Ichigo Saitou was a bundle of nerves and stress, and despite the attempts of various nurses to get him to sit and calm down, the anxious energy bubbling inside him fueled his frantic pacing outside the doors of the emergency room. And beyond the circumstances for him being there, no one could really blame him.
As the President of Strawberry Productions, an up and coming talent agency rising to the entertainment scene, it can't be said that his path doesn't walk hand-in-hand with stress and nerves. Establishing connections with big players in the industry, making business deals, researching opportunities, and managing finances are but few of the many heavy responsibilities he has to endure as President of the company, and it's a price he needs to pay if he wants to make it big and fulfill his dream. He'll take a few gray hairs and wrinkles if it means he can see his ragtag group of wannabe idols make it to the shining stage of the Tokyo Dome.
His hastened pace pauses, as he pictures the idealistic image of his dream coming true, with a small smile worming its way onto his face for a brief moment. However, that smile soon disappears as his face contorts back into one of worry, the harsh and unforgiving snap of the whip called reality bringing him back to his current situation.
B-Komachi. The makeshift and rookie idol group that he painstakingly put together under the name of Strawberry Productions a couple years ago. Ever since their inception a few years ago, the seven-man group slowly made a name for themselves in the underground idol scene, building a solid fan base and reputation. As more eyes laid upon them, bigger and bigger offers started rolling in, with just in the last year, the group getting a few TV appearances. It can't be denied that B-Komachi is earning it's name as promising rookie and potential future legend in the idol industry. Thinking about the accomplishments they, and by proxy himself, have made over the past couple years brings a tear of manly pride to his eyes.
'If only the girls weren't such troublemakers.' Ichigo sighs and shakes his head.
When he labeled them as "makeshift" and "ragtag," it wasn't for a reason. When he was first out recruiting for B-Komachi, it took incredible amounts of effort, networking, and time before he was able to establish the group. Though it's not like he didn't understand why. As even more of a rookie name in the industry at the time, Strawberry Productions didn't possess the reputation, pull, or resources that some of the big name talent agencies have, such as the old gen Love Live Productions that birthed legends such as Muse and Aquors, or even the newer giant Cover Corporation with Hololive. Agencies like those receive thousands of willing applicants each year, and not only that, they have the liberty to greater control the application process. When an agency both restricts the timeframe for when talents can join and the standards/criteria for joining the agency, it sets a very privileged image that can serve as quite the double-edged sword. If this works, it paints the picture that the respective agency is one of the best and only recruits the best, generating greater influence and reputation in the industry. On the other hand, if the agency acts like this but doesn't have the resources and influence to back it up, it can have the opposite effect. Talents are the lifeblood of all agencies and a downtick of interest and applicants can severely cripple even the largest of agencies. Having eyes on you at all times is essential to make it in this industry, and an agency knows it's made it to the big leagues when it retains and/or generates enough interest to control the application process.
Unfortunately, B-Komachi is still far off from that level, and even more so back then. He still remembers the days of wandering the streets of Tokyo, scouring for any potential applicants, only to be met with disgusted looks, apathetic dismissal, pitying gazes, and blistered feet. And even when he was able to gather applicants, they'd be quickly turned away from the pitiful benefits he could provide. Eventually, desperation kicked in, and he widened his search range and lowered his standard so that anyone would do. When he was able to finally land a member for his idol group he nearly cried tears of joy and looking back, he was actually quite lucky. Despite lowering his standards to the ground floor and gathering members from all walks of life, they all possessed incredible capacity to become idols. If he was any unluckier, he'd be looking at a mediocre, average idol group that would never make any waves in the space. He thanks the Gods every day for his lucky break, and that will never change. It doesn't mean that he can't also curse them as well for the chaotic quirks he has to deal with on a daily basis.
Meimei was a lazy and slobby college student almost facing expulsion from lackluster academic standing. Getting her to do anything, such as practice, is like pulling teeth and he might go bald with how much he pulls his hair in frustration.
Watanabe is the typical snobby rich girl that is hell bent on making it impossible to go a single day without complaints and whines about something not meeting her standards. In which he then has to deal with her grumbles after reminding her that her attitude and actions were what kicked her out of her rich family in the first place, and how he found her.
Kyun was the average blue-collar office worker fresh out of college faced with the cruel reality of becoming a mindless drone for a black company. When he first found her, she was passed out drunk on a park bench snoring away. When he offered her a way out of being in a black company, she jumped at the chance to get out of there, but still retained the habits of drinking her sorrows away. The amount of times she's shown up to practice either drunk or with a hangover, meaning he had to deal with it, eventually lead him to take funds from his already limited budget to stock the breakroom cabinets with medicine and hangover cures.
