Death makes people strange.
Fuji TV’s proud producer-director Matsushige Sojiro, who had already been famous for being a bit of a freak, felt that more keenly than anyone when death’s sentence came for him as if by fate.
Instead of fear, he felt a hollow sense of regret.
Why hadn’t he lived a more worthwhile life?
Crushed by family, crushed by work, crushed by every task that wasn’t even part of his job.
After graduating from university, the young man who had once feared nothing had ended up with a gaunt body, stuck in a corner of the Swiss mountains and hooked up to medication.
If he recovered. If his illness could somehow be cured like a miracle... what would he want to do first?
But it was only a wish built on impossible delusion. He would die alone on foreign soil, far from home.
His wife wouldn’t come. His children wouldn’t even call. He had worked like a ox and earned plenty, but he wouldn’t even get to spend it all, and out of the more than 2,500 contacts saved in his phone, not a single person would mourn his death.
Then, all of a sudden, he wondered.
Kamiki Kaoru.
What was that boy, the jewel he had discovered like a miracle, doing now?
But what was the point of wondering? He had no desire to meddle in the heart of a boy with such a bright future, just because he was an adult. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to simply tidy up the end of his life like this.
And then, once again, a miracle that came like fate.
He knelt and gave thanks to the god he had never believed in, burning with a fierce artistic fire in his eyes and a deep smile on his gaunt lips.
Matsushige Sojiro returned to work six months later.
And the company, which had been desperately longing for a veteran’s presence more than anyone, handed him a large-scale project that only he could handle.
Looking into it, it was a rookie PR drama project funded by advertisers’ money, using newcomers from a major talent agency and a major model agency everyone knew by name.
Apparently, they had even inserted a cap clause into the rookies’ appearance contracts to limit their screen time.
A clause that even top-tier actors could barely get?
After experiencing death once, the middle-aged man understood better than anyone just how empty life could be.
True to his reputation as a freak, Matsushige Sojiro had already decided that from here on out, he would live however he wanted, without regrets, without restraint, and however the hell he pleased.
He picked up his old flip phone and searched through his contacts.
Kamiki Kaoru
Matsushige Sojiro let out a sly grin.
-
< The student council president’s charisma! Kamiki Kaoru’s icy fan smash becomes a hot topic >
< "Coming Closer to You: Love Line School" breaks past a 9% average rating in just two episodes >
< "Coming Closer to You: Love Line School" records a 19% minute-by-minute peak with its refreshing fan strike >
< "Student council president!" The fan used as a prop sells out online >
< Weekly column - "The faded rookie six who were cast as leads have something the student council president lacks." >
< Are they crying or laughing? Even with ratings going smoothly, the lead actors’ box-office power is still zero >
< A rising star that had drawn attention in the theater world proves his skill in broadcasting too - This week’s arts and culture column >
After episode 2 aired, the media and the internet erupted once again.
Mockery and criticism of the production company poured in, questioning what kind of nerve it took to put six rookie actors with subpar skills in the lead roles.
At the same time, praise for Kaoru’s superb acting and weight as the student council president, holding together the center of a drama that was otherwise running wild in every direction, set the internet on fire.
And then there were even comments like...
- I started watching because of the student council president and ended up getting distracted lol
- Damn, is this a grade school talent show? Get it together and think about the viewers for once! My eyes are burning!!
- The agency those rookies are under is pretty stacked. Honestly, I can’t say I’m disappointed lol
- You think we’re watching for them? My sister runs out of the bath whenever the student council president appears lolwww
- Anyone who saw "Black Rose of the Mastermind" knows this. Kaoru Kamiki carried the early episodes by the throat too.
- Please, can’t they replace the actor playing the spoiled chaebol third-generation male lead? He’s way too ugly; or at least fix that tacky CG somehow?
- Forget ugly, his whole face is just so off-putting. Looks like a total jerk;;
- A ridiculous drama where 58 minutes are the preview and 2 minutes are the actual show...
- Cast: student council president / lead: student council president / ending: student council president graduates and the school shuts down
- Cut the product placement already, damn it. Am I watching a 60-minute commercial or a drama?!
Netizens, all eager to weigh in on a drama that had already been judged after just two episodes, were just as heated.
Since the rookie actors were at a stage where the public was only just beginning to recognize their faces, most people were already sour about the very idea of talentless newcomers landing lead roles through connections.
What’s more, people who remembered Kaoru—who had delivered the most memorable performance in "Black Rose of the Mastermind," not just among the child actors but among the adult cast as well—naturally leaned toward trusting him again this time too.
Before long, articles began reporting that Kaoru’s search volume on Google had overtaken that of the six rookie actors combined, and the snowball started turning into an avalanche.
"Did you watch "Coming Closer to You"?"
"Oh, of course! I even ordered the fan."
