Chapter 7: This is a Concert?

Miyako parked her car right behind the concert building. There was a simple parking lot that lead into the back of the building where only VIPs, staff, and of course Ai herself were allowed to enter. This ensured that Ai would be able to have plenty of time to prepare for the upcoming event.

She got out and ushered Ai and the kids to get out next. She wanted Ai to have a chance to explain to Ichigo about their... VIP that has tagged along because of Ai. Ai was busy making sure her kids were able to get out of the seatbelt and the car since they were still pretty young.

Eren stepped out of the car as well and followed with them. He kept a respectful distance since he didn't want to interfere with their job and wanted to make sure Ai had the room she needed to prepare.

He noticed she covered herself throughout the trip, much like when he first saw her. He was a little confused as to why she did that. He could tell she was using a disguise but was unsure of why. Since she apparently has so many people who love her and she enjoys this job, wouldn't it make more sense for her to want to be seen in public?

She said she was an actor as well, but Eren had no real concept of what that was. He only ever saw a single play in his life when he was a kid in Shiganshina. However, it was only in the market area and only attracted a few people.

Eren knew from his dad's memories of moving picture shows in Marley. He never had the time to see them himself, but he knew a bit of them. He knew people acted in this picture shows like in a play, but his father never even saw one since he spent most of his life in the internment zone.

After entering the building, the group made their way to the dressing room. Although Ai was the main star of B-Komachi, she was still a single member of a seven-member group, so she changed in a single room with the other girls.

Ai was always the first to arrive since she was the only one escorted by Miyako. The dressing room was just a large room that had small vanity areas for each girl to prepare their hair and makeup. After a little while, there would be additional staff in order to help stylize and do their hair for the big show. A locker room was also in the back, which allowed the women some privacy while getting into their outfits.

"So this is the area we get ready at." Ai said as she showed Eren their changing room. "We have to make sure out makeup and hair are absolutely perfect for the show. So we normally have a whole team of stylists working on us."

"Us?" Eren asked.

"Oh right, I never told you about our group!" She did that weird bonk on her head again.

Ai took out a picture from her vanity area that had all the members of the group. Unlike most pictures, this had a picture of them all at an amusement park so they were dressed in normal clothes and disguises. Though for the picture, they took the disguises off for a moment to get the group together.

"This is our main group, B-Komachi." Ai said, showing Eren the picture. "We're a team who perform together. But really it takes the talents of every member to make the shows as good as they are." Ai said, trying to put more credit on others besides herself.

"All women?" Eren asked.

"Well, of course. Who else would be perfect for cute performances." She laughed. "You have Nino, Watanabe, Takamine, Kyun, Ari, Meimei, and of course me." She posed with both of her peace signs.

Eren noticed that she was getting back into her persona again. It still looked weird to him, but instead of being creeped out, he understood that it was for her profession and she was mainly doing it to give him the full experience. Though he still preferred it if she just acted normal.

"To be honest, I always felt that the others had more talent than me." Her persona broke a little as she sounded sad. "I wish they would get more credit, because even though we're a team, I always end up being the most popular."

"You're the most popular?" Eren asked.

"Yea." Ai said, her persona coming back. "Though it's mainly my cute face. I feel like if I looked different than Meimei would be more popular. Which goes to show how amazing the stylists and makeup artists are."

"Who are the other members?" Eren asked.

"If I had to pick the best dancer, it would be Meimei." Ai said, pointing to the woman with a bob cut. "She always moves with such grace that I find myself struggling to keep up. Then you have our best singers, Ari and Kyun. Nino, Watanabe, and Takamine are some of our cutest girls. They are some of the ones who do the most interviews."

Right as she finished explaining her friends, they heard the door slam open to reveal the President. He was out of breath from the run after Miyako told him about their surprise guest.

"Oh, hi President Saitou." Ai waved when she saw him, having to turn her cute personality up since she knew she was in trouble.

