Chapter 54: Closing the Distance
Another weekend arrived, and the final episode of the dating reality show was finally about to start filming. In the previous episodes, the cameras had primarily focused on the ambiguous, romantic atmosphere building between Hikaru Hoshino and Ai. Additionally, it was worth mentioning that Takuya Taira and Emi Sai had officially become a couple; the romantic daily life of the hot-blooded idiot and the chaotic streamer had caught the eyes of quite a few fans.
As night fell, the production crew rented an entire high school campus as their filming location. Late at night, the school building was completely deserted. Only the lights of the recording team flickered in the darkness, casting a slightly eerie atmosphere over the silent campus.
The cast members walked shoulder-to-shoulder toward the sports field, a team of camera operators lugging heavy gear right behind them.
"So why did the crew insist on filming the final episode at night?" Takuya Taira scratched his head in confusion.
"Exactly, exactly!" Emi Sai affectionately wrapped her arm around his. "I don't want to pull an all-nighter, my skin will go bad."
"Maybe the crew prefers night scenery?" Hikaru Hoshino thought for a moment. "Most of the previous segments were filmed during the day. Since it's the grand finale, the night might offer a better sense of atmosphere."
"The final episode already, huh." Jin Fuyuno let out a long yawn. "And yet, here we are at the finale, and I'm still single."
"Uh, maybe in dating reality shows, those who actually end up together are in the minority?" Hikaru tried to offer some comfort. "The more important thing for a variety show is boosting your popularity."
"My popularity hasn't really gone up either," Jin's resentment deepened. "Maybe I'm just destined to play a background extra forever."
"A premium extra, at least," Frill Shiranui suddenly chimed in. Her expression was completely deadpan, but the corners of her mouth twitched slightly upward.
Jin felt emotionally exhausted. "Can we drop the 'extra' thing already?"
Ai couldn't hold it in and burst into a giggle, covering her mouth.
"At least you made new friends," Hikaru continued to smooth things over. "If you run into any trouble in the future, feel free to ask me for help."
"You can ask me too!" Emi said boisterously.
"Me too, obviously!" Takuya nudged Jin with his elbow. "We're friends, right?"
"I guess?" Jin hesitated.
"Huh?" Takuya's eyes widened.
The scene instantly filled with a cheerful, lively atmosphere.
Soon enough, the entire crew arrived at the middle of the sports field. The director turned on the massive floodlights and clapped his hands. "Wrap it up, get ready to start rolling!" he bellowed, his voice echoing across the empty field.
"What's the theme for this episode?" Emi raised her hand to ask.
"Great question!" the director shouted. "Since it's the finale, the actual content will be a bit shorter compared to previous episodes. I plan to put a ten-minute highlight reel at the start of the official broadcast."
*The ocean is vast and full of water...* Hikaru silently complained in his head. *Are they seriously padding the runtime for the grand finale?*
"This episode consists of the following segments–" the director continued to bark. "First up, free time!"
"Hooray," Frill Shiranui clapped with zero facial expression.
"Just do whatever you want for now. Mingle and chat with whoever you want to build connections, or seize this opportunity to take your relationship a step further. The camera crew will be tracking you, just like in previous episodes."
The director clapped hard to command everyone's attention. "But afterward, you need to head back to the auditorium. It's located in the northeast corner of the campus; if you get lost, just ask a cameraman. We'll hold the final farewell ceremony there, and then the show will officially wrap up."
"Alright!!" Takuya pumped his fist excitedly.
Within moments, Emi pulled Takuya away by the arm, the two of them laughing and playing as they walked.
Hikaru naturally extended a hand toward Ai. "May I have the honor of inviting this beautiful lady?" He gave her a playful wink.
With so many eyes on them, Ai suddenly felt a bit bashful, but she still rested her hand in Hikaru's palm. "The honor is mine," she said, turning her face away slightly.
And just like that, the two of them slipped away.
Leaving only Jin Fuyuno and Frill Shiranui staring blankly at each other, standing completely isolated in the chilly night breeze.
