As he was brushing his teeth, Gorou nodded along with the beat of "Star T Rain" playing in the background. He couldn't carry a tune to save his life, but the cheers were easy enough to occasionally grunt out. And if the foam occasionally spilled out while he was doing so – well, nobody would ever know.

He glanced at his phone. Eight-eleven, which meant nine more minutes until he would head out. Pretty much exactly on time.

After rinsing his mouth thoroughly, he swung back into his room, tossing off his casual clothing onto his bed. He opened his closet and reached for another one of his usual shirts-

I really, truly prefer it if you were to relax around me.

And paused.

"…well, today's a new day, after all."

Maybe something a little different would be nice, for a change. He reached for something else and carefully inspected it for spider webs. He sniffed it carefully, just to check if it had gotten that stuck-in-a-closet-for-several-months smell.

Nope. Well, he mostly smelled toothpaste right now, but it was good enough.

Humming off-key with the chorus, he buttoned it up and continued his morning routine.

-o-

"My goodness. Dr. Amamiya, is that you?"

He paused his morning setup, the papers in his hand wilting. "Um, yes? What is it?"

The nurse narrowed her eyes. "Say something only Dr. Amamiya will say."

"Go, go, B-Komachi, my sign is B."

"It really is you," she marveled, poorly hiding her mouth with her clipboard. "Dr. B-Komachi, I didn't realize you had more than one shirt."

"And I didn't realize you were so interested in what I wear, Nurse Chatty," he retorted.

Even so, he glanced down at what he wore today. Was the sky-blue button-up shirt so odd? It's what he'd worn throughout university. It fulfilled the business casual requirement, and the colors didn't overlap with his black suit pants and lab coat. And it was comfortable.

In fact, he'd multiple of the same brand as well. They were good enough that he stocked up on them before coming back to Miyazaki.

"It's just… strange because it's you?" she pondered, dropping off her papers at her desk. "It wouldn't be strange on any other person, but it's odd since I know you. Out of the three years we worked together, I've never seen you out of your beloved burgundy."

He slid up his glasses. "Keeping multiple of the same clothes makes it less of a hassle to pick in the morning."

"And suddenly, I'm less impressed," she sighed. "Well, it looks fresh on you, Amamiya."

Before he could respond, she left the office.

Huh. Had he really never worn something else?

He shrugged and went back to organizing. He didn't really expect anyone else to pay notice.

-o-

"Morning, Amamiya! Is today an occasion of some sort?"

Gorou paused his stretching. "No, Dr. Todou. Just thought I should switch things up a bit today."

"I see, I see…" the older doctor nodded. "Well, blue looks good on you. More formal as well. Maybe I won't catch you slacking with that, eh?"

"No promises," he laughed back. More formal wasn't what he was going for, but oh well.

Was him changing his clothes something really that strange?

-o-

The door slid open. Mr. Enomoto squinted at him and frowned.

"Oh dear," he mumbled, scratching his head. "It looks like I got the wrong place-"

"No, no! Mr. Enomoto, come on in," he said, rushing off his seat so he could help the older man in. Mr. Enomoto was still spry at the age of eighty-four, and he also enjoyed it when he played the occasional idol song. "You're right in time for your general check-up."

Well, he was a few minutes late, but the older folk usually were.

"…Dr. Amamiya?" Another squint and the older man's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, I nearly didn't recognize you, young man! Why, you look positively spiffing with your new shirt!"

"Thanks, thought I should try something new today," Gorou laughed back, holding back his frown. But this wasn't new…

Smile firmly in place, he sat back at his desk. "Well, let's get started, Mr. Enomoto…"

-o-

The door slid open, and out came the idol in disguise. She was waving goodbye at the other pregnant woman – Mrs. Sano, who was a few more weeks along compared to Ai. Gorou smiled when she turned towards his way – and called out to her when her gaze swept over him.

"Ms. Hoshino!" He waved a hand when her head jerked towards him. "Good afternoon."

"Oh!" Ai smiled and waved back as she approached. Only when she was right in front of him did she reply. "Dr. Amamiya, I didn't recognize you for a moment. It's nice seeing you wear something else though!"

"Thought I should try something new," Gorou laughed weakly. So, even Ai had noticed his clothes. When she glanced at him oddly, he cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn't realize my shirt was so integral to my identity until today."

"Hmm…?" she hummed, hand coming up to her chin as she leaned closer. Was she… sniffing?

