Disclaimer: It's a work of fiction and just having fun with my favorite SNS pairing

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022, EVERYONE!

I am happy to present a new chapter and hope you like this too!

Your reviews and feedback are really great motivating factor to get me writing this one. I really do appreciate that you take time to give me feedback and the motivation they give!

5 missed calls.

And messages:

Alice-sama, 4:16am OMG OMG OMG

Alice-sama, 4:16am You still up?

Alice-sama, 4:17am I just read the news

Alice-sama, 4:21am Aida Shion?

Alice-sama, 4:21am my my, Hishoko, you're a heartbreaker

Alice-sama, 4:43am Oi, pick up

Alice-sama, 4:47am Forgot about the time zone

Alice-sama, 5:48am Call me when you're up!

Alice-sama, 5:48am before I tell Erina ;)

Aida Shion: a name that I thought was left behind me. But reading Alice-sama mention his name made the hairs at the back of my neck prickle and snapped me awake.

An intelligent guess was that Alice-sama was snooping around again and found something.

More importantly: What happened?

I decided a quick Gooble search for his name before making the call:

"Who did Aida Shion write his songs for?"

"Mysterious dedication by Aida Shion"

"Is Aida Shion dating a non-celebrity? Here's what we know"

What the-

I had an ill feeling I am not going to like what is written… and after a quick read of an article, I was right.

A name that comes up these days whenever the elusive and private rising star Aida Shion begins one of his new series of love songs. Ever since his headliner performance at the Oarai fireworks festival, every song begins with a name drop: "Arato Hisako".

WHAT?

Seeing my name in an online article with a celebrity made reading it surreal. Though it was a small blessing that was in hiragana, which offered some form of anonymity. Why would he do this though?

Disturbing as it was, it continues…

The mysterious girl was reportedly with him at a Michelin starred restaurant a few days before the concert, with candlelight and handholding. The date also included a backstage tour as they were then spotted dancing on the stage that very night.

What nonsense is this? All we had was a meal together… and that stage was not lit at all! How and when were we spotted?

There was talk that she was at a rehearsal too when sang his new hit "Lemon" that is rising up the charts of romantic songs. What made it especially interesting was the highly private heartthrob had got down from stage and held her hand as he serenaded away.

It begs the question: How close are they?

Upon reading that, my mind immediately shot to the name of the article's author, expecting to find it to be that reporter from before; Had she gone against her word and told someone about it?

Not her… not that it was any better.

Then again, we were in a public place and there was a crowd, so there should not be any expectation of privacy.

However, she was absent during the actual performance where he publicly dedicated his music, perhaps keeping to his penchant for privacy. Furthermore, he was seen leaving Oarai alone looking dejected.

We could only surmise what happened.

On the side of his fans, rather than being disheartened, have actually expressed sympathy for his heartbreak. One remarked, "To see AiShi so dedicated to one person, and a non-celebrity too, really makes him so much more relatable and more of a catch! Just think how loyal he will be to catch his fancy! Plus, his emotions really come through his new songs, adding depth and feeling that captures the spirit of romance."

I rolled my eyes at that.

This leads to another question:

What do we know about this girl?

"Arato Hisako" (あらと ひさこ) is presumably from out of town as she was not known by the Oarai locals. It was rumored that it was reference to an 新戸 緋沙子 from a popular summer-only restaurant who had gave an interview about the restaurant. Although, that may be unlikely as the girl was apparently seen close with another staff member, swimming, playing volleyball, and even creating a drink together.

Coincidence? Or… could this be a love triangle?

Spicy.

AiShi's PR team have declined comment as they cited the singer is taking a break, "AiShi is recently on fire, finding his muse has got him producing new hit singles in the past weeks like "Kimi Dattara", "Zenzenzense" and "Ainekuraine". He is taking a well deserved break and will be back from overseas within the month. We are proud of his work and you can look forward to his new releases."

I am speechless, my stomach was making flips.

A silver lining was that apparently the ones in Oarai who could have confirmed my identity had kept it under wraps.

Nonetheless, this was news that concerned me in the tabloids and Alice-sama is likely to make this a big thing. I assumed she would still be up and made the call.

