Chapter 14: What Swimsuit Would Eren Like?

Ai hadn't seen Eren in the past few days. She was so busy with her rehearsals that she rarely found the time to go visit him. Even when she did try to knock on his door, Eren wouldn't open it, probably because he wasn't home. He did have a job at a moving company, so Ai wasn't too concerned about that. Still, she did wish she found time to invite him over to either a rehearsal or to get some food.

Of course, President Saitou made it clear that he is not allowed to come to any rehearsal, since he was still very untrusting of Eren. It still annoyed Ai, but she understood his reasoning. After all, as much as she thought of the President as almost a father figure in her life, he was still her boss and had a business to run. He couldn't afford his idols getting distracted because of a guy and potentially lowering their productivity.

Although, he did let her kids come over on occasion, which always brought a smile to their face since they got to watch mama practice her dancing and singing.

At first, the girls all made sure Ai and the children were ok. It was a huge scare for them to learn that Ai was almost killed by a stalker and that Aqua had a knife to his throat. Ai requested that they don't bring that up to him because she was worried that he might be having issues dealing with the event. Each girl promised that not a word would be said around the kids.

Ai did mention that Eren was the one to save her, and after what the girls saw on the news, made them get worried a bit more about him. However, they gossiped with her and told her that maybe he was a decent man after all. He did risk his own life and safety to protect the young mother and her kids, so he must be a half decent person.

The girls still didn't fully trust him, but they agreed to at least give him a chance since he did save her life. It was the very least they could do.

"You did great mama!" Ruby yelled excitedly.

"Thanks Ruby-Chan." Ai smiled at her daughter, who was sitting on the side of the dance room.

"You guys are doing so good at being patient." Meimei said sweetly towards the kids.

"Yea, they're so well behaved." Nino agreed.

Aqua kind of shrugged at the compliment. It wasn't hard to just sit in one spot, especially when he got to enjoy his favorite idol doing her dance practice. Ai really was amazing and talented, even in practice. She gave her heart and soul to each and every rehearsal and it translated so well into her performances.

However, he needed to find a way to ensure Eren remained near Ai in order to protect her. It wasn't going to be easy; he knew that for a fact. Eren wasn't dense, at least Aqua didn't think so, but he showed no interest in Ai. He was respectful and showed that he at least enjoys her company, but he needed to find some way to get Eren invested more in Ai. Either as a good friend, or even as a romantic partner.

Aqua really couldn't care less if Ai got a broken heart if it did go romantic and ended. He'd rather her have a broken heart than dying due to some maniac. He just needed to ensure Eren stayed with Ai long enough until he found a way to deal with his father.

But his options were limited. Aqua knew fairly well what men were into, after all, he did have some relationships in the past. He remembered having a few ex-girlfriends who he enjoyed spending time with. Of course, it never progressed into full commitment due to his own studies, but he was confident that he knew how to make a relationship work.

Ai though...

"So, you're bringing tall, dark, and exotic to the beach?" Meimei smiled.

"W-well, y-yea. He said he l-loved the beach." Ai stuttered.

"Oh, come on, he's trying to get you in a swimsuit." Nino laughed.

"Maybe he'll be expecting a little reward for saving his princess in distress?" Meimei said suggestively.

"N-no!" Ai yelled back in embarrassment. "It's just the beach, everyone goes to the beach. He probably likes it."

Ai only had one short term relationship, Aqua remembered. A relationship that likely involved manipulation and possibly emotional abuse. Not to mention, her ex was also the guy trying to get her killed. So, in terms of total dating experience, Ai had none. She also seemed very nervous and Aqua was worried that it would impact how she acted around Eren in a romantic sense.

One issue Ai had was her lack of options when it came to dating. Sure, anyone would gladly go on a date with her in a heartbeat, but in terms of actually going on a date she had no options. Which meant she was even more nervous with Eren since she probably felt that this was her one and only chance for romance. It's a common thing in people, where the more options you have in partners, the more confident and self-assured you are.

