“And now, please welcome our special guest… the j-pop sensation, idol group 5YNCHRON!”
Carlos gives his group members an encouraging smile and gestures Akira forward first onto the stage, making sure he’s at the end of the line behind Haruichi so he can see everyone ahead of him. All of them have come to dread interviews in America, but they’ve been hearing some murmurs from other idols about how this particular show host asks invasive or shallow questions without real regard for idols as professional artists.
That’s partly why he plants himself in the seat closest to the host. Other than knowing the most English in the group, he’s their leader, and so he’ll do his best to mitigate some potential damage. The live studio audience is buzzing with their fans holding up posters and lightsticks, trying to get their attention. Carlos smiles to himself as he sees one fan with a giant cutout of Shunshin’s face nearly faint from excitement as the idol in question sends them a nod and a gentle smile.
“Hello, hello!” the host starts with over-the-top cheeriness. “It’s so good to see you all, and I love your outfits today!”
So far okay, Carlos supposes. He glances at the group to make sure they don’t need a translation before nodding and smiling at them. “Recently, Hana became an ambassador for Louis Vuitton, so our stylists have been incorporating a lot of their newer womenswear collections.” He gestures at Akira to draw attention to him, and relays his answer in Japanese as the audience cheers and claps.
“Ah, that makes sense! So many idols go through fashion brands and magazine covers and I can’t keep up because they’re so similar.” The host nods at Akira with a wider smile. “But fans have ranked Carlos the most attractive member—would you agree with that? Must have been easier to debut.”
Carlos’s smile drops as Akira looks at him for a translation. He doesn’t know where to start with the whole thing, from the casual racism to the clearly baiting question pitting members against each other to implying that he himself had debuted based on visuals rather than talent, and dismissing Akira in the process. Even the fans in the audience are whispering amongst themselves.
He decides to be honest with the question at least, because Akira will know how to handle it and he can keep the attention on him longer in a positive light. “They asked whether you agree with fans that ranked me the most attractive member,” he says calmly, looking directly at him with a meaningful eyebrow raise. He can see Haruichi’s hands tighten where they’re folded in his lap, and Shunpei’s smile thins in tandem, but they know better than to stand up in his defense, at least for now.
🌿 46 — #kamiyacarlos #harulos #carlosharu
🌿 13IVI by BM
🌿 for a discord friend
🌿 #sunwrites #daiyanoace (1/3)