After the twins and I went to the theater troupe, time passed again, and Kaoru and Ai’s wedding anniversary arrived.
Because we’d been swamped with comeback preparations, Kaoru simply gave Ai a pretty pair of luxury heels that would suit her, along with a cake.
Ai came home late at night and thanked him, saying she was sorry she’d been too busy to properly take care of the present. She looked so apologetic and flustered that she didn’t know what to do.
"It’s fine. Ai, you’re my [present]."
With that cheesy line—personally delivered by Rentaro—he pulled his wife close and kissed her.
Of course, Aqua, who had stayed awake to celebrate his parents’ anniversary from the side, ...
Kyaaaagh!
...ended up spitting out the drink he’d been dramatically sipping and combusting on the spot.
Watching his father casually fire off cheesy lines and kiss his wife right in front of the children, Aqua clenched his fists and even made a bizarre vow: even if he got married someday, he would never be able to do that much to his own wife.
Meanwhile, Ruby was just as dazzled by Kaoru’s romantic serenade, her starlit eyes sparkling as she let out one admiring exclamation after another.
Wasn’t seeing her favorite person smile so happily the greatest reward of all?!
-
< B Komachi makes a full-group comeback after three years with the new song "Forever Star★B"! >
< Five days until B Komachi’s comeback... album preorders crash the server amid fierce competition... >
< Fandoms go wild over the music video teaser... 3 million YouTube views in just six hours >
< Not a little girl anymore, but a beautiful young lady... B Komachi’s fresh new charm! >
< Changing idol fandom culture... Ai’s existence is no longer a scarlet letter >
< Official Ichigo Production Twitter posts practice photos of Ai and the members... showing the ace member’s unwavering strength >
- Damn, it’s finally happening!!!!!
- The members have all worked so hard. Hurry up and show us the best stage ever!
- I heard M Ste (Asahi TV Music Station) is their first stage, so I’m definitely watching live~
- Took the day off for this
- So excited!!!!
- Show us the power of a married woman and mother of three! Still rooting for you though~ Ai-chan!!!
ㄴ You crazy bastard wwww
- I heard if you buy the album, you get member keychains as a bonus. I’m collecting every version www
- Level 12 Kamiki bloodlust detected. Take your hands off the keyboard!!!
- I’m so looking forward to Aqua and Ruby’s reactions.
"And now, the next news. With the comeback of the popular idol group B Komachi set for April 1, fans’ support is heating up..."
"...and setting new records every day with that scorching momentum..."
"The changed concept really stands out, doesn’t it? They’ve kept the fresh, cute image they were known for, while also showing a more mature, sophisticated side..."
From well before April 1, the media and fans alike were brimming with anticipation as they waited for B Komachi’s comeback.
B Komachi, one of the most popular idol groups in Japan. And Ai, the most popular member of them all, returning to idol life after three years!
At first, there had been a flood of concern and criticism over the fact that she was coming back as a married woman and mother of three, but those voices were only a minority. The general public and core fans who welcomed and supported Ai’s return were overwhelmingly louder, and the backlash was quickly crushed.
As if to prove how much her status had changed, fans overseas were just as intense—tweets supporting B Komachi’s comeback were pouring in from Korea, China, Taiwan, and even the United States and Brazil.
While the world was buzzing over B Komachi’s return—
"One, two, three, four!"
"Hup!"
"Louder! MeiMei, louder!"
"Keep the timing together. Don’t hit the beat straight on—make it one~~ha! two~~oo! like this. See?"
"Again! Again! From the top. One, two, three, four!"
Seven women were sweating in the practice room, working hard and staring into the mirror as they rehearsed for their comeback stage.
After establishing the subsidiary Ichigo Label, President Ichigo signed exclusive contracts with the key staff who would support B Komachi—famous vocal trainers, dance trainers, choreographers, and even a composer and sound engineer.
With an unprecedented large-scale investment behind them, President Ichigo resolved to preserve B Komachi’s strengths and identity while improving the parts that could be improved in order to realize his expanded dream.
