Aqua strides down a dimly lit corridor with an impressive stack of books held tightly in his hands. His eyes are fixed on the titles of the books, lost in deep contemplation as he seems to be heading towards some important destination. The sound of his footsteps reverberates down the empty hallway, creating a tranquil atmosphere.
Aqua had sent Astra away to meet his other twins as Kaoru Sensei required immediate assistance. As he walks in silence, he lets out a heavy sigh, lost in his thoughts.
He approached the staff room door with anticipation, his hand reaching for the doorknob. With a bit of effort, he managed to open it and was greeted by the bustling scene of teachers diligently focused on their respective tasks. Despite his entrance, not a single one of them seemed to take notice of his presence or break their concentration.
"Ah, Aqua-kun! Thank you so much for your assistance, I appreciate it. Sorry to have bothered you."
As Aqua entered the room, Kaoru Sensei greeted him with an apologetic smile. Aqua noticed that the teacher was in the midst of something, as he was putting away a book and reaching for an item on his desk. The desk itself was decorated quite nicely, with a beautiful bouquet adorning one end. Aqua wondered if this was a gift from one of Kaoru Sensei's former students.
As Aqua waited, he took a moment to observe his surroundings. The teacher's desk area was simple yet charming, with shelves of books lining the walls and a few potted plants on the table foot. But then, something caught his eyes -
A photo frame is situated on a shelf nearby. Aqua felt drawn to it and couldn't resist taking a closer look.
'Of course... he is who I thought...'
As he gazes at the picture frame, his mind wanders back to a fond memory of two men sharing a drink. The image triggers a wave of nostalgia as he recalls the warmth of their companionship and the joy they shared. His eyes linger on the photo, soaking in the details of the scene and reliving the emotions of that moment in time.
"Let's meet each other at the same place. No backing away this time."
"Hahahaha...of course!"
"I'm sorry...."
"Aqua-kun! Hoshino Aquamarine!"
Aqua is abruptly jolted out of his reverie by the sound of a voice calling out to him. He turns around to face his teacher, only to be met with a look of deep concern etched on his features. Aqua can't help but feel a sense of unease wash over him at the sight of his teacher's worried expression."Are you alright, Aqua-kun?"
"Ah...yes. Sorry... I've got lost in thought..."
"Is that so...? It's still early to daydream, Aqua-kun." When Kaoru notices Aqua frowning, he adjusts the atmosphere to a lighter and more cheerful mode. Aqua's attention was suddenly drawn to his teacher's hand, which was now outstretched towards him. It is now that he finally realizes the moment. As he looked closer, he saw a delicate and intricately wrapped candy, sitting there, as if inviting him to take it.
"Is this... For me?"
"Of course! As a treat. Thank you for helping me. Have some for Astra also." Kaoru had a pleasant smile on his face as he looked at Aqua.
His warm expression seemed to convey his affection for his student, and Aqua couldn't help but feel comforted by it. As they exchanged pleasantries, Aqua noticed that despite the passage of time, Kaoru had remained unchanged. There was something about his demeanor that was still as youthful and carefree as it had been when they were younger. When Kaoru offered him a candy, Aqua couldn't help but feel grateful. He took the sweet treat from his teacher's hand and thanked him for his kind gesture. It's no surprise that the student here seems to fall for his kindness.
As he stepped out of the staff room, Aqua's gaze lingered on the colorful candy lying on his hand for a moment before he finally tore his eyes away and started walking towards his siblings. However, his mind was still lost in a sea of memories from the past, and he couldn't help but dwell on them as he took each step.
As he walked towards the school garden, he noticed a familiar figure standing beside his sister. Curiosity piqued, he quickened his pace and made his way over to them. Ruby was standing beside her, looking equally excited. As soon as they spotted him, their faces lit up with joy and anticipation.
"Nii-chan! Look! I've made new friends. This is Minami!"
"It's nice to be meeting you." Minami bows down as she greets him.
"Likewise." He nodded.
Ruby animatedly recounts the tale of her encounter with Minami, her eyes sparkling with delight. Astra gazes at her with a deep sense of affection, his heart warmed by her infectious enthusiasm.
Sensing that the moment called for a hushed tone, he leaned in close to Aqua's ear and whispered his thoughts.
"She's excited to tell you about her new friend. I'm glad that she is not alone."
Aqua nodded in agreement without a word so as not to interrupt Ruby's narrative.
Ruby stood tall and confident, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she finished recounting a 'lengthy tale'. She eagerly awaited her brother's response, anxious to hear his thoughts and reactions to her story.
Aqua looks at him with bored eyes. "What kind of story is that?"
"What's with the response!"
Astra chuckle. "He's kidding, Nee-san. We're just glad that you managed to make your friend."
Ruby's face lit up with joy. A proud grin spread across her face, illuminating her features with an aura of happiness and contentment... "Of course, I can! I'm a very likable person."
"Indeed you are."
