Chapter 5: At Strawberry Productions

Ai was strangely unable to get a hold of her nerves as she stared into the man's silver-tinted eyes; his confident smirk easily overwhelming her uneasy glance. She couldn't exactly gage his age but his overall demeanour indicated that he'd be in his early 30s or late 20s.

There was something so off about the smile on his face which had rendered her incapable of donning the composed façade she had often kept up in even the direst of situations. It was like the stranger had the uncanny ability to rattle the souls of whoever he was looking at.

Or perhaps it was because he had called her by her old name.

"H-How does he know? I-Is he a friend of Yamada-san?"

As the setting sun shone its last rays of light upon both of their frames, Ai realized she had to keep her calm as long as she could if the person turned out to be malevolent. Trembling in her shoes, her body kept betraying her emotions no matter how hard she tried.

It was like she had been an unsuspecting prey walking right into the jaws of a voracious predator. With the evil grin he was shooting at her, she could not find anything to assure herself that the situation was, in actuality, better than what was presented in front of her.

She had unwittingly stumbled right into the crosshairs of a man who was seemingly aware of her presence even before addressing her.

"W-Was he the one who left the door open? W-Was he already here when I arrived!?"

Ai was beginning to rue her haste when she entered the apartment, preventing her from thoroughly investigating the area for any signs of other people before she had made the decision to head into the bedroom.

Still, she had to answer him or else she would be mentally wrecked by fear of the possibilities.

"Errr…yeah…"

That uneasy answer she gave did little to break the menacing smile firmly plastered on the man's face.

"W-What's he thinking? W-What's he about to say?"

Those questions were all she could ask herself the moment she saw the stranger ready to open his mouth to speak.

"Is it alright to call you Ai-chan or simply Aiko?" he asked with a raised eyebrow "I don't want us to be super formal with each other while you're staying here."

"Huh?"

The hostile impression she had of the man significantly waned the moment his face warped into a friendlier and a slightly puzzled look, one that she was undoubtedly more comfortable with.

But the change in expression was not the most noteworthy thing about him.

It was the fact that he was using "Ai-chan" not as a direct way to address her, but rather as a nickname of sorts for her new identity "Yamada Aiko".

And that could only mean one thing.

"He doesn't know I'm Hoshino Ai…he knows me as Aiko…That…that was close…"

Ai secretly heaved a large sigh of relief as she figured that the stranger was, at the very least, not aware of her true identity. That would prove absolutely vital in dictating what her conversation with the man would be about going forward.

"U-Uh…either one's fine by me" she nervously replied.

There was still a need to exercise a fair degree of caution around the person.

"Wellllllllll…" he put a hand to his chin, "We're sharing this apartment from here on out so we might as well get the formalities out of the way. I'll be calling you "Ai-chan" then….'cause that sounds like a nice nickname for an idol like you."

The smile that followed was genuine and Ai's opinion of the man shifted a bit, no longer being intimidated by his presence. However, there was still more to go through before she was fully comfortable being around him.

With the added fact that the apartment didn't belong to her but was in his hands made her aware that she hadn't known whether or not he could be trifled with yet. For all she knew, the friendly face he was putting on might be a fake.

"O-Okay…"

Understanding that she was in no position to ask the multitude of questions that she wanted answers to, she instead waited for him to take the initiative regarding their little interaction.

"Ah! We don't personally know each other yet, do we?" he chuckled while shaking his head.

"He's gonna introduce himself, right?"

Watching on with anticipation, Ai wanted to at least know his name for future reference.

"I'm Itami Wataru aka Cross" he smiled, "You may be familiar with my alias rather than my real name. You can call me by either name though. I don't mind."

"Alias? What does he need an alias for? Is he a writer or a musician or a celebrity or…? What is he?"

Thankfully, the introduction would set her mind at ease and her body finally allowed her to hastily weave an image reminiscent of her idol self, indicating that she was close to having a firmer grasp on the interaction.

"Alright, Itami-san" she nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good!" he exclaimed before glancing at the bedroom from where she emerged, "I hope your belongings were kept just the way you wanted them to be."

Ai was unsure on how to answer but since Wataru had just confirmed that the clothes had indeed belonged to her, she could at least rest easy knowing that she hadn't accidentally worn someone else's clothes.

"It's perfect!" she said with a bright smile, "The bed's really comfortable as well!"

"Glad to know that" he winked and snapped his fingers, "Remember, Ai-chan, don't think of yourself as a guest here. Take this place as your own home away from home, alright?"

"He's…an easily excitable fellow, isn't he?"

Secretly, Ai continued assessing what type of a person her new roommate would be.

