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The yakiniku restaurant buzzed with the sizzle of grilling meat and lively chatter. The soft glow of lanterns hung above, casting a warm ambiance in the private room of B-Komachi's second generation, here to celebrate Ruby and Aqua's birthday.
Ruby's eyes sparkled with excitement as she animatedly chatted with Mem-cho. Kana reclined in her chair, a content smile curving her lips as she observed their lively exchange.
“Well, happy birthday Ruby,” Kana said, her tone soft with genuine warmth.
Ruby turned towards her, a radiant, sunny smile lighting up her face. “Awww, thanks Loli-senpai!”
Kana's cheeks flushed, a mix of embarrassment and amusement evident on her face. "Don't call me that! It’s Arima-senpai, you shitty idol."
Mem-cho chuckled, joining the banter as she playfully linked arms with both of them. "C’mon, let's capture this moment with a selfie! It’s not every day that a young idol takes a big step closer to being an adult."
With a burst of giggles, Kana and Ruby huddled close to Mem-cho as she expertly captured their smiles and antics. Kana's initial hesitation melted into genuine enjoyment as she embraced the moment.
"Perfect!" Mem-cho exclaimed as she showed them the selfie. "Now we, and our fans, will have a memory of this fantastic birthday celebration."
The joyful atmosphere shifted when the door slid open, drawing everyone's gaze to Aqua and Akane as they entered. Akane swept a strand of blue hair behind her ear, slipping off her shoes while Aqua addressed the group.
"Hey, everyone! Sorry for being late. Had to pick up Akane from practice."
Akane's eyes met Kana's, and the room's warmth seemed to cool in an instant.
“Well, well, Kurokawa-san. What a surprise,” Kana's voice turned icy.
Akane's response was as chilly as an ocean abyss. “Arima-san, it's only right that I'm here to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday.”
Ruby's timely intervention diffused the tension.
"Come on, you two! Let Onii-chan take a seat first!"
Appreciation twinkled in Aqua's eyes as he settled beside Ruby.
"Oh, and by the way, happy birthday!" Aqua greeted her with a smile.
"Aww! Happy birthday to you too, Onii-chan!"
Ruby playfully tackled Aqua, rubbing her head all over his face.
Mem-cho's eyes widened in anticipation. "Oh, this is Insta-gold right here!"
Aqua's laughter filled the room as he tried to extricate himself from Ruby's affectionate assault.
“Ack, Ruby, what are you even doing?”
Both Akane and Kana began giggling at Aqua in spite of themselves as he tried to peel Ruby off of him, his strength insufficient to move the young idol.
Kana took a deep breath and turned to Akane, her voice composed. "Shall we sit down now, Kurokawa-san?"
Akane nodded, and they took their seats on opposite ends of the table.
As if orchestrated by fate, the door slid open once again, revealing a figure with long, flowing purple hair and amethyst eyes that shone with charisma as she stood up from taking her shoes off.
"Hope I'm not too late..." a melodious voice chimed in.
Ai Hoshino, Japan's former number one idol, stepped in, radiating charisma and charm. A warm smile crinkled the corners of her eyes. "Ara~, Looks like I stumbled upon quite the party!"
Mem-cho dropped her phone, staring.
“Ehehe~. I couldn’t possibly miss my adorable twin’s birthday party, could I?”
“Mama!”
Ruby extricated herself from Aqua and rushed across the room.
Ai laughed joyfully as Ruby practically tackled her with a hug, her own arms wrapping around her daughter, returning the gesture. She held Ruby close, her heart swelling with affection.
"Oh, my precious Ruby. Happy birthday."
Ruby's face was buried against Ai's shoulder, and her muffled voice was filled with happiness. "I'm so glad you're here, Mama."
“I know sweetie.” Ai whispered affectionately.
Akane looked stunned, staring at the woman she had adopted the persona of on “Love Now”.
Ai turned to her, a smile playing on her face as her eyes focused on Akane while Ruby was still wrapped around her.
“So, Akane-chan, nice to finally meet you in person. I’ve only seen you on TV, so tell me, is my Aqua a good kisser?”
Akane blushed.
“I-it’s an honor to meet you Ai-san, and yes, Aqua-kun was very good to me.” Akane stuttered and bowed deeply.
Aqua’s face was impassive, but a light blush was beginning to appear on his cheeks.
“Kaa-san, really? That’s the first thing you ask?” Aqua asked seriously.
Ai winked at Aqua, a mischievous glint in her amethyst eyes.
"Well, I've got to make sure my son treats his girlfriend right, don't I?"
Ruby giggled into Ai’s shoulder.
As the laughter subsided, Ai gently pulled away from Ruby and turned her attention to Aqua, a tender smile on her lips. "And you, my handsome boy. Another year older, huh? I hope you're taking care of yourself. You look just like your father when he was your age…"
Aqua rolled his eyes, but there was a fondness in his gaze as he looked up at Ai. "Of course, Kaa-san. You know I've got everything under control."
Ai chuckled softly, her gaze shifting to Kana.
“Kana-chan, thank you for taking care of my Ruby. You make a great center. We were all a little afraid for you at the beginning of the concert, but you all definitely pulled it together for the end."
Ai turned to the other woman.
"You too Mem-cho, B-Komachi is in good hands with you girls.”
Mem-cho, who had been observing the scene with wide-eyed wonder, finally found her voice.
"Wow, this is amazing! Getting to sit and eat dinner with my idol. This is like a dream come true!"