Of course, a sudden concept shift would feel alien to fans, so they avoided overly aggressive choreography and performances. Instead, they chose a strategy that would hook viewers with stylish, addictive choreography.
♬♪♪~
The dazzling dance moved with crisp precision. The fresh, lively beat and song instantly took over the practice room.
The choreography was adapted from flashy, addictive dances popular in the West, such as Crip Walk and shuffle, then adjusted to fit the song and concept.
In the climax, the dance used only the feet and no hands, drawing everyone’s attention at once.
"Hee..."
"Wow..."
With Ichigo’s permission, Aqua and Ruby sat in chairs in one corner of the practice room, watching Ai and the members rehearse with their mouths hanging open.
They had never dreamed they’d get to see their favorite person practicing so hard for a comeback stage with their own eyes.
Especially when Ai stood at the center, with Takamine and Nino like wings on either side, forming a V-shaped line and dancing together—the sight sent Aqua and Ruby’s hearts fluttering so hard they were practically about to burst.
Ruby, who had been born in this life as the child of her favorite idol and had finally achieved her dream, stared blankly with dazed eyes.
"So good-★"
She watched Ai’s smile as she practiced with sparkling, starlit eyes and all her passion, sweat beading on her face.
Her mom was truly beautiful and lovely and fantastical when acting in dramas, too... but Ruby thought once again that Mom, radiating charisma and [aura] as an [idol], was the most beautiful, lovely, and fantastical of all.
Aqua felt the same way, apparently, because his eyes even grew moist with tears as he silently watched Ai rehearse.
The favorite person who had given birth to him and Ruby, and whose entire career had nearly been ruined because of it...
Was finally sweating and practicing hard in order to make a dazzling comeback as the ace member of B Komachi!
This was... a [miracle]!
"I could die without regret—mmph!"
"...."
Aqua clapped a small hand over Ruby’s mouth.
Even so, how could he not? They’d been reborn and reunited! As the child of their favorite person... wasn’t it a child’s duty to stay by the side of the one they loved most?
Ruby gave an awkward smile at the look in Aqua’s eyes, which seemed to carry his inner thoughts, and rubbed her head against her brother’s arm.
When practice ended and Ai came over for a short break to drink water, Ruby quickly noticed and held out the bottle to her.
"Mama! Water here!"
"Hee! Thanks, Ruby♥ I’ll drink it well?"
"Mm-hm~!"
Ai affectionately stroked Ruby’s hair and cheek, then drank the cool water deeply.
The white short-sleeved top she wore for practice was soaked with sweat, showing just how much stamina the comeback choreography demanded.
But if the body was tired and the heart was happy, that was enough!
Ai pulled the half-empty bottle from her lips and—
"Hyaa~★"
—let out a refreshing sigh and smiled happily.
Takamine and Nino approached her, wiping sweat from their faces.
"Ai, how does it feel to practice in front of Aqua-chan and Ruby-chan?"
At Takamine’s question, Ai’s starlit eyes sparkled as she looked at Ruby and Aqua and smiled.
"It feels like I’m dreaming-★ I could feel Aqua and Ruby’s sparkling eyes, so my heart was beating even faster... it felt so strange and exciting!"
At Ai’s words, Ruby’s eyes lit up immediately and she spread both arms wide.
"Mama~♥"
"Ah, Ruby? Mama’s clothes are sweaty, so no~"
"It’s okay! Mama’s sweat is clean and fragrant!"
Haaah—! Ruby puffed out her breaths wildly, filling herself with private desire.
The scent of her favorite person’s sweat, something she could enjoy as a daughter! This was it?! This was it! This was it!!!!!!!
But unlike Ruby, who was happily indulging her own desires... Aqua could only swallow blood tears beside her and clench his fists.
'I’m jealous...!!!!'
Takamine and Nino looked at the trembling Aqua and the unnaturally flushed Ruby, whose face was lit with desire despite being a child, with confused expressions.
