Chapter 1: Ruby Tries to be an Idol


"I'm home mama!" Ruby yelled as she got home.

"You're here early." Ai noticed. "Did everything go well?"

"My Sensie let me go early since I had the audition, so I decided to come home." Ruby said.

"What happened at the audition?" Ai asked.

"Well, they asked me a bunch of questions and I maintained an innocent personality the whole time, like you suggested." Ruby said. "I made sure to smile and be really happy and say things that make me more innocent and upbeat."

"Good." Ai nodded. "Remember to focus more on an innocent personality. The only time you want to deviate from that is during a performance, where it's ok to use a little more sex appeal."

"They said they liked me though. They said they'll take my application and review it tonight." Ruby said hopefully.

"Don't get too excited Ruby-Chan." Ai tempered her daughter's expectations. "The business world is never entirely honest, and they'll only tell you what you want to hear. You won't know their impressions until they either accept or deny your application."

"No problem mama." Ruby said, still not able to let go of her excitement. "Do you need any help with chores by the way?"

"Yes, I'm cleaning the kitchen so can you help?" Ai said.

"Of course." Ruby said.

Ruby practically jogged into the kitchen and started helping her okaasan. Ai was busy sweeping the floor and had a mop and bucket ready for when she was done. Ruby went to work on cleaning the counters of the small kitchen.

Ruby ran her finger under the countertop, checking to see if there was any dust or dirt. When she was little, Ai never went too in depth with cleaning like that, but ever since Eren started living with them, he had very high standards of cleanliness. Something the family chalked up to his military experience.

At first, Eren would just do the deep clean himself, but since Ai was staying home and he was either in college or working, Ai made sure he never cleaned. She took it on herself to maintain that level of cleaning since she didn't want him taking those duties since he was the one working.

Also, Ai felt bored when she was alone in the house. She would occasionally go see Meimei or Miyako when everyone was gone and she had nothing to do, but overall, she kept herself occupied.

It was a life she enjoyed very much. Of course, when her kids got old enough, they began to help with the chores, so it got easier over time for her.

"How was the meeting with Kawachi's homeroom sensei?" Ruby asked as she started wiping the underside of the tabletop.

"Exactly the same as the past few times." Ai said with a sigh. "One of his classmates insulted him and it turned into a fight. The only reason he's not getting suspended is that his classmate punched first, but his sensei said Kawachi goaded him on."

It was so difficult to deal with him sometimes. Kawachi would get into so many fights. Ai knew it was possible for him to be a subject of bullying since he wasn't fully Japanese, but he never just ignored the bullies. He always had to fight and prove himself against them.

Ai wondered if this was a consequence of how he saw Eren. As many little boys, Kawachi idolized his otosan and wanted to be exactly like him. He saw his otosan as the standard to be. Eren was a good man, but he was very serious most times and Kawachi tried so hard to imitate that.

Especially after seeing his otosan fight one time when a former fan of Ai's got a little too close to the family, causing Kawachi to see how much of a fighter his otosan was.

After a few hours, the rest of the family finally got home from either school or work. Eren was the last to come home and he immediately went to get changed into more comfortable clothes, such as a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.

"Kawachi, come here." Ai said firmly to her son.

Kawachi sighed and walked over to where his okassan was in the main room. While everyone was upstairs getting ready for dinner, Ai wanted to speak to her son alone. She was going to have to lecture him after his fight.

Kawachi sat down on the couch while his okassan stood in front of him. She kneeled down so she was at his level. She was upset, but she wanted to still take a gentle approach to his discipline. Predictably, Kawachi was silent, knowing he was in trouble and about to receive a lecture.

"Kawachi, why did you get into another fight?" Ai asked gently.

"Taijo insulted me again." He said.

"Oh?" Ai asked.

"He said I'm the bastard kid of a washed up idol and a foreign criminal again." He said. "He insulted you too and said you were never any good as an idol."

