If Kana Arima could, she would be throttling Abura at this very second.

She settled with piercing his sensitive eardrums with her indignant screech over the phone. "Why on earth are you canceling?!"

Kaoru Abura's sigh was so pronounced that Kana could perfectly imagine him wincing, holding his phone away from his head before switching to the speaker. "My uncle got me a big role in a musical stage play," he answered, which only made things more infuriating.

Alone in her homeroom classroom, saddled with clean-up duties by herself after getting the short end of the stick from her classmates again, Kana took a quick second to pull back the resentment. She couldn't immediately work the nice, courteous card after the outburst she just gave, so she went with sounding matter-of-fact. "Can he get me a role, too?"

"… He still doesn't like you, baking soda."

Kana dropped the half-hearted pretense of civility. "He only knows the Kana Arima from years ago!"

"She's not that different personality-wise from the Arima of today."

Another bridge she had burned when she was younger, naive, and such a bother to work with. Kana had honestly hoped reconnecting with Kaoru Abura during their tween years and gaining him as a senpai in Yoto High would have led to reconciliation with his uncle, and thus more acting opportunities through the elder Abura. Unfortunately, in the few instances where Kana as she was now was able to get in the same room as Abura's uncle, he was as cold and uncompromising as she remembered.

"Alright, forget about that!" Kana said. Niceties weren't getting her anywhere with this family. She needed to play with a stricter hand. "What's more important is you flaking on the single day of filming you said you were available for!"

Abura's nonchalance was irritating in its own right. "Not all of us are lucky enough to get cast in the lead role of an adaptation of their favorite manga, you know. You do you, so let me do me."

"You know the show is trash! At least you could have injected some legitimate acting into it." He had real skill as an actor. Kana respected him on that front. His other qualities, on the other hand, like keeping his word… "We're going to have to settle on some dumb last-minute schmuck who won't be able to do the scene justice." Not like they did any of the other scenes real justice, but her point stands!

"You've already got your in with Kaburagi, and got to meet Sweet Today's creator. Be happy with that. The only thing I'd get out of being in that show is a paycheck worth pennies. I'm not really sorry that I'm going with the job with more pay, exposure, and dignity with real co-stars."

Kana didn't bother hiding her growl. "I won't forget this."

"Yeah, well, I still haven't forgotten the last movie we did together."

Oh, they were playing this game again? Kana huffed a haughty breath. "What about that podcast I got you an invite for? The one which also featured Yura Katayose in that episode?"

"… I'm the one who got you the voice role in that musical anime."

"And the stage play last year based on that video game you like so much?"

"I only played the new character they made up for that play!" Ha! Abura let his cool, steadfast temperament break. His true self was even more childish than Kana at her worst. "It wasn't even one of the actual characters from the game. Total crap, man."

"You still got to meet the original writer and designer for the game. Didn't you?" Surely that particular favor Kana had given him was worthy enough for repayment she could cash in now?

"… The war drama."

Kana stiffened.

"You said the director was a good guy, but he was a total psycho."

" … I didn't know what he really was. I honestly didn't. I'm sorry."

There was no hint of a performance or underlying scheme in Kana's words. She was genuinely remorseful for that entire debacle. Even if she was too young to actually be held culpable for the danger she, Abura, and the other actors had been in because of that psychotic director and his insane need for his sick vision of "realism", Kana still felt guilty.

At the time, she had told herself that the public sympathy, the token work opportunities from other producers, and the money from the lawsuit against the director had been good enough compensation.

She and Abura weren't the closest of friends, but he still confided in her about his nightmares about those days.

"I believe you," Abura went on, also speaking with nothing but the truth. "I can even forgive you. We were both dumb kids thinking we were hot shit trying to make it big even back then… but I'm more like my uncle than you think, Arima. I haven't forgotten."

If they were still playing the who-owes-who game, then he had just put his best card on the table. "So there's nothing I can say that can convince you to be in Sweet Today."

"No, there isn't."

This bridge with the younger Abura wasn't burnt irreversibly, but it wasn't strong enough for them to meet halfway on this. Kana couldn't really blame Abura for backing out on the shoddy show with pretty models pretending to be thespians. Producer Masaya Kaburagi didn't have the contacts or influence in the right places where Abura wanted to take his career. To be honest, neither did Kana, so it only made more sense for him to go along with his uncle than to stand by his overbearing junior.

"Listen, I gotta go. Good luck with finding a replacement, baking soda."

Abura hung up.

If only Kana's teachers when she was still a rookie child star had emphasized the importance of networking to her more. Great talent can never see the light of day if all the people propping up the spotlights had someone else in mind for their stage and weren't willing to throw a bone to a person gossiped widely about her bad attitude. Whether it was nepotism or non-familial endorsements, friends in good relationships vouching for one another, Kana hadn't put in the work in that field as she should have to strengthen those strong ties. The likes of Kaoru Abura maintaining ties with her had been a lucky break, especially after the war drama, but the well was running dry by this point as far as tangible benefits to her career went.

Her best chance now to get more worthwhile roles in the near future and down the line was through Masaya Kaburagi. Kana's skill as an actress wasn't in question, and facilitating a good atmosphere during filming for Sweet Today in spite of all its problems could only do so much to curry favor. If she wanted to make an even bigger positive impact on Kaburagi, and do Yoriko Kichijouji's masterpiece manga justice for one of Sweet Today's most important scenes, then Kana was going to need to find an actor with even a fraction of Abura's ability.