Then Kyunpan came running over in a panic, looked at Aqua and Ruby, and stamped her feet excitedly.
"Kyaaah! So cute!!!!! Ai-nee-san, wouldn’t it be adorable if Aqua and Ruby learned the choreography too?!"
"Eh? The choreography?"
"The choreography?"
Ai and Takamine tilted their heads at Kyunpan at the same time.
The choreography this time was fairly difficult, so it was questionable whether the young twins could learn it well—but—
"I want to try!!!!!! Ruby wants to try too!!!!! I want to learn it!!!!!!!"
"......"
Ruby wanted it fiercely, and Aqua, though embarrassed and red-faced, didn’t say no.
Besides, since just watching practice would be boring and dull, Ai thought it might be nice to teach them a little choreography during the break.
Ai’s starlit eyes shone brightly as she nodded and said in a cheerful voice,
"Then should we learn it?"
"Yeah!"
"Yes!"
And so, the urgently formed [Aqua-Ruby choreography coaching operation] began!
All the members were excellent dancers, but after discussion, the ones chosen were Ai, Takamine, and MeiMei, who were especially skilled.
The rest of the members all pulled out their smartphones and became doting aunts, filming the twins learning to dance and Ai teaching them.
"Ruby, is it hard?"
"No, I’m fine! It’s easy when I think it through in my head!"
"Oh wow, Ruby’s seriously something else."
Following Ai and Takamine’s instructions, Ruby quickly copied the choreography with graceful lines.
Her astonishing talent made it easy for her to follow even choreography that would be difficult for an adult, let alone a child, and everyone, including Ai, gasped and applauded.
"Amazing, Ruby! How about Aqua~? Is it hard?"
"No. I’m okay, Mom. I-I’m... not as good as Ruby, but I’m okay."
"Hee-! You’re doing well, my son! It’s not easy to be good from the very beginning. Mama only gets on stage after practicing hard and putting in effort too, you know?"
Aqua, drenched in sweat, looked a little lost at the start, but he kept up well. Of course, compared to Ruby, his dancing was a little lacking.
Ruby, on the other hand, showed incredible talent and potential in dance, picking it up quickly and correcting her mistakes immediately.
But normally, it was impossible to dance well from the very beginning like Aqua, and getting lost was only natural.
"Ugh!"
Even in his past life, Aqua had been fairly athletic, and in this life too, he had inherited Kaoru’s blood, so his physical ability was outstanding.
But dance was one area where even that exceptional athleticism made things...
'Hard!'
The members burst into laughter and applauded the twins, who came from the same womb but had slightly clumsy, rougher dancing than Ruby.
"So cute~"
"Ruby really does take after Ai since she’s a girl, so she’s good at dancing~"
"Why? Aqua-chan is still young too, isn’t he? He’s pretty good for this age."
"Huh?"
Kyunpan, who had been filming the twins’ dance with her smartphone, suddenly glanced toward the practice room door.
Spotting a familiar figure standing there, she widened her rabbit eyes and pointed at the door as she shouted,
"Kaoru-san-!!!!"
...
"......"
"......"
"......"
"You called me just now, right?"
Five minutes had passed since the three people who had been drinking tea and chatting in the president’s office decided to come look at the practice room and arrived here.
Kaoru, who had been gazing fondly into the practice room through the window with President Ichigo and Miyako, pointed to himself with a pale face and asked.
Miyako averted her eyes and immediately trotted up to the floor above.
"M-Miyako-san?!"
When Kaoru tried to follow Miyako upstairs, President Ichigo grinned and grabbed his sleeve.
"Kaoru. Why are you trying to skip out? Aqua and Ruby picked it up just fine. Why don’t you try practicing too?"
Kaoru, with Ame in a baby carrier, flinched at her subtle stare and shook his head with all his might as he looked at President Ichigo.
"Just watching is enough for me. Sometimes it’s more fun to watch than to do it yourself. This is one of those times."
"Oh? The great Kaoru running away from a little dance?"
At Ichigo’s provocation, Kaoru’s brow twitched as if to say, what are you talking about?