However, with less options, you feel much more afraid and nervous than you otherwise would. Even a minor rejection would hurt Ai. In fact, it did hurt her, which is why she refused to take those rejections and basically force Eren to be with her. It was cute, but also showed how scared Ai was to get rejected by what she feels is her one chance for some kind of romantic relationship.

So, in order to get Ai and Eren to form some kind of bond, she would need to try to actually pursue him romantically. That would mean flirting, dates, and even seducing. But Ai was so completely hopeless when it came to that. She was a bit of a ditz and didn't have too much common sense.

However, she could always try the tried-and-true method of being in a nice bikini.

"Hey Ai." Aqua got her attention.

"What is it Aqua-Chan?" Ai asked, glad to have the conversation shifted.

"I don't think we have any swimsuits." He said.

"You don't have swimsuits?" Meimei asked.

"Uh... no?" Ai confirmed.

"You're planning to go to the beach with a guy and you don't have a swimsuit ready?" Meimei stressed.

"We really didn't need one since we never really go out." Ai said.

"We did a swimsuit modeling job a year ago, didn't you keep the swimsuit?" She asked.

"No, I didn't see a need to keep it." Ai said.

"Well, we're going to pick one out for you before we go." Meimei said.

"That does make sense." Ai said.

Did she really not even remember to get a swimsuit? This is why she's hopeless and Aqua needs to help her. What was her plan?

"What were you going to do if you didn't get a swimsuit?" Meimei asked.

"Well, I have some cute dresses." Ai said.

Yup, she's doomed.

"After rehearsal, we're getting you and the kid's swimsuits." Meimei said.

"Wouldn't that be a bad idea since we could get spotted?" Ai asked.

"That's why it'll just be us two and the kids. We can also get a private changing room so we can try them on." Meimei planned.

"Ok, no problem. I'll get something cute." Ai said.

"No." Meimei said.

"No?" Ai asked.

"We're getting you something a little more, sexy." Meimei specified.

"Eh..." Ai stuttered in worry.

"Yup, soon we'll get Eren completely in love with you after this date." Meimei said.

"I-it's not a date!" Ai denied.

"Sure, so he decided the beach so he can look at the pretty waves?" Meimei said in disbelief. "He just wants to see you in a bikini."

"B-but, I've never worn a bikini before." Ai said.

"Which is why he'll be the only man who has seen you in such an etchi way." Meimei smiled. "I mean... besides- you know what, never mind." Meimei cut herself off. "It'll still be romantic."

Ai and Meimei were dressed in their typical disguises, mainly their sunglasses and hats. Since air quality was in acceptable levels today, they couldn't risk wearing masks and draw attention to themselves.

Ruby and Aqua walked on either side of Ai, each kid holding a hand as they walked so they wouldn't get lost. Not that aqua needed her to babysit him since he actually felt like Ai would be the one to get lost if anything. He truly did care for Ai, but sometimes she was just hopeless.

"You go over to the changing room; I'll get you some swimsuits to try on." Meimei said, pointing to the single room that was labeled as a solo and private changing room.

"Sure, just please don't get anything crazy." Ai begged.

"No promises." Meimei winked at her coworker while flashing a peace sign and sticking her own tongue out.

While Meimei wasn't as cute as Ai, Aqua still admitted that she was very beautiful. If Ai was not around, Meimei would undoubtably be the main face of B-Komachi. However, he didn't think B-Komachi would have gotten this far without Ai.

The private room was a small little waiting area with a single door separating the waiting area to the actual changing area. It ensured that guests could have privacy, though most people use it when trying on more revealing clothes. Swimsuits were common things that people would use in these rooms, but it gave Ai and Meimei a perfect place to not get recognized.

Ai sat down and Ruby immediately jumped into her lap.

"Easy Ruby-Chan." Ai laughed at her daughter's display.

"Why mama?" She asked.

