< New variety pilot program "Eyes Wide Open! Family of Stars!" scheduled for its first broadcast at 7:00 p.m. on January 1 >
< A cast lineup for the ages! Kamiki Kaoru♥Ai couple, Kusanagi Takuya♥Kubo Shizuka couple to appear… >
< Viewers buzz as news spreads of stars revealing their everyday lives… Taking over the top spots in Twitter’s real-time trends! >
< Following the record-breaking Red and White Song Battle, a record-breaking variety show is on the way… >
Along with articles pouring out from the media from the very day of filming, not just the trailer—
< Could it really be filming for [Family of Stars]? The Hoshino family spotted at a large supermarket, causing a stir >
< The Hoshino family appears at Uminomori Park… Seen strolling with people who seem to be the production staff >
The internet, and even social media, was set ablaze by citizens posting proof shots that they had seen the Hoshino family during the outdoor location shoot.
As public attention naturally focused on NHK’s new variety program, [Eyes Wide Open! Family of Stars!], NHK quickly edited together a trailer and started airing it during commercial breaks to increase how often viewers saw it.
Not only Kaoru and Ai as a couple, but also the pair of Kurokawa Takuya and Kubo Shizuka, who were considered top-tier stars alongside Kaoru, and Japan’s greatest baseball player, Suzuki Heichiro, and his wife Fukushima Yutsuko, were all appearing, so anticipation began to skyrocket.
"Wow, they’re really going all out with the ads…"
"Even without this much promotion, people would watch it, though."
There were viewers complaining that the ads were getting tiresome from how often they kept running.
"Mom! Wake me up no matter what on the night it airs!"
"Hey, let’s move our date to another day. I have to watch "Eyes Wide Open.""
""Eyes Wide Open"? You’re lying just to cancel our date, aren’t you? Answer meeee—!!!"
Some people even went so far as to cancel plans or give up sleep, choosing it as the most important time of their day.
"My sister saw Kamiki Kaoru and Kurokawa Takuya filming with their families at the supermarket! I was so jealous!"
"Honestly, they were just wearing caps and walking around, but that’s when I thought, wow, that’s what makes them celebrities."
"You have to see it with your own eyes to understand why they’re celebrities. No, seriously, their aura is just different."
Teenagers and people in their twenties, always sensitive to trends, gathered around their smartphones and chatted excitedly about the stars appearing on "Eyes Wide Open."
In particular, interest in the Hoshino family, who were familiar to the public not only through commercials but also through movies, dramas, and other legacy media, took up the largest share of the conversation.
As a program airing in a prime slot the day after the Red and White Song Battle, it also drew in a flood of corporate ad offers, leaving the station in an unexpected boom of advertising revenue.
"...The agency got an enormous amount of beef sent over as New Year’s gifts."
"Wow~★ Then tonight’s dinner is a hot pot party!"
As always, no matter how noisy the world got, the Hoshino family spent a happy, ordinary day.
Ichigo was too busy to come, but they called Miyako over too, and the whole family laughed together over beef hot pot at home.
Thanks to starting Ai’s first drink at twenty with Ichigo and Moriazo, her favorite liquor was Moriazo.
"Hehe— Kaoru—!"
"Ah, Ai."
"Heheh— It’s warm…"
"Mama! Ruby wants a hug too!"
"Sure~♥ Ruby, come hug Mama too— eeeh— Aqua~! My son… Mama’s so sad… Aqua too… in the new year… I want you to be extra, extra cute to Mamaoo—!"
As Ai, drunk and with the limits on her emotions gone, sniffled while clinging to Kaoru’s chest, Ruby, who was also in Ai’s arms, shot her brother a laser-like glare.
How dare he make her favorite cry?! Even if it’s her brother, this one can’t be forgiven!
Aqua, who had been peacefully enjoying the hot pot, was suddenly struck by a bolt from the blue and started trembling all over.
When he looked to Miyako for help—
"Ufufut— That’s right~! Aqua, you need to be extra cute too! Childhood is such a happy time, you know~?!"
"Hiiik!"
Miyako, who had already emptied both the Moriazo and all the beer cans, laughed heartily while roughly rubbing Aqua’s head.
As expected of a married couple, her drinking habits had somehow become exactly like Ichigo’s, and Aqua broke out in a cold sweat. He quietly got to his feet and went over to Ai, then climbed into her arms.
"Waaah— Aquaaa—★"
"Ruby will teach her big brother lots and lots of cute behavior, so— Mama, don’t cry!"
"Mmm… thank youuu— Ruby… Mama is so happyyy…"
"Haha. Son, wipe your mother’s tears for her."
