"Ow!"
Ritsu Tainaka clutched her head, rubbing the spot where Morpheus had bonked her. Her eyes glinted with indignation as she declared, "Morpheus-kun, how dare you hit a girl's head! Don't you know that's a surefire way to stay single?"
"As if not hitting you would get me a girlfriend," Morpheus shot back dismissively.
'Well, uh…'
His logic was so sound she couldn't find a comeback.
Mio Akiyama burst out laughing, doubling over, tears nearly spilling from her eyes.
"Mio, Morpheus-kun's bullying me!" Ritsu whined.
"Serves you right," Mio replied, wiping a tear from her eye, showing no sympathy for her childhood friend.
Ritsu staggered back, clutching her chest as if stabbed. "Mio, you… you don't love me anymore? I might as well die!"
Mio, mimicking Morpheus, delivered a swift chop to Ritsu's head.
"Drama queen, shut up."
"Ow!" Ritsu clutched her head again, on the verge of tears.
Mio's chop was much harder than Morpheus's—childhood friends showed no mercy.
Morpheus coughed, interrupting Ritsu's performance, and asked with a grin, "I haven't asked yet—what are you two up to today? Shopping?"
Mio nodded. "We're actually heading to a music store to buy some parts, and then we're going to a concert."
"A concert? Whose?" Morpheus asked, curious.
Ritsu puffed out her chest proudly. "Ai Hoshino's, of course! Jealous, aren't you?"
Ai Hoshino?
Morpheus hummed thoughtfully. "That name sounds familiar. I've heard it somewhere."
Ritsu's jaw dropped. "No way! You don't know Ai Hoshino? Are you even from Tokyo?"
"I'm an international student, thank you very much."
"..."
Mio chimed in, "Ai Hoshino is a member of the super-popular idol group B-Komachi. She debuted at twelve and is nineteen now. She's got over a million followers on Twitter."
"Even so…" Morpheus still couldn't place her. "Got a picture?"
"Of course!" Ritsu pulled out her phone, found a photo of Ai Hoshino, and shoved it in Morpheus's face. "Here she is!"
Morpheus looked closely. The photo showed Ai Hoshino, dressed impeccably as an idol.
Her outfit was a red-and-pink dress with a layered top, adorned with three light blue stars. The inner layer was sleeveless, and a winged heart accessory hung from the yellow collar. The skirt transitioned from pink to deep pink to yellow. A black waistband cinched her waist, paired with red gloves and knee-high red boots. A yellow bunny hairpin with a red bow sat on the left side of her head.
But what caught Morpheus's attention wasn't her outfit.
It was her waist-length purple hair and her purple eyes, which sparkled with star-like patterns.
Those distinctive eyes jogged his memory.
Ai Hoshino—the idol from Oshi no Ko, the mother of the protagonist.
Before get isekai'd into this world, Morpheus hadn't watched Oshi no Ko.
He'd been scared off by the author's previous work, Kaguya-sama: Love is War. Its early sweetness had devolved into chaos and absurdity, ruining a perfectly good story.
After that, Morpheus avoided the author's other works.
He hadn't dared touch Oshi no Ko, fearing it might go off the rails too.
But he'd seen Ai Hoshino's picture online. The series was quite popular—though not on Kaguya-sama's level—and there were plenty of analyses and videos about it.
From those, Morpheus knew Ai Hoshino and that she was doomed to die early.
Of course, in this crossover world, her fate was uncertain.
She might die, or she might not. Who knew?
Morpheus wasn't a fan, nor had he read the manga.
"I remember now. Didn't expect you two to be her fans."
"Ai's so cute, so hardworking, so amazing—of course we're her fans!" Ritsu said with a grin, elbowing Mio. "Right, Mio?"
Mio nodded, her face full of admiration. "Ai Hoshino is incredible. I wish I could be like her."
Morpheus laughed heartily. "Don't worry, Mio, you're just as good as anyone. You'll reach those heights someday. You too, Ritsu."
Ritsu smirked, clearly pleased. "You've got a way with words! Right, Mio? One day, we'll perform at the Budokan!"
"And don't forget to save me a VIP ticket."
"Of course!" Ritsu put her hands on her hips, laughing triumphantly as if she'd perform at the Budokan tomorrow.
Mio, meanwhile, blushed, flustered. Ritsu's boldness was too much—didn't she see the weird looks they were getting?
To stop Ritsu's public antics, Mio glanced at her phone and gasped dramatically. "Oh no, we're running out of time!"
"We gotta go!"
She grabbed Ritsu, ignoring her protests, and dragged her away, pausing to wave at Morpheus. "See you Monday, Morpheus-kun!"
Morpheus, seeing through Mio's embarrassment, didn't stop her. He smiled and waved back. "See you Monday, Mio, Ritsu."
"Monday!" Ritsu waved, adding, "Don't forget the bento! I want fried chicken, crispy potatoes, and shredded cabbage!"
"..."
What a glutton. But thanks to her, he now knew where to go next.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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