Unfortunately, it was difficult for her children to get along with other kids at school. Aqua and Ruby were able to avoid the brunt of any bullying, mainly because they were older and Aqua simply never cared if people insulted him. However, Kawachi suffered a lot from it.

"Well, he's nine so I doubt he ever saw one of my concerts." Ai said.

"Anyone can YouTube okaasan." Kawachi said.

"True, but do you think I was terrible?" Ai asked.

"I don't know?" He shrugged. "I really don't care for idols."

"Well, now you're breaking mama's heart." Ai giggled.

"It's just stupid, idols are boring. It's just singing and dancing." He said.

"Well, if I put some gloves on and started punching people when I performed, would it have been better?" Ai asked.

"A bit." He shrugged. "It would look more like MMA."

Ai giggled at that a bit. He was so obsessed with fighting that it basically became his whole world. He had the same desire to fight that Ruby had to perform.

"You know why your papa never teaches you, right?" Ai asked in a soft but stern voice.

"Yea..." He said with a sad expression.

"Tell me." Ai said.

"He said I need to learn how to control my temper." Kawachi said.

"Exactly." Ai said. "Do you know why?"

"Not really." Kawachi said. "I think it's stupid. I'm just supposed to let a bunch of jerks walk all over me? Especially when dad has fought before. He was a criminal. So why do I have to control myself?"

The unfortunate case of Eren's situation was that everyone knew he was the Akuma no Ko. People knew that the Shinomiya Conglomerate basically swept his crimes under the rug. While it has been largely forgotten about, it gave more ammo to bullies for her son.

Eren never really cared what people thought of him, but the blame extended down to their children. Especially when they knew he was a criminal before they were born. It was impossible to hide since there was a period of time where so many videos were made about Eren, mostly calling for the Government to do something.

Lately though, it was mostly forgotten about since Eren was now in the Government and has made many breakthrough cases against foreign spies and human trafficking. He was still controversial, but largely ignored now.

"Kawachi, what happened with your papa isn't the same thing." Ai said.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because your papa had a very hard life. He had to learn to temper himself or else he would be in trouble. He doesn't want you going down the same road he did." Ai said.

"But he's amazing okaasan." Kawachi said. "He's strong and tough. He beat up that one guy who attacked us. Isn't that what men do?"

"Kawachi, being violent to protect your family and letting your emotions control you are two different things." Ai explained. "If your otosan went around fighting everyone who insulted him, he'd have to fight the whole world." She said.

Kawachi stayed quiet. Ai could tell that he knew she was right, but he was too proud to admit it. Ai knew she had to be gentle with him. Kawachi was still a young boy and needed love and compassion to learn to be a good man.

Eren saw the interaction, watching it from the doorway after coming downstairs. He knew things were difficult for Kawachi since he was the same as his otosan. Always choosing to fight instead of thinking.

Though, Eren got sad at watching the interaction between his wife and son. Moments like this reminded Eren so much of his own mother. Sometimes, when he saw Ai try to lecture or punish Kawachi, he could only see himself and his own okassan.

Eren couldn't help sometimes in missing her. Without his rage from before he came to Earth, Eren really began to miss her.

"Eren, are you ok?" Ai asked when she noticed him there.

"Yea, I'm fine." He said.

Kawachi sunk further into the seat, ashamed that his otosan saw him get reprimanded.

"You know, you're causing your okaasan a lot of heart aches." Eren said to his son.

"It's just... Taijo insulted me... and you two. I didn't want him to get away with it." Kawachi said.

"Sometimes Kawachi, it's better to not fight." Eren said as he sat down on the seat next to his son.

"But you were a criminal otosan." He said. "You fought, right?"

"I did, and it nearly got me and your okaasan killed." Eren said. "Which is why I want you to learn from my mistakes."

Kawachi stayed quiet.

"Believe me Kawachi, I know what it's like to be bullied, and to have my okaasan lecture me about getting into fights. Looking back, I wish I listened to her more." Eren explained.

"But you're strong though." He said.