"I’m not running away, I’m just—"
"Waaah— Mama~ Mama~ Mama!"
"...Ame?!"
"Kuhaha~! Ame is calling for her mom here~! What a good daughter, a good daughter! As expected, Ame is as sharp as the twins~!"
There was no one on his side here. Already, Takamine and the other members were rushing over from inside the practice room to catch Kaoru.
Kaoru made a face like he’d lost his country in a single instant, then—
"Ameee! Aren’t you just way too cute?!"
"Auntie, auntie~! Say auntie~ auntie~!"
"Ame! Do you remember Auntie? It’s Takai-nee who gave you chocolate~!"
"Do you remember Nino auntie? Auntie used to hold you and take care of you, remember?"
"Auntieee~ Auntieee~"
"""Kyaaah~~~♥ So cute!"""
While the members were distracted by Ame, Kaoru quietly raised a finger to his lips and headed for the practice room door with the twins.
But the members were not about to let that slide.
"Kaoru-san? The practice room is here. Where are you going?"
"Haha..."
"You were staring at us so intensely from outside the practice room~? Hmm~ Ai might feel left out if she knew~?"
"......"
Ai’s starlit eyes turned cold as she looked at her husband, and Kaoru swallowed dryly and denied it with all his might.
"No, Ai. Absolutely not. I was only looking at you and the twins."
"......"
"Eeh~ Then were you hoping to try the choreography yourself?!"
"That’s right! That must be it~!"
"Kaoru-san, you look like you’d be really good at dancing, though?"
"Right. Your body is long and lean overall, so the lines would look great!"
As Nino looked at Kaoru with a devilish smile and spoke, the members all began ganging up on him at once as if they had planned it.
'This is bad.'
This felt like the same level of mortal danger as being chased by the CIA! Kaoru broke out in a cold sweat, waved his hands frantically, and said in a rush,
"Hahaha. S-sorry. I’m just not suited for dancing. Hahahaha!"
Unlike his usual self, Kaoru was completely flustered as he struggled with all his might to escape the six members.
The twins only watched with interest, observing the standoff from a neutral position. To be honest, Aqua and Ruby also wanted to see Kaoru dance once!
The only ally Kaoru had left was his wife.
'Ai, help me!'
Kaoru’s blue eyes trembled pitifully.
After looking at her husband’s gaze for a moment, Ai’s starlit eyes began to gleam in a strange, eerie way.
"...Heh."
Her husband, who was always unshakably strong, was showing a weak side and desperately asking her for help.
Those sorrowful blue eyes and that troubled expression.
She shouldn’t have thought this way, but... for the first time in her life, Ai found herself feeling a deeply dark and private desire to torment Kaoru a little more and make him cry.
Seeing Kaoru’s weak side like this was truly, truly rare.
Silently thanking the members in her heart, Ai stuck out her tongue a little with a strange smile.
"Then, where should we start, Kaoru?"
"Kyaaahhh~"
"Ai gave permission!"
"Kuh. A-Ai?!"
Kaoru turned to stone in an instant and staggered.
Whether she knew or not that her father’s heart was collapsing, Ame, who was strapped to him in the baby carrier, smiled innocently and patted Kaoru’s chest.
"Taaah~ Hehe~ Papa~"
And so, the urgently formed [Kaoru dance coaching team] began!
The members were the same: Ai, Takamine, and MeiMei.
Kaoru, with the air of a man being led to the slaughterhouse, handed Ame over to the twins, sighed heavily, and stood in the center of the practice room.
"All right! Kaoru! Let’s get started-★"
"......"
Watching Ai smile brightly as if she knew nothing, Kaoru nodded with the determination to get his revenge properly once they got home.
"One, two, three! Lift your arms like this, then swish! Can you try it?"
"Like this?"
"Oh~ You’re good at this."
"Cool★"
Likewise, the members all held up their smartphones and filmed Kaoru’s practice video while tossing in comments one by one.
