Chapter 6: A Mother's Dreams
Owing to her lack of any expectations of seeing her kids again so soon, Ai was left thoroughly flummoxed the second the door opened, revealing Aqua to be standing on the other side of it. The moment she saw the majestic blue in his eyes, she was left almost speechless for a moment.
"What are you doing here?" the boy asked.
As the question was directed to the girl, Wataru opted to give Ai the time to answer it.
Unfortunately, not even the vibrant abstract mask she kept up couldn't save her from losing a chunk of her coherence. She simply had not banked on running into him while she was trying to find a way to reconnect to her past.
Before she could reply with gibberish, Ai managed to cough up a satisfactory answer.
"I…I…We're here to meet someone from Strawberry Productions" she told him truthfully.
"I-I can't believe he's here…"
There was an internal struggle within Ai as she had to make sure she didn't do anything to compromise the identity she was forced to uphold. In spite of the resistance she put up on the mental front, her body capitulated to the emotional pressure and she unwittingly gave a bright smile, owing to the parental love she had for the teenage boy facing her.
Luckily, before he could catch onto the smile on her face, she hastily accompanied it with a sentence that would match the abrupt change in her demeanour.
"Well well…are you the person we were hoping to meet?" she asked in a playful way before turning to Wataru, "Is he the one, Itami-san?"
A bit of her old self infused with the genuine reaction she had had handily helped her in preventing her from accidentally making a situation awkward due to the shift in her expressions.
As for Aqua being there at their destination, it was worth a guess to assume that he might've been the person Wataru was talking about.
However, the bald man would shake his head.
"No, he is not" he smiled, "The one we're looking for is Saitou-san" he then looked at Aqua, "Is she here?"
"Saitou-san? She?"
"Yes, she is inside" Aqua nodded, "Shall I lead you and senpai to her then?"
"Why did he say that "she" is there?...is he talking about her? Is he talking about Miyako-san?"
"Ah! That would be splendid!"
Ai silently kept herself in her thought bubble as she followed Aqua and Wataru as they went further into the confines of the house.
"I-It's gotta be Miyako-san, right? But…what about President Saitou? Is he here too?"
The girl was at a loss, trying to figure out why Wataru would specifically want to meet with Miyako, President Saitou's wife, who barely had anything to do with the entertainment industry in comparison to the man whose life practically revolved around his profession.
No matter what laid ahead of the passageway into the first room, Ai understood that she was getting closer and closer to joining her past life with her new existence, and while she was left to forge any path she chose in the absence of Yamada Tarou, she wanted to make the most of what she could do before she would eventually run into him again.
"If Aqua is here too…then…he probably has ties with Strawberry Productions beyond President Saitou and Miyako…hmmm…maybe…this…this could help me!"
"Oh! False alarm! He's back."
Ruby giggled as she informed Miyako that her brother was back inside after he had spent more time than they expected talking to whoever was at the door.
The woman sitting nearby with her eyes fixed on her laptop nodded, continuing to browse through recent activities related to the agency she presided over. Monitoring the buzz around the talent contracted to them as well as the easily variable public opinion through social media on occasions where she had free time was a must.
For that particular night though, she had to tackle a request from her adopted daughter regarding the formation of an idol group which wasn't a venture the agency had pursued since the days of Hoshino Ai and B-Komachi.
"…independent talents…hmm…" the woman mumbled under her breath, opening a tab to see if there might be an idol who could possibly help in fulfilling Ruby's wish.
"Did you find anyone yet?" the girl excitedly asked, glancing over her shoulder.
"Ruby…" Miyako sighed, "It's not easy to do that. You can't have a decent enough independent idol suddenly fall onto your laps at a whim."
Ruby was about to reply when she noticed Aqua reentering the room in the corner of her eye.
"Onii-chan!" she quickly said, walking up to him.
She wasn't certain how far her brother would be willing to help her in scouting potential members for the idol group she had in mind but it was worth a try at least.
"I need you to-"
A gasp followed, cutting her off mid-sentence as she laid her eyes upon the duo walking just behind Aqua.
"S-Senpai?"
"R-Ruby?"
