"Kaoru. Are you planning to raise me like livestock?"
Representative Toshiro, munching on an iced Americano and a donut, looked at Kaoru as he spoke.
Kaoru stroked Aqua’s head at the question from the man in his fifties, who had put on a bit more weight than before.
"Aqua picked out that donut. He really knows your tastes, Representative."
"......Haha."
"...Haa. Like father, like son, I guess. Anyway."
Ever since long ago, whenever he visited the representative’s office, Kaoru had always shown up with snacks and coffee, saying it would be rude to come empty-handed and bringing them as gifts.
Now, like Pavlov’s dog, Toshiro had become the sort of man who looked forward to whatever snack Kaoru would bring whenever he said he was coming by.
In the same way, Aqua also made sure to buy at least a small snack from the shop in front of the troupe every time he visited the representative’s office.
Father and son were basically raising him together.
"If you’re trying to score points with me over Aqua, you’ve failed."
"What do you take me for?"
"What do I take you for? Kamiki Kaoru, of course. Eat some too."
"No, I’m fine. Aqua, if you want some, go ahead."
"Ah, I-I’m full too. I already ate lunch, so I’m not really hungry..."
"Haa, so in the end I’m the one who’s going to eat it all again. Damn it."
Kaoru chatted comfortably with Toshiro, who was nearly twenty years older than him and usually very strict when it came to stage work and acting, as if they were old friends catching up.
Aqua, glancing at his father, had no choice but to once again feel the weight of his status as an [actor].
Toshiro set down the empty cup that had held his coffee and nodded with a satisfied expression.
"Actually, I didn’t say this on purpose because I was worried it might go to your head, but—
Aqua’s adapting well too. Akane’s adapting better than expected as well. There’s quite a gap between theater and camera acting, but both of them adjusted quickly.
Honestly, I’m very satisfied. If all goes well, we’ll probably start assigning the two of you roles in earnest from next spring’s performance."
"Thank you, Representative."
Flushed red by the sudden praise, Aqua bowed his head and thanked Toshiro.
What parent wouldn’t be happy to hear their child praised?
Kaoru smiled as he patted his son’s shoulder, embarrassed by the unexpected praise.
"Dad’s... proud of Aqua too, and grateful. Not because the Representative praised you, but because you’re doing your best, working hard, and learning acting with so much enjoyment.
It’s fine if you feel pressured. It’s fine if you stumble and fall. If things get hard, you can always lean on Dad. So— I want you to keep steadily moving toward the dream you want to achieve."
"...Yes... Thank you, Dad. I’ll do my best!"
He was ten times more embarrassed than when Toshiro praised him, his face turning red and even his ears going bright crimson—but Aqua, feeling an incomparable happiness at his father’s sincerity, ended up grinning without realizing it.
When he felt his father’s sincerity and bond, something he had never once felt in his previous life.
When he finally felt confidence that he was truly accomplishing something.
In moments like these, Aqua kept an unforgettable happiness tucked away in his heart.
"Ha... seriously..."
Toshiro, who had seen enough of the sickeningly sweet, flower-blooming father-son bonding from the perspective of a third party, snatched Kaoru’s coffee and downed it straight from the cup.
After that, while talking with the father and son, Toshiro checked his wristwatch and said he had a meeting, and Kaoru nodded, saying he understood.
After topping up his sugar levels for the regular meeting with the troupe’s staff, Toshiro asked Aqua if there was anything he wanted to know.
Aqua thought seriously for a moment, then pointed at the shelf on the desk and said,
"...I’ve been curious for a while, but may I ask why only that part of your desk shelf is filled in with cardboard?"
It was a somewhat absurd question outside the expected range, but as soon as Toshiro heard it, he couldn’t hold back his laughter and turned his head aside to cover his mouth.
At Aqua’s question, Kaoru bit his lip lightly and scratched his head.
Rather, Aqua was the one who looked bewildered by their opposite reactions. He became curious about what sort of behind-the-scenes story was tied to that cardboard on the shelf.
"Kukuk—haha! You want to know? I might have to ask your father for permission first, you know?"
"Representative."
"I know, I know. That means I’m asking for permission. Without the guardian’s consent, we’d have to keep it hidden until Aqua’s grown up enough, right?"
"......"
"Why? Dad? Is there a reason you’d need permission first...?"