"What did I say!?" He yelled. "I asked you to do one thing!"

"I didn't open the door for him." She said sheepishly.

Miyako just put a hand over her face when she said that.

"Look, we can't have him here and going around like this. What happens if he gets seen? Do you know what kind of controversy it would be if a reporter saw some weird guy backstage!?" He asked, before realizing that the stranger was in the room with them.

Eren stood with his arms crossed and was impressively tall. Ichigo actually got worried that he might try something after the older man basically just insulted him to his face.

"Uh... sorry." He said after a pause. Ichigo started to sweat when Eren didn't reply.

"He doesn't know Japanese." Ai laughed as the president breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ai, follow me." He said, motioning for Ai.

"Well, I'm in trouble." Ai laughed at Eren.

"Why?" Eren asked.

"Technically we're not allowed to bring random people backstage, so I kind of broke a rule." She explained.

"Will you be ok?" Eren asked.

Ai's heart fluttered for a moment when he asked that.

"Are you worried about me?" She teased, hoping to maybe get him to joke a bit.

"Yes." Eren said, making Ai almost fall from how blunt his response was. "I wouldn't want to cost you your job since you have two kids to care for."

Ai took a quick breath at the rollercoaster of emotion she just felt. Of course, he's just worried for the kids. No other meaning behind that. Though now she knows he is not one to joke around. Which was kind of cute in a way.

"Don't worry, I make him the most money, so he won't fire me." She laughed. "Though if something happened to me, I'm sure he'd recover easily."

"Ai." Ichigo reminded.

"Coming." She laughed. "I'll be right back." She said.

After getting her alone in his makeshift office for the concert, Ichigo motioned for the room right next to him. All he did was make a sound as he gestured to where Eren was, though Ai could tell he was upset.

"I'm guessing you're upset." She said with a smile.

"Yes!" Ichigo yelled. "Do you have any idea the things we do to keep you protected!?" He yelled. "I ask you to not talk to the guy. And before you say anything, you know the spirit of what I asked for so don't try to say you didn't open the door."

Ai shut her mouth; her excuse now no longer valid.

"Ai, he's a stranger." Ichigo said.

"No, his name is Eren." She clarified for him.

"What?" Ichigo asked, not used to being challenged by one of his idols.

"His name." Ai clarified again. "It's Eren. Not stranger, not weird guy, or anything like that. His name is Eren Yeager and he's just a regular person."

"I get that, but we don't know his intentions." Ichigo said.

"Did you try talking to him to figure out what his intentions are?" Ai asked.

"Well-" Ichigo tried.

"No, you didn't." Ai said, crossing her arms when she said that. "He doesn't even care about idols. I actually had to drag him here because he actually rejected the ticket at first. He doesn't know anything about Japanese idols and he's not trying to use me or anything."

"You only talked last night." Ichigo said.

"Yes, and if he wanted to do something he would have by now." Ai said. "The moment he learned my name he could have tried to blackmail me or threaten me. Instead, he was nice and didn't do any of that. It's not fair how you just insult him behind his back when he did nothing."

"That's not what I'm trying to do." Ichigo said.

"Besides, if anything does happen to me, you'll be fine." She said. "You're really smart and able to recognize talent better than any of us. If I lose my career, it'll be fine. But it's not fair to just push people away when they did nothing to us."

"I'm trying to protect you, Ai." Ichigo said.

"I know." She said quietly, her voice starting to waiver and tears starting to show in her eyes.

"Ai..." Ichigo began.

"I can never repay you enough for what you did for me." She said sadly. "You gave me my career and helped me through so much after my pregnancy. You did so much and didn't ask anything back from me besides my dedication."

Ai put both hands over her face as a few tears started to fall down her cheeks. Ichigo had only intended to scare her a bit to get her to kick Eren out, but he didn't want to make her sad.