As she continued cleaning her classroom, Kana went through the list of actors in her year at Yoto High in her head again. Most already had other commitments on the scheduled day of filming, so she filtered the names of upperclassmen who could theoretically replace Abura and might be agreeable to a little pizazz Kana could put into her sales pitch. Being on a project related to Sweet Today alone wouldn't be good enough. Aside from Kaburagi, there wouldn't be any good work connections to be made, either, and a lot of the upperclassmen Kana knew already had a producer or an agent diligently getting them work…

Kana was still considering relevant names and viable arguments to shoot them when she found herself near the edge of the classroom, where a couple windows by the hallway were open. There weren't many students strolling down the hall, but her ears caught two of them coming near and holding a conversation.

"Are you sure you don't want Miyako to pull strings so that we're all in the same class?"

Kana let her eyes drift and saw a beautiful girl and a handsome boy in middle school uniforms. They were likely here applying to attend Yoto High.

That boy looked awfully familiar… and so did the girl…

The boy was shaking his head. "That wouldn't even be feasible given how I'm–"

"Hey, guys!"

The new voice sounding so much like the blue-eyed blond boy interrupting himself almost made Kana think her eyes and ears were playing tricks on her. But things were cleared up as another boy, identical to the first one from head to toe, lightly jogged toward them from behind.

Was that a scar across his face?

Kana was distracted by the voice again. While highly resembling the first boy, the second's definitely conveyed a different energy. "Did you know Kaoru Abura goes to Yoto High, too?"

Friends of Abura? Could they be teen actors seeking to go to the same school as him?

"Aqua's acting senpai, right?" said the red-eyed girl. "I remember he was an upperclassman back in our first year of middle school, too."

"Yup!" said the boy with the scar down the middle of his face. Him and his two companions were gathered in the middle of the corridor, oblivious to Kana keeping a low profile as she spied on them. "I ran into his sister Kaori in the restroom. She's applying here to be with her brother! It's like a reversal of Aqua's reason for applying with us!"

"… Was it the girls' restroom where you met her?"

"Yeah!"

"Why were you in the girls' restroom?"

"Because the boys' room was full. Duh!"

The first boy, Aqua, sighed. "Ruby, you can table the suspicion. Kaori wasn't even the girlfriend back then who pulled him into a restroom for a make-out session."

"Don't blame me for worrying! Kaori used to be one of Cobie's favorites."

With a sympathetic smile, the second boy patted the girl's shoulder. "It's alright, Ruby. I'm not the Blue Rose anymore. I don't kiss anyone who isn't currently my girlfriend already, and I'm not looking for a girlfriend to begin with. As a result, ex-girlfriends are people I'm not supposed to randomly kiss. We just talked. That's it."

Kana blinked.

She could place names to the trio's faces now, but attributing the third of them, this "Cobie", as a Blue Rose didn't seem right. Even only from the little Kana has seen of him, he had an innocent air that didn't suit a womanizing heartbreaker.

Then again, wasn't there some big thing related to the Blue Rose story a few years ago? There had been a diverse cast of celebrities running a charity livestream. One of the mascots they had was… a guy in a Blue Rose mask? If she remembered the second-hand stories she had heard, then didn't he eventually take off the mask to reveal…

"Alright, sorry," Ruby was saying defensively, crossing her arms and turning away. "She was a decent dancer for the cultural festival back in our first year. If she's applying for Yoto High, do you think she'd be willing to become an idol?"

"Probably not. She has a new boyfriend now, so…"

Ruby groaned in frustration. Aqua gave his own supportive pat on the back for her. "I'm sure you'll meet more girls skilled and inclined to do idol work at this school."

So Ruby aimed to be an idol. It didn't sound like the twin boys were doing the same. Were they gunning to be actors instead? Kana listened further to see if it'd be worth it to introduce herself and tell them about Sweet Today. Even if they were actors, they might not be up to Kaoru Abura's level of professionalism to not cause trouble on-set.

"You should become friends with Kaori again!" Cobie encouraged. "She mentioned how her uncle got Kaoru a role in a musical. You can probably meet some girls who can sing and dance through him."

"I don't know why I even asked in the first place," Ruby bemoaned in a defeatist tone. "Kaori probably still doesn't like me. It'll be a pain to try rebuilding bridges with her."

"It's work worth doing, Ruby! But, if it makes things easier, Aqua is still friends with Kaoru, right? You can network through him!"

Aqua had to be the older twin, and Cobie the younger one. With the resemblance they shared to Ruby, was she their sister?

"We're not friends, Cobie," Aqua said patiently. "Not all co-workers become close friends. We just happened to be paired together on a lot of jobs since we're close in age and related to other big names in the industry. I barely talk with him outside of work."

"But Kaoru still mentions you in the Discord server we're in."

"There's a reason I muted that server. I imagine it's all complaints about me."

"Well, half are complaints. Half are compliments about your acting."

So he was an actor! Kana opened up her mental database of teen actors…

And then she realized the trio she was eavesdropping on had less than common Japanese names… with the one named Aqua being an actor among them…

"Begrudging compliments," said Aqua, "I'm sure."

With a teasing smirk, Ruby said, "It sounds like you're more friends with him than Aqua's antisocial butt, Cobie."

Cobie shrugged. "But I haven't spoken to Kaoru face-to-face or in voice chat in forever. Aqua's seen him more during their acting work, so it should be easier for Aqua to help you."

