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This can't be happening.
But it was.
"Ai... Mama..." Luna whispered on instinct before clapping a hand over her mouth, hoping no one heard her.
Meanwhile, Aqua felt numb, like he had been struck by lightning. Or more like, he was struck by how Akane had seemingly dragged Ai's soul back from the dead.
"A-Akane?" he breathed.
"What's the matter, Aqua?" Akane asked him, tilting to the side. "You look like you saw a ghost."
"No..." Aqua said, a bit too quickly. Then he twisted his eyes to the side.
"Akane!" MEM-cho called as she stepped into the classroom and gave her a hug. "Welcome back!"
"Sorry to have kept you all waiting!" Akane apologized as the rest of the cast stepped into the classroom.
"You can say that again! We missed you!" MEM-cho said happily.
"Let's have a good time, okay?" Yuki told her.
"Yeah!"
"It's good to see you're looking well..." Nobu started. "but are you really okay now?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Akane asked, turning around to look at him. Her sea-green eyes sparkled in the morning light.
Everyone looked at her, confused and enthralled.
"What do I mean? Well, you know..." Nobu trailed off.
"Oh right, I did get flamed big time!" Akane recalled, smiling like it was nothing. "I feel like I really messed up, but that kinda thing happens all the time!"
"You seem different somehow, Akane," Yuki commented slowly.
Akane moved a little closer to her. "Do you hate the new me, Yuki?" she asked, leaning forward.
Yuki hesitated. "...Nuh-uh," she finally said, shaking her head.
Akane smiled and straightened herself. "Aqua, let's hang out today," she called to him.
"'Kay," he answered absentmindedly.
Akane giggled and winked at him.
...
In an instant, she drew them in.
The cast...
The staff...
Even the cameraman.
She had a strange magnetism that kept their eyes fastened on her.
A charisma just like Ai's... was also exhibited by Akane.
As Aqua followed Akane to the other corner of the room, his eyes trailed over to his sister, who was leaning against the windowsill with her face buried in her hands. He knew this must be hitting closer to home for Luna, but because the camera was rolling on him and Akane, he couldn't go over to his sister.
Thankfully, Kakeru broke off from the group and walked over to Luna. Aqua breathed a small sigh of relief and turned his attention back to Akane.
"Hey, are you okay?" Kakeru asked as he leaned against the windowsill as well. "You look very pale."
Luna sucked in a short, small breath as she raised her head to smile at him. "Yeah, I'll be fine... I mean, I am fine," she corrected herself.
Kakeru raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" he questioned. "You don't look fine. You're kinda sweating and you're breathing weird."
"Oh, I am?" Luna asked distantly, swiping her cheek in an upward motion.
Kakeru watched her for another moment. "Does it have anything to do with how Akane's acting now?" he asked, his sunset-colored eyes flashing.
Darn, he's sharp, Luna thought, rubbing her temple. Nonetheless, she didn't respond.
Sensing her discomfort, Kakeru continued softly, "You don't need to answer if you don't want to."
"It's fine, I'll answer," Luna said, drawing in a breath. "Seeing Akane just now... brought back some bad memories from my childhood, that's all."
Kakeru guessed he shouldn't press any further, as Luna looked really miserable when she brought up her past. "I see," he said, softly and simply.
On the other side of the room, Yuki was sitting at a desk as MEM-cho stood near her, watching Akane and Aqua in one corner and Kakeru and Luna in the other.
"I already knew that Akane was acting strange, but Aqu-tan and Luna-chan are too, don't you think?" MEM-cho asked Yuki, placing her hands on her desk.
"Hm?" Yuki hummed as she blinked. "I know Luna-chan hasn't left the window since we've walked into this room, but I don't know about Aqua-kun."
"Let's find out," MEM-cho said with a scheming look on her face. Then she called to Aqua, "Hey, Aqu-tan, grab that pouch for me!"
"I'm thinking about something - do it yourself," Aqua responded bluntly.
"It won't take you long," Akane said, tilting her head. "Just get it for her."
"'Kay."
Aqua picked up the puppy-shaped case and handed it to MEM-cho. "Here," he said simply.
MEM-cho accepted the pouch and dashed back to Yuki at lightning speed. "See?! It's like he'll only listen to Akane!" she shouted, pointing at Aqua. From the window, Kakeru and Luna looked over in surprise.