"But is it unfair of me to want to meet new people? To have friends other than my children and you guys?" She asked behind her hands. "Is it unfair to just be a person for once and maybe have a fun time with someone new?"

Ichigo was silent. A part of him wanted to bring up her ex but he knew if he did it would really upset her.

Ichigo really cared for Ai. As painful as it was to say, Ai was more important to him than any other idol member in the group. He basically raised her since she was twelve when he first scouted her. More than anything, he couldn't help but see her as a daughter.

Ichigo had no doubt he could recover if Ai suddenly left, either due to controversy or her own choice. But the thought of a guy being able to manipulate her after knowing her secrets terrified him. He didn't want her to get hurt again and be settled with another set of kids after getting abandoned.

"Look Ai, I'm sorry." Ichigo said. "And I think you're right." She's not, he said to himself. "But please understand how dangerous it is. Please understand that we're only trying to help you."

"I know." She said, trying to stop the tears as they came down.

"But you're right in that we shouldn't judge him without giving him a chance." He said, though still believed she was wrong on that front. "But you're also right that we can't just lock you away either." That was the only point he agreed with. "So, we'll give him a chance. But you need to promise us that if anything happens, you'll let us know."

Ai nodded when he said that. She took a breath and suddenly smiled at him, the tears mostly gone though still needed to be washed away.

"Of course." She said, any trace of sadness gone.

Most people would assume that was an act. That her tears were fake due to her acting skills. Though the truth was that her tears were real, and this sudden change in behavior was the act. After knowing her and basically raising her, he knew when she was acting and when she was genuine.

"Go wash up and get ready." Ichigo said. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

Ai nodded and went to the washroom to freshen herself up before going back to getting changed.

When Ai got back into the changing room, she saw Eren swarmed by all the other members of B-Komachi. They were asking him a lot of questions about himself, though he seemed very uncomfortable.

"So, you just move things?" Memei laughed. "That sounds so normal."

"Ask him how he gets his hair like that." Ari asked. "How do you make it so messy but look so good?"

Only Ai and Meimei had good enough English to actually have a conversation with a foreigner, so she ended up translating for the group.

"She asked how you get your hair like that." Meimei translated.

"Water?" Eren replied.

"Oh come on, that's such a boring answer." She giggled. "For you to look that good, you need to be doing something."

Ai stood at the doorway with a slightly annoyed look on her face. She didn't want the other members of the group to ask him any questions that she didn't know the answer yet.

"Oh, Ai. There you are." Meimei said. "We didn't know you got a boyfriend. How scandalous." She giggled to herself.

"He's not." Ai replied as she giggled too.

"Oh come on." Ari said. "Why else would you bring this guy here. He's so handsome."

"He never saw a concert so I'm helping him.

"EH!" all the girls yelled.

"How have you not seen one!?" Nino asked.

"Yea, that's such a travesty!" Watanabe asked as well.

Eren stepped back at all the women who suddenly ganged up around him, unsure of what was going on. Were they mad about something?

"Girls, he doesn't know Japanese." Meimei replied. "They're asking how you never saw a concert."

"I just didn't." Eren replied.

"He's from a rural town." Ai said, hoping to get the girls away from him. "So, when I heard that I had to bring him." She smiled.

All the other girls looked at Ai when she said that. They could see the genuine look on her face. All the girls knew when each of them was being honest or in their persona's, but right now they could tell Ai was genuinely smiling.

"Miyako-San was right." Meimei said.

"Eh?" Ai asked.

"Yup, we're doomed." Ari said.

"Why are we doomed?" Ai asked.

"Tall, handsome, mysterious. Ai doesn't have a chance." Nino said.

"What's that mean?" Ai tried again.

"But if he tries anything to you, just let us know." Watanabe said.

All the girls went to their vanity areas in order to get ready. Ai just stood there unable to fully understand what was going on.

"They're interesting." Eren said sarcastically.

"Well, they're my friends so what can you expect?" Ai laughed. "Want to see me get ready?" Ai said.

