Rᵁᴮᵞ Hᴼˢᴴᴵᴺᴼ → Dᴱˢᴵᴿᴱ Fᴼᴿ Fᴬᴹᴱ

𝒩ᴼᵂ 𝒫ᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : ❝ 𝒮ᵀᴬᵀᴱ 𝒪ᶠ 𝒢ᴿᴬᶜᴱ (𝒯ᴬʸᴸᴼᴿ'ˢ 𝒱ᴱᴿˢᴵᴼᴺ) ❞ 𝒷ᵞ 𝒯ᴬʸᴸᴼᴿ 𝒮ᵂᴵᶠᵀ

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

ᴡᴇ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ

﹌﹌﹌

ʀᴜʙʏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇ.

She couldn't. Not after seeing Aqua be a stalker. He was so like Ai's killer. The one that found where she was staying. The one that came to that address. The one that stabbed her right in front of her eyes.

She felt like she could smell the blood leaking from Ai's body. Was she there again? She couldn't tell. Where was she? Where was Ichigo? Where was Miyako? Where was Aqua? Where was Ai?

The people around her blurred together. She couldn't hear anything of what was happening. All she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat, beating faster and faster. Tears pushed against her eyes. She felt herself shaking. All that was in her mind was, Get out.

So, she ran.

She didn't care that it was raining. She didn't care that she made it a good distance from the filming area. All she cared about was getting away.

She reached a tree and dropped to the ground. She cried and cried, trying to push Ai's murder out of her head. Trying the push the memory of the coldness of her body away. Trying to push the memory of feeling so, so alone.

It's okay, she tried to tell herself. It's okay. You're okay. You're safe.

Those words repeated until Ruby calmed down. She took several deep breaths before realizing she wasn't thinking those words to herself. A man crouched down beside her with an umbrella in his hands, rubbing her back and looking at her with genuine worry.

Masaya Kaburagi.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I saw you run out."

Ruby nodded and looked away. This was not how she wanted to see Masaya. "Sorry," she mumbled. "You had to stop filming because of me..."

"Filming didn't stop. I told the crew to keep going."

"Then... Sorry for making you come out here..."

"Don't be. If you're getting triggered on my set, then I am the one that has to apologize." Masaya looked back to where the rest of the crew were. "If you don't mind me asking, what made you triggered?"

Ruby hesitated. "Aqua. Being the stalker. He..."

She couldn't finish the sentence.

Masaya put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. You don't have to explain why to me. I just want to know what it was. I'm sorry for letting you come here when your brother was playing the role of a stalker."

Ruby shook her head. It was her fault for coming here when she knew what she would see. Stupid, that was what she was.

As if he could read her mind, he said, "Don't think this is your fault, okay? None of this is your fault. You're innocent, and you're okay."

Ruby stayed silent. She wasn't sure what to say.

Masaya squeezed her shoulder. "How about we start walking back, okay? It's still raining, after all."

All of the questions Ruby had for Masaya left as he helped her up. She was soaked from the rain, but he didn't mind her leaning against him. Her brain was too foggy to work on even walking. When was the last time she got triggered?

When they got back inside, Masaya got her to sit on a chair. He told her to wait there while he got her towels. She didn't put up any fight, feeling too tired. He was gone for a few minutes when Aqua found her, rushing towards her.

"Ruby? Ruby, why are you wet?" Aqua pushed her wet bangs out of her face. "Ruby, is everything okay?"

She didn't say anything.

His frown deepened. "Ruby, is everything okay? Why won't you answer me?"

"It's a normal reaction to getting triggered," Masaya said, carrying towels with him.

Aqua's eyes widened with worry. "Triggered? What happened?"

"I'll let her explain that." Masaya gave her the towels, which she took. To her, he said, "I'm still looking for extra clothes to give you. I'll be back with them."

As he left, Aqua helped her wrap the towels around herself. In a quiet voice that didn't match his panicked one earlier, he said, "Ruby, can you tell me what happened?"

Ruby took a deep breath, trying to find the energy in her to act happy or at least happier than she felt. "Nothing, really. I just saw how you acted, and I know what I was supposed to expect, but what can you do?"

Aqua's grip on the towels tightened. "Ruby, I'm so sorry, I—"

"It's okay."

"Do you want to go home? We can go home right now. I'll explain everything to Miyako."

They couldn't go home. Ruby couldn't go home until she questioned Masaya. If they went home, everything would've been pointless.

"You can go. I'll stay a little longer. Director Kaburagi's bringing me new clothes, after all." Ruby mustered a weak smile.

"I'm not leaving you."

"And I'm not making you. I'm just saying that you can leave if you want. Maybe...you can talk to Kana or something. You guys get along."