"That seriously is his type, huh?" MEM-cho said, covering her mouth.
"Akane totally nailed the role," Yuki whispered as Akane, Aqua, Kakeru, and Luna continued to stare at them.
"It's not like that," Aqua denied.
"Well, well, you like her, don't you?" MEM-cho asked, popping out from Akane's right.
"You like the new Akane, huh?" Yuki chimed in as she appeared from Akane's left.
The two of them pushed Akane closer to Aqua, giggling as they went, causing Aqua to start sweating profusely.
"Uh, guys..." Luna started, starting to raise a hand.
"Knock it off," he tried feebly as the two girls continued lightly teasing him.
Aqua watched as Akane tilted her head slightly, her newly starlit eyes becoming even more apparent. He placed a hand over his face, feeling his cheeks burn up.
"Hmm?" Yuki asked, having heard his small response.
"Like I said... seriously, stop," Aqua practically whispered.
"Wait, that reaction..." Yuki trailed off. "You're dead serious."
Turning his back on them, Aqua quickly walked across the classroom, slid open the sliding door and headed out, slamming the door back as he went.
"Aqua! Wait!" Luna called as she went after her brother.
"Well, nice going," Kakeru commented as he walked over to them with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "You guys managed to scare him off."
"What are you going to do, Akane?!" Yuki asked hurriedly.
"He's seriously serious about you?!" MEM-cho piped up.
"What'll you do?! Well?!"
Akane's hands gripped her notebook as she brought it up to her face. "Wh-what should I do...?" she repeated, her usual nervousness returning.
"Oh! She's back to the same old Akane!"
"So, if he shows he's serious about you, will you return his feelings?!" MEM-cho asked excitedly.
"Can you see you two dating for real?!" Yuki chimed in.
Akane flushed and covered her mouth with her notepad. "If I had to say one way or the other...
"Yes."
Yuki and MEM-cho both squealed.
"In that case, you'll have to stay on the offensive like that, even if it's behind the scenes!" Yuki advised.
"For real?!"
"For real!"
"This is getting interesting!" MEM-cho and Yuki exclaimed excitedly, throwing their hands up in the air.
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"This is dull," Kana said. "I'm sick of the show. I'm done watching it."
Standing up, she said, "In the first place, the whole concept of watching other people's love lives from the comfort of your home is in bad taste. Like, 'Who should pair off with who?' What's with that? Are you a racehorse owner? Trying to breed a horse that can win the Kikuka-sho?
"Oh, good grief. I'm through with that show. I don't want to see Aqua's face, either.
"Bye-bye. Farewell."
The door to the studio closed as Ruby stared at Akane on the screen.
"Mama..."
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In my early childhood, I spent a few years together with Ai, but I feel like I wasn't able to truly learn a single thing about her in the end.
I wasn't able to understand anything about her.
Where did the lies end...
...and where did the truths begin?
What exactly is Ai to me?
Am I her fan? Is she a mother to me?
Or...
When morning came, Kana was walking to school, she overheard some girls talking about Love Now.
"I'd been really hot on Yuki-Yuki..." said one girl. "but lately Aqu-Aka is crushing it, right?!
"Since Akane came back, she seems more stylish. Isn't she super cute?! What strength she showed together with Aqua in overcoming that stir...
"She's really turning her attention to him. It's adorable!"
"It's almost the final episode, huh?" her friend continued.
"I wish it'd go on longer. I mean, it finally got interesting!" the girl said.
"Last season, the couple kissed at the end!"
"Wow, crazy! The anticipation's killing me!"
The light for the crosswalk turned green and everyone moved forward, except for Kana, who stared down at her feet.
When she went to take a step forward, she heard a voice behind her.
"Arima."
Kana turned around to find Aqua and Luna standing behind her.
"Kana Arima," Aqua started. "Hey, wanna skip school and hang out with me today?"
Kana's face brightened up into a shocked, excited expression.
"Yeah!" she exclaimed as the light for the crosswalk turned red again.
"Onii-chan thought you might have been upset about the last episode, so I convinced him to bring you out today," Luna informed her as she walked closer. "Have fun!"
When the light for the crosswalk turned green, Luna walked off, leaving Kana alone with Aqua.
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Sometime later, Kana was starting to regret her decision.
In her hand, she had a baseball glove and a baseball.
