"Yes, purple."
Hiko wasn't sure what she meant, but he answered according to the original setting.
"You didn't base this story on me, did you?" Ai asked directly.
"Absolutely not!"
Her question startled Hiko. His arm trembled slightly as he snapped to attention, blurting out his reply without hesitation.
"You answered so quickly… could it be you already knew I would ask that?"
Ai wasn't convinced. If it hadn't been for today's color mixing, she wouldn't have noticed that in his story, red and sapphire combined into purple.
The girl in the story… could it be her?
"I already said the story has a prototype. How could I possibly make up something like that?"
Hiko quickly pieced together the problem. Because of the color mixing explanation, she realized red and blue turned into purple, and now she suspected he had swapped the prototype victim with her.
"That's not right. You said the story had a prototype, so why does the latter half feel so rushed? If there really was a prototype, even if you were adapting it, you should've been able to adjust things more smoothly. But the way it played out, it felt like a sloppy continuation! You must have altered the plot, and that's why it became so nonsensical!"
The more she thought about it, the more Ai felt he had turned the prototype girl into her.
"I didn't finish that story," Hiko said honestly, "but it's definitely not based on you. It's just a coincidence."
"Really? Just a coincidence?"
Ai was doubtful, but then remembered he had once mentioned already having the story's framework in mind. He wouldn't intentionally target her… right?
'Idols can't fall in love. Nuns can't marry. Could it be that her being an idol had inspired him?'
She pressed further: "Idols can't fall in love, and nuns can't marry. Isn't that basically the same setup?"
Hiko had, at first, entertained the mischievous thought of letting her know that kind of ending—but he absolutely couldn't admit it now.
If the victim was Ai, she would only think he was setting her up.
So he blurted out, "No! It's just a coincidence. In reality, nuns really can't marry. You're overthinking it, you're just being too self-conscious!"
"You're saying I'm too self-conscious?!"
Ai's expression hardened. She began reviewing every little thing he had said since they met.
When someone knocks, check the peephole first… After you become an idol, beware of stalkers…
"Idols can't fall in love, nuns can't marry, stalkers showing up at the door, fanatics incited into murder, and you still say it's not based on me? And that purple, the exact color of my eyes when red and blue mix!"
Her suspicions deepened. "These aren't isolated points. They overlap too much!"
"I told you, it's a coincidence! You're overthinking it!"
How could she connect everything just from mixing colors?
If she were calm, admitting it wouldn't be a problem. But now, she was angry.
Could it be the aura?
Hiko tried frantically to shut it off in the system interface, but no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find the option. He could only scramble to find another way to ease her doubts.
"You can only call it coincidence? Is it because I've hit too close to the truth?"
The more she spoke, the more convinced she became.
"You need to calm down. In your current state, you can't properly listen to me," Hiko said, trying to soothe her.
"I am calm. In fact, I feel sharper than ever. I can see things clearly now," Ai said firmly.
"Then think about what I taught you yesterday, and what I told you today," Hiko tried steering the topic away.
"Don't change the subject!" Ai snapped, frowning.
"Think it through, what good would it do me to set you up?"
Hiko's voice was steady. "There's no benefit at all. It would only drive a wedge between us, and that's the last thing I want. So I'd never deliberately do such a thing."
"Even if you did use me as the prototype, I wouldn't hold it against you," Ai said softly, as if retreating to advance.
That was a lie.
Hiko immediately sensed her words weren't sincere.
"You're looking at me with colored glasses right now. No matter what I say, you won't believe me."
With his most earnest tone, he said, "Think carefully. The first thing I gave you when we met was a peace talisman. How could I possibly set you up with something so absurd and convoluted?"
Ai paused, remembering. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the talisman he had given her on their first meeting.
Yes, he really had given it to her right away.
At that moment, the art teacher noticed the two weren't painting and were arguing instead. The tense air between them was obvious.
"You two over there! Don't argue, focus on your painting!" the teacher barked.
"Yes." x2
Both answered in unison, then reluctantly picked up their brushes again.
In the end, Hiko only managed to draw a strawberry, while Ai painted a bowl of purple grapes.
Still dissatisfied with his explanation, Ai left straight for Ichigo-Pro after class without a word.
Hiko had planned to stay away from the office for a while, but seeing her leave like that, he hurried after her.
No matter how he tried, Ai kept her distance. Every time he caught up, she would quicken her pace.
'Fine. I'll see her at the company. I'll stay with her the whole day.'
Troubled by how things had spiraled, Hiko followed closely behind. He tried explaining a few times, insisting he hadn't made up that absurd story, but Ai just puffed her cheeks in annoyance.
If he kept talking, she'd only get angrier.
For now, he had no choice but to wait until she calmed down.
Until this misunderstanding was resolved, Hiko resolved never to leave her side, except in places he truly couldn't follow.
Even though she carried the peace talisman now, he still couldn't rest easy.
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