With a snort, Aqua asked, "Does he say my full first name over texts, too?"

"Hmm, I guess he does. He always types out–"

Kana chose that moment to reveal herself.

"Aquamarine Hoshino?"

Her question brought two pairs of striking blue and a single set of red eyes, a different shade of pink from Kana's own, to stare directly at her.

Cobie looked intrigued. Ruby was frowning. Aqua was a wall which Kana couldn't quite discern, which was reassuring in its own way; Aqua Hoshino was known for his superb control over his facial expressions, going from whimsical happy to emotionally dead in the blink of an eye. An actor like that should be more than adequate for the Sweet Today stalker.

It had been years since Kana had last worked with the rookie actor who had completely upstaged her in their roles as creepy horror-themed children, but from everything she's heard about Aqua and from all the material she's viewed him in, he hasn't lost his step since then. Though Kana had been deprived of an acting rematch with him throughout their careers in Tokyo, she ignored the lingering scars of her wounded pride to capitalize on the opportunity presented before her.

"Can I help you?" Aqua asked shortly.

Kana grinned as she hopped through one of the windows to stand in the hall with the rest of them. "You're really Aqua Hoshino, right? The child actor son of Ai Hoshino? Which makes you two his little brother and sister, Cobalt and Ruby Hoshino!"

Aqua looked Kana over. "… You're the child actress Kana Arima, right?"

He recognized her! This was going to be easier than she–

"Oh! That salt-licking snitch, right?"

"I think it was baking soda she licked."

The byplay from the younger siblings was nostalgic in its own way, and absolutely annoying. "The genius child actress who can cry in ten seconds flat!" Kana swiftly corrected with unbidden umbrage. "Of all things about me, why did you have to remember the lies you made up?! Lies that other people still believe to this day!"

She glared at Cobalt Hoshino specifically. Ruby may have been the one to first call her a baking soda licker, but Cobalt Hoshino – the name behind the popular Elemental Orel internet personality – had prompted a new wave of people, Kaoru Abura included, to call Kana Arima similar nicknames thanks to a viral video that had spread like wildfire…

"Man," Cobalt breathed out, staring at Kana in amazement, "you've hardly changed, Kana!"

"It's Arima! Arima-senpai while we're at it!"

"You're just like how I remembered you when we first met!" He leaned closer toward her, just an inch before he got too into her personal space. The more she spent time with the Hoshinos, the more she was reminded of their original meeting during filming for Taishi Gotanda's award-winning movie, except Cobalt's speech was far more comprehensible now. Ruby also wasn't threatening to punch her out for alleged misbehavior toward her baby brother, which was a nice change of pace. "Your eyes and hair are really red, your voice is still very striking, and you still look as pretty as ever!"

Now she can better see where people might have mistaken Cobalt Hoshino for a Blue Rose type. Beyond the reveal on the charity livestream making the public associate the two together, those with less keen social awareness as Kana wouldn't realize that Cobalt was just being outspoken with genuine compliments; he wasn't flirting. He was… the same stupidly sincere, innocent irritant who had needed a box of chocolate shoved into his mouth to keep him from making unnecessary noise on set, wasn't he? Except as a teenage celebrity, he was armed with a popular YouTube channel to get countless people listening to his nonsense, emboldening him to keep at the childish mannerisms.

Cobalt's aura of happiness waned as a frown formed on his face. "Oh, you don't like being called a salt licker, don't you?"

"Of course not!"

"I guess I relied on my memories of you during Aqua's first acting role a little too well for the Salt Snitch character in that Halloween episode. So if people saw that, they'd be more likely to call you nicknames related to salt or baking soda, huh?"

Kana was startled by the bow Cobalt abruptly gave. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to encourage people to do that or anything."

Okay, she may have been letting past impressions of the kid cloud her judgment.

"It's alright," she said quickly, not willing to let her awkwardness cement itself. She still had a job to do. "Apology accepted. I'm exaggerating anyway when I say people still call me the girl who licks baking soda."

With Cobalt regaining his bright disposition, Kana saw it fit to also reignite her own outward positivity, showering the siblings with another easygoing smile. Ruby looked on vaguely amused at her little brother's sudden apology. Aqua was still a wall, but Kana's intuition told her he must be feeling the same if the considerate older brother she had briefly known hadn't lost his luster. "So, if the Hoshino triplets are all here, then that must mean you're all gunning for the performing arts department like I already am! Right?"

"Actually," Aqua said, "I submitted an application for Gen-Ed."

Kana's shock came out without restraint. "What the hell?! A talented actor like you settling for something so generic at an esteemed school like Yoto High?" She wasn't even trying to stroke his ego. Kana had expected more from someone of his status.

Aqua shrugged nonchalantly. "I may have started working in this industry at an early age, but I have other interests and aspirations which necessitate taking more classes outside of the arts."

Ruby hummed supportively. "Aqua would be skipping high school entirely and going directly to university if he didn't spend so much time acting."

"I wouldn't go that far," Aqua lightly rebuked.

Cobalt had stars in his eyes as he hugged Aqua with one arm and flourished a hand in front of them. "Aqua's really smart! He plans on becoming a full-time doctor and a part-time actor when he grows up!"

The kid still worshiped and greatly respected his big bro, that was for sure.

