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"Luna-chan..." Akane whispered. "But why?"
"I was worried," Luna informed her. "I saw your text about going out to get food, so I went out after you. While I was searching for you, MEM called and said you still haven't come back, and she's been looking everywhere for you. So, I followed the route you'd take to the convenience store, and..."
Tears rolled down Luna's cheeks as she wrapped Akane into a tight hug. "You idiot!" she cried. "I should be asking you why!"
"I'm sorry..." Akane choked out, returning the hug. "I was just..."
By then, Aqua had found them. "Luna! Akane!" he called as he rushed up.
"Onii-chan!"
"Are the two of you alright?" Aqua asked, kneeling down beside the two of them and checking them over.
"I think so," Luna responded, still hugging a crying Akane.
"Hey, you three!" A policeman yelled as he ran up to them, causing Aqua and Luna to look his way. "It's dangerous up there! What on earth are you doing?"
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Back in the studio...
"Akane Kurokawa is getting roasted big time," Kana commented, staring at her phone. "Well, it's no wonder given what she did."
"Isn't this the kind of thing you get used to once you become a public figure?" Ruby asked, looking down at her own phone.
"To some degree, yes," Kana answered, leaning back a bit in her chair. "But it varies by person, and some simply never get used to it."
Kana slowly lowered her phone. "Even for me, depending on how I'm doing mentally, there are some days I think, 'Maybe I really will go and die,'" she said. "The mental state of a teenage girl who, lacking any tolerance for it, has been exposed to a barrage of abuse for the first time is something you likely can't even imagine."
Kana's eyes turned dark as she continued, "It's enough to give you the illusion your whole life is over."
Miyako got up from the couch. "Though dating reality shows are popular all around the world, nearly 50 people from such shows have taken their own lives over the years," she informed Ruby and Kana. "It's such an issue that some countries have laws requiring cast members to undergo counseling."
Kana turned to face the wall. "If 50 people have died, you should take it as an indication that 10 times as many narrowly avoided the same fate despite feeling they wanted to die," she said. "Reality shows are programs in which you lay bare your soul. It's not the show that gets lambasted, but you yourself. It cuts deep."
"Onee-chan said... lying is the very best way to protect yourself," Ruby recalled.
"That's a good way to put it," Kana agreed. "It's not as bad if you're playing a character to some degree, but the more you put the real you out there, the greater the toll it takes. Social media puts the bad-mouthing of celebs on public display. In the name of justice and freedom of expression, someone is getting excessively ganged up on and bullied almost every day. Everyone thinks they're an exception as they fiercely drive people into a corner. The soliloquies they spew out without thought can kill people."
"I wonder if my siblings are alright..." Ruby said quietly.
"Being careful doesn't do any good," Kana said, raising a hand. Sensing that Ruby was still worried, Kana jumped up from her seat and continued, "They say everyone has their idiosyncrasies, right? Each person has their fair share of flaws. There's always something about them that can give rise to criticism."
Just then, Miyako's phone rang. Turning her back to the girls, she answered the call.
"Hai?"
"That's correct."
"What? Really?!"
"Okay. I'll be right there."
"Is something the matter, President?" asked Kana.
"Aqua and Luna have..."
Kana and Ruby waited with bated breath.
"...gotten into trouble with the police, apparently."
"What?!"
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Aqua and Luna were seated outside in the hall of the police station when Miyako arrived, busy staring off into space.
"I prepared myself for the worst when they called me over, but you two did well, Aqua, Luna," Miyako said as she sat down between them and rubbed their heads. "I'm proud of you two."
Aqua looked away and Miyako noticed. "Though you seem disinterested in others, you were watching out for her and your sister," she continued.
"It's not like that," Aqua rejected, leaning back against the wall. "People die easily. When someone cries out for help, if you don't act quickly, it will be too late. I'm glad Luna got there in time."
Aqua looked back at Miyako and caught wind of the small smile on her face. "I'll charge Akane for the taxi fare later," he said.
"Stingy, aren't you?" Miyako asked with an amused laugh.
"Yeah, give the poor girl a break," Luna said, poking her brother in the shoulder.
By then, the rest of their castmates have arrived and the door to the small office has opened. As Akane stepped through the threshold, everyone ran up to her.
"Akane!" Yuki yelled, reaching her first. Then a slap rang across Akane's cheek. Akane looked back in shock to see tears in the other's eyes.
Tightly gripping her shoulders, Yuki continued between sobs, "Why'd you worry us like this?! Why?! You can always talk to me!"
"Sorry..." Akane forced out through the tight hug, tears starting to prick her eyes again.
"Akane," Aqua called, standing up from the bench. "So, how do you want to proceed?"
"How...?" Akane repeated.
"I'm saying that stepping down from the show is an option," Aqua clarified, earning a startled gasp from both Akane and Yuki.
Nobu turned to Aqua, saying, "But, she's under contract..."
Luna stood up from the bench. "Given the show's crew is dealing with minors, the director could be held accountable," she said. "Under the circumstances, I doubt they'd raise objections if she says she's pulling out."
Everyone looked back to Akane. "You're working under your real name of Akane Kurokawa," Aqua continued. "So choose the right time to call it quits on your own."
Akane looked down as she considered his words.
