Chapter 23: Companionship is the Longest Confession
The atmosphere on set grew solemn. Within Ai's eyes, the two white stars flared with an increasingly dazzling brilliance, emitting a captivating, soul-stirring light. She did not spin her chair around; instead, she asked a question she had long wished to voice.
"I want to ask you both a question." Her voice was very soft, yet it sounded remarkably clear in the quiet recording studio. "If being with me would destroy your careers and ruin absolutely everything... under that premise, would you still want to be with me?"
A heavy, profound gravity emanated from Ai, instantly permeating the entire venue and enveloping everyone within it. The production crew had never anticipated such a development. The atmosphere on set turned concrete-solid in an instant, and even the staff members held their breath.
Inside the tense conversation zone, every single camera focused on this pivotal moment. The pink background lights now seemed exceptionally piercing, as if emphasizing the critical importance of this very second. Takuya Taira and Jin Fuyuno were visibly stunned. Facing Ai's sudden, sharp question, both of their expressions betrayed a hint of panic. The brief silence was captured flawlessly by the microphones, rendering even their rapid breathing clearly audible.
The cameras immediately pushed in for close-ups, capturing the shocked expressions of the two boys.
*What a heavy question!* Jin Fuyuno felt cold sweat break out down his spine. *Ai looks so normal; how could she ask something like this?*
Takuya, however, fell into deep thought, his expression progressively turning solemn.
Jin was the first to break the silence. Taking a deep breath, he answered in a trembling yet resolute voice, "Of course I would. For Ai-senpai's sake, I am willing to give up everything."
The moment his words left his lips, Ai, sitting on the swivel chair, tilted her head slightly.
Having spent her entire life decorating herself with lies, she instantly detected the scent of falsehood. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Jin was lying. He was an excellent performer, delivering a beautiful yet hollow lie in front of the lens, just as she herself had done countless times before.
The tension on set escalated even further. Under this suffocating atmosphere, Takuya suddenly spoke up.
His expression underwent a series of complex changes—from the initial shock, to deep contemplation, and finally, settling into a look of absolute release.
"Ai, your question is very interesting. Now that I've given it serious thought..." Takuya's Kansai dialect carried an unprecedented sincerity.
"As expected, I still love music more. I love rock and roll more."
Takuya paused, looking at Ai whose back was still turned to him, his tone becoming even more candid. "When I honestly place Ai and rock and roll on opposite sides of the scale, I cannot deceive my own heart."
He declared with absolute certainty, "Romantic love is not a necessity for me. But if I have to live without rock and roll, I'd rather die!"
Takuya hoisted his guitar high above his head with both hands, brought it down swiftly, and launched into a wild, improvised solo.
"To hell with women, I'm going to rock on alone until the day I die!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
No one had foreseen this kind of development. The directing team, the cameramen, the on-site staff, and even the other contestants stared with wide, gaping eyes. The atmosphere froze instantly, leaving only Takuya standing there with his guitar, a look of profound liberation gracing his face.
Watching from the sidelines, Masaya Kaburagi burst into a hearty laugh. "Now that is incredibly rock and roll."
Ai couldn't help but burst into laughter either, her crisp, clear chuckles sounding exceptionally prominent in the quiet studio.
Not far away, the show's director huddled next to Kaburagi, lowering his voice to ask, "This basically counts as a broadcasting accident, doesn't it? Should we reshoot?"
A smile remained etched on Kaburagi's face; even he hadn't anticipated this turn of events. "Don't you think this makes it way more interesting? A genuine reaction is far more brilliant than any script."
Right then, Ai spoke up. She still didn't turn her chair around, her voice clearly picked up by the microphone: "Thank you for your answers. And my response is—"
She paused, her voice growing firmer as she delivered her words without a single shred of mercy, "As expected, I still don't feel anything for either of you. I am terribly sorry, but in this game of love, my heart did not flutter."
Ai had originally intended to use her status as an idol as an excuse—claiming that because she was an idol who loved all her fans, romance was strictly forbidden.
Yet, just as the words were about to slip past her lips, Ai immediately realized that this explanation was also inherently false. It was merely the "beautiful lie" she was most familiar with using.
At this point, she no longer wanted to tell any more lies. Even Takuya possessed the courage to face his own true heart and boldly speak his mind; why couldn't she do the same?
Ai took a simple, deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
In this exact moment, however, Ai couldn't help but think of Hikaru Hoshino. *If it were Hikaru, how would he answer my question?*
*If I accidentally ruined everything, would Hikaru get angry at me?*
Although she had spent a longer period of time with the Hikaru Kamiki of the past, the figure that first surfaced in her mind when facing this question was the post-amnesia Hikaru Hoshino—whose image and demeanor were starkly different from Kamiki's.
When she was faced with absolute danger, he had rushed to her side covered in the dust of his journey, teaching her to use a lie to deceive Ryosuke, ultimately luring him to his demise.
*Hikaru Hoshino: "This means we are accomplices."*
Later on, when she went to Miyazaki, she unexpectedly faced another assassination attempt by a fan. That was the closest she had ever been to death. Just as the tragedy was about to repeat itself, Hikaru Hoshino—as if he had foreseen everything in advance—saved her life once again.
*Hikaru Hoshino: "I will protect everything that belongs to Ai."*
And then there were the scenes from the Summer Festival. That night felt as though it had just happened yesterday—with the sky full of brilliant, exploding fireworks behind Hikaru, she had worn a pink yukata with a white fox mask resting on top of her head. The two of them had sat side-by-side on the stone steps of the shrine, far away from the bustling clamor of the festival, nestled within a quiet corner that belonged solely to them.
*Hikaru Hoshino: "Because I am an Ai fan."*
He was always accompanying her, sparing no effort to help her.
Ai felt that she was very foolish, always bound to mess everything up. Back when she was a little girl living with her mother, Ayumi Hoshino, her mother had possessed a violent, explosive temper. Even if Ai committed the slightest mistake, it would be met with endless scolding and physical abuse. Yet, despite having such a terrible mother, Ai had still held onto the hope that her mother would come to pick her up from the orphanage after being released from prison.
She waited and waited, but that day never came, and she spent her entire childhood in the orphanage.
Only much later did she realize with hindsight:
*Ah, I was abandoned by my mother.*
Because of this, Ai believed that the boy she liked had to be the type who would never get angry at her. No matter what mistakes she made, no matter how many things she managed to ruin, he would ultimately always envelop her with gentle acceptance.
Therefore, if it were Hikaru...
Ai imagined herself posing that very same question once more.
"No matter what happens, will you always stay by my side?"
And Hikaru Hoshino would definitely offer a bright smile and say, "Well, of course."
And Ai was entirely willing to believe:
—Those words would absolutely not be a lie.
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