Come to think of it, Cobalt was also an actor, though with far fewer credits than Aqua. Most of his resume was voice acting for his YouTube stuff, but maybe Cobalt could also play the role of the Sweet Today stalker… His real personality was an honest sort that had no compulsion to hide behind a facade, no underlying self-serving agenda for Kana to anticipate and maneuver around, so he'd be easier to lean on and solicit work from. It sounded like Cobalt was a fan of Kana Arima, as well, so if the more popular Aqua was a bust like how Kaoru Abura had been, then–

"By the way," Ruby said, "loli-senpai–"

"Start calling me that or any other silly names and I'll bully you!"

"I noticed you were eavesdropping on our conversation ever since Cobalt walked up to us."

Kana faltered. Had she really not been keeping herself scarce as well as she had thought? "I wasn't–"

"Wow," said Cobalt, "your instincts on knowing when people are watching us are still really good, Ruby!"

The middle sibling nodded happily at the praise. "It's been a while since I've seen you in anything on TV or the movie theater."

Kana winced even harder, suffering spiritual damage akin to an arrow piercing through her abdomen and into her very soul.

"So I'm assuming when you figured out who Aqua is, you decided to try schmoozing him for work."

"That's…" Why couldn't Kana have found Aqua alone? Or Cobalt alone? Navigating the waters around all three siblings at once was proving to be a challenge she hadn't sufficiently mentally prepared herself for. "That's not… No, I was–"

Aqua cut in with an inquisitive edge to his voice. "Do you remember Taishi Gotanda?" he asked. "The director for that film we worked on together when we first met?"

Grateful for the shift in topic, Kana was quick to reply. "Of course! He's your mentor in the entertainment business – Well, the one you'd go to after your mom, right?"

"Yeah. Since my siblings and I are done with our applications and interviews for Yoto High, I was actually planning on heading to Gotanda's place. If you want, you can tag along and see if he knows of anything available for a young actress like you."

Of course, Kana was more inclined to ask if Aqua was interested in work, but reconnecting with Gotanda was its own boon to which she couldn't say no. The director's reputation was a decent one, too. For that original film ages ago, he had even given a few snippets of advice she had kept in mind to improve herself after uselessly wailing away about being bested by Aqua. Perhaps the middle-aged Gotanda will be stirred by nostalgia and give his own suggestions for Kana and Aqua to work together again? If she played her cards right, bringing up Sweet Today should come up organically. Then she can give her best pitch to get the son of Ai Hoshino on the show!

"Sure, I'd love to come!" Kana agreed "It'd be great to see Director Gotanda after so long, too."

Kana twitched when Cobalt in his obnoxiously loud voice asked, "Can Ruby and I come, too? I could call mom and aunt Miyako, and we could all have a friendly reunion of everyone we still know who was involved in that film when we first met!"

Thankfully, Ruby shot down the prospect of Kana having to convince not only Aqua and Director Gotanda about getting onto Sweet Today, but also Aqua's manager and his mother. "Mama and Miyako are busy, and you and I are supposed to be meeting with Hoshigami today," Ruby reminded Cobalt. "Remember?"

"Oh, that's right! Sorry, Kana. I promised Clay I'd visit him at his new Tokyo apartment today!"

A Clay Hoshigami? Another unusual name, but it sounded vaguely familiar. If he was buddies with Cobalt, chances were he was another YouTuber who Kana has heard of tangentially. "We'll take a rain check on the big reunion," Kana said apologetically. Letting her true self out for another round, she added, "And it's Arima-senpai. Alright?"

Ruby nodded. "Loli-senpai. Got it."

"Do you want to be bullied into oblivion?"

Kana was challenged by a smug leer. "I'd like to see you try."

Bless the boy's pure heart, as Cobalt said, "Alright, Arima-senpai! It's been a while since I had to call someone senpai ever since I became a third-year senpai myself! I'm excited to see how being a high school underclassman feels like compared to one in middle school!"

She'll take what she can get. Snapping her fingers with a wink, Kana pointed at Cobalt and promised him, "Keep that up, and I'll make sure your first year of high school goes smoothly as your reliable senpai!"

"Will do, Arima-senpai!"

From the latest flow of banter, Aqua finally cracked a legit smile!

He quickly hid it as he traded fleeting pleasantries with his siblings before walking away with Kana, but Kana felt satisfied that she came to understand her fellow actor in Aqua a bit better. This kind of basic empathy would have escaped the Kana who had first met these siblings if she were still around today, and she wasn't going to let her own prejudices blind her to the potential around her like last time.

Ruby had memories of disliking Kana Arima as a child, and there were aspects of the grown-up child star to still dislike, but she was far from the worst of unruly classmates or upperclassmen the Hoshino siblings have had to deal with. Aqua wouldn't be tricked into any deals for his acting he wasn't willing to take, Cobalt's presence was already doing its magic for Arima to politely accept him and roll with the punches he naturally shot with his straightforward way of life, and Ruby just might have a senpai who can help her secure idols willing to co-found the new B-Komachi. It'll take time to find the right buttons to press with loli-senpai for Ruby to get something useful out of her, but good on Aqua for using his acting fame to get a head start on Arima.

Admittedly, it was odd of Aqua to voluntarily invite Arima to see Director Gotanda. Others in the past have tried cozying up with Aqua just to get to the bigshot director before. Maybe he was a little nostalgic at the unexpected reunion and was feeling a little more charitable than usual. It wasn't like Aqua needed to build a relationship with Arima, whose lack of recent notable credits spoke plenty already of her fall from grace when she had been a child actress. Aqua had all the connections he needed for more work, so getting closer to Arima had to be something he actually wanted to do for some other reason.

