"I knew it."
The moment Aqua Hoshino stepped into his room, those were the words that crossed his mind. This was crucial to him. It was as if some higher beings had made him experience a dream—one where Ai Hoshino was still alive. But what he had just learned might have been even more significant than that dream.
Because Sarina Tendouji was alive—reincarnated as Ruby Hoshino. Back when he was Gorou Amamiya, she had been one of the two people he valued most. In fact, it was because of her that he had even met the other person he cherished: Ai. After all, he used to think idols and idol fans were ridiculous. Knowing that the person who had left the deepest mark on his soul was actually alive filled one part of him with peace and joy.
But that joy didn't last long.
"God... Why did you allow someone like me to be reborn?"
Those words echoed in his ears. He turned his face toward the door as if he had heard them again. Of course, no one was there. Then, from the depths of his mind, a few lurking questions emerged like jesters, mocking him.
"Why did Ruby choose this path?"
"Wasn't she supposed to be someone true to her ideals?"
"Why is she trying so hard?"
Amid them, another jester-like question popped up. It spoke in an intentionally grating tone, accompanied by exaggerated theatrical gestures—the kind no one would ever take seriously, or even bother listening to. But this didn't apply to Aqua, because the reality of the question echoing in his mind made his stomach churn for a moment.
"Why is she questioning her own rebirth?"
This made no sense to Aqua.
Reincarnation might have been one of Sarina Tendouji's greatest desires—perhaps even the greatest. Despite spending most of her life confined within four walls, the sheer intensity of her will to live had been what moved Gorou the most. He could never be like her. Even now, the regrets gnawing at him fed the darkness in his soul. It was too late for her to achieve her dreams, but... the sparkle in the eyes of that girl—who never knew if she'd even wake up the next day—her ability to dream, to smile, to keep going despite the same venomous worms of despair writhing inside her… That had left its mark on him. And now, the fact that she—someone like her—had sunk so deep into darkness that she would utter those words… It made the ache in Aqua's gut twist even sharper.
"Interesting. Normally, you'd ve talking to her right now. Honestly, I'm curious why you're acting like this."
A mysterious voice drifted in from the balcony. Its owner had a familiar face—a white-haired girl with an eerie aura, crows fluttering around her. Aqua didn't know her name, and frankly, he didn't care.
"Why are you here this time? How did you even find my house?"
"Is there anything easier than taht? I was just watching something I thought was important."
"Is that so?"
"Exactly. Like I said before, it's weird that instead of comforting your dear sister, you locked yourself in your room. Did you choose the right path? Although, I don't think there is a completely right path anymore, no matter what path you choose."
"You know damn well which path I'm walking, you freak."
"Oh my, you're making rahat scary face again. Do you not want me talking to your sister? A bit overprotective, aren't you?"
"Trust me, I've heard that line from at least five people already. It's just... I thought she wouldn't listen to me, since things are strained between us."
"Hmm... I can't say anything about that. After all, you're the one who knows her best."
"..."
Aqua understood exactly what she was implying. Her feet were not touching the ground and she was swinging her feet like a normal child. She seemed at ease. Aqua, meanwhile, looked like he was in a trance. Should I really talk to Ruby? He knew she'd reject him. Ever since he'd exposed the truth—that they were Ai's children—her anger toward him hadn't faded.
"I'm not sure... I still see her as a child. Bacak then, I even treated her like the little sister I never had."
"Keep talking about your feelings all you want. What are you going to do next? I'm curious about mysterious plan of yours."
"No matter how many times I tell you, you'll krep sticking yout nose into my business, won't you?"
"I just say what I want. Honestly, you should follow the advice I gave you before."
Aqua didn't know how to react to the mysterious girl's arms spread wide and surrendering to gravity. Then he suddenly moved towards the balcony. When he looked down, there was no sign of the girl, but there were crows flying around and cawing. Moreover, he could hear the mysterious girl's last words clearly.
"Think about why you're alive."