Oh gods, could she smell the closet smell?!

He hastily took a step back, trying to play it off as him just readjusting his lab coat. "Anyways, my previous appointment ended a bit early and I thought to check on how your first antenatal class was."

"Hmm…" One eye narrowed, Ai was still inspecting him as she answered. "Oh, it wasn't anything like I expected. I thought I'd see some videos of how the birth goes, or maybe just everyone sitting down and doing some breathing exercises. I just talked with the other pregnant mother for a bit, a doctor told us a few things to be careful of, and that was all."

She pouted, ending her inspection and bringing up the pen and tiny notebook she was still holding. The idol shook them at him over-dramatically. "I'm ready to learn all about how painful it would be!"

He laughed. "I suppose movies and dramas tend to dramatize one bit or another. Don't worry, you'll go through everything you'll need to know by the time comes. Oh, and I've heard the classes where someone comes with their baby are the most helpful."

"I see, I see. If it's for my babies, I'll give it my all!" She pumped her fist, grinning confidently.

Ai really was too dazzling.

Gorou cleared his throat. "Well, I should be heading for lunch, then."

"Oh, I'm hungry as well. Let's go get lunch together, then!"

He hesitated, then nodded. He'd accompanied a few of his patients to lunch previously. There shouldn't be anything wrong with that.

-o-

Not many hospitals had their own cafeteria. Their hospital did, which admittedly wreaked havoc on his motivation to cook at home. Sure, it was a lot more expensive than buying groceries. But he considered the food an acceptable trade between efficiency, nutrition, and price.

"Lunch B, please."

The serving lady passed the tray – a bowl of rice, a slice of fish, and a mix of seasonal vegetables. Was it just his imagination, or was she squinting at his shirt? "Here you go. Have a nice day."

Next to him, Ai smiled. "The one with the porridge, please!"

"Oh, of course, young lady!" The lady's grin was visible even through her sanitary mask. "Take care of yourself, take care of your baby, you hear?"

"Thank you, I will!"

"…Ms. Hoshino, I'm not imagining the difference in tone, am I?" he asked Ai after they'd sat down. Had his reputation as an idol fan spread even to the kitchen staff? Maybe it was tied to his shirt color as well. Did he have a certain nurse to find and interrogate?

Ai tilted her head with a satisfied smile. "Isn't that to be expected? My charm can't be stopped, after all."

…true. He was an insignificant talking weed compared to the star sitting across him. Gorou shrugged and began eating after murmuring his gratitudes. Ai followed suit.

However, he noticed that she had a strange ritual when eating. She would scoop up a spoonful and let it slowly trickle down her spoon as she carefully studied it fall, before scooping it back up and eating it.

Maybe she had a cat's tongue? Gorou sympathized. Being unable to deal with hot food must be rough.

"Though, I think I know the problem," she suddenly said after swallowing. "You aren't presenting yourself properly."

"Eh?" At Ai's words, he checked over himself. His shirt, at the very least, was clean from any stains. "Is there something on my face…?"

He stared cross-eyed at the slender finger pointed accusingly at him. "Cleanliness isn't the only thing impressions are based on! Your clothes, your face, how you speak, how you hold yourself – you might not care about it, but everyone who sees you does. Even if they say they don't, even if you think nobody is looking – people absolutely do judge you, no exceptions."

He paused at that. 'I don't treat the nurse differently depending on her clothes,' would have been his argument, but hadn't this morning shown how much a shirt could matter? If Nurse Chatty had walked in today with a B-Komachi shirt, wouldn't he have also freaked out like she had?

No, this was the gift of knowledge, given to him and delivered personally by Ai; he ought to treat her words as gospel. Blessed be the idol who figured out the solutions before he even identified the problem.

As he nodded in enlightenment, Ai smoothly continued her lecture. "You should hear the president go on and on about first impressions – it's one of the first things he drills into everyone. And we never know what anyone will be seeing first. Recordings get cut, and people drop in and out of performances all the time. So, we have to shine every single moment. According to him, a typical fan's favorite is determined in the first five seconds of the performance they see. Less than two seconds if they aren't interested in idols in the first place."

"Only two seconds, huh." He thought back to when Sarina first introduced B-Komachi to him. "Yes, that sounds about right."