"Yes, but I was dumb Kawachi." Eren said. "I would fight and fight and fight without caring about who I hurt or what the consequences would do."

"So, I just let Taijo insult our family?" He asked.

"Do you honestly think Taijo is right?" Eren asked.

"Well, no." Kawachi said.

"Then who cares what he says." Eren explained. "If you attack him, you'll just cause more issues for yourself. If he attacks you, by all means fight back."

"Eren." Ai said, not entirely approving of that advice since he always goads his bullies into attacking first.

"But-" Eren said before Ai could speak. "Don't be stupid and goad him into fighting. Instead, be calm and in control of your anger. If you lose your temper and go charging into every fight, you're going to get hurt. Believe me."

Kawachi stayed quiet again, his pride preventing him from fully agreeing with his parents.

"Eren, I think you should teach him to fight." Ai suggested.

"Really!" Kawachi got excited.

"Ai-" Eren tried to deny.

"But, if your papa does teach you, you have to make a promise Kawa-Chan." Ai said, using his nickname that she knew he hated.

"What?" He asked, his excitement replacing his sadness. "Want me to clean my closet?"

"You're doing that regardless." Ai gave him a firm stare. "No, if you promise to learn to avoid fighting because someone was mean to you, then I'm sure papa will teach you."

"Promise!" He said, without any hesitation.

"Ai, I don't know." Eren said.

"Please otosan!" Kawachi begged.

"Listen Kawa-Chan." Ai said.

"What?" He asked.

"You want to be a man, right?" She asked.

"I am one." He said.

"Of course." Ai giggled, letting him keep that belief. "But if you're a man, that means that when a man makes a promise, he keeps it. Right?"

"I guess." Kawachi said.

"So, if you promise me and your otosan that you won't fight, then you have to keep it. Right?" She asked.

"Yea..." Kawachi agreed, though reluctantly.

"So Eren, what do you say?" Ai asked Eren.

Eren crossed his arms and thought about the deal Ai made. Eren had his doubts that Kawachi would keep the promise since he was still a child. Kids often times get in trouble and break promises. Eren has no doubt that his son will get into trouble, since Eren did as a child. But, if this could help teach him a valuable lesson, maybe.

"Please otosan." Kawachi begged.

"Ok." Eren relented.

"Awesome!" He yelled in excitement.

"Now go clean your closet before dinner." Ai said.

"But you said that wasn't part of the deal." Kawachi tried to get out of his chores.

"I said you're doing it regardless, so go now." Ai narrowed her eyes in a soft but firm way.

"...Fine." Kawachi said as he made his way upstairs.

Eren chuckled lowly to himself. No matter how much he tried to teach Kawachi, the boy seemed to just have a mind of his own. It was different from when they were little and would only complain about food or attention.

"I still don't know." Eren said.

"I think it'll be fine." Ai said. "You don't spend too much time with the kids, so this'll be a good opportunity to teach him."

"What do you mean?" Eren asked. "We went to the sea last week."

"Well, yes, but I mean you teaching them your passions and hobbies." Ai said. "Your children don't ever learn about what makes you happy."

"Ai, fighting isn't a passion for me. It was a necessity." Eren said. "It was either fight or die."

"It's just, you really don't include them in things you like to do. You've taught Aqua how to fight, but your children barely know you. They don't know where you're from or stories of you before you came to Japan."

Eren looked down with an ashamed expression.

"Ai, I don't ever want them to know." Eren said.

"About your time as a Soldier?" Ai asked.

It was always a strange thing to her. Eren had no care when they found out he was in the Yakuza, but he never talked to them about his childhood. Ai of course knew, but he never talked about it to his children.

It was almost like he was ashamed.

"I just don't want them to know about my home." He said sadly.

"Back in your home country, right?" Ai asked.

"Yea..." Eren said.

"I think I figured it out!" Ai said in excitement.

She wanted to get his mind off of his bad past, so she decided to change the topic a bit.

"Well, you've been guessing for three years now, so let's hear it." Eren said.