"Ruby," he said with more firmness, "I'm not leaving you."

Ruby nodded, letting him help her dry off. It was nice having him since she didn't have to explain why she felt triggered just by watching him act. But it also meant she needed to find some other way to question Masaya. When he came back with the clothes, a plan was already in her mind.

"Can you show me where the changing room is?" she asked Masaya. "Or where the actors got changed? They got changed here, right?"

Masaya nodded. "It's right around the corner."

When Aqua looked ready to follow them, Ruby shook her head and said, "Aqua, it's okay. I can change my clothes by myself."

"I know, but—"

"No but's. If you didn't know, I'm not a little kid anymore."

"I know that—"

"So I'll go with Director Kaburagi by myself. Think of it as...your way of saying sorry to me, even though you don't need to."

"Leaving your side when I need to be there isn't saying sorry at all."

"It's saying sorry to me. Wait here for me, okay?" Ruby left with Masaya before Aqua could argue.

Masaya showed her the rooms and handed her the clothes. They looked too big on her, but it was probably the only thing he could find. Before he left, Ruby said, "Director Kaburagi? I talked to you earlier about having some questions."

"I remember that." Masaya looked behind him then back at her. "I suppose I could answer them. From what I hear, your brother went a lot more off-script than I thought, but I could always spare a few minutes. It's not like anyone is expecting much."

Ruby steadied her gaze, looking into his eyes. "What is your relationship with the idol, Ai Hoshino?"

Masaya frowned, but he still answered her. "Once, I worked with her as an intermediary for fashion magazine models. From there on, I not only assigned jobs to her, but also looked after her various needs. Introducing her to useful business contacts was one of them. And, for example, I showed her some good cafés so she could meet up with a guy in secret without her agency knowing."

"Was open she to you about these guys? If yes, then how much do you know about them? If no, then how much do you know about her sex life?"

"Why do you want to know about her sex life?"

"No reason."

"You're perhaps a fan of hers, interested in some gossip even after her death, aren't you?"

Ruby shrugged.

Masaya put a hand up. "I understand that some fans want to know more about their favourite idols even after they're dead. However, I can't just give information like that."

Ruby's stomach twisted in a knot. "Did you have sex with her?"

Masaya shuddered. "I can promise you that I have never been interested in Ai Hoshino or anything other than business-related things."

Ruby had studied plenty of resources online on how to tell if someone was lying. She inspected him, but all the signs pointed to him telling the truth. She let it slide—for now.

"I won't share the information with anyone else." Except for Ichigo. "Just tell me everything you know."

"I could tell you that...but I want something in return. From what just happened, we can sleep on this—"

"No. Tell me what you want."

Masaya looked her up and down. "You remind me of Ai herself. You both have beautiful faces. So, I want to make an agreement. I'm producing a reality TV show, The Beginning of an Idol or Idol's Beginning. Have you heard of it?"

"That one show of famous high schoolers getting together and hanging out on weekends?"

"I prefer well-known. The new season is still being planned out such as who the new cast will be." He gestured towards her. "So, I will give you whatever information you want" —he gestured towards himself— "if you be a part of the reality TV show—though, it would be preferred if you were well-known. The chances are that you won't get on the show if you aren't well-known."

"But...that's not fair. I'm not well-known at all..."

"Feel free to think about it. You had a rough day. If you don't want to be a part of the show, I can always ask your br—"

"I'll do it." It was better her than Aqua. "What do I have to do?"

Masaya smiled. "Since we're looking for well-known high schoolers, all I ask is for you to become well-known. I will handle it from there."

"But how do I become well-known?"

"That's what I can't help you with. There are plenty of ways to become well-known though, so I'm sure you'll find a way." Masaya nodded and left.

Ruby clenched her hands into fists. She let Aqua risk his safety for what, maybe getting information from someone who had contact with Ai? She didn't even care about the reality TV show! It was all so pointless...

. . .

"ʀᴜʙʏ, ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ mad at me?"

Ruby frowned as she held a strawberry ice cream cone, the coldness pressing against her hands. "Why would I be mad?"

"You haven't said anything since you came back with your new clothes, and you looked annoyed since." Aqua looked away. "I really am sorry for bringing you there. If I realized you would be triggered, I wouldn't have let you come..."

He held the door open so Ruby could leave. He decided to have them go to her favourite ice cream parlour, which was apparently his way of trying to make her less mad at him. Weird, since she wasn't even mad at him in the first place!