"You're getting so big that it's hard to have you in my lap all the time now." Ai smiled at her.

"I'm getting big?" Ruby asked in a slightly hurt tone.

"Only taller." Ai laughed at her daughter's offense. "But you're getting cuter every day." Ai said, kissing Ruby on the cheek.

Ruby hugged Ai, which Ai noticed she has been doing a lot lately. She seemed so much more physically affectionate lately compared to before, which Miyako guessed was from the scare they had from Ryosuke. Ai felt sad at that but was glad her daughter was still able to hold her and feel a mother's warmth and safety. Ai hugged her daughter back, so grateful that she was still here to hug her.

"Mama." Ruby said in a more serious tone.

"What is it Ruby-Chan?" Ai asked.

"Why were we attacked?" Ruby asked.

"What do you mean?" Ai wanted her to clarify.

"I know he was a fan, and you always talk about how dangerous it is." Ruby began. "But why did he attack us, I just still don't get it."

Ai wasn't sure how she could answer that. Ruby was so young that she doubted she fully understood what was going on. How do you explain the concepts of stalking, sexual assault, murder, and obsession to a child as young as her? She didn't even know how she was going to phrase it in a kid friendly way.

"He was a stalker, Ruby." Aqua answered for her.

"Yea, but why?" She asked, turning to face him.

"He was a poor fool who couldn't even get a girlfriend. Who probably based his whole life around an idol and wanted to have Ai all to himself." Aqua explained.

He actually explained it better than Ai could have, but how could Aqua be so smart and know that. He's a child.

"Aqua, how do you know about that?" Ai asked her son.

"It's obvious Ai." He said, a hint of anger in his voice.

Obvious? Was it really? She knew her kids were aware of their secret lifestyle, but how had he learned about the darker side of being an idol at such a young age? She knew for a fact that the President, Miyako, and the other girls didn't say a word to him.

The again, he always was reading adult things online, like the news and social media. He always looked up bad things when he was young. He would say he wanted to know more about what's going on in the world, but she never imagined that he'd be smart enough to learn about the dark sides of the entertainment industry.

It broke her heart to hear him say those things.

"So that's why?" Ruby asked. "He's some loser who couldn't get a girlfriend and because of that, mama almost had to die?"

"No Ruby." Ai said. "Remember what I told you? You can never be mean to fans, no matter what.

"But he tried to kill you mama!" Ruby argued.

"You're right, he did. And he was sick." Ai said, holding Ruby closer to her. "He didn't fully know what he was doing and needed help. Help that only a doctor can provide. Unfortunately, he didn't get that help."

"It doesn't make it right Ai." Aqua countered.

"It doesn't matter Aqua-Chan." Ai said. "We can't be mean to people or make assumptions about them. Ryosuke was sick and probably hurt. It wasn't right what he did, but it's not right for us to live with hatred."

"I don't care about that." Aqua said, his voice still in anger. "He tried to kill you, and I'm glad Eren managed to k-"

"Come here Aqua-Chan." Ai said seriously, cutting him off.

Ai placed Ruby on the ground and had both of her children stand next to each other in front of her. Ai kneeled down, placing a hand on each of their heads as she made sure to look both of them in the eyes.

Aqua had anger in his eyes, she could see that. He seemed cold and indifferent lately, more so than usual. Like something was plaguing his mind and wouldn't leave him. It was like he was scanning everything around him and listening to every conversation with complete focus to try and learn something. It almost reminded her of how Eren would look when she was around him.

It terrified her to see the same anger and paranoia in her son as she saw in Eren.

"Listen, both of you." Ai said. "I know what happened was scary, and no, Ryosuke had no right to do what he did. But no matter what happens or what people may try to do to us, we must be better than that. We can't let anger or fear dictate us. We can't let these feelings make us do or say thing's we'll regret."

"It wasn't right Ai." Aqua said, looking down.

