No musical this time, just a little intermission while I figure out wtf I'm doing.

RANGER: No exactamente, pero lo mencionaré más adelante.

[Hey. You still owe me Komachi's gift.]

It wasn't much, but Hachiman didn't really have anything to tell someone who he'd never met. Let alone someone so far removed from his life that she'd constantly appear on the TV and be known across the country like Hoshino Ai was. It felt particularly strange because, as far as he could tell, there was not a particular reason to actually talk to her. He couldn't ask her if she was doing well with her murder attempt, that'd be insensitive. And it's not like Hachiman wanted to talk about it anyway.

Besides, and Saitou-san warned him beforehand about this, it's not like Hoshino would reply immediately. It filled him with some relief, to think that he'd have time to pull back and prepare for the girl's reply. The very idea that she'd not get mad for him taking his time to do the same tempering his mind enough that he actually sent the message when he went back home that same day.

"..." Staring at his phone, he hit the send button and waited. This whole thing gave him a bad feeling, but he suspected it was due to the bad connotations that doing this entailed. That, or the idea of waiting for hours for a response that might not come brought him back to bad memories "Tsk."

Well, at least he'd been warned this time. It made sense that someone like Hoshino would be busy: no one jumps to fame and stays there with little effort on their part. And besides, Hachiman didn't actually want to talk to her all that much. So, in a way, this whole thing was nothing like before. He didn't have to go through useless expectations and get himself hurt by something so minor. In fact, if he didn't get a reply, that was probably a sign of success.

He couldn't help sighing, being amused with himself as he slacked off on the living room's couch. Still clinging to the cellphone like he was still 15.

What did Saitou-san say? That he should concentrate in healing his heart?

Okay, yeah. This small action? It did feel like he was putting a hand on his younger self's shoulder, it felt just a little bit reassuring. Even if the end goal was to…

[omg]

[hiiiii]

[lunch break is almost can we talk later?]

[imma try to be done by 6 so can i call u round 7?]

[ill save you as b-onii-chan rn is that alright?]

[hope you have a great day!]

Eh? What? He was told she'd be busy!

Hachiman kind of panicked. But not in the "struggled to hold the phone due to shaking" sort of nervousness, but the sort that a deer would be when pointed at with a giant flashlight. Freezing up, not really knowing what to do. He didn't know if he was more surprised by getting an answer at all, or how fast it was.

No, okay. Calm down, Hachiman. Keep it cool. You've messaged people for a while now. And yeah, messaging a girl feels kind of thrilling in this context. She's famous, you're both single… Probably. Likely? It'd be strange if no one had at least tried to make a move on her, but if he really thought about it…

No, wait. Why should he? He was doing it again, getting useless thoughts mixed in with the important things. Their private lives were just that: private. He agreed to help out, to reach out. If she felt comfortable with him, then Hachiman wouldn't try to push her away. Fear and loneliness are insidious killers, after all. He'd know better than most people. While at the same time, they didn't actually have to get along. Feelings and experiences create strong bonds, but chemistry plays an equally important role in a relationship. Also, also, no two bonds are the same. And even if they somehow, unlikely, almost impossibly did end up getting along…

…

How much lamer can someone get?

Hachiman re-read her responses after driving himself to feel ashamed.

Hmm…

[No. I can't explain why I'm talking to a stranger to my parents, let's just message please.]

That should be alright. He was recuperating, after all. And if she ended up asking why he was still with them, Hachiman would know she was quick to judge. All in all, a net win given the boundary he established early on. So that there were no mistakes of where he was standing. He was keeping her involvement secret, and she would probably at least respect that much. It benefited her, after all.

"..." Ai didn't know what to say. The first text took her by surprise, breaking the silence she'd made around herself as she waited for Miyako-san to work her magic. She had indeed been warned not to expect much, but she couldn't help letting the small victory overtake her in the middle of the group having a snack and having to dodge the questions.

Hours later, when she finally could access her phone again, she found herself staring at the disapproving reply she got.

Somehow… Hmmm. It felt like she was being chewed for being a brat.

Why? She just texted him normally. Was he still somehow resistant to the idea of getting to know her?