Well, she was. A little. But it wasn't because he triggered her! That was an accident. He didn't mean so act so well. And since he acted so well...other people would notice. The Sweet Today live action didn't have the nicest reviews, to say the least, but maybe Aqua's acting made the final episode more than watchable. Maybe the attention would go to this mysterious new actor, and the audience would want more of him. Maybe they would dig into his past and start finding him online. Maybe, thanks to finding him online, they would find him in real life. Maybe...

She didn't want to think of the dangers he could find himself in.

"I'm not mad at you," Ruby said, yawning. "I'm just tired..."

Aqua relaxed. "Do you want to go home, or do you want to get something else?"

They were in walking distance of their home now. Miyako would be waiting for them, but Ruby had other things to do, even if she wanted nothing but to fall asleep in her bed.

She stopped at a crosswalk. "Sorry, Aqua, but I just remembered that I told a friend, the one that's scared of you, that I would meet her after the filming was done. She wanted help with her new dog, so I'm gonna be home later, okay?"

"Are you sure you're up for it? You can tell her what happened."

"But I promised I would help her..."

After a moment of Ruby looking at him with one of her saddest faces, Aqua sighed. "While you were getting your new clothes on, I called Miyako and told her what happened. I told her we would come home as soon as filming was done, but I'll call her again to tell her you'll be home later. Stay safe, and at the first sign that you want to come home, come home."

"I will. Bye, Aqua!" Ruby walked out of Aqua's sight. She turned in the direction of the park, but she made a turn before she got there. It led her to the docks where not a lot of people were, but the one person she wanted was right where he always was.

Ruby held out the strawberry-flavoured ice cream. "I got you your favourite."

Ichigo turned to inspect the ice cream. "Set it down beside me. I'll eat it when I'm done."

She did what he asked and sat down. She let them stay in silence for a bit before asking, "How do you become well-known?"

Ichigo frowned, but his eyes were still on the sea. "When did you want to become well-known?"

"I'm going to be on a reality TV show."

Ichigo's head snapped around. "You are?"

Ruby shrugged. "I'm not on it yet. I met Masaya Kaburagi, someone Mama had in her contacts on her old phone. He said he was the producer of The Beginning of an Idol, and he would give me all the information I wanted about Ai as long as I join it. But I need to become well-known since it's easier to get in that way, I guess."

Ichigo studied her carefully. "You're not pulling any pranks, are you? You genuinely want to become well-known?"

"I wouldn't come to you if I wasn't. His only requirement is that I need to be well-known, and you can help me with that. Then, he'll get someone on his reality TV show, we'll get information on Ai's relationships with guys, Idol's Beginning fans get a new season to watch, so it's a win for everyone."

She could see the gears turning in his head. She really needed him, the ex-president of Strawberry Productions, to help her. "Please, Ichigo. This is one step closer to finding my biological father—Ai's true killer—and you know that. I'll do all the dirty work, I promise. You just have to guide me and give me some advice, and I'll become whatever well-known person you want me to be. I'll be an actress, a streamer, a blogger, a model, an athlete, a—"

"I'll help you," Ichigo interrupted. "But you have to remember my skills, expertise, and who I still have contacts with. If you don't like what my ideas are, then we're going to have it rough. I love you, Ruby, and I love Ai like she was my own daughter, but in cases like these, you have to make choices you don't like."

Ruby nodded, straightening herself. "I'll do anything."

. . .

"ɪ'ᴍ ʜᴏᴍᴇ!" ʀᴜʙʏ placed her shoes neatly to the side. She didn't see Aqua or Miyako. "Miyaemon, Aqua, where are you?"

"Working," she heard Miyako calling her from her office. She was deep in whatever she was typing, but she stopped to hug her. "Aqua told me what happened at the filming. Is everything okay?"

Ruby hugged back. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired, but I'm a little more energized from my friend's dog. Where's Aqua?"

"He went out shopping. He said he should be back" —she checked the clock— "in less than an hour."

She nodded. "Miyaemon... Can I ask you something?"

Miyako frowned. "Is this something I should worry about?"

"Not worry. I get why you might, but you don't have to." Ruby was doing enough worrying for the both of them with Aqua. "I just wanna ask you something..."

Miyako nodded for her to go ahead.

"Remember the idols in Ai's idol group, B-Komachi?"

"What about them?"

"I know it was Ichigo that was the manager, but both of you guys helped them so much. But it was only Mama that got the attention and fame, right? I remember people saying it was favouritsm. Personally, I think she'd make the same progress if she was a solo idol, like B-Komachi didn't really matter because Ai was just that good. No offense to the rest of them, of course..."

"What are you trying to get at, Ruby?"

Ruby looked into Miyako's eyes and gave her the most charming, adorable, and motivated smile she could get despite all her worrying. "Miyaemon, make me an idol!"