5 Ai's Performance

(Aikara POV)

["No, that's not true. You have-" Rem tried to reason with Subaru, but she was cut off.

"What do you know?!" Subaru's voice was filled with anger and desperation, causing Rem to flinch in surprise.

"What do you know about me?!" SLAM! The sound of Subaru's shaking fist hitting the ledge echoed through the room.

"This is the kind of man I am!" Subaru's face twisted with anguish and guilt as he faced Rem.

"I have no strength, but I want it all." The image of him leaving against Emilia's wishes flashed in his mind.

"I have no knowledge, but all I do is dream. There's nothing I can do but struggle in vain!" The memory of him failing time and time again to make an army to fight the cult haunted him.

Rem tried to interject, but Subaru's voice rose even louder. "... I HATE MYSELF!" he shouted, his voice choked with emotion.]

As the Japanese words flowed out of the TV and into my ears, I felt myself getting lost in the story. I couldn't help but shed a small tear at the emotional dialogue.

I'm so happy that I got reincarnated because I can watch an amazing anime like this.

Currently, I'm watching anime right now without subtitles.

Initially, I was hesitant to watch anime since it might seem odd for a baby to be interested in it. However, when I confided in Aqua about my hobbies which include anime and games, he suggested that watching anime and listening to Japanese would be an excellent way for me to learn the language.

Of course, merely listening to Japanese won't magically improve my language skills, so Aqua insisted that I watch anime without any subtitles. Initially, I found it frustrating because whenever I couldn't understand something, I had to pause the episode and look up the meaning of the words.

However, after a while, I began to realize that my vocabulary was growing, and my comprehension of the language was improving. It was a difficult and time-consuming process, but I knew it was worth it if I wanted to become fluent in Japanese.

Anyways, the anime I'm currently hooked on is called Re: Zero. It was released this year, so I wasn't able to watch it in my previous life. And as the episode continued on the screen, I found myself lost in the fantastical world of the anime, forgetting about the real world around me.

Just as I was about to reach the climax of the episode, Aqua crawled over and nudged my shoulder, pulling me back to reality. I reluctantly turned my gaze away from the screen and faced him.

"Can you watch anime later? Ai's live show will start soon," Aqua reminded me.

I let out a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that. Of course, I wouldn't miss Mom's performance for the world."

I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to see mom perform. However, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed after listening to their recordings. Their music was just average, and I couldn't understand why Aqua and Ruby were such huge fans.

Despite my disappointment, I kept my thoughts to myself. Ruby was a devoted fan of Ai, and I didn't want to risk her wrath by voicing my opinion. I knew how passionate she was, and I fear for my safety if she ever found out these thoughts.

Speaking of Ruby, I remember that girl asking both me and Aqua to wake her up when the live show is coming, and looking at Aqua, it seems like he wasn't going to do it.

"Hey, let's wake Ruby up. I don't want her to miss Mom's performance," I said, nudging Aqua on the shoulder as we sat on the floor.

He glanced at me for a moment before turning his attention back to the screen "I already tried to wake her up, but she didn't," he replied.

Undeterred, I declared with a playful grin and a raised hand. , "No worries, I'll give it a shot. Gotta be a good brother, right?"

My brother simply nodded, still focused on his TV.

As I approached Ruby's crib, I noticed the soft rise and fall of her chest, a sign that she was deeply asleep. Nevertheless, I knew that she wouldn't want to miss our Mom's performance, so I reached out to shake her gently, but she didn't stir. I tried again, this time a little more vigorously, but still, no response.

I let out a small smile as I gently nudged Ruby, she reminds me a lot about Ellie when I was still at the orphanage. It always took her a while to fully wake up, and I remembered how I would always be there to rouse her from her slumber.

But now, as I sat beside Ruby and watched her slowly come to, I couldn't help but wonder how Ellie was doing. It had been three years since my death, and if I were still alive, I would have turned twenty this year. That meant Ellie, who was four years younger than me, must be sixteen by now.

My thoughts were interrupted as Ruby finally stirred, sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily. Her voice lacked the usual energy I was used to hearing from her.

"Why did you wake me up, Aka nii-chan?" she asked, yawning.

In case you're wondering, the reason she calls me Aka is because that's my nickname. I remember when Ruby told me she found pronouncing Aikara every time she wanted to call me tiring on her baby vocal cords, so she decided to call me Aka, which means red. I don't think there's any special meaning behind it, but I like the nickname, so I've kept it all these years.

Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't realized that Ruby was getting increasingly grumpy as time passed. I could tell she was annoyed at being interrupted from her sleep.

