"And here's the central courtyard. There's usually a fair bit of foot traffic here, especially if it's sunny. You'll need to disguise up a bit if you ever want to stay here for a while."

It was just yesterday when Gorou had accompanied Ai to send off Mr. Saitou. Before the president had left, he had managed to extract a promise out of his charge – the idol was to be accompanied by someone in the know if she was to roam around the hospital. She had pouted up a storm, but the president wasn't backing down in this one, citing all the potential dangers being alone could bring, both inside and outside.

Being identified as Ai. Stalkers and creeps not necessarily looking for Ai but for a vulnerable target. Getting lost in the hospital. Getting lost in the countryside. Falling off a cliff. Wild boar attacks. The list went on and on.

He really did seem like an overprotective father arguing with his daughter, Gorou had privately thought. If the president had mentioned curfews and restrictions on alcohol, it would have completed the image.

…he hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help it when they started arguing right in front of him!

"I see, I see. I think I prefer to go outside the hospital for fresh air, though. The mountains look so pretty at this time of the year, and you can't really see them from here!"

Right now, he was giving Ai a tour of the hospital. The quickest way to get to the cafeteria, what signs to follow for her occasional checkup, where the antenatal classes would be held, and where she could request immediate assistance, secrecy be damned. He usually wouldn't be the one doing this, but the only other person who knew the truth behind Ai was busy while he was not.

Ah, the side benefits of four years of residency and his chosen specialization. Most of his appointments as ob-gyn were handled in advance, and that meant he usually knew exactly when he wasn't needed – and thus, the best times to slack off.

However, he had to wonder just how much Ai was paying any attention to his grand tour.

He turned to face the idol hiding in plain sight. Her beige maternity dress alongside her black puffer jacket obscured most of her frame – not to mention the baby bump – and most of her signature long hair was bundled into a tight bun except for a few locks that framed her head. Despite her eyes being behind a fake pair of glasses that she was idly fidgeting with, it was still very clear that they were focused on him.

Even with the glasses' best efforts, her earnest eyes were not dimmed in the slightest.

"So, any questions, Ms. Hoshino?"

As for why he was wondering if she was paying any attention-

"Mmm…" Ai hummed, before smiling. "What's your favorite song, doctor?"

-all her questions so far had been related to him.

When she asked about his favorite food in the cafeteria, he had thought she had wanted recommendations and gave her a short spiel about never missing out on Tuesday's curry night. When he was guiding her through the emergency earthquake protocols, she had asked if he had ever experienced one – he figured that she was curious if there ever had been one during his time here.

It had taken an embarrassing amount of time for him to realize that he was the common theme, and even that was mostly because of a fluke. He had turned suddenly for a corner and caught a glimpse of Ai's face. A quick jerk of her head had the free locks of hair obscure her face for a moment, and it was replaced in an instant with the most cherubic face that had ever graced his eyes – but there was no mistaking it.

For just a moment, he had seen her with a face far, far too smug.

Afterward, he started to pay attention to what they had been so casually chatting about while moving from one place to the next.

"Eh? Doctors also work for eight hours a day? What happens if there's an emergency at night?"

"Oh, we always have some doctors on call, some residents on duty. Think of them as doctors in training. Don't worry about them, they knew what they signed up for."

"Becoming a doctor sure is tough, huh."

In his defense, even just three days ago, he would have given up half of his life savings for just ten minutes of speaking with Ai in person. Of course, he'd be delighted if she kept asking about him. While people dreamed about reincarnating as an idol's child, he was already in heaven!

"Americano, no sugar? Doctors sure are boring."

"Trust me, when you start to drink coffee every day, the cheapest one starts to taste better."

"That sounded super depressing, doctor."

Though this question was the most personal yet. He shot her a questioning look, not for the first time that morning. Ai's smile grew just a little bigger.

Any veneer of hiding was completely gone. It felt like a strange game where she held all the cards, and he had no choice but to play along.

Well, his favorite song was obviously-

Your wish to your idol, Gorou nearly blurted out. The main vocalist of said song tilted her head.