Even if he was starting to appear more and more friendly with each passing remark, she had to keep her guard up at all times since he was still a stranger to her and though he had shown proof to his claim that she would be living with him for a while, she couldn't completely trust him yet.

"Oh! And we'll work together on the demos at the end of the week, alright? I have a lot of ideas so keep your schedule free, 'kay?" he added.

From that short sentence, Ai was given the hint she needed to finally understand what her relation with Wataru was.

He was most likely a composer of sorts as she still clearly remembered reading the same article that Ruby saw when she mentioned her working on an album. She knew how grueling and time-consuming it would be to produce an album so she already was aware of the upcoming period of hard work she'd have to endure if she were to keep up with her new existence.

There was one thing she needed an answer to though.

"Even if that's case…WHY AM I LIVING ALONE IN AN APARTMENT WITH A GROWN MAN WHO'S NOT EVEN A RELATIVE!?"

Finally, Ai addressed the elephant in the room.

She could not ever fathom the reason as to why a young girl such as herself would be staying with a man in some fancy apartment on a fancy building.

The only logical reason she could come up with was not a pleasant one.

Her face turned pale and a shiver went down her spine.

"A-Are we…partners?...I-Is this Yamada-san's sick joke?"

Ai was barely able to stay composed while such thoughts were spiraling in her head.

While it was far from what she wanted to accept, there was a sickening possibility that there might exist a relationship between her and Wataru that she hadn't been made aware of due her still piecing together the past that her identity as Yamada Aiko possessed.

If that was the indeed the case, she'd have to act quickly to smudge the flame out as she had no intentions of being tangled in a web of romantic love.

But then, another thought crossed her mind.

Without wasting a second, she asked the question.

"My room is here and your room is that one, right? On the other side?"

Pointing her finger at a closed door on the other side of the room, Ai posed the question that could put her concerns about a possible relationship between them to rest.

"Yeah! That one's my room and right next to it is my little workplace" Wataru chuckled.

Another wave of relief washed over Ai upon being given the answer.

"…Well…if we were…together…then, why would we have separate rooms?...that about confirms that there is nothing like that, right?..."

Although it wasn't a concrete assurance that there wasn't anything between them besides working together for an album, it was at least a huge relief to know she wasn't embroiled in something she didn't want to engage in.

"…Wait…why am I thinking like this?...Hehe…well, that was nearly embarrassing…"

While Wataru was staring at the setting sun, Ai secretly facepalmed.

She had completely forgotten that the man had not even known how to address her and had given her an informal greeting into his abode. Those were both glaring indications that they weren't acquainted with each other, yet her mind decided to take matters into its own non-existent hands, plunging her into thoughts about things that would've never existed between them given the context.

With that misunderstanding out of the way, she began to see him more as exactly what he presented himself to be- someone who wasn't aware of her true identity and someone who she was genuinely going to be working with in the near future.

There was nothing else besides those.

"Well, would you look at that!" he smiled before facing her, "I think it's about time to eat. You hungry?"

Ai would be reminded of another detail she had failed to pay heed to earlier.

"…I haven't eaten a single thing since dying, have I?..."

Feeling a bit empty inside, she nodded before sheepishly smiling.

"I suppose I am" she said cheerily, reactivating her façade, "Itami-san, should I go and buy something to eat for the both of us?"

There was no problem with her discarding her true self in favour of being a friendly new "partner" to the man she'd be spending the coming days with. After all, she was still an idol in some way and she'd have to get used to donning the mask of deception before long. Using her interactions with him as practice was fair game.

"Don't bother, Ai-chan" Wataru told her, "Just rest up. I'll change and grab something to eat."

Before she could add anything else to their conversation, the man stepped away and walked into his room, closing the door firmly behind him.

Ai was left a bit confused by the abrupt way in which Wataru ended the conversation. Reflecting on his final words though, she decided it would be best to sit down and process what had just transpired.

"He does seem like a really nice person...does he know the Yamada family well then?"

It did seem fairly rational to assume that Wataru would've been acquainted with the Yamada family…if they even existed. Surely, they would have put their utmost trust in him if they could allow a member of their family to live in the same apartment as him.

She was already certain Tarou would've no qualms about it since he was the one who directed her to the place. And knowing her "uncle", he would have most likely informed the rest of their family about her situation.

Speaking of…

"W-Wait…do I have a mother and father?"

Asking Wataru about that required a roundabout way of doing so while the only other person who could answer her question was her uncle, but she had no idea how long he'd be away.

She had no idea how she'd feel if she suddenly found out that her new identity had biological parents, familial ties which her old self lacked for a majority of her life. However, much like how she still felt detached from Yamada Aiko's identity as a sixteen year old independent idol, there was concern that she wouldn't have any attachments to her family.

