"Yuko, did you find anything?" Ako asked as she used the mouse to look at Seiya's latest "learning materials."
"Nothing. Besides one manga about a sister-complex cult, he has no new collections. What about you, Big Sis? Did you find any useful clues?" Yuko asked, turning to her sister as she "humanely destroyed" the sister-complex manga.
"Seiya's 'learning materials' have increased. According to the file's last-opened date and the number of tissues in the trash can, he's in his 'sage mode.' But it seems like he's changed his LINE password again. I've tried a few times, but it's not working. Do you have any ideas?"
Yuko was stunned. "He changed it again? Did you leave a clue last time? It's easy to get the password from him. Or we could hire a professional and tell him the computer got a virus?"
Seiya, who was on his way to meet his friend, had no idea that his two foster mothers were planning to hack his computer. He was wearing a tracksuit and had just arrived at the park where Aqua Hoshino had been waiting for him.
"Sorry I'm late. I have two very troublesome people at home, so it took me a while. But Aqua, if I'm not mistaken, you're the survivor from that day, right?"
Aqua had been the one to ask Seiya to meet him. After getting Seiya's LINE from Ruby, he had sent him a simple message: "If you want to know the truth about that day, meet me at Yoto Park at 8:30 PM. I'll tell you everything you want to know."
Seiya had only watched a few episodes of Oshi no Ko because the beginning was too dark for him, so he had dropped it. But he knew that Aqua Hoshino and Ruby Hoshino were the main characters. Ai Hoshino's death was tragic, but he was just a kid and didn't have his abilities then, so he couldn't do anything. He knew that her death was not simple and had tried to investigate, but he found nothing. Ai had kept her secret well. Only a few people knew, like Ichigo Saito, the CEO of Strawberry Productions, and Kyoko Saito, Aqua's current guardian. They were tight-lipped and saw Ai as family.
His foster brother's death and Ako's paralysis were all because of a senseless crime, but that didn't mean Seiya was going to let the killer get away with it. So when Aqua contacted him, he immediately agreed to meet him. It wasn't about using each other; they were just two people with a common enemy.
"My name is Aqua Hoshino. Ai Hoshino, the idol who was killed 10 years ago, was my mother."
"I already know that. I didn't come here to hear things I already know. Do you think I haven't investigated Ai Hoshino's case all these years? Just tell me who was the one who ordered the fan to kill her!" Seiya said, cutting him off.
Aqua didn't waste any more time. He took a paper with a few names from his pocket and handed it to Seiya.
"Ai's and our place was very secretive. Ruby and I were even introduced to people as Kyoko's children. The only way the fan could have found our place and known we were Ai's children is if someone leaked the information. And the leaker must have known Ai very well. It could even be our father."
"This list is what I found on Ai's private phone. I suspect the killer is one of these people."
Seiya was a little stunned. He couldn't believe Aqua was going to kill his own father. He had thought this was a romantic comedy, but it was a thriller. But it didn't matter to him. If the killer was Aqua's father, he would still have to get his revenge.
"Minori Kindaichi, Katsuya Kaburagi..."
"I see. The people on this list are all influential in the industry. I can see why you came to me. You want to use my influence to get close to them, right? Just tell me what you want me to do." Seiya wasn't stupid. He could guess why Aqua had contacted him.
"I suspect the person who killed Ai is my biological father. I need to get their hair or saliva from a cigarette butt for a DNA test. I've already ruled out Katsuya Kaburagi, but he seems to know more about Ai's secret. He has a condition, though. He wants me to join the reality show Let's Get Serious About Love and make sure it's a success."
Seiya understood. Aqua had made a deal with Katsuya. If he wanted more information about Ai, he had to make sure the show was a hit. The show was meant to promote young, good-looking actors and actresses who were not very popular. Katsuya had a big plan. If these couples became famous, the industry would acknowledge his abilities, and the young actors would owe him a favor.
Aqua had no problem joining the show, but he wasn't sure if he could make it a success. And it was a huge risk to only get close to one of the people on the list. That's why he had decided to ask for Seiya's help after a long time of hesitation.