6th of January, 8:00 am, Ruby's house
Ruby gets out of her bed as the first rays of the sun shine through her window. She doesn't remember if she slept or not, but she feels just as tired as she did the evening before. Her bed is soaked by her sweat, and every sound she heard during the night made her jump out of her skin.
She walks into the bathroom and just wants to undress for her shower. She just started to pull her shirt up, exposing her stomach. Then she pauses, realizing that the stalker could very well have placed cameras around the house. The thought of what he could be doing while watching her makes her feel like crying, but she's not about to let her fear seep through.
Instead, she just pulls her shirt back down and silently exits the bathroom, walking back to her room. She starts to pick out her clothes for the day, like usual. She won't just comply with any of this. Instead, she lies down on her bed, covering her body with her blanket, so that the stalker couldn't possibly see her changing.
Minutes later, she emerges from beneath the blankets, her clothes look all wrinkled up, while her hair is messy and oily, but she still sees this as a small win. She gets up and walks down into the empty kitchen.
Miyako must be gone already.
I should also be on my way.
Otherwise, I'd be the one coming too late.
Just one day after telling Keiko to be punctual.
You're such a great role model, Ruby.
Ruby quickly grabs her purse and set of keys, making sure to lock the door twice before leaving.
The train ride is horrible; she is surrounded by countless men, all of whom look the same to her. Their voices feel far too loud, like all of them were talking about her. Even though nobody seems to be paying the slightest bit of attention to her.
She gasps for air as she finally steps out of the wagon. The air feels just as thick as before, but she needs to cling to something. The platform she's on is quite empty; therefore, she can pay more attention to her surroundings. Nothing seems wrong, but everything feels wrong.
Every step she takes towards the studio feels like somebody might be watching her through a cafe front, a car window, binoculars, from just around the corner; the possibilities are endless.
She finally steps inside the studio, it feels like a weight is lifted from her shoulders. She hopes this might be her last safe haven from whoever made it their goal in life to make her miserable.
She walks up the steps while checking for the time; it's 9:56 am; she made it just in time. She pushes the door to the lounge room open, spotting Mem-Cho and Keiko already waiting for her. This time, she's the last one to come.
"Heyyy."
Mem-Cho stays back while Keiko walks over to Ruby, waving her hand while beaming with enthusiasm.
"Hi."
Ruby's reply is monotone, prompting Keiko to stop in her tracks. Ruby doesn't want to show it, but even Keiko noticed after a single word that something was wrong.
"Ruby? Are you okay?"
Ruby looks up at her, her gaze not quite meeting Keiko's.
"Huh? No… I mean, yes, it's all fine. I'm just a bit tired, that's all."
Their practice day goes by like any other. Ruby tries not to think about what happened, but it's hard. The other two clearly notice that Ruby isn't quite herself, but choose not to be pushy about it since they think Ruby would tell them if she wanted to.
The day ends, and Keiko begins her journey home. Ruby also starts to walk away, but Mem-Cho grabs her arm, holding her back.
"Ruby, Kana replied to me yesterday when I visited. I think she even came out of her room."
Ruby's eyes light momentarily up.
"What? Really? That's amazing. So you saw her?
Mem-Cho lets go of Ruby's arm before speaking.
"Not exactly. I was so tired that I fell asleep in her hallway. When I woke up again, I was covered by a blanket."
Ruby takes a few steps. She can't wait to finally see Kana again.
"Finally, I was so worried about her. Let's go visit her right now."
She halts when she sees that Mem-Cho isn't following her.
"I think you should do that alone. I think she would be more comfortable if it were just you."
A hint of sadness is in Mem-Cho's voice. She is not nearly as good at hiding how she feels as Ruby is.
"Don't say that, Kana likes you just as much."
Mem-Cho places her hand on Ruby's shoulder.
"It's not about that. Kana also likes Miyako, Aqua, and Akane. Is that reason for all of us to go there together? No. She would be more comfortable if it were just one person. I will come along next time."
Ruby brushes Mem-Cho's hand off her shoulder, slightly annoyed at her stubbornness.
"But why me? Couldn't you just go?"
"Well, I could, but I think you deserve it more, you visited her every day. Now go and finish the job, tiger."
Ruby hesitates for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, but you'll come along tomorrow."
The way to Kana is long and silent; the crowds turn smaller as she enters the more suburban areas of Tokyo. Her worries about the creepy man, which she managed to forget momentarily, have completely returned by the time she finally arrives at Kana's place.
She looks around once more, not spotting anybody, before walking up the path to Kana's porch. She rings the doorbell, and Kana's mother opens the door a moment later, looking as indifferent as always. Ruby just walks by her; any respect she had for Kana's mother before is gone by now. One thing still bugs her, though, so she turns around.
"Excuse me?"
Ruby's voice is sharp, surprising Kana's mom.
"You always act so indifferent towards Kana, yet when you heard about what happened, you moved back to Tokyo to be with her… Why?"
Kana's mom fully shuts the door as something in her eyes shifts.
"That girl couldn't even tie her shoelaces alone; somebody needs to take care of her home while she slacks around."
Ruby's expression falters, and her palms turn sweaty. She stays silent for a moment, her lip shaking, but then she just turns around and starts to walk away.