Even under Aqua’s curious gaze, Kaoru could only let out a groan.
Of course, it was true that he had used every means available to pass the troupe audition interview.
But— now that he had a child, he could finally understand the anguish and worry Toshiro had shown after Kaoru demonstrated his throwing technique.
"If I tell Aqua, he’ll probably ask me to teach him throwing too. Or... he might really try copying it after seeing it on YouTube or the internet."
As a father, it was only right to thoroughly restrict any dangerous technique that could have a very, very negative impact on Aqua’s emotional well-being and safety.
Kaoru gently shook his head at Toshiro, who was looking at him with narrowed eyes.
"I understand what you meant now."
At the strange exchange of looks between father and Representative, Aqua tilted his head and blinked blankly.
"Then I’ll see you next time."
"Yeah. Take care on your way home, and give my regards to your wife."
"Yes."
Leaving the representative’s office with his father, still carrying his questions, Aqua walked down the hallway and continued the conversation he hadn’t quite finished with his father.
Then—
"Akane?"
He ran into Akane, who was filling a water bottle at the water dispenser in front of the practice room.
Kaoru also spotted Akane and smiled. It was only natural, since she was a fellow company member and a beloved junior—but—
"E-uh-a-uh-eh-!"
At such a sudden encounter with a sky-high idol, Akane’s mind went completely blank for a moment.
With water overflowing from the bottle, Akane stood there like a broken robot, unsure what to do, then quickly pulled her hand back when the cold water touched it.
Was it because she was embarrassed by her own foolishness, showing such a shameful display right in front of father and son?
"S-sorry!"
She hurriedly bowed her head and closed the bottle cap, trying to slip back into the practice room, but Kaoru was quicker to respond.
"The Representative told me you’re doing well, Akane."
"Y-yes?!"
Startled again, Akane froze, clasped her hands politely, blushed, and bowed her head once more.
"T-thank you for the kind words! I’m still lacking a lot and causing trouble, but..."
Aqua couldn’t understand why he was becoming so embarrassed too.
Still, hearing Kaoru’s words, he knew instinctively what he, as the son, should say here.
"I’m learning a lot from Akane too. Like Dad said, there’s really so much to learn from you."
"Hahaha. Is that so?"
"E-yes, yes?!"
Surprised by Aqua’s warm(?) praise—something he always treated with his usual indifference—Akane’s face turned red, and Kaoru smiled as well, nodding.
They were about the same age, both actors in the same troupe, and both sincere about acting, so naturally they served as each other’s teachers in their own way.
Since there was a middle school girl standing there, Kaoru patted Akane’s shoulder instead of ruffling his son’s hair, and said to her in a voice tinged with a smile,
"Thanks for doing your best together with Aqua, Akane. I’m watching the drama you’re in too, so keep it up."
"Yes! I’ll do my best!"
Kaoru looked at Akane, who declared her resolve in a trembling voice, with a pleased expression, then winked at his son.
"Then Dad’s heading out first."
"Ah, yes. Dad, take care. See you tonight!"
Kaoru nodded and walked away, and Akane turned around to follow his back with her eyes while fiddling with the water bottle.
At that wistful(?) sight, Aqua slowly walked over and stood beside Akane, shoulder to shoulder, and said,
"You were really nervous."
"Eh?!"
"You’re in the same agency as my father, right? You don’t meet him often?"
At Aqua’s question, Akane hesitated for a moment before saying,
"I met him once... I was happy because I thought I’d get to see him often too..."
"...Ah."
"B-but—"
"But?"
The person with the same blue eyes as the idol she admired, the same unique blend of indifference and kindness as Kamiki Kaoru.
Akane had been watching his son, whom she met and worked with at least once every week, and she quietly looked away, speaking in a tiny voice.
"N-nothing...!"
"...Huh?!"
"Let’s go back into the practice room! I only came out to tell the seniors I was just going to fetch some water for a moment—!"
"Akane!"
Akane hugged the water bottle tightly to her chest and hurriedly opened the door, rushing back toward the practice room.
Seeing the shy girl’s retreating figure, Aqua let out a snort of laughter, shook his head, and followed her into the practice room.
-
"......Aqua is one year younger than Akane, though......"
Kaoru, who had stopped the car briefly at a red light, tilted his head with his arms crossed.
