"Oh, it seems I missed one..."
Akira then deletes the folder.
Ai trembles in the sight of Akira's calm demeanor, "I'm confused...Akira-san, please explain...-"
Akira went to the kitchen, grabbing a knife.
"Akira-san..."
The next second, she felt a nudge on her shoulder, it was an apple.
She looks up at Akira, confused.
"What is this? Is it poisoned? What was the knife for?"
Akira sighed and took a bite on the apple before giving it back to Ai.
"See, it's not poisined."
"..."
"...then what's the knife for?"
"Don't tell me you don't know a paring knife. This knife is great for peeling/skinning fruits" he replied as peels his own apple.
"Oh...sorry..."
"But anyways, please...explain this to me. Why are you with him? Why do you two have a photo? Are you two still somehow connected?"
"No. I've completely cut ties with him recently, he's totally gone now." Akira replied while he takes a bite of his apple.
"Then, what is your connection with him?" Ai asked.
"He's my apprentice..."
---
Children were laughing and mocking him, no one wanted to play with him, he sat by the corner of the bench, watching as the other children play happily without him. With sorrowful eyes, he looks away to see a hand handing him an icicle.
"Hey there, What's your name?"
The child looked up at the man, bright red eyes, a dark hair, yet, he seemed so gentle. His voice gave warmth in his heart. Shifiting something inside him, he accepts the icicle.
"Thank you... I'm Hikaru...Hikaru Kamiki."
The man smiled.
"That's a beautiful name... Mine's Akira... Kiyoshi Akira." the man replied.
Hikaru looks up at him with a curious face, asking,
"You have two names?"
"..."
"Yeah, I've heard that alot before... Kiyoshi's my name. The surname is Akira." He chuckled.
"Oh..."
For the past few days, we and Hikaru met... again and over again until it went on for months and also as . He seem to live alone, his grey eyes swell my heart. So sometimes, I take him in in my apartment. And later on, I've found he's quite a great actor for his age that he was accepted and was even a rising star actor in the Lalalei Theater Company. He couldn't help but look at him like he's just another one of his siblings, or even himself...
"Akira-sama... Thank you for being by my side for this past few months. I feel, I'm being valued more than I was before...!"
"..."
"Oww..." Hikaru cried as Akira pinches his cheek.
"What was that for?!"
"Stop being so dramatic."
"I do mean it! With my whole heart, I swear! You've always stand by me like a father. You helped and guided me, and even teaching me all this genius tech stuffs. And not only that, you also protect me from bad people. You and Kuyumi-san...Thank you."
He seemed to be a kind and loving kid...
...
But I can't but notice this unease in my heart.
A Year Later... Airi Himekawa, one of Hikaru's co-actor in the Lala lei theater company and her husband Seijuro Uehara died of murder-suicide and and just as I myself was shocked someone knocked on my door, it was Hikaru. His eyes seemed dim once again... but...maybe dimmer? I couldn't comprehend it until he explained everything to me, of his relationship with Airi, how he was molested, and had a child from Airi.
I froze... I couldn't utter a single word.When Kuyumi gets to know this, she was so shocked "how can someone this young experience such thing!" she muttered, hugging Hikaru deep within her embrace.
"It's okay Karou-kun... Are you-? I-I'm sorry... we're sorry... we..."
Starting that day, He sometimes ask me to teach him skills of cyber security, when I asked him what it's for, he'd just tell me,
"Because I want to protect people who're important to me. Just like you." With a smile. It felt genuine...
I also usually come along with Hikaru at the backstage to watch over and pick him up the instant the shows are over. over the past few months to even years, he had been meeting this young introverted girl...
One day, I asked him about her.
"Oh, her? Her name's Ai. She's a new recruit and is an idol namely B-Komach. I like her, she's pretty fun to talk with, snd gradually, as you might notice, she's even starting to become more extroverted. What about it?"
"..."
"Nothing. Just wanted to know."
I don't understand it, the same feeling, it bothers me...
So I went on to track them via tech. One day, then again and again, having seen them always go together alone before closing his laptop.
"Karou-kun..."
On the next day, Hikaru seemed to have such a great smile and better character. While we were eating breakfast, lunch, or sometimes walking casually, he'd always talk about her. So maybe...maybe.
"This Ai Hoshino is not so bad after all..."
---
As the day ends
Kuyumi
"Hey, Akira-Sama, you seem exhausted. Let me prepare dinner for you."
"Thanks, but I'm not that so exhausted, it's just, so many things happened at once..."
Kuyumi walks towards him and sat by his side, grabbing his arm and laying her head on his shoulder.