"Ai!" Memei overheard.

"Makeup Memei! Makeup!" She clarified.

Ai sat down as she began applying her makeup to her face. She began to explain to Eren all the different ways they had to get ready for the concert. In Japanese culture, makeup was seen as kind of a bad thing, so the makeup they wore was very subtle and mainly used to either accentuate their eyes or hide any kind of imperfections.

After a while, her hair stylist came in and began working on her hair, ensuring that there was a covering around her face to prevent the hair from ruining her makeup while she was having her hair done. The hair stylist also cut some ends of Ai's hair in order to ensure it was perfectly shaped since her hair grew a bit and was un-even now.

All in all, it was a process that took maybe an hour to complete. Ai was still in her regular clothes, but her face looked exactly how she was supposed to look for the upcoming concert.

"What do you think?" She said, sticking her tongue out at Eren while winking.

Eren didn't know what to think. Makeup wasn't really a thing he was familiar with. There were some makeup types used by the royalty prior to the overthrow of the false king of the walls, but no one outside of specific families in the interior ever used makeup.

"It looks weird." He said honestly.

"How so?" Ai asked.

"I don't know, you just don't look the same." He said. "Like suddenly you're even more different now than before."

"That's a weird way of putting it." Ai said. "Haven't you had any women you knew who wore makeup?"

"No." Eren said honestly. "I never saw makeup until I came to Japan."

Just another strange thing about him. Ai figured there was no way he could be from the United States or any first world European country, From his lack of understanding of modern technology and even now he claimed he never saw makeup. It was so odd to her, but there was something interesting about his perspective. She never met anyone who didn't obsess over idols in some way.

"Well, just wait till the look is complete." Ai said as she stood up to go to the locker room in order to change into her idol outfit. "Once you see it, you'll start to understand why idols are so amazing."

Miyako heard the exchange from where she stood. She was completely amazed at how hard Ai was trying to make this man enjoy idols. He really had no clue or interest, but Ai was doing everything she could to make him a fan of hers.

Ai went into the locker room with the rest of the girls. They were all in various stages of undressing to get into their idol outfits. Ai went over to her own locker and opened it, showing her classic outfit.

Getting into the idol outfit was a little challenging for her since she had to be careful not to disturb her makeup or her hair. It was important to do this last since during the hairstyling and makeup process they could accidentally stain the outfits. It was easier to fix a bit of blush than remove a stain from clothes.

Ai thought back to Eren's words. He really seemed to not care about anything related to idols. He just seemed indifferent to everything she tried to show him. It made her sad but also frustrated her. He was like a puzzle she couldn't solve and someone that she wanted to really show the best parts of idols and entertainment.

However, so far nothing seemed to interest him. He listened to her out of respect, but he never showed any interest outside of just trying to learn about it. She never had such a hard time making someone a fan of hers.

After she was finished, Ai went back into the dressing room and saw Eren sitting in the corner. She giggled slightly at how uncomfortable he seemed since besides Miyako and Meimei, no one else understood English. And with Meimei in the locker room and Miyako not particularly liking him, he was just kind of in the corner.

"What do you think?" She posed.

Eren raised his eyebrow as he scanned her body from her feet to her head. It kind of made Ai blush at how intensely he stared at her.

For Eren, he supposed it looked interesting. There was an abundance of symbols like hearts and stars all over her costume, as well as mainly having light red and pink tones to it.

"You don't look all that different to me." Eren said.

"Not at all?" Ai asked, getting sad again.

Eren couldn't understand why she kept getting sad. He just didn't understand what the big deal was.

"I mean, all of your outfits look different to what I was used to growing up." He clarified. "What you wore earlier honestly just has the same general look to it. You look pretty in this outfit and the previous one." He shrugged.

Ai blushed again a bit at being called pretty. He considered both ways of dressing to be cute on her, which must have been his weird way of saying she looked cute no matter what she wore.

