The morning after their quiet conversation, Ai's phone suddenly stopped working.
She didn't think much of it—just went out and bought a new one.
Time moved on. Three years passed.
It was Ai Hoshino's 20th birthday.
The apartment was quiet.
Sunlight streamed through the windows as she scrolled aimlessly through her phone.
A knock echoed from the front door.
Ai froze for a moment.
Her heart skipped.
"Could it be... the president and the others?"
She stood up and glanced toward the hallway.
"Aqua, Ruby—stay in your room, okay?"
They nodded.
Ai walked to the door and opened it just slightly.
A man stood outside, holding a bouquet of white flowers.
For a second, the world stopped.
And in the next—
Her mind was flooded with a memorym
She was back there.
Already bleeding.
Already stabbed.
Her body jerked backward as she clutched her side—
Her abdominal aorta, ruptured, pulsing hot blood through trembling fingers.
The man's voice, cold and cracked with hate, filled the silence.
"Bwahaha… Does that hurt?
HUH?!
Good.
Because I've been hurting for YEARS.
You're an idol.
How DARE you have kids?!
You LIED to us!
All that 'Love, love, love' nonsense—
IT WAS FAKE!
You sold us dreams, and you were mocking us the whole time!"
Ai's knees buckled slightly, but she didn't fall.
She looked him in the eye.
Her voice was soft.
"You're right… I lied."
The man blinked in confusion.
"I've always been irresponsible," she said. "Hopeless, even.
I don't really understand what love means.
So I told lies. Pretty ones.
Lies that made people happy. Lies that I wished were true."
She took a shaky breath.
"I worked hard. Lied with everything I had.
To me… lies were love.
That was the only way I knew how to give it."
She extended her hand, fingers bloodied but steady.
"Even now… I'd like to love you."
The man stumbled back, stunned.
"L-Liar… You're just saying that so I'll let you go…"
Ai tilted her head gently.
"You're Ryosuke-kun, aren't you?
You came to so many meet-and-greets."
His jaw dropped.
"W-What…?"
"The star sand you gave me… I still have it. It's in my living room."
He looked down, trembling.
"No… No, no, no—THAT'S NOT WHAT I—!"
He dropped the knife.
And ran.
Screaming.
Aqua rushed in.
"Ai! I called an ambulance—!"
Ai leaned against the door, chuckling weakly.
"I guess… this is what door chains are for, huh?
They never taught us that in the children's home."
"DON'T TALK!" Aqua knelt beside her, pressing on the wound.
"It's the abdominal aorta—Damn it!"
Ai placed a hand on his head, brushing away his hair.
"I'm sorry… I don't think they can fix this.
Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Aqua's hands were shaking.
"...No. I'm not."
She pulled him into a hug.
"The dome concert…
They're probably going to cancel it, huh?
And the movie's schedule, too… Tell the director I'm sorry."
Ruby's voice called from behind the locked door.
"Hey! What's going on?! Aqua?!"
"Stay away, Ruby," Aqua said firmly.
> "Tell me what's happening!" she cried.
Ai's voice grew softer, as she held Aqua close.
"Ruby… your Parents' Day dance was amazing.
I thought… maybe, someday, you'd become an idol too.
We could've done a mother-daughter show… wouldn't that have been nice?"
"And Aqua… maybe you'll be an actor.
I wonder what kind of adults you'll grow into."
Her vision blurred.
"I wanted to see your grade school entrance ceremony.
Visit your classroom.
Hear people say, 'Ruby's mom is so young!'
I wanted to stay.
Watch you both grow."
She sobbed, her hand growing colder.
"I wasn't a great mom. But I'm so glad I had you."
"One last thing…"
Her voice cracked.
"Ruby. Aqua.
I love you."
A trembling smile.
"There. I finally said it.
Those words weren't a lie."
Her eyes widened.
Then slowly—They dimmed.
"Ai?!
Ai—NO!!"
Hours passed.
Aqua never let go of her hand.
Paramedics arrived.
They tried.
Three rounds of defibrillation.
Nothing worked.
At the hospital, she was officially declared dead.
The world went quiet.
A tall, unknown man arrived at the hospital's front desk.
He wore black, with dark sunglasses and a calm voice.
"Hello. I'm the makeup artist assigned to Ai Hoshino's body. May I collect her now?"
They handed her over.
The news shook the entertainment world.
Ai Hoshino was gone.
A radiant star extinguished far too soon.
---
But inside the ambulance that raced down the highway…
Behind it, in the shadows—
A black car was tailing closely.
---
Cut to a quiet hospital room.
Ai's body lay still, peaceful under sterile lights.
The camera panned closer.
Her face, pale.
Lips slightly parted.
Silence.
Then—
Her eyes opened.