In her head, the only family that mattered to her was the one she left behind and the twins were the only people in her new life she wanted to be associated with.

Everything else was secondary.

For her to gain more chances at fulfilling her desire to somehow reunite the three of them as a family, she still had to follow Tarou's orders and also, educate herself on the past and background of her current self.

Taking out her phone, she decided to search up whatever familial ties she currently had.

"Do you like it? I'm not exactly a ramen connoisseur but my taste buds are pretty accurate in finding what tastes godly! Haha!"

"I love this brand! This is such a good choice, Itami-san!"

"Thank you, thank you."

Though she wasn't sure if it was because she hadn't had a bite in ages, Ai found herself genuinely enjoying the taste of steaming ramen as dusk had settled.

Wataru only spent around fifteen minutes away from the apartment before he returned with three boxes of ramen for the two of them which he prepared without any hesitation. It was a gesture she appreciated and she wasted no time digging into the food he presented in front of her.

His return from a nearby convenience store was preceded by Ai using her phone to search up information about the Yamada family.

Unfortunately, Ai could only find sparse results related to the idol Yamada Aiko and nothing more. It appeared as though she would have to take matters into her hands to find out more about the family name she was made to latch onto.

The man currently sitting opposite to her on the table in the kitchen could not be interrogated regarding that until she could find a way to ease that into their conversations without appearing like she had no clue about her family.

"By the way, Ai-chan…" Wataru suddenly spoke up.

Ai was startled by the way in which he addressed her but she soon remembered that it was simply a nickname for her new name "Aiko" and not related to her past self.

"…have you had any genres you want to tackle in particular?" he inquired while eating.

"Oh! I can pick genres?"

That question had taken her by surprise.

Throughout her career as an idol, Ai had little to no say in the type of music she was made to perform. To be honest, she had been always compliant whenever a song was presented to her and she would simply try her best to master the choreography routine that would usually accompany it without complaining one bit.

She had only minimal input regarding the final product and her only purpose always seemed to entail her getting the song over with her fans and with the public in general.

That was the reason why it was puzzling to hear Wataru ask for her preference.

"Yeah! I mean, you are already well versed in idol and pop songs but there might also be other genres you wanted to explore" he said before chuckling and nearly choking on his ramen, "You…cough…you're in charge of that…cough…alright?"

While the man tried to ease the discomfort on his larynx with a quick swig from a nearby bottle of water, Ai ignored his coughing fit as she focused on what he had told her.

"Is that so...?" she asked to confirm.

"I'm taking charge of everything else so you can at least handle that" he replied, wiping his mouth, "That's fair, isn't it?"

Unsure on how to process being suddenly given such control over her musical career, Ai blankly nodded.

The next second though, she shed her brief look of confusion to maintain the lively appearance of an idol and not of the side of her that was suddenly prone to manifesting more often than not.

"Ah! I'm just a student of the game, Itami-san~" she said cutely, "You're the expert here so I will just assume it's fair."

"Good to have that sorted out" he nodded before taking another drink of water.

Ai's eyes wandered towards the window and then to the darkening city beyond the clear panes.

It was nearly seven o'clock in the evening and she could see the lights from a number of taller buildings beginning to imbue their illumination as a growing, steadily brightening conglomerate making up the city.

She was able to instantly tell that the part of the metropolis she could view from her current position was exponentially brighter than how it used to be during the time period of her death. That was a clear testament to how much the world had advanced in the years she never got to live out.

"It's nearing seven, huh?" Wataru said, glancing at the wall clock as he finished eating.

Ai then moved quickly to grab the empty boxes before he could.

"Allow me" she said with a smile.

"How nice of you!"

Wataru watched as the girl gathered the empty boxes of ramen and disposing of them in a nearby trash bin. She then took a wet piece of cloth and wiped the table clean.

"I might have to leave you again in a couple of minutes" he told her all of a sudden, "I have to meet someone from an agency tonight."

"Oh…"

With that revelation, it appeared as though Ai's plans of trying to find out about the status of Yamada Aiko's biological parents would have to be stalled as the man with the shaven head was busy with something else.

"What agency?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Strawberry Productions" he replied casually.

"S-Strawberry Productions!?"

Ai kept up a firm gaze as she was suddenly forced to go through flashbacks of her journey working for the agency.

Of all the companies that could have been mentioned, she had not expected Wataru to namedrop the one agency she had been acquainted with for nearly a decade. And as the recollection began, Ai realized she had not even spared a thought for her former colleagues and employers yet.

