Lyrics come from Take Me to Church, for obvious reasons. But not the normal one, the MILCK version.

How does an orphan get picked up and make it big in the entertainment industry?

How does a 16 years old girl pull through with her delivery, keep working while keeping her kids away from prying eyes, and climb the steps to be on the forefront of everyone's attention?

Not alone, that's for sure. With great effort, half a chance, and no small amount of luck.

"So that's how it is." Aqua had said, sitting with his little legs stretched as he played with his lower lip as he thought about it. After hugging and spoiling them a lot for the sin of hitting them, Ai was forced to follow Miyako-san's advice. Sitting them down and explaining why she'd reacted the way she did. Why messing in this seemingly unimportant way had made her turn into... That. But she couldn't just let it end with an apology; so the next day she took them to visit a certain someone to trace a plan of action.

"Eh? But…" Ruby still didn't get it. To her, although the man she'd texted turned out not being her father; she still couldn't understand why Ai cared about him.

"Ah, don't get it wrong." The little boy spoke before Ai could, snapping out of his considerations for a moment "It's nothing like what you're thinking."

Ai smiled softly, with the conversation she'd overhead about their father in her mind. Back then, she chose to call him instead of acknowledging the topic, no matter how weird the conclusion they came to was. Now, with the attempt on her life, and their confession of overhearing her conversation with Hikigaya, she could guess what Ruby was thinking about, and couldn't help feel glad that Aqua would cover for the things she didn't want to say.

"But…"

"No matter how you look at it, it's weird that mom has no friends." Aqua went back to his musings, probably running through the number of faces he knew that Ai was connected to. Her eye twitched slightly, but her expression remained the same "It can get lonely sometimes. There's nothing wrong with wanting to have people you can trust."

"Mama can trust us!" Ruby complained, looking ready to cry but not quite there yet.

"We can't defend her as we are." Aqua shook his head.

Ruby didn't like that.

"But…"

"No one should feel lonely." Aqua stated like he'd made up his mind "Besides, if it's really that guy… Mhm. I understand."

"Then, what do you think? You kids are very smart, I wonder what you guys think…" Being able to act when they were so small, following the director's orders, and being able to keep up the pretense of being Miyako-san's children while in public… No matter how Ai looked at it, she'd been blessed with a couple of geniuses with a powerful destiny.

And, right there and then, that thought had woken up a hunger in her mind. A desire to get these two on her side. Because the idea of things being different were too scary to consider. And because her she didn't want to think her own actions could break her life apart.

The little boy stared at his mom with eyes filled with determination.

"As your son and fan, I'll support you to the best of my abilities." Aqua said carelessly, waking up a different set of feelings in Ai.

A memory. Not forgotten but buried.

She couldn't help smiling bitterly, hoping that this time they were for real.

"You're really getting all worked up for a guy?" The director didn't look very convinced. For one, they'd interrupted one of his "sessions" where he'd neither film nor write. So Ai didn't really understand why he was upset about it, but that didn't matter.

She also wanted him on her side. So she sent her kids away to check the man's scripts.

"Sensei, if I…" Ai turned to Ruby, who still didn't look wholly convinced. Although she was smart, she wasn't the same as Aqua. She felt more like Ai, more sporadic. And she'd need a better foundation to work with to make it big, just like Ai herself had needed "If I died tomorrow, who do you think would show up to my funeral?"

The man closed his eyes, unable to hold Ai's gaze now that the glitter and shine were gone.

"The public one or the real one?" He asked with a sigh, eyes closed.

Ai scoffed.

"That's what I thought." Death has a way to put things into perspective, after all.

The moment they entered, arguing and with little care for the rest of the world, Ai knew she had to get ready for a rough start. Her fellow co-stars had differing levels of fear, which seemed to be the prevalent emotion in their reaction. Much more when Miyako-san shut down Ari in favor of continuing to argue with Hikigaya-san.