"Ok, so you were from South Africa but got mixed up in a civil war in Uganda, which along with Russian mercenaries, fought in top secret missions."

.

.

.

"No." Eren said.

"Come on, I have to have named every country on Earth by this point!" Ai said in annoyance. "Where are you from?"

Eren stayed silent but had a small chuckle. Even though his official documents say he's Crimean, everyone knew that was fake and a cover up by the Shinomiya Conglomerate. It was just a convenient thing to put information on the mandatory blocks of his papers.

However, Ai has been trying for years to guess where he really came from. Eren promised he'd be honest and tell her when she was right. Of course, she'd never thought to guess he's from another world.

"Maybe papa's from another planet." Mikasa said innocently as she walked in the main room.

"Of course." Ai giggled. "Maybe he is an alien."

"Mikasa's right, I'm from another world." Eren said, finally admitting it to Ai since his daughter got it right.

"See mama." Mikasa giggled.

Ai shook her head and laughed.

"Don't play make believe." Ai said.

"Papa, where are you really from?" Mikasa asked.

"It's like you said, I'm an alien." He said with a smirk.

"Come on, seriously." Mikasa said, not satisfied with the answer.

Ai went into the kitchen to get dinner ready. With the whole family here, she wanted to get started so they can get some delicious food. She was thinking an American styled dinner, with hamburgers and hotdogs. It was also one of Mikasa's favorites since she loved foreign styled foods.

"Mikasa, no ice cream till after dinner." Ai said in a stern voice as she heard her daughter opening the small freezer.

Mikasa groaned and walked away from Ai, going towards her papa. Her mama never would budge when it came to pre-dinner snacks, but she always had papa.

Mikasa smoothed her pajama shorts and shirt and ran her hand through her unkempt hair. She tried to make herself as cute as possible. She stopped by the mirror really quick and practiced her begging face. After she was satisfied, she went over to her papa who was reading a book on the couch.

"Papa, can I have ice cream?" She asked.

"No." Eren said. "Your mom wants you to eat dinner first."

The book was blocking Eren's view of her. She needed to get him to look at her so she could convince him.

She ran over to the side of the couch, got on the couch, and sat on her knees to Eren's left. Eren turned from his book and regarded her, looking over to her.

"Please papa." She begged, putting her hands together.

"You know what your mama would say." Eren said.

"But I'll still eat, I just want something sweet and tasty." She tried even harder to look cute.

"Mikasa, I said no." Eren said, though Mikasa started to see the cracks in his resolve.

"Ok papa." She looked down sadly and sniffed a bit, looking like she was going to cry. "I'll listen to you. I'm sorry."

Guilty, that's how Eren felt right now. His daughter looked so sad and tiny, like her little heart was broken. She looked like she was about to cry. Eren never wanted any of his children to cry or be sad. He made a promise to always make sure they were happy.

"You can have one." Eren relented.

"Yay!" Mikasa yelled in excitement and hugger her papa. "Thank you, papa."

After she ran back to the kitchen, Eren sighed and continued reading his book. It was details on the most dangerous mountains in the world to climb. So far, Eren had already got Mount Everest and K2, both mountains he climbed on his summer break while he was in college.

Suddenly, Eren felt a presence leave the kitchen. He looked up and saw his beautiful wife, dressed in an apron and holding a spatula, glaring right at him. Ai looked annoyed and even a little mad.

"What?" Eren asked.

"Why is our daughter saying you let her eat ice cream?" Ai asked.

"Because I did." Eren said.

"You know I don't want any of them having ice cream before dinner." Ai said.

"You should have told her no then." Eren shrugged.

Ai was about to throw something at her husband. She thinks it's completely adorable how easy it is for their daughter to guilt him into her requests, but he really needed to learn to say no to her pleading face.

"Learn to know when your daughter is manipulating you." Ai said.

"She's not manipulating me." Eren shrugged. "She was just sad."

Ai couldn't help but facepalm. This is the Akuma no Ko, the man who wiped out the largest Yakuza group in the Kanto Region, who was considered to be the most dangerous criminal in Japanese history.

