After filming more or less wrapped up, Kaoru threw himself back into his school and troupe schedule.
Because of the drama shoot, Kaoru had been moved to the standby list for the stage production for a while.
President Toshiro let out a long sigh when he saw how drastically the ticket sales differed on the days Kaoru appeared and the days he did not, but there was nothing he could do.
He knew better than anyone that Kaoru was buried under schoolwork, troupe activities, and drama filming.
So, as an adult and the troupe’s president, he simply patted Kaoru on the shoulder and encouraged him, saying it was enough that he was showing up at all.
"So, how’s your love life? No problems?"
"...Yes. Nothing in particular."
"You really are something else."
The same went for school.
There had been plenty of concern among the faculty about his troupe work and drama filming, but once Kaoru settled into fifth place in the schoolwide rankings, the teachers’ evaluation of him changed 180 degrees.
At that point, voices began to rise in favor of encouraging Kaoru’s entertainment activities and making him the school’s official ambassador.
There was no rule in the school regulations that allowed a student’s entertainment work to be excused as an official absence. More and more people started saying that this should be fixed first.
Not only would the school’s public image improve, but the story of a top-tier Kanto high school where even Kaoru, busy with entertainment work, was inspired by its fiercely academic atmosphere and studied hard enough to post excellent grades was the perfect win-win. From the school’s perspective, it was impossible to refuse.
At first, many parents worried that it would hurt the school’s academic atmosphere, but like the teachers, they gradually became more favorable toward Kaoru.
Most of all, after Kaoru’s homeroom teacher and several other faculty members went to see a performance at the troupe because they couldn’t refuse the theater tickets Kaoru personally handed out...
"Ahem! Kamiki-kun. Would it be possible to get... three autographs? Sorry to bother you when you’re busy."
"Not at all. Vice Principal. I’d be delighted to do it."
Even the vice principal, one of the most conservative educators on the faculty, blushed and shyly asked for Kaoru’s autograph. It was a sight to behold.
It was already an open secret that Kaoru’s autograph had been carefully laminated and displayed in a pretty frame right next to the framed school motto hanging on the classroom wall.
Then rumors spread that he had started filming a drama, and the school went into an uproar. Kaoru’s classmates were buzzing with excitement, their eyes shining bright at the news.
"Kaoru! I’m looking forward to it!"
"H-hey, did you talk to Sakurada Mina? What was she like in person?"
"Won’t some magazine call later saying they know Kaoru’s phone number? Hey! Starting the auction at 500 yen for Kaoru’s number!"
"Kaoru! Are you thirsty?! Want me to get you some water?!"
"C-could I ask for just one autograph? The girl I like is a huge fan of [Black Rose of the Mastermind]... Please!"
Even the students who were second to none in intelligence were still teenage boys in the end. Kaoru broke out in a cold sweat and did his best to calm his classmates’ runaway excitement.
It had already gone far beyond anything he had expected.
As expected... fame was never only good things. But Kaoru had now realized that this was truly beyond his control.
He had a bad feeling that once the drama started airing, things would get even more chaotic.
Kaoru let out a quiet sigh on the train to the troupe.
Wearing a hat and rimmed glasses with no lenses to avoid being recognized, Kaoru lifted his indifferent eyes and absentmindedly looked at two college students sitting in the seats.
"Whoa, hey. Did you see this?"
"See what?"
"Those twin babies doing otagei. It’s been blowing up on Twitter and YouTube for days."
"Oh, I saw that! It was insane. The twins were hitting every beat perfectly."
"Heh-heh. Right? Look at this."
Kaoru blinked for a moment, then used the keywords from the college students’ conversation to make his sharp brain spin at full speed.
Twins and synchronized dancing.
Without realizing it, Kaoru lowered his head and glanced at the students’ phone, staring blankly at the person on the screen.
"Wow."
"Oh."
"Ah."
"...Huh?"
The two college students, who had been looking at the phone, were startled by Kaoru’s short exclamations and looked up at him at the same time.
Ignoring whether they looked or not, Kaoru quietly watched the twins on the screen for a moment.
...
The video had already surpassed two million views and spread to YouTube and portal sites.
Ai’s smile, full of love as she watched the twins dance, had been captured too.
Kaoru got off the train in a daze, then took out an iPhone instead of a Blackberry flip phone and installed Twitter.
Since he didn’t have an account, he signed up and looked at the video again.
The title was... "An Idol Who Instinctively Fires Off Fan Service at the Strange Sight of Twin Babies Dancing Otagei."
...
Kaoru stopped on the way to the troupe, leaned his hip against the stair railing in the subway station, and watched the twins’ otagei and Ai’s bright smile.
