"Hey, weren’t you the one who quit trying to become an idol?"
As the words a friend had once said flashed through the mind of Memcho, the so-called low-tier YouTuber who had stormed out of a drinking party—
"...Hah..."
Her legs, which had been running, soon lost all strength and dragged her down the street.
It was a dark night, but Shibuya’s streets were dazzling with bright lights.
...So why am I...
"Your idol is running with a dream in her heart~★"
The cool synchronized dance of the idols shining on the giant screen, their faces cute and lovely.
The lyric about running with a dream shot into her chest like an arrow and lodged there.
As a low-tier YouTuber, she had attended that drinking party under the pretense of a setup her friend had arranged, hoping to somehow make it big, but she had gained nothing.
First kisses with a stranger she didn’t even love... a reality where she had to turn her back on an impossible dream and live each day in anxious misery...!
Tears welled up and spilled from her eyes, glittering brilliantly in the reflected light of the billboard.
"Ugh— seriously, what is this... I still want it so badly...! Being an "idol"..."
"Are you okay?"
Memcho wiped her tears and thought about it.
"Huh?"
The odds of someone suddenly handing a handkerchief to a girl who had given up on reality and was running away from an impossible dream while sniffling and crying—
And on top of that—
"A prank?"
The odds that that person would be none other than Kaoru Kamiki... just how many percent would that be?
Memcho wasn’t good at math, so she chose to run away.
In truth, she had already learned from experience that if you turned your back on your dream, you could still somehow keep living, so she had planned to flee again this time as well.
"Eek?!"
What she got instead was a scraped-up bump on her forehead from crashing into a roadside tree.
She hadn’t gotten anything from the drinking party, but this time she had gained a wound and a lump and was being supported by Kaoru Kamiki... so she had gotten something, at least.
But the problem was—
"......"
"......Huh?"
Ah...
I want to die of embarrassment.
She regretted the choice she had made in that situation: to grin stupidly and blankly in an attempt to cover up the helplessness, embarrassment, and confusion that had come from all of it.
Memcho, who had designated that expression as the worst black history of her life, ended up regretting it to tears.
-
Memcho, with the bandage Kaoru had bought at the convenience store stuck to her forehead, fidgeted anxiously and clasped her hands together as she watched his reaction.
She was so panicked that she felt like even a shoplifter caught in the act wouldn’t be sweating this much.
"How did it end up like this...?"
"You can be honest. A minor can drink. However, I’m asking about the circumstances before and after. You don’t need to worry about your safety."
"I-I’m not a minor?!"
The guilt of having been thoroughly misunderstood by the most famous actor in Japan made Memcho’s vision go black.
If she admitted her age here, and later Kaoru Kamiki watched her YouTube channel and went, "You! You told me you weren’t a minor!" then all her hard work would collapse and her head might literally be on the line.
But if she lied and said she was a minor...
"I have many acquaintances in the Metropolitan Police Department and the prosecutors’ office. I also know people at the courts. So don’t worry about retaliation at all, and please tell me everything you know."
"Kyaa?!?!!?!?!!!?!?!?!?!?!!?!!!?"
The moment she saw Kaoru take a smartphone from his pocket and start calling someone, Memcho went pale in horror like Munch’s "The Scream."
Before the situation spiraled completely out of control, one of them had to give up.
Future? Or present?!
But Memcho had learned in life that without the present, there was no future.
After thinking it through, she hurriedly grabbed Kaoru’s wrist, shook her head violently, and cried out.
"I’m not a minor! I-I-I’m 22 years old!"
"......Pardon?"
At her tearful, snotty cry—like a prisoner of war begging for his life—Kaoru could only stare blankly, as if he had been struck on the back of the head.
Unable to believe what he was hearing, Memcho pulled the health insurance card she had brought in case they checked IDs at the drinking party from her handbag and showed it to Kaoru.
"I-I-I’m not a minor... I’m... not very famous, but... I’m a YouTuber... It’s only natural you wouldn’t know me!"
"......"
Kaoru couldn’t bring himself to take the card, so he only checked the birthdate printed on it and fell silent.
He had known her life had been rough enough to make her think differently from ordinary people, but he hadn’t expected it to cause a disaster like this.
Come to think of it, just because someone looks young doesn’t mean they have to be a student.
For that matter, his wife was also a mother of three and about to turn thirty, but when she was with Ruby, she looked so youthful they could easily pass for sisters.
"I let the drinking part cloud my judgment."
He had mistaken an adult woman for a runaway teenager and, however well-intentioned he had been, had done something troublesome and rude.
Letting out a sigh, Kaoru finally bowed his head and apologized to Memcho.
"I’m truly sorry. Since you were crying, I misunderstood and thought a runaway teenager had drunk alcohol and gotten into trouble. I’m sorry. The injury on your forehead was also my fault, so I’ll reimburse you for the hospital bill and any scar treatment as well."
"Y-Yes?!"
Runaway teenager?! Drinking and getting into trouble...? (←That part was at least somewhat true.) And he’d reimburse all the treatment costs?
Hearing Kaoru’s apology and explanation, Memcho’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit’s.