He was his own worst critic on his acting skills, so maybe he wanted to get more advice from another child star? Or there really was a project or two Gotanda had in the works that Arima really would be suited for. Could be a mix of different reasons.

"We're here!" Cobie cheerfully announced.

It wasn't a long walk from Yoto High to the building where Shin had recently bought his own place. The boys in the Hoshino family had helped Shin with moving in new furnishings and his own stuff from Takachiho, but this would be Ruby's first time seeing the new apartment for herself, though she had already spent some time scouting the neighborhood since Cobalt was obviously going to be seeing Shin more often now that he lived in Tokyo. Shin was doing YouTube full-time now, too, not bothering with college, so even with having to uphold his contractual obligations with Strawberry Productions, he got to decide his own hours, which meant he could slot in a lot more time for Cobalt to visit him whether for work or just to hang out.

It hadn't escaped her notice how Shin's apartment was a rather short distance from the Sin Club…

But Ruby had kept her promise to mama to keep a healthier separation from Cobalt's personal life, and Shin had kept his word to outwardly be a better role model to Cobie, so Ruby's worries were only compulsory at this point. Going to Shin's apartment with Cobalt today was her showing her respects for a friend of a friend, not falling into a bout of overprotectiveness. Even if Ruby could never accept Shin as Cobie's adoptive brother, she felt assured Shin wouldn't be endangering him again any time soon.

If anything good came out of Cobie's adventures as the Blue Rose, it was his newfound understanding of people's physical desires toward each other, whether cutely romantic or uncomfortably disturbing. He knew better than to let himself be put in positions to be easily taken advantage of by strangers and would-be predators, and Shin knew well enough the consequences of not dutifully supporting him.

So, Ruby let Cobie lead the way up the staircase to Shin's floor while she absently flipped through posts on her phone about other up and coming idol groups already on the scene. For all the good she had done in vetting Cobalt's girlfriends, she really had invested too much of her own time into Cobie's love life like mama had pointed out. With so many of the female friends she had made finding it too awkward or intimidating to try idol work with the Blue Rose's big sister, Ruby was left with having to find cute and talented girls to recruit at Yoto High, famous for its high-quality performing arts department, and Ruby couldn't be too choosy if she wanted B-Komachi's growth to surpass the other groups already out there.

Using Strawberry's talent scouts or the idol-related contacts mama already had could have been viable options, if not for mama's insistence that the new B-Komachi consist of genuine friends rather than people paired together by a committee of managers, agents, and talents. Ruby was still technically going to have to interview possible members, but she understood mama's sentiment given how she was never really close to the original B-Komachi idols. Mama didn't want her only daughter to feel as isolated or distant as she had been with the girls she sang and sweated with on the stage. Their passion had to be real, for the performance and for each other.

It was just taking longer for Ruby to find good girls to foster relationships like that with. But mark her words, she'll get there before her first year of high school is over!

"Do you have the key?" Ruby prompted as they came to Shin's door in the middle of the hall. Cobalt snapped his fingers before bringing it out.

"Thanks again for coming with me, Ruby! I just wish we could've had more people available for Clay's official housewarming party. Even his dad couldn't make it!"

If Ruby did have another engagement, she would have used that as an excuse not to be here, but she genuinely didn't and couldn't find it in her to lie to Cobie when she asked him to come. Besides, Shin didn't actually have many friends who Ruby knew of that he actually spent time with. Dumb floozies he still hooked up with at the Sin Club, sure, and a couple YouTube collaborators, but no real friends male or female, so Ruby thought throwing him a bone by participating in the little get-together would be a fine enough reward for his good behavior.

Entering the apartment, Ruby was overwhelmed with the same soapy, artificially scented smells Shin used to mask the smell of liquor off his body. She gave him points for prepping the apartment for Cobie's presence, but she wished he had found some other freshener or whatever to use instead. Maybe some real fruit. It was getting real old having to let these scents assault her nose every time she was around the closeted drunkard.

She hadn't wanted her and Cobie's housewarming gift for Shin to have included alcohol, but Cobalt had ordered a gift basket full of confectionaries and a wine bottle before she could tell him not to. They had picked it up on the way after leaving Yoto High, and Cobie set it down on the kitchen countertop. "So, what do you think of the place, Ruby?"

Ruby eyed the bland living room flooded with a bunch of opened and unopened cardboard boxes. "Eh, kinda small considering the money Shin's dad is packing with his real estate booming."

"This place was bought with Clay's own money!"

Right, things between Shin and his dad had been getting increasingly tense as the years passed. It had come to the point where the Hoshino family stayed at one of the senior Hoshigami's other properties when visiting rather than at Shin's house proper, just to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of the latest argument. "Where is Shin, anyway? It's his party we're supposed to be celebrating."

"I don't know. I'll go find him!" It wasn't a large apartment, so Ruby let Cobie wander off while she went to the refrigerator.

As expected, Shin had only lightly stocked it with leftover takeout plus some soda cans and sweets that were as much for himself as they were for Cobie. Not much else in the way of party food. It at least meant Ruby could roll with Plan B of dragging the boys out to eat somewhere with better ambience and aromas than this insufferable–

Ruby heard voices from down the hall.

"What the– Who are you?! How'd you get in here?"

"Oh, I think I know this cat. Orel, right?"

