Aquamarine Hoshino's POV
The night air was cool against my skin, carrying that faint, familiar scent of exhaust fumes and convenience store food that always hung around these late-night spots in Tokyo.
The fluorescent lights of the vending machine hummed softly, casting a pale glow on the concrete around us.
I punched the buttons, listened to the mechanical clunk of bottles dropping, and grabbed two chilled drinks.
"You looked so intense lately, Akane," I said, turning and holding one out to her. "Is there something bothering you? My treat."
She accepted it with both hands, a polite, almost reflexive gesture. "No. I'm having fun, you know. Just like everyone else."
I shrugged, cracking open my own drink and taking a long pull.
The cold liquid burned going down, but it grounded me.
"You did. Early on, you were having fun in your own way." I paused, letting the words hang. "But not later. You've been staring at me, Mem-cho, and Yuki Sumi—so intensely. Like you're trying to carve every conversation, every vibe, every tiny interaction deep into your heart. Like you're memorizing lines for a role you're terrified of forgetting."
Her reaction was immediate.
A flicker of something—fear, embarrassment, exposure—crossed her features before she smoothed it over with practiced ease.
"Uhm... is that bothering you?" she asked, her voice smaller now, more vulnerable.
I didn't answer her question. Instead, I kept pushing, gentle but relentless. "There are no cameras here. You can be honest. Even just once. Even just with me."
We were completely alone.
Outside the studio, away from the blinding lights and the endless crew and the other actors buzzing around.
No cameras, no microphones, no audience.
Just the two of us in the middle of the night, standing in front of a convenience store near the studio, the vending machine our only witness.
She pouted, but it was a nervous gesture, not a playful one. "That's so straightforward of you, Aqua-kun. You know you'll have a hard time finding a partner if you keep poking at people's secrets like that."
I shrugged again, unfazed. "We're friends, aren't we? I see you trying so hard to inject yourself into every conversation, to position yourself perfectly in every shot. It's... concerning. We can all perceive it, Akane. The audiences can. The crews can. You're not like this. Read the social media—they're not kind. They're calling you a try-hard. A vixen. This isn't you."
Her face paled beneath the convenience store lights.
For a long moment, she just stood there, unsure what to say, her fingers tightening around the cold bottle in her hands.
"I..." she started, then stopped, her voice catching.
I held up a hand, silencing her gently. "No need to say more right now. Drink first. Please. When you're comfortable enough, we'll talk. I'll help you. We'll all help you, if you need it. But for now, just... rest. Let's talk tomorrow morning."
I brought my own drink to my lips, the ice-cold liquid a sharp contrast to the warmth of the moment.
She watched me, something shifting in her eyes—confusion, gratitude, a flicker of hope she was trying to suppress.
When I finished, I tossed the empty bottle into the trash can beside the vending machine.
The plastic clattered against metal, a sharp, final sound.
I met her gaze one last time, making sure my point had landed, then turned and walked away into the night, leaving her there with her thoughts and the cold drink I'd given her.
In my mind, the loli goddess appeared, her knowing smirk cutting through the darkness of my mental landscape.
"Oh, taking initiative, Aqua?" she teased, her voice dripping with amusement. "How rare! How unexpectedly proactive!"
I didn't react to her sarcasm.
I just kept walking through my mental landscape, the streets of my imagination reflecting the ones my body moved through in reality. "You told me yourself that I should create a cult. I found the most ideal priestess of all. Right here."
The goddess's dark chuckle echoed around me, rich with approval. "The lonely girl on the verge of breaking... what a perfect cult member. Vulnerable, desperate for connection, starving for someone to see her. Good job, Aqua! Truly, you understand the assignment."
I stopped walking in my mind, turning to face her directly.
My voice was stern, a low correction that carried no room for misinterpretation. "She will not break. I will fix it before she does."
The loli goddess tilted her head, that playful smirk still playing on her lips, but something flickered in her eyes—curiosity, maybe, or the barest hint of respect.
She shrugged, a gesture of dismissal, and said nothing more.
I continued home, the night wrapping around me like a familiar cloak.
By the time my body hit the bed, sleep came easily, deeply.
And throughout it all, the loli goddess remained stuck in my mind, silent now, watching everything from the shadows of my mental landscape, observing every move her chosen priest and his soon-to-be priestess would make.
The Next Morning
I moved through my morning routine with shower first, the hot water waking my body while my mind stayed deliberately blank.
Then teeth, brushed until they squeaked.
