【Correction and Notice of Closure】
"We hereby announce that the article previously published by this paper regarding the rumored romance between actor Kamiki Kaoru and B Komachi member Ai was a clear false report.
This paper ran an article spanning eight photos and fifteen pages reporting on the two entertainers' alleged relationship, but after confirming the facts, we found many inaccuracies and hereby correct them.
We offer our sincere apologies to Kamiki Kaoru, Ai, and all related parties who were harmed by this paper's false report.
Thank you."
■ "Weekly Shunsho Report" will cease publication due to personal reasons on the part of its representative. We sincerely thank all readers who have supported us until now.
"Kamiki Kaoru and Ai's romance rumor was false... magazine issues correction"
"Weekly Editorial - [Spilled Water Cannot Be Scooped Up Again: Is an Entertainer's Private Life a Public Zoo?]"
"False romance rumor, strange closeness between child actor and famous idol member draws attention"
- Damn, what did I say? I told you it was a false report, right? wwww
- Is it really that surprising for magazine bastards to chase after entertainers' tails and trip over themselves?
- Some other places get things right a lot, but honestly, if it's a one-man magazine, the credibility is zero.
- Kaoru-kun, come back already ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
- I heard Kaoru-chan is rumored to be returning to dramas early next year.
- I heard reporters even stormed his school before wwwwww it was like watching Takuya Kusanagi or something wwwwwwww
- At this point, forget acting and join Johnny's, then come back as a Johnny's Junior wwww
- I heard there was even a rumor Johnny's scouted him ㅇㅇ
- Looking at the photos, there is absolutely no way those two were just friends. Something about it is weird.
- Stop making stuff up with your own brain.
- Ai-chan, I love you ♥
- Budokan concert tickets sold out in five minutes wwww. Anyway, the trend is Ai and B Komachi. Stay forever!!!
"......"
Kaoru sipped the warmed barley tea, then turned off the internet and stood up.
Even after the correction, the aftershocks continued. The attention that had quieted down after his retirement swelled back up in an instant, like popcorn bursting to life, thanks to the correction.
Of course, unlike at first, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive and friendly, but Kaoru decided that, for Ai's sake as well, he should absolutely refrain from showing his face in the entertainment world for a while.
The main purpose of the correction was not his own return to acting, but to put an end to the controversy that kept clinging to Ai like a tag. That goal had been achieved, so whatever happened next was no longer in his hands.
In any case, he had not completely abandoned acting. He could always return to the theater troupe later, when time had passed.
"It's... snowing a lot."
Outside the window, the city had turned into a white country of snow under an unexpected heavy snowfall. At times like this, he found himself missing the stage above the theater even more.
Maybe he should have kept doing theater work? Kaoru let out a small laugh and took another sip of barley tea.
Now that he'd stepped away from acting, he didn't really have any other hobbies to fill the gap. Exercise wasn't a hobby; it was something he'd kept up for maintenance. In terms of daily life, there wasn't anything obvious he could take up as a pastime.
Even if he tried to start something new, his standards were annoyingly strict when he thought about it.
Motorcycle riding? Dangerous.
Marathon running? Takes too long.
Plastic model assembly? Not interested.
Stamp collecting? Boring.
Reading? Are you kidding me?
Watching movies? No desire.
Talking with Ai, of course, wasn't a hobby either. It was naturally happy, fun, and always felt new, but to call it a hobby... wasn't that a little strange?
He needed to find something to do.
Kaoru folded his arms and looked at his desk, then suddenly spotted the scripts and screenplay collections lined up on the bookshelf.
After reading the titles in a row, Kaoru gulped down the last of the barley tea, snapped his fingers at the bright idea that lit up in his head like a bulb, and muttered, "Let's write one."
He didn't know when it would be, but he decided to write a screenplay himself for a project he would one day act in and produce. Kaoru took out a notebook and sat down at the desk.
-
December was nearly over. Since Japan's school year was divided into three terms, Kaoru now had to prepare for the high school entrance exam in January, once the short winter break ended and the third term began.
Of course, that was nothing difficult for Kaoru. But for Ai, it was another matter.
Because she had been relatively neglectful of her studies while balancing idol activities, Ai had apparently only decided on her high school application at the very last minute in her third year of middle school and rushed to submit it.
She had even admitted that she had been so confused she didn't properly know or remember the school's name until the day of enrollment.
The absurd fact that, if President Saito and his wife had not spoken with her homeroom teacher on Ai's behalf and taken care of her high school advancement, middle school might have ended up being her last school experience.
Kaoru only learned that belatedly while talking to Ai on the phone, and he could only bite his lip and blame himself for not being with his lover at such an important moment.
