After the marriage registration, time began to race forward again. Ai and Kaoru both enjoyed their brief honeymoon and then returned to their busy daily lives.
Kaoru was too busy and his schedule too tight to spend proper time with his family, so he had to soothe his loneliness by seeing the twins only over video calls.
Aside from sneaking out at dawn in a used Toyota to meet Ai and enjoy a date with her....
The film [You in the Time That Falls Like Rain] achieved an astonishing box office record of 14 million viewers and 25 billion yen in revenue.
Even though it was Kaoru’s first lead role in a film, the media and the cultural arts world, unable to ignore such a massive hit, rushed to break the news.
In February, at the [Bluebird] Award, one of the most prestigious film awards alongside the [Japan Academy Film Prize], Kaoru won Best Actor and Best Newcomer at the same time.
It was the first time in a long while that someone had won Best Actor and Best Newcomer together. The film also took home Best Picture and Best Director, a remarkable feat.
In March, Kaoru once again won Best Actor and Best Newcomer at the [Japan Academy Film Prize].
His surprised expression, caught on camera when he realized his name would be called not only for Newcomer but also for Best Actor, was broadcast live in real time.
Kaoru climbed onto the stage, stood there dazed with the award in his hands, then calmly collected himself and gave his acceptance speech in a steady voice.
It was the same short, formulaic speech he had given at the [Bluebird] Award. On Twitter and other social media, his latest win trended in real time and sparked an explosive reaction.
The film itself also won Best Picture and Best Director, earning the honor of being remembered as a filmography that had secured both box office success and artistic merit.
In April, [B Komachi] made its comeback with their third album, [STAR T RAIN].
Thanks to the fans’ long-awaited support and Ai’s rising popularity, news of [B Komachi]’s comeback had already been making huge waves for three weeks.
One day after release, the title track [STAR T RAIN] topped both the Oricon chart and iTunes, and on its first day it continued breaking records with an overwhelming first-week sales figure of 700,000 copies, including online, offline, and preorders.
The music video, painstakingly produced by the agency they had signed with, also showed tremendous power, reaching 40 million views within 24 hours of release.
In just one week, [STAR T RAIN] surpassed one million album sales and went down as their first million-seller.
As if to prove just how popular they had become, every music program, whether terrestrial or cable, rushed to request [B Komachi]’s appearance, led by Ai.
President Ichigo, already having days packed with sold-out solo concerts in venues with thousands of seats, laughed in triumph and kept the wheels turning.
Ai, who was also continuing her solo activities, spent her days so busy with nonstop broadcast appearances, commercials, photo shoots, and interviews that she barely noticed time passing.
Days passed from May into June.
Products from luxury men’s cosmetics brands modeled after Kaoru, as well as items sold by foreign luxury brands that had chosen him as their ambassador, kept setting new sales records day after day.
Ai, too, set new records just like Kaoru, fronting countless commercials and even serving as the exclusive model in Japan for foreign luxury brands, starting with the [Yukari Sweat] ad campaign, which only the top rising stars of the era were said to shoot.
So hot was the public’s interest in the two of them that the advertising world and companies alike even joked that putting Kaoru and Ai’s faces on something made everything okay.
"Haah... I miss Mama."
"You saw her a little while ago. On the billboard."
"Even if it was just on a billboard, I still want to see her again."
Right after the marriage registration, Kaoru and Ai decided to postpone the paternity lawsuit for a while because their schedules had become impossibly packed overnight.
Even though parental rights would belong to the couple, they were so busy that it was hard to devote themselves properly to childrearing, so in the end they had no choice but to rely on Miyako again.
Miyako’s own situation was also unavoidable, since the twins had grown enough to return to [Ichigo Production], and she could no longer handle everything through remote work alone.
Ai, unable to hide her disappointment, sighed deeply, as if she had never resented her rising popularity so much before.
Kaoru did his best to comfort her, saying there was no way the smart twins wouldn’t understand their mother’s feelings.
And Kaoru was right.
It had been a long time since they entered kindergarten.
In their second life, Aqua and Ruby were enjoying kindergarten with complete ease, showing off their vitality from the top of the slide as they looked down at the children their own age.
Honestly, the legal details of who belonged to whom were no big deal. They didn’t care, and it wasn’t even worth meddling in.
In the end, they were still the children of Hoshino Ai and Kamiki Kaoru. What did anything else matter?
More than those annoying issues, Ruby was dissatisfied with kindergarten life, where she had to spend her days with a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears little chicks.
To be honest, Ruby thought it had been more fun and happier back when Ai and Kaoru came home and played with her at house.
Ruby found kindergarten boring, but Aqua, on the other hand, was very happy there.
It was still a burden to go back to school and live a second childhood, but he had resolved to spend at least his kindergarten days in peace.
