After the breathless first half of the year passed and summer vacation began, Kaoru arrived in Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture, carrying two large suitcases packed with his and Ai's belongings, along with a big hiking bag slung over his back.
Ichigo, who had also gotten out of the van dragging a suitcase full of Ai and Kaoru's things, twisted his stiff back this way and that and groaned miserably.
"Man. My back is going to break."
"Thank you for your hard work."
"...If you know that, buy me a ton of booze later. I want to drink myself stupid and collapse."
"I'll keep you company until you're sick of it."
At Kaoru's reply, which carried a sincerity that made Ichigo feel an odd chill, he was just about to hurriedly take back his words when Ai, thrilled at seeing their new house, threw both arms up and shouted brightly, "Ai and Kaoru's new house~!!! ★"
"...Could you at least include my name out of politeness?"
"Nope★"
"......"
"Let's go inside."
Unlike the two of them, exhausted from the long drive, Ai was full of energy as she strode into the new house first, as if she really were a pregnant woman carrying twins.
A house far more spacious and comfortable than their two-room place in Tokyo. The rent was only 50 percent of what the Tokyo apartment cost, too. Ichigo had briefly wondered if, once he retired, he and Miyako might come here and enjoy a quiet country life together, just the two of them. Still, compared to Tokyo, it really was a backwater with nothing around.
Kaoru carefully looked around the house, checking whether anything had changed since the last time he came to see it, and focused especially hard on the toilet and the boiler.
The result: nothing abnormal.
Kaoru came out to the living room and lay on his side on the bed that had already been brought in, smiling at Ai, who was looking at him with sparkling, starry eyes.
"What is it?"
"Mm~ I just thought we were newlyweds again? Kaoru, lie down here too! Let's play together."
"Sorry~ I want to, but we still have to unpack and eat dinner, right?"
"Peeh... We finally moved into a new house, though- you can spend a little time with Ai~"
Ai, who hadn't been able to touch Kaoru properly during the 12-hour trip, started pouting. Kaoru glanced once toward Ichigo, who was sprawled on the sofa as if a short break would be fine, and decided that a little while wouldn't hurt-
"I came to eat Ai!"
"Kyahhh! Go away! Wolf-Oru! Pervert! Rotten!"
"Hahaha-!"
He dove onto the bed, hugged Ai, and showered her with kisses, sharing the sticky affection they hadn't been able to exchange for 12 hours.
Under Kaoru's barrage of kisses and tickles, Ai burst into giggles and her long purple hair flew around.
......
At some point Ichigo had gotten up from the sofa and was watching the married couple's eye-burning display of affection with a somewhat lonely expression. He knocked on the open door and said, "Let's eat. I'm hungry."
-
The next day, late afternoon. After resting, the three of them left the house and got back into the van, beginning their journey toward the hospital listed on the business card the veteran doctor had given them.
It was only a five-minute drive at most, but a faint tension hung inside the car.
If there happened to be a staff member or patient at that hospital, a full 1,000 kilometers away from Tokyo, who recognized Ai, that would be a huge problem.
Fortunately, even though it was a small hospital, they had private rooms, so they could block outside contact as much as possible. Still, you never knew.
About a month earlier, while planning Ai's delivery, Ichigo had suggested borrowing a relative's name and using an alias, but that was immediately rejected because it would likely cause problems later with medical insurance, hospitalization procedures, and the birth registration.
If a fan who knew [B Komachi] happened to be working at a rural general hospital in Miyazaki Prefecture, then that would simply be heaven's will, beyond anything a person could control.
In the end, since Ai's real name had never once been revealed to the outside world, they decided to make the appointment under her real name, "Ai Hoshino," for now.
She had been examined at a hospital in Chiba Prefecture, but since there were no charts or records at all, this was effectively her first obstetrics visit.
It was a truly dangerous gamble no matter how he looked at it, but now that it had come to this, it was out of his hands. Ichigo parked at the hospital while breaking out in a cold sweat.
Kaoru had originally planned to wait in the car in case there were people who might recognize him too, but in the end, his worry got the better of him and he decided to follow Ichigo and Ai.
When they checked in, a nurse who noticed that they had called ahead to make an appointment guided them toward the examination rooms.