"Yup! I… Hot dog, mister! You're really big! Almost as big as Pieyon!"

Ruby did not recognize two of these voices. She made a mad dash through the apartment to get to Cobie.

She made it to the bedroom doorway and pulled Cobie back into the hall behind her. Inside the bedroom, there was a young adult approximately around Pieyon's age who was standing in the middle of the room. Thank God, contrary to the panicked image that had sprung in her mind's eye, he had his pants on, but he was posing and flexing his shirtless upper body. Also sort of like Pieyon, except his head covered in short blond hair with a thin mustache above his lips laid bare to the world without a mask.

A brunette Ruby didn't recognize was lying on the bed, covering herself with the blanket. In contrast to the man's relaxed demeanor, the woman was frantically looking between Ruby and Cobalt.

"Orel," the woman repeated. "You mean – You two are Ai Hoshino's kids?"

"Who are you all supposed to be?" Ruby asked tersely in return, her hand already slipping into her pocket for the pepper spray. If Shin had made… promiscuous arrangements scheduled for his apartment when he knew Ruby and Cobie were coming over, then he was even sicker than Ruby had thought.

"We're buddies of Shin, little lady," the man said with an easygoing smile, unphased by Ruby glaring daggers at him. "The name's Masayoshi Inoue. Call me Yoshi if you want."

"I'll call you Yoshi, then!" said Cobie. He had grown taller than Ruby as they went through their teen years, so he didn't have to stand on his toes to raise his head above hers to make eye contact with Inoue as he gave a wave. "Nice to meet ya!"

The brunette was getting off the bed, covering her entire body with the blanket. Her smile was plastered with embarrassment. "Pearl Kurata," she introduced herself. "It's a pleasure to meet you. We're here for the housewarming. Now, if you could give us five minutes…"

Inoue wrapped an arm around Kurata's waist and pulled her close. She yelped and blushed as he pressed himself against her. "We can last a little longer than that–"

Ruby shut the door.

She could hear muffled speech coming from the other side. Then the ruffling of clothes and movement across the room. They were probably getting dressed instead of getting back to the only activity that could have caused those unpleasant smells to be emanating from this side of the apartment. It must have been an oversight on Shin's part not to blast air freshener and such here. He must stupidly be thinking that he didn't have to hide as much of who he really is now that he had his own place.

As long as Cobie wanted to be his friend, Shin would never be allowed to show him his real self. He should have understood this already.

"I didn't know Clay had other friends in Tokyo!" Cobalt commented. Ruby glanced at him.

"You didn't recognize them?"

"Nope!"

Then they probably were from Tokyo. Cobie had already made the rounds in Takachiho getting to know anyone and everyone who could have been a friend of Shin's.

Ruby pulled Cobie by his wrist down the hall. "Where are we going?" he asked.

She didn't answer him. She was going to take him home, and telling him would make him object. Saying nothing would make Cobalt have to trust that his big sister knew what she was doing, leading him down the right path.

Unfortunately, their line of escape was cut off by Shin kicking open the apartment front door.

Shin had his hands full with bags of more takeout. He sneered, his pansy body struggling to carry the weight, before spotting the Hoshinos and smiling. A pretty good fake smile, Ruby had to admit. Though primarily an actor specializing purely with his voice, his facial acting had gotten better to not automatically look sourly at Ruby on sight.

"Your other guests are still freshening up," Ruby hissed out. She moved to shoulder her way past Shin, but precious Cobie kept his feet planted now that his third-favorite idol (after mama and Ruby herself) was here.

"Hi, Clay! We met Yoshi and Pearl for the first time!"

"Damn," Shin said with a lighthearted chuckle, embodying the persona that was partway an act which Ruby had come to tolerate, "I was hoping to be there to introduce you all to each other for the first time." He dumped his bags into Ruby's and Cobie's arms before she could react. There was a window of opportunity for Ruby to dart through the door as Shin walked further inside the apartment, but Cobie was already trailing after him like a baby duckling. "Them being here was actually a last-minute thing. I had to go get some extra food to accommodate them."

The two strangers, appropriately dressed, strolled into the room. Kurata wore a modest red sundress. Inoue had a fashionable golden suit on, lacking a tie and in its place an unbuttoned collared shirt showcasing a necklace over his chest.

Ruby swore if Inoue was supposed to be some self-stylized pimp–

"Let me introduce," Shin began as he and Kurata interlocked arms together, "Pearl Kurata! My girlfriend!"

No, Ruby couldn't believe it.

Yet everything about Shin, from his voice to the look in his eye, to the way he was gently holding Kurata like a fragile doll, told Ruby that she should believe what she was seeing and hearing.

Kurata's smile was strained, Shin looked genuine, and Inoue was an arm's length away from them, leaning against the wall, as he smirked down at Ruby.

Cobalt whistled. "Wow, you have a girlfriend, Clay? You must be a real classy lady, Miss Pearl!"

"Thank you," the girl said with clenched teeth, begging with her eyes at him and Ruby to not to say anything more. "Pearl's fine."

"Does that make Yoshi your boyfriend, Clay?"

Both Shin and Kurata sputtered incoherently while Inoue let out a hearty laugh. "Not quite, kid," the tall man said, getting in between the supposed boyfriend and girlfriend to rest his arms on their shoulders. "I'm just a friend who's a boy, here to support these two love birds finally getting a place all to themselves that doesn't charge by the hour."