"Y-yes."
No matter how much he drank, Kaoru had never once shown himself getting drunk. With an air of familiarity, he quietly pulled out a tissue and handed it to Aqua.
Aqua, sweating coldly, wiped away the tears spilling like a Milky Way from Ai’s starlit eyes and said, "I-I’m sorry if I upset you. I’ll be more affectionate."
"Sniffle— Really? Aqua, you promise?★"
"Ugh… y-yes, I promise."
As if she had never cried at all, Ai’s starlit eyes sparkled brightly as she pulled Aqua into her arms too and hugged him tight.
Watching that scene while chewing on meat, Ame—
"What are you doing, not eating while you eat…"
With the most mature words spoken by anyone there, she crossed her arms and shook her head from side to side.
Miyako could only smile helplessly at Ame’s adorable behavior.
Where had she learned that from? Or was Ame really speaking from the heart?
Maybe it was both, but whatever it was, Miyako didn’t care.
"Hehehe— our Aqua~ our Ruby~ our A…me? Our Ame too, come here~★"
"Ame is eating. You should finish eating too. Here, ah."
"Mama! Mama! Eat Ruby’s too! Ruby’s full~!"
"I-I think you should stop drinking. You’re really drunk, Mom."
"Eeh~ Ame~ wants more~!"
Just being able to watch such a noisy, happy family life up close.
That alone was more than enough to make her happy.
"Ufufut— Of course the only thing that can do this kind of thing is a camera, right?"
With a big grin on her face, flushed from alcohol, Miyako immediately pulled out her smartphone and filmed the family’s everyday life.
-
【 Rararai Theater Troupe New Year Special Event!
Watch "Eyes Wide Open! Family of Stars!" live, and
take a picture of the screen when "Kamiki Kaoru" appears, then post it on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #RararaiTheaterTroupe!
We will randomly select winners to receive free theater tickets (2 tickets for 1 person)! 】
< Director Gotanda Taishi says, "I’ll be back with more works in the new year. The rumors circulating in the press about seclusion, retirement, and hiding away are all false." >
< "Stani-On" president Murakami Rentaro says, "We’ll do our best every moment for a newly transformed Stani-On... We’re working hard to find good actors." >
< "Ichigo Production" → "Ichigo Production Group"? A blueprint for expansion announced… Will this trigger a seismic shift in the entertainment industry? >
< "This is the kind of person I am!" The "brave Japanese traveler" who saved a family from an armed robbery in South Africa, Matsushige Sojiro (51), becomes a hot topic (Photo: provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Embassy in South Africa) >
< Rising new star Yonezu Teishi says, "I got inspiration for Vocaloid composition from B Komachi songs back in school… My favorite was senior Ai…" ... Shares thoughts on his first appearance in the Red and White Song Battle >
As the new year arrived, a wide variety of news came pouring out.
January 1.
The evening of January 1, with snow piled high and soft, was no different from the day before.
"Sisiiiiister!"
"Kya-ha-ha! Ame~! Catch your sister if you can~"
"D-don’t run, Ame!!! You’ll get hurt!?"
Ame dashed around with a laugh, trying to catch Ruby as she ran through the room, while Aqua looked on in alarm at the youngest child.
And in the living room, Kaoru sat with another child whose fingertips had turned yellow from peeling and eating tangerines nonstop.
"Ugh— A-Ai. You can stop giving me more now."
"Huh? Why? Kaoru? Are you full?"
"Ugh…"
Kaoru had eaten every tangerine Ai peeled for him, and now he was finally too full to go on.
While they spent an ordinary evening watching commercials on TV…
At last—!
♬♪♩-
"Ah! It’s starting!"
Thud-thud-thud!
The three siblings came running out of the room and all sat down on the sofa.
Ame was only following her older sister and brother, but she hugged "Usa-chan," the stuffed companion she had been stuck with as part of her role, and stared at the TV.
"……."
While Kaoru had gone to the kitchen for a glass of water—
"Kyaaa! He’s so handsome!"
"It’s Dad!"
"Papa!"
As mother and daughters all screamed at the TV at once, Kaoru stood there drinking water and stared at the screen.
There was none of his usual noisy atmosphere, but aside from the somewhat irritating captions, there wasn’t really any problem.
【 Today’s special guest~! None other than Japan’s hottest top actor, "Kamiki Kaoru," and top idol "Ai" couple! And... 】
Not only Kaoru and Ai, but the other couples were introduced as well. Still, no one in the country failed to realize that the main special guests were the Kaoru-Ai couple introduced first.