"That's right, it wasn't." Ai said. "But I am your mother, and I don't want to see you both go down a road of anger, bitterness, sadness, or fear because of what happened. You both are much too important to me for that to happen."

Ai held both children to her chest as she spoke, wanting them to know that they felt loved.

Feel loved? Yet even now, Ai lacked the courage to say those words out loud. She was too afraid to utter a simple "I love you" to her own children. Yet here she is, holding them to her chest and making sure that they felt a sense of security and love.

"Promise me, that no matter what happens, you both won't ever change." Ai said to both of them.

Ruby held onto Ai tightly as she spoke. Ruby promised her mother that she would do as she's told and would never change who she is. Ruby wanted nothing more than to please the woman who gave her hope and inspiration in that hospital while she slowly lost her fight to cancer. The woman who made every moment in her life a joy and inspiration. How she was even to get Doctor Goro interested into idols, even though he was older.

Aqua though, couldn't make that promise. He was already changed from how he used to be. His own promise to protect Ai and her children, which only now constituted Ruby; and his own death has already hardened him past that point. This mission to protect Ai was never anything new in his mind, only that now he couldn't afford to let his guard down while the mastermind was still out there.

"Aqua, please." Ai said, letting go of her embrace of her children and looking him in the eye.

Aqua couldn't. He simply couldn't promise her that he wouldn't lose himself if she died. Even now, as her life was in danger, he felt nothing less than a desire to put his own life in danger for her protection. In the end, if he died it wouldn't be a loss. He was on borrowed time anyway. But Ai could live a happy life, especially with Ruby. Maybe one day she could have more children, hopefully normal children that weren't reborn.

But he couldn't let her die. He just couldn't.

"I promise Ai." Aqua lied.

Ai felt herself wanting to cry. Her son lied to her, she knew that. A mother's promise wasn't enough to make him have a good future.

Eren was right, if she did die, then he would have gone down a dark road alone. He would grow up, angry and bitter towards the world, and never know the warmth and love of others. He would destroy himself in his anger, and it broke her heart.

"I'll make a promise to you Aqua-Chan." Ai smiled at him. "I promise that no matter what, mama will live. I'll always be by your side when you feel angry, sad, or scared. And I will always be there to protect you. I will never leave you or Ruby-Chan." She said.

Ai would fight to live for her children. If they were in danger again, she would do whatever it takes to live for them. Even if she gives her life in saving them, it would still doom them to a dark and painful future. She would find a way to live no matter what. She would simply refuse to die, either by illness, murder, or natural disaster. For no other reason, than to ensure her son and daughter have a long and happy life.

"You're Eren, right?" The man near the alleyway said.

"Yes." Eren said in an annoyed tone.

In the past few days, Eren did some jobs helping Sergei with simple deliveries and gun runs, mainly as a way to stay busy and earn some extra money. Sergei wasn't paying much since the jobs were simple, but it helped keep Eren fed and pay his rent.

However, tonight the Yakuza boss wanted Eren to go on a more extreme mission. He called Eren over the moveable phone and instructed him to meet with one of his lackies. Eren was lucky he was able to refill the energy in his phone, since it ended up not working and he had to put the wire in the moveable phone in order to fill that canteen picture.

The location of the meet was on the outer edge of Tokyo, Eren needed to get a ride from Sergei, so Sergei timed it in order to coincide with one of his own drops.

"I'm Raido, I'll be your handler on this job." He said.

The man as skinny and had a shaved head. Eren put his age at about mid-twenties based on his face and lack of wrinkles. However, like many of the members he saw, this man was covered in that permanent body paint that depicted mythical creatures and fish.

"Fine." Eren said. "So, what's the job?"

"You brought your gun and ammo, right?" He asked.

"Yes." Eren said.

"We're going on a hit. Another Yakuza boss is coming onto our turf, so we need to take him and his group out." Raido explained.

"How many?" Eren asked.

"Maybe half a dozen, they're moving Yen to a drop in order to pay off some of the other gangs. We're going to intercept them."