When the video ended, he dragged the playback bar back and replayed the twins’ otagei and Ai’s smile from the beginning.
When it ended, he moved the bar again and quietly watched it.
Kaoru kept replaying the video over and over. He even forgot about the troupe and stared at his phone screen like someone under a spell.
Did Miyako take them there? The twins probably begged to see Ai.
Who gave them the glow sticks? Do they just watch TV every day with their mom on it and imitate her? So babies really are mysterious and adorable beings.
Ai didn’t know Miyako had taken them there. Her eyes looked so startled. It had been a long time since he’d seen her smile that brightly. She must have been incredibly happy.
Both Aqua and Ruby seemed smart like him and Ai, and talented at dancing and singing. Should he have them take lessons in the arts? He’d need to send them to an academy, wouldn’t he?
If Aqua said he wanted to act, should Kaoru teach him himself? He wanted to watch the works he had appeared in together and teach him acting.
If Ruby said she wanted to become an idol like Ai, should he ask President Ichigo? It would be so cute if Ai personally handled her training.
It didn’t matter if they weren’t suited to studying. He just wanted to see them doing what they loved and smiling happily.
Now, with their first birthday just around the corner, Kaoru remembered the unforgettable moment when he had held the twins in his arms. The moisture gathering in his blue eyes was about to spill over, so he lifted his head.
Slowly, he wiped the corner of his eye with his right thumb. In the blue of his eyes, shining brilliantly in the sunset light, happiness and countless emotions too many to put into words flickered past.
"Ha... If you were going to film something like this, you should’ve told me..."
The twins’ father gave a small laugh and ran a hand over his face. Kaoru guessed that the reason nobody had said anything was probably because Miyako and Ai had both worried about how he would react.
For now, the twins were still in that blessed-but-not-blessed state where they had to hide from the media and the public alike.
As a father, and as Ai’s husband, it was a pain and a guilt that always pressed heavily on one corner of his heart.
Logically speaking, this video might really limit their freedom for a while. Him, the twins, and even Ai. They would all have to be careful for some time.
Still, Kaoru resolved not to be frightened in advance by such rigid thoughts and worries.
They were such adorable, lovable babies.
Just for being born. Just for coming to live beside their parents. Instead of getting angry, hadn’t he shaken off all his fatigue and exhaustion and smiled this happily?
Kaoru turned around, bent slightly at the waist, leaned on the railing with his elbow, and checked every retweet and reply on Twitter one by one.
There were plenty of compliments, but just as many hateful comments. Kaoru memorized the nicknames of every user who posted hate comments in an instant and stored them in his head.
Every time he saw a hateful comment, a bad urge to track them down and do something about them surged up, but Twitter still had years before it would go public, and tracing user information would require illegal methods, so Kaoru clenched his teeth and barely held back his anger.
So he watched the video again.
It really was a beautiful smile. People would know now. Until that smile was captured on camera, it had been a beautiful, lovable smile that only he and the twins could see.
Kaoru let out a breath with that smile still on his face, then immediately copied the Twitter link and pasted it into a message to Ai before typing a few words and pressing send.
"Thank you so much for letting me live the miracle of being able to be the father of our Aqua and Ruby. I love you, Ai."
And then—
Bzzzt
"Are you not mad?! ∑(O_O；)"
"Pffft!"
Seeing Ai’s lightning-fast, very Ai-like reply, Kaoru couldn’t hold back his laughter and burst out laughing.
-
Kaoru’s daily life flew by in the blink of an eye.
Junichi, whom he had gotten to know through the drama shoot, caused a stir by bringing agency colleagues and seniors and juniors to a surprise group theater viewing.
Gotanda Taishi’s short mini-drama received good reviews and ended its run.
On July 27, Ai prepared a birthday table for his birthday, lit the candles on the cake she had made herself, and at night... thanks to a surprise event she had personally prepared, he received an unforgettable, scorching birthday present.
He filmed the final scenes as the beloved student council president, including the graduation scene in the last part of episode 8 where he handed the student council president’s baton over to the male lead.
At the SOS from Director Sojiro, triggered by the screenwriter’s protest strike after being worn down by interference that had gone too far, he rushed to the set and spent three hours with Sojiro drinking coffee and energy drinks to quickly set up the script scenes for an improvised special episode, then stayed up for two nights to film and fill in the missing footage for an unexpected side-story about the student council president.
He also borrowed President Ichigo’s car and went out with the twins to a beach in Chiba Prefecture to get some fresh air.
He even sat outside the door of their one-room apartment for two hours just to see his wife, who had become so busy with her rising fame that it was hard to even catch a glimpse of her.
