Living with Ai wasn't particularly inconvenient. Since both of us were naturally quiet, we just silently went about our own tasks while living together.
At first, she seemed to struggle a lot, but as we continued living together, it seemed to ease up somewhat, and Ai showed signs of gradually brightening up day by day.
However, that brightness only showed when it was just the two of us; whenever we went outside, any cheerful appearance quickly vanished, and she only displayed her expressionless self.
And I continued to provide counseling for Ai's mental care, and as a result
I was able to hear about her past directly from her own mouth.
Even though I already knew from reading the original, since this place I'm in now is reality, seeing Ai talk about her own past made me think that she might be able to change.
"...Mom ended up hitting me until the very end and never came to pick me up."
"......I see."
After she had poured everything out, I lightly lifted Ai up and silently embraced her. She flinched for a moment, as if surprised, but soon buried herself in my arms.
"...Yume, will you stay by my side forever?"
".......Well..."
Honestly, I don't really know. But at least
"I'll help you until you become someone who can stand on your own."
Yeah, at least until you live a happy life, I'll help you from the side.
"......Okay."
It was good that I thought to teach this child about love sincerely, not with lies, but
Since I myself don't really understand the emotion called love, I'll have to wrap my head around it and figure out what to do for a while.
And so, time gradually passed, and Ai turned 12 years old, while I turned 16.
Ai was attending middle school, and I had already graduated from high school.
How did I graduate? It seems this body wasn't just physically capable but also smart. Thinking that continuing high school was a waste of time, through mutual agreement and an IQ test, I graduated early from high school in the form of accelerated graduation...
I became a bodyguard once again. And as the youngest bodyguard at that.
And at the point of getting employed as a bodyguard, I used the money I had earned from my parents' inheritance to buy a house, and after discussing it with the Director, I decided to leave the facility.....but
"Take me with you."
"........"
"I'm going with you."
"..........."
"If you don't take me, I'll..."
"Enough....I get it, I'll take you...."
"...Hehe."
Somehow, she found out I was leaving the facility, and the moment I entered the room, she closed the door, climbed onto my lap, and insisted I take her with me.
In the end, I couldn't resist her persistence and decided to take Ai with me.
Surprisingly, the Director said nothing and just told me to take her.
Finally, once the house was completed, I took Ai and left the facility, heading to the house where we would live from now on.
Unexpectedly, the house's finish was high-quality. Given the amount paid, it was only natural, I suppose.
After arriving at the house, Ai seemed so happy about something, smiling as she slowly looked around, and after leaving her alone for a bit, I went inside first.
This two-story detached house with a yard was honestly very spacious. Since I used most of the inheritance on it, I thought I'd have to avoid big expenses for a while.
Honestly, there's no more money to spare now, so it doesn't matter much.
"Yume!!!"
".........Sigh....."
While looking around the second floor, I heard Ai's voice calling me from below, and when I went down to the first floor
"Is this the house where 'we' will live from now on?"
"...Yes."
I don't know why she emphasized the 'we' part, but it probably doesn't mean much.
"Yeah...that's right....yeah.....Yume is 'family' after all."
"What did you say?"
"Oh, nothing~"
Ai mumbled something, but I didn't catch it. If I had focused a bit more, I could have heard clearly what she said, but unfortunately, I was a bit careless at that moment.
I never expected that Ai would develop an attachment to me, so
*****
Third Person: Hoshino Ai
Now 12 years old, Hoshino Ai was talking to a person in front of her who looked like a third-rate delinquent wearing dark sunglasses.
If some stranger saw this scene, they might have reported it to the police, but fortunately, the two of them were in a café, and listening to their conversation
"So...have you ever thought about trying to be an idol, even just once?"
"......I haven't really thought about it."
"Don't be so quick to refuse...just once...really, if you become an idol, becoming a top idol isn't just a dream!"
".......Hey, could you please not push the conversation forward on your own?"
From Hoshino Ai's perspective, the man in front of her who kept suggesting she try being an idol was very annoying.
The only method Ai thought of was
"Um, even though I look like this, I've suffered domestic violence since I was little, you know? And the mom who did that domestic violence ended up going to jail for theft, but even after being released, she never came to pick me up, so I was left at the facility."
"Well, that's because being an idol is about giving love to the audience, right?"
"I've never been loved, so I don't really want to do something like being an idol. So, I'll refuse."
Ai told the person in front of her about her personal circumstances, which she had never shared with anyone except her guardian, Hoshino Yume, just to reject the offer, and
Thinking that this person would soon give up, Ai was about to get up from her seat when
"Not being loved has nothing to do with not being able to be an idol. Ah...you don't have to mean it sincerely; even if it's a lie, it's fine to say you love them, because that's what an idol is!!"
".........A lie....."
At the man's words, Ai was momentarily flustered, and her usual expressionless mask broke. Her pale face gradually turned red, and she showed a slightly embarrassed expression....
"Even if it's a lie....can I love?"
Ai's current appearance resembled that of a young child craving love.
In the end, Hoshino Ai, persuaded by the man in front of her, Saito Ichigo, received his contact information and decided to go home to consult with her only guardian and perhaps the person she loves, heading back.
********
First Person: Hoshino Yume
"..........So, you want to try being an idol?"
"Yes."
After finishing work and returning home, Ai, who was sitting in the living room, immediately ran to me and thrust a piece of paper into my hand, saying that.
Probably, the current scout was from Saito Ichigo, the president of Ichigo Production, which handles B-Komachi, the group Ai would belong to.
Honestly, I had no intention of stopping Ai from doing what she wanted.
Even though this world is from the manga I knew in my previous life, now it's the reality I live in
And the Hoshino Ai in front of me is not a character from a drawing but a real human living in this reality, so even though I know about the original, I had no intention of interfering with her life.
I only took on the role of guardian out of sympathy, but now I just want her to be happy. If you call this parental feelings, then maybe it is, but
No, have I gotten old enough to think like this.....
Anyway, the only thing I'll interfere with in Ai's life is protecting her from the malice of Kamiki Hikaru, the human who led Hoshino Ai to her death.
That's why I joined the bodyguard agency where I am now, and if Ai starts her official idol activities, I plan to enter as her bodyguard.
Since the preparations for that are already done, there's no big issue.
Anyway, getting back to the child in front of me
"....What do you want to do?"
First and foremost, it was Ai's will, so
"........Can someone like me do it?"
".........Well..."
"That president said that idols can love even if it's a lie."
".........."
"I don't know what love is. So I want to understand love.....I want to try being an idol."
"Okay."
"...Huh?"
"If you want to do it, it's fine to go ahead. Tomorrow, I happen to be off work, so let's go to sign the contract."
"....Is it okay to decide so easily?"
"I have no intention of stopping you from doing what you want."
So, spread your wings and pursue your dreams. I'll just stay by your side and protect you.
Upon hearing my words, Ai's expression changed a lot from usual, and soon, instead of wearing a mask, she smiled with a genuinely bright expression and
".......Yes! Thank you, Yume!!! And I love you!!!!"
"....Okay."
She ran to me and hugged me, and since there was no reason to avoid it, I also hugged her and lifted her up.
But I didn't know she was already capable of saying the word 'love,' so I thought to myself that she might be putting on a mask again, but
It was much, much later that I realized that the word 'I love you' Ai said now was sincere.