"Achoo" Jin rubbed his nose. "I'm starting to regret joining this show. Don't tell me everyone else is going to successfully pair up, leaving only you and me behind?" He wore a thoroughly miserable expression.
"I think Ai will ultimately reject Hikaru-kun anyway," Frill's voice carried absolutely no modulation. "At least on the show, she will."
"True," Jin agreed with a nod.
Frill's eyes suddenly lit up. "It's boring to just stand here. Let's go on an adventure! We can explore the school building with the lights turned off."
"I think keeping the lights on is a much safer bet." A cold sweat broke out across Jin's back. "We're still filming a show, after all. If we turn off the lights, the cameras won't catch anything, right?"
"Oh, right." Frill found that logical.
On the other side of campus, Hikaru brought Ai to the rooftop of the school building. The two of them leaned against the concrete guardrail, letting the night wind howl past them.
Since the camera crew kept their distance during filming and only approached occasionally, the guests only needed to summarize their conversation topics during those close-ups.
As a result, across these past few episodes, Hikaru and Ai had grown noticeably closer in front of the lens. The production team would capture their ambiguous, romantic frames and document their harmonious interactions. But in reality, the two spent the vast majority of their time simply sharing their daily lives–like Ai's vocal practices, or Hikaru venting about his experiences on other music programs.
Ai looked up at the night sky, exposing the elegant line of her slender neck. "The show is coming to an end, huh," she murmured softly.
"Don't you want it to end, Ai?" Hikaru asked.
"Maybe a little bit." Ai stood on her tiptoes, stretching a hand toward the night sky. "Once the show wraps up..."
*We won't be able to keep playing an on-screen couple anymore, will we?* The realization hit Ai suddenly, causing her mood to take a slight dip.
"After this, is Hikaru-kun supposed to formally confess to me, and then I brutally reject you?" She spun her head around, quietly staring at him.
Hikaru shrugged. "In theory, yes."
"I'm starting to dislike acting in front of the camera," Ai said, a trace of stubborn frustration in her voice.
"That's just the life of an entertainer," Hikaru comforted her. "Since you're pulling in a massive salary and getting worshiped by the public, these little downsides are just things you have to endure."
"I know that, obviously, but it still makes me unhappy," Ai grumbled, still thoroughly displeased. "And to think I used to love lying so much."
She turned around and squatted down, resting her back against the guardrail and burying her knees in her arms like a curled-up kitten.
"Take the other members of B-Komachi, for instance. I know they all secretly despise me. But the second we step onto the stage, everyone acts, pretending like we're one big happy family. I hate that."
Hikaru brushed off his pants and sat directly onto the concrete beside her. "Deep down, you've always wanted to genuinely get along with them, haven't you, Ai?"
"You're way too sharp, Hikaru-kun. How can you even tell?" Ai lowered her eyes. "I want to form a real bond with them, but it feels so incredibly difficult. Nobody is willing to speak the truth. Everyone wears a mask–including me."
"In reality, I've never liked lying. But if I don't lie, nobody will like me. Everyone is in love with the brilliant, glittering Ai on stage. The real me... nobody would ever love her."
"I'm not a perfect idol at all."
Hikaru tilted his head to look at her. "Like what, for example?"
Ai hesitated, stammering slightly. "Like... I'm incredibly clumsy. I always end up messing things up. I'm just all thumbs."
Hikaru pressed further. "What else?"
"I'm a massive liar. I spin endless webs of deceit. In fact, sometimes I can't even remember the names of my fans, yet I constantly tell them how much I love them."
"That's completely normal, isn't it?" Hikaru chuckled. "With that many fans, who could possibly remember every single one?"
"I harbor so many toxic emotions, and I secretly hate a ton of people and things. I just never say it out loud." Ai kept her head low, her voice growing smaller and smaller.
"I hate all these rigid rules that come with being an idol. If it wasn't to earn diaper money for Aqua and Ruby, I never would have come back to this industry."
"I hate Airi Himekawa. She's supposed to be an adult, yet she willingly degrades herself."
"I hate the President. He constantly plays favorites with me, which makes the other members whisper behind my back that I'm just a well-connected parasite. And I hate them too–why do they have to talk trash about me behind my back?!"