Ai turned to look at Ichigo-san, arms crossed and resting his back on one of the walls like a yakuza boss looking over his products. He… Wasn't much help, really. He'd folded when Ai insisted to pull off the stunt of appearing off the stage, he'd agreed to let Hikigaya come alone with his sister by discretely getting the previous group to leave early. But now, he couldn't do much in front of the idols and the few guards around. Those guys, too, didn't seem to know what to do. So Ai didn't think that her target would get subdued and thrown out any moment.

Was she stunned? Not exactly. Their conversations had Hikigaya say some pretty strange things sometimes, comments she didn't get. Ruby thought he was being a jerk, but the director and Aqua had a different opinion. Someone with a fundamentally terrible personality isn't inclined to be useful, doesn't feel the need to meet people halfway. Both of the adults had worked with such people before, so Ai could sort of understand where they were coming from. Aqua had also worked with that little girl with red hair, so he probably got the idea from her specifically.

Was little Aqua perhaps on his way to being a Casanova? A boy that gave girls a lot of "character development" after charming and playing with them? Would Ai have to worry about two different girls coming to "study" with him and being shocked to see the other there?

With his genes? Not out of the picture. But not something to worry about for at least 9 years. Ruby, too, could end up being extremely sadistic in her relationships. But again, Ai had time to plan a strategy for that later.

For now, she waited. She had to ask who Miyako-san was referring to when she called Hikigaya a masochist, true. But besides that, Ai's first step was to let this play out. Let the two realized that they were arguing in front of everyone. She took mental notes, trying to fit the mental picture that she'd worked with her team to see if she could contextualize the conversation better. But really, this was all just so she could play peacemaker when they ran out of steam.

The results were better than expected.

What a cute expression, all red like a teenager with a crush. Ai could've taken a picture and hidden it somewhere…

"This is why I told you we should leave if you didn't feel like coming." The (old girl? Young woman?) that looked the most like him spoke up, being quick to the draw before anyone could make things look worse than they were. As expected of his little sister, she was quick witted "Look, they're scared now."

"Oh, no, no! Don't mind us!" Ai stood from her seat, waving her hands like she wanted to pacify the tensions. She did her best impression of being just as stunned as the rest, chuckling awkwardly so that she could grab everyone and drag them to the vibe she was aiming for "It's fine! It's the most lively I've seen Miyako-san for a while, after all."

"Hey, what are you trying to imply?" Oops… Ichigo-san seemed to take that the wrong way, which made the tension raise a little bit.

No matter. She knew this interpretation would be awkward. This wasn't her forte, the usual. She needed all of her talent and focus to hang just slightly off the edge of being confrontational, pull from the Ai that hadn't known Ichigo-san was her ticket to a better life without actually giving in on the darkness that the little girl carried…

Hikigaya made a sound that might've either been a burp or a restrained laughter.

Hook…

"Onii-chan, c'mon." The young woman that looked like him elbowed his ribs, and that made most of the embarrassment drain from his face.

…Ai felt a little disappointed.

"Sorry, sorry." Hikigaya stretched his back, and the same dull expression Ai had seen him wear in the hospital returned in spades "It wasn't funny at all. Nope."

"It really wasn't." Miyako-san didn't look amused at all, but the spell seemed to have been lifted. And she returned to Ichigo-san's side while the other members of B-Komachi reeled from the sudden break in tension "Ai, please sit down."

"Okay~!" Ai did as instructed just so it wasn't that evident that she had the ability to argue against the bosses in the room. She put her hands on the table, intertwining her fingers and going back to her tested and true tactics "Shall we start again~? You're less people than usual, but that just makes it all the more special, right?! Come! Come!"

"Y-Yeah. Ai-chan's right!" Niino pulled herself together the quickest, perfecting her smile before the small group could decide that they weren't in trouble after all "I see that these two are the superfans that helped out Ai-chan too. Don't be shy!"

Ai felt smugness creep up her features, but she pushed it down. As expected, the girls were still proud members of B-Komachi. They were pros from head to toe, and were used to following the lead. They hadn't cracked in any concert, in any interview; not even after Ai's close-call. She could rely on them to keep her plan going after taking the initiative.