Fortunately, the staff at the desk and the nurses showed no sign of suspicion whatsoever; they were simply busy doing their own work.
It was the only hospital in the area, but even taking into account that it was late afternoon on a weekday, the inside was fairly quiet compared to Tokyo.
There were no young people around, and most of the patients were middle-aged or elderly.
Even in a place like this, they still ran an obstetrics department- Kaoru thought as he habitually observed the hospital's layout and the people inside in detail.
Ai, wearing a hat and a mask, tightly held Kaoru's hand, while Kaoru, also wearing a hat, thick-rimmed glasses, and a mask, said in a trembling voice, "I'm so nervous my stomach hurts."
"Huh!? Are you in labor?"
"N-no. Something else... Hehe★"
Seeing Ai laugh awkwardly, as if a little embarrassed, Kaoru almost had his heart stop and let out a hollow laugh.
While waiting in front of the exam room, Kaoru stared at the doctor's name and photo posted on the door.
Judging from the listed background, he was a talent who had graduated from Tokyo University Medical School.
'Amamiya Goro... A pretty young elite to be working as an obstetrician here.'
A young doctor in his early thirties from Tokyo University, working at a rural general hospital with a small population and a large elderly population.
Kaoru carefully studied and memorized Amamiya Goro's face and profile.
Then, after hearing the nurse say to come into the examination room, Ai and Ichigo stood up from their chairs and went inside.
Kaoru pulled his hat down low and followed behind Ichigo on purpose, standing behind him rather than beside Ai so he would look like he was related to Ichigo.
When they entered the room, a young doctor with glasses and an intelligent, slightly cool-looking pair of eyes greeted them.
"Yes, hello. Ms. Ai Hoshino. This is your first visit."
Amamiya Goro spoke the sort of formulaic, canned line that was almost too textbook, then let out a low sigh and looked at the monitor, perhaps tired from long hours of examinations.
Kaoru stood silently behind Ichigo and watched Ai and Ichigo, who was sweating coldly. The doctor typed something on the keyboard for a moment, then looked toward Ichigo and asked casually, "Um... are you her parents?"
"Ah, well, yes... On paper, I'm her father. I'm her actual guardian."
"I see..."
After hearing Ichigo's answer and nodding, the doctor glanced at the unidentified man standing behind Ichigo and staring at him- Kaoru.
Given that indifferent gaze and atmosphere, which made him seem like a complete third party to the expectant mother, Amamiya Goro decided there was no way he could be the baby's father.
Having spent several years as an obstetrician and seen and heard every kind of story imaginable, Amamiya Goro had become almost unnervingly good at spotting stories like this.
So he didn't pry further and instead looked at the pregnant woman's rather large belly.
"This is your first visit at our hospital, but did you move here from another area? Have you been treated at another obstetrics clinic before?"
"Ah... yes. I have."
"I see... Do you happen to have any medical records or-"
"Ah, the thing is- we came down in a hurry, so we didn't have time to prepare the documents. So-"
"The doctor said I was 31 weeks along when I got checked two weeks ago."
......
The masked Ai looked at Amamiya Goro as she spoke. Goro narrowed his eyes slightly and tilted his head a little, looking back at the masked Ai.
"Is that so?"
At that moment, Kaoru caught the subtle flicker in Amamiya Goro's eyes.
Like a butterfly caught in a spider's web, the instant Kaoru's sharp intuition began to tremble-
"Yes. For now, you'll be moving to the exam room for an ultrasound, but could you please remove your mask and hat?"
"..."
Ai slowly took off her mask and hat.
And then. Seeing that, Amamiya Goro's eyes widened for a moment, and his gaze briefly fixed on Ai before awkwardly looking elsewhere as he stood up from his chair and went into the examination room.
After confirming that, Kaoru hurriedly grabbed Ichigo by the shoulder and said in a clear voice that only the three of them could hear, "That doctor recognized Ai."
"What!? Really?"
"!"
Hearing Kaoru's words, Ichigo felt as if the sky had collapsed on him and his heart dropped with utter despair.
It was, quite literally, a bolt from the blue.
How had they come all this way, only for the doctor to recognize Ai at the very end!!!
