He walked up to the girl who was crying on the park bench. She looked up at him.
"A-Are you Springfield?" he asked.
"H-How did you recognize me?"
"Well, you just... kind of looked like her."
"I made sure to change clothes and into my glasses..." she then realized as she brought her hands up to her face, her glasses weren't on. She seemed to be so distressed by crying that she didn't even realize. "Oh..."
"Are you ok?"
"Why does it matter to you?'
"Sorry, I just... don't like to see people sad."
"..."
"I know it doesn't mean much, but I'm kind of a fan. And your music and YouTube videos have helped me through some dark times in my life. I know you probably don't care about me, and you might just see me as another number on your screen, but I want to let you know that you can tell me anything."
"Why would I do that?"
"Well, you'll probably never see me again in your life, so if you want to rant and get your emotions out, this is the best time to do it to a complete stranger who's willing to listen."
"... Sit."
He did as she said and sat by her side.
"You know, I was so happy at first. I first started covering songs I liked on YouTube and was just doing what I loved. I have been doing that ever since I was . But then, before I blew up, my boyfriend had cheated on me."
"Wait, really?"
"Most people didn't know things about me, but I actually started YouTube because my first boyfriend encouraged me too. He told me that it would be good to share my talent with the world. But back in my senior year of high school, he slept with a cheerleader, and he didn't even try to hide it."
"..."
"I kept going, but I started to hate covering songs because it reminded me of him. So, I rebranded. I became an actual pop star and rapper. I started to make original music. I even did some nerdcore songs here and there to show my love for anime. But then, I was scouted by a label. At the time, I didn't know how awful music labels were, so I went along with it. And I skyrocketed in popularity. People at school started to pay more attention to me, and they even clowned on my boyfriend for cheating on me. Not only that, but I was praised for my voice. But then, it started. I had to start skipping school to meet up with the label's standards. My music was no longer mine. I had to talk about what they wanted me to... I feel like I slowly started to lose my voice... and now... I'm here years later. A 24 year old mess, crying in the middle of a park... People also say I'm started to age out of this carrier, and it's time to just quit. But... I don't know."
"May he ask a question?"
"Depends on what it is..."
"What do you want? If you could choose your fate, what would you do?"
"What would I do..." she sat there for a minute and was sat deep in thought. "Sleep. I haven't gotten more than 5 hours of sleep in the past 100 days."
Due to her dripping mascara, he didn't even notice the eye bags under her eyes. Poor girl...
But then a soft smile came onto her face. "You were right. That did make me feel better."
"He's glad."
"Hey, you want an autograph or something?"
"No need."
"But... But I thought you said you were a fan."
"He is. But he got something even better. He got to see the real her."
"W-What?"
"He got that feeling, you know. Your music started to feel a lot less unique and personal. Even your nerdcore songs had a hint of that. But he was always a fan of the music where you were just... yourself. Meeting your star is one thing, but being able to meet the real them without a mask on or a fake smile is a completely different thing. So... thank you."
For the first time in year, Springfield blushed. Her heart skipped a beat, and butterflies flew in her stomach. It was the first time in forever that she could just be her genuine self.
"W-Winter..."
"What?"
"My name is Winter. My real name."
"It's a lovely name. It's fits you."
"D-Don't say things like that."
"Are you feeling better?"
"A bit."
"Good. Well, he's off. And one more time, thank you. I actually wanted to commit suicide a few years ago, but you helped me not. Listen, your music and watching how happy you always were on camera gave me strength. So, thank you."
Acro got up to leave, but then, Winter grabbed his hand.
"W-Wait... d-do you wanna trade contacts?"
"Huh, but I thought gou just wanted to talk to a stranger."
"Yeah, but... you're really easy to talk to."
"Ok, sure. Who is he to refuse."
Afterward, he traded contact info and parted ways. Over the next 50 days, he got to learn more about Winter. She was still her, but different. He thought Springfield was just a persona. A mask to hide who Winter really was. But no, Winter was also just as gentle and soft-spoken. It turns out that both are her, and she can code switch easily depending on the situation. She just hid her more critical and transparent elements. They messaged once every week. It started with him reaching out weekly to check up on her. Where she would rather rant to him for hours about how much her job ducked. But she also liked talking to him about anime. She only got about 2 hours of free time a day if she was lucky. And she spent that time watching anime... or messaging him, apparently. But soon, she started to message him first. And weekly turned into daily.
She asked if they could meet up, so he took time off of work to go to a café with her. However, when he arrived, no one was there. She messaged him about 2 hours later apologizing because she was forced to work overtime. He wasted so much of his day, but it was fine. He said it was fine because he was playing games on his steam deck while he waited for her, os his time wasn't completely wasted. She told him she'd make it up to him.