"Ai-chan?" One of the girls called her out "Are you alright?"

"Yeah! What's up?" She didn't outright hide her phone, but she was indeed mindful to lower it to get the screen against her attire. Just in case.

"Nothing, it's just…" Takamine searched her for an answer that she'd not find "You looked gloomy for a moment."

"Oh." Ai chuckled awkwardly "Sorry, I saw a few bad comments and…"

"Doom scrolling doesn't suit you, Ai-chan." Her fellow idol accepted it as a valid enough answer "You're our little star, don't let a loser or two sour your day."

"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks." Ai lifted her phone again, re-reading the message with a bit more clarity now that she knew someone was looking at her "I just gotta convince 'em we're trying to reach their hearts."

"That's the spirit." Takamine patted her shoulder and moved away, giving Ai some privacy.

Hmmm…

[oh ok]

[i dont wanna give u trouble]

Somehow, sending that message felt a bit thrilling. She wasn't doing anything bad, was she? Did rebellious teens feel like this when they hid something from their parents? What a funny thing.

[im w the girls rn]

[were makin progress but theres no new songs]

[id like to send a pic but ichigosan would probs get mad at me]

Yeah, it'd be even more thrilling. But again, that was her career she'd be putting at stake. Or rather, even if he winded up disappointed he'd understand. Right? Ai didn't have a reason to think he'd want to breach that gap, it had been established that he wasn't someone that followed Ai's line of work. Or that of other groups beside B-Komachi. And maybe Miyako-san was getting to her, because Ai didn't think he'd push more than she was willing to give. It didn't suit the mental image she had of him, after all.

It's not like…

"Ai-chan!" One of the girls called her, patting her wrist with a finger like she had an invisible watch on it. A universal signal that time was over.

"Gimme a sec!" She glued her eyes to her screen, hoping she'd have gotten an answer in that small frame of time. But alas, no such luck. He must be busy too "Hmm…"

It didn't feel right to just say that. What else could she try to say? What topic of conversation wouldn't be weird to finish on? She still wanted to talk after she finished the session, so maybe she should wait until then? He didn't say that it was a bad time, just that he didn't want to get a phone call…

"Ai-chan!"

Fine. She'd figure it out then. At least he was more open to her presence now.

What the hell was he supposed to take from those messages? They didn't tell him anything meaningful, and Hachiman was horrible at small talk. It would be completely lame to just answer with an "ok", and from what he gathered that'd actually be hurtful to any girl.

No, wait. Maybe it's time for "that"? He'd developed a trump card that had 0% chance of failing. He'd first developed it thanks to Yukino, but it worked even with guys. So maybe he should use it? Was it too soon? It's not like he'd put any real effort in saying anything interesting and…

Why should he? The idea was to let Hoshino get tired of him. Maybe this was for the best. It's not his fault if there's nothing to talk about, after all. It's not like he was looking to meet more people or fill in the void left behind by those two…

"Ugh…" Meeting Haruno again probably messed with his mind more than he thought. It had been a while since he second-guessed himself this much, and he couldn't help mentally kick himself when he realized he was falling in the same old pitfalls that he should've learnt to avoid.

Yes. Maybe Haruno was right. Maybe his carelessness and lack of social skills ruined everything. Maybe he was still just a kid flailing around without knowing what he was doing, and by this point it would simply not be enough.

But so what? If he tried, if he honestly let people in, at the end of it all there would be something meaningful. Something that he can understand, something that can be exchanged.

No one is just the version of themselves presented to the world, no one can help hide from their fears. And no one can live on loneliness. Everyone needs to depend on someone else, to trust. That's what makes us all human. And maybe that's, conversely, what makes Haruno in-human.

Hachiman took the phone with more confidence after spending like half an hour trying to convince himself that Haruno had no business getting herself entangled in her sister's affairs.

"Eh…"

[Don't push yourself too much though, you're doing great already.]

He went to the TV and quickly switched channels, looking to see if there were any news or gossip channels talking about Hoshino's group. It took him a bit more effort to look for the content this time around, so he turned to the internet to see if he could find anything. Afterward, he just took a screenshot from a random site that read "B-Komachi coming with a swing?" in all caps and with several question marks to bait idiots into reading the article.