"You really are an odd one," she said to Aqua.
"You think so?" he asked.
"I sure do!" Kana replied. "When I think about what a young guy and girl would do after escaping the prison known as school, leisurely playing catch in the park is not what comes to mind! And you even went and bought a ball and baseball gloves! Super weird!"
"Just throw the ball," Aqua told her as he walked a bit further away.
Kana pouted. "You know, I've never played baseball be- Ah, sorry!" she called as the ball veered off course and rolled off.
"It's okay," Aqua said as he ran after the ball.
Kana watched before she spoke up again, "I'm so bad at this - shouldn't you have invited someone who knows what they're doing? Like Ruby or Luna... Now that I think about it, I should've asked Luna to come along..."
"What kind of brother would make his little sisters cut class?" Aqua asked with a stern look on his face.
"There's that gross sister complex," Kana muttered. "Then, what about someone from Love Now? You guys get along well, right?"
"Well, we don't get along poorly..." Aqua said slowly as he threw the ball into his glove. "But, it's just a job, or rather, we're not super close."
"Oh, I see," Kana said, shifting her gaze to the side.
"We lie and are always calculating our next move, so I don't have many people around with whom I can have an idle chat free from ulterior motives, other than my sister," he continued before pausing and throwing the baseball at Kana, which ended up sailing over her head.
As Kana chased after the ball, he said, "But, I don't have to care about all that with you."
"Hey, care a bit!" Kana yelled, jumping up from the ground.
As she walked back to her position, she sighed and continued, "Well, that said... I guess being chosen by you for that role doesn't feel so bad."
Kana threw the ball and this time, Aqua caught it.
"Love Now is wrapping up filming soon, right?" she asked.
"Yeah," he confirmed and threw the ball back at her.
Kana hopped up a bit to catch the ball. "Yuki's the most popular, isn't she?" she asked. "Your sister isn't half-bad either. And well, it does seem like Akane Kurokawa is doing well lately."
The two of them passed the baseball back and forth in silence before Kana piped up again. "Level with me, who're you going for?" she asked.
"I see it as just a job, so it's not like that for me," Aqua replied.
"But, you at least have a type, right? Like, a thing for younger girls or a thing for older girls!" Kana elaborated.
Aqua was quiet for a moment but finally answered, "Don't ask me tough questions."
...
Lately, I've become keenly aware... that people's thinking is greatly influenced by their physical development.
When I was a baby, it was hard to make firm memories due to infantile amnesia, and during puberty - one's second growth period - I strongly felt a heightened wariness of those around me.
As I grow, my mind increasingly suits my body and environment.
The boundary between "me" and "Aqua Hoshino" is steadily vanishing.
"There's something I've been thinking, but I was too scared to ask..." Kana started. "Could it be that you... have delusions of grandeur? Hurry up and grow outta it. It's cringey."
In response, Aqua chucked the ball at her extra hard. Kana shrieked as it landed with a thump in her glove.
"In short, I'm a high schooler, too," Aqua said matter-of-factly. "I view girls around my age as potential love interests."
At that, Kana's gloved hand stopped trembling.
"Well, there's no doubt I prefer them to be a bit above me in age," Aqua continued.
"So, you like older girls?" Kana asked, feeling extremely happy that she was one year above him.
After a few seconds of this, Aqua prompted, "Throw the ball already."
"Oh!" Kana said, realizing that a certain someone was also a 2nd year in high school...
"Oh..." Kana grunted, brooding over the fact.
"What is it?" Aqua asked again.
"Nothing!" she growled as she threw the ball back at Aqua hard. Aqua caught it without breaking a sweat.
"Whoa, nice throw," he complimented her with a smile.
"It was?" Kana asked, bewildered.
"You really don't have any experience?" Aqua asked her.
"That's right," Kana said, looking extremely happy. "Doing it with you is my first time. My very first time."
Aqua watched her as Kana giggled. "Maybe I'll aim to be an idol who throws ceremonial first pitches," she continued.
...
Sure enough, my feelings toward Akane Kurokawa aren't of that nature.
I owe Arima my gratitude.
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The next filming day...
I've sorted out my feelings.
I'm simply seeing the ghost of Ai Hoshino in Akane Kurokawa.
"Filming is just about to wrap up," Akane said to Aqua as she walked over to him. "I'm sad for it to end."