"I... have worked so hard all this time so I can become a more famous actress and keep performing," she started. "Everyone helped me so much along the way... but things have turned out like this."
"Akane..." Yuki trailed off.
Akane gripped her hands together tightly. "I'm scared..." Akane confessed. "I'm really scared, but..."
Akane dipped her head, trying to hide her tears.
"I'll stick with it," she decided. "I don't want to quit like this."
"Understood," Aqua conceded before turning to the others. "You heard her. You're all okay with that, right?"
"Of course we are," Luna said immediately. Nobu and Kakeru nodded in agreement.
"That's what we've been saying from the start," Kengo said, throwing up his hands.
"We'll do our best to support you, okay?" Yuki told Akane as the rest of them ran up to her. Meanwhile, Aqua backed up to Miyako.
"I see the cast all get along well, huh?" Miyako commented.
"Well, we're all around the same age, after all," Aqua said. "I think we can all work together and see the show through to the end, no matter what people say."
As Aqua watched the group of friends chat happily with each other, he continued, "That said, the current situation leaves me feeling sick."
As he turned and walked away, he muttered, "Both the production staff who fanned the flames and the netizens who say whatever the hell they please... really piss me off."
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The next day...
Miyako stared at the article detailing Akane's suicide attempt with an unamused look on her face before turning to Aqua. "You've really gone and done it now," she said. "I was a fool to praise you."
Aqua was standing with Luna, fiddling around with a video camera. "I trust you have an idea of how it'll play out?" Miyako asked.
"Yeah, but I don't know how well it'll go," Aqua answered, holding up the video camera.
"And now, the real reality show begins."
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The news of Akane's suicide attempt made the rounds, and it sparked a variety of controversy.
Naturally, some people backed off, but with the fresh kindling the smears also accelerated.
"It's gotten more attention, but things aren't any better or worse," Miyako commented a few days later. "I don't think this is a good way to counter the storm of criticism. After all, Akane Kurokawa's appearance on the show has been postponed, and there's no telling when she'll make her return."
Miyako turned to Aqua, who was sitting at the table on his laptop reading through the article with Luna. "You're a willful one. Are you going to take responsibility for making it a big story?" she asked him.
"I don't see it as a bad bet," Aqua answered. "The amount of attention it gets is like the amount of chips being wagered. If we back down from the gamble, Akane will come out a battered loser without putting up a fight. You can't win in poker if you don't raise. So long as I have a single ace, I'll play the game."
Aqua shut his laptop as Miyako reminded him, "Reality isn't a game of poker."
"Don't worry, Miyako-san," Luna assured her, putting an arm on Aqua's shoulder.
"We already have another plan ready to execute."
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The next filming day, Aqua and Luna scoped out MEM-cho in the hallway and explained the situation.
"What?! You two want photos and videos of everyone?" MEM-cho asked. "I don't have all that many, okay? Maybe 100 or so..."
"That's already a whole lot," Luna commented.
"What're they for?" MEM-cho questioned the Hoshino siblings.
Aqua dipped his head. "Love Now is a show edited by professionals, right?" he said. "The editing betrays an intention to paint Akane Kurokawa as a villain to make the show entertaining. If the clips of a certain side of someone are cut out and assembled together, even a saint can be made out to be a bad person. It's what they call 'staging.' I have the skills to do video editing, so as long as I have the materials..."
"Oh, I get it," MEM-cho said, putting a peace sign to her mouth. "You two wanna make 'Love Now as seen from our point of view.' Did you get that idea from someone? Or did you think of it yourself?"
"It was all Aqua's idea," Luna said, jabbing a thumb toward her brother. "I'm going along with it."
"Ooh... It's pretty on point," MEM-cho said playfully, sliding up to Aqua. Aqua looked back toward the window.
Next, MEM-cho held up a finger, indicating a long lecture was coming. "To put the current situation in ad agency speak, 'There are many active viewers, and a strong impression can be anticipated.'
"At first glance, the bashing of Akane stands out, but that's the surface level. In reality, it's only a small percentage of people doing that. With the sensitive topic of an attempted suicide... most people are in the silent majority that's conflicted about whether to attack her or come to her defense. In other words, there are many netizens who're looking for an answer.
"So, if we provide them with a highly-empathic viewpoint, most of them form a market that'll readily believe that to be the righteous position."
MEM-cho smiled like a little devil and concluded, "That's how much attention this's grabbing. We might be able to wholly overwrite existing public opinions. Plus, we can upload the video you make to the official accounts, so we have a way of getting it in front of people. And depending on the video's quality, we can expect it to make a huge buzz."
Extending her hand, she exclaimed, "Give me the file once you're finished. I'll upload it!"
"Well, I can do that myself..." Aqua started but MEM-cho cut him off.
"Aqu-tan, do you know what day of the week and time to upload to get the most retweets and what length of tweet gets the most impressions?" she asked slyly, sliding up closer.
"No..." Aqua admitted.
"I've come this far through online marketing and self-promotion," MEM-cho said as she spun away from him. "Believe it or not, I'm a pro at getting stuff to go viral."
"So, it's settled then?" Luna asked the two of them, and they both nodded. "Alright, so...
"Now it's time to rope the others into our little project..."
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November 22nd, 2023: republished this part since there was a small problem sorry about that! ^^