Ai Hoshino (ほしの アイ).
The center of [B-Komachi] and a young brat possessing the talent of a brilliantly shining star.
What kind of person is she?
She is someone who has never been loved by anyone since the day she was born, nor has she ever loved anyone herself.
Precisely because she had nothing, Ai Hoshino is a girl whose heart has failed to grow alongside her body, leaving her with a [longing] more intense than anyone else's.
Because her heart remains stunted, she cannot even accurately perceive her own emotions. Having never been on the receiving end of someone else's feelings, she is unable to distinguish between [love] and [friendship]. Lacking confidence in her own heart, even the act of truly liking someone was an impossible feat for her.
That is why she craves [love].
She wanted to try [loving] because she didn't know what it was.
She wanted to [love] because she didn't even know how to give it.
One could say the very reason she became an idol was [love].
She thought that if she kept shouting about it, maybe someday, she would be able to do it for real.
So, as an idol, she shouted [lies] of love and believed there was no [truth] in her life.
She thought she would live and die that way forever.
Until she met that young man who, like a fool, was hell-bent on setting his guitar on fire.
A man several years older than her.
A man whose eyes shine with stars like a little boy's whenever [Rock] is mentioned, no matter how much he likes it.
Yet, when it comes to dealing with people, he is more sincere than anyone. He is a man who always honestly reveals his joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure to others, never feeling ashamed of who he is.
That man, who always speaks with [sincerity], gave her the feeling that he was filling her [void]. That is how he became her "Favorite"—her Oshi.
The moment she heard he was having a rehearsal, she rushed over.
She was curious about this thing called a "band" that he shouted about so much, and whenever she met him, a soft, fuzzy sense of elation swelled in her chest.
In truth, observing the rehearsal was just an excuse.
'Ai has been bored lately—! It's Hide's fault for not playing with me!'
So, she waited until she arrived before sending the text.
●Ai Hoshino●
— It's okay if I come to watch, right—? Ai hasn't learned how to show [sincerity] on stage yet, after all~☆ (˘︶˘).｡.:*
At my sudden appearance, he fell to his knees and clutched his head, crying out in despair. To her, that sight was nothing but fun.
"Pfft...!"
Unable to hold back her laughter, she burst out in a grand fit of giggles by his side. Whenever she's with him, she feels a bit more mischievous than usual.
"Does... does it even mean anything if you send the text after you've already arrived?"
"But I did give you notice, didn't I?? ~☆"
Having successfully flustered him, she shoots him a devious, bratty smile with 'triumphant' eyes. In moments like these, she feels that mysterious, soft emotion toward him.
He never got angry, no matter what kind of pranks she pulled. To her, someone who lived in a cycle of violence for the most trivial reasons every single day, his warmth was incredibly precious.
Though fatigue weighed on her because she had cut back on sleep just to keep up with him, her eyes were filled with starlight and curiosity. When she was with him, the exhaustion vanished. He was a man worth observing just for the fun of it.
"Alright! Then let's head in!!"
"Isn't that my line...?"
As the two of them entered the rehearsal room, their pinky fingers were grazing each other. Though the man didn't seem to give it a single thought.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hey, man? Who's the kid?"
"My sasaeng fan?"
"Eeeeh—? Sasaeng?! ψ(⃔ ◦`﹀´◦)⃕↝"
"To be precise, she's a currently active idol."
"Oh... just keep me out of any dating scandals..."
Watching the two youngsters mess around, a dark-skinned, muscular man sighs, his massive biceps and triceps on full display.
"Well, it seems like a complicated relationship, but as long as she doesn't interfere with the rehearsal..."
Then, with a 'twang' of a string, a bald man carrying a bass guitar appeared. The reason he was bald was that he was a perfectionist.
The shiny-headed bassist pursued nothing but perfection.
He had shaved everything off specifically because he was worried that a single strand of hair might fall and affect the vibration of the strings during a performance.
Calling it obsessive-compulsive disorder might be a stretch, but...
During their first meeting, he was the man who said, 'Good and Great are always a hair's breadth apart, and I only ever pursue Great.'
A performance must always be perfect.
He believed that if it wasn't the absolute best show, it was better not to play at all.
True to that personality, the bald bassist glared at Ai and spoke.
"Hey, kid. If you disturb the rehearsal, I'm kicking you out immediately. I'm only putting up with you because the leader brought you."
Hide sighed at the sight.
'I was the one who gathered them, but... is this band really going to be okay?'