Ari is a teenage NEET that he happened across a konbini one day when she was with her parents. When he offered the job, the parents outright handed her to him in the hopes that she breaks her NEET tendencies. While she's a lot better now, it was and still can be a nightmare in trying to get her to go outside.
Takamine is by far the easiest member of B-Komachi to work with, due to her kind and mature temperament. This is likely due to her being the oldest member of the group by far and a housewife with a kid already in college, even though she doesn't look like it, and the source of my stress with her. When he approached her, he didn't even realize her age due to her appearance, and it was only after B-Komachi's first concert as she was greeted by her husband and son that he learned the truth. Thankfully, she's quite capable at maintaining that secret, and even if it was revealed, the damage would likely be minimal since the majority of her fanbase is attracted to her mature and "MILF" energy. Nevertheless, it doesn't mean he wanted to take any chances, so he still ages prematurely with every slip-up.
Nino was actually the first member of B-Komachi and the original center for the group. She was the one that actually approached him first when he was down on his luck, and expressed her absolute infatuation with idols and the idol industry, saying she decided to become an idol because just watching wasn't enough for her anymore and she wanted to become the perfect idol. She is incredibly talented as an idol and also has an extreme drive and obsessive personality towards the job. In many ways she's the perfect recruit, but that same fire and obsessiveness also causes a lot of problems. He often has to break up fights between her and the other girls because she thinks they're not trying enough or they outshine her and she becomes petty and jealous. Although recently she's simmered down, that obsessive look on her face hasn't changed a single bit.
It's an undeniable fact that he cares about these girls and is proud of what they've done, even with all their quirks. It still doesn't change the fact that every day is a struggle. If the stress of managing his company doesn't put him in an early grave, these girls certainly would.
Of course, he can't forget about the elephant in the room and the reason why he's in this hospital in the middle of nowhere. The biggest problem child of B-Komachi and the greatest source of his stress.
Ai Hoshino.
He first met Ai at an orphanage he was scouting. Quiet and demure, she largely kept to herself the first couple of times that he visited. She carried herself with a solemn darkness, that he imagined didn't come from a happy childhood. Despite that, there were a few moments that he saw a spark in her, a hint towards a deeper potential than at first glance. When he invited her to become an idol, she rejected at first saying that she wasn't suited because idols are supposed to love and she doesn't know what love is. But he persisted, telling her that if she doesn't know what love is, than she should just lie about her love. Lying is active part of the job after all and maybe one day those lies will eventually become truth. That struck a chord in her and she accepted, joining B-Komachi as the final B-Komachi member and his ward.
While it took the ditzy and airheaded girl to get the hang of things, once she did, she took to the idol business like a fish to water. The little spark he saw in her bloomed into a shining star that dazzled everyone who saw her. She usurped the center role from Nino and became the most popular member of B-Komachi by a large margin. While this caused a bit of friction between the girls, especially with Nino who lost her position, any gripes they had disappeared as they soon too became swept up in the phenomenon that is Ai Hoshino.
It is no understatement to say that Ai Hoshino is THE single most important member of B-Komachi. While all the other girls are incredible talents above the average idol, it would've taken a significantly greater amount of time, effort, and luck to reach the status the group has now. Ai has the potential to not only become the greatest idol in Japan, but the greatest celebrity in the entire world.
She is the key to stardom, the ultimate trump card, the one-way-ticket to achieving his dream...
...So of course she had to go and get herself pregnant.
A familiar wave of despair washed over him, and he almost wanted to break down and cry again.
When Ai told him that she was pregnant, he immediately fainted, the shock too much to bear. When he eventually came to, Ai was gone, likely taken away by Miyako, his saint of a wife, knowing that he would need time to process.
At first, he was in disbelief. He sat for a long time unable to register the reality he was in. It was like if his worst nightmares had become real. Then he felt rage. He raged against Ai. He raged against the gods. He raged at his misfortune. He raged against his own incapability to notice and stop it from happening. Once the burnt out, he questioned. How did this happen? Is this karma coming back for all the success I've had so far? Is this the consequence of having shining star that is Ai Hoshino? He questioned until his brain pulsed in pain and refused to think, leaving him only in despair. At some point he left the studio and went from bar to bar drinking his sorrows away until he was eventually forced to go home. The next morning when he awoke in horrible shape and with a splitting headache, he tightened the seal on his emotions and embraced his new reality, realizing that he had to take action fast before things got out of control any further.