Had they already gotten that close?
Well, if Aqua, who was kind and gentle just like Akane, were equally considerate and thoughtful, they could easily become close...
"......"
Kaoru’s blue eyes flickered with a strange light.
Why had he unconsciously been thinking of his grandson’s name?
Rejecting an answer to that inexplicable question, Kaoru pressed the accelerator as the light turned green.
-
【 Hi~ everyone~ it’s MEMcho! Waaah-! You all heard the news, right? The news that Miss 『Ai』 is pregnant with her fourth child! The moment MEMcho heard it, she jumped up on the spot, missed her footing, and fell over~? So today! I wanted to do an experiment to see how Momo and Kurumi would react to MEMcho suddenly turning into a baby-baby! 】
"Eeeh? No way~"
"Isn’t MEMcho-chan way too innocent? She must know the animals are fake~"
"Momo-chan is cute~ I wonder if Momo-chan won’t fall for it?"
Reactions burst out from a group of schoolgirls sitting on a bench at the park entrance, alongside the voice of the beautiful YouTuber MEMcho holding a cute puppy and kitten.
MEMcho, walking past them with a dog on a leash while wearing a mask, grinned broadly.
Already on the verge of 100,000 YouTube subscribers, MEMcho, following Kaoru’s advice(?), immediately adopted a puppy and kitten through an acquaintance.
She named the cute Pomeranian-mix puppy Momo, and the cute Munchkin-mix cat Kurumi, and raised them with as much care as possible without help from her mother or younger siblings.
She also thought carefully about her own concept strategy, came up with the so-called 「healing-type natural beauty」 concept, and filmed and edited everything to fit that carefully planned character.
"I was trying to act natural and film the part where I tripped while feeding Momo, but... I really did twist my ankle for real..."
Still, that video had already surpassed 500,000 views.
Feeling firsthand that TikTok and YouTube were taking root and firmly establishing themselves, MEMcho couldn’t have been happier.
The pleasant sound of leaves crunching underfoot in the quiet, sparsely populated park made MEMcho’s mood even higher.
Donations, ad revenue, and paid sponsorships from companies. Every time she looked at the settlement amount deposited into her account each month, MEMcho felt as if all her hardships had been rewarded, and she was beyond happy.
"Hehe♬"
"Woof woof!"
"Eh~ Is Momo-chan in a good mood too?"
"Woof woof!"
Momo seemed very happy, following along with her owner. With her cute little tongue out, Momo shivered all over.
At that adorable sight, MEMcho clapped her hands, bent her knees, and stroked Momo.
"You’re in a good mood~ Our Momo! You’re in a good mood? You’re happy because we came out for a walk?"
"Woof!"
Pffft
"Woof~♨"
"......"
She had to poop!!!
Regretting the one second ago when she had been so self-absorbed that she failed to notice Momo’s need to go, MEMcho let out a deep sigh and took a poop bag from the eco-bag she had brought.
Unfortunately, Momo had done her business right on the walking path where people passed by, so MEMcho had to hurry and clean up after her.
"Ah?!"
Since it was the cool evening when the sun was about to set, a gust of wind blew and, of all things, a leaf flew over and landed right on top of Momo’s poop.
MEMcho quickly brushed the leaf away, put everything into the poop bag, and disposed of it, then straightened up from the crouch and caught her breath.
"I’m tired..."
"Woof~☆"
"Yeah~ As long as Momo’s happy, that’s enough. Cute~"
"Hee~★ This dog is just too cute~ It’s like a cotton ball walking around!"
"Yes! This super-cute cotton ball’s name is Momo...... huh?"
MEMcho, a question mark popping over her head, froze into stone when she saw 『Ai』, wearing a hat and mask, who had appeared without warning and was crouching down to pet Momo.
What?
Was this a hidden camera prank?
Countless scenarios were rendered in MEMcho’s head in 4K 60fps quality.
Why was her ultimate favorite, the legendary, top-tier celebrity 『Ai』, here in one of the many parks in Tokyo where the late-autumn leaves were falling, and specifically on the very walking path where she had just been cleaning up her dog’s poop...?!
Even through the mask, MEMcho’s face clearly showed that she couldn’t close her mouth, and her gaze naturally shifted toward the man approaching from behind Ai.