"Yahallo, Hi-sho-ko-chan~ ! Seems like you have been busy."

"Hisako, Alice-sama." I reminded her, not really in the mood to harp on that detail, "I did not do anything with him."

"Y~es you did," she intoned, "apparently you went for dinner AND danced on the stage with him? That's a date." her voice dropped, "I trust you didn't 'put out' on the first one."

"We didn't even kiss." I dismissed her tease.

"You don't need to kiss to do the deed."

"We just had dinner, Alice-sama." speaking firmly to settle the matter.

"Hmph. Boring." she blew a raspberry, "I thought I would have some hot gossip to share with my dear cousin."

"There's no need to tell Erina-sama anything about this." my tone was neutral. "She has more important things on her plate, and this would be beneath her attention."

There were a few seconds as she considered my words, "That's not the point…" she muttered, before offering, "Well, if you tell me how you met him, I'll consider keeping mum about it." Her smirk came over the line.

I told her of how Aida Shion and I met, followed by how he had held onto my phone before he came for the Oarai performance. The dinner was supposed to be my treat but I was surprised with a new dress and shoes in that fancy restaurant.

I confessed that I was taken aback by how aggressive and forward he was in his attempt at courtship; of which I did not really find particularly to my liking.

Alice-sama found the situation during the rehearsal quite amusing. "You got to give him props for pulling that off."

"I can give you his number if you like, Alice-sama." I gave her the usual deadpan that was specially for these moments.

"Why, Hishoko, I won't dream of being the other woman." Her saying that in a posh sounding accent lightened the mood and had the sides of my lip twitch up at her antics. "How's things with Yukihira?"

"We have..progress."

"Whoa whoa whoa!" I had to pull the phone away from my ear, "That's great! Congratulations! The dense chef really asked you to be his girlfriend? You actually did it."

"It's not official yet." My face warmed as this was the first time I told anyone that I knew. "We are taking some time before formalizing it."

Alice-sama hemmed in agreement, "getting over all the uncertainties before committing; that's so you." she chuckled. Then, in contrast to the light hearted moment, her next words were sobering: "When are you going to let your family know?"

"I… think that will be too early for now. When things get serious would be a more appropriate time."

"Fair enough… and what about Erina?"

What about Erina-sama? How do I break the news? Perhaps the question was… if this is even something to tell her? I would assume that this is beneath her attention, and it's not relevant to tell your boss if you get into a relationship, is it?

At most it would be to assure her that my relationship will never interfere with my duties.

On the flip side, I would have to discuss with Soma to inform him of my priorities… Although I can guess which way he leans towards, I wonder what he will actually say.

"My advice: tell her when it's official." Alice-sama's tone was serious. "That's coming from me, looking out for my cousin. I would offer to be the one to break the news but I think it's better for her to hear it from you… in person."

"You mean-"

"You SHOULD let her know; that's what a friend would do."

Friend. That word stuck me to the core. I should become someone that walks beside her, as what Soma suggested. For so long I have seen her as my superior, this may take getting used to.

To think, I had only considered telling only when it would inconvenience her.

"Of course, go ahead. I support whatever you need to do!" Soma exclaimed when I told him of my priorities whenever Erina-sama was involved as we ate breakfast. "I don't expect you to change anything for me."

"Still, it was something that I thought about discussing with you." accepting a piece of tamago from Soma, "Thanks for understanding." I felt assured when his response was what I expected.

"I appreciate this; It felt nice that you seek my opinion on the matter." Soma added with a heartfelt smile before chuckling, "It feels like something couples do."

To cover my blush, I segue the conversation onto the tabloid that mentioned my name. Soma patiently listened to my rant while reading the article, "Alice-sama suggested not to acknowledge anything and just ignore it since the connection is not confirmed… Nonetheless, I want to make it clear for you that all we had was dinner and I felt nothing for him."

Soma chewed on his lower lip while processing what he just read, and finally remarked, "says here you danced on stage?"

"...yeh." I admit it was not really my proudest moment in hindsight, being swept up in the mood, but it was an experience. I just hope it is not something that Soma disagreed with-

"That… is awesome!" Soma's remark was a surprise to me. In response to my questioning look, "How many opportunities do we have to stand on a public stage like that?"