Yet he was easily manipulated by his daughter's sad face.

It did make Ai smile a little bit. Eren was so easy for Mika-Chan to manipulate. It reminded her of President Saitou, how Ai could easily sway him with a bit of well placed tears. Though it was much more effective on Eren.

"You need to be firmer with her like you are with Kawachi." Ai explained.

"I am firm with her." Eren said.

Ai shook her head. Mikasa already had her papa wrapped around her finger. Eren was unable to break free.

"So, how was work?" She asked.

"Nothing special." Eren said. "I'm heading down to the coast tomorrow, apparently we're checking out something weird."

"Really, what?" Ai asked.

"Probably some teenagers doing a prank, but there's weird markings on the beach. People are saying it's big footprints, but we're checking it out in case a boat snuck into Japan and they're misreading the signs." Eren explained.

"Exciting." She giggled.

"I'll be heading out earlier than normal." Eren said. "So, I won't be there for breakfast."

"You just want to see the ocean at sunrise, don't you." Ai called him out.

Eren stayed quiet. He was such an easy person to read sometimes. Even after all these years, every time they went to the beach, Eren would take a moment to stare at it with that same look of awe and innocents. No matter how cute of a swimsuit she'd wear, she'd always lose out to that damned ocean.

Ai almost began

Ai turned and went back to cooking, preparing a meal for their family of six.


Ruby was enjoying a nice bit of ice cream after dinner. She was eating her favorite flavor and sitting on the couch with her feet up and her knees tucked to her chest. She was waiting patiently for the call from the agency.

Aqua was next to her, watching the TV that was a recent movie that came out. Most of the family was watching it, though Aqua had a vague bit of interest in it. He watched it, but had his mind focused more on his entrance exams since he knew he would pass it easily.

He moved his left hand a bit, still feeling it being a bit weak. Since his arm healed, there was a big scar that healed poorly on his forearm since it constantly got reopened. His grip in his left hand was weaker than it should be, but it only impeded him if he attempted extreme sports.

Kawachi and Mikasa were laying on the floor and playing on their parents phones, watching YouTube. They were a bit bored but knew their bedtime would be soon.

Eren and Ai were on the couch as well, though Eren kept reading his book since he really didn't enjoy watching movies. He never got into them and felt like they were a waste of time. He'd much rather read stories since he's done that since he learned how to read Eldian.

"They're calling!" Ruby said in excitement as she pulled her phone out.

"Answer!" Ai said. "But put it on speaker!"

"Oh man, I can't wait!" Ruby said.

Ruby hit answer and put the phone on speaker. The entire family went quiet as she listened in to the manager of one of the talent agencies.

"Hello, is this Hoshino Ruby?" He asked.

"Y-yes, this is H-Hoshino Ruby." Ruby said, nervous about the call.

"We got you application and we were impressed with your interview. We wanted to let you know that we were very impressed with your performance." He said.

Ruby smiled, knowing that this was likely them telling her that she was accepted.

"Thank you very much, I've been looking forward to working with you." She said.

"However, we can't accept your application." He said.

"Oh... ok." Ruby's demeanor changed slowly.

At first, she felt as if she was in shock but didn't know what to say. They just said everything went well, so why are they saying she got rejected? It didn't make sense.

"Listen." The guy said. "They didn't want me to say why but I will, so you don't wonder. They really did like you, and they said you seem like you have the potential to be a good idol one day. But then they checked who your parents were when you put their information down on the application."

Oh...

Ai looked sadly at her daughter, knowing exactly where this was going. There was no hiding your parents' information since producers cannot allow young girls to sign contracts without parental permission. So obviously, they would need to know Ruby's okassan and otosan.

"Considering you're the daughter of Hoshino Ai and the stepdaughter of the Akuma no Ko, no agency wanted to hirer you since they felt that you would cause a controversy or would be too dangerous to employ. So, they decided to reject your application." He said, his voice full of sincerity and sympathy.