President Saito and his wife were Ai's guardians, but they were also swamped with company work, so even though it was in the past, he desperately wanted to be of help at her side when it came to important matters in her life.
Of course, there would be countless more moments in the future when both of them would have to make important decisions.
He had considered living together with Ai, but realistically there were far too many obstacles. So Kaoru had to soothe the rising ache of disappointment.
Kaoru, who had cut off contact with his family to the point of near-total severance, was living in a small two-room apartment he had leased with the money he had earned from his own activities. His younger brother Hikaru had also rented a place of his own, so they did not live together.
Of course, now that their parents were divorced, a fairly large amount of money came in every month as living expenses, but Kaoru didn't even look at it.
Instead, Kaoru focused on investment activities, carefully selecting and researching domestic and overseas companies that had shown especially strong growth in his previous life, then buying stock.
Based on the memories from his previous life, the world he lived in now didn't seem all that different from the one before; events were unfolding just as he remembered them.
To carry out schemes by contacting people across all levels of society in various countries—businesspeople, politicians, high-ranking civil servants, or social activists—he needed to know and remember a wide range of knowledge, regardless of the field: current affairs, economics, business, law, and more. In that sense, the memories of his previous life were a tremendous help to Kaoru.
He was still a minor, so there were many restrictions, but that wasn't a problem at all. Time was on his side, and he was now a boy approaching sixteen, still in the midst of growth.
Anything done for the person he loved should be prepared perfectly, no matter how long it took.
"Kaoru!"
Kaoru, lost in thought while looking at the softly falling snow in the night sky, immediately turned around at the familiar, long-missed voice behind him.
Ai.
The moment he saw her after more than a month apart, [star talent] shimmered in Kaoru's blue eyes.
"Kaoru."
Whether because of the cold or because she was conscious of people's gazes, she had pulled on a black cap, a mask, and a padded jacket, and she walked quickly toward him like a puppy before throwing herself into his arms.
Kaoru also stepped forward a few paces, feeling the weight of her small, slender body as she came into him, and wrapped her tightly in both arms.
"Kaoru- haa- Kaoru-"
"Ai."
As if she wanted to share every bit of the love they had been unable to exchange all this time, Kaoru bit down on her mask and pulled it down with his mouth, then lowered his head toward the revealed red, moist lips.
"Mm? Mm- mmph- slurp- mmh-♥"
A hot, wild kiss like this the moment they met. Ai felt her face and neck grow hot from the pounding thrill in her chest and the fierce heat surging through her body.
Kaoru was devouring her lips without restraint or hesitation, as if biting into ice cream.
Because of their height difference, Ai, held in his arms, was almost floating in the air, so she lifted her legs and wrapped them around Kaoru's hips. Kaoru moved his left hand to support her from below and used his right arm to hold her back tightly.
Ai looped both arms around Kaoru's neck, closed her eyes, and savored his kiss, ignoring the strange nasal sounds that slipped out of her on their own.
It felt as though the empty, hollow space inside her heart was being brilliantly filled with Kaoru's color.
At last, with love and joy made whole, Ai forgot her embarrassment and followed her instincts, feeling the lips of the man she loved.
"Slurp- haa-♥ Kaoru-"
Because of the cold air, white breath burst hotly from Ai's mouth. But even the cold Tokyo winter could not cool the heated excitement of the two of them.
"Hoo... hoo... I missed you. I missed you so much I thought I'd go crazy."
"...Me too. It feels like a dream. I can't believe you're really standing in front of me like this, Kaoru. A kiss with Kaoru... it feels like a lie."
"I love you. I wanted to say that to you in person. I love you, Ai."
"Mm. Ai loves you too, Kaoru. Thank you for loving Ai so sincerely. And... thank you for waiting."
Smack.
Was this really the same girl who had just been sharing such a wild kiss a moment ago? Ai, her face flushed, gave him a kiss on the lips. Caught off guard by that pure, affectionate exchange, Kaoru found himself smiling despite everything, and then—
Smack.
"Eep!"
He returned the favor with a surprise kiss to the lover who was looking up at him with those sparkling starry eyes. Even when Ai's eyes went wide like a startled rabbit, Kaoru still wore that mischievous smile and whispered quietly, "If it's you, I could wait a hundred years."
-
A quiet park reached by riding Kaoru's motorcycle through the cold wind.
Kaoru had brought hand warmers, a thermos filled with hot tea, and even a blanket so Ai wouldn't be cold, and he repeated the same thing for the sixth time to his lover, who had already become a plump penguin from wearing his outer coat over everything else.
"If you're cold, tell me."
"Okay! Got it★"
The same question six times, the same bright answer six times. So happy she seemed beyond words, Ai swung her arms like a baby penguin and walked with her usual wide stride, practically bouncing along.