"Alright girls." The president came into the room. "We have an hour before curtains up, so we'll do a quick rehearsal in order to make sure there are no issues."

All the girls nodded at that and finished their final touches on their hair, makeup, and outfits.

"Well, time for me to go." Ai said. "Just you wait, in an hour you'll see the best show you could imagine." She smiled.

"Sure." Eren said, not sure what to expect.

As the curtain raised and the show started up, Eren watched from the VIP seats at how strange these kinds of shows were.

There were so many people in the stands, all with weird glowing sticks that they waved in the air, chanting the names of whatever idols they found most interesting. There were more people here than Eren ever saw in one place in his life.

There were so many lights that he was amazed they weren't blinded up on stage. Some lights seemed like normal lights, however there were so many cones and columns of light that flashed in a variety of colors. It looked completely alien to the young Eldian.

As the music started playing, Eren could honestly say he didn't like it.

Eren never really experienced music in his life. His family lived in a very humble part of Shiganshina and he was never able to enjoy any actual performances within the walls while he was in the military. There were times when he heard performers on the streets, but they were nothing like this.

He honestly couldn't even fully place what instruments made the sounds. It seemed so fast paced and loud.

So very loud in fact. Eren was actually having to cover his ears from the sheer volume. Being a titan shifter was both a blessing and a curse. While other members of the military slowly had their hearing damaged from the thunder spears and guns that were fired around them, Eren always had his hearing restored to one hundred percent. So every single time a gunshot was fired, it felt like a fresh round of ringing in his ears every single time.

Even though his powers were gone, his ears were still as fresh as when he was a kid, meaning that the noise was even worse now. Granted, he probably did start to lose some hearing when he fired that gun on his first job, but not nearly enough to make the noise on stage any more bearable.

He could barely stand the noise that he had to keep his hands over his ears nearly the whole time.

The dancing though was unique. Eren never saw any kind of dancing moves like that. Ai moved around with precision and grace that he actually found himself drawn to her body as she moved.

However, the main reason he didn't like the show was because it reminded him of the one play he actually attended in his life. That being, Willy Tybur's declaration of war on the Island of Paradis.

While much more intense, the overall presentation reminded him of the play that Willy Tybur put on in his attempt to unite the world against Paradis. The lights, presence, and design of the stage were all similar. They were just much more advanced. All it did was bring back memories of the assault on the Liberio Internment Zone, which was the first time Eren specifically targeted and killed innocent people.

He was reminded of the beginning events that led to his coup against the MPs and being made to lie to his friends and family. How it was the catalyst to beginning the rumbling and destroying most of the world.

Eren never wanted to attend one of these ever again.

Eren met with Ai after the show backstage. Her and the other girls were sweating and breathing heavily from the dancing and excitement in the show. She took a towel and wiped her face a bit, though trying hard not to ruin her makeup.

However, she wanted to see Eren to see what his reaction was. He must have loved it. Especially since Ai poured her heard and soul into that performance so she could show him how amazing it was. She hoped that now Eren would be made a fan of idol groups and enjoy the music from now on. Maybe he'll want her autograph.

She blushed as she imagined signing it for him.

"What did you think?" She said, running up to Eren.

"I didn't like it." In just four words, Eren destroyed any joy she felt at the performance.

He didn't like it? As in, instead of just being indifferent to it, he said he didn't like it at all? That he wasn't interested in her performance at all?

"Really?" She asked, getting sad again.

"It was unusual and loud." He said. "I couldn't even hear myself think, plus I just don't like those kinds of shows."

"Oh." She said again. "Well, if that's the case I'm glad you came anyway." She said sadly. "I'm sorry if I dragged you here when you really didn't want to come."

Eren cocked his head at the response.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Wrong?" Ai asked. "Nothing, what makes you think anything is wrong?" She tried to cover up her disappointment. "I just wanted to make sure you had a good time." She smiled, though Eren could tell it was a fake one. "I need to get ready for the autographs. I'll see you when I'm done."

