That Time I Got Reincarnated As The Son Of An Idol
Chapter 1: The Eventful Baby Life Of Hoshino Aquamarine
"Congratulations, Hoshino-san."
I slowly opened my eyes as I heard an unknown voice in my ear. The bright light reminded me of the light I last saw when I...
Am I dead?
My mind slowly started to boot up once more, and I took in my surroundings.
No. I can't be dead.
...
I'm alive. This is a hospital room.
There was a low chatter in the background, and I could see some people walking around the room I was in. I tried to move my body as best as I could, but to no avail. Not even my legs. Come to think of it, I feel really, really odd. I hope that's just because I woke up.
Come to think of it, I feel awfully warm. Am I sick as well? I should probably make some noise to attract someone's attention. Hopefully all will be clear if I try-
"WAA-!"
Huh? That's not the noise I expected to make.
Suddenly, I felt extremely weird, as if I was being lifted up... no I was being lifted up by a pair of tender arms towards a cute looking woman. Are those stars in her eyes? Are they real?
I was asking some really weird questions, without addressing the elephant in the room.
The cute woman gave me a nice look, which knocked me out of my train of thought and realise: I was extremely small. Wait, is this my life flashing before my eyes?!
"So, what will his name be?"
"His name? His name is-"
Aquamarine Hoshino.
That's one of the things that has always struck a chord in my heart. An endless curiosity and appetite to know: why? Why the name?
I was given a ridiculous name. That's one of the first things I understood when I arrived here.
One of the things that I understood when Ai was alive. However, I refused to believe it at first. Initially, I held onto the hope that this was a coma dream, and that I was saved by the emergency services and that I would wake up from my slumber soon. If I am still alive there, I still have yet to do so.
If you asked me why I was born into this world, I couldn't give you an answer. Was it rebirth? Reincarnation? Another scientific phenomena? Why did I still have my memories?
I quickly discovered that this was another world, or an isekai. It was still a few years behind in technology compared to my previous world. The world seemed normal, but soon it was a rollercoaster of emotions, full of mysteries constantly. Full of things I could not explain even if you gave me all the knowledge from all of the books in the world.
It was also an insight into the world that I had never ventured into before - the complete unknown. Despite the confusion, I honestly thank whatever mysterious force that had placed me here for the new opportunity at life.
But I'm getting off topic.
...
My name is Hoshino Aquamarine, the son of the idol "Ai", as the world knew her. I have a twin sister whose name is Ruby, which is considerably less ridiculous than mine.
Both of us are freaks of nature: reincarnated as Ai's children without her knowledge. I was at a significant disadvantage initially since I came from another world, but my sister came from this one - and she was a hopeless fan of Ai.
The world I am about to tell is a story of fiction, for the most part. A world that fabricates, exaggerates, and conveniently conceals all of the parts that are inconvenient. This is a world built on lies.
This is my life.
In the arms of a cute idol, I lived my baby life in what could be considered heaven. Well...
"You hungry? Want me to breastfeed you?"
-! I shook my head profusely.
"What, you don't want any?"
I can't make an idol breastfeed me! That definitely crosses many lines!
"Aqua sure likes his baby bottle."
Her face says it all. "Look at him-!"
Even as a teenage boy, this was definitely way out of my desires.
"WAA-"
"Yes, yes, you want more milk Ruby? You sure do like being breastfed."
Ruby smirked at me, her left eye glowing eerily, while she blushed. This girl-
"Hey look at that, that's mama."
She motioned to the advert on the TV screen. B-Komachi 7th Single "SUPER MOTOR". NOW ON SALE!
"Pretty amazing, right?"
Hoshino Ai has a dark secret. She's an active idol but yet she has 2 kids at the age of 16. Of course, if she gets caught, the entire Hoshino life would go down the drain. So she is a master of two worlds currently.
Me and Ruby are no different, in a way. We're fully aware of our previous lives and we're able to walk and talk whenever we wish. Of course, this brings up a bunch of biological complications, and we'd probably end up as human guinea pigs if this got leaked. So currently, our lives are also two-faced.
-Could it be that... you are also the same as me?
-Aah! The baby talked! Eww- that's so creepy!
-You're no different to me.
...
The initial discovery definitely could've gone better.
"Mama will be back later!"
Ai put Ruby down next to me on the couch, and ran off to do her idol work, leaving us in the care of Miyako-san, the wife of the president of Strawberry Productions, the agency Ai works with. I looked at Ruby in the eye and stared at the six-pointed white star that dominated her left eye.
"Hey, Ruby, could you maybe please show some restraint?"
"Hmm? Why? I'm her daughter! It's a simple law of nature for a daughter like me to be breastfed! It's my right as her daughter."
Ruby had a really proud look on her face as she said that, her left eye glowing.
