Peering over the top of his book, the man witnessed another entering the waiting room. The arrival carried two small vases; each held a single red rose. The watcher laughed lightly to himself, understanding the plan.

  “Number seventy-six.” An older gentleman called from the audition room. In response to the call, a different man stood up, signalling his turn.

  Inside the judging room, the speaker spoke again, confused.

  “These auditions are for males only.”

  The auditionee was visibly disgusted. “I am a man.”

  The origin of Carter’s bafflement came from the length of the man’s hair. He wore his light brown hair in a high ponytail, but even then, it still fell to his lower back.

  “Really? Then, how’s your ability to act? The group will have a lot of female fans to please.”

  The man raised his voice a little, realising the insinuation. “Sir, though I think it none of your concern, I do like women. My ability to please women is not lacking.”

  “Well,” Carter cleared his throat, “let’s get this over with. Start with the dancing.”

  Knowing his dancing capabilities, the auditionee was a little worried about his singing performance if he danced first.

  Daniel averted his eyes from the group, trying to remove his association with Carter. His breathing increased, clearly displeased with the situation, even though the singing didn’t affect him.

  Resigning himself to the unchangeable event, the long-haired man placed his bio on the table in front of them and took his opening stance. He lowered his deep blue eyes to the floor and slowly raised his arms above his head so that the back of his hands touched. Daniel returned his attention to the dancer.

  After staying in that position for a few seconds, the performer twisted his arms, legs, and body in all sorts of ways as he let loose every move he was capable of. The dance used a lot of energy and portrayed a large amount of potential.

  When his dance came to an end, he fixed his eyes on Daniel’s. The choreographer’s expression was positive.

  “Sing.” Carter barked. Charlene sat forward, and her face lit up, awaiting the part of the audition she cared about. Quite the contrast to her, Chris sank into her chair. She wanted to hide from the awkwardness clearly present in the room. The woman would protest, but the risk of losing her job was too great.

  The auditionee delayed his vocals to regain his breath back, but, noticing the impatient expression on Carter’s face, he felt compelled to speed things along.

  The voice that leaked from him was shaky in the beginning, but its strength grew as the song progressed. With his form being more feminine, one would expect his sound to be the same, yet his voice was on the deeper side as he sang. His singing had the power to calm the room’s tension. The man smoothly brought his song to a peaceful close.

  With silence filling the room, Charlene opened her mouth to give her judgement, but before she could, Carter ordered.

  “Take your hair down.” As his words shattered the new atmosphere, the man followed the request, and Carter continued. “There could be a place for you in this group, but your appearance will need to be dealt with before you can perform. That will be all.”

  The auditionee looked at the panel, puzzled. When his eyes reached Daniel, he finally introduced himself.

  “My name is Kikyo, and I’m twenty-four.”

  “Change your name, too.” Carter told him without removing his eyes from the document he was reading.

  Kikyo released a quiet sigh, then he decided to depart, though his exit from the audition room wasn’t as quiet.

  Noticing a commotion, the reader looked up from his book again. He watched the long-haired man redo his hair, and a moment later, another man exited the audition room. This brown-haired man approached the other and whispered something unintelligible in his ear, to which the first man responded.

  “No, I wasn’t going to.”

  After nodding, the judge walked back to his room, but not before telling him, “I’ll fight for you.”

  When finished sorting his hair, the man turned towards the rest of the room and locked eyes with the reader. After a couple of seconds, he, too, left the room.