"Isn’t the student council president way too sexy?! He’s even more manly than he was in "Black Rose of the Mastermind"!"
At the pediatric clinic they had visited for the twins’ vaccinations...
Ruby sat quietly in her stroller, listening closely to the conversation while glaring sharply at the young married women chattering beside her with hawk-like eyes.
Having already run an aggressive public-relations campaign for her ultimate favorite, Ai, she now needed to carefully monitor the public sentiment around Kaoru, her newly crowned second favorite!
Ruby looked every bit the veteran spy, with her pacifier in her mouth and her tiny hand lifted to her ear as she used advanced sound-amplification techniques!
"Honestly, it wasn’t that fun except for the student council president."
"Same here. I keep stopping my husband every time he tries to change the channel. How are you supposed to know when he’ll show up?"
"I heard they still don’t have an official fan club... maybe they don’t even plan to make one..."
'Heh... as expected, that’s popularity worthy of my mama’s one and only papa!'
Ruby’s mouth curled up on its own in pride. Ai, too, had ridden the momentum from that otagei video and was appearing on all sorts of shows, getting cast for magazine shoots and small commercial modeling jobs, steadily climbing higher and higher!
As Kaoru’s appearance in the drama began to noticeably raise his recognition, Ruby’s shoulders naturally puffed up with pride at being born to the child of her ultimate favorite and second favorite.
'You can’t get happiness like this for free~'
Humming to herself, Ruby smiled around her pacifier. Unlike the idol market, where nasty otaku were everywhere, dramas were watched by a much broader audience, so the fanbase was more varied too.
Having seen with her own eyes how often her favorite got hit with hateful, personal attacks and sexual harassment online, Ruby was starting to feel reassured by Kaoru’s favorable public image...
"But... was I the only one who got a little flustered? Hehe~"
"Me too. Watching the drama and then seeing my husband... I mean, wow..."
"He’s even taller than he was in "Black Rose of the Mastermind"..."
"!?"
Ruby had been smiling in satisfaction when her expression suddenly hardened and she shook her head violently, biting down on her pacifier.
W-what did I just hear?
Hearing the young mothers whispering to each other in secret about Kaoru, Ruby clenched her tiny fist and trembled with rage.
'Who are these ladies trying to get ideas about?! Mama’s favorite husband is Papa! He’s our one and only favorite couple, and nobody is allowed to covet them!!!'
Sparks crackled in her glittering starry eyes.
She would never forgive them. She absolutely could not stand by and let those sneaky little cat thieves try to steal Papa away from her beloved mama!
Ruby struggled upright in the stroller and pulled the pacifier from her mouth.
"Take that!"
Whooshthunk!
"Eek?! W-what was that?!"
While the women were chatting, a pacifier flew out of nowhere and hit one of them in the face, making the young mother scream in shock.
Pretending not to know a thing, Ruby lay back in the stroller and whistled with an innocent expression, looking away as if she had no idea what had happened.
Even if they checked the CCTV, what were they going to do? She was just a baby who had only been born a year ago~
With her hands interlocked behind her head like a vacationing tourist, Ruby finished the job in style and smiled with satisfaction.
"Phew. That was hard... Huh? Where did the pacifier go?"
After the vaccinations, Miyako came out with Aqua and noticed Ruby’s pacifier was gone, so Ruby gave her a self-assured smile and silently held up a V sign.
As expected of mother and daughter.
Seeing that bright, lively V sign and smile that were a dead ringer for Ai’s, Miyako let out a long sigh and muttered that blood really didn’t lie.
-
"So pretty! So cool! So thrilling!"
"Mama! Mama! Mama! Eee~♥"
Today, too, Aqua got to enjoy the bliss of being a fan right beside Ruby, who was recharging her otaku soul by watching Ai’s videos on Miyako’s laptop.
Always fresh, always thrilling, always cool.
As expected of Ai, the undisputed ace of B Komachi, she captivated fans with her overwhelming performances in every broadcast and live show she appeared in.
Those sparkling starry eyes and the fantastical aura only the "ultimate idol" could radiate!
That fearless, bright smile and singing voice that stole fans’ hearts!
"...Ahh!"
Aqua touched his plump, flushed cheeks and smiled happily.
Even after charging up this much, when Ai came home after work, she would still hold him in her arms and dote on him again.
Was this not rebirth in paradise? A life of perfect fan-and-idol harmony!
Aqua blinked his still-lingering blue eyes and reached for the mouse to watch the next video.
Click
"Huh!?"
"Mm!?"
Of all things, his hand overlapped with Ruby’s. The tiny hands engaged in a fierce battle, each refusing to let go of the mouse.
"I’m watching this."
"Ruby’s already seen that one. I’m watching the Shinjuku live video."
"I’ve seen it."
