"Phew... That's enough practice for today."
Misumi Uika, having just finished her daily routine, glanced at the time, then walked towards the break room not far from the practice studio—
"...Ai, it's already ten P.M."
Uika knocked on the door a few times.
"You have to go record your radio show next, right?"
"..."
There was no response from inside the room.
Uika wasn't too surprised by this. She let out a small sigh, then pushed open the door and flipped the switch beside her.
Click—!
The lights instantly illuminated the pitch-black break room. On the sofa, Hoshino Ai was curled up like a sleeping baby, tightly clutching the pajamas Tetsuya had made for her.
"You should really sleep on a proper bed..."
Uika shook her head, then walked over to Ai's side and gently shook her shoulder.
"Ai, it's time to get up..."
"...Ngh?"
Finally, at Uika's call, Ai forced her eyes open with great difficulty.
"Is it time already?"
"Mhm."
"...Give me a few minutes."
Ai slowly sat up, then walked towards the washroom with wobbly steps...
"Is this really okay?"
Watching that haggard and weary figure, Uika couldn't help but show a worried expression.
Lately... or rather, ever since that music video went viral, Hoshino Ai's schedule had been absolutely terrifying.
Commercials, photoshoots, interviews, recordings, lessons, and a week of consecutive late-night radio shows.
And what this demonic work density brought about was the continued explosive popularity of [Summer Zodiac].
Thanks to Ai's activities, the heat from their first music video, far from cooling down over time, was actually trending even further upwards.
Not only that, but she, as her partner, had also become exceptionally busy recently.
However, compared to Ai's all-encompassing work, her own tasks were mostly concentrated on recording and composing new songs. And these happened to be the things she was best at, and also what she enjoyed the most.
The reason she chose to debut as an idol was to become a true professional singer, and the success of [Summer Zodiac] had indeed allowed her to take a giant leap forward on the path to her dream.
However... this kind of progress, made at the cost of her partner's health, was definitely not what Uika wanted.
"Phew... All ready."
Before long, Ai returned from the washroom, all cleaned up.
Her energetic and lively expression showed no trace of her previous sleepiness. Her purple eyes, which had been somewhat dim, were now once again shining with their usual brilliance.
"Thanks for waking me up, Uika!"
Ai smiled and waved at Uika.
"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow~"
With that, Ai turned around, preparing to leave the break room.
However, the next second, a call from behind her made her stop in her tracks.
"Ai!"
This time, Uika didn't silently see her off as usual, but instead said in a worried tone:
"If you keep this up, your body won't be able to take it."
"Hm? I make sure to get at least five hours of sleep every day, you know."
"That's counting the naps in the car and the breaks in the middle of work, isn't it?"
Uika, who knew her partner's schedule like the back of her hand, would naturally not be fooled by this claim.
"No matter how hard you want to work, you still have to maintain your basic health, right? If you keep pushing yourself like this, you might—"
"Don't worry, Uika."
Ai shook her head, and the fake, cheerful smile on her face gradually faded.
"I won't push myself to that point. You know, right... I still have to go find Tetsu! If I really ruin my body, he'll definitely get mad at me. He's super scary when he's angry, you know. Even the adults at the orphanage didn't dare to provoke him!"
"But your actions have absolutely no credibility."
Remembering how Ai looked when she had just woken up, Uika couldn't accept her one-sided story no matter what.
"You should be the one who knows your own physical condition best. Maybe you can handle this workload for a short time, but how long can you keep it up?"
"..."
This time, Ai was silent for a long while, unable to come up with any excuse to brush it off.
And so, with no more room to maneuver, Ai had no choice but to drop all pretense—
"Hey Uika, if I remember correctly, your dream is to become a professional singer, right?"
"That's right... Why bring that up all of a sudden?"
"The success of [Summer Zodiac] should have helped you take a big step forward on your path as a singer, right?"
Ai tilted her head, looking at Uika with a smileless gaze.
"Isn't that good enough? What does anything else have to do with you?"
"...What did you say?"
