Oshi no ko: Akari Hayaki

Chapter 10: The New Member of B-Komachi!

/Ruby's Pov/

I've always wanted to be an idol.

I couldn't help but be fascinated by Ai when I first saw her on television in my past life. Her voice, beauty, talents, and personality all capture my full attention to her. I would lie in my hospital bed, thinking...

"I wish I could just be like her..."

But I knew I couldn't due to my illness. I attempted to dance several times but kept falling. I eventually gave up. Not until a new doctor was appointed to care for me; his name is Gorou Amamiya, but once we got to know each other, I began calling him Sensei. When he discovered I was a major Ai fan, he kept encouraged me to pursue my ambition. So I continued to try to dance.

I kept trying, not just because it was my dream, but also because I wanted to achieve it for him. That's when I understood Sensei was also my shining star. But as my condition worsened, I was unable to stand. Sensei, on the other hand, rooted for me and would even buy Ai's fan things just for me. I like seeing Ai since she was my idol.

When my illness worsened, I realized I was going to die soon. Sensei did his hardest, but I could sense concern in his eyes. I couldn't move my body anymore, and later on, I couldn't even open my eyes, and all I could hear was Sensei playing Ai's music in my ears. At that moment, when I was about to die, I made one last dying wish: "God, please let me see Ai and Sensei one last time..."

Pfft! Who knew he actually granted it hehe. When Mama died, I was devastated. And when I thought Sensei had died, I discovered he had been my brother the entire time! The world may be pretty funny at times. Though there was a lot of pain, there were also many miracles in my life. Being an idol, meeting my friends, singing on stage, and discovering my brother is Sensei are all moments. I'm really happy!

Because of what happened to Mama, I sometimes wonder if I deserve to be this happy. I'm still angry at my father for what he did to Mama. When that mysterious crow girl revealed to me that my father was the one who organized everything. I was outraged, hurt, and swore vengeance. So, instead of being an idol because I actually wanted to, I began acting like my brother, who would lie and manipulate people.

To be honest, it was strange for me to do such things at first, but I was so desperate for vengeance for Ai and Sensei that it broke me. I was lost until I discovered my brother was Sensei's reincarnation. He reminded me of why I wanted to be an idol in the first place, and that I didn't want to lie about it. That made me really happy. But I was naive when I received that letter from him after he had vanished. That's when I discovered he had no one to support him.

I was meant to be the one to assist him, but instead I was the one who took his comfort. What a fool I was. He is always the one who looks after me and bears all of my burdens, and yet I-!

I was always the one who received his comfort. We had a sense that something had been lacking in our life ever since Mama passed away. I'm not sure what it is yet, but when I met Akari, it felt like if I got close to her, I'd be able to find that missing piece...

Anyway, let's get back to the present. We're all on our way to Akari's house right now, including Akane, who is one of the people who knows about her secret and is also concerned about my brother. I know they split up, but I'm curious if she still has feelings for him. We have two reasons to come, but wait! Make it three. For one thing, it's for Aqua's check-up. Two, it's to recruit her, which I hope she does. And three, we'll talk about how we're going to capture Hikaru.

Actually, before we agreed to travel to her place, we agreed to include Miyako and Mem-Cho in our plans. Aqua at first against it, but because Miyako and Mem-Cho pushed and said they wouldn't let him go unless he brought them with him, he had no choice but to accept. We decided to ask Akari whether everything was okay, and we were surprised when she answered...