40 chapter 40

Chapter 40 – New Years Festival

"Thank you for all the support~! We love you~!"

A thunderous roar follows Nino's words as the curtain closes on B-Komachi's final concert.

While their popularity had certainly taken a hit since Ai had left, B-Komachi still had a pretty dedicated fanbase as the remaining girls of the idol group, while not as good as Ai, had enough talent to not waste the popularity they had been left with.

But even so, time stopped for no one, so it was only a matter of course that they would eventually have to retire.

"And that's that, huh?" I say to myself.

"Of course it is! Without Mama, they were destined to-"

"Ruby." Ai interjects.

"Ah, well... they did fine." Ruby says with a pout.

Wanting to beat the traffic of fans, our group, which consisted of my family plus Kana, made our way out of the venue.

"So that's the end of B-Komachi, but what is Strawberry Productions gonna do now? Last I heard from Ichigo, they weren't making any new idol groups." I ask Ai.

"Hmm, from what Miyako told me, they're moving on to internet personalities now since there weren't any idols that lived up to 'Strawberry standard', as she called it. Or at least none that weren't already signed." Ai answers.

"Of course not! Nobody could compare to Mama!" Ruby says with clenched fists.

"Thank you, sweetie." Ai says, patting Ruby on her head.

I don't know if Ruby's enthusiasm in complementing Ai's past gig was out of admiration, or out of a want to get head pats.

Seeing her satisfied smile, I had a feeling it was the latter.

"Well, while idol shows aren't really my thing, it wasn't a bad way to start New Year's Eve." Kana says with a small smile.

As she had said, today was New Year's Eve, a special day of celebration for the usually quiet Japanese population.

Now while this day didn't really hold any special meaning to us, what we did enjoy were the festivals.

Takoyaki, Yakitori, Taiyaki... mmm, it truly was a beautiful time.

And the romance aspect was quite nice too, with the fireworks that lit up the sky and all.

Unfortunately, it was a little too cold to see Ai dressed in a yukata, but I could always ask her to wear it tonight or something.

"Woah! Look, Kana! It's goldfish scooping! Let's try it!" Ruby exclaims.

"But you don't even have a tank for them..." Kana says.

"We'll just buy one!" Ruby returns.

We'll what now?

Besides, how exactly were they doing that in the winter?

Wouldn't the goldfish freeze or something?

My worries were apparently not felt by the kids as Ruby and Kana ran headfirst toward the stall.

"Aqua, why don't you go with your sister?" Ai says.

"Why should I?" Aqua asks.

"Just do it." Ai snaps.

Ai, sweetie... your daughter-in-law fantasies were getting a little too apparent.

With Aqua grumbling under his breath, he then follows the two girls off into the distance.

"They should be fine, right?" Ai says worriedly.

"Yeah. Kids go around all the time at festivals like these. Plus, I have Ruby holding the dagger, so if anything goes wrong I'll be there in a moment." I answer.

"Hmm, if you say so... Anyway! Freya! Amethyst! What did you want to do?" Ai says, turning to our two youngest daughters.

"Mmm... I want an apple." Freya says.

"Really? An apple?" I ask.

"Candy apple..."

Oh, she was drooling now.

"Okay! Candy apple for Freya, and what about you, Amethyst?" Ai asks.

"That!" Amythyst says while raising her finger.

Following the direction she was pointing, I saw a stall with a person shooting a rifle at a bunch of toy targets.

Not a real rifle of course, but a toy one that shot out a cork.

But it was still a little troubling that a three-year-old wanted to do that...

"...Okay, and shooting for Amethyst. Let's go over before a line forms." I say.

Arriving at the stall, since it was too high up for the small girl, I had her held in my right arm, and since her arms were too short for the gun, I used my left to grip the barrel.

"Now remember, Amethyst, the targets are the toys, not people, alright?" I say cautiously.

It was a little alarming that I had to tell that to her, but she was a very... excitable child, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Okay!" She responds happily.

"Now, which one do you want to aim for?" I ask.

Squinting her eyes, Amethyst eventually points out a penguin teddy, that was around the size of her torso.