Aqua stares at them with a blank face. "Stop complimenting her. She's as proud as a peacock now".
"Hey!"
Astra turned to Minami, who was standing quietly to the side, and bowed down to express his gratitude. "I sincerely appreciate you taking care of my sister," he said. "I hope that the two of you have a wonderful time together. She can be a bit overexcited at times, but that's just her way of expressing her happiness."
"Ah, There's no need to thank me. Ruby-chan is indeed such a lovely person. And I can perfectly see the reason."
Astray giggles in amusement. "Minami-san isn't it? My name is Astra Hoshino. It's a pleasure to be meeting you."
"Me too. You're family truly had good genes. All of you seem like a prince and princess from a fairytale." Astra's cheek turns dusty pink because of the compliment. "Ah... No.. It's... Umm... T-thank..you..."
His mind loads while trying to give a proper response despite himself being unable to handle compliments from anyone. It makes Minami a sense of amusement looking at him.
Ruby stares at the scene in bewilderment. "I think... I just lost my friend..."
"What do you even mean by that? He's just being friendly."
"Oh, well... What about you nii-chan? Did you make any friends?" She turns to him in anticipation. Aqua tried digging into his latest memory and a blurry redhead figure came into his mind.
"I-"
"Aqua! Astra!"
As he was speaking, an ear-piercing scream suddenly shattered the moment, coming from a distant figure ahead of them, interrupting his words. The once blurry redhead suddenly becomes clearer as he rushes towards the friends. Makoto made an abrupt stop in front of them making him almost fall.
"Makoto...?" Astra helped him stand up properly.
"Thanks, Astra..." he rubbed his head and smiled sheepishly.
"What are you doing here?" Aqua questions the newcomers. "Well, I had been trying to find you guys for quite sometimes actually. Just wanna ask if you wanna have a rest together. Am I too late?"
Aqua took a peek a his watch and just sighed. "Recess will end in 15 more minutes. You are not that late but... A little late."
"Who's this Aqua? You're new friend?"
"He's-"
"Yeah! Name's Makoto! Nice to meet you!" He gives a big grin to Ruby as he introduces himself. For some reason, something in Ruby's mind whirled around like a stray cat, trying to find its way back home. She chooses to put it aside from now and return the smile. "Ruby Hoshino. I'm-"
"Waah! Are you the last twins of Aqua and Astra? How cool! The three of you look alike!"
A tick mark appears on Aqua's forehead. "Stop cutting off people would you?"
"Ah, right... Sorry! Got a little excited..." Makoto rubbed his head. His eyes also took notice of a girl beside Astra. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't notice you there. What's your name?"
"My name's Kotobuki Minami. Nice to be meeting you."
"Same goes for me!" Makoto carefully scrutinizes each person in his midst, taking note of their every feature. As he does so, he becomes acutely aware of just how different he is from the others. Unlike these individuals, Makoto Yasahiro is a clumsy and disorganized person, with no discernible talent for cooking or any other useful skill. He couldn't even cook a bowl of rice to save his life.
The sight of these good-looking and future celebrities standing before him makes him feel incredibly small and insignificant, filling him with a sense of deep-seated anxiety and insecurity that threatens to overwhelm him.
"Wahh... Everyone's looking pretty and cool. Now you guys make me feel insecure with myself..."
"What do you mean? You're good-looking too Makoto. Don't feel so down." Astra rubbed his back in a comforting manner.
"Still..."
"Well, you're not wrong there. Knowing everyone is a pro... It makes me pretty anxious too..." Minami's smile dropped down.
"There's no need for that. This is not a film studio or a big stage... It is just a regular school where we educate ourselves to be better. There's nothing wrong with being plain or anything. Just be yourself." Ruby smiled at them.
"Those lines sound oddly familiar..."
"Well, there were plenty of attractive students at the entrance ceremony before but... Only some did I recognize. Don't have to be that nervous." Aqua said.
"No. There is one." Ruby's eyes stare at Aqua. "Someone... Who was attractive and well-known across the school."
"Shiranui Frill." With the name itself, excitement was built up within the two girls. Their eyes sparkle as they remember the beautiful sculpture face of her.
"Who?"
"Shiranui Frill! She scored a huge hit in that primetime drama! A multi-talent who can sing, dance, and act! When people hear the term "beautiful girl," she's the first person who comes to mind for basically everyone!!!"
"Shira-chan?" Makoto mumbled the name quietly.
"I know who she is. I didn't know you were so into her, though." Aqua said. Ruby's eyes sparkle in love and affection. "She's my biggest fave right now!"
"Hmm..."
"Hmm... you say?! This is Shiranui Frill, Okay?!" Ruby fuming in anger from the lack of response.
"I don't care. My biggest fave is Ai and Ai only." As he said that, Aqua had a distant look in his eyes. It didn't go unnoticed by someone though.