Directly behind her brother was a girl with a unique hair colour and sparkling green eyes. She had a dark green jacket over her white shirt and her attire walked the line between casual and stylish perfectly. The last time she had seen her was earlier that day when they had first become acquainted with one another.
Since the school days had started for the new session, she had always assumed the next time she would see her senpai would be in the school grounds…not at Strawberry Productions.
Ai, too, was pleasantly surprised to be meeting her daughter once again.
"Y-Yamada-senpai! It's so nice to see you again!" Ruby exclaimed happily.
"Err…it really is…" she managed to reply.
"GG-Gaaah!~ Ruby's so cute in those shorts!~"
She had to stop herself from fawning over her children as she was reunited with them so soon after their first meeting had concluded. The reason being she had to make sure she was first aware of the reason as to why her kids would be at Strawberry Productions.
Fortunately, she would receive the answers to some of her questions soon.
"We have visitors" Aqua nonchalantly informed Miyako before he continued reading the book in his hands.
Ai's eyes shifted from Ruby briefly to see who Aqua was speaking to. It would not take more than a second for her to understand exactly who else was in the room besides the twins.
"Oh…it's you, Cross-san…and…?"
The moment the woman stood up from her seat near the computer, revealing herself under the clear and bright ceiling lights, Ai was left with little room to keep herself composed as she saw a familiar face from her past; one who could definitely prove to be a game changer in the new life she was embarking upon.
An accomplice or relative of her old manager would've been sufficient enough for her to help pursue her current goal of reestablishing contacts with her former colleagues discreetly. And as it was clear that Wataru had taken her to meet Miyako, she was more than assured that things would soon go according to her plan.
"President Saitou's wife…Miyako-san…" she thought, "She can definitely help me…she doesn't look too different at a glance, huh?"
Firstly, she had to give an answer to the woman's inquisitive stare. After all, it was most likely that Miyako had never heard of the name: Yamada Aiko.
"My name is Yamada Aiko" she said in a bubbly way, "It's a pleasure meeting you!"
She didn't care that her "idol Ai" self was seeping through the interaction as she was genuinely relieved to finally be meeting someone who was close to President Saitou.
Miyako nodded before taking a second to assess the twins' reactions.
"So, I take it you are an accomplice of Cross-san? And you are also Ruby and Aqua's senpai?" she asked.
A quick nod from the girl followed.
Ai was about to open her mouth to follow up when she heard Wataru speaking.
"Good evening, Saitou-san" he said in a polite voice, "And good evening to you kids as well."
She watched intently as Ruby smiled and nodded to acknowledge his greeting while Aqua only graced him with a stoic glance. It dawned upon her that she had not yet been privy to the relationship that Wataru had with Miyako…and possibly to an extent, her children.
Sooner or later, she had to extract that knowledge from either him or the woman.
"I will be working with Aiko-chan to produce her debut album" he then added, "She said she may have something she wanted to speak to you about so she tagged along. Haha!"
"…I knew he would reveal the nature of our working relationship but I…I-I didn't think he'd add that!"
Miyako then briefly locked eyes with Ai who quickly gathered herself to explain further what Wataru had mentioned.
"I…I simply wish to ask for contacts of your colleagues, Saitou-san" she answered honestly, although with a fake smile to mask the caution she had to exercise in secret.
The consistent glance in her direction was starting to unnerve Ai a little as she wished for a word to come from the woman's mouth soon.
After staring at her for what seemed like eternity, Miyako gave a small smile at the girl.
"I'll see what I can do, Aiko-chan" she told Ai, "But for now, please allow me and Cross-san to discuss some work. I'll get back to you later."
"You'll be fine with that, right?" Wataru asked her.
Since the primary reason for them visiting Strawberry Productions was because of Wataru's pre-scheduled meeting with Miyako, Ai understood that whatever the two adults needed to discuss had to take precedence over her wanting to get the contacts of President Saitou as well as her colleagues from B-Komachi.
Without any argument, she nodded.
"I can wait. There's no problem!" she said in a bright voice.
And since she was already assured by the woman that she'd be given the information she desired, there was no need for her to be hasty.
Wataru and Miyako then walked towards the other side of the room, sitting together on a couch as they started the informal meeting, separating themselves from the three teenagers within the same room.