"I understand." Ruby said, her voice beginning to crack.

"Look, don't give up, ok." He said. "I think you were really good; you just need to find the right manager. I know it can be hard, but I do think you have talent. So just, keep your head up."

"Thank you." Ruby said, her voice beginning to fail her. "Please have a nice day."

Ruby hung up the phone.

Ai looked at her daughter sadly as she stood still, the phone in her hand and tears beginning to appear on her eyes. Ruby looked so sad at the rejection she received from the talent agency.

Ai knew that there could be stigma from her own past and controversy as an idol. No doubt many agencies were worried about the kind of backlash they could receive if anything happened to Ruby. Most people still knew who Ai was, and although she slowly faded into obscurity, many people still know her because of how sudden her controversy was.

Especially with Eren. Eren never cared about his reputation, he barely had a concept of the internet and has enough knowledge to use a computer now. However, he has no social media presence and doesn't care what people say about him.

The issue is how his children are treated because of him. Kawachi experienced bullying due to Eren's past and a lot of kids tended to avoid Mikasa. While she wasn't bullied like her brother, she did have social anxiety around strangers because of how people would ignore her for being the daughter of the Akuma no Ko.

And it seems that this is another example of how Eren's mistakes hurt his family.

"Ruby..." Eren began. "I'm sorr-"

"It's not your fault." Ruby said through her tears. "Not yours or mama's. You saved us papa. Mama chose to have us even though it was a risk to her career. It's not y-you f-fau-"

Ruby turned from her family and ran upstairs, wanting to be alone.

Her words were partially a lie. Logically, Ruby knew that her parents had nothing to do with any of this. She knew that they could never have predicted this and that in the end, she was alive because of their choices. She knew that, she really did.

So why was she frustrated at her parents? She knew she shouldn't be, but she can't stop the feelings she's having. She knew it was wrong, but she can't stop this anger in her chest. This anger that makes her want to cry and feel sorry for herself.

Ruby knew that she would get over this and move on, but right now, she just wanted to cry and be angry.

Ai though, she felt horrible. Her actions and mistakes have cost Ruby her dream. Her dream of following in her footsteps and becoming an amazing idol. Ai knew Ruby would be amazing, she had the same drive and the same energy as Ai.

Ruby was also incredibly beautiful. Her blonde hair and red eyes made her so unique that just her presence alone would attract people to her. He voice and singing was amazing, her dancing was as good as Meimei's was, but all of that was ruined because of Ai and Eren's mistakes.

"Can she try elsewhere?" Eren asked.

"Sure, there are other agencies out there. But she might run into the same thing." Ai said.

"So there's nothing?" Eren asked.

"Reputable agencies? Not really." Ai said.

"Reputable?" Eren asked.

"There are more unprofessional and underground agencies, but that can be dangerous." Ai said.

"Dangerous?" Eren asked. "How so?"

"Many of them are run by shady people, and some of them have their idols get into... adult orientd jobs." Ai said, trying to avoid that topic around the younger twins.

"You mean pornography?" Eren asked.

"Kids!" Ai yelled, pointing to Mikasa and Kawachi.

"My bad." Eren said.

"But yes, that's a concern." Ai said.

"Isn't it a good thing she got rejected?" Aqua asked.

"Aqua-Chan, it's her dream." Ai argued.

"I know, it's just after what happened with you, I feel like it could be bad for her." He said.

Ai noticed he rubbed his scarred arm, making Ai think back to those two months of hell they dealt with, where her son almost died multiple times. It didn't surprise her that Aqua was against idols since he almost died.

Aqua though, he was glad that Ruby didn't get picked. He tried to convince her to focus on something better. To use her second chance at life to pursue something that could secure her a future instead of how dangerous being an idol is.

Not only did Ai have to deal with crazed stalkers and shady producers, but she got paid so little. Even if Ruby made it big, Aqua felt that if she applied herself to studying, she would have a much better future.