Cobie frowned, but before he could pop his next question, Shin blurted out, "They're work friends! For – For YouTube stuff. You haven't met them since they're pretty busy with university as of late, but you'll probably see a lot of them now that I'm staying in town for good."

With a whopping cheer, Cobalt forced himself into the group hug. Ruby held back, watching as Kurata very awkwardly returned the embrace. Shin was used to the hugs by now and rustled Cobie's hair. Inoue smoothly stepped away, taking the takeout from Cobie's hands and setting them down.

Ruby could have convinced Cobie to leave even with him obviously interested in hearing the story of Clay's new friends, but she decided to stay. Sticking close to her brother, the food was handed out as they all gathered together and dug into an early dinner.

She carefully observed the three older adults, watching how they played off each other and how they interacted with Cobie.

There was one bright spot when Kurata brought up how she was also a fan of Ai Hoshino when she was younger.

"She had such a beautiful voice," Kurata reminisced fondly, "that I wanted to start singing like her! That's not to say I'm idol material. Not even close, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Ruby Hoshino take the spotlight after her!"

Between her admiration of Ai, and the respectable boundary she had drawn with Cobie so he wouldn't be inserting himself so close between her and Shin, Kurata was slowly earning Ruby's approval.

But otherwise, Ruby was hating every minute of this.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Shin was saying to Kurata. "It's not like chirping crickets can hold a candle up to you!"

Shin laughed at his own sarcastic joke. Cobie followed his example. Kurata didn't find it as funny. "Ha, ha," she said woodenly. "A regular jokester, my Shin is."

"That's Clayman Animations for ya!" Cobie said unironically.

Inoue chuckled, his drink in his hand shaking as he snickered. "I can vouch for Pearl's voice. As exquisite and pure as her namesake."

Kurata blushed again, hiding it behind a soda can she downed a gulp from. Shin was none the wiser, distracted by Cobie nagging him about an upcoming video they were both working on and suggesting Kurata lend her singing voice to it.

At first, Ruby considered a more charitable view of the situation. The only thing close to a polyamorous romance Ruby has seen in real life was Cobie as the Blue Rose entering a three-way relationship in an attempt to resolve a love triangle. It had… mixed success. The Shin who Ruby knew that was starved for affection had a decent chance of trying it out himself if not just paying his whores for a threesome.

Yet, the more she watched on, Ruby was pretty sure what she was witnessing right now wasn't a three-way relationship.

In hindsight, it was perfect karma for Shin to become a victim of adultery after causing Cobie's first relationship to end because of a mistaken case of infidelity he had caused.

But seeing Shin act so ignorantly to the confident teases Inoue was giving and the embarrassed delight Kurata exuded from it was just painful to watch happen in real time.

Had Shin become less observant over the years compared to Cobie getting more conscious of reasonable social cues?

As the dinner progressed, Ruby continued to give canned responses to keep the atmosphere adequately light. Inoue had to leave early, and the sun was setting by the time Ruby and Cobalt had to take their leave. Kurata was already busying herself in cleaning up the leftover food and washing the dishes, so Shin saw the siblings out the door and gave his own farewell.

At an intentful glare from Ruby, Shin told Cobie, "Always call ahead before coming over. If I don't respond, assume I'm not there."

Cobalt's mouth became twisted, fighting back against the disappointment at not being able to pop in for unexpected visits, but he acquiesced like the good boy he was.

"Bye, Pearl!" Cobie yelled as he hopped to shout over Shin. "It was great meeting, you!"

"Likewise, kiddo!" Kurata called back.

Ruby could finally relax without regret as she and Cobie began making the trek back home.

"They were really cool," Cobie said without preamble with the sun shining behind them. "You should've asked Pearl if she wanted to join B-Komachi!"

Ruby scoffed and bit back a retort. "Being a fan of mom isn't enough for someone to be an idol."

"Yeah, but she can put in the work! With more practice, I can see her become a better liar."

Raising an eyebrow, Ruby asked, "A better what?"

Cobie's happy smile never broke. "I know you're all about being honest while performing, but I still remember when mom confessed about lying about love to all her fans. Mom became big and popular because of her lying, so the liar in Pearl could also potentially turn into a famous idol, too."

That was a leap, and the wrong interpretation of events. "Mom was lying to herself about how she really loved us," Ruby reminded him. "Internally, she wasn't willing to admit it, and that was the wrong thing to do. To keep lying and pretending to love her fans as equally as she loved us."

"Which means if Pearl went through the emotional development that mom did as an idol, then there's a good chance she'll stop lying to Clay!"

So Cobie did recognize the unfaithfulness they had stumbled upon. "Do you think Hoshigami's girlfriend genuinely loves him? Like – Like the kind of love you were hoping to find as the Blue Rose?"

Cobie shook his head. "No. She doesn't really love Clay, I don't think. But she wants to, or at least wants to find love in someone. Clay looked happy enough to be the partner she chose to practice with, and it looked like Yoshi was willing to support them both in upholding the lie until Pearl can sort out her feelings!"

Leave it to Cobie to interpret what they both saw into a far-fetched rationalization of something positive happening for all parties involved. "Cobie, you know what infidelity is. How are you so sure Pearl and Inoue weren't just doing that instead, plain and simple?"

"Clay isn't dumb. He's a creative like Aqua who knows how to direct people and gauge their true feelings. He must know Pearl is struggling like how me and mom did, and is helping her."

Cobie was seriously overestimating Shin. He was as fallible as any other human being in the world. Him especially with his indiscretions and vices he kept secret from Cobalt.