When he met up with Ai, the first thing he offered up as a solution was abortion. Although it is a messy topic, he didn't have the ability to afford considering any moral or ethical dilemmas, and it is the simplest and easiest solution to the problem. Unlike the other potential bomb to everything that he built that is Takamine, Ai is the star of B-Komachi. The majority of B-Komachi's fans are there for Ai, and while the other girls have their own dedicated fanbases, the percentage of their fanbases that don't also overlap with Ai's can be counted on one hand. Whereas Takamine marketed herself as a motherly figure rather than the typical idol persona, so if her secret was found, the damage to her image wouldn't be too severe. Ai on the other hand--intentionally or not, who's to say--presented herself as the perfect idol. If it got leaked that she had kids, or even if she got pregnant, the damage would be near irreparable. While extremely zealous and obsessive fans are expected in this industry, Ai has such an overwhelming charisma that anyone could fall in love and be obsessed with her, so the number of crazy fans she has compared to the other is much higher. The amount of stalking attempts and numerous security measures he had to put in place for Ai alone compared to others is a testament to it. Simply put, abortion or not, if the secret got out, everything is over, but at least with the abortion he could better ensure that the secret never saw the light of day.
But of course, none of that mattered because before he could even get another word out, he was shut down, hard. She wanted to keep the kids.
In a lapse of judgement, the tightly grasped control of his emotions slipped and he snapped. He angrily started lecturing her on why that was a bad idea. He stated how this could quite literally ruin everything they and the other members worked for. He yelled at how she was being completely selfish and utterly disparaging of everything that was done for her. He questioned why she would be so utterly stupid to get pregnant in the first place and thusly be even more stupid and negligent to keep them? He called her a mistake, the biggest mistake of his life. He lectured, yelled, questioned, screamed, and even threatened Ai until his throat turned hoarse and all he could see was red. It was only when Miyako came in after hearing his shouting and slapped him that he saw what he did.
Eyes red and puffy, tears streaming down her cheeks, face contorted in a hurt unable to be put into words, body shaking in silent stammers as the only evidence of the sobs she held within. He couldn't meet her eyes. The longer he looked at her tear stricken face the more he felt the immense regret and guilt weigh heavily on him. As he remembered his every word, justified or not, it sank his heart bit by bit. His head lowered in shame. He knew he went too far. He knew better than to explode like that. As he gathered up his nerve and met her eyes, he broke into an incorrigible mess.
Gone were the eyes that could captivate millions. Gone were the eyes that shined with intense passion for anything that could make her a better idol. Gone were the eyes that twinkled with sly glee as she teased and joked around like the child she was supposed to be. Gone were the sparkling eyes that ensnared his heart in their innocent joy when he gave her the rabbit hairpin that was sitting in her hair. What remained were the eyes of the girl he met all those years ago. The eyes of the abandoned and lonely girl, betrayed by the ones that were supposed to give her unconditional love. The eyes of a girl who doesn't know love nor knows how to give it. The eyes of a girl that started to open up her shell and tried to find her meaning in the world, placing her vulnerable trust in the man that helped her to move forward, only for it to be mercilessly crushed. What remained were the dead and resigned eyes of a girl that was betrayed once again, by one that maybe, just maybe, she could have the hope to love.
He cried. He collapsed to his knees. He grasped her hand with both hands, clenching it to his forehead in prayer, pleading, begging for forgiveness. Sorry for his words. Sorry for his carelessness. Sorry for his betrayal of the fragile trust she gave him. She was never a mistake. He never regretted meeting her that day. She was the best thing that every happened to him. His little star. He cried his raw vocal chords numb, a despondent requiem in lament of his failures.
Eventually he grew quiet. His voice no longer capable of making sound. All his heart and all his soul poured out to his little star that he nothing left to give. All that was left was his silent sobs and shaking shoulders in the echoing silence of the meeting room.
Nothing was said for a period of time, a period of time that was agony as every second passed. When he eventually felt his little star's hand pull back from his death grip, he released her, the gaping pit of despair growing wider in his stomach knowing she didn't forgive him. His world collapsed in on itself. Screw Ichigo Productions. Screw B-Komachi. Screw his dream. If he lost his little star...
It was then that he felt two arms wrap themselves around his back, hugging him tightly. He looked up, shock plastered all over his features. He saw the smile on her face. Not the smile filled lies that she gave her fans, but the slight genuine one that he saw in response to his fervent joy when she tried to cook him breakfast for Father's Day. He met her eyes. Her eyes had regained a slight twinkle, a familiar twinkle that she didn't think he noticed when she accidentally called him Dad.