As Kaoru appeared as well, also wearing a hat and mask and dressed in a single-rider leather jacket, MEMcho started trembling on both legs like someone who had encountered a brown bear on a walking trail and tried to run away.
"Oh? MEMcho-san?"
"H-hello!?"
But Kaoru’s greeting was faster.
MEMcho’s adorable escape plan fell apart in an instant.
She wasn’t sure whether they had deliberately chosen this quiet, sparsely populated park, but since she had run into this couple here, MEMcho at least bowed politely and greeted the Kaoru-Ai couple.
"Eeeh~! This will be the first time we’ve seen each other in person! Right?"
"Uh... yes, yes! It’s our first time! Since I greeted you over video call last time—"
MEMcho, having met her idol, was unable to make proper eye contact with Ai, whose starry eyes sparkled, and her face turned red. Ai giggled softly and took MEMcho’s hand, shaking it.
"It’s so nice to meet you! I subscribed to your YouTube after watching your last live video. I was really shocked when I saw you twist your ankle while feeding ‘Mumu’—but I’m still having so much fun watching it!"
It wasn’t ‘Mumu’ but ‘Momo,’ but that kind of thing didn’t matter at all!!!
"Heeek— th-thank you so much! Hwaaaah— thank you. Thank you. I’ll never forget this kindness until the day I’m buried in the ground—"
"Why don’t we talk while walking? People are coming."
Kaoru soothed the overwhelmed MEMcho, who was about to burst into tears of joy like a successful fan, and took his wife’s hand, starting to walk along the path.
Momo, who already loved people, immediately stuck close to Ai, the person she had just seen, panting with her tiny tongue out and looking up at her with sparkling eyes.
Her owner MEMcho was no different, looking at the favorite she had admired, longed for, and loved with the same bright-eyed expression as she spoke.
"Ahh. So you only just started TikTok and YouTube, huh~"
"Yes, yes! It’s only been a few months! Actually, I was worried because my subscriber count and views weren’t growing much on either platform, but— Kamiki-san, you worked a miracle for me..."
Kaoru squeezed his eyes shut at MEMcho’s words. A miracle? What was that supposed to mean!
However, Ai found MEMcho’s intense(?) praise of her husband very funny and burst into a cheerful laugh.
MEMcho’s mouth twitched with pride at having made Ai laugh, then she carefully asked, noticing the loose maternity clothes Ai was wearing.
"I-is it okay for you to walk around like this while pregnant?"
"Heheh-★ It’s fine now that I’m past the dangerous period. The fourth one— mm~ seems like a super active baby~ It keeps making me want to move around? So I came out for a walk with Kaoru!"
MEMcho’s eyes wavered slightly.
They announced the pregnancy in September, so how did she already know that?
Feeling as if the common sense she had learned in health class was being gently denied, MEMcho spoke as cautiously as she could.
"Huh? But the fetal movement hasn’t started yet..."
"Fufufufu. There’s such a thing! A secret between mom and baby only★"
While MEMcho tilted her head at Ai’s mysterious answer, Momo, who had been walking along, shivered again.
"Woof!"
"Ah! W-wait!"
Startled by Momo’s signal that she wanted to go again, MEMcho stopped walking, and the couple also stopped and sat down on the bench beside them.
"Oof!"
"Are you okay? Does your foot hurt?"
"Yep! I’m fine! Kaoru, sit down too~"
As Ai smiled brightly, Kaoru carefully fastened her padded jumper so she wouldn’t get cold. In fact, the weather was warm enough that she didn’t need a padded jacket, but Kaoru had made her wear one just in case.
Kaoru took out a thermos filled with carefully prepared warm barley tea, poured some into a cup, and handed it to Ai.
After drinking the warm barley tea, Ai smiled happily and pointed to the cup at MEMcho, who had finished cleaning up Momo’s poop and stood up.
"Barley tea!"
"Eh, yes?! Ah, no, I’m fine—"
"There’s an extra cup. You don’t need to hesitate."
"B-but— th-thank you!"
MEMcho drank the barley tea Kaoru graciously offered. The warm tea gently heated her body.
Listening to the cool autumn breeze and the sound of leaves brushing by, she felt as if her mind was being quietly purified on its own.
She was out on a walk, drinking barley tea beside her favorite, whom she had met by a miraculous chance.