Well, it hardly mattered to Ruby what drama Shin found himself in, so long as Cobie wasn't hurt by any of the fallout. Heck, Shin getting his heart broken by the cheating Pearl Kurata might be what kicks him into bettering himself to legitimately be a good older brother figure to Cobie. While Clayman Animations was still doing good numbers, his personal life wasn't going as well, so a little more humility might lead Shin to self improvement.

Ruby still needed to devote more time to building B-Komachi instead of stressing over Shin's love life anyway. Cobie can certainly be there to catch Shin when he inevitably falls.

Aqua finished chewing the next bite of the meal Gotanda's mother had kindly cooked for them before turning to Arima. "So you were hoping to pitch me a job rather than seeing if the director had any openings he could refer you to."

The stuck-up child Aqua had once worked with was now recovered from her earlier discomfort and resolutely nodded. "Yes. Not that I wouldn't be grateful for more referrals, but I'm committed to seeing my current job through first!"

Director Gotanda across the table looked on in amusement. "So, what's the project?"

Arima grinned. "I'm sure you've both heard of I'll Go With Sweet Today? I'm the female lead in the TV adaptation."

Aqua has heard of the highly renowned shoujo manga. He's even read through its entire run. However, he's heard very little of a TV drama version of the story. "I'm a fan of the manga. I cried like a baby during the finale with the stalker."

He said it in a deadpan. Though Arima narrowed her eyes at his tone, she caught on to how he was intentionally messing with her and smirked at him. "How would you like to be in the finale yourself? As one of the characters on the page brought to life?"

"As the murderous stalker, I presume." He wasn't sure if he should take the role. Miyako had voiced worries about Aqua getting typecast for villainous characters given his recent string of gigs. The thespian in Aqua also wouldn't mind more variety. "Funny how you were borderline stalking me and my siblings in order to get here and ask me to play one."

Arima pouted at his exaggeration of her eavesdropping on them. "Come on! It's a simple role that's right in your wheelhouse! If I put in a good word, it's as good as yours! After all, the producer Kaburagi has a soft spot for me. He'll listen to me and be excited at having a Hoshino working with us!"

"... Masaya Kaburagi, I take it?"

Aqua subtly traded looks with Gotanda, who nodded with a solemnity contrary to his cheerful attitude up to this point.

"Yeah," Arima verified for extra measure. "Do you know him?"

Kana Arima had just unknowingly convinced Aqua to agree to her terms without any more unnecessary resistance.

Fate had a funny way of putting Aqua on the most convenient of paths in life for him to get what he wanted.

He had been discussing the Abura family with Ruby and Cobalt at Yoto High when Kana Arima appeared before them. As Aqua talked more with her, he learned of her own ties to Kaoru Abura, who had been the latest of business contacts Aqua had followed specifically to further his efforts toward his ultimate goal.

The real reason Aqua had put effort in being around Kaoru Abura was to get DNA samples of his uncle, an acclaimed producer in music who had previously led reputable composers to contribute to hit B-Komachi songs. Though the man himself and a number of those composers Aqua had the fortune to also meet have since been confirmed to not share blood with the Hoshino triplets, Kaoru Abura still popped up every now and then in Aqua's life.

Even if Abura hadn't directly reintroduced him to Arima, now the girl who Abura had spoken of equally with fondness and childish disdain – the former child star whose acting prowess a younger Aqua had tried to emulate – was giving him a clear line to his next target: Masaya Kaburagi.

Kaburagi… he worked more often than not as an independent producer, connecting talents to a variety of jobs, cultivating their personal growth and fame in the industry so he could include the big names and accomplished entertainers he's been nurturing in select projects of his choosing.

The producer's name was another contact listed on Ai's old cell phone. From Aqua's profile on him thus far, Kaburagi had been someone Ai had met when she was first hired as a model for fashion magazines. Older Strawberry Productions records noted payments provided to Kaburagi for his part in getting her good jobs on that front. When Aqua directed casual conversations to bring up this period of Ai's life, Ichigo had been complimentary of Kaburagi's services. Ai recalled some fond memories of the more lax agent giving a more hands-off approach compared to Ichigo's micromanagement, but there were no hints indicating if her feelings for Kaburagi went beyond platonic gratitude.

With Kaburagi working as a freelancer, Aqua didn't always have definitive confirmation on what projects he was currently working on. Recently, Aqua decided to forgo asking Gotanda directly if he could find out since there were more convenient leads like Abura's uncle to pursue. With the Abura family and different music composers eliminated as possible kin, the gods appeared to deem it fit for Kana Arima to gift Aqua the next lead to pounce on, practically on a silver platter.

Arima was still trying to entice her offer with bonuses – working with people their age, eye candy in the cast, being involved in a manga he was a fan of and possibly getting to meet the creator at the wrap party – but the job could have been an absolute logistical production nightmare with the scummiest of crews working it, and Aqua would still say yes. Because Kaburagi was on the project, and he was a necessary name that had to be crossed off the list.

She must be pretty desperate to go the extra mile in trying to recruit Aqua, but he wasn't complaining.

"I'm between jobs at the moment," Aqua said, interrupting her. "My schedule's pretty clear for the next few weeks, in fact, so give me the time and place, and I'll be there."

Arima's smile intensified.

Using her as an avenue to reach his ultimate goal was surely going to be more tolerable than dealing with Abura.