"……."
"Kaoru!"
"Ah, thanks, Ai."
Kaoru, who had been studying the business card of director Gotanda Taishi, whom he had met three days earlier, smiled and accepted the cup of cold water Ai handed him.
Curious, Ai had tried on Kaoru’s short-sleeved shirt, and because of the difference in their builds, it hung so large on her that it fell below her hips. She gathered the oversized fabric as if it were a skirt and sat down beside her husband.
The soft mattress pressed against Ai’s skin, which was bare except for the shirt.
Ai brushed her damp, sweat-soaked long hair behind her ear, lowered her head slightly, and pointed at the business card in Kaoru’s hand.
"A business card? Whose is it?"
"...A film director’s."
"Eeh! A film director? Is he famous?!"
At Ai’s question, her starry eyes sparkling, Kaoru shrugged. Instead of giving a detailed answer, he pulled her close, like a rabbit looking up at him with bright, eager eyes, and said, "I don’t know if he’s famous. But he seems pretty good at what he does."
"Ugh—can’t breathe..."
"Wow, Ai! Are you hot right now? You’re really warm."
"I’m not hot at all. I’m fine?"
"...Really?"
Even after some time had passed, Ai’s cheeks were still flushed red from the aftereffects of taking a bath together at the Saito family home after seeing the twins, then making passionate love in bed.
Come to think of it, she had always run a little warm, even when she was pregnant. Her cheeks were rosy like that... it made her look like some kind of little baby spirit.
Feeling the warmth radiating from Ai’s bare skin through the thin shirt, Kaoru let go of the hug and grabbed both sides of the shirt she was wearing, fanning it back and forth behind her.
"Hee—That feels nice and cool."
"See? You were hot, weren’t you?"
"Mm~ It got a little hot all of a sudden when you did that, Kaoru. So now it feels cool~"
"...How was today?"
"Mm... just... like usual, I guess? I kept practicing, and ah! I also shot the jacket photos for the mini album. And I wrote the handwritten autographs and letters that’ll go in the album too... Huh? Wow, I did a lot today, didn’t I?"
"Hahaha. If you can’t even remember it properly, then you must’ve been really busy. Was it hard?"
"Nope, not at all! It’s fun, so I’m fine. In just a few more days I’ll be back, so I’m going to keep pushing myself. I have to show the best performance ever! Haa... but... I have practice again starting at lunch tomorrow, so I have to leave early... Ugh... I miss the babies..."
"……."
Ai let out another long sigh at the thought of the twins. So this was what a mother’s love felt like—so painfully eager.
But right now, her one and only husband was right in front of her. And since it was the husband’s duty to make his wife happy...
Kaoru held the shirt for a moment, fanning it lightly, then soon wore a sly smile and tugged both sides of the shirt tight behind Ai’s back.
Kaoru’s short-sleeved shirt was white, and since it was just a plain cotton tee...
"……."
"...E~♥"
"..."
Seeing right through her husband’s mischievous intentions, Ai blinked at him for a moment, then slowly leaned her back forward.
"!"
Apparently not expecting her to play along, Kaoru’s eyes widened. At her honest reaction, Ai felt deeply satisfied and proud as a beloved wife and woman, and she gently stuck out her tongue.
"How is it?"
"Even better."
"Puhuhu—dummy Kaoru—★"
Ai’s cute face was still flushed, but at her husband’s shameless attitude, she soon burst into a bright smile. Looking into Kaoru’s blue eyes, where excitement and desire were beginning to swirl, Ai felt her heart pounding and heating up again.
With a sultry smile, Ai grasped the hem of the shirt and lifted it slightly, sending a signal to Kaoru, who was already ready.
Kaoru’s hands slipped inside the shirt, tracing over her soft, hot skin without hesitation, and he easily lifted her small body into his arms and pulled her close.
Resting herself against her husband’s sturdy chest, Ai immediately wrapped both arms around his neck. After pressing her lips a few times against his neck and chest, she whispered in a teasing voice, "Pervert...♥"
"I’m glad you know it."
"Kyaa~♥"
As Kaoru laid Ai down, he reached out with his right hand and snatched up the contraceptive item sitting on the table beside the bed with the speed of a touchdown.