"I see…"
Slacking around? Seriously, that's all?
It's her daughter… Why do mothers need to be this cruel?
I was in Kana's shoes before; this is not slacking around.
I hate people like her… They are the worst…
Kana is such a great person, and her mom, the person who's supposed to love her the most, only sees a piggy bank in her.
Kana needs me.
I had Gorou, he made me forget about my mom… my pain… I was just able to… smile.
I just have to do the same for Kana.
No one knows what would happen if nobody were there for her.
She finally reaches Kana's door. She stands in silence, composing herself before speaking.
"Hey, Kana."
"Hey."
Kana's voice is quiet, but it makes Ruby's heart skip a beat. She believed Mem-Cho, but hearing that the effort she put into this finally pays off makes Ruby feel all warm inside.
"Uhm, I didn't find the time to prepare soup today, you know, Idol practice and all."
"Don't worry about it."
Ruby has by now sat down next to Kana's door; the floor feels harder and colder than usual. Hard to think Mem-Cho really slept here.
"Tomorrow is my day off. I will definitely bring you some then."
"There is no need for that."
"What do you mean? Of course there is."
Suddenly, there's a sound which makes Ruby's heart jump; her mind initially concludes that the creepy stalker must be here, but then she sees what actually happened.
Kana's door is cracked open, just an inch, warm light shining into the dark hallway.
Ruby stands up, her heart racing even more than before; she can't hear a single sound coming out of Kana's room. She slowly raises her arm and pushes the door open; the light from the room floods into the hallway.
Kana is standing a few meters away from the door, her back facing towards the door, which makes it impossible for Ruby to see her face.
Both just stand there in silence, Ruby staring at the back of Kana's head, while Kana looks at the wall opposite the door.
Kana is the one to break the awkward silence.
"Can you please just say something? Anything?"
"Uhm- I know that's probably not what you want to hear right now, but you're doing an amazing job. I am proud of you."
The room falls quiet for a few seconds once more, both still unmoving.
"You're such a dummy."
Kana's sudden insult flusters Ruby. It is not at all what she had expected.
"Excuse me?"
"Of course that's what I want to hear…"
Kana's voice is quiet and uncertain. Ruby takes a step towards Kana, the floorboards creaking under her weight. This sends a shiver down Kana's spine, but she continues to stand unmoving as Ruby's steps come closer and closer.
Eventually, Ruby is right behind her, remaining still for a moment before wrapping her arms around Kana's chest from behind.
"Thank you."
Kana's tense body relaxes a bit as she speaks, her voice filled with genuine confusion.
Kana: "For what are you thanking me?"
"For giving me your trust."
They remain in that position for a minute before Kana speaks again.
"Do you want to see it?"
"Only if you want to show me."
Kana places her hand on top of Ruby's hands, signaling her to let go. Ruby waits a moment before pulling her hands away from Kana's chest, taking a step back.
Ruby can hear Kana's shaky, uneven breaths. Then, with one swift motion, Kana turns around, her eyes closed.
She is uncertain about how to respond as she sees Kana's healing face for the first time. A scar forming from the top left to the bottom right of it. She doesn't know if she expected it to be better or worse than it is.
Kana's eyes stay shut as Ruby quietly inspects the scar from a meter away. It doesn't appear to be fully healed just yet.
"And, what do you think? You think I'll be able to act again?"
Ruby remains silent for a long moment; she thinks about the industry and whether she should lie or tell the truth.
"I think so. It is not as bad as I had expected…"
Ruby makes a pause before a surge of confidence comes over her.
"No, we will get you roles, and if it's the last thing Miyako does. You will show all of them how great you are."
Kana's eyes open again, they beam with intensity Ruby has rarely ever seen before; those are not the eyes of a person who has given up.
Suddenly, Ruby just can't hold back anymore, taking a quick step towards Kana and tightly wrapping her arms around her, not letting go.
"KANA."
Ruby can't hold it together anymore; small tears of joy begin to form in her eyes and roll down the side of her face.
"Kana… Kana… Kana…"
Ruby continues to hold Kana while repeating her name over and over again.
Kana slowly raises her hands too, gently placing them on Ruby's back.
"Shut up, dummy, keep this up, and you will make me cry."
…
A minute later, she pulls back, letting Kana breathe again.
"It's getting really late. I think I have to-"
Ruby's eyes suddenly start to wander through Kana's room. First, towards the window, looking at the dark outside world. Then, towards the dark door, she was uncertain of what could wait for her in the shadows. Their last stop is Kana's comfortable-looking couch.
"You think I could maybe…"
Kana follows Ruby's gaze, by now also looking at her couch, understanding what Ruby is trying to say.
"I don't know if that-"
Kana holds in as her gaze wanders back to meet Ruby's. Her eyes are red from the tears, but there is something else, and it scares Kana. She can see genuine fear in Ruby's eyes, fear Kana has rarely ever seen before — never on Ruby's face.
"Is everything okay?"
Ruby nervously looks away and starts shifting left to right.
"I will tell you tomorrow. Just please let me stay, just this once."
Kana looks over at her couch once more.
"Alright, it's the least I can do for you anyways."