He hadn’t been born with the naturally beautiful dance lines Ruby had, but everyone there knew that could be refined through blood, sweat, and relentless practice.
Like Aqua, he was a little rough around the edges, but his long limbs and athletic reflexes let him catch the missing pieces with quick instinct and fill them in.
"Okay! One, two, three!"
"Yes. One, two, three!"
"Wow. Kaoru-san, you’re really good at this."
"Haha. Thank you."
Kaoru brushed his hair back and gave Takamine an awkward smile of thanks.
Not to be outdone, Ai, as his wife, used her hands to point out the missing choreography details all over his body.
"Here. Like this! Heehee... Kaoru. Your face is red."
"......"
As Ai laughed innocently and lightly traced his side with the tip of her finger, Kaoru flinched and swallowed a groan.
And the twins were watching, too—what was this?!
At this point, they already knew how many little marks each other had on their private parts, so it was only natural that she’d know his weak spots too.
At his wife’s subtle yet impure(?) touch, Kaoru’s eyes blazed.
It was a terrifying resolve to get revenge properly once they got home.
"Like this—feet—one, two. Wait, this is absolutely impossible. Kaoru-san’s feet are too big?!"
"It’s okay! Kaoru can do it! His feet are 280 mm, but he can do it!"
The stylish, light choreography originally created for the B Komachi members changed under the influence of Kaoru’s enormous feet, gaining a wild, powerful energy that hadn’t existed in the original version.
Unlike his cool, handsome face, the dance now gave off a distinctly masculine energy, leaving the members unsure whether to laugh or be impressed.
Still, with Kaoru’s visuals and physique added in, he managed to pull off a pretty decent routine in just twenty minutes.
"Papa’s dance... Mama’s dance was pretty, but Papa’s dance is cool..."
"Yeah. It definitely feels different."
The siblings watched Kaoru’s dancing closely.
Their father’s dance...
As expected, it was overflowing with coolness. Unlike the original choreography, this forceful, powerful version made them picture Kaoru at home doing home workouts with his muscular upper body exposed.
"Phew..."
"Hohoho~ Good job, Kaoru-san~ You learned so fast!"
"Wow, to think I got to be Kaoru-san’s dance teacher...! I’ll never forget this honor!"
"Kaoru, here’s water! Thanks for working so hard to learn it★"
Kaoru wiped the sweat from his face and, with his tired body, flopped down onto the chair beside the twins. Taking the water Ai handed him, he smiled faintly.
The one who takes care of a husband is, after all, his wife.
After drinking the water, Kaoru looked over at his wife and the members as they went back to practice, then turned to the twins and asked,
"How was... Dad’s dance?"
"It was super cool! Papa seems like he dances just as well as Ruby!"
"...Still, Mom is prettier, right?"
"Yes."
"Mm-hm!"
"Mama~ is best~"
So they can’t lie, huh, my babies.
Kaoru burst out laughing at the twins’ answer without a hint of hesitation, then nodded and took in the sight of his wife, who was focusing on choreography practice with her starlit eyes shining.
In the end, everything has its rightful owner.
No matter how hard he learned this dance, he would never captivate people the way his wife did when she performed it.
That was how beautiful and lovely his wife’s dancing was, and how completely it drew people in with its [aura] and charisma.
......
So then, as her husband.
He just needed to support her and use the idea that had suddenly come to him to add the finishing touch to his wife’s brilliant comeback stage.
A faint red starlight began to bloom in Kaoru’s blue eyes.
-
A twenty-second video was uploaded to B Komachi’s official YouTube channel.
The video was titled [STAR★B Challenge].
Although the full song had not yet been released, fans immediately started commenting as soon as the video of the members dancing together to the highlight section of the choreography was posted, wondering what was going on.
- What is this?
- Is this a pre-release?
- Huh? Isn’t this just choreography?
- STAR★B Challenge?
- The song is amazing.
- Wow, what is this choreography?!
- So pretty!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But the fans’ confusion was quickly cleared up.
Three hours later that same day.
