"Come to think of it, was it today?"
"What was?"
Ai, lying on my lap and eating Häagen-Dazs, looked up and asked what I meant by 'today.'
"It's today. The day Ruby's idol audition results are announced."
"Ah~"
"Ai....."
Even though she's almost thirty, I'm still amazed that Ai's self-centered personality hasn't changed a bit. Now that Ruby and Aqua are all grown up, I sometimes have complex feelings when they call me 'Papa' and 'Dad'—using different terms despite being twins.
The audition Ruby applied for was to become an additional member of a large idol group.
Originally, she wanted to debut at the same agency as Ai. However, Ichigo Production was currently struggling just to manage one actor—Ai herself—so I wasn't confident we could handle Ruby, too. Until Ruby settled on an agency, she remained with Ichigo Production but actively auditioned elsewhere.
Honestly, I would have loved to manage Ruby myself. But due to my own company circumstances, I had to continue my acting career, which made it impossible for me to be her manager. I felt truly regretful about that.
But Ruby had said:
"No! If Papa became my manager, I'd probably get too spoiled, so it can't be!!"
She's already developing such independence; I'm proud.
As a result, Ruby diligently searched for auditions on her own, leading to this current opportunity.
If my research was correct, there were a total of 136,114 applicants. It was nothing short of amazing that Ruby had made it this far among them. The application conditions were for females aged 14 to 20.
The first screening was document-based. Ruby had asked Ai for help initially, but...
"Huh? Mama was directly scouted by the Director, and then Yume handled all the contracts and stuff, so I don't really know how auditions work~"
"Eh..."
"Ruby, I'll help you."
"Okay, Papa!!"
Ai was truly an all-rounder as an idol, but a complete novice when it came to the administrative side. So, I stepped in to help Ruby prepare her documents directly.
Of course, I didn't forget to take the necessary photos, editing them to ensure she looked her absolute best.
Naturally, the self-introduction had to be written by Ruby herself. When I asked to review it...
"Huh!? How can you think of such perverted things!? Papa, are you a pervert!?"
I was stuck in shock for a while after hearing that accusation.
In the end, Ruby became one of the 1,288 who passed—a success ratio of about 1 in 105.
Passing the first screening wasn't something to celebrate just yet. The second screening was an interview. For something like that, neither Ai nor I could help directly; we just had to trust in Ruby's abilities.
And now, Ai and I were waiting for the results.
"I hope she makes it."
"Of course she will, right? After all, she's the child of me and Yume!!"
"That's right."
But unfortunately, even if Ruby passed... after consulting with Aqua, we might have to make sure she fails. A fact I kept strictly secret from Ai.
Ai and Ruby only know the bright side of this world. Aqua stands in the middle, between light and darkness. That was the condition I gave Aqua: all the dark parts would be handled by me.
I didn't want to involve Ai, Ruby, or Aqua in such matters. But as someone who knows Aqua's past life to some extent, this was the maximum compromise I could agree to.
This became my first lie to Ai. If she finds out later, she'll surely get angry. But even so, I wanted to protect my family.
"Ai."
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
"Hehe, what's this all of a sudden!? But I like it! I love you too♥"
I still love you, Ai. I'll continue to love you forever. So please, forgive my first and last lie.
Third-person: Hoshino Ruby
Right now, Hoshino Ruby was chatting with her friends at school.
"Honestly, I think I made it!! Last time, I couldn't apply because of the age limit, right? So I've been waiting for this audition for two years!!!"
Ruby was beaming, saying the vibe of the audition felt right. Her friends watched her excitement.
"Yeah! Ruby will definitely pass! After all, Ruby is cute and dances well, right? Well... her singing is a bit so-so!!"
Unfortunately, Ai's singing talent wasn't exactly top-tier either, so Ruby had inherited a similar level of skill.
"What's 'so-so'?"
"Ruby has enough charm to cover that flaw and more, right?"
"Flaw?"
At her friend's words, the second friend avoided Ruby's gaze. Ruby's eyes went dead at the word "flaw."
But still...
"Anyway... I'm definitely going to pass this idol audition!!!"
'And I'll definitely become an idol like Mama!!'
For Hoshino Ruby, the greatest idol was still Hoshino Ai.
Now, Hoshino Ai had transitioned to acting, but she occasionally held solo concerts, so she hadn't completely retired from the stage.
First-person: Hoshino Ruby
My name is Hoshino Ruby.
I have two secrets: one I can't tell anyone, not even my friends, and one I can't tell Papa or Mama.
The first is that my mother is Hoshino Ai—the legend who was almost killed by an obsessed stalker but survived thanks to Papa, achieved idol god status, and is now active as an actor!
And the other is that I have memories of a past life.
My body was inherently weak back then, and I spent most of my life in a hospital.
The only joy I had was my favorite idol otaku activities. Among them, I was deeply obsessed with Hoshino Ai, the center of B-Komachi, who is now my mother.
Even until the moment my life's flame went out, the sound of Mama's singing echoed in my mind.
But when I thought I had died and opened my eyes next, I was born as Mama's child.
The memories that started from then are still my greatest treasure. Of course, the memories our family will build from now on will also be the greatest treasure!!
So...
"I'm going to be like Mama!!"
"It's good to talk about dreams, but your high school entrance exams are right around the corner."
Ugh!! Ruining the good mood... what a brother!!
"What do you know, Brother? I'm going to be an idol! High schools with entertainment courses focus on interviews! Academic records are just for reference! If I become an idol, I don't have to study for exams, so it's killing two birds with one stone!!"
So, Hoshino Ruby doesn't have to study or anything★
"Don't gamble your life based on trivial knowledge. It's fine to dream of being an idol, but don't romanticize the idol life. Basically, it's low pay, forced retirement at thirty, and daily life under constant fan surveillance."
"The survival rate in the industry after graduation is low, and most end up getting jobs in completely different fields. There are few professions with such poor return on investment."
Huh? When his lovely younger sister says she wants to be an idol, my brother can't even cheer me on!!
"So what?"
I'm going to do what I want! Mama did! Papa said I should do that too!!
"Doing what you want is life! If you start talking about investment efficiency and stuff, you can't do anything!! There are lives that end without doing anything at all."
Like me, who spent all my time in the hospital!!
"I hate that."
"Well, it's your choice in the end, so I won't stop you. Do as you please. I'm going to see the Director now."
"Hmph!"
My brother is really such a fool.
Brother changed because of that incident. He always has a dark face and doesn't look happy at all. Of course, when we're together as a family, he always shows a genuine smile, but when alone, he mostly wears that boring expression.
After telling Papa and Mama, he entered an apprenticeship under the Director and seems to be doing something continuously. But he doesn't tell me or Mama anything at all—only occasionally Papa.
And it wasn't just my brother who changed.
First, Saito, who became the former president of Ichigo Production, got a job as a fairly high-level employee in the idol department of Papa's company, thanks to Papa's support.
Miyako succeeded Saito as president.
B-Komachi disbanded when Mama was 25. Most members found their own paths and left, just as Mama and Papa had predicted.
So now, there are no idols in Ichigo Production. The only affiliated talent is Mama, but she alone brings in quite a lot of work, so Miyako always looks busy.
And Papa, since he's originally affiliated with another company, only takes acting work through them. But I heard he deliberately takes less work to spend more time with the family.
Our Papa is the best!! I'm going to live with Papa and Mama forever like this!!!
But still.....
I was now sitting with Miyako, who was working on a laptop in the Ichigo Production office, and I asked something I was always curious about.
"Hey, Miyako... aren't you going to restart idol groups?"
I want to be in an idol group like Mama, too.
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