"You know, why not breathe in for a sec? Let's have our time, too."
"..."
By the next day, I brought her to a mountain for a tour of the place I want to live in the future. The sun rays are so warm with her... I feel butterflies, we went down a village on our new bought bike, eventually ending up in a small shokudō shop to eat.
"Wow, the food here truly is delicious!"
Kuyumi exclaimed.
"You think so?"
"Mph! The peaceful sight of the trees and especially this spot, the sun is just rightly warm, and their cooking is also nothing I've ever tasted before! It feels nostalgic..."
At that moment, time felt like it just stopped for me...
We'd eventually be regulars by weekends or sometimes free Wednesdays and Fridays.
"Ohoh~ You guys are here again?"
"Tehee" Kuyumi chuckled
"Two rice egg and a Miso soup again, please~!"
"Sure, coming right up."
We sat at that same table, and we ate happily, forgetting all about our problems for the moment.
"This feels like home."
---
At some point, while walking towards Hikaru's apartment, I overheard a conversation between Karou-Kun and a familiar female voice.
"I know. Taiki-kun is your son with Airi-san, right?"
"I can't even. That's enough. I can't bear it!"
"It's over."
"..."
"About the baby... hmm, I guess it's difficult for me, too."
Hiding in the corner, I saw Ai walk out the door. I pretended to have just arrived, hiding the face I just had. As I walk towards the open door, Hikaru walked up to me and patted my shoulders.
"Ai..."
"..."
It's this same feeling again. I feel like throwing up.
---
Akira steps down his car.
"So this is it... Miyazaki Prefecture... What's your next plan, Karou."
Walking down the hallway, I saw a man walking in circles before following a man I've heard whose responsible of giving birth to Ai...
"Gorou Amamiya, he's currently the one in charge of Ai's birth."
I scrolled further through the man's details and the hospital's hidden registries, so I recognize him as the one supposedly to give birth of Ai. But that night, he didn't make it.
"Where's doctor Gorou-sama? He isn't here, we need another doctor to cover ms. Hoshino's birth. Anyone?"
I've witnessed it, to be honest, I didn't expect Hikaru would take it this so far... killing yet another life (Gorou)... You're still new.
"You? You know about this don't you, this is classified, no one should know about Ms. Hoshino's labor, you get it?"
"Yeah..."
After a few struggle, I was quite suprised myself, it's a twin of both genders... Especially the boy, he looked just like him.
Sigh, now I have to keep track of both.
---
"Promise me... You'll come back for our relationship... Akira-sama."
She said with pitiful eyes...It broke. Karou... You're too much now.
By the day of Ai's death, I saw the same guy who killed Gorou, rushing down the stairs. For a moment, our eyes met. He fell down the stairs in rush as I stare at him. I took my phone, then warned them.
"Get ready."
The time I left after my last chat with Hikaru they called, telling me they've succeeded.
"Good job."
So I went straight to Ayame-chan's hospital, that time I arrived there, I saw her body already being Defibrillated.
I held my breath
1...2...3...4...5...6... before finally, on the 7th the monitor beeped.
I feel great that it succeeded, yeah, but for some reason, I felt like my back grew heavier.
---
The night breeze hit our skins as we sit on the edge of the mountain, sighting the city and the mountains surrounding it.
"Why can't you just lay or share your burden with me?"
"..."
"From now on, oath to me you'll give even half your attention..."
"You're way to selfless, when will you learn to be selfish sometimes?"
My heart skipped a beat. I don't understand it. The bright fireworks shone at her lovely innocent face... This is weird.
---
Ai
"I'm sorry...You went through all that. Even to the point Hikaru used your skills in a twisted way to me, you were manipulated... And you even took Sensei's place of...- Wait, no way! Akira-san!!"
Punching Akira.
"It's just giving birth, What's the problem with it?"
"But still!" Ai pouted
---
"Come on. You're still not ready, Ruby?"
"Jeez, just wait a minute, Onii-chan!" Ruby replied, now a 16 year old child.
"This uniform might be cute, but it's pretty complicated... But it sure is cute!"
Aqua
"Don't be making us late on our first day, okay?"
"..."
"Isn't your skirt a bit too short?"
"Onii-chan, you know, you've always sounded like an old man." Ruby pouted.
"Oh that's right."
"Mama, we're heading out now." looking at their photo with Ai when they were kids before heading out to leave the house now.
"They've sure grown, Ruby looks just like you."
"..."
"They definitely did, it's just like yesterday when they were still pre-schoolers... now the same age as I am when I had them.
"Aqua...Ruby." A smile escaped Ai's lips.