"So what?"
"Why don’t you give in for once?"
"You’re older than me, so you should give in. Why should I?"
"??? Huh? Then you’re the younger one, so why should you give in to me... no, wait. No. Phew."
Aqua almost got dragged into it.
As the older one, he slowly took a breath and calmed his mind.
Right. He was the older brother.
The one beside him was his sister, even if he didn’t like it, and blood-related family he would have to keep seeing for the rest of his life.
If they fought, Ai would be sad.
No, but I always give in to her, even gave up the rabbit plushie last time, and she still doesn’t know how to be grateful~~?
Suddenly, Akuma Aqua’s voice snickered up from the depths of his mind.
...Do you really have to give in?
But...
You could just go at it head-on like that guy, couldn’t you?
...Hah, but!
Don’t you want to watch Ai’s fan service compilation?!
"Take this!"
"Ah!"
Startled by Aqua’s sudden attack, Ruby yanked the mouse to shove her brother’s hand away.
But then—
Click
"Huh?"
"Eh?!"
What came up was not the video of Ai the twins wanted, but a compilation of Kaoru’s student council president scenes that had been trending in popularity.
It was only episode 2, and already there was a "student council president collection"?
Aqua stared blankly at the screen, looking at Kaoru’s student council president compilation edited with exaggerated visual effects.
- Keep your dignity. Don’t test my patience.
"Hee... Papa... as expected, he’s Mama’s darling! Mama’s taste is amazing!"
Before long, Ruby had become completely absorbed in the laptop and was drooling as she showered Kaoru with praise.
She was now fully launching into Kaoru fandom, saying he was her new second favorite and all that...
She even burned with even greater fan devotion, claiming that Ai choosing Kaoru was proof that Ai’s "eye for the heart" was unmatched.
...Aqua had to admit that part, at least.
"Hmm..."
No matter how he looked at it, Kaoru’s acting really was incredible.
The cold charisma pouring out through the laptop and those unwavering blue eyes left a shocking impression that no actor his age, or any actor he had seen so far, had ever given him.
No wonder he was already setting the internet on fire and crushing the lead cast with his overwhelming presence.
Still, Aqua crossed his arms and nodded with a very serious expression, as if reluctantly acknowledging Kaoru’s acting.
"Hehe— since Papa’s collection video is over, I’m going to watch what Ruby wanted!"
"...Sure."
Aqua reluctantly handed the mouse over to Ruby.
Then he spotted the handheld mirror Miyako used beside the laptop and looked at his own face in it.
"......"
His features were a blend of Kaoru and Ai, but one thing was clear: the color of his eyes, the shape of his gaze, and the bridge of his nose were all a dead ringer for Kaoru.
Seen one way, he resembled Ai’s cute face shape and overall outline; seen another, he looked like Kaoru’s sharp, straight nose and his steep, blade-like jawline.
Faces change as people grow, with different bone structure and muscle placement, but for now he looked more like his father, Kaoru.
Staring into the mirror, Aqua narrowed his brows fiercely and muttered under his breath.
"Keep your dignity."
Ah, no, that wasn’t it?
Aqua tilted the hand mirror this way and that, lifting and lowering the hand that held it, then muttered again.
"Don’t test my patience. Hmm... it’s school rules. Hmm... it’s the school rules. Hiss... hmm... keep your dignity."
Maybe that was a little close? Aqua kept practicing, trying to imitate Kaoru’s gaze, squinting, glaring, and lifting his eyes in the mirror as he redoubled his efforts to become the student council president.
"......What are you doing?"
"Huh?"
When Aqua whipped around in shock, he saw Ruby staring at him with a dark expression, her brows furrowed as if she had just seen something she could never unsee.
Oh no!
Had he accidentally done something weird while looking in the mirror?
With his face turning bright red, Aqua snapped his head away and set down the hand mirror as he shouted, "I-I wasn’t doing anything! Just keep watching!"
"......"
"Ugh! It’s hot! So hot!"
Aqua hurriedly got off the table and trotted toward the balcony, desperately trying to cool his face after creating a humiliating black history moment in front of his little sister.
-
"Good work today~"
After another busy schedule, Ai quickly finished getting ready to head home.
She had been cast as the monthly cover model for one of the popular music magazines favored by teenagers, and had spent the day doing a photo shoot in the studio.
True to her title as the "ultimate idol," she showed off a range of charms, from a cute outfit and a modest everyday look to her irresistible, lively smile.
The photographer kept smiling in clear satisfaction as he captured Ai on camera.
Ai finished the shoot with her signature V sign, a pose that could win over fans with ease.
"Phew!"
After returning her shoot outfit in the dressing room and coming out wearing her hat, Ai let out a breath of relief—only to hear the staff talking, and her sharp hearing caught every word.