"That one!" She exclaims.

"Okay then, so you have to bring the gun to your shoulder like this. And now, do you see that little line sticking out? You want to put that right on the penguin's head." I say.

"Okay... will it hurt the penguin?" She says.

Oh? Was she showing compassion for a toy?

The girl who playfully threw her blocks around without a care actually held concern towards an object?

I'm so proud!

"No, it won't hurt him, sweetie." I say with a smile.

"Aww... darn." She responds with a small pout.

...

"Just shoot." I eventually say, barely masking my disappointment.

She then squeezes the trigger, and with a pop, the cork flies toward the penguin before landing slightly under it.

A miss.

"Hoho! Not bad for a first try, young lady! Now, you only get three more tries. So make them count!" The stallkeeper says with a smile.

Readjusting the grip, I point the barrel slightly upward.

"Now, Amethyst. Since that one went too low, we need to point it up a bit. Is the line over the penguin by a bit?" I ask.

"Yep!" She responds.

"Then shoot."

She takes another shot, and it hits.

But... the penguin doesn't fall.

...What?

Why did it not fall?

"Nice job. Try it again sweetie." I say.

She squeezes the trigger once again, and the cork flies through the air before hitting the penguin once again, dead center.

But it still doesn't fall.

Glancing over to the stallkeeper, I notice that he's wearing a small smile, one shining with greed.

This fucker...

"Try it one more time." I say.

As I watch Amethyst slowly squeeze the trigger, I covertly put in some solar magic to coat the cork while pointing the barrel downwards, and as the gun fires, I decide to give the bullet a little boost.

The cork flies through the air with an audible hiss as it smashes into the penguin in an instant, sending the stuffy careening off the shelf.

Hehe... got it.

"W-What the heck?" The stallkeeper exclaims.

"Yeah, really! There must have been some extra air pressure in there or something! Really weird, huh? Anyway, the penguin?" I say in response.

Receiving the penguin, I hand it to the cheering Amethyst before looking over to Ai.

"Fufufu."

She was giggling with a wide smile and crescent-shaped eyes, but for some reason, I felt a little ashamed at her gaze.

I didn't do anything wrong, did I?

I just gave my daughter a little help against the crooked mechanisms of the stall.

I was completely in the right!

"W-What is it?" I ask her.

"Ah... nothing. I just think you're... cute. Yes. The Cas right now is really cute." She says with a smile.

Guh-!

I felt even worse now!

But... for some reason... I also felt a little... good.

Good as in turned on.

...I was becoming a deviant, wasn't I?

"L-Let's just go get some candy apples." I say hurriedly.

"Yay!" Freya exclaims.

At least someone was helping me out.

----- Ruby POV -----

It really was beautiful.

The lights, the lanterns, how the cold air nipped at my nose just right.

Haa... it was just missing some snow.

But that was fine, I could always ask Papa to take me to Hokkaido on a daddy-daughter trip, like when he took me to Osaka!

But anyway... I was a little upset.

My best friend had decided to stick to Aqua, even though I was right here!

"A-Aqua! I... I don't think I can eat this by myself. Do you think you can... split it with me?" Kana asks my brother.

"Hm? Ah, sure. Just tell me when you're done." He answers with a shrug.

Mou!

I was right here!

And Kana knows I love yakitori!

Why was she asking him and not me?

Well... aside from that, the sky was pretty tonight.

Since we had decided to go out of the city for this New Year, I was able to see the stars, a sight I didn't even know I had been missing for the past nine years.

Back in the mountains of Miyazaki, when I had to go to bed alone, I was always able to calm down with all the pretty lights in the night sky.

The constellations... their stories... the legends... it was all so... beautiful.

Especially whenever Sensei read those stories to me.

Sensei... when I become an idol... will you be my fan?

Knowing him though, he's still holed up in that hospital, and even if he did keep up with idol news, he wouldn't know it was me.

I wonder... maybe I should give him a visit?

I'm sure I can beg Mama and Papa to take me by using an excuse like 'wanting to see my birthplace', or something like that.

I wonder...