"Ahh…they can have the talk they need to have all they want" Ai thought before facing the twins who were seated together as well, "That'll give me free time to talk to them again!"
With that possibility unfolding surely in front of her, she tried to keep her excitement as subtle as possible, glancing at the brother and sister who had both of their phones out as they slowly scrolled through was shown on their seats. Their expressions were quite different though: with Aqua showing a nonchalant gaze whilst Ruby was seemingly surprised by whatever she was reading.
The blonde girl quickly noticed her senpai approaching them.
"Yamada-senpai! I would've never thought that you'd show up here!" Ruby stated.
"Aah…it's just a coincidence" Ai giggled.
"I was counting on seeing you again after class but it turned out that all our senpais were not yet dismissed when we left school…hehe…"
"S-She wanted to see me again!? That is so sweet!~"
Ai had to hold back the urge to give her daughter a warm, warm hug as it could comp-
"Hold up! We're practically friends now!"
With that assurance, she no longer resisted her innate desire to embrace Ruby, and hamming up her "Ai" personality, she opened both of her arms wide to either side of her body. Her heart raced and a lump formed temporarily in her throat as she nearly lunged at the girl.
A moment later, she made contact with her daughter's warm body, quickly holding her tightly as she wrapped her arms around her.
A sense of fulfillment and unbridled joy entered Ai's heart as she was finally afforded a window to show her parental affection in the guise of a friendly gesture. After what felt like ages, she had managed to show a sign of her love through physical means and it was utterly liberating!
"I…I never thought I'd ever be able to hold her like this…especially…especially when I lost my life…"
Knowing that she could be so close to the twins without jeopardizing her existence helped her in forgetting all of the conditions that shackled her. It helped her shelve all of the worries and the heartbreaks she suffered at the end of her previous life.
For a brief moment, it truly felt like heaven.
But unfortunately, she understood she couldn't stay like that for long and eventually, she had to let go of her as at the moment, she was nothing more than a friend of her daughter, suddenly embracing her without any prior warnings.
It wasn't without reason though and Ai already had the perfect way to justify her actions.
"Aaah~! That's so sweet of you, Ruby-chan!~" she cooed, pressing her cheek against the girl's.
That was the perfect way to mask her true reason for wanting to hug her tightly. Being an affectionate senpai was one way she could smother them with her maternal love and it did not go against the agreement she had with Tarou.
The initial surprise on Ruby wore off a second later and she returned the hug. Aqua, on the other hand, simply gave a curious glance at the two girls.
"Thank you, senpai!" she replied.
Although Ai wanted for the embrace to last forever, she had to separate before it got awkward. As she arched back a bit, she followed up with a question.
"If you don't mind me asking…hehe…" she giggled, "What made you want to meet up after school? Any special reasons?"
While she expected a quick reply, the hesitation in Ruby's face puzzled her as the blonde stared to the side, twiddling her fingers.
"I…u-um…it's just…uh…" she stammered.
Raising an eyebrow, Ai narrowed her eyes at the girl and smiled mischievously. An underlying desire to be more playful towards her daughter had resurfaced at that moment and she pursed her lips before prying even further.
"Oh? What is it then?"
"I-It's…uh…um…"
"She wanted you to form an idol group with her."
A horrified and flustered Ruby as well as a puzzled Ai turned their heads in the direction of the blonde boy who had answered for his sister. He was nonchalantly flipping through the pages of the magazine but his response showed that he was giving his attention to the conversation the two girls were having.
Before processing what he had said, Ai first assessed the tone with which the boy spoke.
Though the emotions behind his voice were hard to notice, experience told her there was a hint of annoyance hidden between his words, most likely due to Ruby's inability to string a simple sentence together.
"O-Onii-chan!" Ruby crossed her arms, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Ai, however, needed a bit more time to properly comprehend what he had revealed.
"Idol group? With me?" the green-haired girl arched her eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
She then glanced at Ruby who almost squeaked upon having two perplexed eyes staring at her.
Ai finally realized what Aqua had said.
"Ruby…" she gasped, "Are you…are you an idol?"
The ease with which she made that assumption did not lessen the surprise that hit her when she realized her daughter was possibly involved in the idol world.
