The “Ying and Yang, Sun and Stars of Ensemble Square”
COMPLIMENT is a new unit in Ensemble Square under Rhythm Link, led by Sakurai Tetsuya. Their performances are relatively abundant, just above the average, however they rarely often engage in other activities other than fan meets. To make up for this, they often post on social media, holding livestreams and talking to their fans directly. This sets them apart from many of the other units. Their color scheme is monochrome.
MEMBERS:
Sakurai Tetsuya (17)
Koizumi Osamu (18)
SAKURAI TETSUYA
↬ Sect. 01- Basics
Name(s):
Sakurai Tetsuya (stage name)
Sakurai Naoki (legal name)
Etymology:
Tetsuya- sage
Naoki- docile tree
Nickname(s): N/A
Age: 17-18 Years (not public information)
Birthday: not public information
Gender: Male
Pronouns: he/they (experimenting with they)
Height: 5’9” / 175 CM
↬Sect 02. About
Romantic Orientation: panromantic
Sexual Orientation: demisexual
Residence: Yumenosaki Academy, Japan
Affiliations: Yumenosaki Academy, Ensemble Square
Class: 2-A
Circles: Overnight Outdoors Party
Club: Track and Field
↬ Sect. 03- Personality
Tetsuya appears to be a generally serious student and respectful to everyone, exchanging polite gestures to bring good words to his brother’s name. If there was someone he was going to make someone look good, it would be the person he was displaying himself as. He generally got along well with everyone he met, although he never got close to anyone and rarely ever talked about himself.
Tetsuya feels as if he’s wrongfully in his brother’s spot, and he constantly worries that he’s doing something wrong by “living his brother’s life without him”. He fears something he does is going to stain his brother’s legacy and ultimately bring him back under the control of his parents. This was the most free he was ever going to get, and he wasn’t planning to return to that place anytime soon.
In reality, Tetsuya is someone who isn’t sure of himself, a really down to earth person who trusts people too easily. It takes a while to crack his shell, but once you get to know him, he will never let you go, even if you backstab him.
The way he acts with his fans is k-pop style- both he and his brother loved watching k-pop MVs and TV shows, and thus, he adopted that style of interaction. He often makes a lot of gestures and smiles to the crowd a lot, even dropping some lines he finds attractive at times. He values his fans a lot and they’re the attention he didn’t get when he was younger.
↬ Sect. 04- History
OVERVIEW
Tetsuya is not Tetsuya’s name, nor has he ever considered it for a second. Instead, he is, and has always been, Sakurai Naoki, although few know of his real identity. Sakurai has always been his family name from the start. He hasn’t changed his family, but his family has changed him.
TW: death (suicide), parents being delusional, some violence
Lmk if i missed any T-T
EARLY AGE
Tetsuya is actually Naoki’s brother’s name- they were identical twins, yet their parents did not love them the same. Tetsuya was more talented than him in most ways they could see, and he was the object of their affection rather than Naoki. It started with their strange family traditions- zhuazhou, where one year olds were tasked to choose different objects as a form of fortunetelling, each with their own meaning- from straw to money. All were relatively nice and most parents were happy with whatever their children had chosen, and perhaps a joke or two out of it. That was what Tetsuya and Naoki’s parents had planned to do, until they had seen which of their sons had picked the “correct” choices. Tetsuya had chosen the money, which their parents were very happy about, and Naoki had chosen the pen and ink, which they were not ecstatic about. That was just their beginning, one in which the fortune telling seemed to be true.
As their parents had high hopes, especially for Tetsuya, they enrolled them in all sorts of classes for such young children. Upon evaluation, Tetsuya was told that he was smart for his age and should be enrolled in additional classes to help him further, and their parents were ecstatic. When they inquired about Naoki, they had told them that he was quite average, and they were soon disappointed.
“Tatsuya is such a wonderful son; he’s all we need!”
Naoki was rarely ever praised, only compared to his brother if anything. He wasn’t deprived of any basic needs, but his parents rarely ever paid him much mind. All they had to say to him was disappointment, and they made a “moral decision” to simply ignore him if they only had negative things to say about him. Thus, he often slipped their mind.