A few sprays of the expensive cologne Miyako had bought me last month, the one that made Ruby complain I was "trying too hard" whenever I wore it.
Breakfast alone at the kitchen table, chewing through toast and coffee while the clock glared 3:00 AM at me.
Miyako and Ruby were still dead to the world, their rooms silent.
Good.
I needed the quiet.
The phone buzzed in my pocket just as I was rinsing my plate.
I pulled it out.
The name on the screen made something flicker in my chest—Akane Kurokawa.
We'd all exchanged numbers and social media on the first day of shooting, standard industry practice.
But seeing her name this early, at this hour, meant she hadn't slept.
Meant she'd been lying awake, staring at the ceiling, wrestling with whatever had been eating at her.
I answered.
Didn't even hesitate.
"Aqua-kun?" Her voice was small, uncertain, threaded with the kind of nerves that made words fragile. "Are you still there? I mean... are you still available to talk?"
"I am." I kept my voice calm, steady—a rock she could anchor herself to.
Then, gently: "So...?"
A pause.
I could hear her breathing, could almost see her biting her lip on the other end of the line.
"Did I bother you? Calling this early, I mean. It's... it's really early, isn't it?"
"If you were bothering me, I wouldn't have answered." I let a small chuckle slip into my voice, just enough to soften the words. "Simple as that."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
When she spoke again, her voice was different—more resolved, like she'd finally made a decision she'd been fighting all night.
"Uhm... after thinking about it for a while, I think I need to talk this out. Not to the crews. Not in front of cameras. Just... to you. Privately. You seemed... decent enough to actually listen."
I felt my brows furrow, even though she couldn't see me. "You trust me?"
"I do." The words came out unsure, almost surprised at themselves. "I don't really know why. But I do."
Silence stretched between us. I let it breathe.
"Uhm... if you're available," she continued, "maybe we could talk somewhere private? Like a karaoke place? They have rooms, and—"
"No." I cut her off gently but firmly. "Karaoke places have hidden cameras more often than not. You'd be surprised what gets recorded and leaked in this industry."
I could practically hear her deflate on the other end. But before she could spiral, I was already pulling up my messaging app.
"I'm sending you an address now. Check your phone." I typed it out quickly, hit send. "Director Gotanda's place. Trust me—it's private. It's safe. No cameras, no crews, no audience. Just us."
A long, shaky exhale traveled through the speaker. When she spoke again, her voice was soft, almost trembling with gratitude. "Thank you, Aqua-kun. Really. I'll... I'll see you later."
"See you later, Akane."
The line went dead.
In the quiet of my mind, the loli goddess materialized.
Her smirk was insufferable.
"Aqua," she sang, her voice dripping with mischief, "you should probably buy condoms on the way. I have a very strong feeling she's going to fall for you after this little 'therapy session.'"
She wiggled her eyebrows, utterly delighted with herself. "Crashing emotionally, vulnerable, pouring her heart out to the one person who actually listened? Oh yes. She's going to be putty in your hands."
I didn't even look at her. "No."
"No? You're rejecting fate? Rejecting a perfectly good opportunity?" She gasped dramatically, clutching imaginary pearls.
I finally glanced at her, letting a slow, deliberate smirk spread across my own face—one that made her pause. "Maybe you're the one who should be prepared. In case you fall hard for me someday and decide you want to get lewd yourself."
The effect was instantaneous.
Her pale cheeks flooded with color, a furious blush spreading from her face down to her neck. "B-Baka! Lolicon! Pervert!"
And just like that, she shut down, retreating into the shadows of my mind, leaving blissful silence in her wake.
Finally.
Peace.
I finished getting ready, grabbed my keys, and headed out into the pre-dawn darkness.
The streets were empty, the city still sleeping.
By the time I reached Director Gotanda's place, the first hints of gray were bleeding into the sky.
I prepared myself.
Not for seduction, not for conquest, not for any of the things the goddess imagined.
I prepared myself to listen.
To guide.
To untangle whatever knots had formed in Akane Kurokawa's heart.
I'm a doctor, after all.
That's what this is.
And this is my obligation—to save a patient who needs someone to save her.
...
Note: I'm still sick, so I'm going to rest for another week. This time I won't be writing or doing anything. I got too cocky and thought it would be fine after just a week since my condition seemed to be getting better, but it turns out it wasn't.
Because I didn't confine myself to bed or properly empty my head for the entire week, my condition worsened. Now I think I should listen to the doctor more carefully and actually rest.
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