"Cut—!"
With a command from the director, the entire film crew held their breath, waiting for his final "review."
Soon, after repeatedly checking the footage from all camera angles, the director stood up from his chair and clapped his hands forcefully:
"That's a wrap! Great work, everyone!"
"Whooo! Awesome!"
"Great work, everyone! Happy holidays!"
With that, all the filming for the music video was complete. The remaining work was for the director and post-production team to handle editing. As for the prop team, lighting team, and other logistical staff on set, they naturally welcomed their long-awaited rest days.
Click!
The lighting team hit a switch, turning off the lights on the stage. The prop team also began to remove the scenery around the stage, preparing for the final wrap-up.
However, the two idols standing on the stage did not leave.
"..."
Misumi Uika turned her head to look at her partner beside her.
On the unlit stage, the dazzling light that had surrounded Hoshino Ai faded away. With her head slightly bowed, Uika found it difficult to see the face hidden beneath her bangs and shadows.
"Good work, Ai."
Uika spoke first, breaking the strange silence:
"This past week... you've been holding it in a lot, haven't you?"
"..."
Hearing Uika's words, Ai's body trembled slightly. Then, she lifted her head, a faint smile on her face.
"It's nothing. Compared to the seven years before... a mere seven days is nothing at all."
"There are no cameras now, no lights, and no film crew... you don't have to force yourself to smile anymore."
Uika shook her head, then asked:
"Should I tell you his message now?"
"...Mhm."
Ai nodded slightly.
"Please."
"Actually, he only said one thing..."
Uika paused for a moment, then slowly, enunciating each word, she said:
"He said, 'I wish you all the best'."
Thump!
As a nearby lighting rig was taken down, the already dim stage was instantly plunged into a purer, colder darkness.
Seeing this, Uika instinctively turned to look at Ai, wanting to lead her back to the dressing room first.
But just then, Ai suddenly spoke:
"I see. No wonder you wouldn't tell me directly, Uika... so this is why."
As Uika's eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, she could vaguely see that Ai seemed to have lifted her head again.
"Actually, I felt it the moment I put on this outfit... Tetsu probably doesn't want to see me anymore."
"...Eh?"
Uika couldn't help but let out a sound of utter shock:
"Why would you think that?"
"Because this outfit... is just too gorgeous."
Ai said, reaching out to stroke the star-patterned embroidery on the skirt.
"So gorgeous that it makes him feel conflicted."
"Conflicted...?"
Uika was stunned for a moment, then the image of Tetsuya embroidering this dress replayed in her mind.
So the sense of sadness she had felt from him at that time... wasn't just her imagination?
"People from orphanages are very sensitive about clothing... When everyone is wearing old, worn-out clothes, if someone suddenly puts on nice, new clothes, that person will definitely be ostracized and treated with hostility by everyone else. To protect me, Tetsu always deliberately covered up or altered the patterns on my clothes."
"More than whether they looked good, he cared more about whether the clothes were comfortable and warm. If that pajama set was him telling me that he hadn't forgotten our past, then this stage outfit is probably his way of saying goodbye to me."
[From today on, I will no longer hide your brilliance.]
Almost the instant she put on this outfit, she knew the words Tetsu wanted to convey to her.
That perfect sense of comfort was to give her the strength to keep moving forward. And that gorgeousness, which contradicted their memories, was his farewell to that past.
That was precisely why she couldn't help but weep the first time she put on this stage outfit.
"..."
Hearing all this, an expression of pity and sympathy appeared on Uika's face.
Though it was only a few words, she could clearly feel the inseparable bond between Ai and Tetsuya, as well as the contradiction that was now pulling them in opposite directions—
"It's okay, Ai."
In the darkness, Uika walked directly to Ai's side and grasped the hands hanging by her side.
"I know where Chihaya-san works, and I have his contact information! If you want to, you can find him again anytime!"
"...Chihaya?"
Hearing that name, Ai tilted her head, then murmured in a low voice:
"I see, so Tetsu has a surname now? Chihaya Tetsuya, Chihaya Tetsuya, Chihaya Tetsuya... Mhm, even with a surname, Tetsu's name is still so beautiful."
By now, Uika's eyes had completely adjusted to the dim environment.
And having regained her vision, she could finally see Ai's expression—
Her face... held not a single trace of sadness or pain. Instead, it was filled with... an incredibly sweet smile.
"Uika... thank you for worrying about me. But... it seems you've misunderstood something."
Under Uika's stunned gaze, Ai slowly raised their tightly clasped hands.
"Tetsu certainly wanted to say goodbye to me with this outfit... but, I never said I would actually part with him."
"Eh?"
"In fact... I feel really happy right now. Even though we've been apart for seven years, he remembers all of our memories and has always kept me in his heart."
At this, she tilted her head slightly, a hint of slight distress adding to her sweet smile.
"It's just that, because we've been apart for so long, he might have misunderstood me a little..."
"What... misunderstanding?"
"This is just my guess... He probably saw that I decided to become an idol, so he thinks I've forgotten our memories..."
Saying this, Ai couldn't help but shake her head:
"But in reality, the only reason I became an idol was so I could reunite with him. Because you see... aren't idols the most shining, most conspicuous beings in this world? So then, as long as I can become that most shining existence, no matter how far apart we are, he will definitely be able to find me again."
"..."
Hearing this, Uika finally understood why the manager had recruited this child with no performance foundation into the agency, and she understood why Ai wanted to become an idol.
In the common understanding, an idol on stage should receive the love and adoration of everyone.
However... this child, who possessed a god-like charm and talent, had never needed any of that from the very beginning.
The only thing she wanted, the only thing she needed, the only thing she craved... was the gaze of that one single person.
"It's so bothersome, really, Tetsuya... after all these years, does he still not understand how I feel?"
With a hint of affectionate complaint, Ai said:
"In the past, present, and future, I will forever, and always, be his 'Ai' and his alone."
Even in the darkness, that pair of purple eyes still bloomed with an incomparably brilliant starlight—
"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Uika. But, you don't have to worry about what comes next."
Ai said, letting go of Uika's hand, which had already grown a little stiff.
"I will clear up this misunderstanding myself... and then, become Tetsu's one and only once again."
Whoosh—
After all the personnel had left, the curtain on the stage finally fell.
The seven-year prologue had come to a close, and the story was about to enter a new chapter.
On this starless, cloud-covered night, upon the stage, the starlight still shone.