"S-Saitou-san…Miyako…e-everyone…"

"It's been a while since they were mainstream but they are a really reliable management agency still" Wataru continued.

Ai nodded before pulling out her phone.

The term "B-Komachi" was the first thing she searched up and with an anticipatory gaze, she stared at the screen.

A couple of seconds later, a small gasp left her mouth.

"D-Disbanded?"

The girl could not believe what she was reading.

The one thing she had wholeheartedly worked for during her idol career, built upon her blood, sweat and tears, existed no longer. The various articles and pages talking about her old idol group all mentioned that B-Komachi was no more and was nothing but something of the past.

Ai had hoped to see at least a recent, positive article about how the group was still going strong and had gone through many iterations and line-ups in her absence.

However, the harsh reality was that her death had led to the group's disbandment and that ended any hopes of the name still being popular amongst the current generation of entertainers. Another subsequent search of the other members would not yield much to note, keeping her in the dark regarding the whereabouts.

And since she was no longer in possession of her old phones, there was no way to contact them to even ask how they were currently doing.

"And I have to get ready…"

Wataru stood up from the table and began walking towards his room.

"I'll brush my teeth, change my clothes and head off" he told her, "You'll be alright with being alone for a while, right?"

"Yes…" Ai blindly replied before realizing something.

"If he's going to meet someone from the agency then…they probably can help me get President Saitou's contact information and he'll know where Ruby and Aqua live!"

It was all just speculative planning on her part but she was certain that there would at least be one person within Strawberry Productions who could provide her with the information that could prove useful in the future.

Quickly, she made the decision to pursue that.

"But can I join you?" she asked with a bright smile.

"Eh?"

Wataru turned around and narrowed his eyes at her.

"You want to come along?" he asked, "It's going to be just a short talk about some YouTuber under their contract. It might be boring for you."

Ai giggled at his remark.

"I'm sure I can handle a boring talk" she said before adding in a semi-truthful tone, "And besides, I have plans to meet someone from their agency and ask them a question."

Counting on the small hint of honesty to help her cause, she anxiously waited for his answer.

"Is that so?" he smiled, "I don't have any problem with it."

With Wataru indirectly confirming that he'd be helping her find her children's address earlier than expected, Ai shifted her focus on making the most of the opportunity presented to her.

"Thank you, Itami-san!"

Bit by bit, she was finding it quite easy to get through to the man, which went against the initial impression she had of him. A small spell of persuasion to get what she wanted wasn't a habit she was unfamiliar with and she had no problems with using that on Wataru in order to fulfil the mission she had in her head.

"It's alright. You can get ready while I'm getting ready myself, okay?"

"I will!"

As Wataru entered his room, Ai glanced at the attire she wearing.

"I don't need to change…I'll head out as soon as he's ready."

The chance to at least reconnect with President Saitou or his wife or anyone from B-Komachi was given to her suddenly and though she wanted to rest her head considering all that had happened that day, she had to at least make good use of the trip in store.

If she would be able to procure the contact information of her manager, then, it would prove useful for her in the context of her career and her family.

And maybe, discover truths that have lain dormant in the time between her death and the present.

"It's not impossible to make your debut album an EP…HEY! USE YOUR BLINKERS BEFORE MERGING, IDIOT!...I mean, many artists have done it…idols don't usually take that route but there's a first for everything…CHECK YOUR MIRRORS! OR ARE YOU BRAKECHECKING ME ON PURPOSE!?...We want it to make a big splash and also, make it worth the time and effort we put into it…WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GUY'S PROBLEM?...Anyway, I'll do some research on my part to see what the pop scene is like in different countries currently. That could always help us."

"That sounds like a great idea, Itami-san."

"It's nothing. It's just something I pulled out from my butt just now…hehe…I SWEAR THIS GUY IS DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!"

Ai opted to stay silent as her companion was throwing out insults and scathing words towards the other drivers on the road. She couldn't drive anything so she had no idea if his "road rage" was warranted or not but it was surreal to hear him spout such angry words.

Wataru had been friendly and warm towards her ever since they first met and to have him turn into a totally different beast while he was riding his scooter was not something she had expected.

It amused her a bit to learn that someone who didn't seem to be annoyed over anything would be such a hothead while driving. Many people would've been nervous about being in the passenger seat but he wasn't driving too fast nor was he driving recklessly so she had nothing to complain regarding his driving skills.

After he traded his brown jacket in for a black shirt and changed his shoes, they left the apartment and once again, traversed through the other floors of the corporate building before making their way down to the side of the road. Wataru then drove his scooter out from a parking lot nearby and that was the start of their journey.