As she walked away, Eren got confused about why she was so upset.

If there was one thing Eren enjoyed, it was the smile she had on her face during the performance. He can honestly say that, although he hated the concert, he enjoyed watching her dance and smile on stage. She really seemed happy to be there.

"Wow, you're an idiot." Eren heard behind him.

"Meme, right?" He asked.

"Meimei, though nice try." She said.

"Everyone has been calling me an idiot since I got here." He said out loud, though not specifically to her.

"I can see why." Meimei said.

Eren kept quiet, not interested in getting insulted and called an idiot by another person in this country.

"Did you ever consider why Ai decided to bring you?" She asked him.

"She gave me a ticket, I figured she was being nice to her neighbor." Eren guessed.

"See, this is why everyone calls you an idiot." She face palmed.

"You're saying she didn't?" Eren asked.

"The president is very particular about who we hang out with." Meimei began. "Mostly for our own safety, which is why he's so cautious around you."

"Safety?" Eren asked. "Why would you be in danger?"

"Because a lot of fans can get very obsessive and even violent against us." She said.

"Why?" Eren asked.

"Ai was right, you really don't know anything." Meimei said. "Idols are symbols of what's considered to be the perfect Japanese woman." She explained. "We're meant to be pure, innocent, and kind at all times. Idols who fall in love are usually looked down upon. Some fans fall in love with idols so much they end up stalking or even attacking the idol out of anger or jealousy."

"But why?" Eren asked. "Why do that?"

"Because they're obsessed with us." She said. "And could you imagine what would happen if it's discovered that Ai has children?"

"What's wrong with that?" Eren asked.

"She's no longer pure. It is clear evidence that Ai slept with a man. Her fans would be angry, since now she is no longer available to them."

"So, they'll attack her for such a stupid reason?" Eren asked.

"Or unfollow her and refuse to see her shows, effectively ending her career." Meimei explained. "But there have been instances of idols being attacked because of crazy obsessed fans who have the mentality of if they can't have her, no one can."

"So, what does this have to do with me?" Eren asked.

"Ai put a lot of trust in you. She risked her reputation and safety to bring you here." Meimei said. "She brought you here to show you something that she's passionate about and you just threw it in her face."

"I didn't enjoy the concert, but I did enjoy her passion." Eren said.

"Oh my god." Meimei face palmed again while switching to Japanese. "That sounds so freaking romantic."

"What?" Eren asked, not understanding what she said.

"Why didn't you say that?" Meimei asked. "She would have felt so much better."

"I don't know." Eren shrugged.

"Look, just forget it." She said. "Do what you want. Be clueless and an idiot if that's what you want."

Eren shrugged at her response. He seriously didn't understand why they were so upset with him. They wanted his opinion, and he gave it. What was the issue?

"Thank you for the gift." Ai said as she took a cute little drawing from one of her younger fans.

The girl who gave the the crude drawing was maybe five years old and was with her parents. She seemed so excited to meet her and Ai felt so honored to be an idol to this young girl. She almost reminded her of Ruby with the way she looked at her with such awe.

Though, even as Ai and the others sat on the table in the meet room and autographed all the people's stuff that they were given, Ai felt really distracted.

Ai wondered why Eren didn't like the show. She was looking forward to his reaction the whole day. She was hoping for him to say something along the lines of praise of even amazement. To see that stoic face replaced with one of amazement.

"Wow Ai, this was so amazing! I'm glad you brought me here!" Eren said in excitement and gave her a warm smile. "Please can you sign this picture!"

"Of course Eren, I'm so glad to have you as my fan." Ai smiled and blushed as she took the picture and signed it.

However, that was nothing but a fantasy now. She didn't know why Eren hated it, but apparently, he did.

Maybe she was off her game today. Maybe she wasn't as good as she should have been today. She didn't feel sick. If anything, she felt like that was her best performance to date. Even her twitter is exploding in praise at such an amazing performance.