He hugged her back tightly and they both broke down again, but this time with smiles on their faces, as Miyako watched on tearing up slightly too.
After everything calmed down, all three of them sat down to have a proper discussion on how to move forward. Ai would go on a lengthy hiatus, meaning B-Komachi would cease all operations for the time being. This put Strawberry Productions at a severe deficit and essentially erased all momentum B-Komachi had built up in the industry. Being forgotten would normally be the end of a rookie idol group, but with Ai at the helm, they just might be able to recover.
The three of them moved temporarily out to the countryside so there was less risk of Ai's pregnancy being found out. Ichigo would regularly return to Tokyo to manage the agency and the other talents on their brand. They decided that when the kids were eventually born, he and Miyako would act as guardians for them for any related outings, as with Ai's reluctant release of info that the shitty piece of scum who knocked her up was blond--his own hair color--they could provide a reasonable cover.
Speaking of that shitty bastard, beyond little bits and pieces, Ai never said a single word about the scumbag, despite Ichigo's constant pestering. He eventually gave up when he saw that look on her face when she thought he wasn't looking after a conversation about the bastard. But although he wasn't going to pry further, it didn't mean that if he ever met the bastard, he wouldn't kick his shit in.
As Ai's due date came closer and closer, his worry and protectiveness only grew more and more. When he found out that Ai's doctor was a fan of hers. He went into a paranoid fret and interrogated him in secret about his intentions. Although his worries were unfounded--if nothing else, Gorou Amamiya is a true doctor--knowing that Ai's fame has spread even this far kept him on guard.
His paranoia proved right which was why he was frantically pacing outside the emergency room door at this current moment. Ai was going into labor and Gorou Amamiya was nowhere to be found, meaning her babies had to be delivered by some random doctor. Despite his initial misgivings, he trusted the doctor to keep her safe. But she was in the hands of some random doctor now, and it sent him into a panic. Because of the stir he made, they had to force him out of the operating room and into the waiting room, where he know had even less knowledge of what's going on.
He started to hyperventilate as thoughts raced through his mind.
'Is she okay? Where's that bastard Amamiya? Is she safe? I should be in there with her right now? I swear if something happens to the little star I call my daughter...'
He's broken out of his stupor by the comforting hand of his wife on his back.
"I know you're worried Ichigo." She says calmly. "I am as well. Don't forget that she's like a daughter to me too."
She takes his hand and drags him towards a seat by the emergency room door.
"Pacing about won't do any good, but wear out your shoes and the floor." She says with a gentle smile, lightly pushing him down to sit in the seat.
"Have faith in the doctor's abilities. I know they're not Gorou, but they're still doctors nonetheless." She says reassuringly, patting his back in small circles.
Touched by her actions, he sighs pitifully, before trying to relax as he gazes towards the doors that hide the fate of his little star, his daughter in all but blood.
Time dilates as agonizing seconds turn into excruciating hours. His wife has long since passed out a while ago, with the fatigue of the day catching up to her. Ichigo himself however would not dare to sleep even if he could, as any fatigue he could is beaten away by anxious adrenaline. Until his little star was safe and sound where he could see her, he would not rest a single second.
As he stews in his thoughts, a single cry echoes into the waiting room. He tenses up. A few minutes later, a second cry follows the first. His hands are now clenched together so tightly that they start to turn white. After a few minutes of eternity, the final cry makes it's presence known. All tension slips from his body, but he retains his focus and holds back any relief until those god forsaken doors open with the words he needs to hear.
Fortunately, Ichigo didn't have to wait long, as the doors opened and Ai's doctor walked into the waiting room. Ichigo jumped up from his seat, startling the sleeping Miyako awake, grogginess quickly erased from her mind as she also focuses in on the doctor. Seeing their tension, the doctor smiles and doesn't make them wait any longer.
"Mr. and Mrs. Saitou," The doctor says happily. "I'm sure you'll be glad to know that Ms. Hoshino safely delivered her babies and will make a full recover. If you please follow me back, I'll bring you to where Ms. Hoshino and her triplets are waiting for you."
As the last word leaves the doctor's mouth, Ichigo almost wants to collapse in relief right there. But he doesn't, as he still wants to make sure with his own eyes that Ai is safe and sound.
