layla, you’re back already?”
“The shooting is finish indeed fast. Falling before rain.” Again, with Layla’s trademark grammatically wrong Japanese, she replied. Scratching the back of her head, Producer smiled.
“That’s good then!” Producer giggled.
“M–more than that, my friend! The frosted spell of the black thunder dragon, you’d get cursed—”
“Ah, yeah, yeah. Got it, Ranko. I’ll go change clothes in a little bit. You two just hang around here.” The woman smiled as she understood Ranko’s confusing words well, and leaves to change her clothes.
Sighing in relief, Ranko thought about the situation she’s in. With the rain, she doesn’t feel like going back to her dorm, so staying in office with Layla did is indeed the better option. But the thing is; she still doesn’t know much about that other idol. Sure, being in the same division under the same Producer made them knew each other, but it was rather awkward.
And not to tell that Ranko gets a bit scared by her gaze. Layla wasn’t a normal girl she seen everywhere, her eye colors and blonde hair isn’t that strange here yet her skin color was rather peculiar to see around here. It added on the eerieness of her blankly gazing stare, Ranko sometimes wondered if she’s something special.
She was startled by Layla’s dialogue.
“Happen what to Producer-dono?”
“H—-huh?!” Ranko blinked in surprise and confusion. Took a while until she arranged her words. “T…the sky dragon’s cursed storm…. The speeding carrier of Dullahan… cursed pool of dark drops?”
“Hm?”
And of course, it confuses Layla even further, though her expression was rather blank. Ranko felt stupid, by now she should’ve known this girl’s not good with Japanese, let alone her typical speech. Ranko sighed as she gathered the courage to speak with her true voice.
“W….when we’re on our way, um… a car speeds up and she covered me from the splash…”
“I see. Layla-san get it now indeed.” Layla nods. An awkward silence did follow through a little more, but then Layla spoke up again.
“Okay?”
“H–huh?”
“Miss Kanzaki okay?”
Understanding her simple words, Ranko nods, awkwardly smiling.
“B–Because of my friend, I’m okay.”
“I see…. Friend…. Producer-dono and Miss Kanzaki must be close friend indeed!” Layla nods, her stares are still blank, at least to Ranko’s eyes.
“Y…yeah, but instead of just a friend, she’s more like. Uh. A mother? I call her ‘friend’ out of habit….”
“A mother, hm.” Layla nods softly. “Understandable for Layla-san. She’s that to Layla-santoo.”
Ranko wondered when will Producer returned as she’s afraid of not being able to continue this awkward conversation. However, a part of her does want to know Layla better, as her memory flew back to the conversation she had with the Producer a while ago about this project’s debut.
‘You see, I plan to not do a proper group debut until everyone become better friends with each other. It’ll be awkward if you all just act like strangers to each other, and I don’t want that on our project.’
And powered up with those words from Producer, Ranko braved herself.
“So… Layla…san! Why did you come through to walk on this shining path?”
Layla got visibly confused, so Ranko coughed up and tried to repair down her word to a simpler one.
“I— I mean…. w–why did you decide to become an idol?”
“To pay rent. Japan living, expensive.”
….That was short and simple and made Ranko felt sorry for Layla.
“I… I see… W–where do you come from? Talking about it, I never heard of it….” Ranko reminiscences as she remembered; she also hasn’t known well about the others, too.
“Dubai.”
“T–that sounds far.”
Layla nods. Before it turns out to be another awkward silence, Ranko asked again.
“D…did something happens that you’d have to go to Japan?”
“Layla-san have a problem with my father, you see~ Keep on bothering about arranged marriage, so Layla-san runs away to Japan indeed.”
“A—arranged marriage? Is that common there? T–that must be tough….”
“Who knows…. I doesn’t think of that lot.” Layla puts her hand on her chin. “But one thing Layla-san is glad, because of that Layla-san runs away to Japan.”
“Why?”
“Layla-san gets to meet everyone nice, like Producer-dono or Miss Kanzaki, that I gladly be friends.”
Still with a blank stare, but Layla smiled innocently. Ranko somehow started understanding why Layla got scouted by the Producer. Somehow, that mysterious aura made her special, and unique as an idol. And somehow, Ranko forgot about her awkwardness by her innocent smile. She giggled a little.
“Miss Kanzaki?”
“You see, Layla-san. I thought you were scary before.” Ranko giggled. “But… I feel like our meeting was a destiny of the— uh.. I feel like… I know you better now.”
“Layla-san is glad, Miss Kanzaki."
Ranko smiled as she held the smiling Layla’s hand.
“J….Just call me Ranko, my brethren from the land of deserts!”
Layla blinked a little, a bit confused. But Ranko simply said that it wasn’t something to understand about for now, as Layla just nods.
From the door outside of the room, the female Producer smiled happily as she peeked at the happy sight of a blooming friendship.
“Layla! Good work today on the recording!” Patting her shoulder was Layla’s friend and fellow Sol Qamar unit member Natalia. They easily became close friends ever since they got scouted by the Producer, which made them got debuted as a unit.
“Ah, drown in darkness, Natalia….”
Natalia tilts her head in confusion. That surely wasn’t something Layla would’ve said. Instead, it sounds more like….
“Layla-san learned that from Ranko. It means ‘Good work today’, indeed” Layla smiled as she explained.
“Oh, no wonder I have heard it before, yep! Somehow, that sounds cool!” Natalia’s eyes sparkles.
Much to Ranko’s embarrassment, a new trend has started in the office.