Eren had no qualms with killing rival gang members. The only thing he cared about on this job was making some more money in order to sustain himself, as well as getting his papers.

"You have my passport and ID, right?" Eren asked.

"Of course." Raido took a small blue book from his pocket. "This is a Ukrainian Passport. Since you're illiterate, Sergei recommended that you pose as a Ukrainian citizen. Main reason is that Ukraine has very little tourism in Japan so the odds of you running into a Ukrainian person is almost non-existent." He said.

"Ukraine, don't they speak Sergei's language?" Eren asked.

"You'll be from Crimea, which is a southern part of Ukraine that was recently invaded and occupied by the Russian Federation. Crimea has regional dialects that are distinct from Russian. It's not a perfect plan, since you should at least know Russian, but there are dialects of Crimean Tatar."

"Crimean Tatar?" Eren asked.

"It's a dying language, perfect for your situation." Raido said. "It's an offshoot of Turkish Arabic, so it's completely different from Russian. As long as you don't run into anyone from Ukraine here, you should be fine with this identity. Be careful though, Crimeans haven't had Ukrainian passports since the invasion. So, it's dated to before the invasion."

"Wouldn't that be odd?" Eren asked.

"To escape from occupied Crimea? Not at all." Raido said.

"So I escaped from the Russian Federation with an older passport that's no longer recognized?" Eren questioned.

"NATO as a whole recognizes it. Japan may not be a Nato Nation, but they're buddy buddies with them. So, they recognize it." Raido explained. "But that only protects against an initial look. If anyone runs that number through a database, you'll be caught." He explained.

"So how did I get here from Crimea?" Eren asked.

"I don't know..." Raido thought for a moment. "Just say you were forcefully recruited last year into the Russian army and sent to Syria. The Middle East would be a perfect place to desert the Army and find a new home." He guessed.

Middle East? Similar to the Mid East? The names were pretty much identical. If the cultures were anything similar, it would actually work for Eren since he did technically fight for the past year in the Mid East with Marley. The best lies were the ones with a bit of truth afterall.

"How do you know so much?" Eren asked.

"Who do you think made those for you?" Raido asked. "I'm only here to help guide you, nothing more. You're the fighter, I'm the thinker. Your idiotic self would never be able to come up with a good plan."

Eren frowned at once again being called an idiot. He seriously hated the people in this country, no, this whole damn world. Everything was so new and alien that he struggled with basic things. He had an education in the Cadet Corp, he learned how to read and write, he even learned basic engineering since Soldiers were expected to build and maintain machines in the walls.

He doubted this man had the ability to build a fully functioning lift on the walls from nothing more than a few trees and simple hand tools. Even though there were stocks, every Soldier was drilled how to build contraptions to aid in the fight against the Titans.

"Go to hell Raido." Eren growled.

"What, you're upset about being called an idiot?" He shrugged. "Get over it kid, I'm not paid nearly enough to deal with you. Get angry or don't, I don't really care."

"Where is this ambush supposed to be?" Eren asked.

"They'll be driving by soon, right an intersection that's usually empty by this time of night. You'll simply walk up when they stop and shoot the boss while trying not to get shot yourself." Raido said as he put his hands behind his head.

Eren recognized the tactic, it was the same one that was used on him and Sergei on his first job. It seems that the various Yakuza groups used the same tactics.

"Keep your hood up, there aren't a lot of CCTV cameras around here, but it's still dangerous." Raido said.

"Sea, Sea what?" Eren asked.

"CCTV, you know, cameras?" Raido asked.

Eren remained silent, aware that he asked another stupid question.

"I know I put you in the middle of nowhere in Crimea, but seriously, did you actually come from the middle of nowhere?" Raido asked. "They'll record anything and can be reviewed later. If your face is caught, then you're screwed. The police will find you."