That made Kaoru's hand, which was holding Ai's, sway back and forth as well, but he didn't mind. Seeing her happy made him happy too.
Then Ai, while walking, spotted the snow piled up in one corner of the park and hurried over.
"?"
Snow.
Why was she running toward the snow?
Kaoru watched her little penguin-like back for a moment in confusion, but then—
"Heheh★"
Seeing her gather a large handful of the piled snow and compress it between both hands, Kaoru immediately spotted a nearby bench and quickly set down the things he was carrying.
While Kaoru was doing that, Ai, already fully excited, made her starry eyes flash like a supernova and shouted as she threw the packed snow at him, "Take this—! Idiot Oru!!!★"
Whoosh!
Smack!
"...Tch."
The flying snowball hit Kaoru's forearm. He had reflexively raised his guard, so it struck his arm instead of his face, but that still didn't make him feel any better.
"Kyahaha! Kaoru isn't so special after all~★ How's the 'ultimate idol' snowstorm attack!? Scary, isn't it!"
Apparently gifted at getting under people's skin, Ai flashed double peace signs and struck an idol pose, her starry eyes sparkling.
Kaoru added a rotten smile to his usual indifferent face and quickly scooped up a pile of snow from the ground, packed it together, and threw it at Ai.
"Kyaahaha— eek!?"
The snow hit Ai's padded jacket dead on and burst apart.
Frozen stiff, Ai looked down at the snow on her chest, then raised her head again to stare at Kaoru.
"...So you want to do this, huh? Right!?"
Millions of supernovas exploded all at once in Ai's starry eyes.
Kaoru gladly accepted the challenge and nodded coolly with an indifferent expression.
"If you're scared, you can surrender. I'll go easy on you."
"Naaaah! I'm not scared at all★ I'll show you Ai's ultimate power!!!"
Ai waved her arms like a magical girl and scurried around like a hamster, gathering snow and hurling it at Kaoru.
Kaoru didn't back down and threw snow right back at her.
"Kyaaaah~★ Kyaaaah~!"
"Ghk! Ha! Hoo!"
The fierce snowball battle between the two of them began. Ai had the smaller frame, but she was nimble and quick, dodging and counterattacking with agility. The small snowballs, no bigger than her hands, were a difficult form of attack for Kaoru to avoid in the dark night, where his vision was somewhat limited. Kaoru relied on his strength and athleticism to throw with unwavering trajectories and focused his attacks on Ai.
When they hit the other person, they roared with the thrilling rush!
"Agh!"
"Kyaa!"
When they were hit by the other person's snow, they suffered the humiliation of defeat!
"Huff!"
"Yah!"
After a little while, both Ai and Kaoru were covered in snow. Or rather, Ai had somehow become more snow-covered than Kaoru, like a pure white snowman, so to anyone watching, it looked like Kaoru had clearly won.
"All right. Surrender, Ai! If you give up now, I'll let you off."
"Ngh- no!"
As expected, Ai was strong and stubborn. Watching her flail her arms like an angry baby penguin, Kaoru decided they'd gone far enough and casually packed some snow into a ball and threw it at her.
Then—
Thud!
"Ah!"
"!"
Ai, struck by the snowball, let out a painful groan and suddenly bent her head down. Kaoru's eyes widened in shock.
Had there been a small stone mixed into the snow he threw? Biting his lip and blaming himself for the mistake that had hurt Ai, Kaoru ran toward her at full speed.
"I'm sorry, Ai! Are you okay? Where did it hit you?"
"Ngh..."
Panicked, Kaoru cupped the top of Ai's bowed head with trembling hands. Ai covered her face with one hand and groaned, then—
"Hehe★"
She burst into a strange laugh, and Kaoru tilted his head in confusion.
Then, with his sharp eye for detail, Kaoru noticed that Ai's left hand was behind her back and that the right hand covering her face wasn't wearing a glove.
"Ah."
He had no choice but to squeeze his eyes shut in preparation for the attack that was coming.
"Kyaaa~! Eat this! Idiot Oru!!!!"
"Tch—"
The snow she had packed into her glove struck Kaoru's face dead on. Cold snow went into his face and even under his clothes. Ai's scheme had worked brilliantly: she had gathered snow in her glove and faked being hurt to set him up. Although she had been hit by far more snow than Kaoru, Ai seemed overjoyed just to have successfully tricked him and landed her decisive counterattack, hopping in place and shouting victory.
"Waaah! Ai wonnnn~★"
"......Pff— pff... hah... khkhkh..."
Yes. Even if he had to wash his face with snow, if the Ai he loved was that happy, then losing was perfectly fine.
Kaoru spat out the small leaf that had gotten into his mouth with the snow, then burst into laughter as he watched Ai bask in the joy of victory.
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