The thick guy and the girl with glasses responded the most positively. With Hikigaya taking a few moments to digest what was happening. What had the director said? Cautious? Proving? She couldn't be sure whether he was a person that projected out hostility or someone who didn't know that his words could hurt. He did it too seamlessly, and even the director didn't feel confident guessing what his deal was.

Still, knowing this in advance helped a whole lot. It allowed Ai to brace for impact, so she wouldn't get swept under a different rhythm from her own.

This process would be a little more awkward, however. They'd have to wait for the fans to go through shaking hands with each and every single one of them. Choosing something from what they'd bought to sign, taking pictures… That was fine. Niino gave Ai the opening she needed.

"Thanks a lot for the catch, by the way." Ai beamed as the Hikigaya siblings came into earshot "You really saved the show back there!"

Hikigaya didn't immediately give her his attention. He looked lost, hesitant. Eyeing the adults before turning his attention to the Ai sitting in front of him. Waiting.

She took it all in. What were the tells she was supposed to look out for? She slightly tweaked her tone to make it softer and a little bit less energetic. Or a bit more apologetic would work better?

"…I'm pretty sure you had it under control." He spoke without much inflection, conveying less than most people did when they made their tone flat. A spectator wouldn't really know what they were supposed to take from it, it lacked a critical component in communicating feeling. It was too impersonal.

Was that supposed to be a completement? She couldn't be sure. But it felt like that.

"Learning to fall is a quintessential skill in this business." Ai put some airs of wisdom, nodding to herself "Minimize injuries so you can keep the party going, y'know."

"Is that something that happens often?" The younger Hikigaya asked, sounding more curious than interested. Ai chose to retain the mood she had going.

"Less so with experience, like with all things." Ai motioned with her arm to the girl to her right "Ask Kyun here, she knows I've landed on my face more times than I can count!"

"Haha… Well, it's an idol secret!" Her co-star winked, not really sure where Ai was going. But knowing how to keep the mood light-hearted "Can't get our fans thinking we're clumsy, now can we~?"

"Right, right!" Ai chuckled "But don't let me keep you here, go!"

"I thought we could start from this side?" The younger Hikigaya asked.

"No, no. Go with the queue. You're four, but those are the rules." Ai winked before the first guy finally reached her.

He was breathing from the mouth and his glasses were a bit foggy, but it looked like he'd managed to reign his emotions in by the time he reached Ai. She opened the marker when he presented his two red light sticks.

"This… This is my first time coming to a concert…" He sounded both excited and apologetic, which made Ai chuckle a bit.

She eyed the siblings while signing with practiced swiftness.

"Is that right? Was it all you imagined?" Ai asked without looking at his face, moving the sticks around to see if her signature hadn't been cut off by the cylindrical form it had.

"Yes! You were stunning! Angelic! The bestest in the world!" His words fed her. She'd heard very similar things from beginning to end of this session, but she still felt fed by them. Small amounts, mere crumbs compared to what she needed. But nurturing all the same.

"I'm glad. Please keep supporting us!" Reminding people to keep buying was a given. No one lives off of smiles and photos, after all.

…Models. Right. Uh… A better metaphor…

"I'll try! As long as it's in my power!"

"Please look after yourself first, though!" Ai pointed a finger at his face "Your well-being matters, okay?! No slacking on that!"

"Yes! Ai-chan!"

"Good!" She nodded with satisfaction "Will you be taking a photo or…?"

"Actually, I was hoping to get one with the whole group…"

Oh, is that right? What a coincidence. Ai needed an excuse to circumvent the natural barrier that the tables created.

"Well, you're a handful… That can be arranged, right girls?!" She beamed at them, making them stop and eye Ichigo-san discretely.

Of course, there was no problem. But they had to finish protocol first, so Ai offered him her hand.

