"IKKUN!! HOW COME YOU'RE ON TELEVISION?! YOU SAID YOU NEVER WANTED TO BECOME A VOICE ACTOR NOR APPEAR IN THE MEDIA!!" asked the shocked Megumi. Haruki got startled and told his uncle that his cousin was being loud again. "Uncle Naoya! Megumi's being loud again!" said Haruki. "Forget about her! That's what she does normally! After all, we're in a secluded neighborhood, so it's okay," said Naoya. Kenzo and Mayumi got curious and went to look at the TV. "Oh, it's that when Izumi was interviewed because of that scandal," said Mayumi. "What? Scandal?" asked the yet again puzzled Megumi as she stared at Izumi intensely.
"Stop staring at me, Megumi-chan; I'm going to melt," said Izumi as he peacefully sips his hot choco. "Just watch it," he added. Soon, the group was immersed in the show and watched Natsumi and Akihiko being interviewed. "Tsk, they made it so obvious. They invited Natsumi-nii and father just because I don't like being exposed to the media," said the irritated Izumi as he clenched the pillow near him. "Calm down, Izu-nii, said Yuuji as he nervously chuckled.
"So, this is the interview of Izumi-kun. I am going to ask a question, Shirogane-san with no offense intended. How are you dealing with these scandals? This is the second one that came from your family, am I right?" asked the host. "Hmmmmm. The first one was when I attacked the high school students you tried to kill my youngest. The second one is that Izumi is the person in the photo. I mean, in this industry, scandals are part of our lives. Whether it's true or not. Our private lives are inevitably being invaded, so I taught my children how to handle controversy. Especially Izumi since he hates appearing in the media. Many people don't believe what Izumi has said, but it is all true. He is the man in the photo. It was for their high school movie project. Nevertheless, I raised him with humility and dignity," said Akihiko as he smiled gently in front of the camera.
"Thank you, Shirogane-san. Next is Nakahara-kun, you are working in adult voice acting also, right?" asked the host. "Then, how would you feel at the statement of your brother-in-law saying that he is neither gay nor straight?" asked further the host. "Well, I don't care what Izumi prefers. As long as he is happy, we'll support him. He even considered joining the voice acting industry because of my influence though he hates media," said Natsumi as he chuckles.
"Lastly, for the both of you, how would you react if your son, for Shirogane-san, your brother, for Nakahara-kun, if he comes out as gay?" asked the host. "Let's hear from Nakahara-kun first," said the host.
"Well, as I have said, we'll support him as long as he is happy. I cannot imagine Ikkun as a gay, wearing feminine accessories. If he is gay then, so what? It doesn't make him less human," said Natsumi as he looked to the camera with loving eyes and affection, directing it to his brother. "Thank you, Nakahara-san! How about Shirogane-san?" queried the host.
"Izu's situation is very similar to my close friend. I know that Izu isn't gay and isn't straight either. He is…" Akihiko took a deep breath before continuing his statement. "…the kind of person who actually falls for the character. Whether that person is a woman or a man, he doesn't care. And I am proud of him," said Akihiko.
As the show ended, Izumi stayed silent and hid his face from everyone. "Well, I envy Izumi because his father and his brother-in-law were the voice actors of my favorite anime characters. On top of that, they are also kind and loving parents, right, Izumi-kun" asked Kenzo as he turned to face him. "I-I'm sorry, I need to go to the bathroom," said Izumi as he covered his face, attempting to escape to the bathroom. "Oh no, you won't get away, my dear~," said Megumi as she pulled and pins down Izumi to the floor. "Look, he is holding his tears!" said Megumi. "Sh-shut up!" said Izumi as his cheeks turned red, and tears dropped continuously from his beautiful round and brown eyes. Megumi then smiled, and with a sweet, heart-warming voice, she said: "Now, now, we were kind of relieved when you said that. It seems we were worried for nothing! Now, let us finish our coffee and head to bed." with a soothing voice, followed by a soft chuckle.
The tension was lifted by Megumi, and suddenly, they began to laugh again. And then Izumi confessed his true feelings to her.
"This is why I am no good for you, Megumi. I actually wanted to date you," said Izumi
Everyone was surprised. Megumi responded:
"Ara, that's surprising! I wanted to date you too but unfortunately, when I found out that Mitsuru already confessed to you, I was turned off!" said Megumi, followed by a loud laugh.
Everyone was laughing at Megumi's response. Then the two officially start their fake date. Megumi also informed them that she will be attending their university starting after winter break. Everyone rejoiced. After drinking, they went to sleep. Days later, everyone headed to Japan. There are two days left before the start of the term. Izumi figured out that he needed to apologize to Mitsuru for what he did. And so, a day after they arrived in Japan, Izumi visited Mitsuru.
"What are you doing here?" With a dead tone, Mitsuru spoke to Izumi. "I just wanted to talk to you. I'm sorry for what I did," said Izumi. Mitsuru stayed silent. As he was about to reply, Izumi cut him off again. "I will no longer return to our dorm. I have something to do," said Izumi. Irritated, Mitsuru punched Izumi. "You're always like this. Cutting off someone else whenever they're just about to give a response," said Mitsuru as he noticed that he caught some blood from Izumi's nose that started to drip. "What? It's none of your business. I guess you also wanted to cut off our friendship?" asked Izumi with a serious tone. "No, I—" Mitsuru has forgotten what he was about to say. "What? Cat got your tongue?" asked Izumi. "You had the guts to punch me. It seems that you have forgotten that I am no longer that kind Izumi that you have known for years," said Izumi with a harsh tone as he left Mitsuru.
Izumi went to his house with a bruise. Megumi was waiting for him and was shocked when she saw the state of Izumi. She immediately gets the first aid kit to treat Izumi's face.
"Gosh! What happened?!" worried Megumi.
"I apologized to Mitsuru and yet he attacked me. Forget about him," said Izumi
Megumi patiently stitched Izumi's wound.
The semester came, and Mitsuru and Satoru were in the same class. Mitsuru was surprised when she saw a particular lady.
"Fuchigami Megumi?" unsure about what he is seeing, he asked the lady.
"Yes? Oh, It's Kurosawa Mitsuru? So, this is what puberty did to you huh?" said Megumi with a monotonous tone.
"You're not happy to see me?" inquired Mitsuru.
"Hmmm. No," she replied with a giggle. As Mitsuru was about to respond, the door opened, and the whole class was shocked to see Izumi.
"Hello, I am Shirogane Izumi, I will be joining this class for this term, Yoroshiku Onegai Shimasu!"
Izumi went to Megumi's desk, and they became seatmates. He didn't look at Mitsuru and Satoru's desk and continued to laugh together with Megumi. Mitsuru was silently watching Izumi, frustrated.