Two reporters who had been waiting in front of a hospital for hours were gossiping among themselves.
"What do you think is going on with B-Komachi? That woman who is their manager hasn't güven us any significant explanations."
"Frankly, I don'y really care. We'll just say that there's a coldness between the two idols anyway."
It wasn't just these two reporters. There were also other people gathered in front of the hospital. Some people were moving in a coordinated manner, dancing for their favorite idol. Even though they didn't know what their favorite idol was going through, they looked like they were pouring their whole hearts into her. The chaos outside didn't seem to be calming down yet. Inside the hospital, two people were arguing.
"Didn't I tell you to lighten Ruby's workload?! Can't you eee these commenta!?"
"I did everything I could! Besides, you're the reason her schedule is so packed, Kaburagi-san. You should've pulled her from Dig Deep! One Shot!"
"You know very well I couldn't do that evden if I wanted to. Half that show's ratings come from Ruby."
The ones arguing in front of the hospital were none other than Miyako Saito and Kaburagi Masaya. They'd likely been at it for nearly an hour. Miyako's hair was disheveled, dark circles under her eyes. Kaburagi, meanwhile, looked barely able to contain his frustration.
Despite all the efforts to prevent it, Ruby Hoshino's suicide attempt had become a trending topic on the internet and everyone was talking about it right now. Everyone seemed to have a vague thought or opinion on the matter. While Kaburagi and Miyako continued to argue in front of the hospital, three people were sitting in front of the room where Ruby had been staying. They were Aqua Hoshino, Shiranui Frill, and Kotobuki Minami.
"I understand why she wouldn't want to talk to me, but I can't figure out why you're here."
"The doctor mentioned only one person can enter Ruby's room at a time. We're just her schoolmates. Arima Kana spends more time with her compared to us."
Frill was right about this. If Ruby hadn't reached the hospital in time and had her stomach pumped, she would have died. To prevent Ruby from getting exhausted, only one visitor was allowed in her room. Normally, Mem-Cho would have come to the hospital too, but she had to return to Ichigo Production to deal with the rumors spreading on social media. At this time, Minami asked the following question.
"I wonder what they're talking about?"
"I can't even guess that much. I don't recognize her anymore."
Meanwhile, inside the hospital room, there were two people. For one of them, this room evoked an unwanted sense of nostalgia. They found themselves wondering when they had last stayed in a hospital room, when they had last slept on that hard bed. The sorrow and darkness in their eyes were unmistakably clear. The other person's mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, the strongest of which was disbelief.
When she first heard the news, neither she nor Mem-Cho could believe it. Neither of them had foreseen that the most idealistic member of B-Komachi could go so far as to do something like this. Perhaps Mem-Cho wasn't entirely unsympathetic—she didn't think like Kana did. Especially after it came to light that Aqua and Ruby's mother was Ai, she had sensed something off about Ruby's mental state. But she had never imagined it would lead to a suicide attempt. Right now, she was busy dealing with the online trolls attacking Ruby on social media.
Kana didn't know what to say. Ruby lay with her head bowed. She didn't know where to even begin the conversation. If she started talking, she couldn't predict where it might lead. Yet, curiosity stirred within her. She wanted to know why Ruby had acted this way. The Ruby before her was definitely not the Ruby she knew. A gut feeling told her she had to talk to her no matter what—she wanted to offer even the slightest comfort. After staring for a few seconds at a crow perched on the windowsill, she finally spoke.
"Go on, tell me. Why did you do something so stupid?"
The hospital room was shrouded in a kind of deathly silence. The only person who could possibly be more shocked or in denial about this situation than Aqua Hoshino was Ruby Hoshino herself. Ruby thought this way because she considered them close friends. Even though she could no longer trust anyone in this world, the person she felt closest to at that moment was definitely Arima Kana. That's why she didn't know what to say. In truth, she knew what she wanted to say, but she couldn't predict how the conversation would unfold. A feeling inside her told her that Kana was worried about her and wanted to offer comfort.
If this had happened before, these feelings wouldn't have hurt so much, but something had changed.
"She feels sorry for you."
The voice that said this was in her head. For the past few minutes, she had been hearing the voice of Sarina Tendouji, the person she had once been in her previous life, and the current situation was causing pain to swell in Ruby's abdomen. Kana might be her best friend at the moment, but she could never be an Anamiya Gorou or an Ai Hoshino.
"What are you talking about, senpai? I just took a few pills to sleep."
That's why she chose to lie once again. It was a lie that would surface immediately. An ironically truthful lie. She lied to avoid hearing the voice in her head, even for a few seconds. After hearing this sentence, Kana took a deep breath and held her friend's hand.
"Your hands are freezing. You once told me something like, 'People lie in an instant' when we performed at our first concert."
"..."
"You're not saying anything. That shows you're aware of your situation. I'm honestly curious which idiot would swallow two boxes of pills just to sleep."
Ruby bowed her head. Kana was right all along. That's why she couldn't do anything but lower her head. She knew she shouldn't be angry at Kana for her sharp tongue, but she couldn't hold back the anger sprouting within her. Kana let go of her hand and stood up. She was going to continue talking while standing.