-
At last, the long-awaited April 1st arrived, and Ai finally returned to [B Komachi].
Ai would make her first comeback stage on the evening music program of the famous cable music channel NTV.
For her comeback stage, prepared to the fullest with the cool and exciting song [Sign Is B], Ai received her final makeup check and went up onto the stage with the other members.
'I’m so excited!'
Ai blinked her sparkling starry eyes and looked over the busy filming studio.
Maybe because it was her return after a year and three months? Unlike before, Ai felt a strong urge to show the stage to everyone again, and her fingers fidgeted around the microphone in her hand with anticipation.
'Kaoru’s watching this broadcast too! I have to do my best!'
Ai glanced once toward President Ichigo, who stood behind the staff and watched her and the members.
At the president’s complicated, serious expression—half worry, half expectation—Ai quietly touched the necklace hanging from her wrist.
The necklace Kaoru had given her for her birthday. President Ichigo had objected because it would interfere with the choreography and because of the risk of reflecting stage lights, but Ai had shaken her head and insisted on wearing it no matter what.
In the end, the surrendered President Ichigo suggested wearing it on her wrist instead of her neck, and as a result, the star-shaped diamond necklace Kaoru had given her was now fastened short over the glove of her stage outfit like a bracelet ornament, shining beautifully.
'I’m not alone. I’m here with you, the one I love. I can feel it. Kaoru’s feelings...!'
Ai’s sparkling starry eyes and her bright, cheerful smile, now filled with genuine love.
Her aura, sharper and more intense than before her return, made the presence of the members standing around her seem faint.
Even the filming staff, who hadn’t expected much from [B Komachi], had already begun to look at the group with interest, drawn in by Ai’s charm.
"All right! We’re going live in five seconds! Five! Four!"
Right before they went on stage, the host’s interview segment ended and a signal came in that the broadcast would cut over within five seconds.
Ai, standing front and center with the camera on her, did not look nervous—
"Yes! Here is the fully reunited [B Komachi], making a dazzling comeback on today’s comeback stage, and here is Miss [Ai], returning to her fans after one year!"
"Hello!"
She waved brightly at the camera pointed at her, smiling with all her might.
*
Kaoru ran at full speed to the Saito family home as soon as school ended.
Today was April 1st, the day Ai was making her comeback. From the first day of school, he had coldly shaken off the hands of classmates trying to stop him, then ridden his motorcycle home by taking the shortest route he had memorized in advance.
And the result!
He only managed to arrive thirty minutes before the broadcast started.
Kaoru was breathing hard, proof of how rushed the trip had been, and he brushed back his sweat-damp bangs.
He handed Miyako the large boxes of desserts he had barely managed to stop for on the way and said, "I’m not late yet, right?"
"Oh my... you really didn’t have to bring all this! Hohoho~ It’s still on commercial, so don’t worry."
Miyako, taking the dessert boxes with sparkling eyes, praised Kaoru’s thoughtfulness and gave him a thumbs-up.
Kaoru washed his hands in the bathroom and headed to the living room.
When he got there...
"Daah-"
"Dada~!"
"!?"
Aquamarine and Ruby were sitting under the sofa, leaning back with bright eyes fixed on the TV, waving both arms energetically.
Kaoru stared blankly at the unbelievable sight, unable to close his mouth, and Miyako smiled as if she couldn’t help it.
"I told them Ai would be on TV, and I guess they understood that somehow. Fufu, I think it’s because they’re at the age where they only know their mother."
"……."
Kaoru was about to ask more after hearing Miyako happily savor her chocolate cake, but in the end, he swallowed the words back down.
Right. There was no way they had understood Miyako’s words about their mother being on TV.
It was probably just a baby’s natural reaction to the word "mother," waiting for Mom to appear on the screen.
But if that was the case, then it was a little disappointing that the twins didn’t even look at him, even though their father was right here.
"...Aquamarine, Ruby. Daddy’s here! Did you behave?"
"Daah~"
"Da..."
Ruby at least acknowledged Kaoru, but Aquamarine still kept his eyes on the TV and reacted awkwardly.
Still, Kaoru found even that unbearably cute and lovable, and a smile naturally spread across his face.
Ai should be seeing them sitting here like this!
