In the end, it took an extra hour to get here...
"Hehehe★ Are you mad, Yume?"
"No, I'm not really mad. I just feel disappointed in myself for being directionally challenged."
I thought I was good at finding my way, but I guess not.
"So, where are we going?"
"Hold on..."
I sent a text saying we'd arrived, so they should come to pick us up soon.
"Hey, isn't that person over there?"
"Huh?"
A man was rushing toward us from where Ai pointed, and the card key around his neck showed he was a company employee.
"Seems like it."
Based on the information I'd looked up, that was probably the main producer.
Nothing special came up, so it shouldn't be a big deal.
"Huff... huff... Oh, welcome. Yume-san, Ai-san, I'm running a bit late, aren't I?"
Seeing the main producer panting made him seem a bit pathetic for some reason.
When I glanced at him, I noticed his hair was thinning in the middle... Hmm...
"Not at all. I wish I could have found the way properly, but since it's this weekend..."
"Yes, yes... We asked urgently, and fortunately, you accepted right away, so the shoot should go smoothly."
"Oh, that's a relief. Shall we discuss the rest inside?"
No need to have this conversation out here.
"Ah, yes. How about we head to the café in our company? The writer has already gone there."
"Sounds good. Could you guide us?"
Since it's my first time here, I have no idea which café it is...
"Ah, sure. Follow me."
Watching the producer walk ahead.
"Ai, let's go."
"Okay!"
I took Ai's hand and slowly followed behind.
Following the producer into the company, the interior was quite spacious, confirming it was a successful broadcast station. We entered the café.
"Ah... Welcome..."
A woman with deep dark circles under her eyes greeted us warmly. She must be the main writer.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Hoshino Yume."
"And I'm Hoshino Ai~"
"Yes... Nice to meet you. I'm the main writer for 'I Live Alone'... Haha, sorry, I haven't been sleeping well lately..."
"It's fine."
She looks exhausted—I hope she doesn't collapse in the middle of this.
"Ah, what would you like to drink?"
"Oh..."
The producer suddenly asked about drinks, and I naturally replied.
"I'll have an iced Americano, and if there's parfait, could Ai have one, please?"
"Ah, yes, we do have parfait here! I'll place the order right away!"
While sipping the drinks and parfait, Ai and I slowly focused on the producer and writer's words. About two hours passed.
"The general content will proceed as I just explained. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, I think it's fine. Ai, what do you think?"
Since I had no issues with spending daily life with Ai, I asked for her opinion. To my question, Ai said.
"Huh? I'm fine as long as Yume is okay!!"
"She says so. Then, shooting can start this weekend on Saturday without any problems."
"Yes, yes. If it's alright with you, we'd like to set up the cameras on Friday. Is that okay?"
"Friday, you say?"
Today's Wednesday, so that's about two days away. Should be fine.
"Yeah, yeah, it's okay~!"
"Ah, thank you, Ai-san...!!"
"...Huh?"
Ai looked at me staring blankly as she casually agreed, then smiled with her eyes.
"It's fine, right?"
"Sigh..."
Her expression seemed to say, "Yume will handle everything, so it'll be fine!!" ...From Friday to Saturday, Aqua and Ruby will have to stay at the senior's house.
Ruby probably won't mind, but Aqua might...
He's the only one who nonchalantly figured out Aqua's true nature, so Aqua feels reluctant around her, but since I know she's not a bad person, it should be okay.
"Then, we'll excuse ourselves first."
"Yes, yes, thank you for your hard work!!"
"Take care...!"
Ai and I bid farewell to the main producer and writer, left the building, and got into the car parked in the lot.
"Hmm....."
"What's wrong, Yume?"
"Well, my schedule this week isn't too busy, so it's fine for me, but I'm worried about you, Ai."
The only schedule that came to me was this 'I Live Alone' shoot, so I canceled all others. They weren't important anyway.
"Ai, you have a drama shoot too, right?"
And it's this Sunday.
"Ah~...... Did I?"
"Ai!"
How can you not know your own schedule!? Even if Miyako-san is managing it!? Even if our road manager is driving you!?
"Ahahahahaha★ Just kidding, just kidding! Of course I know."
"Sigh... That's a relief."
"But aside from the drama shoot on Sunday, I don't have any big schedules, right~?"
"Well, you have a radio appearance and a variety show on Saturday, so don't forget those."
"Okay~"
Looks like I'll have to follow Ai around all weekend. I was planning to anyway, but I wanted some personal time too...
After the meeting, Ai and I wandered around the city for a light date, then headed home. Aqua had finished shooting, and Ruby had finished practice, so they were already back.
Since it was dinner time, I decided to prepare dinner and tell Aqua and Ruby about the plans.
"Aqua, Ruby."
"Yeah?"
"What's up, Papa?"
They both looked at me and spoke at the same time. So cute.
"Ahem... I told you about Ai and me having a variety shoot this weekend, right?"