However, if Eren hated it, then maybe her fans were just saying things so as not to reveal that in reality she struggled today. Maybe if she put more soul and dedication into it, he would have enjoyed it more. Maybe if she rehearsed one more time, she'd make it even better so he would have enjoyed it.

Instead, she messed up and ruined Eren's first concert.

Eren stood off in the corner of the room, outside of Ai's field of vision. He could tell she was upset and wasn't all that focused on her fans. The other girls next to her seemed completely fine, but Ai just seemed out of it. It was subtle, but he could tell her smile was being forced.

To be honest, Eren thought this whole time that she was being nice and handed him a ticket because of her generosity.

But now that Eren had the context of the situation from Meimei, he realized she really was just trying to impress him. He didn't fully know why though. Eren was just a stranger to her.

Even though Meimei said the sweet and innocent act was fake and not real, Eren could tell that she was all those things. She acted overly cute, but when she showed her real self, she was innocent and cute. Sure, she had sex before and had children, but she still had an innocence about her that was born from her own passion.

And now Eren realized he threw it back into her face.

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't tell her the main reason why he didn't like it. What should he say, that he was reminded of a play that declared war on his homeland and resulted in the near complete genocide of entire nations? Even if she could believe he was from another world, the sins he committed would instantly make her hate him.

Though could he blame her if she did hate him? He was a devil after all.

Eren decided to try and make this right. He went over to one of the merchandise stands and looked at what he should buy.

One picture that caught his eye was a picture of Ai in a white revealing suit that was sitting on a bench with the beach behind her. It had a strange bit of cloth on her shoulders, with a skintight suit that covered everything but her legs and arms. She looked very beautiful in that pose, but the location reminded him of the sea.

When he looked at it, he felt relaxed as he imagined going to this world's sea and gazing at it from the beach. This time though, there would be no enemies on the other side.

Eren paid for the picture and a frame to go with it. He got in line where so many other people, mostly men, waited to meet the idol group. It wasn't a surprise to see that Ai was the most popular as her line was the longest. Though Eren was determined to wait.

Ai didn't notice him until she looked up and saw him standing right in front of her pnce he got to the front of the line. She was in shock that he was here and even more so that he decided to get in line.

Eren handed her a picture of that one time she modeled for a swimsuit company. She blushed since of all the pictures he got, it happened to be her most revealing. Even though a one piece was hardly very revealing. Especially when her cleavage was covered by the cloth.

"I didn't like the show." Eren explained. "It's not music I like, and I had bad experiences with similar performances that brought back bad memories." He said honestly.

"Oh." Ai said, not sure what to say.

"However, I admired your passion and dedication, so I'll take an autograph of whatever you call it." He said.

Ai turned to Meimei, who was actually just as shocked as she was. With a shrug, Meimei just motioned for her to continue with the little exchange. Ai had to be careful to make sure she didn't seem like she personally knew Eren, but she was still happy he said what he did.

"Well, I am incredibly happy that even though you don't like the music, I was able to make you happy." She said. "I love you." She winked, intentionally saying that in Japanese so as to avoid having Eren understand it. She was terrified of the thought of him hearing that, so she wanted to make sure he didn't understand her words.

After signing the picture, Eren walked off back to his spot backstage.

"He can be somewhat smooth when he tries." Meimei laughed at Ai's blush.

"What did he say?" Nino asked.

"Let's talk later." Ari said. "We still have three more hours of signing before we can think about it."

Ai agreed and went back to signing. She felt so much better now that Eren told her he enjoyed it for her. It made her feel special in a way no other fan made her. She hoped to get a chance to talk to him on the ride home some more.

I'll probably be gone for roughly a month with no access to my story, so I'll be unable to fully work on it. The next update may come out in a month or so, so there'll be a small pause.

Thanks again everyone for your kind words and criticisms.