"Well... Yeah, same here, but- that is that and this is this! It's different!" Ruby caught the presence of the topic. Her eyes enlightened in excitement. "Oh...! Look! There she is, the beauty, Shiranui Frill! There she is! Even from here, she's cute!"
"You are just a fan..."
Makoto's eyes also light up as he saw her. Yet the shine in them holds different meanings. "Shira-chan!! Here! Right here!" He waves his hand to get the girl's attention.
"Oii! What are you doing!?"
Frill stares at them for a moment before she walks towards them. Ruby glances nervously between the two. Makoto still wears his friendly expression. "Hey! I never thought of seeing you here, but I guess I need to expect it considering your job as an artist."
"Hiro-kun, hi. It's quite a surprise to see you here also." She nodded softly at him.
Makoto rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah... I chose this school because it was the closest to my house. Need to keep my money in check you know."
"You should have tried to be in the industry. How many times should I tell you? You'll do just fine with your look and personality."
"Well, my clumsiness would never leave me in peace if I ever got into industry. After all, I'm not fond of lights and shouting."
"Kind of weird coming from you."
"Hahaha, right."
Ruby keeps looking at them back and forth. "You...you know each other?"
"Of course! We're childhood friends. We've been together since kindergarten!" Makoto claimed proudly.
"Kind of a coincidence in my opinion..." Frill vocalized.
Aqua had been clocking them for quite some time and finally made his move. "Hello, Shiranui-san. My little sister's in your class. I hope you'll be her friend."
"Hey!" Ruby was taken aback by the sudden request involving herself.
Rather than answering, Frill regarded him with a hint of amazement barely showed in her eyes. "I know you. You are the one who was in sweet today, am I right?"
"You know about that?"
"I heard people talking about it... So I watched it. You were good."
"... Thank you." Aqua doesn't expect to be praised.
Frill turned to glance at Minami. "I've seen you on the cover of Mid Jump. Minami-san, isn't it?"
Minami was over the moon as she was acknowledged by her favorite person. "It sure is!"
Her eyes then fall on Astra. "...A fairytale prince"
Astra's cheek slowly turns red. His eyes widen at the word that seems to be directed to him. "E-eh?"
Makoto put his hand on Astra's shoulder and pulled him close. "Right? The first time I saw him, I was astonished too! These triplets a superb genes in their blood!"
"Triplets?"
"Yep! You see these three sculptures here? They're triplets! Phenomenal right?" He grinned. With the mention of a third party, Frill finally looks at Ruby. "Oh. You are..."
Ruby's heart pounded as she made eye contact with her idol, leaving her speechless.
"I'm sorry, what's your profession?
"I... Right now, not very...much..." For some reason, the statement itself was a big shame to Ruby.
"I see. Umm... Good luck?"
***
"MIYAEMOOON! QUICK MAKE ME AN IDOL!!" She whined loudly. She was ashamed to not have a profession while almost the whole school already had their source of income. Mainly the reason because of how embarrassed she is of herself this morning.
"Don't rush me. Yes, we're making an idol group... and no, we're not having auditions. The proper way to make an idol group is to thoroughly scout for talent." Miyako responded while busying her fingers with typing thousands of words for the sake of the company.
"But at this rate.....AT THIS RATE, I'LL BE BULLIED!!" Negative thoughts come swirling in her mind making her shiver at the thought.
"That's quite exaggerated, don't you think...?"
"I can't find cute girls that quickly. The ambitious girls all go to the auditions for big companies." Miyako rubbed her nose. She truly wished to help her daughter yet she did not own the world to do so.
"In the performing art section, there's this cute girl with a huge chest named Kotobuki Minami..."
"She's probably with another agency. No good. It needs to be an affiliated girl... I'm not getting into a scuffle with a different agency."
Aqua's mind drifted to a solution as his eardrum stuck to listening to the mess in front of him. A blurry image appears as it slowly gets clearer. Dazzling eyes filled the vision as the name was spoken softly. "Arima Kana..."
"What did you say, Nii-san?" Astra whipped his head to him.
"A freelancer, well known, doesn't have much work...and she has a cute face. Doesn't that click something to you?"
"Ah!" a realization immediately hit him. "She is..."
"That's right. Our next B-Komachi member.."
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Author's note!!
I deeply apologize for the sudden hiatus and for making you guys anticipate this story for a long time. I lost my motivation to right and focus on study and other things. I slowly lost the passion to write thus, abandoning this story. But since I'm on a month's vacation, I guess I'll try to push myself to fill your desire. Thank u for still reading this story despite it being very slow and having bad grammar and typing and everything. I'm truly sorry for my readers who have been waiting for a long time. Thank you for still reading. I love u guys so much! Thank u.
Oh! And if you want to imagine how Makoto look like, try to search Ga ming from Genshin Impact. Lol... When you're a fan of genshin plus a writer. About Astra... I'll reveal him soon. I'll draw him myself since I couldn't find the perfect image for him. My drawing is not much so don't have high expectations. Again, sorry and thank u!