"I don't know what made you do such a foolish thing, but I know your reasons aren't stupid. Your mother being Ai Hoshino and the pressures from your schedule... I'm sure that's important to you, just like how I struggled for attention as a child."
Ruby's eyes began to well up again. Kana's words pierced her soul. They were exactly the kind of things any friend could say to her. The only thing that made the words feel harsh was that they came from Kana, but the emotion was clear. She was thinking.
"Thank you, senpai. I know your words are meant to comfort me, but..." she thought. She felt torn about whether or not to continue that sentence. She turned her face toward Kana. As her tears streamed down her pale cheeks, she gave Kana an angry glare. It was so frightening that Kana instinctively took a step back. That expression was all too familiar. It reminded her of the look Ruby had given the camera nearly two years ago when they visited Miyazaki. It might have even been more terrifying than that look. Seeing Kana's involuntary reaction made a smile appear on Ruby's face. She pushed aside the fog of indecision in her mind and completed the sentence aloud.
"No matter how many commonalities we share, you'll never understand me."
"You... Ugh... I feel like I'm talking to a wall of an adult."
Technically, she had said something correct. Even though her mind was currently like that of an adult woman, the lack of maturity in her demeanor and her childish behavior in contrast to her brother made it appear as though they had very different personalities. One of the people thinking this was, of course, Arima Kana, and this thought shattered after seeing Ruby's gaze, leading her to think, "Those eyes... They're almost like Aqua."
However, the anger growing within Ruby continued to swell. She was tired of holding her feelings in. Without wanting to, she was about to unleash all her frustrations, hatred, and remorse onto Arima Kana. She no longer wanted to keep it buried; she wanted to direct these emotions toward Aqua after she healed, but it seemed Kana had no intention of leaving.
"Ruby. Stop saying things that don't suit you."
Her tone was beginning to resemble Aqua's. Knowing that Ruby respected him, she softened her words. Perhaps she thought it would calm Ruby down, but she didn't realize that every word she said—especially those that Aqua might say—only made Ruby angrier.
"Senpai, you really don't understand."
"What do you mean I don't understand, Ruby?"
"My life. You're a true friend, but my family... no. You can't be like Sensei."
"You're really testing my patience, Ruby. A girl as beautiful and born to be an idol as you..."
"DID YOU THINK I'VE ONLY BEEN BEING AN IDOL FOR MYSELF UNTIL NOW?!"
Kana hadn't imagined that Ruby could have such an explosive outburst. She realized that her words only provoked Ruby further, but it was too late. Kana had become aware that something was wrong, but she could never have predicted that the same seed would sprout in her own heart.
"Someone like me would never want to be an idol if it weren't for Sensei! A normal life is nothing less than a utopia for me! I sang for Sensei. I sang my songs full of lies, hoping that he would come to B-Komachi, just like my mother. But it's not going to happen. Sensei will never see me as an idol. The only remaining meaning of being an idol is REVENGE! You can't possibly understand this responsibility I bear!"
Hearing Ruby, who possessed all the things she envied, not care about any of this made Kana feel as if she had been stabbed. The idealistic girl in Kana's eyes was shattered. This girl didn't care about any fans except one. And she couldn't understand what Ruby was trying to take revenge on. Nonetheless, the fact that Ruby didn't care about what she had would soon reveal the jealousy Kana had long hidden within herself.
"You... do you even realize what you're saying? You're by far the most popular person among the three of us. Your fan count is more than the total of Mem-Cho's and my fans combined! Everything you've done until now..."
"I don't care about any of that. The only thing I care about is killing that bastard who caused my mother and Sensei to die! I tried to kill myself to escape this, but even if I died, nothing would change."
"Ruby... haven't you thought about anyone else?"
"Maybe a little about you. But it doesn't matter to me if your career comes to an end because of your scandal since it would suit my agenda."
"You don't care whether my photo with that man is real or not?"
"Tch, idiot."
"Idiot? Answer me!"
She was struggling to keep herself from grabbing Ruby by the collar right then. It felt like this conversation was beyond both of their control. All Ruby cared about was expressing her feelings in whatever way she wanted.
"You must think I'm stupid enough to actually believe that. Everyone knows you have a crush on Aqua except for you."
"What!"
"What happened? Did I hurt your heart, senpai? Have you ever thought about why Aqua is trying to save your career? Do you think I don't know that right now, he's more worried about him than he is about me?"
"That's enough!"
Just as Kana was about to confront Ruby, the door swung open. At the same time, the crow watching them from the window quickly flew away. Several people were standing in front of the door, with two at the forefront. They were Aqua and Frill, and it was clear they had heard the sounds of the argument inside the room. Kana's face suddenly turned bright red as she stopped approaching Ruby and shifted her gaze to Aqua's worried face. She knew she shouldn't say such things, but even the thought of asking him what Ruby had said unsettled her. Without saying a word, she walked away. Her movement was so abrupt that Aqua couldn't even call out to her. Then he turned his face toward Ruby. He was looking directly at her, and his gaze was like absolute authority. Aqua had no choice but to step away from the room. Not a word was exchanged between them, but none was needed. Frill, who watched the entire situation like a theater audience, rolled her eyes and closed the door.