Chapter 29: Each Word a Pack of Lies
*Late-Night Chat* was an 18:00 talk show on TV Tokyo, a program with a long history and deep cultural heritage...
Fine, it was just a minor show—essentially "cannon fodder" used to plug the gap between two anime time slots. After all, its parent company, TV Tokyo, specialized primarily in anime, with the occasional late-night drama. Variety shows were the least prioritized genre at this station; when people wanted interesting variety content, they usually tuned in to NHK.
Since the station didn't value variety, they naturally didn't provide much funding. So, while it was called *Late-Night Chat*, they actually only invited influencers who had recently gained a bit of traction; one never saw actual "big-name" stars.
For instance, Ai was incredibly popular lately, but they couldn't afford her, so they gave up. With that mindset, they set their sights on Hikaru Hoshino—someone who had some recent buzz but whose status hadn't skyrocketed yet.
Hikaru bowed and retreated to the chair prepared by the staff. Sitting beside him was the host for this episode, Taisuke Mashima. In front of them sat a small stove, meant to enhance the cozy atmosphere.
Even for a low-budget minor variety show, there was a script. The host held a small cue card, flipping it occasionally, but Hikaru had nothing in his hands. The interview time for a single guest was very short, and the organizers figured they should just let the guest ad-lib.
It wasn't a live broadcast, anyway; if a disaster happened, they could just record it again.
"Hello, viewers!" Taisuke Mashima flashed his trademark bright smile. "As you can see, for our final guest, we've brought in Mr. Hikaru Hoshino. Perhaps you aren't familiar with that name yet, but I'm sure you've all heard his stage name—the composer of *Idol*, Hikari!"
"Mr. Hikari has shared some news with us: by the time this episode airs, the animated MV for *Idol* will have been released. We sincerely hope Mr. Hikari achieves great results!"
Taisuke Mashima clapped enthusiastically, and Hikaru followed suit with a couple of claps.
"Now, the usual rules! The first few questions are from the program team, and the latter few were submitted by netizens to our official email."
"First question! Mr. Hikari, please give us a self-introduction."
Hikaru looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking slowly. His voice wasn't loud, but his tone was clear.
"Hello to the viewers in front of the TV. I am the musician Hikari, real name Hikaru Hoshino. My primary job at the moment is being a singer, but I'm also skilled in composing and songwriting. My dream is to create songs that people all over the world will love. Um, that's all."
Hikaru looked somewhat withdrawn, as if he didn't want to say much; he appeared rather listless.
The host was clearly startled by his demeanor, but as a trained professional, he could maintain the atmosphere even when dealing with someone who didn't know how to keep a conversation going. Taisuke Mashima laughed to smooth things over: "Mr. Hikari's talent for composition is truly outstanding! The digital release of *Idol* by Strawberry Productions sold 300,000 copies in just three days!"
"To achieve such results with your first composition... it seems your future is limitless!" The host made a small joke: "When you're a massive star in the future, don't forget today's interview!"
"Mhm, I won't."
Hikaru nodded earnestly.
Taisuke Mashima's expression stiffened slightly. He immediately pulled out the second card and read its contents.
"Second question! Mr. Hikari, you used to be an actor, right? Why did you switch careers to music?"
"Because I don't know how to act anymore," Hikaru answered naturally.
"Eh? But weren't you once the leading actor of the Lalalai Theatrical Company? Your acting received unanimous praise from society!"
Hikaru looked a bit annoyed. "Like I said, I'm not that Kamiki guy. Didn't you see the news? Kamiki lost his memory in a car accident. That's why I'm here."
"So, Mr. Hikari, are you saying you don't identify with your past as Hikaru Kamiki?" Taisuke Mashima seized the opportunity to press further.
"You could say that."
"Well, it seems we already have the answer to the third question." Taisuke Mashima flipped to the third card.
"Why the name change... let's skip that. Next are the netizen questions. Mr. Hikari, are you ready?"
Hikaru nodded.
"A question from a netizen in Hokkaido, 'Always an Ai-Oshi!': 'Hoshino' is Ai's surname, isn't it? Does changing your name to Hikaru Hoshino have any special meaning?"
"There is a meaning, of course." Hikaru lowered his head in thought. "Hoshino—*hoshi* means star, and *no* usually refers to a field or rural area. So combined, it means something like 'Star of the Fields.'"
"I watched Ai's concert too. I heard her say she interprets her surname as 'Wanting' (*Hoshii-no*). That's a completely different meaning from mine. I don't know how you people linked them together."
Hikaru gave a look as if he were looking at an idiot and shook his head gently.
"Besides, isn't that surname used by many people? Gen Hoshino, Maya Hoshino, Kasuke Hoshino... while it's not a major surname like Sato, it's not so rare that sharing it should be considered strange."
"That's true," the host agreed. "I think so as well. In Japan, sharing a surname is very common; there's no need to overthink it. Since the country is small, everyone's ancestors might have been the same family for all we know."
"Next question." Taisuke Mashima flipped through the script.
"From a local Tokyo netizen, 'Kaguya of the Bamboo Cutter,' asks: When will the next song be released?"
The host chuckled as he spoke. "Mr. Hikari has his own fans already! It seems many people have been won over by your talent!"
"The next song will be in the next few weeks."
"So soon?" Taisuke Mashima was surprised. "For a musician, that pace is incredibly prolific!"
"Mhm. When inspiration strikes, I can write one in an afternoon."
Hikaru said this with total conviction.
The plain, blunt answer caused the host's smile to freeze on his face once more. He took a deep breath before turning to the third card.
"A question from a Miyazaki Prefecture netizen, 'Can a 16-year-old have a baby?' Um, let's address the username first. According to original Japanese law, one could marry at 16, so having a baby was no problem. However, in March of this year, the Cabinet passed a new Civil Code amendment, raising the legal marriage age for both men and women to 18."
"So, a 16-year-old cannot have a baby!"
Taisuke Mashima said with a smile. "Now let's look at the question. It's asking about Mr. Hikari's personal situation; seems like another fan who cares about you."
"Is the amnesia story true? Do you really not remember anything from your time as Hikaru Kamiki?"
Hikaru instinctively sensed a surge of malice, but he still had to brace himself and answer.
"Yes. I don't remember any of it."
The interview ended quickly. It was only a half-hour minor variety show, and Hikaru's appearance accounted for less than ten minutes.
Six questions—ask and leave. The process was quite compact.
"He doesn't quite look like the Biyoo I know," Ai said indistinctly, a spoon in her mouth. "He seems a bit... restrained? He usually looks much more cheerful."
"That's called a 'persona,'" Ruby said with a confident nod. "Normal people don't put their true selves on the big screen. Everyone wears a mask!"
Aqua, however, was staring at the TV screen. His eyes grew darker and darker, until the black hexagram in his right eye looked as though it might drip ink.
He had finally caught the mastermind's tail.