She didn’t know whether this was a dream or reality, but in any case, MEMcho was happy.
"Ah, ‘Mem-chan.’ I have something I want to ask, is that okay?"
While teasing Kaoru by holding his hand, Ai seemed to remember something and turned to MEMcho, who was sitting beside her.
MEMcho, inwardly letting out a cheer of joy at her favorite’s fan service in calling her “Mem-chan,” nodded.
"Yes, yes! Ask me anything!"
"On the day you met Kaoru, what happened that made you cry? The reason you were bawling so hard that you fooled Kaoru’s eye for detail! I’m curious."
"Eek— y-yes? Eek— th-tha— that— I—"
At Ai’s sharp question, which MEMcho had not even remotely expected, she reacted intensely(?) for a moment.
"Ai."
Kaoru, worried that Ai’s question might be rude to MEMcho, was about to stop her while holding his wife’s hand, but MEMcho answered faster.
"Th-that... actually... if, if you’re curious, I... can tell you!"
It took a lot of resolve to explain her embarrassing black history with her own mouth, but MEMcho spoke up firmly.
She didn’t want to hide it.
She had met her favorite and her savior by a miraculous chance, and since her favorite was being kind to her too, for MEMcho, letting her black history out into the open wasn’t that big a deal.
And— for reasons she didn’t even know herself, just as Momo leaned on her, she didn’t want to miss the chance to open up a little to her favorite and her benefactor.
The story of how she, once a tiny no-name YouTuber, went to a party, got swept up in the atmosphere and almost ended up kissing someone she didn’t want to kiss, ran away from there, gave up her final idol audition because of her family’s financial situation, and once cried while looking at a billboard showing the idol she had once dreamed of becoming.
Not everyone can achieve their dreams.
Running into reality, and giving up on a dream that could have come true if only the conditions or environment had been a little better— that’s something everyone has, one way or another, not just MEMcho.
Finishing her not-very-pleasant, not-very-fun story while fiddling with her fingers, MEMcho bowed her head apologetically in a discouraged voice.
"I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable by talking about my private story..."
"No. There’s no need to apologize. It’s okay."
"......Mem-chan wanted to become an idol too?"
At Kaoru and Ai’s comfort, MEMcho’s urge to jump up from the bench and prostrate herself nearly exploded.
The most famous celebrity couple in Japan was listening to the story of her insignificant little life and sincerely empathizing with her—
"Yumemi! Am I going to get struck by lightning at this rate?!"
As these absurd, miracle-like things kept happening one after another, MEMcho began to feel a creeping anxiety, just as Gotanda had once done.
Ai smiled softly, her starry eyes sparkling.
"Mem-chan. Are you really 『sincerely』 happy right now?"
"Huh? Well..."
If you ask whether I’m happy...
Of course—
"I don’t know if it’s 『sincerely』... but I am 『happy』!"
It wasn’t sincere in the deepest sense, but her work was going well, she was making money, and her family was stable, so MEMcho was happy.
Idol had become a dream she could no longer achieve, but she could use that experience as nourishment and work hard for the present and future that lay ahead.
Watching MEMcho’s light, relieved smile, Ai smiled back and nodded.
She had come to 『sincerely』 understand why Kaoru had worked so hard for this young girl—
"Kaoru! Ai will give you special permission!"
"...?"
Kaoru, who had been silently digesting MEMcho’s story, looked at his wife blankly and tilted his head.
For a moment, a bad feeling washed over him.
"One free appearance on Mem-chan’s broadcast! Permission granted—★"
"What?"
"......Eh? Huh?! All of a sudden?!"
As MEMcho sprang up from the bench, clutching her head and shouting, Ai, wearing a broad smile, struck her signature pose and responded with sparkling starry eyes.
"Because... 【sincerity】 is the best 【love】!"
"Kyaaaah! Thank you! Thank you! I’ll never forget this kindness for the rest of my life! Waaaah— 『Ai』, no! 『Ai God』!"
"Woof woof! Woof!"
MEMcho and Momo’s joyful cries echoed through the quiet park.
Of course—
"......"
With not even one gram of his own opinion added to the matter, Kaoru could only awkwardly nod as he thought about carrying out this sky-high blessing, and silently hoped that MEMcho’s call would not come first.
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