"Aqua, it's her choice. The same way I chose to be a mama and an idol. No matter how hard it is, I don't want either of you to ever give up on your dreams." Ai said.

Aqua couldn't argue that. He did initially feel like he wanted to somehow stop Ruby, but decided not to. If she did get into being an idol, she'd have the experience of her okassan, the physical protection of her otosan, and the financial support of her family. She'd be largely safe, especially since Aqua learned how to fight.

"Hey mama." Mikasa interjected.

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

"What does oneechan need to become an idol?" She asked.

"Well, oneechan needs a manager to help her with the legal side of things and help her get jobs as an idol." Ai said. "Plus, the funding from a production company since they'll need to pay for expenses for traveling and organizing concerts." Ai listed off, remembering what President Saitou needed to do.

"Well, you were an idol, could you be her manager?" Mikasa asked.

Ai put her finger to her chin, thinking about the possibility. In terms of experience as a manager, Ai was somewhat lacking. She saw what President Saitou did, but she never really had to handle that side. She focused entirely on practice and dancing.

However... could she do it? It shouldn't be that hard to learn how to be a manager.

The only issue was the money. She'd need help from a production company. Eren made good money, but he wasn't wealthy. He couldn't even afford a fraction of the resources they would need.

"I could." Ai said. "I have the experience, and I have no doubt I could learn the managerial side, but we don't have the money."

"What about Kaguya?" Eren asked. "She could help out."

"It's a decent idea, with her we'd have no money issues at all. But it would be a bad idea." Ai said.

"Why?" Eren asked.

"It's no secret that your crimes were swept under the rug because of the Shinomiya Conglomerate. So, if they provided help, it would make Ruby look like she's favored and give off the impression that she's basically paid to succeed. Which would also damage her reputation."

"You being her manager wouldn't damage her reputation?" Eren asked.

"It could, or it could help." Ai said. "It would be better for her to gain sympathy. No doubt, people would assume I'd be trying to relive my old fame through my daughter. It could be a good way to gain sympathy at the cost of my reputation." Ai thought to herself.

"You're ok with that?" Eren asked.

"Of course." Ai said. "For my children's dreams, I'll gladly sacrifice my reputation again."

Ai gave Eren a genuine and warm smile, showing her dedication to her family.

"So, if we want Ruby to succeed, we'll need to play on a redemption story for her. Let people assume I'm using her for selfish reasons and to emphasize Ruby's desire to redeem herself due to her okassan's controversy." Ai thought out loud. "It could work if we play the script right. However, it could also go bad as well. It's really a roll of the dice honestly."

"Which doesn't matter if we can't get the money." Eren said.

"What about Saitou-San?" Kawachi recommended.

"Didn't he quit?" Eren asked.

"No, he did have to rebrand Strawberry Productions, but it's still a talent agency." Ai said, remembering her conversations with Miyako in the past few weeks. "He doesn't do idols anymore... but we could ask him to reopen that department."

"We?" Eren asked. "That'll have to be you, he still doesn't care for me."

"Miyako-San tells me he respects you, just still isn't a fan of how secretive you are about your past." Ai said.

"Yea papa, Miyako-San says you're just pretending to be deep and mysterious because mama likes you." Mikasa said.

"I'm not being mysterious." Eren said, crossing his arms. "You people just never believe me." He shrugged.

"I believe you're from another world Eren." Aqua said jokingly.

Eren glared at Aqua, knowing that they were the only people who knew each other's situation. Minus Ruby, who knows Aqua is reborn but doesn't know Eren is from another world or that Eren knows she was reborn.

"Both of you are so mean." Ai said, faking a pouty voice.

"Do you want to tell Ruby our plans?" Eren asked, changing the subject.

"Let's wait until after I have a chance to talk with President Saitou." Ai said. "He's been reluctant to deal with idols since me, so it'll take some convincing."

"Fair enough." Eren said. "Anyway, you two, bed." Eren pointed at his two youngest.

"What?" Kawachi tried to argue.