…hm. That could have been dangerous. Luckily, he already had an answer prepared – just in case he had a stern, no-nonsense patient who wouldn't appreciate his usual antics.

"Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons,' Spring to be exact," he said, pushing his glasses up. "Though, I should preface this by saying that exposing babies to classical music doesn't actually make them smarter."

A safe, neutral choice that could lead to a quick discussion about the Mozart effect and all the failed attempts to replicate the study.

"The subway station jingle, huh," Ai mused, and he silently apologized to all classical composers. The idol was surprisingly quick to throw around blunt statements. Naturally, it just added to her charm. "Guess you must be a fan of the classics."

"Yep. That's me," he laughed. The word 'fan' rattled around his mind, and he did his best to ignore it. Instead, he decided to go on the offensive for once. "Ms. Hoshino, is there a reason why you've been asking about me?"

"Oh, I wanted to know more about my greatest fan on this side of Japan!" she said, still with that patient smile.

He laughed again, brushing his hair with his hand to wave away his embarrassment. "Ah, man, when you say it like that-"

Gorou froze. His eyes darted to the idol next to him.

No. This cannot be real.

Ai gave the cattiest grin he had ever seen, pulled her fingers into a victory sign next to her face, and winked.

Okay. Wow. So, it was real. How was she so cute?! The next thing he had to do was obvious – get on his knees and beg for forgiveness for saying he was a fan of Vivaldi in front of her-

Wait, no. He couldn't make a scene. They were still in the courtyard, and patients were still enjoying the sun.

So, he did the next best thing.

He took a deep breathe in, extending his arms way back-

Inner peace, inner peace, inner peace-

-and exhaled just as deeply, bringing his arms back together.

Yes. Nothing was going on here. Just a doctor teaching his patient a breathing exercise. Move along, folks.

So. His favorite idol knew that he was a fan. He had just tried to cover up that he was a fan. And she had caught him in the act.

A shutter noise clicked. His eyes darted toward the one lowering her phone with her usual sunny smile. "Sorry, you were making a face too funny not to save. See, look!"

And there he was, his moment of expressionless enlightenment that might as well have been constipation, immortalized in his idol's phone. Even as his mind scrambled with half-baked excuses and lies, Gorou wept inside.

What should he do? …no, there was only one thing he could do.

He took a step back and bowed his head in apology.

"…eh? What are you doing? Do you not like the photo?"

Man, this was difficult. But while the fan inside of him was wailing inside, the doctor remained firm. "…Ms. Hoshino, I apologize for not being straight with you. If this conflict of interest worries you, I can request a different doctor to take over-"

"No."

He looked up, startled. Ai's gentle smile was back.

"Why should I care if you're a fan? I've already decided to trust you, doctor." She hummed for a bit, before nodding, satisfied. "Besides, I'm sure any old doctor would have become my fan even if they didn't know I was an idol, and that would have been even more troublesome."

That ego is SO adorable. Also, she's literally an angel.

"But!" Ai wagging her fingers in disapproval. "Doctor, I didn't know you were a fan of mine. You only said you had a patient who was one, which is why you recognized me. I'm not happy that I heard it from the nurse first, you know!"

Gorou smiled weakly and pantomimed waving a glowstick to a beat. "Er… Go, go, B-Komachi, my sign is B?"

"So, you do know the fan cheers…" Ai murmured, before narrowing her eyes. "Our best dancer?"

"Meimei and you."

"Your glowstick color?"

"Red."

"My hairpin's shape and color?"

"A yellow bunny. Oh, can I ask about its face?"

"Nope, that's a secret. And finally… What's your favorite song?"

"'Your wish to your idol.'"

This time, he didn't hesitate.

"Hmm. Mhm…" Ai nodded seriously. He could almost imagine her in a doctor's getup, and that impression only grew stronger with her next words. "Doctor, here are your results…"

-o-

"…you really are a fan of mine!"

As the doctor sighed in relief – heh, he'd been that worried? – Ai smiled. It came a lot easier than before, right after she'd panicked when the doctor brought up switching himself for another doctor.