Unlike Ichigo, who was panicking at the cruel twist of fate that threatened to make all their efforts go to waste, Ai remained relatively calm, smiled faintly, and said in a confident voice, "It's okay. The doctor seemed like a pretty decent person. If he recognized Ai, then I'm sure he'll understand."
"What-!?"
Just as Ichigo was about to ask her, in a near blood-spewing state, what on earth she was talking about, Kaoru looked toward the examination room and said, "If something feels off, either the president or I need to try to win him over directly. Let's get the exam done first, Ai."
"Okay."
Ai, her starry eyes sparkling, slowly moved toward the examination room.
But- contrary to Kaoru's claim that he had clearly recognized Ai.
The doctor, Amamiya Goro, conducted the examination with a face that looked no different from before, and until he finished the remaining blood tests and blood pressure check, he showed no sign of surprise or recognition.
Kaoru, quietly folding his arms, watched Goro explain the test results to Ai with a cold look.
Why was that?
If that man were to expose Ai's pregnancy to the outside world, the situation would become extremely serious.
He might demand a large sum of money before going to the press, or use it as leverage to blackmail them into asking for something else.
But he didn't sense any strange signs that suggested he had other intentions. He never once seemed to be watching Ai's reaction or rolling his eyes around suspiciously.
Amamiya Goro kept explaining Ai's test results carefully, acting as if she were a complete stranger, and that only made it more puzzling.
- It's okay. The doctor seemed like a pretty decent person. If he recognized Ai, then I'm sure he'll understand.
The words Ai had said earlier in such a confident voice kept echoing in his head.
Living side by side with Ai, Kaoru had occasionally seen her do things like precisely see through what he or someone else was thinking-
Or make predictions about events or phenomena with 100 percent certainty, to the point that even Kaoru would tilt his head in confusion, and then be exactly right.
For Kaoru, who had seen that more than once, her words felt like a thorn stuck in his throat.
Was it because he had personally experienced, while watching his wife, that the so-called "female intuition" really did exist? Kaoru couldn't shake off his complicated thoughts and kept watching Amamiya Goro until the moment he left the exam room.
"...No, he definitely recognized her, right? He didn't look like it at all."
As soon as they came out of the exam room, Ichigo, wiping away cold sweat, grabbed Kaoru's hand and pressed him again. Kaoru nodded and whispered quietly, "He definitely recognized Ai. But only the first time. After that, even while looking at her, he acted like nothing was wrong. There must be a reason he was deliberately hiding it-"
"Damn it. Don't tell me he's going to call the reporters and leak it!?"
"That's possible, but it's not certain yet. For now, I should try to 'approach' him first-"
"No. If you rush in first, what do you think will happen to you? Ah, damn it! How the hell did we get caught by that doctor! If we could just get past the final hurdle, it would all be over!"
"What's happened has happened. We need to handle it as best we can."
"So how exactly are we supposed to handle it-"
While Ichigo and Kaoru were having a very serious argument on the way to the billing desk,
......
Ai, her starry eyes blinking, watched the doctor who had just examined her trudging down the stairs beside the hallway.
She stood there for a moment, quietly watching him as if lost in thought.
Kaoru, who had been talking with Ichigo, turned his head and said to Ai, who had stopped instead of following behind them, "Ai? What's wrong?"
At Kaoru's question, Ai met her husband's eyes for a moment. The feeling she was experiencing now, the sensation she had just felt, seemed like something she would need to show him with actions rather than words if she wanted to convince Kaoru.
Just as her husband had said, even though he had recognized her- he had still pretended not to know her, kindly examined her, carefully checked her, and above all, she had felt Amamiya Goro's gaze, which was genuinely worried about her.
Sincerity.
Ai recalled the deep sincerity hidden in the heart of a stranger she had met today, and the vague certainty she had only faintly felt finally began to take shape.
It's clear!
After a single nod, Ai lifted her starry eyes and looked at her husband, saying, "I'm going to go meet the doctor for a second!"
"Ai!"
How was she supposed to do that with such a heavy body? Kaoru grabbed Ai's hand as she tried to stride off ahead with long, impatient steps and said, barely suppressing his shock, "Where did the doctor go?"