"Now." He said in a stern and commanding voice.

"Yes papa." Mikasa said sadly as she moped her way upstairs.

Kawachi just sighed and did what he was told, knowing that there was no arguing with their authoritative otosan. He could maybe convince his okaasan, but not his otosan.

Ai giggled at the display. She was glad that they had this dynamic. Eren, although loving, was a strict parent. At least until Mikasa learned how to manipulate him with fake tears. But he provided much of the discipline and fear that the children needed to grow well.

Well, fear wasn't the right word exactly. He never actually scared the children, but they respected his authority and never dared to go against him.

Ai on the other hand was different. Aqua remarked that at times it was easy to disobey her since she was very kind to her children, but she provided the love and gentleness that contrasted with Eren's stricter style.

Aqua and Ruby never really disobeyed her, except that one time Aqua always ran away when he was four, but Mikasa and Kawachi were different. They acted like she imagined regular kids to act. They were selfish and made trouble, which was exactly how children their age should act.

But Ai loved how she was as a mother. She wanted her children to have that soft and nurturing parent that they would trust to bring their problems to.

It was a family dynamic that she believed would help to raise them to be good people one day.

"I'm heading to bed; I need to get up early tomorrow." Eren said.

"Ok Darin, I'll be up in an hour or two. I want to start researching how to manage an idol talent branch." Ai said.

"Don't lose sleep over this Ai." Eren said. "You'll do fine."

"Just fine?" Ai asked, with a mocking tone.

"Good enough I think." Eren chuckled, only to duck as his wife playfully threw a pillow at him.

Still with that dumb idol act. He still wasn't a fan of her act, but in a way it's become endearing.

"I best head to sleep too." Aqua said. "We'll be starting high school soon and I want to be rested for the exams."

"You'll do well Aqua-Chan." Ai smiled.

"I know." He shrugged.

He was a doctor and he actually continued to refresh himself on advanced subjects for years, so he knows he'll ace the exam.

Ai though... he just sounded arrogant. He always kind of had that sense of he knows everything and was extremely perceptive. Even as a child he was very intelligent. However, as arrogant as it was, Ai knew he was right. He's pretty much got perfect scores on every test he ever took.

"Goodnight Aqua-Chan. I love you." Ai smiled and waved.

"Goodnight okaasan." He said.

Now, to get her laptop and start researching. She knew she'd have a lot to learn in order to become a manager.


So, as I've said before, many things will be different but follow some of the same beats at first. For example, Miyako isn't working as a manager since Saitou never quiet because Ai didn't die. Aqua isn't as jaded as he was before because there is no danger or need for revenge. Although he's against Ruby being an idol, he doesn't sabotage it because Ruby has a full support system from the family.

This is also where Eren's exploits as a criminal cause's issues. Let's face it, Eren does not care what people think of him. No one can physically threaten him, and he doesn't care if he's hated. He already wiped out most of one world, so he's used to being despised. However, his past does cause issues for his family, which is the thing that does affect him.

Plus, we get to have a new generation of B-Komachi with Ai leading it. We all love Miyako, she really became an amazing character with how much she sacrificed, but it made no sense to make her a manager if Ai lived. She took over Strawberry Productions out of necessity when Saitou fell into depression.

Now, I was worried about doing a sequel since it's easy to fall into the trap of forgetting what made the previous work good. Especially since now I have unique challenges. For example, Eren's character progression can't be redone or not make sense. He can't be how he was when he first came to Earth, which means I have to continue his progression in a different yet interesting way that doesn't contradict his previous progression. I'm actually really nervous about it lol.

Though one thing I'm excited about... EVERYONE knows Japanese. So now I don't have to use italics to differentiate languages. That was so annoying lol. Eren finally learned lol.

I really hope you guys enjoy this story. I will do my best to maintain consistency and meet all expectations. I already came up with how this story will be and end all the way back to after the first concert arc in A Second Chance, so at least it's planned lol.

So, we'll see if I have what it takes to make a good sequel lol.