Chapter 49: Come Be My Child
At dusk, the streets outside the Shibuya Cultural Center were teeming with crowds. Many parents were comforting their children, though naturally, some terrible parents were actively piling pressure onto their kids.
"Look at that Ruby!"
Hikaru Hoshino caught the sound of someone yelling in sheer exasperation nearby.
*Is that really the child's fault?* Hikaru turned his nose up. It was glaringly obvious that the parent was the real issue here. He felt a strong urge to walk over and bark back, "Look at Ruby's parents! They're lightyears better than you!"
But Hikaru couldn't actually do that, because he couldn't publicly appear as Ruby's parent. Just like how the nursery rhyme's composer was listed as anonymous, Ruby's parents on paper could only be Ichigo and Miyako.
It was an imperfect lie. As Aqua and Ruby's popularity continued to grow, the mesh of that safety net was getting thinner by the day, liable to be torn open at any given moment.
*Let's just string it along,* Hikaru thought. *We'll keep it under wraps for as long as we possibly can.*
Ruby was strutting forward like a prize-winning rooster, marching with her chest puffed out while clutching her two certificates tight to her chest, her face flushed with the lingering excitement of her victory.
"Let's grab dinner together tonight to celebrate Ruby's big win," Miyako said, feeling genuinely ecstatic on her behalf. "And while we're at it, we can celebrate Hikaru and Ai's grand award nominations too."
Ichigo voiced his agreement. "Works for me, but where are we going to eat?"
Hikaru thought it over. "Since we're all public figures, going out to eat means we'd have to be incredibly picky about the venue."
"Let's just have a get-together at the house instead. It'll be much more relaxing."
Kana Arima pulled the zipper of her jacket tight, dropping her head as she mumbled under her breath, "I think I'll pass..."
"Aww, don't be like that! Come eat with us, Kana-chan!" Ruby turned around and snatched Kana's sleeve, blinking her sparkling eyes to coax her.
Aqua shoved his hands into his pockets, staring blankly at Kana. "Just come along. You can try this guy's cooking."
"Um... he knows how to make Chinese food," Aqua added.
Kana raised her head, staring at Hikaru in surprise as a flash of unexpected wonder crossed her eyes. She hadn't anticipated that this otherwise sketchy-looking guy would actually possess such a specialized skill.
"How about hot pot?" Hikaru said, clapping his hands together.
It had been quite some time since he last had hot pot. Right now, just mentioning the word was enough to make his mouth water.
Miyako showed a keen interest. "Chinese hot pot is incredibly famous, but I heard it's brutally spicy?"
Ai offered a gentle reminder as well, "Hikaru, you said it yourself before–singers shouldn't eat spicy food regularly."
"Then we'll just set up a secondary pot for sukiyaki. That one is always sweet, so everyone can choose based on their own preference when the time comes."
After the group left the Cultural Center, Hikaru and Miyako headed out first to source the ingredients, picking up a wide variety of vegetables, meats, and seafood. On the way, he also reached out to the Wagyu boutique they had dined at previously to order a batch of premium beef. Before long, everyone had assembled in the living room of Ai's apartment.
The rectangular table originally kept in the kitchen had been dragged out, with two induction cooktops set up side-by-side. The spicy hot pot base Hikaru had whipped up was bubbling with an alluring layer of red chili oil, its surface dotted with Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies that filled the air with a rich, aromatic fragrance.
Beside it, the sukiyaki pot radiated a sweet, savory aroma, its brown broth rolling in a gentle simmer. The television was broadcasting a rerun of this afternoon's regional tournament, the crisp voices of the children echoing from the speakers.
Everyone huddled around the table. Hikaru sat to Ai's left, while the kids sat to her right. Kana Arima sat squarely between Ruby and Aqua, looking a bit stiff and out of place.
"Hikaru, did you seriously go out and buy Wagyu again?" Ai stared in surprise at the beautifully marbled slices of meat on the table.
"Yeah, I figured using sukiyaki to eat premium Wagyu would taste absolutely incredible," Hikaru said with a nod.
