"Ugh… I'm gonna puke!"
Kaede sprinted toward the nearest restroom like a wounded animal, practically sliding on the tiles as she stumbled into an empty stall. She slammed the door, crouched over the toilet, and retched—though nothing came out except her soul and dignity.
After a few painful heaves, she leaned back against the wall, completely drained.
"Ahh… how stupid you are, Kaede…" she groaned, rubbing her face. "Why… WHY did you have to fall like that? Why did you have to say 'goddess' in front of her?! It was your first fansign too..."
The memory played back in her mind like a cursed slow-motion replay:
Her tripping… smashing into the table… Mirei's startled scream… her own desperate bowing… security dragging her away as she begged not to be banned… and finally—
"Goddess…"
She slammed her forehead into the wall.
"OW...WHY DID I SAY THAT?!"
Another slam. "WHY?!"
Another. "WHY?!"
People passing by the restroom froze, staring in fear as they saw a girl repeatedly bonking her head against the wall while muttering like a ghost.
"Uh… miss, are you okay?" someone asked nervously.
Kaede snapped upright, wiping her tears. "S-sorry! I'm fine! Just… um… life."
The strangers backed away slowly.
Kaede finally dragged herself out of the restroom, her soul already halfway to the afterlife.
---
Hours later, she arrived home and collapsed onto her bed face-first. She didn't even remove her shoes. She just lay there, dying internally.
After ten minutes of convincing herself that her ceiling wouldn't judge her, she slowly lifted her fansign album from the bag.
Then she noticed something written right under Mirei's signature.
"Huh…?"
She leaned closer.
"I'll always be by your side Kaede! Love you!"
Kaede froze.
Then her brain exploded.
"LO—LOVE YOU?!?!?!"
She threw herself onto the bed, kicking her feet, rolling side to side like a broken machine.
"She wrote LOVE YOU??? To ME????"
She hugged the album tight, staring at it like it was the Holy Grail.
"She even wrote my name… Ahh, Mirei is really the best… I love her so much…" she giggled to herself before falling into a dreamy daze.
That night, Kaede slept with the album on her chest like a child hugging a favorite plush toy.
And she dreamed of Mirei—being close to her, talking to her, laughing with her.
A perfect dream every fan wished for.
---
"Hi… Kaede, we meet again!"
Kaede nearly collapsed on the spot.
They were at another fansign—barely a week has passed since her catastrophic humiliation—and the moment she stepped forward, Mirei recognized her instantly.
"Y-you recognized me… right away?" Kaede asked, voice cracking.
Mirei blinked. "Of course! How could I forget you after what you did?"
Kaede felt her soul leave her body again. "W-WHAT I DID…???" she choked.
Oh no. Oh no.
She remembered EVERYTHING she did.
The fall.
The chaos.
The table.
The knee-slide of shame.
The security guard dragging her like a potato sack—
THE "GODDESS."
Kaede's mouth flapped like a goldfish trying to speak but failing miserably.
Mirei quickly noticed her distress. "Ah! I didn't mean it in a bad way. Beside I want to say thank you."
Kaede blinked. "T-thank you? To me? Why?"
Mirei gave a soft, incredibly warm smile—the type that could revive a dying planet.
"You made me laugh so much that day. I was having a terrible day… but after a long time, I finally laughed like that again. So thank you, Kaede."
Kaede squeaked. She literally squeaked like a rubber duck.
"HUH? Is this real?" she whispered.
She raised her trembling hands and pinched her cheek.
"Ow...it's real. She's really here. Mirei's talking to me. Oh god!!"
Mirei giggled. "You're really cute, Kaede."
Kaede's entire system shut down.
"M-ME?! Mirei called ME cute?!" Kaede gasped.
Mirei nodded, twirling her pen casually.
"Yeah… I hope I can date someone like you."
Kaede gasped so loudly the staff looked over.
"STOP... STOP!! Please stop, Mirei—your fanservice is too much!!" Kaede wailed, covering her face with both hands.
Mirei burst into laughter. "Sorry, sorry! You're just fun and cute."
"TIME OUT! NEXT FAN PLEASE!" a staff member called.
Kaede snapped back to reality. She stood up awkwardly, bowing like she was in a traditional Japanese theater performance.
"Tha-thank you, Mirei… please stay healthy… don't forget to eat!"
Mirei also stood and bowed politely, her eyes softening. "Thank you, Kaede. You too, be careful going home. See you again."
Kaede shuffled off, red as a tomato, while Mirei watched her go.
Then Mirei sighed softly, murmuring to herself, "Don't forget to eat, huh… thanks for reminding me."
She smiled to herself before greeting the next fan, still replaying Kaede's flustered face in her mind.
---
This was the relationship between an idol and her fan.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Or at least… that's how it should have been.
Unless fate—or perhaps, a mischievous god—had something else in store for them.