"I'll ask just to make sure but... you were a girl in your previous life, right?"
"Yep," came the instant reply.
"Well... I supposed I could let it slide-"
"The jealousy of idol fanatics is gross! Well, obviously it'd be bad if a grown man got breastfed. Lucky for me, I can legitimately savour this opportunity as a girl!"
"From an ethical standpoint that's also as bad."
"Poor mama... to think that her son is an old creep who's absolutely obsessed with her-!"
"Hey-!"
I'm probably just as old, if not older, than Ruby in her previous life.
"-I feel so sorry for her! I guess I'll just have to protect her as long as I live!"
I could mention that I'm not even from this world, but that'll probably make things worse. She might not even believ- actually, we're people who have been reincarnated. Who's to tell me what's real and what's not?!
"You're definitely the creepier one, no doubt about it. Look at you! You're rubbing your hands together and blushing!"
Was she like this in her previous life too? The image of a creepy old lady popped into my head, constantly chanting:
~I will protect you as long as I live! ~Ai-ch~yannn
-!
"Anyway, I want a diaper change so go away!"
Ruby fidgeted uncomfortably, and tears started gathering in her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, as you wish."
I let myself down from the couch and began to crawl mindlessly around the room... across the play mat... towards the curtains...
Ruby's eye was certainly a mystery, and it was the same with me and Ai. A six-pointed star took residence, and was blindingly obvious, yet no one seemed to point it out. Not once have I heard someone mention it. Could it be that I was the only one who could see it? Does it mean anything in particular? I mean, Ai has it in both of her eyes.
Well, I guess it's better if no one else notices. Otherwise, I'd probably be identified as related to Ai extremely, extremely quickly...
"-he told me I could work with hot guys!"
Huh?
"I only married him for that reason!"
I felt a menacing aura creep up my spine, causing me to fear to look behind me.
"-she's a single mother who won't even disclose who the father is! This is so damn shady! I didn't marry to become a stupid baby sitter!"
Miyako-san threw the dirty diaper into the bin violently, and I crawled up next to Ruby, who seemed disgusted at the situation. I could practically see the evil thoughts surrounding Miyako-san's body- hey, what?
"Eh? Being able to serve mama should bring nothing but happiness to you. There's definitely something wrong in her head."
You're one to talk!
"Actually, what she said is quite reasonable."
I too, would probably go insane if I was in her shoes. Taking care of an idol's kids, not knowing who the father is. However, her motive for being married is... questionable. This is the perfect plot for her to go and betray Ai-
"But you know, a massive scandal is being delicately balanced here isn't it?"
...
Did I just- This can't end well.
Me and Ruby looked at each other with shocked expressions. A wicked, wicked smile developed on Miyako-san's face.
"That's it! I can sell this to a weekly news source, I can sell this online, I'll be rich! Aha! Screw it all! I'm going to do it!"
"Holy crap! What should we do? Should we kill her?"
...
"No, that won't do. Our difference in physical abilities is far too massive."
Plus, you actually have to hide the body too. Too many complications for two toddlers to deal with. Actually, we could try to make piranha solution... all we need is some-
"I was kidding, kidding! Are you really considering that?!"
This is definitely going to cause trouble, so we obviously can't let this happen. Ruby quickly shook her head to try to think of something, while I leant up to her ear.
"Ah,what do we do?! She's taking pictures of-"
"This actually presents an opportunity. I have an idea."
I told Ruby, and she looked at me proudly. And the star in her left eye glowed with a light.
"He~ with the money I get from this, I can boost my favourite host to the top rankings! These babies can't do anything! They won't understand anything of what I'm doing! This is the perfect time!"
"Oh poor human who tends on mortal thoughts. Ye who desires to fill yourself from crown to toe topfull of champagne."
"Who's there?!"
Miyako-san turned around and gasped, seeing me and Ruby perched on top of the table behind her, arms crossed, and staring intently. The evil aura around Miyako-san started to fade, and thoughts of fear became more prevalent.
"I-I... am a messenger. These misdeeds of yours can no longer be overlooked!"
"Huh-? A messeng- did that baby just talk?"
"In thine experience, are mere babies capable of words? Believe it."
"W-well, you s-see... w-when you talk about the d-divine- I don't actually believe in that kind of stuff, so- H-hey, I know now! This is some kind of TV hidden-camera thing! Yeah? Like some TV show Ai is in where they prank the manager?"
That... has many contradictions in and of itself. Wouldn't the cameras have caught everything that you said earlier? Also, aren't you the one trying to hide the fact that Ai has kids?
"Haha, they had me fooled for a second there. Where's the cameras? They sure went for a lot of trouble for this!"
Ah- I knew that this was too far fetched.