By then, the internet was already overflowing with fans posting live reactions while watching the broadcast.
- I canceled my date with my girlfriend just to watch this, lol
- What can’t that couple do?
- Forget all that, just make sure Aqua and Ruby get plenty of screen time. The trailer was so frustratingly short I thought I’d die.
- Why does Heichiro look so much better now?
ㄴ Does anyone else think that, or is this just you?
Re: Caught me, haha
ㄴ What, is that for real?
ㄴ It’s real, damn it lol look at the ID
ㄴ It’s the same as the Instagram ID, what the hell lol
Of course, the Hoshino family, completely unaware of this, sat quietly together on the sofa and watched TV.
Kaoru needed to check whether the broadcast matched the final review version, and Ai was overflowing with curiosity about how their daily lives had been filmed.
Aqua and Ruby were the same.
Ame, meanwhile, was just happy to watch because Mom, Dad, Sister, and Brother were all focused on the TV.
【 This is a mansion in Minato Ward… and here, the Kaoru-Ai couple’s household is being revealed for the very first time! 】
As the recorded broadcast properly began, the inside of the house where the Hoshino family lived was shown for the first time along with the narration.
- Holy shit!!!!!!!
- Walking my dog here would take forever
- That’s... a house? The place I live in is... a balcony...?
- Huh? It’s surprisingly modest????
- They live in a mansion? I thought they’d built some giant estate to live in?
- For their level of fame, this is pretty humble. I should take notes too (sniff)
ㄴ Don’t cry
Once the house was revealed for the first time, viewers started burning up with all kinds of reactions.
Of course—
"……."
Kaoru was left speechless for a moment as he saw his own on-screen self... awkward from the way he handled his gaze, and even staring at the camera so uncomfortably that he hardly looked like an actor at all.
So that’s why they had no choice but to leave it in for variety’s sake.
Still, since the family didn’t seem to care much, they just kept watching TV without saying anything.
【 Hello. I’m Ai’s husband, Kamiki Kaoru. 】
【 Hello. I’m Kaoru’s wife, Ai. 】
【 We’re so happy to be greeting all of you viewers like this. 】
【 Ah— Today we’re sharing our family’s everyday life! It’s nothing special, but we’d be very grateful if you watched kindly~★ 】
【 Happy New Year! 】
【 Please have lots of it~★ 】
"Mama!!!"
"Mommmyyy~!"
"Oh!!!"
The three siblings’ eyes sparkled as they watched their parents on TV at the same time.
It was a scene from the interview conducted after filming had ended. Kaoru smiled and held Ai’s hand tightly as he looked at the TV.
Ai, with her starlit eyes shining, smiled back at Kaoru.
【 Kaoru-kun has come out of the room. On the sofa, his wife and youngest daughter, Miss Ame (4), are watching TV together! 】
- Is it just me, or is Kaoru kind of awkward?
ㄴ He’s not really cut out for variety shows lol
ㄴ Hey! Do you think Kurokawa Takuya is some amateur? Does XMAPxXMAP look like amateur material to you?
ㄴ Takuya should tutor him in variety
ㄴ His acting is GOAT, his variety skills are WORST
- Oh, wait, I watched this live too?
ㄴ Your life?
- That sofa looks insanely expensive
ㄴ The TV too, yeah
- Ame-chan!!!!!!!! So cuteeeeeee!!!!!
- How does Ai not age? Isn’t she 26 or 27?
ㄴ I’m aging for her
ㄴ She’s the mother of three kids and looks younger than me lol
ㄴ She doesn’t even look like she’s wearing makeup, wow...
【 Kaoru-kun sits on the sofa. He naturally picks up Ame and seats her on his lap. 】
"After that, you go make sandwiches for me, right?"
"Yeah."
At Ai’s words, Aqua and Ruby’s eyes sparkled as they watched the TV.
Back then, they had been in their room, so they didn’t know what was happening in the living room.
Aqua scratched his brow, suspicious that the opening was less variety-like than expected.
Could such an ordinary daily life really be broadcast material?
He glanced at Ruby beside him and saw that she seemed to be thinking the same thing, absently stroking Ame’s head while staring at the TV with a blank look.
The whole thing had a documentary-like everyday feel…
Then—
【 Ai heads to the kitchen to make sandwiches, and then comes a sweet moment between father and youngest daughter! 】
On screen, Ai was caught heading to the kitchen to make sandwiches, and the camera naturally zoomed in on the father-daughter pair sitting on the sofa.
While Kaoru held Ame and watched TV with a slightly awkward face and gaze—
Ame smiled and looked back at Kaoru.