As the Saitou's follow behind the doctor as they're led to Ai's room, Ichigo's mind races towards a memory of a time a few months ago when he asked why she decided to keep her kids. After his outburst all those months ago, he reluctantly accepted her decision and never really questioned the why of it until a few months ago. For one, after his outburst, her tearful expression remained burned in his mind, so both for the sake of Ai's turbulent health and his own vow to never make her cry again, he tried to avoid any topics that were touchy. Secondly, even if his outburst never happened, he wouldn't have tried to force her anyway, since at the end of the day it's her body and her decision. All he could really do is try to convince her and change her mind. At some point, his curiosity and remaining uneasiness about the decision gave him the courage to ask her why.
Ai's words made him cave in and erased any doubt. If there was semblance of him not acting in full support of her decision, it surely did now. As did the sight he witnessed walking into Ai's room.
"Mothers are supposed to love their children, aren't they?"
In front, of him lay a tired, but healthy Ai, holding 3 small bundles carefully in her arms, clutched softly to her chest. As she notices him walking in, a radiance beyond anything he had seen before graced her features as she smiles at him a smile. A truly genuine smile.
"Look Dad!" She says with a warm cheerfulness, gesturing to bundles in her arms. "Aren't my babies so cute?"
A small tear drips from his eye.
'Yes Ai. They really do.'
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Hey Guys, it's been a while. (Spoiler Content for Oshi no Ko ahead)
Sorry for the complete lack of updates for the past couple months--though I'm sure it was barely noticed since I'm not a big name on this platform.
To keep it short, life happened, it sucked, I'll try to write more often now.
In another news, I'm sure you didn't expect that my "triumphant" return would not be with The Hero of the Seas, but with this complete 180 of a genre and story in The Hero of the Stars. Quite frankly I'm surprised as well. This piece was a bit of a spur of the moment thing, with my inspiration rearing its head with the new Oshi no Ko season airing right now (it absolutely slaps) and the Oshi no Ko manga coming to an end (it's absolutely a disaster).
I've always been a big fan of Oshi no Ko and basically read the manga from it's earliest chapters. It actually placed as my favorite manga of all time until *cough* a certain chapter came about, but regardless of my misgivings with the manga, I can't deny that I love this story to death.
Especially Ai Hoshino.
It's very rare to find a character written well enough that they enrapture you with their very being, even more so with a character that receives less than 10 chapters worth of screen time. The only other character I can think of that does even quicker than Ai does it would be Himmel from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. Which if the fact that the saying "What would Himmel do?" becoming popularized in Asian countries and even motivating people to take action against others committing crimes is not a testament of how impactful he was as a character, than I don't know what is.
In the 10 chapters that I got to spend with Ai Hoshino, just like Aqua and Ruby, and all of her fans, I fell in love with her overpowering charisma and being. She was a shining light, and like a moth towards a flame I couldn't help but be drawn towards her. But just like the brightest star, she burned out just as quick. In a single snap, the character I fell in love with gone like that. When she was gone, I felt it. I felt it just like Aqua and Ruby and all the others did in the story.
According to Akasaka, the original story had Ai slotted in the main character role, but he soon realized that just by existing, her very being stole the spotlight from Aqua, Ruby, and the other characters. So he realized he had to remove her from the equation for the sake of the story.
While I understand his sentiment, simply, I think that's bullshit. Why did the star that I love get snuffed out before she got to fully shine in the night's sky? Why did she have to cease because the story demanded it?
Nah. Fuck that and fuck the demands of the story. If no one is going to save Ai Hoshino, I'll do it. If the story demands her death, I'll reject that reality.
While I'm certainly not talented enough nor do I think it's entire possible to be able to recreate the brilliance that is of Ai Hoshino, I'll certainly try my best in this story so that she can shine bright not just across Japan, but even the entire world.
As you can tell, Ai Hoshino has triplets this time. How this will affect things? I don't fucking know lmao. But as the title suggests, the Hoshino family now has a Hero to protect them from the chains of fate. Who is this Hero? Couldn't tell ya. A Hero of Wrought Iron? A Man who Sees Death? The Knight of Sky Silver? The King of Knights? The Last Uchiha? The Pirate King? The Salamander? Or maybe the distant future for a Hero of Salt and Sand? It's entirely up in the air.
That said, likely don't expect updates frequently for this story. I wrote this all in one sitting, and it quite possibly drained me of a lot of my creative juices, since this style of writing is very much out of my comfort zone. I'll likely update when I get a burst of inspiration again, so for now I'll focus on The Hero of the Seas since I have a lot more planned for that and I have some revisions in mind.
Well enough passionate ranting from me and I won't drag this out any longer. Please let me know what y'all think of the story in the comments, plus any suggestions you want to make. Criticism is always accepted as long as it's constructive.
See y'all in the next one. Peace!