"H-hey, Ruby-chan~ it's not safe for you to be up on a desk like that-"
Miyako-san reached out her arm to get Ruby, and I outstretched mine to continue my speech, but there was a blur and Miyako-san's hand was slapped out of the way by Ruby.
"Know your place! I am that which you call 'Amaterasu' embodied!"
A look of horror spread across Miyako-san's face. I internally cheered Ruby on. Her left eye radiated the light of stars in the background as a multitude of individual, multicoloured specks in support of the main star. Although, I believe that Miyako-san can't-
"You have been corrupted by the hope of money that lies in front of you! You are on the verge of abandoning thy destiny!"
"Destiny?"
"Hoshino Ai was destined for greatness. Hence, these children who are her twins also bear a monumental destiny! It is your duty to watch over them with care! Your current actions are heinous! Deny them this and an eternal curse shall befall upon you!"
"Curse?! What do you mean?! What specifically?"
Her breathing became ragged and desperate. I could practically see her thoughts cycling through all the options.
"Ahem, well, you see, specifically..."
"You die."
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
"Yes! You die!"
"You shall suffer in the thick night, in the dunnest smoke of hell!"
"NO!"
Miyako-san was essentially crying at this point, and leaned down on the table in front of us.
"W-what should I do?"
Ruby placed her soft baby hand on Miyako-san's head.
"It is simple, really. You must protect the secret of Ai and her kids. Dote on them and listen to everything that they have to say."
Everything...? What is this girl planning?
"Huh? This seems a little one sided-"
"Do so, and the possibility of a second marriage to a handsome actor is not out of the question."
Her face lit up instantly. What a shallow person.
"Really? I'll do it! I'll listen to everything! I'll even lick their shoes!"
"...you do not need to go that far."
And so, Miyako-san placed us in our baby walkers and started happily cleaning Ai's house, while humming happily. I don't think I've ever seen her this happy. Me and Ruby both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey... do you think that was the right call?"
"Well... it would be trouble if Ai's secret leaked. We needed to stop her and we got an ally out of it as well. And now we're able to go outside."
Ruby's face lit up instantly.
"Anyway, that was some great acting that you pulled off there. Did you happen to act in your previous life too?"
"Nope. Not at all. That was a first."
"A first? Not even any plays at school?"
...
"Well... I grew up in a not-so-normal childhood life."
Ruby looked extremely downcast at that. Perhaps her previous life was miserable. Maybe that's why she dotes on Ai so much?
"Then that's just pure, raw talent. You should be an actress in the future."
And then I walked off in my baby walker, leaving Ruby to her own thoughts.
"The future?"
Her voice trailed off.
The future...
What does the future hold for me in this life?
Leaving Ruby to her thoughts, I stared at the window to the outside world, and looked at my reflection. I brought up my hand and felt my right eye, admiring the bright reflection of the star in the window to the dark outside world.
It's been a few months since Ai has returned to work. And her idol group, B-Komachi...
Has still yet to gain its popularity boost.
"¥200,000... Ugh, our company's pay is so low... C'mon! We placed #3 in the Oricon Charts! Aren't the middlemen taking too large of a cut?"
*¥200,000 is equivalent to approximately $1,400*
"Bit late to be complaining, no? Unlike the big companies how do everything from production to distribution, we're merely a small player. You came into this knowing our profits are slim, right?"
Miyako-san said all of that in a droning voice, as she typed in... something into her laptop. Ai looked on with a disgruntled expression.
Speaking of which, how long has Ai actually been an idol for? Surely she's worked as one before I was born, but for how long?
"I've finally realised the world revolves around money."
"That's not a good thing."
"Being an idol is fun, and I'd be fine if I was on my own. But..."
Ai picked up Ruby and lifted her up into the air.
"I want to send my little ones to a good school, let them take extracurricular lessons, and give them as many opportunities as I can. But to do that, I need to sell more and earn as much as possible, ne? If things stay like this... I won't be able to make them happy."
Ai held Ruby up with a sombre look on her face, almost regretful. Her expression said it all, with no need for words:
'I want them to be happier than me.'
Those were the thoughts going through her head... I've realised there's still so much more to learn about this idol than I initially thought. It's almost as if I discover something new every day.
Ai picked up her Rum Raisin Ice Cream from the table and started eating it.
"Well, we're not getting any commercial gigs, there's no movie or job offers... Now, if I were with a major agency..."
"You know, you should probably start with not eating that expensive ice cream. Ever heard of 'budgeting'?"
...
"I'm heading off to my lesson. Be good while mama's gone, okay?"
Ai gave us a smile before closing the door. Ruby leant up to me and whispered in my ear.
"Wait, isn't an idol's salary like... a million yen per month?"
"Of course not!"
"It's not?!"
"Don't you think we'd be living in more luxury than we are right now if Ai was paid more?"