No amount of familiar emotional barriers could stop the incoming flood of joy and excitement that would rise from her heart once an answer would be given. With eager eyes, she held her breath, ready to burst with happiness.
Ruby looked uneasily to her side before making a swift decision to be honest with her senpai.
"I…I've signed a contract but I…I haven't done anything yet" she said in a low voice.
Ai found it a bit difficult to gage exactly what she needed to say after being given a response such as that.
While she was ecstatic to learn that Ruby had begun following in her footsteps, she could not help but feel sad for the girl as she could sense the drive and desire within her to start the journey as soon as possible.
The natural reaction for her was to try and cheer her daughter up.
"Ah! You still have many years ahead of you" Ai told her with a radiant smile, "Things may seem to be going too slowly at first but I promise you, once the wheels eventually start rolling, you'll be blitzing through the life of an idol faster than you can ever anticipate."
Giving a look mixed with both hope and disbelief, Ruby stared at her senpai.
"Yamada-senpai…" she spoke up, "…was it the same for you?"
Flashbacks instantly played in Ai's mind as distant memories of her first months of integration into the entertainment world under the wing of President Saitou surfaced.
"I suppose you could say that" Ai smiled.
Seeing Ruby's lips gradually form a smile again made her heart flutter and reinforced the idea that she still hadn't lost the same motherly side of her that enabled her to bring smiles on the faces of her children while they were just toddlers.
"I…I'll take my time then, senpai" Ruby nodded, "I'll be an idol like you so that I can deserve your acknowledgement!"
Echoing the words she had said to her, the blonde's eyes sparkled with determination and a better understanding of what it meant to proceed onwards as an idol.
"I will be watching your career with great interest" Ai added with a hint of pride.
"You kept following your dreams all these years, huh?...even after I was gone, you continued to keep the dream alive…Ruby, I am so proud of you…"
She spoke the words she wanted to say in her thoughts, knowing that there wasn't a way yet for her to express that heartfelt message as her mother. For the time being, she could only speak of it as a friend.
"Wait…what about Aqua…?..."
Ai's gaze slightly fell upon her son who was no longer paying any visible attention to them.
From what Shiranui Frill had mentioned earlier, it appeared as though Aqua was already integrated into a role on the silver screen although the details of his profession remained to be known.
And the moment for those details to emerge was imminent.
Still smiling, Ai faced her son who had his bored eyes glued to his magazine.
"Aqua-kun" she said to get his attention, "I'm not familiar with your work on "Sweet Today" but I have a hunch it means that you're an actor" she winked.
"Hoho! If Aqua's still into acting then I'll be over the moon!"
Wanting to know if things would turn out to be two for two regarding how she envisioned her kids' professions to be, Ai watched Aqua steadily turn his head towards her to respond to her remark.
"That is true, senpai" he answered.
"Waaa~…I…I can't believe it! Aqua's an actor and Ruby's gonna be an idol!"
Ai put her hands to her mouth in an attempt to stifle the visible exhilaration threatening to burst through her visage. It was too much for a mother to learn that her children were on paths she had wished they'd embark upon.
"He was in the final episode and he played a bad guy" Ruby chimed in, "Hehe…tell him not to let the praises to get to his head, senpai."
"Why would I do that?" Aqua sighed, "Don't imply things like that in the presence of our senpai."
"Hmm? How are you so sure you'll be able to handle praises given to you?"
"Because I am sure I can handle it."
"Says who?"
"Me."
"Grr…Onii-cha-"
The back and forth between the twins was cut off by their senpai suddenly reaching forward and putting an arm each over their shoulders. Ruby's eyes widened in surprise while Aqua simply gave a glance of mild confusion.
Ai paid no heed to what they were bickering about as she closed her eyes and pulled them close to her. Continuing to utilize her status as a friend, she took the chance she got to hold both of her children in her arms, lovingly embracing them.
"Awwww! I'm so proud of the two of you!" she said, "Keep it up, alright? I want to see you succeed in both of your futures!"
Those words weren't spoken as Yamada Aiko, but rather as Hoshino Ai. Encouraging them and supporting them was what she desired as both a friend and as a mother. Now given a second chance at life, there was a possible avenue for her to follow, one that would take her through to the ends of their lives, together, reunited in one way or another.