Despite all kinds of things happening, time flew by like an arrow, and it was already the end of August.
At last.
"I-I’m nervous!"
"Yeah."
"My heart’s pounding! Kaoru’s definitely going to look amazing, right? They said he’d be in from episode one—kyaa~☆ I can’t wait!!"
"Papa..."
"Haa...!"
Miyako, Ichigo, Ai, Ruby, and Aqua gathered at the Saito family home and sat in front of the TV, offering their own reactions as they huddled together.
The protagonist usually appears at the end, but Kaoru unfortunately couldn’t join the live viewing because of a troupe meeting.
There were still special episode shoots left for the lead actors, so the drama was only just beginning. They could watch the live broadcast together later.
Ai, feeling lucky that her schedule had finally opened up, let her starry eyes sparkle and smiled at Ruby and Aqua in her arms.
"Daddy’s going to be on TV soon! You’ll both be so surprised when you see how cool he looks!"
"I saw the PV, and even though he’s a supporting role, he gets a pretty big amount of screen time early on."
As Ichigo muttered while drinking beer, Miyako crossed her arms and sharply pointed out the matter with a gleam in her eyes.
"Just look at the drama’s lead cast. There’s no helping it."
"True. I don’t know much about acting, but... Kaoru was just that good in [Black Rose of the Mastermind]."
"Exactly! Without Kaoru, it was boring! Like a dango with no anko, you know?"
Ai, sparkling with starlight in her eyes and thrilled by her husband’s praise, chimed in.
"Eh...? Dango? Isn’t it more like a steamed bun without red bean paste?"
"Same difference."
Miyako tilted her eyes slightly, sensing something odd, but Ichigo replied in a bored voice while drinking his beer.
It was very much like father and daughter.
"Taa..."
"..."
Whether they liked it or not, Aqua simply leaned against Ai’s chest, having never expected much to begin with and wondering how entertaining a drama with Kaoru in it could possibly be.
There was only one thing he was curious about: what kind of acting Kaoru would do.
'He didn’t even watch [Black Rose of the Mastermind]. He was shouting “Down with him!” because of that dating rumor with Ai.'
Aqua scratched his chin and grumbled.
'Dad’s acting... From what Miyako said before, Dad personally coached Mom’s acting. If he taught Mom and was considered the troupe’s ace, I am curious how good he actually is.'
Ruby, more interested and curious than Aqua, waited in Ai’s arms for the drama to begin.
She was a little unhappy that he was appearing on TV far earlier than her beloved mama, but she decided that since Mama was happy, she would cheer for Kaoru too.
"Ah! It’s starting!"
At Miyako’s shout, both Ichigo and Ai sharpened their focus and stared intently at the screen.
[Coming Closer to You: Love Line School]
"Ah, that title is seriously—"
Ichigo took a swig of beer and tried desperately to neutralize the cringe.
The drama’s color was a chaotic blend of its signature awkwardness, over-the-top setup, and all sorts of absurdity, along with the lead actors’ stiff performances.
Even Director Sojiro, notorious for being a total oddball, couldn’t do anything about the cringe of episode one’s script, despite his tearful, humiliating efforts.
The first twenty minutes, devoted to the backstories of the six leads, were truly hellish.
And then—
"When is Kaoru supposed to show up? When, exactly?"
"C-calm down, Ai. There’s no way Kaoru would lie, right?"
Ai, who had nearly turned into a stone statue waiting for her husband, finally ran out of patience and glared at innocent Ichigo with her dark, starry eyes.
Aqua had already fallen asleep, and Ruby was on the verge of dozing off.
Miyako was tipsy from drinking beer in Ichigo’s place.
At the brink of losing the historic live-viewing celebration to oblivion—
♪♬♩
Suddenly, the music changed completely.
At the abrupt shift in the drama’s atmosphere, Ai, Ichigo, and Miyako all turned their eyes to the TV at once.
The screen, deliberately stripped of color, almost felt like the entire genre had changed.
This was the moment when Producer Sojiro’s true worth began to show.
"Oh. What? Wait, what? Who drank all this?"
"...Heh♥"
"..."
"W-wait! Quiet! I think he’s about to appear!"
After the leads’ backstories ended, the scene shifted following the transfer student’s arrival.
A spacious student council room with a refined, classic atmosphere.
The camera cut, and Kaoru finally appeared on TV, seated in a chair and looking over documents with a cold expression.
"Kyaaa! H-he’s here! He’s here! Kaoru♥"
"Ooooh!?"
"Oh my—"
As Ai clapped with her starry eyes sparkling brilliantly, Aqua, who had been lying in her arms, jolted awake, wiped away the drool he had spilled in surprise, and sat up. Ruby, who had been sleepy a moment ago, also opened her eyes at Ai’s voice and looked at the TV.