Ai's presence on stage hadn't been as polished back then – she'd been twelve in B-Komachi's debut, after all. Her inexperience had still managed to come off as both precocious and adorable, but there had been a little something about her smile that had really caught his eye.

Something a little artificial.

…had her beliefs about lies already formed way back then?

Heedless of his suddenly morose thoughts, Ai nodded confidently. "See? Then let's start with your sitting posture. Push your shoulders back a bit."

"Like this?" He straightened his back, pushing off his thoughts for the time being. He knew a thing or two about proper posture, but it's been one of the many things that university life had stamped out of him. Along with proper sleeping habits, sufficient exercise, and proper nutrition.

Ai shook her head. "No, that's not quite it. Tuck in your neck first – no, not that much. Just so that you're looking the slightest bit down at me- no, no, not like that-!"

Under her orders, he twitched several muscles into its 'ideal' place. Stomach pulled in. Shoulders left hanging 'naturally,' except it definitely didn't feel natural when Ai was satisfied. Face angled just a bit to the left, and just a bit downwards. And the result was-

"I don't think I can eat like this," Gorou carefully enunciated. Moving too much of the mouth was apparently a no-go, too.

The idol nodded wisely, gently scraping her bowl with her spoon. "Yep, it's not easy looking great with your mouth open. You'll never see an idol willingly eat in front of her fans."

"But you're eating in front of me?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Consider this a privilege, Dr. Amamiya!" she grinned, before slowly eating her last mouthful. Now that he was paying attention, he could see how she slightly angled her mouth away, how she tilted her head to the side, and how it all somehow gave the impression of her mouth barely opening. She nodded, satisfied with his attention. "It took me ages to learn how, and even more time to do it without thinking."

Ack. So cute.

"I mean, how did you learn to eat like that?" he asked again, finally deciding to just slouch and reach out for his food. He did his best to ignore the pout she was leveling at him for ruining her hard work. "Or learn to develop a good first impression, for that matter."

Ai hummed for a bit, considering it carefully.

"…looking at recordings of myself was helpful," she eventually said. "Oh, and the president's critique also helped! Despite how he looks, he still has a sharp eye. And of course, he never sugarcoats anything. Bluntly listing out how well we sold our charm points and how badly our flaws stuck out – it's not something we want to hear right after a performance, you know?"

It took all of his willpower to not point out how similarly blunt she was.

Gorou took a deep breath instead. "And what do you think of me? What's the impression I give off?"

"Hm…" For a moment she looked troubled, before perking up. "Hey, let's go to the roof! Your appointments start again at one, right?"

He hesitated, then nodded. He'd accompanied several of his patients to the rooftop previously. There shouldn't be anything wrong with that.

"…is it that bad?" he couldn't help but wonder.

She smiled mischievously. "Eat faster if you want to know quicker."

He eyed his leftover food and nodded. Time to see if his ability to scarf down food, developed in university and honed in this very cafeteria, still existed.

-o-

Hm. The doctor was asking difficult questions today.

Well, it was her fault for bringing up the topic of first impressions. Ai had wanted to reward her doctor for taking the first step, as she'd genuinely believed that she would have the nurse hunt him down for her. And teaching him a little bit of something she'd learned over the years seemed to be a fair trade.

She hadn't stopped to think that naturally, the doctor would be curious as to where she learned about it.

…sure, watching recordings of yourself helped and the president tried his best, but she had only gone so far with those. Where she really learned how to perform outside of the stage was at the theater workshops.

And that's when she had met-

Don't think about him don't think about him don't think about him-

She powered through the last flight of stairs, ignoring the doctor's exclamation of surprise, and pushed through the clunky doors to the rooftop.

"Ah, it's so nice outside!"

The occasional clouds drifted lazily, but it was still more sunny than cloudy. The summer heat had long since dissipated, but the railings were still pleasantly warmed by the sun when she grabbed them. There wasn't anyone around, and for the moment, it was just her and some blankets hung up to dry. Both swaying gently with the breeze.

Perfect weather for an outdoor concert, really.

Ai closed her eyes with a smile, imagining the doctor's panic if she took off her glasses, freed her hair to the winds, and started singing without care for hiding herself. Sure, dancing might be a bit harder with her babies, but she was sure she could manage-!

Caw!

A harsh bird's call broke her out of her thoughts. She frowned, craning her neck towards the forest. Jeez, weren't songbirds supposed to be pleasant to listen to?