An explosion interrupts my train of thought, and looking up, I see the sky is blanketed in a vast array of colours.

Fireworks.

How pretty!

"Ruby. Let's head back over to the rest. They probably want to leave early to-"

Aqua's words suddenly stopped, and following his gaze, I was met with the sight of Mama and Papa sharing a deep kiss under the glow of the fireworks.

Papa was probably one of the most handsome people around, and Mama was absolutely the most beautiful woman, so of course the sight of them together under such a beautiful background would be amazing.

But while their romance was a pretty sight... did it have to be so blatant in public?

But I get it.

I also... adored their love.

They were perfect for each other.

I could only hope that I would have something similar when I grew up.

Something so real and passionate...

To experience that would be really amazing.

"Ugh. Let's... leave those two alone. Jeez... don't they have any shame?" Aqua grumbles.

Kana, meanwhile, was averting her eyes from the scene.

But I could see her sending glances every so often.

Walking down the path, we soon find a small bench, which we then used to sit on, with me and Kana sitting on either side of Aqua.

With the cracks and bangs of the fireworks behind us, I take the time to look up at the night sky once again.

"Hmm... Regulus is quite bright tonight." Aqua says.

"What's a Regulus?" Kana asks.

"A star, 'genius'. The heart of the lion, Leo, one of the 12 Zodiacs, while also being one of the three stars that form the spring triangle." He says in a lecturing tone.

Weird.

The way he explained it like he was reading out of a textbook... it reminded me of Sensei.

"Leo... that's a constellation, right? C-Can you show me it?" Kana asks.

"Sure. See there?"

He then grabs Kana's shoulder, eliciting an 'eep' from the girl.

"...Why did you do that?" He asks.

"N-No reason! Just continue!" She responds.

"...Okay. Well, you see that bright white star under the moon? That's Regulus. And the orange one a little above it is Algieba, the lion's forehead. Going downward, you can trace-"

With Aqua's explanation lulling me closer to sleep, I lean my head onto his shoulder.

"...What are you doing?" He asks.

"Mmm. Continue. I'm comfy." I respond.

"...Alright. Anyway, that's Zosma, and the one below that is Denebola, forming the tail of the lion."

Aqua... he really sounded like Sensei.

Who knew he had a thing for stars?

Closing my eyes, I start thinking about the future as my lips slowly curl up into a smile.

The constellations... I hope I can be like that one day.

A legend.

A star.

It would take a lot of work, and a lot of luck... but I've been working hard for the past five years, and who could be luckier than someone who got a second chance at life?

And so, with such happy thoughts clouding my mind, I enter the land of dreams.

----- Aqua POV -----

"-and that one there is Sirius. The brightest star in the sky, other than the sun of course. Its name comes from the Greek word for 'searing' or 'scorching', and- Hey, are you even listening?" I ask Kana.

For some reason, she had decided to copy my sister and rested her head against my shoulder, with her face beaming red under the minimal light.

"S-Shut it! Your dull speech made me sleepy, so take responsibility and lend me your shoulder!" She says.

How rude...

But for some reason, I couldn't voice my grievances, because, at the moment, I was feeling very... complex.

A mix of anticipation, the type that took your breath away, as well as a looming anxiety that caused my heart to thump painfully in my chest.

Why was I feeling this way?

Was I having a stroke? This young?

No... impossible...

I was even doing intense physical activity, and with Cassius' constant healing magic treatments, I was definitely healthier than any other nine-year-old could realistically be.

But then why was I feeling this way?

"Haum~"

And why... when I looked down at Kana's sleeping face and felt her warm breath against my neck... did that feeling deepen?

"Ah! There you guys are! I brought you guys hot cocoa... Oh." Cassius chooses that moment to enter the scene.

While he looked relatively normal, I couldn't help but notice the smear of lipstick he had on his jaw... and on his neck... and his cheek...

Did they even try to hide it at all at this point?

I then watch as his lips spread out into a wide smile, eyes shining with mirth.

"Oh? You guys got quite comfy while we were gone, huh?" He says.

Ugh... I had the feeling he was gonna be super annoying for a while.