'What is this?'
Even while blinking sleepily, Aqua could only stare blankly at his father on the screen.
It felt as if a black hole had opened in the middle of the TV, sucking in the viewers’ attention without mercy with nothing more than the emotions in his gaze.
When he glanced at Ruby—
...
Ruby’s mouth was hanging open, and she was staring at the TV without even blinking.
Ai seemed the same.
...
Her fingers fidgeted together as she focused with complete concentration on Kaoru on the screen, all traces of her earlier happiness gone.
It wasn’t just because she was looking at her husband. It was the acting her husband was performing. Ai had also been taught acting by Kaoru for more than three months at the troupe, so she knew.
"There was a small disturbance because of the new transfer student, I hear. Is that right?"
"Yes."
"How amusing."
Kaoru turned the pages of the documents and continued speaking in a cold voice with no trace of emotion.
"Hirano Taisuke. So you’re planning to cause trouble again. You’ve been given a prey in the form of a transfer student and you won’t just sit still."
Kaoru’s line delivery, with every subtle nuance of his voice carefully controlled, sent chills through both Miyako and Ai at the same time.
They could barely remember what they had watched for the past twenty minutes.
But with Kaoru’s appearance, it felt as if the drama itself was solemnly declaring that it had crossed into its "middle act."
His cold acting made it impossible for viewers to easily tell whether Kaoru was a villain, a hero, or something else entirely.
Like how one naturally feels unease and caution toward an unknown, unpredictable presence.
All five people watching the drama felt an indescribable, ominous tension over Kaoru’s uncertainty.
"...That is the duty of the student council."
Swish!
"Yes!"
Kaoru’s sharp eyes flashed toward the camera as he neatly folded the open fan shut with one clean motion, and the student council members all bowed at once and shouted in unison.
Then the scene shifted again to one of the leads, Hirano Taisuke.
"Huh?"
At Ai’s deflated voice, Ichigo, who had been sitting there with his mouth hanging open, flinched and finally recovered the spirit that had wandered off somewhere.
"That’s it?"
Of course the drama wasn’t over, but that wasn’t what she was asking.
In response to Ichigo’s question, Miyako, her face flushed either from the alcohol or from some other hidden motive, covered her cheeks with both hands and murmured in a seductive voice.
"Oh my...♥ Isn’t that a little much? How is he that handsome...?"
"???"
"That must’ve been all of Kaoru’s screen time. Ugh...! It was just getting good! These guys are boring~! Show me Kaoru!!!"
"Taaaat!"
As if echoing Ai’s words, Ruby waved both arms wildly, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Hee! Ruby thought Daddy was the most amazing too? Right?"
"Taaaaa! Taaaaaaa!!!"
Ruby twisted her whole body with excitement so intense it felt like her heart might burst out of her throat, letting out a shriek.
Better than expected?
Better than expected???
Throw that phrase in the trash right now—!!!!!!
'Papa, papa, papa, papa, papa, papa!'
That man is my biological father!? That man is my favorite’s husband!?
While Ruby was losing her mind with excitement, Aqua sat there staring blankly at the TV, absorbed in chewing over the acting he had just seen from Kaoru.
'...He was on another level.'
Strip away everything else and judge it from the coldest possible perspective.
This drama could be summed up in one sentence.
This drama would be completely dominated by Kamiki Kaoru.
Supporting role? What did that even matter?
Even with less than two minutes of screen time, Aqua had seriously been forced to wonder if Kaoru was the original protagonist of the drama.
The previous twenty minutes of backstory were nothing but useless chatter.
That less-than-two-minute stretch with the student council president had erased not only the previous twenty minutes, but the next forty as well, from the viewers’ minds.
'Incredible. I didn’t know because I never watched [Black Rose of the Mastermind]. That was filmed before he retired, and this is the work he shot right after coming back, and it’s still this good? Does that even make sense?'
Aqua swallowed dryly and let out a hollow laugh.
Ai, unable to wait any longer, called Kaoru, and when he answered, she shouted in a voice brimming with excitement.
"Ah, Kaoru! We watched all the scenes you were in! Kyaaa~♥ You know, you were so cool I forgot to even swallow my saliva! It almost dripped onto Aqua! Huh? Ah—did the troupe watch it together too? What did they say? That they could only see Kaoru? That Kaoru was the coolest? Eh...? They told you not to act all cool? Who did? Huh... who said that? Hm? Oh~ it was a joke? Heheh-★ What, you’re mean too, Kaoru!"
...
Aqua rubbed his face with a strange feeling in which jealousy and disappointment seemed to coexist.
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