Police? As in Military Police? Eren guessed they were the blue guards and authorities he's seen around, but he never actually heard their name. He assumed they were similar to the Marleyan Public Security Division who dealt with local crimes. Or, they could be an offshoot of this worlds Military, similar to their own MP Regiment.

Eren had his hood up already, but now he needed to make sure it stayed on.

"They'll be here another hour, get some rest before it happens." Raido said, sitting down on a box that was in the alley.

Eren stayed standing, watching outside the alley and waiting for the vehicle that would approach. Raido would point it out for him when he saw it, so all Eren had to do was kill the Yakuza Boss in the car. He had a general description, but Eren may have to kill some of his guards as well. It should be an easy job for him, but he didn't want to let his guard down.

This job had to go well, he desperately needed that book.

Ai was about to fall asleep in the small waiting room. Aqua and Ruby were pacing from boredom since they have been waiting for almost thirty minutes for Meimei to get the swimsuits for her to try on. Ai was dozing in and out but forced herself to stay awake. She thought about calling Meimei to see where she was.

"Ok!" Meimei came through the door, maybe a dozen swimsuits in her hands. "Now let's see what we can do for you!" She said in excitement.

"Aren't these a bit much Meimei?" Ai asked, looking at all the swimsuits.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Meimei smiled. "We'll find a swimsuit that'll make sure Eren can't keep his eyes off you."

"I'm surprised you're ok with this, since you didn't like Eren." Ai said.

"I never said I didn't like him, just that I'm worried." Meimei said. "But you're a grown woman and allowed to do what you want. So, I'll help regardless. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong."

"Again Meimei, this isn't a date." Ai tried to deny.

"Quit complaining and put this on." She through a navy-blue piece of fabric at her.

"Really?" Ai asked, looking the swimsuit up and down.

"It's a good one, I might go with it if I was in your position." Meimei laughed.

The swimsuit in question was a school styled, one piece swimsuit. At least, it's the fetishized version. Swimsuits in the past few decades got a lot more conservative, such as being full shirts and shorts for both girls and boys. This was just one that the media always fetishized and showed in animes.

"A schoolgirl swimsuit?" Ai asked.

"He's a westerner, right?" Meimei asked. "We can play into the yellow fever aspect with this one. I have an actual sailor fuku styled one, complete with a collar." She held up the red and blue sailor fuku inspired one piece.

"No, I will not even try these on." Ai said.

"Oh come on, it's perfect. I'm telling you. I had a friend that dated a western man and he loved it." Meimei tried to convince.

Ai threw the swimsuit back into Meimei's arms, absolutely refusing to even try it on.

"I honestly doubt Eren would like it." Ai said. "He knows nothing of Japanese culture."

Aqua breathed a sigh of relief hearing that. Last thing he needed was Ai jumping around in what was basically an etchi cosplay.

Ruby though, was a bit disappointed. She thought the outfits were kind of cute and matched some of the animes that she watched, both as Ruby and in her previous life. What's the big deal anyway? They're just costumes, she didn't even understand why westerners apparently found those appealing. She knew a bit about the idea of sex since she was twelve before she died, but wouldn't a bikini be more revealing than those?

"Ok, then what about this." Meimei held up another one.

"Are you planning on taking up knitting?" Ai asked.

The... "Bikini", if you could even call it that, was a bunch of strings with small pieces of cloth that probably wouldn't hide anything. It was the definition of skimpy.

"If you don't want to lean into a fetish, we could try etchi." Meimei winked.

"You do remember that my kids will be there too." Ai pointed to the kids.

Yes, Aqua thought. For the love of whatever higher power reincarnated him, please do not let Ai wear that. He did not need to see Ai in that way at all.

Ruby had much the same idea. She did not want to basically be in a public area with her mother and favorite idol walking around basically naked.

"Oh come on, you bathed with them still, right?" Meimei asked. "Not like they care at that age."

"Actually, I haven't bathed with Aqua since he was very little." Ai said out loud.

"Really?" Meimei asked.