'Ah, in this life, I absolutely should not become a doctor.'
The reason he had become an obstetrician in his past life had been because of a sad event there... but now he was living as [Aquamarine Hoshino].
Having decided to settle the long, bitter ties of his past life with an open heart, Aqua opened the book he had been reading again and quietly focused on it.
Meanwhile, Ruby tapped out the steps of a dance she had practiced with Ai a few days ago, smiling brightly.
"Hehe. I want to dance again."
"......"
Hearing Ruby’s murmur, Aqua gently lowered the book in his hands and looked at his little sister.
Ruby, who had once been afraid of dancing, no longer looked gloomy or timid. The dark, shriveled-up expression was gone, and she had regained her natural bright, lovable energy, like sunlight blazing in a clear sky.
A few nights ago, Aqua had remembered Ruby in the practice room, perfectly copying Ai’s dance.
It wasn’t just the kind of thing a fan of her favorite could do well. It was the kind of sense and choreography that only someone who had inherited Ai’s talent and looks could radiate.
If that was the case, then the reason his little sister, who had once been afraid to dance, had suddenly changed her mind and come to love it so much was...
'Ai... because of Mother, I guess.'
He didn’t know the details, but if there was anyone who could change Ruby’s heart, it had to be Ai.
"I want Papa to see Ruby dance too..."
"......"
At Ruby’s wistful words, Aqua turned his head and looked at her again.
Ruby was fiddling with her fingers, muttering with a downcast face.
Because of her frail body, she had always had to stay alone in the hospital room, but thanks to Mama, she had finally found the courage to stand up again.
So she wanted to make Mama and Papa happy by dancing the dance she had practiced so hard in front of them.
She missed the warm, comforting embrace that would hold her tight and say she was happy because of Ruby.
For Ruby, who had never experienced the unconditional warmth of parental love in her past life, Kaoru and Ai’s arms had become an unforgettable refuge.
Aqua quietly stood up, tucked the book under his left arm and against his side, then lifted his right hand and gently patted Ruby’s slumped head with his small hand.
"...Huh?"
"If you wait a little longer, your chance will come."
"A chance?"
"Yeah. Until then, keep practicing hard and show them. To Father and Mother...."
At her older brother’s mature reassurance, Ruby quietly looked up at her young twin brother.
Somehow familiar words seeped into her heart, and she briefly searched her memory.
The one and only friend, the precious person who had taught her affection in place of her parents.
The precious person she had forgotten for a while in the happiness brought by Kaoru and Ai’s presence.
"I’m going first. Take your time and play a little longer."
"......"
Ruby watched Aqua’s retreating figure, his tone blunt as he told her to stay and play longer, as he walked down the slide steps, and for a moment she looked after him with a wistful gaze.
Murmur murmur murmur
It was July, with summer in full bloom.
-
August.
Ai moved into a new house. Leaving behind the familiar one-room apartment where she had lived before, her new home was a luxury mansion near Roppongi in Minato Ward.
The house was impressive, with a spacious 90-pyeong floor plan and a wide living room with large glass windows that offered a gorgeous view of Tokyo. President Ichigo’s home also moved from the place he had lived before to the lower floor line below the one Ai lived on.
It cost several hundred million yen, with monthly maintenance fees and reserve funds totaling 185,000 yen, but Ai and the Saito couple could not budge Kaoru’s stubbornness.
The income he had earned over the past few months of activity was so enormous that it would have dwarfed all of [B Komachi]’s previous earnings combined, but that still didn’t mean he could casually buy a luxury mansion in Roppongi.
Still, Kaoru didn’t want to give up the best possible gift he could offer for Ai’s sake and for the twins’ safety, as her husband.
Kaoru had arranged a home not only for his wife but also for the Saito couple, while his own home was a mid-range ordinary apartment he had moved into a year ago after leaving the old one-room place. The building was old, with a shared entrance and CCTV, but it was not the kind of place where Japan’s most famous actor should live.
The reason was simple. If he moved in with Ai and merged their households, he would end up living in the Roppongi house, and moving was a real hassle. The fact that Rentaro lived nearby was also part of it.
Even while busy, if the distance wasn’t too great, Rentaro would also serve as Kaoru’s road manager. Kaoru felt awkward about it, but Rentaro refused to give in, insisting he would do it.
On days when he couldn’t meet Ai, Kaoru would drink non-alcoholic beer with Rentaro, meeting up at each other’s homes and chatting away. When Rentaro, who loved Korean food, brought over a stew called kimchi jjigae made with kimchi he had personally sourced from a Korean grocery store as a snack to go with drinks, Kaoru instantly understood what culture shock meant.
The moment he took a spoonful of the sour, somewhat suspicious-smelling kimchi jjigae that had a scent unlike cheese and tasted it.