"Thank you, senpai!" Ruby excitedly returned the embrace.
"Alright…" Aqua responded coolly.
"I…I can use this…"
The possible avenue nestled in Ai's mind was too convenient to ignore and while there were definitely risks to taking that route so early in her second life, she could never know when such a chance would open up again.
She was certain that Tarou would disapprove of her taking such risks but the rewards far outweighed them.
"So, Ruby…" she said, finally letting them go, "You wanted to form an idol group with me, huh?"
Ruby was instantly overwhelmed by anxiety and the nerves took hold of her immediately.
"I-I…it was just…uh…wishful thinking…hehe…" she replied, not daring to look at her senpai.
"I apologize for her sake, Yamada-senpai" Aqua sat back on the couch, "I told her she should take into consideration that you're already an established idol before trying to reach out to you for that."
"B-But…Onii-chan!" Ruby pouted, "Yamada-senpai's not signed to any label so what's wrong with sugges-"
"She has an album to work on, remember?" Aqua countered, "She'll be busy with that so don't bother pestering her."
"But…"
A defeated tone accompanied Ruby's lone word of futile rebuttal.
"You should consider how tight her schedule will be as well…" he continued, "Not to mention all of the deals she might hav-"
"I don't mind!" a sweet, cheery voice intervened.
"Huh?"
"Wha-?"
The Hoshino siblings were left flummoxed by the words coming out of their senpai's mouth.
They both turned to face her at the same time and saw nothing but a confident and genuine grin on her face. It was evident that she had meant exactly what she had stated but it was still hard for them to believe that.
"S-Senpai? W-What are you saying?" Ruby tried her hardest to convince herself that she had heard wrong.
"You're fine with joining an idol group?" Aqua inquired with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"This is it…this is my path to staying close to them for a while!"
With yet another confident smile, Ai responded with a resounding answer.
"Yes! I'm fine with it" she said, smiling, "I've always secretly wanted to be in an idol group" she added with a wink, "And Ruby?"
She faced her daughter whose lips were slowly forming a smile.
"Y-Yes, senpai?" she asked in a little voice, full of hope.
"I'd love to be in an idol group with you!"
That declaration had an instant effect on Ruby who clapped her hands together as her face showed a beaming smile. Hearing her senpai, a person she had immense admiration for, basically voice her intentions to aid her in fulfilling the dream of her and her mother filled her with immense jubilation.
And the joy in her daughter's face reassured Ai that she was surely making the right decision.
"R-Really? You w-want to be in a group with me?" Ruby asked, trying to be sure that was what the light-green haired girl was saying.
"Yes!" Ai giggled, "I can already sense your passion for this and I'd love working with someone as passionate about this as you are!"
Suddenly, it seemed as though those distant dreams of performing with Ruby when she was older weren't as distant as they appeared to be. Her displacement into the future in a different body had finally given her a chance to turn those dreams into reality.
"Thank you so much, senpai!" Ruby cheered, "I'd love to work with someone as experienced as you as well!"
Ai was amused by what she said, considering that she already had nearly a decade of experience regarding that line of work.
"Aqua?" she then turned her attention back to her son.
The blonde boy was looking at the two girls with an analytical but subtle gaze.
"You wouldn't mind it, right? I mean, after all, you're her brother and I trust you'll know what's best for her."
After a brief moment of silence, Aqua shrugged.
"To be honest, I'd rather she pursue something else but under your wing, I suppose she can at least experience something worth the trouble she's so eager to put herself in" he answered casually.
"Eh?!" Ruby exclaimed in surprise, "Onii-chan…you're not against it?"
"I trust Yamada-senpai" Aqua replied.
The boy's thought process all pointed to Yamada Aiko being a person with the right attitude and the right energy to properly guide his sister down the path he wanted her to avoid. He could also tell that Aiko would be a reasonable individual and if he ever wished for Ruby to abruptly end her pursuit of an idol career, he had a feeling their senpai would understand his reasons for opposing her dreams and she would be on his side.
Meanwhile, Ai was more than chuffed to see the siblings not be at odds over something. She was certain that she could help Ruby be a proper idol like she was, minus the psychological baggage that she kept with her. And she couldn't wait to get started.