Ichigo flashed a thumbs-up. "An individual of culture."
As Miyako dropped slices of beef into the sukiyaki pot, she offered some guidance, "Once the meat changes color and hits about medium-rare, it's ready to eat. You can dip it in a layer of raw egg wash afterward; it makes the texture incredibly tender and smooth."
The group took turns giving it a shot under Miyako's instruction. The high-grade Wagyu carried absolutely zero gamey odor; the beef practically melted on the tongue, and when coated in the velvety egg wash, it tasted phenomenally sweet.
Surprisingly, however, Kana Arima found herself leaning toward Hikaru's spicy pot. She cautiously picked up a slice of beef and lowered it into the churning red oil. The moment the meat was fully cooked, she quickly fished it out and popped it into her mouth.
"What is this? It's so spicy, but it's amazing!" Kana's eyes lit up. Tiny beads of sweat began to form on her forehead, but her face was locked in an expression of pure excitement.
"Do you need a dipping sauce? I can whip one up for you–savory, sweet, or spicy, whatever you like," Hikaru offered casually.
"No need, I think it's perfect just like this," Kana declined his suggestion, continuing to feast heartily.
After eating for a while, Kana set her chopsticks down, looking at the group as she posed a question. "So, why exactly are we having a get-together at Ai's house? I've been wanting to ask this for a while now–what exactly is the relationship between the four of you?"
Her gaze drifted back and forth between Hikaru, Ai, Aqua, and Ruby. "At the very beginning, Ai was the one who brought Aqua into the film crew. Back then, Aqua kept staring at Ai like he was some hardcore fan."
"But I've noticed the four of you are always incredibly close. Even if it's just a professional collaboration, this is way too frequent. You guys even came out together just to watch Ruby's competition," Kana mused.
A moment later, she asked suspiciously, "Could it be... that you guys are actually a family?"
Hikaru took a slow, deliberate sip of his juice. "First of all, why do you keep calling me 'Uncle'? I'm clearly still very young."
He paused for a beat before continuing, "But calling me 'Big Brother' feels a bit weird too. If all else fails, you can just call me by my name directly."
"Is that seriously where your focus is right now?!" Kana nearly choked.
Hikaru set his glass down, his expression becoming entirely composed. "As for the relationship between us... actually, Akane figured it out a long time ago."
Kana let out a soft huff. "I know that girl is incredibly sharp. I'm no match for her in that department."
Hikaru glanced at Ichigo. Seeing that the president didn't react, he continued smoothly, "To put it plainly, Aqua and Ruby are my and Ai's children. President Ichigo and Ms. Miyako are just acting as our cover."
Aqua and Ruby remained dead silent, silently validating the claim.
"You should understand the sheer weight of this information, so make sure you don't casually let it slip out," Hikaru said, locking his eyes onto Kana's wine-red gaze.
"The timing isn't right for this to be exposed yet," Aqua added with a solemn request. "So Kana, please help us keep this secret."
He followed Hikaru's lead, staring intently into Kana's eyes as well, which caused her to look a bit flustered.
"I get it alright! It's not like I'm some big mouth who loves to gossip!"
"But if that's the case..." A trace of envy flashed through Kana's expression. "You guys really are a family. Must be nice... having an atmosphere like this..."
Hikaru showed a look of curiosity. "Is your household not very harmonious?"
He quickly realized he was being a bit nosy. "Uh, if you don't feel like sharing, you don't have to. Just pretend I didn't ask."
Kana bit her lower lip, seemingly debating whether or not to voice her thoughts.
She took a deep breath, her nose twitching slightly as she spoke. "My popularity has been steadily dropping. My mom is desperately trying to market me all over the industry, trying to force extra roles onto me, and she loses her temper at me sometimes because of it. My dad thinks her attitude is getting worse and worse, so gradually, he's started distancing himself from her."
The topic instantly turned heavy. Everyone at the table set their utensils down, quietly listening to Kana pour her heart out.
"It's just a drop in popularity, why would she react that intensely? Is she completely obsessed with showbiz?" Hikaru creased his brows.