Ah, she'd really did mess up there. It was rude to interrupt someone talking, after all.

But his answers… hm.

Though he was a fan of B-Komachi, he was a fan of her, specifically. Sure, the first few questions could have been lip service – Meimei really was the better dancer – but his favorite song?

'Your wish to your idol'… That had been the first song she'd really given her all; after reading all the sweet letters her fans had sent her. The first time she'd been able to mix in a bit of her truth into the lyrics, the dance, and the performance.

She thought nobody would notice it – that as she got better at lying, they would prefer the newest, more polished version. The music ratings and the bottom line supported that idea, after all. But to think that the doctor still clung to that old song, from way back then when she barely knew what she was doing…

It was nice to hear it was the doctor's favorite song, she decided.

"And so, you can still call yourself B-Komachi's fan! Congratulations, doctor – please keep spreading our good name around!"

The doctor rubbed the back of his head sheepishly – it made him look younger than he usually was. "Ah, you know about that too?"

She winked. An idol never revealed her secrets unless she wanted to.

His phone dinged – super loudly, actually, she nearly winced – and he sighed without even looking at it. "Breaks over. I have a patient coming over in ten."

"Aww." Well, she learned a lot about her doctor today, even more so than what the chatty nurse had spilled. The fact that the doctor was a terrible liar was at the very top of her list. She waved, satisfied with her progress. "I'll see you next time then, doctor!"

He hesitated before leaving. "Ms. Hoshino…"

She pouted. His seriousness clued her into what he was going to say – the morally right thing, where he recommended her once again to switch doctors. "Doctor, if you keep bringing it up, I'm going to be actually mad."

Did the promise mean so little to him?

"Oh, that's – no, I was going to ask if you can find your way back."

Oh. That… was a very reasonable thing to ask. She surveyed the garden around her, and the buildings that looked exactly the same, inside and out.

She sheepishly met her doctor's eyes. "Yes…?"

He sighed but then smiled. "I'll guide you back to your room, just in case."

Ah, her doctor really was dependable!

-o-

That wasn't the only surprising conversation Gorou had that day.

He hadn't even been looking for Nurse Chatty when they met each other in the coffee room later in the afternoon. She had frozen as she saw him, complete with a cup of coffee in hand and a slight widening of her eyes.

Ah. The criminal in question.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Ta-"

"Dr. Amamiya, please forgive me for my indiscretion," she interrupted, eyes gleaming with the slightest bit of satisfaction.

"Oh, I didn't mind at all," he said, lying through his teeth. He reached for his own cup – it had 'Our Sign is B!' stylized with hearts and surrounded by each member's signature. The signatures were fake, of course – if it was the real deal, he'd be keeping it safe in his home. "Idols are incredible, right? I understand that you also fell for her charm. It's natural, really, how you just want to keep talking with her once you meet her."

"Oh, please don't misunderstand! She just reminded me so much of my young niece, so respectful and well-spoken," her emphasis had him bristling, but he forced himself to calm down as she continued. "We were talking and when she asked about you, I accidentally let it slip that you were her fan, that you routinely went around to other patients introducing her to them, and that you pass along fans with her face printed on them in the summer-"

"Man, you really held nothing back, huh," he couldn't help but marvel. No wonder Ai had seemed so smug. He glanced back, and yep, she had the smallest uptick of the corner of her lips.

"I thought you didn't have an issue with your reputation being the doctor crazy for idols, Dr. 'Go-Go-B-Komachi,'" she retorted.

"Please don't call me that straight to my face, Nurse Chatty. And besides, there's only one idol for me."

He paused when the snarky reply he'd been expecting didn't come.

"…doctor, can I be serious for a moment?"

He turned to face her, leaving the hot water brewing and his cup on the counter. She was now frowning into her own cup – a neutral beige with a dog with a detective's hat. "…I'm listening."

"Some part of me still thinks it would be better if another doctor took over our special patient," she stated matter-of-factly. "If your favorite idol requires a C-section, can you be the one to make the call? Can you make the cut that could potentially ruin her career forever?"