"I know you care about me, Uika, and you value this group that has given you the chance to achieve your dream. And I'm grateful for all the care you've shown me, which is why I help you with the work you don't like, so you can focus on creating music. That way, once you're fully recognized by the music industry, even without [Summer Zodiac], you can still continue to fulfill your dream under the name [Misumi Uika]."
"As for you saying I can't keep working at this intensity for long... Of course I know that. The manager knows it better than either of us. But even so, she still approved my reckless schedule. Take a guess why."
"...?"
Under Uika's confused gaze, Ai said with an air of absolute certainty:
"Because the purpose of me becoming an idol has already been achieved. I've been noticed by Tetsu now, and I've already found where he is. So next... I naturally have no reason to continue my activities long-term."
"!"
It was only then that Uika realized the thing she had subconsciously ignored.
Her dream was to be a professional singer who could be active on stage for a long time, so she had subconsciously viewed her idol career as something that also needed long-term development.
But Hoshino Ai was different.
The only reason she became an idol was to reunite with Chihaya Tetsuya. And now that they had successfully found each other, Ai, having achieved her goal, naturally had no need to continue being an idol.
"If that's the case... then why are you still taking on so much work?"
"Because what I want isn't just a simple reunion, but to completely and forever have him."
Hoshino Ai said.
"Tetsu isn't aware of it himself, but ever since our time at the orphanage, he's always been a boy who attracts the opposite sex quite easily, not to mention he's become such an amazing designer now. If I were to reunite with him as a half-baked idol, I'd just end up like I was seven years ago, being the one he unilaterally takes care of. In order to be a well-matched pair with him, I need more popularity and influence."
"Besides, Tetsu's mind right now is completely filled with thoughts of saying goodbye to me. Even if I really do go back to his side, I definitely won't be able to get any closer to him... To achieve my goal, I must become an existence he cannot refuse. I don't want to be pushed away with some ridiculous reason on the day we reunite."
At this, under Uika's gradually darkening expression, Ai walked up to her and gently hugged her.
"I'm sorry, Uika, for not being able to stay active as an idol with you forever. But before I graduate, I'll definitely do everything in my power to make you the most famous idol singer, and I'll definitely make sure the agency earns back all the resources they invested in me. So—"
"You don't have to apologize to me, and you don't need to do anything for me... Ai."
Uika shook her head slightly, interrupting Ai's words.
"Although we haven't known each other for long, it's true that because of you, I've embarked on the path to realizing my dream. You don't need to make up for anything, and you don't need to push yourself too hard for my sake... But Ai, about you and Chihaya-san, I still want to try and advise you..."
"What?"
"If you truly want to be with Chihaya-san forever, then your one-sided feelings definitely won't be enough... Before you make your final decision, I think you should have a proper talk with Chihaya-san first... While it's true he made those clothes with the intention of saying goodbye, he's definitely not so far gone that he won't even listen to what you have to say."
"..."
Hearing Uika's words, Ai's eyes flickered slightly, before she shook her head.
"You've got some nerve, Uika, you've only met Tetsu once."
"But at least the person I saw was the Chihaya-san of today, while the person in your heart is still the 'Tetsu' from seven years ago."
Uika gently pushed Ai away and said to her again in an incredibly serious tone:
"Whether it's for your own sake, or for Chihaya-san's... Please, think it over carefully, Ai."
"...There's not enough time. I have to go."
Ai turned her back, clearly not intending to respond to Uika's advice.
"Uika, you're the person I trust the most, besides Tetsu and the manager. I don't want to see you as my enemy, so please, do not get in my way."
With that, without waiting for Uika to reply, she left the break room directly...
"To become an existence Chihaya-san cannot refuse? Ai... what on earth are you planning?"
Although she wasn't incapable of understanding Ai's obsession with Tetsuya, her methods were just too extreme, to the point where she was extremely worried that Ai would be burned by her own overly scorching feelings.
"Should I... get involved in this or not?"
Filled with hesitation and unease, Misumi Uika fell into a struggle, caught between a rock and a hard place.