"Aiko-chan…"
However, her interactions with the twins had kept her from remembering that there were two other people in the room.
Miyako was the one who addressed her though.
Ai wasted no time facing the woman.
"Huh? Yes? What is it?" she asked with a bright smile.
On Miyako's visage was a mixture of surprise, doubt and hope, all arising due to a revelation she had not expected. Ai correctly predicted she would bring that up immediately.
"Are you serious about wanting to work with Ruby?" she inquired, "For a professional like yourself…you do know what that entails, right?"
Ai already had an answer lined up.
"Yes, of course!" the girl nodded, " It would mean I will lose the chance to potentially be picked up by other, larger agencies…my album's production will be significantly stalled and…I will have to give up my much admired reputation of being successful while being independent."
The room fell silent the second she finished her response. Miyako and Ruby were left speechless by her reply while Aqua simply gave another glance full of curiosity at her. Wataru, meanwhile, was smiling and nodding.
"And yes, I'll give all of that up because…" Ai continued.
While everyone around her watched intently, she moved her hands in a precise and fluid way, recreating an underused pose she concocted when she was still at B-Komachi. Winking and making a victory sign with her fingers, she kept her sights on Miyako.
"…being in a group has always been my dream!"
Ai would've liked to add "with my daughter" to that statement but it was imperative she kept her true desires under wraps. Though she wasn't sure to what extent being resigned to Strawberry Productions would affect her future endeavours, she was too caught up by the need to spend as much time as she could with her kids to even care.
"Well…" Miyako finally sighed, "When you put it that way…"
The woman then looked at Ruby who was now brimming with excitement.
"I guess independent idols can fall onto your laps on a whim" she sighed before addressing Ai again, "If it isn't a problem for you, we could work on the contract first thing tomorrow."
Ai was all too ecstatic to finalize the last steps to making her working relationship with Ruby official.
"That's a deal then!" she said with a smile.
"Wow! I'm really going to be working with a real idol!" Ruby chimed in.
"It does seem like it…" Miyako stared intently as Aiko held Ruby's hands, happily celebrating the start of a brilliant friendship.
The President of Strawberry Productions was still flabbergasted by the sudden appearance of such an esteemed independent idol as well as her nonchalance in making the decision to sign with their agency instead of one of the big shots.
Wataru then approached Ai, smiling as he seemingly had something rather important to impart to her.
The light-green haired girl had the wherewithal to inquire him first, regarding one significant problem.
"Itami-san…" she said to the man, "What was the deadline for my album again?"
"There's nothing of the sort" he assured her in a kind voice, "Everything's up to you. That was the deal we had."
While it was impossible for Ai to recall the gist of such a deal made with Wataru, she appreciated the way in which Tarou had weaved things for her sake, making it possible for her to make decisions such as joining an idol group.
"Ah…I had forgotten about that" she sheepishly smiled.
"Now that is out of the way…" he continued, "What about the personal business you had with Saitou-san here? You can tell her about it now as we've finished discussing our own matters."
"Oh…that thing…"
Ai turned her attention to Miyako who was anticipating a simple answer from her.
The girl hadn't thought of it earlier but there was an air of comfort, hospitality as well as a motherly aura surrounding the woman. It was starkly different from the Miyako she had known who was just a babysitter for her kids. The advent of time in the years she missed had truly changed her into someone more mature and responsible.
That presumption gave her the confidence to be certain that she would provide her with the information she required as long as she worded her request carefully.
"I…I was wondering if you could give me the contact information of President Saitou! I really want to discuss something important with him!"
Ai made sure to let her request be accompanied with another one of her enchanting smiles so as to ensure she got the result she wanted.
But, for some reason, an expression of puzzlement formed on the woman's face.
Unsure of what was going on, Ai instinctively looked at the twins as well as Wataru, trying to piece together what was wrong. She had expected to be given an answer immediately but what she was given instead were just confused stares.
"…Did I say that in the wrong way?"
Before she could spend too much time wondering whether or not she had said or done something wrong, Aqua clarified the situation for her.
"Yamada-senpai…" he spoke.
Ai instantly faced him.
"…she's President Saitou…there's no one else with that name."