The more Ai spoke, the sadder she became. Tears slipped uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes as she choked out between sobs, "The love I know is only a shallow understanding from books. How could I possibly know what love really is? It's even less possible for me to truly understand it."
"So when you keep saying things like 'I like you' and 'I love you,' it makes me feel cheap. From the first time I saw you, I noticed that special gaze of yours, it wasn't 'like' or 'love.' At first, I thought it was nice to have someone care, but when you constantly put those words on your lips, I started to hate how your words and your actions don't match."
Ai had not yet stepped onto the stage. The lie called "love" had not yet begun. She was still at an age where she longed for it, unlike in the future when she would become used to playing the role of a girl who loved, standing under the spotlight and selling that lie.
Hiko listened to her tearful words and desperately wanted to pull her into his arms, to comfort her with a gentle embrace. But he worried she would resist. So instead, he carefully held her hand and whispered apologetically, "I'm sorry… I never meant to upset you."
She shook her head, sobbing harder. "You said you liked me, you said you loved me. At first, I was happy… but then I realized you've never even loved anyone before. Hearing it now doesn't make me happy, it makes me sad. If you don't really like me, why say it? Was it just to fool me?"
Her sobs came out broken, her words spilling over her tears. "That's too cruel… it hurts…"
"I never intended to fool you," Hiko sighed inwardly.
"The reason I said it was to let you know, someone really does love you." He looked at Ai with all the sincerity he could muster. "Precisely because I like you and want you to be happy, I wanted to put those feelings into words. But I didn't expect you to think they were lies."
"You're right, I don't truly understand love, just like you. But after meeting you, I began trying to love you. I might have done it clumsily, and I'm sorry for making you uneasy. But one thing is certain, I like you. That's not a lie."
Ai stared at him blankly, surprised. She had thought he was only playing along, that everything he said was fake. Yet in his words, there was at least a little real feeling. Not much, but not nothing, either.
Considering they had known each other for less than a week, how could love come so easily? …Never mind. If she kept digging, she would only hurt herself more.
She pursed her lips, looked at him, and said slowly, "How do I know you're not lying again?"
Hiko didn't flinch. He met her gaze, took her small hand, and pressed it against his chest. "You can feel it."
Thump, thump…
Ai's hand rested against his chest, and she felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
Her cheeks warmed. She quickly looked away and tried to pull her hand back. "You can let go now."
"No." Hiko held on firmly. "Can you feel my sincerity now?"
Ai hesitated, still sobbing softly. "...I feel it. Now let go." She didn't dare struggle too much, worried he might try something strange if she resisted.
"Your unease is because you can't feel it," Hiko pressed on. "Emotions aren't built in a day. We've only just met, and our feelings aren't that deep yet. So… let's nurture them together. This Saturday."
"No… I don't want-" Ai started to refuse, but he pressed her hand more firmly against his chest. Her resistance faltered. "O-okay… fine… You're bullying me…"
Phew. The crisis was over.
If Ai had kept dwelling on the meaning of love, he wouldn't have known how to respond. Fortunately, she had relented and settled on the word "like."
And as for liking, he had already liked her once in his past life.
Hiko breathed a sigh of relief. He had passed the test, and even managed to arrange a date for Saturday. He would have to plan it well.
Once Ai agreed, he finally released her hand.
Beep, beep, beep-
His phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, it was Ichigo. Answering, he held it to his ear. "Hello, uncle, what's up?"
"I've found a teacher for you. Do you want to start classes this week or next?" Ichigo asked directly.
"This week. What time are the classes?" Hiko replied.
"Do you want a class today? It's still early, he could come over."
Hiko looked at Ai, who was still sniffling beside him. "Let's skip today. Ai's not feeling well, she needs to rest."
"I still want to practice today," Ai quickly cut in, not wanting him to speak for her.
Ichigo caught her voice through the receiver. "Hiko, give the phone to Ai. I have something to tell her."
"Why can't you just say it directly? Why so mysterious?" Hiko grumbled but handed her the phone anyway.
Ai listened quietly.
"Mhm… mhm… okay… that works too…" She nodded a few times as she responded, though the conversation was one-sided.
Hiko, without speakerphone, could only hear her answers. He had no idea what Ichigo was saying to her.
The call ended quickly.
Hiko took his phone back and checked the time.
4:30 p.m.
Neither early nor late. A troublesome hour. He couldn't help his curiosity. "What did my uncle tell you?"
"Nothing much," Ai said, pulling tissues from her pocket to wipe her eyes. "Just that they found a fifth member to join the group."
"It's already four-thirty, so there's not much time left to teach you," Hiko thought aloud. "How about we take a walk while it's still light?"
"No, I'd better start practicing early." Ai shook her head.
"Then I'll walk you." He saw her tear-stained cheeks and compromised.
The two of them walked together to Ichigo-Pro. Along the way, Hiko and Ai arranged their meeting place and time for Saturday.
After dropping her off at the company, Hiko didn't want to linger and risk distracting her. He returned home and pulled out the personnel list Hasegawa had sent him.
But the more he read, the more bored he became.
The content was too dry and uninteresting, and he couldn't find a suitable candidate among them.
So he searched his shelves for books on film production and began to study them instead.
His plan was simple: learn the skills of filming so he could make full use of the intelligence Hasegawa's detectives gathered.
That had been his idea from the very beginning, have detectives investigate targets, and then use that information to build meaningful connections.
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