"Alright, on to the next fan letter... Oh my, the question in this one might be a little tricky. Are you sure you're okay with this, Miss Hoshino Ai?"
"I'm perfectly fine!"
Ai flashed a brilliant smile at the camera.
"Bring it on!!"
"Okay, then! A letter from XXXXX asks, what are Ai's standards for a partner? What kind of person do you want to marry in the future?"
Dun-dun!
A dramatic sound effect played, and then the entire recording studio fell silent. Everyone present waited for Ai to answer.
However, without a shred of hesitation, Ai replied immediately:
"Someone who can give me true love!"
"Ooh! A very girlish answer, just as expected from Miss Hoshino Ai!"
This picture-perfect, standard idol answer earned a flash of approval from the host.
"But that's quite a broad category! The number of people in this world who could satisfy that condition could probably fill our entire television station!"
"Hee hee~ Who knows~"
Ai winked playfully at the camera.
"That condition might be far, far stricter than everyone imagines~"
"Hahaha, did you all hear that, fans? To meet that condition, everyone must continue to support our 'First-Magnitude Star' in the future! Alright, we'll take a short break now. We'll be right back after the commercial—"
...
"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Hoshino Ai."
After the recording paused, the host gave Ai a slight nod.
"A truly beautiful response. You really are a top idol."
"Not at all."
Ai shook her head with a smile.
"I was just telling the truth, after all."
"Hahaha, I'll take your word for it. You can take a short break now. We'll resume recording in fifteen minutes."
"Okay!"
Then, Ai took the bottle of water handed to her by the staff and walked with a light step towards the dressing room.
When she walked through the door, her partner, who had finished recording earlier, spoke directly.
"You've become much more settled down since you got back in touch with Mr. Tetsuya."
Uika said to Ai, having watched the entire recording process on a screen in the dressing room.
"You've finally calmed down because you got his guarantee, right?"
"...What do you mean?"
"I thought your answer would have been a bit more targeted."
Uika said.
"Something like 'a mature and gentle person,' 'a thoughtful person,' or 'a person with nimble fingers.' That way, when the May live comes, all of this could have served as groundwork to give the media an even bigger bombshell."
"Because it's not necessary."
Ai shook her head, her expression cool.
"The exposure from the live itself is more than enough. On top of that, the fewer people who know his good points, the better."
"...Well, I guess I can understand that."
Uika shrugged, then took out her phone, preparing to look at the day's entertainment news. Just then, however, a knock on the door interrupted her.
"...?"
She turned and met Ai's eyes, and seeing that Ai was just as surprised, she stood up and slowly walked to the door.
When she opened it, a strange young man was standing there with a smile.
"Good afternoon to the two of you from [Summer Zodiac]. I am Diye Qing from the clothing brand [NozAK!]."
Upon hearing the name [NozAK!], Uika immediately knew his purpose, and at the same time, completely lost the patience to listen any further.
"I'm very sorry, but please direct all business-related inquiries to our manager."
Uika's response was decisive, and her reasoning was impeccable.
After quickly expressing her refusal to talk, Uika didn't even wait for a response before shutting the dressing room door.
On the other side, Ai, who had also heard the exchange, silently furrowed her brow.
"That name, if I remember correctly, is..."
"Mhm, it's the brand that plagiarized Mr. Tetsuya's designs."
Uika answered softly.
"It's also the biggest obstacle to him starting his own business right now."
"..."
The expression on Ai's face quickly soured.
"So, what does he want with us?"
"What else could it be? They must want us for modeling or an endorsement deal."
Uika replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Their promotional efforts recently have been insane. From advertisement space in Ginza to social media campaigns, you can see the name [NozAK!] everywhere. As the most talked-about new idols of the moment, it's not strange that they'd come looking for us."
"...Tch."
Ai made a very un-idol-like clicking sound with her tongue.
"Bullying Tetsu and then wanting us to endorse them... Not a chance!"
"That's what I think, too."
Uika said, looking down to send a message to their manager on her phone.
"But putting our personal feelings aside, this is a rather dangerous sign."
"What do you mean?"
"As a fashion brand, they're no longer content with using only fashion models for promotion and have started seeking out various popular celebrities for endorsements."
Uika explained.
"Although we turned them down, they can still go find other idols to endorse them. When that happens, there will be even less space for Mr. Tetsuya to operate..."
Halfway through, she paused for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
"But you probably don't care much about this, do you? After all, your goal is to announce everything at the May live and elope with Mr. Tetsuya. Compared to [NozAK!]'s little squabbles, your destructive power is definitely stronger."
"..."
This time, Ai didn't readily admit to it or snap back as she usually would. Instead, she lowered her head slightly and fell silent. And in those purple eyes that sparkled like stars, a trace of unprecedented hesitation appeared.
Uika, who had expected Ai to be as unshakeable as before, was slightly taken aback.
Her feeling was right. Ever since meeting with Chihaya Tetsuya, this volcano that had been on the verge of erupting at any moment had now cooled down.
Although her obsession and love for him had not diminished, that reckless, all-consuming fervor had been effectively suppressed.
If only there was a reason, something like [NozAK!], that was related to Chihaya Tetsuya and could also keep her on the stage...
Ding—
Just as Uika was sighing inwardly, her phone chimed with a new message.
And when she saw the content of the message from Togawa Sakiko, her eyes instantly lit up—
[Uika, have you ever heard of 'Tokyo Girls Collection'?]