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“Miss Bristarni! I’m your biggest fan!” “Aw, thank you! I appreciate all your support, I wouldn’t be here today without it!”
“Smile for the camera!” “Sure thing! Cheese!”
“Can I have your autograph, Miss? I want to be like you when I grow up!” “Of course! You can do anything you set your mind to, so don’t forget to practice and remember, I’m cheering you on!”
“All right, that’s all the time we have for fans right now, Miss Bristarni has to get to her interview!” One of Agnea’s escorts said. “I’m sorry, but I have to go! I love you all, don’t forget to smile!” Agnea said, making a heart with her hands.
Her career as a dancer-songwriter was going shockingly well, and although she had only debuted a few months ago, she was already having her first real interview. It was going to be live on a stage, with cameras recording her all around. To Agnea, the stage felt like home. She walked out into the light and did a move from her signature dance, the Moonstep. The crowd below cheered, and Agnea flushed with joy.
She went and sat on the couch across from the interviewer, a woman that appeared to be even younger than her, who handed her a microphone. The interviewer wasted no time and got right into it.
“It’s Ori here, live with Agnea Bristarni, the singing, dancing, one-in-a-million phenomenon that we can’t stop talking about! Tell me, Miss Bristarni, is there anyone you would like to acknowledge before we start?”
“Oh, sure!” Agnea said, speaking into her microphone, “I gotta thank Pala, Papa, and Gus! And all my fans around Solistia! I couldn’t be here without each and every one of ‘em!” The crowd erupted with cheers again.
“All right, then let’s get this started! In the four months since your debut, you’ve released three singles, Peaches and Cream, You’re My Star, and Small Town Love, each more popular than the last! How do you come up with these hits? Do you have any inspirations you’d like to share? Can you spill any details about plans for your next single?”
“Well, I mostly just write about my life. They do say ‘write what you know’! I get inspired by my sister, the people back home, and my boyfriend, of course!” Agnea said.
Ori spit out the water she had been sipping. “You have a boyfriend?!” She shouted, then cleared her throat. “Sorry, that was unprofessional. What I mean to say is, you have a boyfriend?!” She wasn’t really sure how else to put it.
“Yep! Now, about my plans for my next single…” Agnea started, but Ori cut her off. “Forget about that for a moment. Who’s this boyfriend of yours? A celebrity? A childhood friend?A rival from the industry? Don’t keep us in the dark!”
“Well, I’m not sure I could say! And if I did, you may not believe me!” Agnea said, giggling. “I’d believe anything! So why doncha’ tell me?” Ori said, leaning forward in her seat.
But Agnea didn’t seem to have heard. “I can’t reveal too much yet, but my next project should come out in the next month. I think this is my favorite song so far!” She said. “Well, that’s a great scoop…” Ori said, deflating a little.
She continued trying to get Agnea to talk about her mysterious boyfriend, but she always seemed to be talking about something else. Then the time was up, and Agnea walked off the stage, waving and grinning.
Her car was parked outside. When she neared it, she saw the figure of a person outside of it. After staring for a minute, she saw that it was Hikari. He waved. “Whoa, you scared me for a second!” She said. “I’m sorry! It was meant to be a surprise!” Hikari said, laughing. “I was planning on taking you out for ice cream after, but your phone was on silent.” “Aw, how romantic!” Agnea said and kissed him on the cheek.
Right outside the building, Ori was still a little disappointed that she hadn’t gotten the news on Agnea’s mysterious boyfriend. She was looking around the parking lot, when she saw Agnea talking to a man outside her car. She fumbled to grab her phone to snap a picture, then squealed gleefully. When she got home, she uploaded the picture to her computer and was shocked to see that the mystery man was Hikari, the Crown Prince of Ku! She clapped her hands. “This will make an amazing article!” She exclaimed.
The next day, the front page of the Delsta Times had that very same picture, with the words “Agnea Bristarni and Prince Hikari Ku’s Secret Love?” Above it. Agnea groaned when she saw it. “What’s wrong?” Hikari asked. “That sneaky little scrivener got her scoop after all.” She said wryly.
She dialed up Castti. “Hey, Castti. Did ya see the news?” She asked. “I certainly did. And I ought to kick that little scrivener’s—“ “Whoa, Castti, there’s no need to get so worked up.” “There most definitely is! You explicitly said that you couldn’t tell her, and you being famous is no excuse for her to violate your privacy! Not to mention the potential for scandal on Hikari’s side.” Castti said.
Agnea almost dropped her phone. “Oh my, I hadn't even thought of that!” She said, her southern accent slipping through like it often did when she was stressed.
“Hikari, do you know how to unpublish an article?” She asked frantically. “I believe any possible damage has already been done. Truth be told, I don’t mind terribly. It’s not as if it’s a crime to be in a relationship.” Hikari said.
“Yeah, but… I don’t know. You can never really tell how news like this is going to go over.” Agnea said. Hikari walked across the room and took her hand.
“There’s no reason to be afraid. And now we can go out in public together.” Agnea smiled. “You’re right, I'm stressing over nothing. Do you want to go get some breakfast ice cream?” She said. “But didn’t we get ice cream last night?” Hikari asked, raising an eyebrow. “But Gus’s shop has a two-for-one special from nine to eleven!” Agnea said excitedly. “Well, who am I to argue with a bargain like that.” Hikari said as his girlfriend led him out the door.