"That's what I thought too." His positive demeanor was assuring and I allowed a small smile. "it wasn't a live stage. though."

"Well, you had a private Live performance instead," he reminded me with a raised eyebrow and teasing tone.

I placed a hand on his, meeting his bright yellow eyes, "And it meant nothing to me. Rather, I disliked it and wanted to be anywhere else."

We glazed into each other for a long moment. Then, in a smooth motion, he gently brought my hand to his lips, "I know."

That left me in a good mood.

Until-

"Are you the 'Arato Hisako' in the news?"

"Excuse me?" It was late service and I was caught off guard by the question while busy cleaning the cookware.

Koganei was back in the restaurant after a few days off. "As I stuck in bed, I was checking out Oarai beach where you guys had been and found a few articles mentioning your name and Aida Shion?"

Ah…of course. "I have heard something about that tabloid."

"Logically speaking, it's you, isn't it?"

"Not commenting on it." Even though Koganei has gotten over her hostility ever since Soma and Kurase had 'the talk', it would take time for me to warm up to her. Besides, this was a topic I did not want to discuss. I scrubbed the metal pot harder in an attempt to drown out the conversation and hint that I was not in the mood to discuss anything.

Koganei studied me for a moment, before declaring, "It IS you!"

"No comment." I repeated, adding more strength in my scrubbing.

Koganei looked about for eavesdroppers, "How's he like?"

I kept quiet, just like how I was briefed in dealing with the media and responding to questions that we do not wish to answer: Better no comment than having that comment coming back to haunt you.

"Seems he wasn't your type, huh." Koganei probed further, "I mean, it says something to reject attention from a celebrity."

I continued to hold my tongue.

Surprisingly, Koganei did not seem too bothered about it, "I guess it just shows the kind of person you are."

Pause, "What do you mean by that?" my defenses shot up, ready for something insensitive.

Koganei smirked, pleased that her plan to get my attention worked, "It suggests that you're not the type that looks at things shallowly. I'm sure there are plenty of other girls that will jump at the chance to have a celebrity pine for them."

"Better them than me." I muttered, letting the conversation stall, returning to my scrubbing.

She observed me for a few moments, "I'm glad to read that actually."

I paused again, "Why's that?"

"It means Yukihira is partnered well." Koganei smiled wearily, "with someone who isn't shallow."

Was that meant to be a compliment? I eyed the girl and considered her.

"Mayu has told me about Yukihira's decision. Despite that, she was really glad to get her feelings off her chest." She nodded towards Soma and Kogane who were sitting at the tables just out of earshot, finalizing the details of the elementary school camp which was just days away.

With bright smiles and confident posture, it was clear that Kurase seemed more natural and relaxed around him as compared to before. Soma looked up and our eyes met, giving me a wide grin before returning to his discussion.

"Thank you for being open minded and accommodating to give her that opportunity for closure." Kaganei concluded.

I can see that she was sincere about this. Despite my reservations about her and things that we've gone through, we should move on. I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Now that we're connected through Yukihira, it's better to be friends, isn't it?" Koganei switched to a lighter tone, leaning forward with interlocked fingers, "So tell me, Arato-chan, what's Aida Shion like?"

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! The high number tells me you like this and latest ones gave me the kick in the ass to get going! So sincerely, thank you for the reviews!

It took some thinking and I've decided to write the story in a route slightly different from what I started, so a whole lot of storyboard rethink had to be considered. Thank you for your patience in the past weeks! (Hope you had a great holiday too!)

To answer a few questions:

1) Nope I'm not in Brazil

2) Hisako doesn't have German blood; if any, she would have Chinese blood somewhere in her family tree.

3) I have a plan for the fluff but it may disrupt the story flow so I've decided to do something about it. I will announce when the time comes!

4) Erina will definitely feature in the story! Stay tuned to see what she does!

On this chapter: Despite not being around, Aida Shion has still some influence on our dear Hisako's life. Is this the full extent?

Drop a review on what you think will happen!

Once again, thank you for your reviews! They do let me know if I still got your attention and it keeps me writing; as long as there's a healthy amount of interest, I'll continue writing!