Glancing wistfully out the window for a second, she clapped her hands together. "When I put on a character in just the way you advised me to, I gained popularity... You really helped me out," Akane said. "Arigato."
Aqua glanced to the side. "You're acting as Ai... Er, the way you got into character..." he started to say. "It was like I was in a dream, as if I was seeing the real deal. How'd you manage it?"
"Well, uh, it wasn't all that impressive..." Akane stuttered nervously, fidgeting her fingers. She took out her notebook as she continued, "I do read books on profiling and stuff, though. I just did a bunch of research and interpreted her in my own way. Plus, I fleshed out her background with my own assumptions."
"Your own assumptions?" Aqua questioned.
Akane nodded. "Yeah. For example...
"that Ai actually had a child in secret."
Three feet away and sitting at a desk scrolling through photos, Luna's grip on her phone slackened as her face paled in color.
"If I do that, it allows me to achieve coherence between her various emotions and understand the reasons behind her many inexplicable actions," Akane explained as Aqua's eyes darkened in shock. "What was she thinking and what kind of personality did she have? The answers come into view like a mathematical puzzle!"
"How good of a grasp do you have on Ai's thought patterns?" Aqua asked darkly.
Akane let out a small "oh" as she put her hand on her chin in thought. "From the way she lived her life to what kind of guys she was into, I think I have it pretty much figured out," she said, her eyes taking on a starry sheen again.
Aqua remained silent.
...
The entertainment industry is a place where talent gathers.
As for what Ai Hoshino, that freewheeling epitome of talent, was feeling and what she hoped to do, I still hadn't been able to understand in the slightest.
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The last day of filming took place in the big city on a clear night.
Nobu confessed to Yuki first, along with a lovely bouquet of flowers. But to everyone's surprise, Yuki glanced to the side apologetically and turned him down, bowing respectfully. Nobu practically sank to the ground in shock as most of the other cast members watched, surprised.
...
I dare say that the talent known as Akane Kurokawa understands Ai far more deeply than I do - despite the years I spent with her - and is imitating her behavior perfectly.
Kengo went next, playing a ballad on his knees for MEM-cho, who also turned him down sympathetically. Nonetheless, Kengo stood up and bowed at her thankfully for listening.
Then came Kakeru, gifting Luna a beautiful silver bracelet with crescent moon and star charms on it plus a staged confession, to which Luna smiled happily at the gift and politely turned him down.
...
We have a purely working relationship.
Once the show is over, I suspect we won't see each other anymore.
Finally, Aqua approached Akane, who was seated on the edge of the stone wall. He knelt down slightly and gently caressed her cheek, causing Akane to turn away slightly, a bit flustered. Aqua slowly voiced his confession as he drew Akane closer.
...
But... I can use Akane Kurokawa.
I can't just let her go now.
As the two of them kissed, the cast members watched in shock and surprise. Offset, the director and Kaburagi clapped for them as the other cast members joined in as well. After Aqua and Akane broke the kiss, Akane nodded her acceptance to his confession.
Meanwhile, Luna had clapped along with the rest of the cast with her naturally practiced bright smile. But on the inside, she felt uneasy.
...
This is bad.
Now that onii-chan knows how smart Akane is, his only intent with her will be to gather more information on our father.
Whatever relationship Akane wishes to have with Aqua will never become true since there is no way in her wildest imagination she'll guess what exactly Aqua wants with her.
Unless I'm wrong about that, of course. But poor Akane...
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In the dark room, Kana sat on her bed, her phone beside her showing the words "Couple Established" in golden lettering.
"Aw... This is seriously the worst," she muttered, pulling her knees to her chest.
"Drop dead, you big jerk."
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Cast party day...
"Filming has wrapped on My Love with a Star Begins Now!"
"Good work, everyone!"
In the center of the bar, all eight of the cast members clinked their glasses together in celebration.
"Well, looking back on it, it was over in a flash," Kengo remarked as everyone took a sip of their drink.
"We went through a lot, but it was really fun," Akane added, staring down at her glass.
"If you feel that way, Akane, the rest of us can't complain!" Nobu said, smiling happily.
"So..." MEM-cho started as she slid up to Aqua.
"Can we get the scoop?" Yuki asked as she did the same.
"That kiss at the end! Are you two gonna date for real?!" MEM-cho asked loudly.