She had always been proud that her face looked a few years younger than everyone else’s, and she had even used that as a selling point to lie and call herself a "current high school girl," but!
To think even the greatest actor would look at her youthful face and mistake her for a student?!
"Oh!"
In an instant, her tears and snot vanished, and it felt as if lightning had struck the top of her head.
Whether it was because of the alcohol or because her brain, frozen by an experience she would never have again in her life, had finally begun to bloom, she didn’t know for sure.
But as she stared blankly up at Kaoru, Memcho decided to hang the lightbulb that had just gone off in her head from the ceiling and make use of this so-called [YouTube angle].
Her once-in-a-lifetime savior had appeared in front of her and was apologizing. How could she possibly let this chance slip away?
"?"
Kaoru frowned slightly and tilted his head at the sight of Memcho suddenly surrounded by sparkling flowers and wearing a triumphant smile.
Something felt off.
Kaoru’s hunch was not wrong.
Memcho immediately pulled her smartphone from her handbag, puffed out her cheeks, and looked at Kaoru with glittering eyes as she shouted,
"C-C-Can I film just one video with you?! Please?"
"......Pardon?"
For the third time already.
To the strange girl who came after his wife, Kaoru gave his third "pardon?"
-
There is a famous saying.
Life is a choice between Birth and Death.
Kaoru and Memcho had lived completely different lives, but they shared one thing in common: both were living proof of that meaning, felt deep in their bones.
When the bold, eccentric woman who called herself a YouTuber pushed through a crisis and made a daring move to seize an opportunity,
To be honest, Kaoru felt curiosity more than annoyance.
The desperation in her eyes, the hunger for success, and the heart of an adult trying to push past reality.
As Kaoru’s eye for people—more precisely, for [talent]—had grown, just as Sojiro had once said, he found himself checking his wristwatch at the woman’s proposal.
The time was 9:30 p.m.
The bakery closed at 10, but if he accepted this bold YouTuber’s proposal, he wouldn’t have time to go pick up the cake.
Even though it was still the height of summer, Tokyo nights were hot, and carrying a cake around risked ruining it.
But since it was his own mistake that had left her with a forehead wound and treated her like a child, it was only right, morally speaking, to “make amends.”
After quickly sorting out his thoughts, Kaoru nodded and said,
"All right. But we have to finish filming within an hour. No personal questions or weird role-play, of course."
"Yes, yes! Of course~!"
She had made the proposal, but as she frantically spun her brain trying to figure out what concept to use for the video, Memcho gave him a thumbs-up in response.
Ugh— no good. There’s not enough time to plan content. Since I’ve got a huge celebrity on the hook anyway, I should do a street interview format to draw attention too!
Personal questions? Weird role-play?
Who would be stupid enough to kick away a heaven-sent, once-in-a-lifetime chance like that?
Kaoru Kamiki, that’s who. The greatest actor, the one major companies and advertisers are courting with offers of hundreds of millions of yen in appearance fees, had agreed to spend an hour for free without charging a cent.
Just taking him around Shibuya streets would easily break a million views. And the subscriber count...
"Uhehehe—!"
My mouth is watering~!
While Memcho was practically drooling, Kaoru first called the bakery to explain that something had come up and he would be late, saying he’d pick up the cake tomorrow instead. The bakery owner readily told him not to worry and that it was fine to come late, and Kaoru thanked him before hanging up.
Then he called Rentaro.
"What?! A YouTube appearance?! Who is it?! What studio?! What agency?! How many subscribers?! What’s the fee?!"
Rentaro, sounding as if he had been struck by lightning in his sleep, shouted into the phone in a panic, and Kaoru let out a sigh before explaining the situation clearly from start to finish.
After hearing Kaoru’s explanation, Rentaro finally seemed to calm down.
"Haa... If you say so, then I guess that’s that..."
There were many things to worry about, including security, but since it had already happened, there was no point trying to stop Kaoru’s choice. So Rentaro reluctantly approved it.
And finally—
"Heeey— Kaoru! So the YouTuber is— Hello there~★"
"Ah, ah, ah, h-hello! Kyaaah—!!! I-I’m such a huge fan! I even went to the live venue for your second album back then! I collected all the merch too, and my favorite is Ai-chan!!!!"
"......"
Memcho, who had met her ultimate favorite through a video call in the alley right next to the convenience store, screamed and bounced in place as if she were about to burst into tears.
Kaoru’s temples throbbed, but there was nothing he could do.
Ai had heard the explanation and immediately requested a video call!
Fortunately, Ai flashed her star-bright eyes and gave Memcho fan service by striking her signature pose, and to her husband, who had caused a small accident(?)—
"Do your best—★"
"R-Right... Sorry, Ai. If you’re tired, go ahead and sleep first. I’ll be home soon."
Kaoru smiled and waved after receiving her starry encouragement.
It had only been ten minutes, but they were the most exhausting ten minutes of the day.
As Kaoru, already looking tired, let out a long sigh and put his smartphone back in his pocket, Memcho raised her own phone and declared with shining eyes,
"Can we start filming now?!"
"......"
He had plenty of questions he wanted to ask, but Kaoru simply nodded in silence.
He just wanted to go home as soon as possible.
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