Naoki was quite the lonely child, as he was ignored by his parents. They put up an act when they went out, but they rarely would agree too, unless Tetsuya wanted to- and even Tetsuya had to have a good reason. If it could be delivered, they would get it delivered. Even if Tetsuya wanted to go grocery shopping in person, they would simply shake their heads and ask him why it was beneficial for anyone to go when they would usually get it delivered. Thus, he rarely received the attention of anyone besides his brother. Tetsuya would tell him all about the things he learned when he went outside, all of the outside things their parents told him about, and everything inbetween. Tetsuya made his friends Naoki’s friends too, and it was a requirement that if they and Tatsuya were to be friends, they were to be friends with Naoki too.
Tetsuya was put in all kinds of advanced programs, which left Naoki all by himself most of the time. He mostly put in subpar effort to get good grades- it had already been instilled in himself that there was no competition; the competition was his brother, who had already won by a longshot. He didn’t hate him for it, nor did he hate his parents for it- he thought that was only the right thing to do to make smart people smarter and more successful while leaving the dumber people behind. Thus, he was left to do whatever he wanted, and his brother let him take his electronics whenever he went to his academy after school. He mostly played games on the computer and stumbled upon many kinds of people, creating his own email and creating accounts on forums, multiplayer games, and even social media sites. His parents didn’t care; as long as he didn’t cause trouble for them or his brother, he was going to be left alone, without being scolded. He often watched videos of idols, and he soon began to love them. He posted quite a lot, and he even joined forums for idol fans. He often talked with them, but he rarely talked about himself- after all, he was convinced that he was simply nothing, just an existing Naoki.
As much as they loved Tetsuya, their parents often scolded him as well. They had high expectations, and by the time middle school had arrived, Tetsuya’s grades had fallen. Tetsuya was smart, but he had discovered a lot of other hobbies that interested him- including idols. He often snuck out of the house to go to his friends’ house, to use the karaoke machine and hang out. They often sung and danced, and both of the brothers had something in common. Idols were Tatsuya’s saviors during those times, and that music and Naoki were the only things that kept him wanting to live. Those were two things he swore to never let go of, even if he had to live though his parents. He understood that they weren’t the best parents, but they were his parents, and they had jurisdiction over him.
But he couldn’t keep his promise. He was just 13 when he left; his body was found on the street in front of their apartment complex- dead, cold in the rain. His parents were among the first to see it- followed by Naoki- though they paid him no mind in response to Tetsuya dying. They rushed over, and Naoki wanted to too, but he feared what his parents would do if he came out of his and his brothers’ shared room. So, he stayed put, watching from his window, making sure his parents never knew.
He rarely saw them after that; his aunt had stopped by to pick him up, and she brought him to her hometown. He was amazed at the kindness he was given, and perhaps those were the happiness times of his life. She helped him with his homework, let the neighbors come over to hang out with him, and she made him lunch every day before school- she even asked what he wanted for lunch the next day the night before. Naoki was the happiest during this time.
One day, when his mother came to visit, he came out of his room to tell his aunt that he was going to the stationary store down the street to meet his friends, and his mother’s eye caught sight of him. Her eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth as she whispered “Tetsuya?”
Naoki didn’t bother to answer her; Tetsuya wasn’t alive anymore. He was Naoki, and that woman wasn’t nearly as good as his aunt. Before he could leave, a hand gripped his arm; it hurt, and he was sure it would leave a mark for weeks.
“Where are you going?” the cold, harsh voice he often heard her speak to Tetsuya reached his ears.
“To Mr. Umeda’s store. I’m meeting my friends there. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have plans.” he paid no attention to her, hoping she’d just let go and he’d continue his day there until his aunt came to pick him up that night.
“You’re not going anywhere, Tetsuya. What did I say about going to see your friends on weekdays?”
He could feel her anger. The woman was delusional.
“I’m not Tetsuya, so don’t try to stop me. Have a nice day,” he tried separating from her grip, but she wouldn’t let go.
“Are you crazy? Do I need to drive you to a hospital and have to spend that much money on it? Wise up. No more pranks; we’re going home. Your father and I just got us a better apartment, so we’re going there.”
He could hear his aunt yelling in the background, and his mother yelling back at her, but no matter what his aunt did, even a slap, even if she knocked her out, he would return to his mother.