"How'll it turn out?!" Yuki chimed in as she turned to Akane, who turned away blushing. Everyone looked at them expectantly for an answer.
"I don't know," Akane finally admitted. "With the way the show was unfolding, doing that made sense... but I have a job and stuff, so the idea of a love life..."
"C'mon, even for entertainers it's only natural to have a boyfriend or two once you hit high school age!" Nobu said, placing a hand on Akane's back.
"Yuki, you run through one boyfriend after another, don't you?" MEM-cho asked smugly.
"Is that the impression I give off?" Yuki asked lowly, looking offended. "The real honest truth is that I've put my job above all else and never even had a boyfriend up till now."
"Get out!" MEM-cho said in shock.
"It's true, apparently," Akane jumped in. "I heard as much from someone in her performing arts department."
"I didn't expect you to be so chaste," MEM-cho said, putting a hand on her chin.
As the rest of the cast continued their conversation, Aqua and Luna caught each other's eye, set down their glasses, and went to find Producer Kaburagi.
"But there are lots of models and such like that. Even for idols and actresses, I don't think the percent with boyfriends is different than for typical girls.
"Naturally, at agencies that ban dating as a selling point, the ratio seems to be lower, though. And occasionally those relationships get exposed.
"In that sense, a good thing about dating on the show is that you don't need to worry about it becoming a scandal!" MEM-cho explained.
"But still..." Akane started, unsure.
"Yeah, that's right. We'd like you to use the show to your benefit," the director chimed in, holding up his cup of beer and taking a sip. After wiping his mouth, he continued, "The show's staff won't get involved from here on out. Whether the couple keeps dating or breaks up is entirely up to them.
"There are several pairs that kept on dating and eventually got married. And there are others who just call themselves a couple for a few months for the sake of appearances.
"Really think it over and decide for yourself. In this industry, there are lots of rotten grown-ups who just exploit the talent of you guys and then toss you aside. There are sweet temptations aplenty, but those who easily get caught up in the atmosphere invariably end up in one place: hell."
The director chugged down the rest of his cup. "Well, that's some advice from another bad adult," he remarked as the rest of the cast laughed nervously.
"Speaking of which, where'd the two bad kids go?"
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Outside the bar, Aqua and Luna caught on to Kaburagi, who was out smoking.
"Love Now has been well received," Kaburagi said after blowing out a puff of smoke. "It would seem my judgment in selecting you two wasn't wrong, no?"
"I wonder," Aqua replied blankly. "Besides, it appears the storm of online criticism is what got the show attention."
"I heard you two were the ones who patched up the situation afterwards," Kaburagi continued. "However, that video... caused a bit of trouble for the higher-ups.
"It's an ironclad rule in the industry not to leak raw footage to the public. So they were like, 'What in the world is this?'
"Though you two were cast members, you nevertheless broke a taboo. There was even talk of seeking damages from Strawberry Productions."
Luna and Aqua looked at each other. "But, that didn't happen," Luna spoke up. "Right?"
Kaburagi smiled as Luna continued, "Cast members being able to upload candid photos and videos to the show's official social media accounts is written into the contract, which is why we decided to upload the video to an official social media account. We did our jobs to the letter of the contract."
"Shrewd ones, aren't you?" Kaburagi said, amused. Luna tried her best to not roll her eyes.
"Thanks," Aqua said instead.
"Furthermore, you two honored your agreement with me and did a fine job," Kaburagi said as he snuffed out his cigarette. "I'll have to properly reward your efforts."
Once he dumped his cigarette into the bin, he proposed, "How about we go out for some sushi next week? I'll give you some choice info about Ai."
"We'll keep our schedules open," Aqua said after a quick glance at his sister. When Kaburagi disappeared around the corner, the two siblings heard someone else running toward them.
"Oh, Aqua! Luna!" Yuki called as they turned around. "Come here for a sec!"
Behind her, Nobu also called out, "We won't let you two slip away!"
"Alright, alright, we're coming!" Luna said, putting on her bright smile and walking toward them. Aqua paused a bit before following.
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For the rest of the night, the cast members mingled with the staff, striking up conversations and such. Luna and Kakeru hung out in a corner away from the crowd, quietly sipping their drinks.
"I actually wanted to ask you," Kakeru started tentatively. "Did you have a reason to join this show?"