He'd heard something similar from her before. He couldn't help but wonder why was she so insistent on this? Had she said the same things to Ruby? Sinking onto the edge of his bed, he thought about all the people he'd lied to so far. How much longer could he keep this up? His fingers brushed against the drawer of his nightstand. Slowly, he pulled it open. Inside lay a single DVD. The last thing his mother had left him. The foundation of his entire plan. He stared at it for what felt like an eternity before sliding it back into place and taking a deep breath.
Aqua knew what I have to do.
"I'm going to tell Ruby everything."
He would reveal who he truly was why he had exposed their mother's identity. She might rage at him. She might refuse to listen. But he would speak his truth regardless. These weren't just lies he had spun before. Ruby had never asked who he really was, but if she had, he could have told her plainly what he had been in his past life, how he had died. Aqua would tell her the truth, not the lies that would come out sooner or later.
Aqua reached the front of Ruby's room. The door was slightly ajar. Most likely, Ruby was still crying inside. That's why when he opened the door and stepped in, not seeing his little sister immediately made Aqua, as an brother, grow anxious. "Did she go downstairs?" he wondered as he descended the steps. She wasn't in the kitchen or the living room either. Drawing on his past life as a doctor, he thought she might be in the bathroom and went back upstairs, but he couldn't find her there either. Just then, he thought he heard something fall. When he looked toward the sound, he noticed Miyako's bedroom door was slightly open. This only deepened Aqua's unease.
Aqua came to the front of the room with heavy steps and slowly opened the door. There was an eerie sound in the environment due to the door slowly opening. There was someone collapsed on the floor at the edge of the bed. Long blonde hair was spread out everywhere. Even for a moment, she could not see Ai or anything that could remind her of her. This person was of course none other than Ruby.
"Ruby?"
He was questioning. He was questioning why his sister lay on the ground like a corpse. There were no wounds on her body. Her health had always been perfect compared to her previous life. What had happened to her? The answer to this question lay in what she was clutching in her hand.
It was a box. A small cylindrical container that could easily fit in the palm of one's hand. For Aqua, a doctor, seeing that box made his already wide blue eyes bulge even further. Yet he tried to convince himself this couldn't be real, clinging to the hope that it was all a lie. Without uttering a word, he took the box from Ruby's hand. It was nothing more than the sleeping pills Miyako used—pills she relied on to fall asleep easily after long, exhausting workdays and bouts of insomnia. Inside the box, only two pills remained, and scattered around the room were a few more pills along with another empty box flung into the corner.
"No... Wake up, Sarina... Please wake up... Wake up! Don't you dare joke with ne like this! This isn't funny at all! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"
As he shouted these words;
"God... Why did you allow someone Luke me to ve reborn?"
Those same words echoed relentlessly in Aqua's ears.
The unthinkable had happened. Ruby had swallowed two entire boxes of pills in a suicide attempt. While calling out to her, he reflexively grabbed his phone.
"Moshi moshi?! Please send an ambulance! My sister iş dying!"
Amid the storm of emotions, he kept shouting at Ruby while simultaneously relaying her age, gender, weight, medical history, and other details to the operator. No matter how much he shook her, she wouldn't wake up—not a trace of a smile on her face. Like a massive beast thrashing in a swamp, he could do nothing but struggle helplessly. In Aqua's mind, minutes twisted into seconds and stretched into years. There was no way to tell how much time had passed before the ambulance finally arrived.
For Aqua, the impossible had become possible.
And now, what should have been possible had become impossible.
-The Next Day-
Breaking News!
Idol Ruby Hoshino's Suicide Attempt
The public is left reeling after Ruby Hoshino, recently revealed to be the daughter of the late idol Ai Hoshino, was hospitalized following an apparent suicide attempt. Friends and classmates say she had become increasingly withdrawn...
Forum Threads:
"Bet those greedy producers worked her to the bone. No wonder she snapped."
"I used to be a fan... Now I'm just ashamed."
"People are overreacting. She's just seeking attention."
"Heard she and her twin aren't on good terms."
"Probably some boy trouble. Like mother, like daughter."
"Is she gonna be okay?"