They can't help themselves, huh.

No, wait. That sounded wrong. Like he was mocking her. Hmm… this was a lot more difficult than expected. How could he make it sound supportive without implying she should bend to people's expectations?

Did he actually have to be this tactful though?

[You have them holding their breath here.]

Okay. Not exactly what he'd call a good answer, but good enough. Anything more fell squarely out of his mental capabilities, and he didn't want to feel exhausted every time he got a reply just because he didn't know what to say. Curating his way of speaking wasn't something he did, no matter what Saitou-san had to say about it. And there was only so much to meet Hoshino halfway on before it turned into just trying to appease her instead of actually making an honest effort to hear her out. Every first time was awkward, not ideal. Hachiman was willing to give this a little more right now, so that they could move on. Building familiarity as they both stopped feeling the need to prompt the other into giving out something.

His mind went back to their two face to face meetings, how she carried herself. If he understood it right, Hoshino was just too centered in her job. Maybe she just needed an outlet, a break from always carrying herself in the way everyone wanted. Or maybe she was just friendly and nice, he couldn't discard that even with the darker undertones she let him see.

"...Right. There's always something like that." Hachiman had to sigh. In the end, something he also had to be clear on was what he wanted out of this. No matter the expectations placed on him, Hachiman couldn't afford to give more than he was willing to. Not anymore.

He retreated to think things through. Maybe he'd be called lame for overthinking these things, but he knew his own mind. He knew that he'd try to hide and lie even to himself, that his own desire was shy and meek. And that he threatened hurting another human being if he couldn't get over himself and put clear limits.

And, well, wasn't it a little exciting to be texting a celebrity? Even someone like Hachiman had to admit that it was.

"I'm home!" Ai cheered with open arms, letting her voice reach every corner of the apartment without reservation.

"Mama!" Ruby's tiny steps echoed as she rushed toward Ai's embrace, digging her face into the young woman's shoulder as she crouched to hug her back tightly.

"Where's my little boy, I wonder~?" Looking around with a hand over her eyes, Ai waited for her other child to make his way to her.

"Good evening. How was your day?" Aqua might've sounded more reserved, but Ai still opened her left arm for him to approach at his own pace. He also got himself comfortable against her arm; and Ai pressed them against her chest with enough force that one of them wheezed due to the pressure.

"It was great! Tiring, but great." She released them and brought her hand to the beg, from which she procured one of those boxes that are bought for meetings, with a variety of cookies in them "Look, I even sneaked this out of the meeting!"

"Yeah!" Ruby cheered as Ai walked toward the kitchen counter, letting the box down on one of the chairs so that the kids didn't have much trouble reaching it.

"Did Miyako-san let you?" In spite of the question, Aqua still took a chocolate chips cookie for himself without hesitation. Ignoring Ruby's glare as she quickly took two like there was not gonna be any left.

"Eh, of course!" Ai looked away with a big smile on her face "You're so right…"

Aqua didn't look like he believed her, but no child could refuse free cookies. So he let it slide.

"Where is she, by the way?" Ruby asked after swallowing. Didn't she take more? Wasn't she eating too fast?

"Busy." Ai shrugged like it wasn't the reason why she was able to steal the leftover cookies "You know how it is sometimes."

"Great. She should be working to make mama even more famous."

"She's gonna collapse one day." Aqua's comment again got him a glare, but he just kept eating.

"Yeah…" Ai tapped the counter with her fingers, like she had an imaginary piano over there. Still, since her children were with her she didn't want to take out her phone. It was a "they" moment, after all.

She hadn't considered this small detail.

"Oh! Mama, I've been practicing the song you showed us last time!" Ruby suddenly cheered, taking Ai's hand to try to drag her to the living room. Almost vibrating from excitement.

How many cookies did she eat?

"Really? Now, we'll have to see who's better!"

"Mama is, but I'll do my best!" The little girl bumped her fists in the air.

Ai turned toward Aqua.

"...I don't mind seeing you dance." He looked away like he didn't want to be seen admitting it.

"Then let's change, it's a duel!"

Ai chose not to use the phone in front of the twins that evening.