"He went over there, to the stairs! Are you coming too, Kaoru?"
"Of course- Huu..."
The moment Kaoru looked into Ai's starry eyes, he let out a long, laughing sigh. No matter what he said to persuade her or hold her back, Ai was showing a firm determination to go to that doctor.
Since stopping the stubborn Ai was practically impossible-
Her husband decided to trust his wife's intuition, took her hand tightly, and said with resolute force, "I'll go with you too."
"Okay★"
Ai nodded with a grin, as if she had known that would be his answer, and let Kaoru support her as she walked toward the stairs.
Kaoru looked at Ichigo, nodded as if asking him to handle the payment in his place, and then moved away with Ai.
"Ahhh..."
Ichigo, who had aged ten years in the span of a few hours, let out a sigh without even trying to stop them.
-
......
Amamiya Goro stared with dry eyes at the photo of a smiling child on his phone screen.
For the first time in four years, he found himself missing the bright, cheerful girl who had introduced him to [Ai] and turned him into a fan.
His dry gaze had already turned melancholy, reflecting the dark, deep night sky with its brilliant stars.
'Even if you had a man you liked, even if you had a baby, I'd still keep supporting you.'
But-
'If you have the baby, I won't be able to see you soar even higher anymore.'
In January, when he heard the news that [Ai] was suspending activities for health reasons, he had cried tears of blood and earnestly hoped they would meet again healthy and unharmed.
When the dating rumor first broke at the end of last year, Goro had calmly watched the situation and sided with [Ai] as much as possible.
Just because she was friendly with the child actor [Kamiki Kaoru] didn't mean the relationship was confirmed yet.
And even if the rumor turned out to be true, if [Ai] was truly happy because of that relationship, then, even though it would make him bleed tears!
As a fan, he thought it was only right to believe in that love and support her wholeheartedly until the end.
Then, when it was finally revealed that the rumor was false, [Kamiki Kaoru] had apparently become so disgusted with the media's invasion of privacy that he quit acting altogether.
When the magazine that had reported the dating rumor in December ran a correction saying it had been false, Goro had thankfully been able to breathe again... but.
For more than six months, his one joy in life had been revisiting the bright, lovable image of [Ai] frozen in January, soothing his longing as a fan.
He had simply been waiting for her safe return... and he never imagined that the pregnant woman he was examining would be that [Ai].
Who was the father of the twins in her belly? Why wasn't the person who had gotten Ai pregnant here with her?
If she gave birth to the twins like this, then before long [Ai]'s idol life would be over forever.
With a hollow laugh at fate's cruel joke, Amamiya Goro looked at the girl on his phone screen and murmured in a gentle voice, as if he were speaking face-to-face with her.
"A fan's opinion is always selfish. Right, [Sarina]-chan? Don't you think so too?"
Bang!
When the rooftop door opened, Goro turned around in surprise.
Ai, the heavily pregnant mother of twins, was slowly walking toward him, brushing back her long purple hair as the cool summer night breeze blew it around.
Goro stared at her in shock for a moment, then turned off his phone screen and put it in his pocket.
"It's not good to climb stairs too hard, Miss Hoshino."
"I had help coming up, so I'm fine~"
"...?"
Help? By whom?
At Ai's words, Goro furrowed his brow slightly in confusion, then watched her innocent behavior as she took a deep breath and spread her arms wide beside him.
"I came here because the doctor recommended this place, and it's really nice★ You can see the stars so well even at sunset! You can't see them this clearly in Tokyo."
After hearing Ai's words, Goro tucked away the question that had briefly risen in his mind and looked out at the dark, night-shrouded scenery.
"You came all the way to this rural hospital because... you were worried people in Tokyo would notice too easily, right? So that's why you came."
He didn't bother using honorifics. Goro's heart wasn't calm enough to maintain the stiff, formal relationship of doctor and patient.
Still, Ai seemed not to care much and nodded lightly, saying, "Yeah. That's right. But how did you recognize me, doctor?"
How had he recognized her? Goro thought of Sarina and said, "I had a patient once... who was a fan of yours."
"Mm... I see. I thought I wouldn't be found out here since all the doctors are old men- but of course! You can't hide the aura of an [idol] that just naturally spills out!"