"Yes. Becoming an actress was my mom's dream when she was young, and it was under her influence that I entered the entertainment industry in the first place. Back when I started gaining traction as a child star, she was so happy."
That had been the happiest period of Kana's life.
Her gaze grew somewhat distant. "During that time, my mom cared about me every single day. She even stepped up personally to be my manager, taking me to film sets all over the place."
"The entertainment industry isn't a good place," Aqua said, shaking his head. "Your mother views showbiz through a massive pair of rose-tinted glasses."
"The adults are superficial and money-driven, which forces the kids to grow up prematurely alongside them," Hikaru picked up the thread. "The low-tier artists can barely even feed themselves; the entire industry is only glamorous on the surface."
"There are plenty of people who love staying in this industry though. To them, debuting is more about fulfilling a dream," Ai said, thinking back to her former teammates as her tone tinged with a touch of melancholy.
Miyako felt she could understand Kana's mother to some extent. "Your mom... she probably loves the feeling of being put on a pedestal, right? Being adored by fans is a genuinely intoxicating feeling."
"So what do you plan to do? You need to take some kind of action, otherwise things are only going to deteriorate further," Aqua said.
The hot pot was still letting out soft, bubbling sighs, a few slices of beef bobbing up and down inside the liquid, getting increasingly overcooked, but nobody paid them any attention.
"What are your own thoughts on the matter?" Hikaru asked further. "Even if your mother is obsessed with showbiz and has an explosive temper, she's still your mother. Do you want to leave her? Or do you want to repair this relationship?"
Listening to this, Ai couldn't help but think back to her own mother. Even though they had experienced deeply unpleasant things together, the relationships between family members were just that complicated–it was incredibly difficult to sever them completely.
Even an upright official struggles to settle family disputes. Unless pushed to absolute rock bottom, who could truly bring themselves to cast their family aside with total apathy?
Even now, Ai still secretly fantasized about her mother coming back to pick her up.
"Of course I want my mom to go back to the way she used to be!" Kana balled her hands into tight fists. "If she wants to stay in the entertainment industry, then I'll just work my absolute hardest to stay relevant! That way, she won't be angry anymore, right?! And as long as Mom isn't angry, Dad will go back to the way he used to be too!"
Hikaru clapped his hands. "Then just work your absolute hardest to stay relevant."
"You shouldn't have to be a vessel for your parents' projected dreams," he mused after a brief silence. "But as it stands, the immediate priority is maintaining household stability. As for your parents' mindsets, you can slowly work on changing those down the road."
"But how am I supposed to stay in showbiz?" Kana said dejectedly. "All I have going for me is my acting, and acting isn't even considered that important."
Hikaru held the exact same view as Kana on this front. "If you want to climb to the top, being tactful is far more important than raw acting ability."
Ichigo, who had been quietly nursing his drink on his own, nodded along upon hearing those words.
"I'm already trying my best to be tactful," Kana said gloomily. "I even pretend not to notice when the other actors perform horribly."
*That takes a massive amount of acting in itself,* Aqua thought, recalling his very first impression of Kana–she had indeed been incredibly overbearing back then.
"Being tactful is an adult's job," Hikaru said. "You don't need to force yourself to change."
"If a director refuses to cast you simply because you can't get along flawlessly with the other actors, then I'd say that's a shortcoming on the director's part."
Hikaru walked over and thoroughly ruffled Kana's red hair. "You're a child, people shouldn't be so cutthroat toward a kid."
Kana felt a genuine wave of comfort wash over her, but she still couldn't shake her underlying anxiety.
"But..." she managed to say urgently, only to be cut off halfway by Hikaru.
Hikaru stared intently at her, as if he were looking at the genius actress a decade into the future–the star of the stage who would command the spotlight with absolute, unfiltered brilliance.
A true genius shouldn't be buried away, and they certainly shouldn't shrink back because of superficial societal expectations.
"Join my studio," he said with absolute sincerity. "I'll take full responsibility for making you a star."
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