“Listen, Tetsuya. Don’t try that ever again. And you’re never going to your aunt’s ever again, understand? She’s a kidnapper- never be like her,” she looked him straight in the eye. He knew she was delusional, but there was nothing he could do. Thus, he nodded as Tetsuya did before, and he started his life as Tetsuya, not Naoki.
BEFORE YUMENOSAKI
What made Naoki, who was now forced to live as Tetsuya, want to become an idol was that it would be his one way ticket out of his household. It was his escape plan- he wouldn’t have to live as oppressed as he did if he did that. Since Tetsuya loved idols, he made the argument to his parents that he wanted to become an idol and attend Yumenosaki Academy. It wasn’t far-fetched, and his parents knew he liked idols as well. Thus, they allowed it as long as he got in- which they didn’t believe he would due to their disappointment in him. They figured that if they, the most lenient people to Tetsuya (in their minds) were disappointed in him, everyone else was as well.
Thus, when he was accepted, his parents were actually shocked and begged him to stay home, but he turned their words on them and was able to leave.
FIRST YEAR IN YUMENOSAKI
Before attending Yumenosaki, he thought he would be free- but he couldn’t. Upon agreeing to go to Yumenosaki, they made the restriction that he had to come home and they were to watch his videos on idol activity- they expected results, and if he delivered none, he was to come back home and transfer to another high school, back into the hell he so desperately wanted to get away from. Because of this, he had to register and essentially become Tetsuya again, as his mother would pull him out of the school if she ever saw him “act out of character”.
The first friend he made in Yumenosaki was another first year student named Koizumi Osamu. He wanted to know more about Osamu, and when they formed their unit, COMPLIMENT, they made an agreement- they were going to be successful, and they were going to be transparent with each other. They shook hands, put their signatures on a little piece of paper they called a contract, and they told each other their life stories. Naoki told his story in great detail, and Osamu was intrigued. Naoki was easy to manipulate with just a little kindness- Osamu disliked using people to greater lengths than needed, but the opportunity presented itself if needed. Osamu told his story in a more general sense, but Naoki was fascinated. He had rarely heard his friends talk about their lives in such detail before, and Osamu was the first person he truly felt like he “understood”, and he hoped that Osamu understood him too. Thus, COMPLIMENT was formed.
Trivia
Tetsuya’s mother is chinese and his father is japanese
KOIZUMI OSAMU
↬ Sect. 01- Basics
Name(s):
Koizumi Osamu
Etymology:
Osamu- study
Nickname(s): N/A
Age: 18 years
Birthday: Feb 6
Gender: Male
Pronouns: he/him
Height: 5’8” / 172 CM
↬Sect 02. About
Romantic Orientation: Aromantic
Sexual Orientation: Pansexual
Residence: Yumenosaki Academy, Japan
Affiliations: Yumenosaki Academy, Ensemble Square
Class: 3-A
Circles: Overnight Outdoors Party
Club: Track and Field
↬ Sect. 03- Personality
Osamu is a very careful person. He rarely lets out his true feelings- in fact, he hides them so much that he doesn’t even know what he’s feeling. He only has a goal on his mind, and he is thinking about how to achieve it.
He often speaks in a polite manner and is very skilled with his words. He is easily able to convince others in his favor and is able to change the flow of the conversation easily. He has a soft demeanor to him, yet it is impossible to know what exactly he is thinking.
Osamu acts a little distant with his fans compared to others. To him, fans are just people there to give their money, have a good time with their idols and should leave once they are done. He wants to manage idols rather than be one, but in order to get close to Tenshouin and gain influence, this is what he must do. However, he still winks to the crowd and gives words the fans go crazy over- he feeds them just enough so that they don’t doubt his “dedication” to being an idol.
↬ Sect. 04- Backstory
Everything Osamu did was to help his family rise to power- a former powerhouse fallen to ashes, he wishes to be the phoenix who rises up to power again.
The Koizumi family is one of the families which had started the idol industry in Japan. One of the first major agencies was built by them, KZ Productions. They dominated the industry for a few years, bringing out multiple top idols and enjoyed quite a lot of wealth. However, when Osamu’s father inherited the business, their popularity declined and they failed to bring much profit at all to the KZ Production name. Thus, the business went through a chapter 7 bankruptcy, where all of their assets had been liquidated and debts had been paid back (mostly) to investors. Osamu’s father found himself a new job and just barely kept his family afloat.