"I hate the toxic fanboys. Like Ryosuke. I'm not their mother, so why on earth did he track me down to murder me?!"
Ai began rambling under her breath, a heavy cloud of negative energy enveloping her entire being as she completely dissolved into her grievances.
Yet, as Hikaru watched her quietly venting her petty frustrations, he suddenly found her profoundly, undeniably adorable. So adorable it made him want to pull her straight into his arms.
*That is completely playing dirty,* he thought to himself.
A flawless, immaculate idol in front of everyone else, but uniquely here with him, she was merely an ordinary teenage girl who could get hurt, get depressed, and secretly talk trash about others.
The concrete reality that he was uniquely special to Ai sent a sudden, uncontrollable surge of elation through his chest. Human beings inherently crave special treatment, and being treated as special by a breathtakingly beautiful girl was the ultimate peak.
Hikaru simply stared at Ai in silence. A sudden, primitive impulse welled up inside him, making him want to wrap his arms around her and gently comb through her long purple hair.
It would undoubtedly smell incredible.
He felt a bit like a degenerate, but the thought clung to his consciousness like a parasitic curse, rooting itself deep within his mind. Hikaru's gaze locked onto Ai's features, his mind wandering down a dangerous path.
Those lips that were currently murmuring complaints... what would it feel like to kiss them? They would surely be exceptionally soft, wouldn't they?
...
He wanted them to be together forever.
In the beginning, he was merely a fan who simply wanted to rewrite her tragic fate. Yet throughout the course of their interactions, he had been pulled in by the girl inch by inch, heartbeat by heartbeat.
Perhaps, without even realizing it, he had long since become Ai's absolute captive.
"Hikaru-kun?" Ai's voice suddenly chimed out in confusion, snapping him clean out of his trance-like reverie.
*What on earth was I just thinking?* A wave of burning embarrassment washed over Hikaru. He frantically scrambled to find a conversation topic. "Everyone is like that. Every single human being operates that way. You aren't uniquely flawed, Ai."
He paused, thinking it over before continuing with absolute sincerity, "Everyone possesses their own shortcomings and radiates negative energy. Nobody can constantly sparkle like an idol for twenty-four hours a day."
Ai raised her head, staring blankly at the incredibly close face of Hikaru.
Hikaru met her gaze, the words locked deep inside his heart slipping past his lips before he could stop them: "Personally, I think the real Ai–the Ai who is currently sharing all her little negative emotions with me–is equally, profoundly adorable."
Ai's face flushed a violent, instant crimson.
*Boom.* A massive metaphorical mushroom cloud erupted inside her brain.
Ai felt as though her respiratory system had completely shut down. Her cheeks burned with an unnatural heat, to the point where even the blood in her veins felt like it was hitting a rolling boil.
*That is completely playing dirty,* Ai echoed in her own heart. Dropping a sweet line like that under these exact circumstances possessed an absolutely lethal amount of critical damage!
If this counted as an official confession, she felt a powerful urge to just say yes on the spot.
Unfurling her body, she abandoned her curled-up posture and sat flat on the concrete right beside Hikaru. "Even if Hikaru-kun calls me adorable, I'm still not going to accept your confession later during the shoot, okay?"
The young girl tilted her head, letting out a sudden, bright giggle as she looked at him. After all, she was an idol, and idols weren't permitted to fall in love.
"Well, that truly is a tragedy," Hikaru said with a light chuckle.
*How frustrating.* Staring at Hikaru's smiling face, a sudden spark of annoyance flared inside Ai's chest, though she herself couldn't pinpoint exactly where this trace of irritation was stemming from.
A vast majority of people viewed Ai as a born idol–a natural first-magnitude star meant to remain suspended high up in the heavens for others to blindly worship.
But what exactly were they even worshiping? She was a living, breathing human being, not a pristine marble deity, and certainly not some commercial symbol.
"Just how long do I have to wait?" Ai's voice was so whisper-thin it was barely audible.
Hikaru failed to catch it completely. "What was that?"
"Just when... will I finally be allowed to graduate from being an idol?"
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