Yes, Aqua thought again. He never felt comfortable bathing with Ai, again, half his actual age. He glanced over at Ruby who glared at him. He looked back and shrugged at her. The moment he could prove he was old enough to bathe without drowning, Aqua never again bathed with Ai or Ruby.

"Aw, is little Aqua-Chan embarrassed." Meimei said in a baby like voice.

Aqua just crossed his arms and stayed silent, refusing to even blush at the teasing.

"Awe, what a little man." Meimei laughed at his tough guy display.

"How about something cute." Ai recommended. "Something I can wear in front of my kids and still look appealing."

"Ok, we'll try this one." She held out a purple bikini.

The bikini had a good amount of covering, so her butt and breasts would be fully concealed. It also had a skirt so she could hide the lower part of the bikini while still showing off her legs.

"The skirt will give you a cute and conservative look, but since it's a bikini you can show off your naval." Meimei said. "Cute, but not too conservative like a one piece. Plus, it'll show off your breasts a bit more."

Ai agreed to try this on since it was the best option. She didn't want to come off as too revealing since she would be with her kids and she wanted to give Ruby a positive role model. Who knows what Ruby would do as a teenager if she always saw her mother acting like a harlot. Plus, it would be bad if they did get seen in the private location, that the innocent Ai was being completely etchi. It would cause a huge controversy.

After trying it on, they found the style they wanted to go with. Meimei went to go get more since the ones she tried on didn't fully fit right. Some had the lower part too loose, or it was too tight around her breasts. She needed to get the right size so that it would not only look good but be well fitted.

After her, they got a cute one-piece swimsuit for Ruby that had a skirt built into the one piece. Aqua was actually the easiest to get. All he needed was some well fitted swim trunks and a shirt for when he wasn't swimming. Ai was always so jealous of how easy it was for boys to get a swimsuit. They only had him try on two and they found his size. Her and Ruby had to go through at least half a dozen each to get the right sizing.

Once they finished, Ai went with Meimei to get some food and some other basic supplies. Main things she needed was strong sunscreen to protect herself and her kids from the sun. They also got large and heavy towels since even though the weather was predicting a warmer than normal Saturday, it was still fall so it would be cold when they went into the ocean.

Although it wasn't the best time for most people to go, it was perfect for B-Komachi. Afterall, most people don't go to the beach in the fall and the prices for a private beach would be lower than if it was summer.

After getting some Ramen from a restaurant, they decided to head home after a job well done. Ai was glad they all had a good time, even if Aqua still had that paranoid look about him. He did manage to get some rest in the car, but he was still just so on edge.

Ai was still worried about him. She wasn't sure how he would react to the situation and knew that she couldn't take him to get looked at. If she did, it could reveal her identity as an idol. Maybe Miyako and the President could take him to see a specialist, but she was still worried about that. What if he responded negatively to therapy?

Ruby seemed mostly unaffected, maybe a bit more affectionate and scared, but nowhere near the same level of anger and bitterness that Aqua felt. If he acted like this when Ai almost died, she shivered to imagine how he would be if she did actually die.

She had to find a way to keep Aqua's mind off of what happened and make him happy again. Maybe some kisses? No, he always fought against that.

Ai felt so useless at what to do with her son. She had to make sure he didn't end up cold and sad like Eren. She also wanted to make sure he didn't get bitter and angry like her ex. There were so many roads he could go down, and she needed to make sure he took the right ones to stay healthy and happy.

Hopefully this vacation would make him feel better.

So, this I really thought about.

I tried to come up with a believable story for Eren that would explain some of the strange things about him. Considering Oshi No Ko takes place about mid 2010s at Ai's death, it would be possible that Eren was from a rural part of Crimea, experienced the invasion, and went to war in Syria under an army he pretended to support. It at least gives him possible explanation while at the same time being close to his actual situation. All thanks to Sergei's suggestions lol. I hope it's at least somewhat believable.

Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. Next one will get a bit of action.