Osamu, however, wanted to bring back his family’s honor. He saw his father in a state of unease and guilt for many years, which led him to his goal: to bring back KZ Productions by any means- even if it included sucking up to the Tenshouins, which he planned to do. He couldn’t do it the way the Himemiyas had, as they were already quite rich and were able to get close to them- he would have to have connections that brought him closer to the Tenshouins.
Osamu was naturally talented in singing, dancing and acting, and thus he spent less time focusing on his idol skills and spent more time making connections. He often spent time researching people- who their connections were and their personal interests. Osamu often used the information he collected to make deals and relations with others, doing favors for them in exchange for favors for him. It was a business deal- if he could show ways that he was useful to them, and they could show ways they could be useful to him, he would keep those relationships.
Thus, he began his journey to infiltrate Ensemble Square. Before he could apply to Yumenosaki, he made a name for himself by starting on social media and making connections to as many influencers and recruiters as possible, along with anyone else higher up in the chain. He gained the attention of many, and by the time he was accepted into Yumenosaki, his name was quite famous. When he got to meet the president of Starmaker Production the first time, he was delighted, but he did not make any moves- it would happen slowly. He would make his way into the careful Tenshouin’s mind slowly, but before he died. It was the battle of the schemers.
When Osamu met Tetsuya, what he saw in him was that he was easy to take advantage of. He had a sob backstory, a kind heart, and a situation to take advantage of. He didn’t mind that he had to tell his side of the story; in fact, he could tell that Tetsuya was one to keep secrets and it would give him more trust. Thus, COMPLIMENT was born.
“Hm hmm hm-hm,” Chie hummed as the music played in her ear, her headphones wrapped snugly around both of her ears. The music played in her ears as she clicked away at the computer, typing inbeetween thoughts and occasionally lifting her right hand from her keyboard to reach her mouse. Her eyes followed the cursor wherever she led it, as her hands typed emails and her brain trailed on with the project she had just started.
Sometimes, she could hear the music; others, she heard nothing but her own thoughts. There was a bubble around her and her computer, invisible and without much form. As her reminder to prepare for a meeting at 11 went off, she remembered that Nazuna was supposed to be home, although he wasn’t. She checked her phone for any messages; in all honesty, she rarely ever remembered to look at it if she was working. If anyone was to reach her, it would be by chance unless she was waiting for a reply.
Relieved to see a message in her notifications, she opened the messages app to find it was from the one she was hoping it would be. She sighed from relief from the explanation; not that any of this was favorable, but she was glad that he was at least okay. At least he had texted her that his flight had gotten delayed a couple of hours, nothing more or nothing less than that.
Ignoring the alarm she had set for herself to prepare for the 11PM meeting, she resumed her work, sending a few last emails and continuing to work on the concept for the project she had started a couple of days ago. She had another alarm set closer to the meeting anyways, and she had already gotten ahead with the presentation slides earlier; she had a stroke of inspiration and simply couldn’t resist changing around the order of the tasks she needed to do a little bit.
“I’m home, Chie,” Nazuna kissed her cheek from behind. It took a couple of seconds before she stopped typing for her to register what had happened. She turned her head to him and giggled, “Welcome back, Nazu.”
Nazuna released his arm around her as she got up and hugged him instead, which he gladly returned. Chie basked in his warmth, one she couldn’t ever feel when she was without him, even when she was working. Somehow, it stopped all of her ambitions, and she suddenly didn’t want to work anymore. The two of them mumbled to themselves, not separated from the hug at all. Chie played with his hair as they spoke, whispering, “Mhm, life’s been crazy lately. I’m so glad you’re back home, my love.”
Buzz. Buzz. Chie grumbled as she took her arms off of Nazuna to look at the notification from her phone. “I have a meeting at 11…”
Nazuna let go as well, earning himself a pout from his lover. He made his way out of the door, the pout unchanged until he said, “I’ll be making dinner in the kitchen. It’ll be ready when you finish the meeting.”
Then, the pout was gone, and a soft smile was shown on Chie’s face. The meeting was going to be fine, and they’d have dinner together. Perfect.
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