Kaoru opened his eyes to a whole new world of flavor.
August... it was a sweltering summer.
After the twins’ happy birthday party, time moved even faster.
At the end of September.
The pre-filming for the [getsuku] drama starring Kaoru had all been completed. It was a drama about a naive young man from the countryside who suffers under the absurdity of the law, comes up to Tokyo with the single-minded resolve to take revenge on the world, and becomes a top-class lawyer. Kaoru immediately moved on to film shooting.
As soon as Kaoru’s filming ended, Ai was cast as the lead in a new Fuji TV drama. Like Kaoru, she was the standard kind of case who had climbed up by being recognized for her acting after first going through supporting roles.
Thanks to Ai’s lively, bright personality and acting skills, the atmosphere on set was always cheerful.
Fortunately, Kaoru and Ai’s dramas were not scheduled in the same time slot. Kaoru would appear in the getsuku slot, while Ai would capture viewers in the Thursday prime-time slot.
The twins happily fangirled over their favorite and their second favorite, watching TV with sparkling eyes.
October.
To mark the 60th anniversary of NHK, the public broadcaster put together a special live program under the slogan [Together with Together], aimed at social minorities and patients with incurable diseases.
It was a program in which celebrities and singers currently at the top of the industry would each visit a location, meet the people whose stories they had been assigned, volunteer, and talk with them. The recorded segments would then air, and once back on set, they would share their experiences live with viewers, while singers would perform songs and raise charity donations.
Of course, both Ai and Kaoru were invited and gladly accepted. For a broadcast made for social contribution, the false rumors about their past relationship were no problem at all.
Ai went to a convent with young orphans, sang together with them, and acted as a one-day teacher to care for the children.
There, she met an orphan around the twins’ age, and by the time filming was nearly over, Ai ended up bursting into tears in the break room where the children couldn’t see her.
Kaoru met a second-year middle school girl who lived alone with her paternal grandmother and her younger brother, a fourth grader, and helped with volunteer work by cleaning the house together and repairing it with other volunteers.
Kaoru received a small bottle of juice from the grandmother with words of thanks, and the sight of him quietly smiling as he stared at it moved viewers’ hearts when it aired.
After Ai and Kaoru’s VCR segments ended, the broadcast cut back to the set, where Ai was seen crying again and Kaoru was shown quietly nodding with a solemn gaze.
When the host asked for their thoughts, Ai smiled at Kaoru and said, "I was deeply moved by the scene where Kamiki-san listened to Hina’s worries and talked with her about her future. At a time when a bright smile should still be enough... what stayed with me was Kamiki-san’s heart, giving strength to people who have to live carrying such painful realities in theirs."
At Ai’s heartfelt voice, Kaoru also stared at her intently. For a brief moment, his filter switched off and his gaze became that of a husband rather than a professional, but fortunately Kaoru quickly turned the filter back on, took the microphone, and looked at Ai as he said, "I was also very impressed by the way Ai-san worked so hard as a one-day teacher for the young orphans. In particular, the scene where everyone gathered in the auditorium and sang together was, in itself, a beautiful expression of the value of [sincerity]. I could see that Ai-san had shed many tears, so I hope she can compose herself and continue working energetically for the children."
At Kaoru’s barrage of praise, the starlit eyes of Ai sparkled brightly. Kaoru had only switched the filter on late, but Ai hadn’t even thought to turn hers on until the host spoke.
In the latter half, Ai performed the single version stage of [STAR T RAIN] filled with [love], and the live broadcast came to an end.
That strange exchange of looks between the two of them went out over the air, but fortunately most people, aside from the fans, thought Kaoru and Ai’s chemistry was better than expected.
And then November.
The drama Ai appeared in surged forward with a remarkable 16.2 percent viewership rating as it entered its middle stretch.
The getsuku drama Kaoru appeared in was still some way from its latter half, yet it had already broken its own record with a 31 percent rating, continuing its box office-like run.
To produce a documentary film about [B Komachi] for the fans, Director Gotanda took on the project at President Ichigo’s special request.
And then, in early December.
"Kyah~ This is great, so good! Drink up, drink up!"
Today, with the long-awaited dome concert finally about two weeks away.
A full month had been poured into preparing for the [Tokyo Dome Concert] to be held on Ai’s birthday.
Tokyo Dome was a dream stage that only those proven to be the best could stand on.
Accordingly, the scale and cost of the agency’s support, as well as the sponsors, were enough to make anyone gasp.
With final approval finally completed today and the news that stage construction and concert preparations would now begin in earnest for two weeks at Tokyo Dome, Ichigo let out a triumphant laugh and popped the cap on his [Moriazo].
He sat Aqua on his lap, already quite drunk, and shouted in celebration.
"Yahaha! This is it, this is it! How long have I waited for this moment? At last, we’re stepping onto the dream stage! On such a happy day, Ai should drink too, right?!"