"Why's she not paid more then?!" came the loud reply.
Naturally, there's no way I could ever know the exact workings, but I could hazard a decent educated guess.
"Royalties and TV performance fees are split equally among members... If merch doesn't sell out, concerts go into the red... And the cost of costumes are deducted from their salaries. There's only a select few who make a million yen a month."
"Huh?! You know the world's messed up when money doesn't reach the people giving it their all!"
The joys of capitalism. Oh, you sweet, sweet, innocent child, Ruby. Please stay innocent to the cruel wonders of the world.
"Oh I know!"
"Go on..."
I don't trust this.
"All the idol creeps could start offering their livers up to Ai for us to sell~" Ruby said in an oddly creepy voice. She motioned her hands like an evil mastermind and had an ominous look on her face.
"What's actually messed up is your thinking... Stop acting like the leader of some post-apocalyptic religion."
I don't get it. Ai can sing, dance, and her looks are way out of this world. She takes vocal lessons day and night. She works hard and practises choreography at home every night. B-Komachi is one of the better selling groups as well.
"Hey, manager. Why isn't our Ai getting anymore job offers?"
"What a crap management! Put more effort into sales and marketing!"
Miyako-san looked at us with a tired look as if we were serious.
"Easier said than done... Look, let me tell you some things from behind the scenes. You're... smart kids. I'm sure you'll learn something. Idol groups are essentially a bunch of people fighting to win a single job offer. When they get a job, they sell as a group. But competing against individuals is... a higher hurdle to clear. For example, we've had idols who've tried to get off on their own and had to take part time jobs in an expensive restaurant in Roppongi, or as a hostess in Minato."
"Hostess? I didn't know that..."
"Tokyo sure is a creepy."
"I recognise that Ai is amazing, but only within the 'idol' category. In the entertainment industry, you need 'something' to make yourself stand out. She needs to be able to get offers not because she's 'Ai' from B-Komachi but because they want 'Ai' to get the job."
I get it. That makes sense. You need to stand out from others and knock others down. Well, I guess that's just how the world works.
"Hey Manager. I have a request-"
"I can't do that."
"You know... Mama seemed really, really sad earlier. You saw it too, right? I'm really worried about her, so-"
"Yeah, I'd like to see as well-"
...
"Listen you two, I only brought you here because you essentially licked my shoes for it-"
"Remember, we're here pretending to be-"
"You don't have to tell me. I know all of that-"
-VIRAL!: Watch The Extraordinary Sight Of Baby Twins Performing An Idol-Fan Dance, Idol Ends Up Pausing To React!
-"Goo-goo! Ga-ga! Goo-goo! Ga-ga! Goo-goo! Ga-ga!"
I internally cringed as I watched the video of me and Ruby doing a crazy fan dance while holding those light batons all the other fans were holding... Whatever mysterious force that compelled me to do that, I hate you.
"210,000 retweets... The video has almost 2 million views..."
No words can truly explain what I felt going there.
"...I get that it's easier for baby content to go viral easier, but still..."
Miyako-san looked at the tweet on her phone, completely overwhelmed by the scale that the video had blown up to.
"Come here. Let's have a little talk-"
Ichigo-san dragged Miyako-san out of the living room, leaving Ai, me and Ruby alone. We watched Ai continue to scroll through the app, and look at a photo of herself 'reacting' to us.
Seeing it in the flesh was indescribable, Ai looked absolutely stunning. Her eyes glowed a multitude of colours, the star shining brighter than I ever have seen before. It was like staring into the most beautiful galaxy in the entire universe. Her smile - perfect. Down to the exact millimetre. I even saw her experimenting smiles while staring into the mirror. Yet, this was a natural one. No lie could make something this perfect. The blush on her face - a true representation of her feelings and proudness. Her hair - the rich colour shone brilliantly with the violent back lights.
It was perfect. PERFECT. Down to the last minute detail.
Anonymous ID: FtSJ1hut5
"What's this girl's name?"
Anonymous ID: DiG3Mdfw0
"Wait, has Ai always smiled like this?! I kinda dig this new side!"
Anonymous ID: OcTlagDjd
"I sense some troublesome otaku baby vibes..."
Anonymous ID: UpX51tbS
"Whoa, this girl is really cute!"
Tanujirou
"This! This is it! This is it right here!"
Hey, I saw that name two days ago. It was on a post. If I remember, the person wasn't very pleased, but it appears they've had a change of heart. I looked at Ai, who had a mischievous smile on her face, and brought up her fingers to twirl a strand of hair.
"I see~ So this is what you like~ Now I know~"
I DO NOT OWN OSHI NO KO
And that's a wrap for chapter 1!
Hopefully once the exposition clears up, things can start to diverge and get interesting.
[Published: May 24, 2023]