Kaoru quickly picked up the digital camera on the TV stand and took a picture of the twins’ adorable little figures.
"All right, it’s starting!"
At last, the commercials ended and the broadcast began.
After eating chocolate cake and getting hyped up, Miyako clapped and said something, and Kaoru sat down beside Aquamarine, leaning back on the sofa and waiting for Ai to appear.
The twins, who had been excited earlier, were now staring at the TV with laser focus.
"……?"
Do they know the show has started?
Kaoru tilted his head, feeling a slight sense of unease at the twins’ strange behavior, but soon brushed it off.
After that, twenty minutes passed since the broadcast started, but as with any music show, the order was all over the place.
When would it be [B Komachi]’s turn? Miyako had already fallen asleep on the sofa, and Kaoru was starting to get bored of singers and idols he didn’t even know coming out to perform.
He wanted to see Ai as soon as possible, and he was waiting so hard his neck felt like it might snap!
He was getting so anxious he could scream!
"Hoo."
When Kaoru rubbed his forehead and sighed, the twins both turned their heads at once to look at their father.
The deep sigh of their father, carrying a hint of dissatisfaction, was something the twins—especially Ruby—could relate to. So she unleashed a string of unprintable curses at the damn station that still refused to show [B Komachi]’s turn.
"Dadadidididada!!!"
She wanted to swear, but with [Papa] sitting right there, she tried to self-censor herself so she would still seem baby-like.
Watching his daughter flail both arms and babble at the TV, Kaoru stared at her for a moment with a dazed expression, then said, "Ruby, don’t tell me..."
He spoke to her with a face full of disbelief.
Seeing that, Aquamarine flinched in panic. No way! No way! Had he figured out that they weren’t ordinary babies?!
For Aquamarine, who had personally witnessed several moments of Kaoru’s unusual true nature in his present life, it was a dizzying moment where his heart seemed to drop.
If they were exposed as reincarnators now... it was over, over?!
But then—
"Do you miss your mother that much?"
Slip—
At Kaoru’s absurd answer, which completely defied expectations, Aquamarine lost his balance for a moment and swayed.
So he hadn’t noticed anything after all; he’d just thought Ruby was screaming because she wanted to see their mother.
"Dadadadada! Da!!!!"
"Right! Daddy wants to see her too! Tsk—should I call President Ichigo...?"
"Dada!"
Caught between his serious-faced father, who was worrying about calling right away, and his younger sister, who was urging him to hurry up and call, Aquamarine held his head, overwhelmed by confusion.
He was the only normal one here. Sure, it was a fan’s duty to protect the live broadcast, but only twenty minutes had passed! Wait a little!
He wanted to shout that out, but in the face of the cruel reality that he couldn’t even try, Aquamarine could only let out a deep sigh.
Kaoru, who had pulled out his phone to seriously call Ichigo, who was presumably on site, immediately turned back when the music coming from the TV changed.
【 Yes! Here is the fully reunited [B Komachi], making a dazzling comeback on today’s comeback stage, and here is Miss [Ai], returning to her fans after one year! 】
And at last!
【 Hello! I’m [Ai] of [B Komachi]! 】
She was on TV.
Ai! His wife! She was finally on!
"!"
Kaoru pressed the remote to start the recording tape he had prepared in advance. After confirming that the tape was working properly, he slowly lifted Aquamarine and Ruby beside him and set them on his thighs, letting their heads rest against his stomach.
He wanted to enjoy this happy moment together with the twins.
But in reality—
'Hey, I was focusing, why are you touching me, Papa?!!!?!!?!'
'A, a, a, a, I missed it. I missed that cute moment where Ai briefly looked away from the camera.'
The twins’ silent cries of resentment at Kaoru’s sudden move erupted, but of course Kaoru had no way of hearing them.
Still, soon enough, the twins settled into the cozy comfort of the "Papa seat" and watched the TV in satisfied poses.
【 Yes! It’s been one year since your return, Miss Ai! How have you been during that time? 】
【 Ah, during that time? I’ve been doing well! Thanks to everyone worrying about me, I’ve been fine~☆ 】
【 Hahaha. I see! Aren’t you nervous about the stage? 】
【 Not at all! I’m not nervous! Because I received so much support from my fans! And especially among them... 】
Kaoru, who had grown used to Ai’s plain, understated charm over the past year, couldn’t hide his happy smile at seeing her in full idol mode—made up, cute, and dazzling.