"No! If Ai’s going to drink, there are still two weeks left until her birthday."
"Huh? Right, huh? That’s true? Hwahaha!"
Now fully in high spirits, Ichigo patted Aqua on the head and looked at Ai on the TV as he said, "My dream is finally coming true. Ai’s drama is getting record-breaking ratings, and her commercials and songs are everywhere. The results of all that are going to be realized at Tokyo Dome~"
"Hehe— you seem really happy?"
She wasn’t asking because she didn’t know the significance of Tokyo Dome. It was because Ichigo’s drunken rambling about being happy to have his dream come true felt unfamiliar even to Ai.
Seeing that, Miyako chuckled, took the [Moriazo] from Ichigo’s hand, set it on the table, and said, "That’s exactly what he means. The president’s dream was to take the idol he raised to the dome. It’s the dream of all of us employees too!"
"That’s right! Since it’s already happening anyway, isn’t fulfilling the dream and going out in style a pretty romantic ending?"
"......"
The Tokyo Dome concert that Ichigo had wanted so badly for so long. Once this concert was over, it would be time to reveal the secret between herself and Kaoru to the world.
Ai gently stroked Ruby’s head as she held her in her arms.
"Hee! Mama~♥"
"Mm~ Ruby~♥"
Ai smiled back at Ruby, her starlit eyes sparkling in response to Ruby’s smile.
The trials of the frightening, rough future were now truly right in front of them.
For family and the people they cherished. With all her heart. With all her strength. She would put on a wonderful concert.
Ai hugged Ruby tightly to steady her own heart.
-
Cawcaw
A dark, windowless room with not a single ray of light.
A filthy, shabby one-room apartment where trash lay scattered everywhere.
The glow of a monitor reflected in a pair of mad, yellowed eyes.
"Don’t smile. Why are you showing the smile you make just for me to those other bitches?"
In the late-watched [Together with Together] segment featuring Kaoru and Ai—
The two people who had once sparked the dating rumor, and that damn bitch who had tried to steal her Kaoru, were standing right beside Kaoru, blooming with bright smiles and sparkling starlit eyes.
Beauty and brilliance she herself did not possess.
When Kaoru’s blue eyes turned toward Ai, a filthy curse burst out along with spittle.
"Don’t look! Don’t look away from me!!!! He’s mine!!! Lord Kaoru is mine, so why are you looking at someone elseeeee!!!"
Bang bang bang!!
As fists slammed down as if to smash the monitor, the heavy flesh of her body quivered.
Long, unwashed hair swung wildly.
The tender gaze and smile of the one she loved toward someone else.
This was wrong. She had thought the love directed at her would keep shining just as it always had—
"He changed. He changed!!! Lord Kaoru changed. He changed. He shouldn’t be showing the smile he used to show only me to someone else, should he? You promised, didn’t you, Lord Kaoru? Huh? You promised me you loved me, that you’d stay by my side forever, so why are you breaking your promiseeeee!!!!!! You liar!! You damn traitor!!!!!"
Bang bang bang
- Hey, you fucking bastard! Shut the hell up!!!!
From the room next door came the sound of someone kicking the wall in annoyance because of the noise.
With a thud, the piled-up trash collapsed in a heap.
Those eyes, filled with horrific rage and desire, slowly stared at the scene.
Ah, my prince. My Kaoru.
So you lied to me too, in the end?
I believed in you. I loved you.
We promised we would always be together.
Her eyes flashed as they turned toward the kitchen knife shoved into the sink, never even washed.
To the one who betrayed her faith....
Thud thud thud thud—
Bang!
Thud thud—
Bang bang bang bang!!!!
"......"
Black hair hung down with her bowed head.
When she pounded on the door irritably, she heard curses from inside and the sound of someone staggering toward the entrance.
- You want to fucking try me, huh? Huh?
Bang!
When the door opened, a rough-looking man in his mid-fifties frowned and spoke with a glistening glare.
"What the hell do you want, you son of a bitch, I didn’t do—"
A thick kitchen knife was driven into the man’s stomach.
A hot, sharp pain tore through his abdomen.
The man’s yellow eyes trembled as he stared at the knife stabbing into his belly, then at the thick, fat hand gripping it, and he muttered in disbelief.
"Guhh— gk—"
"Liar."
The other hand, the one not holding the knife, seized the man’s jaw and mouth brutally, forcing him back as she pushed her way inside.
The stabbed man staggered backward like a scarecrow, unable even to resist, then fell to the floor as the front door slowly closed.
Squelch— squelch!
"Guhk—!"
Squelch— stab— stab— stab—
Creeeak— click—
Between the cracks of the closed door, silent fury spilled out like blood.
Cawcaw
Cawahahahahahaha—
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