"Oh, that?" Luna sighed, tilting her head. "My brother and I had an agreement with Producer Kaburagi about something. He said he would give us what we wanted if we joined this show as he instructed."
"I see... I won't press further then," Kakeru mumbled awkwardly, taking another sip of his drink.
"I actually had another reason for joining though," Luna continued, glancing down at her glass. "I... really wanted to make some friends. My mother passed away when I was really young, and I never really left the house since. So I was basically living in the shadows for a good majority of my younger life. I only started opening up to the outside world a few years ago and was quite lonely. Until now at least..."
Kakeru watched, curious, as Luna swept her gaze over the other cast members. "I'm glad I found some to last," she said, smiling at Kakeru.
"I promise I'll be the very best friend you'll ever have!" Kakeru exclaimed, bowing at her playfully. Luna giggled at his actions.
"Arigato gozaimasu, Kakeru-kun!"
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As the party drew to a close and everyone got ready to leave, Luna quickly caught up with Akane and tapped her shoulder.
"Hey, Akane-chan," she started. "I don't know what terms you and my brother are on, but if he ever does anything bad to you, just tell me and I'll deal with him, okay?"
"Oh? You really don't have to..." Akane trailed off. "I still need to repay you for that day, too..."
"Nani? There's seriously no need," Luna replied, smiling lightly at her. "I did what I could for you and I'm glad you're still alive! Aqua might be shrewd sometimes, but he never disobeys me for some reason. So, if you ever have any trouble with him, I can most likely help, alright?"
"Ah... okay, arigato, Luna-chan," Akane said, returning her smile. Luna gave her one last tight hug before the two of them parted ways, with Luna walking toward her brother and MEM-cho while Akane joined Kengo, Nobu, Kakeru, and Yuki.
"Well, see you later!" Yuki called, waving at the trio down the sidewalk.
"Good night!" Kengo added with a smile.
MEM-cho and Luna returned Yuki's wave as Aqua stood beside them.
"You're not taking a taxi, MEM?" Aqua asked her.
"Nope, I live close enough to walk home," MEM-cho replied.
"Come to think of it, this is basically your neighborhood," Luna remarked.
"Well, many people in the industry live around here," MEM-cho said as she stared at the rainbow-colored lights of the city.
Aqua and Luna started to walk down the sidewalk, but they paused and turned around when MEM-cho didn't follow.
The night wind softly billowed through her hair as MEM-cho gazed at the city lights.
"I'm feeling a bit sad," she finally said. "I really liked being on set with everyone."
"That right?" Aqua asked after a bit.
"But, it seems you're not feeling all that sad?" MEM-cho questioned Aqua as she turned around. "I mean, you are Akane's boyfriend now."
"It's nothing more than a work relationship," Aqua replied, starting to walk away again. MEM-cho and Luna followed him.
"Well, I guess it's fine if that's how it is at the start," MEM-cho said, her arms behind her head. "You guys might start dating for real in time."
"Not happening," Aqua immediately denied.
"So you say, but I saw you blush when Akane was portraying Ai," MEM-cho teased as she walked in front of him. Aqua turned away from her as she smiled smugly.
"Anyway, you sure know your stuff. B Komachi was before your time, right?" Aqua asked, turning the topic away from him.
"No, no! Everyone adores B Komachi, you see!" MEM-cho reasoned.
After a few more steps, MEM-cho stopped in front of them.
"This is just between us, okay?" she said.
"The truth is, originally I wanted to be an idol."
Aqua and Luna looked at her, surprised as she continued, "But, I suffered some setbacks and gave up on it. I'm doing well as a YouTuber now, though!"
Aqua hummed in response. Then he glanced at Luna and proposed, "Then, why not join our agency?"
"Huh?"
"The new B Komachi is currently recruiting additional members," Luna informed her with a smile. "You can join me, my sister, and our other member in our idol group."
"Me? In B Komachi?" MEM-cho asked nervously. "C'mon, quit joking like..."
She trailed off when she noticed the serious look in the Hoshino siblings' eyes.
MEM-cho's eyes lit up in surprise and happiness as she clasped her hands together.
╚═══════*.·:·.★ ✦ ★･:･:*══════╝
heyyyy
I think this is the longest chapter I have ever written for this book currently...
about 4600+ words :DDDD
btw, this is the closest I can imagine Kakeru looking like
☆ 日下 翔 / Kusaka Kakeru ☆