【 She’s at the age when she’s full of questions. It seems the youngest has something she wants to know? Now then… 】
As the narration, tinged with curiosity, flowed out, Kaoru’s usual warm smile bloomed across the screen as he looked at Ame.
A father’s smile, dazzling like the sunlight of a spring day. Ame pointed at the TV screen and said,
【 Um~ how are babies made? 】
Shocked.
Along with a huge, thick golden caption—
Kaoru’s blue eyes, shaken to the core, and his frantic darting gaze as he tried to keep up with the camera were all laid bare—
and the tense music swelled, pushing the atmosphere higher and higher.
"……."
"Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ugh— ngh! Kya-ha-ha-ha!"
"Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
"Puhahaha—!"
Ai, Ruby, and Aqua too.
All three burst into loud laughter at the same time and looked at Kaoru.
Seeing it on a big TV made his face burn and embarrassment rush over him, but honestly, he couldn’t deny that he’d let out a dumb laugh himself, so Kaoru bit his lip and covered his face.
"Kaoru! Kya-hah— ngh! Ngh! Kya-ha-ha-ha—!!! That look on your face! Ugh— I haven’t seen you that shocked in forever—!! Ahh—! I’m cryingyy— my stomach hurts—!"
In particular, Ai laughed so hard that tears were streaming from her starlit eyes.
Unable to say anything in the face of his wife’s laughter, which rang out the loudest beside him, Kaoru swallowed a hollow laugh and quietly took a sip of water from his cup.
Even now, thinking about it, it had been terrifying... but in the end, his decision to include it in the final review version for the greater good seemed like the right one.
If the family enjoyed it... then that was fine.
Kaoru comforted himself with that thought.
- Ah lololololol
- I laughed so hard my stomach hurts lololol
- Kaoru is seriously way too cuteeeeeee!!!
- I’ve never seen him look that shocked before lolol
- There’s a reason they say the youngest daughter catches the father lolol
- I laughed my ass off, damn lol
- Ah, my wife asked me how babies are made after watching this too;;
ㄴ SAX
Re: lol
- Once you have kids, you’ll understand what it feels like to get that question lol
- When I got that question, I stupidly told my daughter, "Daddy doesn’t know either."
ㄴ You accidentally turned your daughter into a child with no parents lol
- There’s no way that was scripted; my older brother made the exact same face as Kamiki lol
ㄴ I saw my older sister make that face right next to me lolololol
The internet’s reaction was no different.
Everyone was either roaring with laughter at Kaoru’s shocked face or sharing stories from parents who understood exactly how Kaoru must have felt when Ame asked her question.
【 But, only for a moment of shock! Kamiki Kaoru calmly begins to answer! 】
The narration continued, and after Kaoru finished thinking, he asked Ame a question in return, and then scenes of Ame speaking from her imagination, using flowers as a metaphor, flowed by.
In between, shots of Ai cooking diligently also appeared here and there.
But Ai, as if her own cooking didn’t matter, could only feel a strange emotion as she watched Kaoru gently explain things to Ame.
"……."
Her husband’s kind, gentle explanation as he worked hard for their beloved youngest daughter.
Only later, after hearing the explanation, did she understand why Ame had suddenly asked about the uterus and the egg—but seeing with her own eyes that her husband had been trying so hard for Ame while she herself had been focused on making sandwiches made the feeling impossible to compare to anything else.
"Thank you, Kaoru."
Ai smiled on her own as she thanked him, rubbing her head against his shoulder while holding his hand tightly. Kaoru quietly nodded and interlaced their fingers, squeezing her hand back.
【 Then~ Ame is~ a flower too~? 】
【 Hahaha! That’s right. Ame is such a cute little flower. So pretty that Dad would want to hide our Ame away forever. 】
Likewise, Aqua and Ruby also realized it once again as they watched Kaoru and Ame’s warm family scene.
The father, as a father, truly loved his children deeply.
Even with his daughter’s embarrassing, awkward question, Kaoru tried to explain it as clearly as possible so that Ame could understand it easily, and that was where his [sincerity] could be felt.
"Heheh— Papa★"
Ruby, grinning ear to ear, slipped into Kaoru’s arms and sat on his lap.
Kaoru gently stroked his affectionate daughter’s hair, then pulled Ame onto his lap as well and looked at the TV.
【 While the parents and youngest daughter are spending a sweet moment together! Japan’s most famous siblings are also spending a sweet moment. 】
According to the final review version, the scene where Ame asked Ai a question was edited out, and the screen immediately cut to Aqua and Ruby.
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