"I woke you up to tell you that N-step will start soon," I explained, and her grumpiness disappeared in an instant. She rolled out of the crib and started crawling toward the TV, thanking me for waking her up.

"Thanks, Aka-nii! Love you!" she exclaimed, beaming with enthusiasm. I let out a smile at her words, it was moments like these that made all the lies and facades worth it.

I started crawling toward the TV, and I arrived just in time for the live show to begin.

"Thank you, B-Komachi, for coming today," the host said, and the camera panned to my mom and her groupmates.

I had never seen my mom in an idol outfit before, so I was slightly taken aback by how different she looked.

"Are you doing okay? Have you been taking care of yourself?" the announcer asked, as the camera zoomed in on Ai's face.

"Yes! I've been eating a lot!" Ai replied with her usual energetic tone.

As I watched Ai, I couldn't help but compare her to my persona. She had everything I had imagined my persona to be: charming, playful, captivating, and with a bright and cheerful personality.

Lost in my thoughts, I realized that I had once again retreated into my own mind, a habit I had developed over the years.

If only I had been born with the same personality as Ai, not my gloomy one, maybe I wouldn't have to lie and put up a facade. Maybe I wouldn't be the person I am today, a man who will never be able to find his true self because of his twisted desire for love.

My contemplation was cut short as the announcer's voice boomed through the speakers, signaling that the performance was about to start.

I looked up at the screen, not feeling particularly excited about what was to come.

I didn't want to feel that way, I wanted to be excited. But, although I didn't want to admit it, I couldn't deny that their song was only average, and the only remarkable thing about their group was the looks of my mom.

The countdown began.

5

4

3

2

1

As the timer reached zero, Ai opened her eyes and I was instantly captivated by their beauty.

With a confident stride, Ai moved into position and started singing "Anata no aidoru sain wa B! chu!" Despite the song's average tune, she sang with an infectious energy that seemed to radiate from her very being. As she pointed at the screen and blinked, I found myself transfixed by her performance.

I was at a loss for words, trying to comprehend what made Ai so special. Was it the way she shone so bright, like a beacon in the dark? Or was it the passion she poured into her performance, making every note and movement feel like they came straight from the heart? Whatever it was, I couldn't help but feel drawn in by her presence, like a moth to a flame.

Even as Aqua and Ruby started to talk and cheer for Ai, I found myself completely ignoring them as my attention remained fixed on the screen. The stars in Ai's eyes seemed to grow even brighter, and I couldn't help but be captivated by them.

Lost in my own thoughts, I didn't even notice Aqua and Ruby exchanging glances.

"Looks like Ai's got another fan," Aqua said to Ruby.

Ruby nodded as if it was a given. "It's no surprise, with how cute Mama is, she can instantly gain a fan."

_____________

The performance ended and B-komachi started to give their thanks, but I remained in a captivated state, unable to break free from the spellbinding aura of her stage presence.

Even now, I can still feel the resonance of her energy coursing through me, as though I had been plugged into a powerful electrical current.

I couldn't help but wonder how she did it. How she was able to command the stage with such ease and grace, drawing in the audience with her mesmerizing gaze.

Is it because of her eyes? The ones with the six-pointed star in them? If it is, I can't help but wonder if I could do something like that too with mine.

As I looked at the reflection on the floor, I saw my own face, with stars just like hers.

I had always had stars in my eyes, even in my past life, but watching Ai perform made me question their origin.

Were they supernatural? I wracked my brain, trying to recall when the stars had first appeared, but my memories of childhood were hazy at best.

It wasn't just me, though. Ruby and Aqua also had stars in their eyes, although they both only had one instead of Ai and I who has stars in both. I couldn't help but wonder what it all meant, but I pushed those thoughts aside when the doorbell rang.

Quickly, I put on my persona and greeted Ai with the brightest smile I could manage. "Did you enjoy the show, Aka? she asked. I nodded enthusiastically, and she grabbed me off the floor, pulling me into a tight hug.

Feeling the warmth of her body against mine, I couldn't help but smile. It was moments like this that made all the lying and pretending worth it. As she held me close, everything else faded away. I forgot about the stars in my eyes and everything else. All that mattered was that I had Ai, and that was enough.

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Author's note:

I felt like this was a pretty weak chapter.

I'm not fully satisfied with this, but I promised to upload daily.

To be honest, I don't even know why I feel this is a weak chapter, give me your thoughts so I can improve it.

If I feel like it, I will go back to this chapter and revise it.

That's all, bye.