Ai's smile radiated an affectionate warmth that reached her eyes. Feeling Kana’s need for an extra push, Ai turned her face towards the young woman.
"I'm glad to see you coming into your own, Kana-chan. I think all the old B-Komachi fans loved you guys.”
Kana's cheeks tinted with a touch of pride as she absorbed Ai's praise, her wide eyes shining.
"Thank you, Ai-san. It's been quite a journey, but I'm happy we made our fans happy."
Ai’s eyes glittered as she strode across the room to Aqua.
“Speaking of old B-Komachi fans, I think you made my little Aqua very happy, Kana-chan.”
Aqua turned away in embarrassment, and his blush only intensified as Ai wrapped her arms around him. “He looked so starstruck when you blew that kiss his way…”
Kana's cheeks turned pink as she cleared her throat.
"Well, I'm just... glad I could contribute to the success of our debut."
The food arrived, diverting everyone’s attention from Kana.
“Ooh we should all sit down yes?” Ai said, taking her arms off Aqua’s shoulders as he breathed a sigh of relief.
“It’s my treat, so everybody have as much as you like okay?” Ai said, taking the seat between Aqua and Ruby.
As Akane seized the tongs, Ai turned to Mem-cho. "So, Mem-cho, spill the beans. How was it behind the scenes on 'Love Now'? Did Akane-chan seduce my Aqua, or was it the other way around?"
“A-ah.”
Mem-cho pressed her fingers together as she tried to answer Ai’s question.
“Well, Akane-chan and Aqu-tan were both amazing to work with. It’s hard to say…”
Mem-cho looked away, unwilling to meet Ai’s amethyst eyes.
Akane blushed, deftly flipping a piece of meat.
"I thought it was only fair to pay Aqua-kun back for saving me..."
Ai’s eyes narrowed mischievously.
“Ara~, I have no doubt about that, Akane-chan. You know, I might even try to take acting tips from you sometimes. Seeing you on screen for those last few episodes felt like looking in a mirror.”
Ai raised a finger, looking up at the ceiling as if she had suddenly been struck with inspiration.
“So, Aqua, it turns out Akane-chan was playing your ‘ideal woman’? Does my son have an Oedipus complex?” Ai teased, relishing the look on Aqua’s face.
“Kaa-san!” Aqua turned red.
“Ew, Mommy’s boy. How devious of you, Kurokawa-san.” Kana narrowed her eyes at Akane, raising herself up.
“It was just how the show turned out, didn’t it?” Akane said, turning to face Kana.
“Oooh.” Ai said. “They’re both fighting over Aqua. I guess it can’t be helped. He is my son, after all.”
Ruby put her arm around Aqua protectively.
"I'm feeling irritated. Onii-chan is mine, you know?"
The rival actresses turned as one to face Ruby.
“Well, we’ll just have to change that tonight then.”
A drop of sweat beaded down Aqua’s face.
“Can you both please sit down already?”
Akane and Kana looked down at themselves.
“Oh my, I definitely have to post this pic,” Mem-cho said with a catlike grin, capturing the moment on her phone. “Aqu-tan is so popular with the girls!”
“Nooo!” Kana wailed.
"Meat's done." Akane announced.
With the food ready, everyone sat back down and enjoyed the meal.
As the night wore on, dessert was served, and the group shared a birthday cake with Aqua and Ruby's names written in sweet frosting. Standing up afterwards, Ai had another mischievous plot in her twinkling eyes.
“Wow, surrounded by all these pretty girls, how is my Aqua going to decide who to take home? Your kaa-san might be pretty young, but she’s also really greedy. Hoshino Ai wants to perform on stage with her granddaughter too.” Ai teased, wrapping her arms around Aqua again.
Aqua rolled his eyes playfully but couldn't hide the small smile tugging at his lips. "Kaa-san, you're embarrassing me."
Ai chuckled and leaned in to press a kiss on Aqua's forehead. "That's my job, isn't it? To embarrass you at every opportunity."
Ruby’s cheeks puffed out.
“Well, my babies are officially 17 now! That officially means you weren’t as greedy as I was when I was your age. I’m sure nobody would believe me if I started trying to show them pictures of my grandkids anyway!”
Ruby’s eyes widened.
“Mama!”
“Ehehe!” Ai laughed with a bright smile.
Aqua’s face went red. About as red as Kana’s hair. He stood up quickly to get away from Ai’s teasing.
Mem-cho snickered.
Ai turned to Ruby conspiratorially and stage-whispered to her.
“Don’t worry, Mama will find you a handsome young actor. After all, I did have a little bit of help when I was your age to meet your father.”
“Urgh.” Ruby nearly choked.
“I have… my heart set on someone already… but I'm still keeping an eye on you, Onii-chan."
Aqua chuckled, giving Ruby an affectionate pat on the head. "You've got nothing to worry about, Ruby. I’ll always be here for you."
Ai stretched her arm out to compare Aqua and Ruby.
“Oh Aqua, I didn’t realize before, but you’re really quite tall now. You’ve gotten taller than Ruby huh,” She said with a slight giggle.
“I know right?! It’s so unfair, even though we’re twins!” Ruby whined, crossing her arms.
Aqua’s eye twinkled just like his mother’s as he jammed a hand into his pocket.
“Even between twins, there’s an expected difference in height.” Aqua answered clinically.
“Well, that makes no sense!” said Ruby.
“Does it really matter? Mama’s happy that you’re both taller than me!” Ai said, jumping up and grabbing the twins around the shoulders, whispered into their ears.
“Ruby, Aqua, Aishiteru (I love you).”