Several minutes would pass by where the man spoke a bit more about the album they'd work together on. Though Ai tried her best to focus on it, she couldn't help but get distracted by him yelling at other drivers at intervals.

Somehow, witnessing such real rage emanate from him reminded her about how she suppressed such emotions back when she was Hoshino Ai, the idol. She couldn't even recall the last time she genuinely felt angry at someone.

Even when she had her life stripped away from her, there was no anger in her heart.

But with the new life given to her, she knew that if she wasn't wary of her actions and words, she could possibly burst without having the time to compose herself.

Somehow, given all the layers of deception that made up her past life, losing control on occasions didn't seem too bad.

After all, the last bit of honest emotions she showed at the end of her life had powerful consequences.

Whether or not being honest would hurt her or heal her, the prospect of rediscovering herself through it intrigued her.

A couple of minutes later, the scooter would come to a halt right next a street with an area reserved for parking two-wheeled vehicles.

"We'll have to park it here" Wataru told her, "You can hop off."

Ai nodded and stepped onto a concrete pavement while Wataru carefully slotted his scooter in between two motorcycles.

Even from a glance, she recognized that they weren't in a place she recognized and much like the area where their apartment was located, they weren't close to the heart of the city.

Despite that, the streets were lit up quite neatly and she could tell how advanced every block of residential houses looked as compared to how things were more than years before. Security cameras seemed to be everywhere and vending machines were installed at every corner.

But not having any lumbering structures or overly tall buildings added to the peaceful setting that they had entered. While pedestrians and stray vehicles still passed them by, there were no interactions between strangers.

"The traffic's really light on this side of the city" Wataru laughed as he stood close to her, "Hell! We can even walk in the middle of the road if we want to. Haha!"

Ai noticed him running his hand through his hairless scalp, almost causing her to burst into laughter.

"There's a row of shops over here" he pointed to their right, "Beyond that is a bend in the road that leads to another street where our destination lies."

"Right" she nodded, "So, we're meeting this person in their workplace or home, right?"

"Yep. We better head over right now or else we might be longer than we want."

And with that, the duo walked through the illuminated street, Wataru leading the way and Ai following closely.

The girl's sight would fall on a number of televisions on display near the window of an electronics store. Almost every single device inside of it were more advanced than the technology she was familiar with and that indicated how much she needed to do in order to keep up with the present.

As she passed the window, the last image she saw on one of the televisions propped for display would catch her attention. Her eyes went wide for a second but she couldn't retrace her steps as she had to match Wataru's pace.

Still, she was fairly sure what she saw was exactly what she thought it was.

"Was that…Aqua with a knife!?"

"A-AT THIS RATE, I WILL BE BULLIED!"

"I can't find cute girls that quickly. The ambitious girls all go to the auditions for the big companies."

"Well, in the performance arts prog-"

RINGGGG

"Huh? Someone's at the door? Aqua, can you get that?"

"…sure…"

After a short walk, Wataru led Ai in front of yet another house that she didn't recognize. They were now waiting for someone to answer the door after ringing the doorbell.

It was a rather quiet neighbourhood even though it was still relatively early. The peace and calmness around them, however, served as a reminder for Ai about the atmosphere her previous residence provided, giving her isolation from the hustle and bustle of the city as well as palisading her from hordes of her fans.

Wataru was standing directly in front of the name plate of the house making it impossible for her to see what was written on it to get an idea on who the person from Strawberry Productions was.

"Oh! I can't believe I forgot to ask you this…" Wataru faced her, "Have you linked your email to your new phone yet?"

"…I'm afraid I haven't done that yet, Itami-san" she sheepishly smiled.

"We should do that when we get back, alright?" he chuckled, "If you turn out to be more air-headed and clumsier than I thought you'd be, you'll be getting me in a lot of trouble, young lady. Haha!"

"…An "airhead"? Clumsy?"

"Haha! I promise I won't be a burden!"

The conversation was cut short by the sound of the door clicking open. Wataru quickly shifted his attention back to it.

"…I really hope it's someone who can point me to Saitou-san…" Ai silently wished in her mind.

As the door opened, the illumination from the interiors of the residence bathed the two of them in a bright aura, making their faces easier to discern under the night sky.

"Hello."

"Wha-"

Ai certainly had not anticipated seeing him again so soon. She let out a gasp as she realized who was greeting them.

"…n-no way…he…he's here!?"

Standing in front of them was a familiar blonde-haired boy, wearing a dark-colored hoodie and holding a book in one hand. He then squinted his eyes a bit the second he noticed her standing behind Wataru.

Before the man could speak, he addressed the girl.

"Yamada-senpai?"

"A-Aqua?"