A twenty-second video with the exact same title, [STAR★B Challenge], was uploaded to Kaoru’s official YouTube channel.
Ai, in her sparkling stage costume, and Kaoru, dressed in a shirt and slacks, met each other’s eyes for a moment—
♬♪♪-
—then smiled and started dancing together. Kaoru’s choreography wasn’t as perfect as Ai’s, but the timing was crisp and clean.
When the video ended with the final move perfectly in sync, and everyone realized it was the first video ever of Kaoru dancing—
- Holy shit! (8,000 likes / 360 more replies)
The videos uploaded to B Komachi’s channel and Kaoru’s channel surged to millions of views in just one day, and [STAR★B Challenge] immediately began trending on Twitter.
Even though the song hadn’t been released yet, the unprecedented promotional strategy of revealing a 20-second highlight choreography video was so bold that other singers and celebrities, as well as ordinary people, all joined in on the [STAR★B Challenge], eagerly uploading their own dance clips to social media and YouTube.
- This is insane
- My friend was practicing dance just to film this www
- Wow. B Komachi’s YouTube channel posted a mirror version of the STAR★B Challenge?!
- Are they just rowing hard while the tide is in?
- That dance is seriously pretty and addictive though?
- Wait, is that dance also one of the Kamiki style things?
- I love seeing the couple dancing so sweetly together. My eldest daughter made me film this because she wanted to do it too, so I had a hard time~
- Ai!!!!!!! B Komachi!!!!!!!!! I love you!!!!!! Let Forever STAR★B be a huge hit!!!!!!!!!
- Holy crap. Aragaki Satomi posted the STAR★B Challenge on Twitter too www Kaoru’s network is coming out in full force, damn it
< It’s the day before the comeback?! The [STAR★B Challenge] craze... >
< Everyone’s doing the [STAR★B Challenge]... the first-ever challenge marketing designed to inspire voluntary participation >
< The Kaoru-Ai couple’s [STAR★B Challenge]... even politicians are joining?! Newly elected lawmakers are uploading it one after another >
< Kaisei High School and even the University of Tokyo? Students are doing the [STAR★B Challenge] day and night >
< Takuya Kusanagi and XMAP members do the [STAR★B Challenge]! Showing the polish of an original idol group! >
< The [STAR★B Challenge] spreads overseas... sets a new daily record for Facebook feed views >
As if April 1 had already arrived, the public was completely captivated by B Komachi’s comeback news and started buying albums and merchandise one after another.
The albums were already in short supply, and Ichigo Label, the subsidiary of Ichigo Production, was forced into a 24-hour emergency work system as orders and workloads skyrocketed dozens of times over.
The unprecedented [STAR★B Challenge] spread through social media and naturally turned into a marketing boom for B Komachi.
The short twenty-second video, with its dynamic choreography, made it easy for the public to quickly understand and become interested.
And then finally—April 1. [Forever STAR★B], first revealed to the public through Music Station!
Asahi TV, which had specially scheduled the broadcast for B Komachi, threw everything it had into making sure B Komachi’s first stage would dominate the ratings.
Of course, Kaoru and the twins were also waiting in front of the TV with nervous hearts for B Komachi to appear.
"I can’t wait to see it!"
"Mama! Mama!!!"
"......"
Kaoru gripped the cheering baton Ruby had made herself and let his blue eyes shine.
Even though she wasn’t beside him, he could still feel what kind of emotion and what kind of heart Ai must be carrying as she waited for the stage.
And then, at last—
"[Forever STAR★B]. Please love us a lot!"
Ai stepped onto the stage, flashed her signature V sign toward the camera, and shouted with her brilliant starlit eyes.
-
"I’m nervous."
Just before going onstage, Nino, who was standing beside Ai, quietly took her hand and spoke.
She was nervous.
Ai felt the same way.
But at the same time, she was thrilled.
Ai’s starlit eyes sparkled as she held Nino’s hand tightly, smiled, and called out,
"Let’s show the fans... our [sincerity]—with everything we’ve got-★"
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