"Ah! The necklace on your wrist!"
Kaoru shouted toward the TV, truly shocked by Ai’s surprise gift.
With sharp eyes, he noticed that the star-shaped diamond necklace he had given Ai as a birthday present was wrapped around her wrist instead of her neck.
Kaoru burst out laughing and shook his head at Ai’s bold, adorable stunt.
Honestly, if he had been there in person, the urge to rush up after the stage ended, scoop her into his arms, and kiss her deeply would have been overwhelming.
But since he couldn’t do that, he decided he would sneak over to Ai’s one-room apartment after all her schedules were done.
"Mom’s pretty, isn’t she?"
"Da~ dadadada!"
"Dadada—da!"
As expected, she was a born idol. Kaoru had known it from the moment he first saw Ai.
Ai was born with the greatest talent for being a true superstar.
Her aura and charm. What would her stage be like now that she had met him and finally begun to step out of her dark inner world, one step at a time, toward the world outside, with her [sincerity] in it?
Watching Ai, who looked so naturally cheerful and unbothered without a trace of nervousness, Kaoru forced himself to calm the pounding in his chest.
Ai didn’t seem nervous at all, but Kaoru was feeling it on her behalf, and his heart was pounding all the harder for it.
He made a vow.
As the husband of the brilliant, dazzling [ultimate idol], he would support her with everything he had so she could reach the top.
Kaoru stared intently at Ai, who smiled sweetly at the camera, and waited for the next line.
【 I got tons of support from Kaoru-☆ 】
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
At the same time, Aquamarine, Ruby, and Kaoru all threw questions at the TV.
In particular, Kaoru froze completely, not even realizing that the twins had spoken actual words instead of baby babble.
Was she nervous because it had been a while since she’d been on air? A simple slip of the tongue? Why on earth was she saying his name there—
【 Ah, I mean, among the fans who supported me, the fan name of the person whose support left the biggest impression on me was Mr. Kaoru, so... I’m happy for all the love from my fans, but still~ it’s a little mischievous, isn’t it? ☆ 】
"Ha."
Kaoru brushed back the bangs that had broken out in a cold sweat for a brief instant and let out a relieved breath.
The twins were the same.
As the crisis that had made the father and twin siblings’ hearts sink was smoothly defused by Ai’s quick wit, the host apparently took it as a joke and continued the interview with a smile.
【 Ah~ I see~ Hahaha. Since you’re making your comeback today after receiving so much love and support from your fans, can we look forward to the stage right away? 】
【 Yes! Leave it to me! With [Sign Is B], I’ll repay the fans who waited for [B Komachi] with all the love in my heart—☆ 】
Though she was just reading lines that passed by on the prompt, Ai’s eye contact was incredibly natural.
Soon the host smoothly took back the camera focus and immediately introduced [B Komachi]’s stage.
At last, it was beginning.
"Wow, da—dadada!"
"......daah."
"Hoo."
Ruby, who still couldn’t calm down and was about to fail her baby cosplay, was firmly held in place by Aquamarine, who was sending his usually difficult younger sister a look that begged her to calm down.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Kaoru didn’t see that scene and only stared at the TV.
Now it begins.
At last, it begins.
The long-awaited majesty of [B Komachi] in its complete form. The radiant idol stage of [Ai]. At last, the world would witness it.
The starry aura of her singing [dreams] with all her [sincerity] and [love]!
【 We are your idols—♬ Sign Is B—! 】
Ai smiled as she pointed boldly at the camera with her index finger.
Kaoru, his blue eyes sharpened to make sure he wouldn’t miss a single instant of his wife’s stage as the perfect [idol], then—
"Dadadat! Da! Dadada!"
"Hah! Dada! Dada!"
"Ah!?"
He grabbed the twins tightly so they wouldn’t fall over as they got wildly excited seeing their mother on TV and flailed both arms in perfect rhythm.
He felt a little disappointed for a moment, wondering whether they would be this happy if their father ever appeared on TV too, but Kaoru soon found himself smiling happily as he looked back and forth between the TV and the twins.
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