......
Goro, who was witnessing Ai's starry-eyed self-praise right in front of him, had to clamp his mouth shut to keep his lips from twitching at the overwhelming cuteness and joy.
"...Are you going to quit being an idol?"
"Huh? Why? I'm not going to quit."
"But-"
"I never had a [family]. I've always... always longed for one. So- once the twins in my belly are born, I'll build a family with the person I love and live happily. And I'm going to start being an idol again too. I don't want to give up on the [dreams] I want to achieve!"
"Th-that means..."
"Yes! I'm not going to make it public right away. But- someday, when the children are grown and [we] are adults... I want to reveal it proudly. I want to live while openly showing people the happy everyday life we've built together."
Hearing Ai's words filled with dreams and hope, Goro, flustered, furrowed his brow and said loudly, "But if that happens, you'll never be able to set foot in the entertainment industry again. You're deceiving people with a [lie], aren't you? How are you supposed to bear all that resentment and anger by yourself!?"
"I can bear it. The [person I cherish] will protect me!"
"!"
At Ai's confession, Goro froze and looked at her.
Her brilliant starry eyes sparkled like the stars filling the night sky, and she smiled beautifully at him.
"Meeting that person taught me what love is. Only after having the twins did I understand happiness."
"......"
"Until I reveal the truth... I'll be deceiving everyone with a [lie] again, but it's different from before. I'm not alone anymore! I'm not a loner anymore! I'll face it with the person I love, and I'll do it with all my heart. For [happiness]. For the babies in my belly."
Goro could only stare at Ai, dumbfounded by her confession and her sincere smile.
"For the person I love, who devoted themselves to me- even if the future ahead is a thorny road, I'll keep walking it with my head held high! Because I truly... really truly love them! As a mother, as an idol. I can't give up either one! [Ai Hoshino] is the greediest happy person in the world!"
The bold smile of a woman in love.
The courage that only someone with something to protect can possess.
Ai was gazing at him with a face full of a smile as bright and beautiful as starlight, like someone who had truly understood what happiness was.
Even with that selfish declaration that she would openly deceive the world and seize her own happiness.
'Ha... haha!'
Goro's mind had gone completely white with confusion and shock, but even in this moment, he couldn't help it- he had ended up feeling [sincerity] from that bold little liar standing there under the starlight.
But Goro still couldn't understand. Who on earth was the one who had made a 16-year-old girl, fully aware that she was putting herself in danger, so casually stake her life like this?
The person she loved.
The person she loved.
Ai's loved one... did someone like that really exist in this world?
'I can't forgive them... no way!'
As a fan, he could sincerely wish for Ai's happiness with all his heart-
But as a fan, he also desperately wanted to see for himself who the world-class bastard was who had stolen Ai's love.
Just who the hell was that impossible son of a bitch!?
"Ah! Kaoru!"
"!?"
Then Ai waved at someone.
Kaoru-?
At the familiar yet unfamiliar name that reached him from Ai, Goro was hit by a shock like someone had smashed him over the head with a hammer and quickly turned around.
"!"
In an instant, Goro's eyes widened as if they might split open. The eyes trembling violently behind his glasses made it obvious to anyone just how shocked he was right now.
A boy who had casually removed his black hat and mask, with beautiful features and a handsome face sculpted as if he were an embodiment of the cold winter.
Golden hair shining brilliantly like the morning star hanging in the sky. Cold blue eyes, blue as frost and sharp as ice- and within those eyes, a blazing red starlight.
The very same person who had been infamous as the rumored lover of Ai seven months ago!
The once-in-a-generation genius child actor who had coolly thrown away his successful acting career and left, insisting the dating rumor was absolutely false!
The unidentified man who had stood behind Ai in the exam room earlier, looking completely uninterested!
"...Allow me to introduce myself again, Doctor. I am Kamiki Kaoru, Ms. Ai Hoshino's husband and the father of the twins."
......
For a moment, Goro was so overwhelmed by the enormous shock that he even forgot how to speak, and could only stare blankly at Kaoru as he greeted him.
A crack spread across the lenses of his glasses with a dry crack.
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