"Did you watch "Coming Closer to You" a few days ago?"
"Yeah, I did."
"The student council president..."
"Ooh—ahaha— I was just about to bring that up too, the student council president!"
"Eeeek, wasn’t he so cool?! I thought my heart was going to burst when he hit that wrist with the fan!!"
"More than that... I was eavesdropping outside and thought his arms-crossed pose was so sexy that I recorded that part separately."
"Yeah, that part was seriously insane too. Haa... I became a total fan after "Black Rose of the Mastermind." My cousin works at a bank, and apparently she met Kamiki Kaoru twice... She bragged like crazy that she ran into him in front of the station on the day of her older cousin’s wedding..."
"Whoa, seriously?! Twice?! Did she get a photo too? I’m so jealous..."
"She even got a hug, apparently? She asked him some questions, and after she answered, he thanked her with a hug, a photo, and even an autograph."
"Heeey?! A hug too?!"
Flinch—
Ai’s ears twitched.
Hug?
Hug...?
She could understand the autograph and the photo, but a hug?
"......"
Ai’s sparkling starry eyes sank for a moment into a dark night sky.
Hearing that from someone else—something she had never heard from Kaoru himself—felt anything but pleasant.
Did that mean that, for fans, he showed the same smile and kindness he showed her... without hesitation?
Gnaw.
Without realizing it, she bit down on her thumbnail. It was a habit she hadn’t done once since being with Kaoru.
The negative feelings rising in her heart stirred up her thoughts.
"Kaoru..."
It was good that Kaoru was becoming famous, but for fans to grow more numerous, greedy, and eager for physical or emotional contact with him was not something Ai could easily accept.
After meeting her husband, she had thought she knew every side of Kaoru.
He wasn’t signed to an agency, didn’t even have a fan club, and moved between home, the troupe, and school, while all the attention, affection, and sincere love belonged to her and her alone.
Ai, too, had poured all of her sincerity and emotion, admiration and longing, affection and desire into Kaoru, and they had shared all of it with each other.
And yet he was giving hugs as fan service?
Gnaw.
Ai’s emotionless, starry eyes reflected in the back-seat window shifted restlessly, as if thinking hard about something.
Would she normally have let it go?
The warmth and scent of Kaoru that only she knew in this world.
Even if she had thought she should share it with others, when it suddenly came crashing in like this, Ai felt confused and suffocated.
Was this also... something she gained after learning what "love" was...
"......"
"Is something wrong? You look off."
"Nope-☆ I’m just a little tired~ and I kind of miss the twins and Kaoru!"
As always, with Ai’s bright smile, Ichigo chuckled and kept driving.
"I called Miyako earlier. Kaoru’s already home and watching the twins."
"Hee-?! Really?"
Ai’s eyes widened in delight as she pulled out her personal phone, entered the password, and opened her messages.
There were several texts from Kaoru.
"......♥"
Because her mind had been unsettled by the things she’d heard in the studio, she hadn’t replied to Kaoru right away.
Her heart felt restless and impatient.
But—
- Did you eat?
- I got home first. I miss you.
- With Ruby (photo attached)
- I bathed Aqua for Miyako today. He seems even more wary of me than usual!
Ai gently bit her lip, her starry eyes shining with deep love and desire.
Just from the texts alone, she could feel Kaoru’s gentle love and affection.
She wanted to rush straight into Kaoru’s arms right now and hug her husband as tightly as she could, feeling his warmth and scent.
The one and only refuge in this world that no one else could ever covet—Hoshino Ai’s beloved man.
"Heheh-♥"
- I’m coming soon! Wait for me, Kaoru!!!
Hugs could be shared, but the [sincerity] and [love] wrapped inside Kaoru’s hug belonged only to Hoshino Ai and the adorable twins born from the love between her and Kaoru.
The affection of her lover and husband would never be allowed to anyone else...
"Kaoru♥!!!!!!"
"Ghk? Ai!"
Thump!
"I missed you♥"
"...Me too. You worked hard."
"I love you. I love you. Kaoru, I love you. I really love you."
"Yeah! I love you too, Ai."
At Kaoru’s whisper, the starry light in Ai’s eyes shone brilliantly.
At last, her love and affection were satisfied. The anger and confusion that had stirred her heart, along with the ridiculous conversation she had heard at the studio earlier, were all neatly erased from her memory.
No one—ever.
Would take this heartfelt hug away.
Kaoru’s love belonged only to her.
"Kaoru... You shouldn’t just go hugging people without telling me, okay? Got it? Whether it’s a fan or anyone else... don’t hug them behind Ai’s back."
"...Ah, okay. I’ll be careful."
"Heheh-♥ I love you!"
Held tightly in her husband’s arms, the pink glow hidden in Ai’s starry eyes shimmered beautifully within her gaze.
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