"Yeah! 'I Live Alone,' right!? Ruby loves watching that show!"
"That's one of the more popular variety shows... Wait, isn't that show about people living alone, Father?"
Aqua's right, but.
"This time, it's a special episode with both me and Ai appearing together. I asked Ai, and she welcomed it, so we're doing the shoot."
"Ooh... Then what about Ruby and me?"
"Ah, I see where this is going."
Ruby didn't catch on, but Aqua seemed to have figured out my intention.
"If shooting starts on Saturday, they'll need to set up cameras on Friday. So Ruby and I should stay somewhere else from Friday to Saturday?"
"Don't worry about that. I already talked to the senior, so you can stay at her house on Friday and Saturday."
"Ugh..."
"Yay!! We're staying at the auntie's house!!"
At my words, Aqua made a reluctant face, and Ruby looked thrilled.
They're siblings—how can they be so different?
"Alright, that's settled! Let's all have dinner!!"
"""Okay"""
Another peaceful day for the Hoshino family.
"Now, today..."
Coincidentally, no one was home today, and I had nothing to do.
Normally, I'd return to my main work, but today I had something else to take care of, so I was alone at home.
"...Come to think of it, Ruby's past life name was definitely..."
Tendouji Sarina, probably.
"Ugh... My past life memories are fading away... Even the last memory I saw is getting blurry... The next episode should still be airing..."
Sigh... No point dwelling on this. I should go out and clear my head.
Since worrying about an unsolvable problem is useless, I decided to head up to the rooftop.
".......You."
"Hi? Long time no see, Hoshino Yume."
"Why are you at my house?"
"Oh? You could say I exist everywhere and nowhere."
"Cut the crap. I'll ask again—what do you want?"
"To tell you an old story."
"An old story?"
What are you talking about all of a sudden? And from your perspective, an old story would be decades... no, thousands of years ago, right?
As I still couldn't grasp the girl's intent, crows began gathering around us, soon surrounding me and the girl completely.
The crows' gazes were fixed solely on me, but I didn't mind.
"Once upon a time, long, long ago. There was a girl."
Why do your eyes still pity me?
"Her mother poured love on her daughter, but around age four, the girl was diagnosed with a serious illness."
.......What... are you... saying...?
"Knowing there was less than a 10% chance she'd live past ten, her mother's heart broke."
Wait, hold on. What you're saying now, could it be...?
"Her father separated the daughter and mother, trying to restore the mother's heart. The family was from a prestigious local lineage, so they entrusted the daughter to the best hospital in the region."
Stop. Don't say any more.
"The parents immersed themselves in work, as if to forget their sorrow, and averted their eyes from reality."
Please.
"And soon, they averted their eyes from their daughter too."
...
"The girl's condition gradually worsened.
Chronic headaches and nausea became daily.
She lost her sense of balance, and walking grew harder.
It started affecting her memory and perception.
What kept her going through those tough days was another girl.
She adored her immensely?"
"...............Ha..."
"As the symptoms neared their end, her mother finally stopped showing up. She must have hated seeing her daughter suffer."
"Yet the girl bravely kept waiting for her mother to visit."
"She believed without a doubt that her mother loved her, waiting and waiting."
"Why are you telling me this now?"
Why reveal such a painful truth to me now? What's the point?
"A young man would sometimes wander the hospital rooms of patients with no visitors for a long time, keeping them company."
Goro-san...
"Who knows how much strength that gave the girl."
"She grasped two lights in her hands... Well, she might have lost both, but fortunately, she only lost one?"
"You..."
"The story isn't over yet?"
"The girl lived her short life in a narrow hospital room, enduring pain, but her wish never came true.
Even so, she kept waiting for her mother every day, believing she was loved.
But her mother never came to her, even on her deathbed.
She quietly heard the news of her passing at their Tokyo home.
What was she thinking?
What was she to the girl, who kept running away from her daughter?"
As I listened to the story, one question arose.
Why?
Why did Sarina's parents never visit her even once? This thought soon turned into a shocking truth.
"Right after the girl died, her mother gave birth to a new daughter and son.
And they live happily ever after?"
[Happy ending, happy ending.]
"............Listen. I don't care what means I use."
[Gather all information related to Tendouji Sarina and her family's relationships, right now.]
"...Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I want to see the end of 'your story.'"
"My story?"
"Yes. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it—you're an irregular. Because of you, many things have changed, and more will change.
I want to see it all. Whether the ending is a happy one or a bad one."
"So why give me this information?"
"Well... Call it a whim?"
"...I'll accept that whim gratefully."
Thanks to that, besides 'that guy,' I have another 'person' to investigate in detail.
I left the rooftop.
The girl left alone simply stared blankly at the sky.
"At least I'm not your enemy. I know you might not believe me, but I hope your path is filled with light."
[I'm just a reader hoping for a happy ending.]
With those words, the dozens of crows took flight, and no one remained on the rooftop. Not even a crow's feather.