Interestingly, although it was a little sweaty, this guy didn't smell. Ai could tell individuals apart, and this room had kind of clogged her nose when some people entered and left a bit of a disgusting scent when they spoke to her. And yet, this guy didn't. She was indeed aware that Hikigaya would pick his companions with more care than most people, not as much as Ai herself but still. The sentiment remained that she felt actually pleasantly surprised.

The girl that came after him was even more nervous, but Ai knew how to side-step setting her off to screaming in delight. She supposed it was better than having fewer fans, just like when B-Komachi started, but it still tired her a little to have to pick her words with more care than usual.

Finally…

Wait, finally?

"Is something wrong?" The younger Hikigaya asked, having her brother move to behind her. Making his little sister a natural wall between Ai and himself with the same awkwardness that the rest of the girls had when looking at him.

"Ah, is your brother not getting anything signed?" Ai couldn't help asking. She had honestly not paid attention to that particular part, although it made sense in retrospect.

"Oh, yes. We just come together." The young woman turned around so that her brother extended one of the bigger posters they were selling. With every other signature except the last two "He got this instead."

It was more like a frameless painting. Printed over, but supposed to be able to stand on its own. It was no bigger than Ai's face, and would probably not stand out that much in any room.

He oozed his personality in whatever he did, huh. It had to be something like this, if Ai had to imagine him buying anything from the shop. Small, discrete. Meant to be looked at by itself, and not as a part of a larger collection or the center of attention.

She felt her expression soften, but she couldn't put up any resistance. She didn't know how. And it still fed her, this small gesture. However unimportant, it felt individualistic. Like a person dressed in a sharp suit amidst a crowd of people in pajamas, or perhaps a veggie in a steak buffet.

The girl hadn't pulled it out before either, it had no signature at all. This is what made Ai realize that she'd lost control over her expression.

"Awww, it's so cute." She signed it first. Of course she would, she was planning to reveal the girl's name after that. And hopefully it'd help make the others forget that she alone shared something with this particular person.

Would they realize what they were looking at? Would they suspect? Honestly, Ai couldn't help ride the thrill. It emboldened her.

With the little fragment of my heart I'm allowed to give. -Ai.

"Here." If his sister read the little message, she gave no indication of… No, never mind. She stole a glance toward Ai for a moment. A small moment where Ai felt judged.

She blinked a couple of times, holding the stare. It took a couple of seconds before she realized she hadn't signed the poster.

She didn't lose, okay? She was just following the procedure. It'd be weird if she didn't.

"Komachi…?" She couldn't quite pretend to be surprised. Although it was still kind of funny "Hey, hey! What's up with this?! Are we getting visited by THE Komachi?! We're not in trouble for stealing the name, are we?!"

It didn't matter if the other girls didn't think much of it, Ai would still make it a big deal. This, too, was within what she was allowed to do after all.

"First a small group, now someone named like the group… C'mon, girls. We gotta do something special now!" Ai stood from her seat, ready to drag them along if needed be.

Admittedly, she was just as tired as the rest. But she couldn't help herself. She needed more attention. She'd been expecting it for days on end, it couldn't end like this. She couldn't just let it slip from her fingers without a fight.

"You two, with me!" Ai told the girl with glasses and Hikigaya, more or less dragging them to the center.

"Hey…" He hissed lowly, a warning in his eyes that he wouldn't convey through words because that'd be counterintuitive.

"It's fine, it's fine." She sneaked her arms around each of their waists, pulling them closer to herself and making the girl squeak a bit. Fortunately, she was too embarrassed to speak as Ai tilted her head against Hikigaya's shoulder "Enjoy the moment. It's a special occasion."

He also didn't smell bad, which she was grateful for. It allowed his body heat to be more enjoyable, seep into her brain like a jolt of electricity that made her feel alive.

She didn't even notice that the others put Komachi in front of her, forcing Ai to tiptoe and the girl to crouch a little. She was too busy digging in.

Look at me, look at me, look at me…

So busy she was, that she didn't see his eyes growing sharper.

"You're trying too hard." He whispered, forcing her to lock her expression when the camera went off.

...What?