The brewer dinged, quick only due to how poorly it did its job of heating the water. He ignored it as he considered her words.

Those were rather valid worries. Ai's small build, combined with how she had twins, will both increase the chances of a C-section more than usual. He'll have to bring it up with her and Mr. Saitou next time.

Now, as for the matter if he could do it?

"Yes, I can make that call," he answered firmly. "Yes, I can make the cut. Because while she is the idol Ai, she is a patient here first and foremost."

He hadn't made his promise lightly. He may be both a doctor and her fan, but he knew how to keep his emotions in check.

She pursed his lips. Hmm, if he was in her shoes, he wouldn't be satisfied with it as well. After all, she only had her reputation as chatty since she genuinely wanted to become close to those under her care. Like him, she also went around to see her patients in her off time.

That was also why she always was the one to catch him in his act, but that wasn't the issue here.

"How about this?" he offered. "If at any point I do not seem professional when I should be, leave the form for the primary doctor switch on my desk. I'll fill it in and hand it over to the director the next day."

Of course, he had no intention of failing to meet professional standards.

"…very well," she nodded. "I'll accept this arrangement."

"Oh, and can I say something seriously as well?"

She paused, before nodding again. He took a deep breath, reaching for the boiler before continuing.

"I admit it's a fine line between supporting your idol and obsessing over them. I understand it's strange to you for a grown man to be infatuated with an idol more than a decade younger than him. But, to think about me in that context, right after I told you about Sarina…"

The instant coffee mix went into his cup, the warm water quickly turning into a murky brown. "…even as a joke, it's in poor taste, you know?"

He'd wanted to get this off his chest for a few days, now. To dismiss their interactions in room 201, all the happy times, the lows, and the painful moments so quickly as 'proof' of his preferences…

She was right in that he cared not one bit about his reputation as an idol fan. But insulting his memories of Sarina was out of the question.

"Ah." She didn't seem to think that her actions could be seen that way. This time, she bowed properly. "I apologize. I was out of line, and showed inconsideration for both you and someone close to you."

"…it's fine. I know you understand now." He sighed and took a sip of his coffee.

It tasted awful, just like the cheap instant coffee mix always did. It was this taste right here that made americanos a luxury.

But he was thankful for the chance to clear up the air. …and for the caffeine it dumped into his system, he guessed.

He raised out his free hand toward her as she straightened up.

"Let's do our best to keep our patients safe."

After a moment she shook it.

"As always."

"…you know, you really should review our hospital's contract as practitioners, though," he commented. "If you really thought I was a danger to my patients, you should have reported it upwards and let them deal with it."

"But the paperwork is such a hassle," she complained. "Besides, I trust your professionalism when it comes to interpersonal relationships, Dr. 'Go-Go-B-Komachi.'"

He hid his smile behind his coffee as they began to walk off for their afternoon. "If you rather read something fun, I can give you a copy of my 'Health Theory of Stanning' paper I've been preparing. Dr. Toudou knows the details."

"I rather go through the contracts, thank you."

AN: I have read all of Kaguya. I might sneak in some jokes that originate from there hehe

Pushed myself super hard this week to get this update in today! Figured it was important to give you all an example of how slowly I'm going to be moving the plot haha. Had to rewrite a large portion when I realized I wasn't satisfied with my initial portrayal of Ai, though. Man, Ai's such a complicated character, but I love her all the more for it!

I think the hospital that Gorou's hospital is based on has actually been identified? I'm completely going off my own image of a hospital, though – a really well-furbished one with the best reputation around the countryside, but a bit too far out so that they don't have too many patients. That being said…

I apologize to everyone involved in the medical world if I'm misrepresenting your lives, jobs, and culture. If it's too much of an issue, please get in touch – I'll try to address it before moving forward. I'm going to be honest: I had a hard time trying to figure out how Gorou had enough time to goof around. I try to do research before I commit to an idea, but I just want to write some fluff, you know? Again, please take every medical thing I say as a grain of salt!

Thank you all for your favorites, follows, kudos, and reviews!