"Ms. Hoshino, please don't lean too much on the railings!"

"Yes, yes!" Ah, there was the doctor. He looked a bit winded with the five flights of stairs, she noted, and she couldn't help but tease him. "You're just as slow as the president when it comes to stairs, doctor!"

"Immediately exercising after eating is a recipe for stomach cramps," he defended himself, straightening himself as he approached. "…so, your impression of me?"

Oh, right. Maybe if she said it casually, it would hurt less. Quickly and to the point, with her back turned to him for a bit more distance.

"Well, it's obvious that you aren't sleeping properly, not eating properly, and not exercising properly. Your face is clean enough, though, and your glasses suit your face's shape. We already went over your posture – it makes you look older and shorter than you really are. And though I didn't learn about clothes until recently, even I knew beforehand that it's not ideal to have multiple of the same shirts."

She nodded to herself. Yep, that should be enough. Ai turned back to see how the doctor was taking it.

He quietly stared back at her without moving a muscle.

She briefly eyed his name tag, using some of the tricks she'd gone over with the doctor to hide how she looked at it. The name tag really was useful for names! Why studio staff couldn't have them as well, she would never know. "Dr. Amamiya? Are you still with me?"

"…yes," his head slowly dipped into half a nod. "Yes, I am still here with you."

Mhm. Pretty much what she'd expected. The heart of a lion, her doctor did not have.

She cleared her throat, making it especially raspy to catch his attention.

"But, Dr. Amamiya, that's how an actress will be judged."

Looks, talent, and how someone acted both on and off camera. But in this quiet hospital in the countryside, the pillars that held up the entertainment world had a little less weight.

"As a doctor, you genuinely care about everyone you talk with," she continued. This time, she made sure to meet his eyes, even if it was a bit embarrassing. "You're sensitive to everyone around you, and you can't help but want to improve their lives. Sure, others might find your methods odd, but I'm happy you think that watching me would improve your patients' health."

He laughed weakly, messing with his own hair as he did whenever he was embarrassed. "Man, that nurse never keeps anything a secret, huh."

"Just anything about you!" Ai paused, suddenly remembering something she'd wanted to ask – so she did. "Actually, she refuses to talk about herself, do you know why?"

"I haven't pried, no."

Ai hummed, turning to face the mountain in consideration. So, he'd noticed that as well. Another mystery, then. And unlike the doctor, the nurse was a bit harder than usual to figure out.

"Anyways, you might allow yourself to be dragged around by the people around you-" pretty much like how she did today, it was honestly worrying how little he stood for himself- "-but there's always a deep, sincere kindness in your choices."

"In short, you're a moralist," Ai concluded. She looked back again, expecting a sigh of relief or a silly comment to bounce off her words-

But the doctor had frozen up again.

"…a moralist, huh," he muttered. He had a troubled smile and he wasn't meeting her eyes. "Somebody else also called me that."

Eh? The facial expressions, the tone in his words, the sudden undercurrent of grief – those weren't what she'd expected to be accompanying his words at the end of their conversation.

Ai defaulted to her tried-and-tested smile, hiding her confusion behind it as she studied the doctor again. "Then it must be true, right? Both mine and their judgment couldn't be wrong, after all!"

His smile grew at that. "…yeah."

But he still refused to explain, even when she tilted her head in obvious curiosity.

So, something to do with being called a 'moralist'…

Being a moralist – she'd sneaked in a quick search of the word on her phone while they had been coming here, making sure the definition matched what she assumed it had meant. 'Someone who acted in a morally commendable way' wasn't really helpful, but she got the gist of it.

Doctor Amamiya was a moralist. With how much thought he put into every action, how much he wondered about if something he was doing was right or wrong – there really was no doubt about it. Anyone who spent some time with him would have eventually gotten that impression.

Ai hid her frown. The younger her would have prodded the doctor immediately for an answer, regardless of how the doctor might see her afterward. She liked to think she grew a bit wiser than that.

No, she was going to have to be careful while she tried to figure out who the doctor held so deeply in his heart.

AN: I'm definitely projecting my university experience to Gorou a lot. Midterm break? More like a convenient time for profs to pass out even more assignments! Hahahaaa…

Every single appearance of Gorou had him in his burgundy shirt, even in Sarina's memories! I'm just imagining a huge stack of the exact same clothes in his closet, and him going 'Yep. Absolutely nothing wrong with this.'