I'll Do My Rubesty!!! [OC X Canon]

CHAPTER 1 - "Starting Point"

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"Maybe... this isn't so bad...!"

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Ruby Kurosawa was a timid but well-meaning girl who found it hard to get along with others. Even so, she always loved idols who displayed a lot of confidence and aspired to become one. Ever since joining Aqours on a whim with the support of her sister, she slowly started to come out of her shell and gain more confidence in herself as she and the rest of Aqours continued their school idol endeavors. However, there is one thing about her social skills that she can't seem to shake off.

It was a quiet Friday night, with Ruby having just gotten home to cool off from the practice the first years had earlier, which ended up taking a bit longer than they would've hoped.

"Ruby? Are you there?" A voice rings out from the first floor.

"Onee-chan! Yeah, I just came back," Ruby responds. Steps are heard getting louder and louder, and out comes her older sister, Dia Kurosawa, with her long, flowy black hair in sharp contrast to Ruby's red-headed pigtails. Though thought to always be in her shadow, Aqours saw them becoming more equals; however, there are still some things that Ruby feels her older sister is simply better at, and she tries hard to disprove the misconceptions.

"Father invited us to join a business conference he's hosting in Tokyo," Dia informed her little sister.

"Ehhh? Seriously??" Ruby whines, a bit peeved.

"It's tomorrow, and Father will pick us up then, so at least we have time to prepare." Dia sighed before continuing. "I'm sorry, Ruby, but you already know that this is something both of us have to do." Ruby pouts in her seat.

"Now come, dinner is ready," Dia says, gesturing downstairs as she moves on ahead.

"...'Kay, I'm coming," she mutters, dejected.

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At dinner, it's a bit quiet, as Ruby is lost in thought. She wants to put her growth to the test, but she's not sure if she can even do so. What if she gets nervous and fumbles her words? What if she gets intimidated by the aura around her, which is full of sophisticated people in the convention hall?

Dia's voice cuts through the silence. "Ruby, will you be okay?"

"Mm?" She stops eating to answer her sister.

"Since we are also attending, I should tell you that there might be kids your age there at the event. Do you think you'll be alright?"

Ruby hesitates for a bit before answering in her most confident tone, "I'll be fine, I promise! I'll do my Rubesty!"

"Mm... Even if there was a boy your age?"

She stops in her tracks at the mention of that word.

She was always very nervous around them, having no one to interact with outside her father. The last time she was confronted with the idea, she ran away hysterically. But after growing alongside her friends, there was a part of her that simply couldn't ignore it and that she had more growing up to do, trying to confront it head-on.

After hesitating and deliberating for quite a bit, she feigns confidence in her response, but Dia could still tell that she was nervous.

"I'll... I'll be alright."

But... will she?