The next day, after Misumi Uika finished her daytime modeling class and parted ways with Hoshino Ai, she didn't rush to leave the agency. Instead, she waited for a while before heading to a place she usually only visited on her days off: the planetarium.
After entering, she didn't choose a seat in the middle for a better view, but rather one in a remote corner of the back row, a spot where almost no one ever sat. And the person in that corner seat was the reason she had come here.
"Good afternoon, Uika..."
After she sat down, Chihaya Tetsuya finally pulled down his hood and spoke to her, his voice full of gratitude.
"Thank you for taking the time to come see me."
"Well, you made it sound so dire. If I had refused, it would have been like leaving you to die, wouldn't it?" Uika shook her head helplessly. "So, what exactly happened—"
"Ah, about that, I heard from Ai that you've been working quite hard recently."
He didn't rush to state his request. Instead, he shrank back into his seat again.
"You don't have any work scheduled after this, right? In that case, before we get down to business, why don't we just relax for a bit? We can talk about my thing after we leave the planetarium."
"..."
This all-too-familiar thoughtfulness made Uika shake her head involuntarily.
He already said 'please save me,' a line that implies a crisis, yet he still has the presence of mind to ask about my recent situation...
This person will probably be worrying about those around him right up until he's in his grave, won't he?
Leaning back in her own chair, Uika thought to herself.
Then, just as she always did, she began to meditate, clearing her mind while gazing at the slowly rotating starry sky above.
However, whenever Tetsuya's figure appeared in her peripheral vision, her attention would be drawn away for a few seconds, and she would have to force her gaze back to the dome...
...
(I can't concentrate at all. I can't relax at all...)
Uika sighed silently.
She knew where the problem lay. She knew that what she most wanted to do right now was not to sit here and gaze at the stars. The problem was that the culprit who had invited her here, the very reason she couldn't calm down, had already closed his eyes, his whole body rising and falling with his even breaths...
(This guy usually doesn't wake up until noon, right? Just how tired is he that he can fall asleep again at this hour?)
She watched his sleeping face, carefully observing every detail.
(No wonder he's wearing a hoodie. The hickey on his neck is way too obvious...)
Since the hood of his sweatshirt was down, she could easily see the dark mark on the side of his neck. Recalling her conversation with Sakiko yesterday, even though Tetsuya hadn't explained anything yet, Uika had already guessed his intentions and the reason he was asking her for help.
It's just...
"Why did you come to me to discuss this?" Uika muttered under her breath. "What can I possibly do to help with something like this?"
She was troubled by her inability to relax, and at the same time, puzzled by his decision to seek her help.
But regardless, there was one thing she had to admit.
"Oh well. I'm not in a bad mood... so this is fine."
Putting aside the questions that couldn't be answered for now, Uika chose to lie on her side in the chair, no longer forcing herself to look at the stars on the dome, but instead focusing on the profile of the person in front of her.
And this time, her attention no longer wavered.
...
"Ah..."
When Tetsuya opened his eyes again, the star chart above had completely changed.
"Oh no, how long was I asleep—"
"Only about an hour and a half," Uika's response came from beside him.
He quickly turned toward the sound of her voice and saw her, as if her attention had been drawn by his own voice, turning her head to gaze at him intently. In the dim blue light, her purple eyes reflected a starlike glimmer.
"It's still early, so it's fine if you want to sleep a little longer," she said, her tone as gentle as if she were coaxing a child to sleep.
But he shook his head forcefully.
"I can't do that. It'll be dinnertime soon."
He quickly sat up straight. A subtle, needle-like sting on his neck made him pull his hood back up as if to hide the evidence.
Seeing this, Uika also sat up and asked in a low voice, "Shall we... head out now?"
"Mhm. Sorry to keep you waiting," Tetsuya said apologetically. He had only planned to stay for half an hour. "To make it up to you, is there anything you'd like to eat for dinner tonight? My treat."
"Mmm... let me think."
Uika pondered for a moment before saying, "I have to watch what I eat before the [TGC], so it's better to find something light... How about a vegetarian restaurant?"
"No problem. I was just thinking I'd like to eat something less... rich, too. Ahem, I mean, something light." He nodded repeatedly. "Let's go then."
"Mhm."
Uika put on her hat and mask, and together with Tetsuya, who had his hood up, they walked out of the planetarium.
...
Although both of them had chosen outfits meant to be inconspicuous, two people walking side-by-side while trying to hide their faces actually drew more attention than usual.
"Whoops, this isn't working."
Realizing the curious glances from passersby, Tetsuya finally took off his hood, revealing his face and neck.
It was embarrassing to have the hickey seen, but it was much better than exposing Uika's identity. Seeing him do this, Uika lowered her head slightly, trying to let the brim of her hat cover her face as much as possible.
"Sorry, it's inconvenient to go out with me, isn't it?" she said, her voice a little lower than usual. "I should have brought my sunglasses."
"Hmm? It's not a problem at all," he quickly replied to her slightly self-reproachful comment. "You were forced to come out at this time because of my invitation in the first place. If anything, it was my lack of consideration... Ah, I have an idea."
Halfway through his sentence, his gaze landed on a casual wear shop they were passing.
"Uika, come with me for a second," he said, calling out to her with a mysterious look on his face. "I have a way to make our situation 'safer'!"
"Eh? What is it?"
"You'll see when you come over."
And so, with a bewildered look on Uika's face, Tetsuya led her into the shop...
...Ten minutes later...
"First, cover your hair with the baseball cap, then pull up the hood... okay, this should do it," Tetsuya said, looking at Uika, who was now also wearing a hooded sweatshirt. "This way, you don't even need a mask!"
"Eh... really?" Uika asked, a little uneasy as she took off her mask. Since her debut as an idol, she had rarely felt the sensation of a breeze directly on her cheeks. "If I get recognized, it won't just be me, [Starry Sky] will be implicated too."
"Don't worry. As long as I wear this too—" Tetsuya said, pulling up his own hood again. "And then, if we stand a little closer... mhm, perfect."
After completing the series of operations, Tetsuya nodded in satisfaction.
"You can look up and see the effect."
"..."
Uika lifted her head and looked at the full-length mirror at the shop's entrance.
The image reflected in the mirror made her eyes widen.
Because they were both wearing hoodies, and Tetsuya had specifically chosen one for her in the same color as his, they now looked just like an ordinary couple in matching outfits. At the same time, the baseball cap under the hood not only covered her eyes well, but the otherwise plain outfit now had a faint street-style vibe.
"This way, instead of 'suspicious people deliberately trying to hide themselves,' we just look like an 'ordinary couple where the girl is shy, so they're wearing hats'!"
"...I see."
Instead of hiding further, he did the opposite, using a more obvious stereotype to mislead people's perception...
Compared to the deliberateness of hats and masks, this seemingly bold method might actually be more effective.
"Of course, the downside to this strategy is... I have to be here, and I have to trouble you to pretend to be my girlfriend," he said with a sheepish grin. "Please bear with it until we get to the restaurant—"
"No problem at all."
As if to demonstrate her attitude, Uika not only moved closer to him but also reached out and linked her arm with his.
"This should be more effective, right?"
"Eh? Ah... you're right."
Although her sudden move surprised him for a moment, he immediately relaxed when he realized she wasn't pressing her body against him like Anon or Ai, but was maintaining a very safe and restrained distance.
"Alright then, let's keep walking like this."
"Mhm, let's go."
After completing their disguise, the "hoodie couple" left the clothing store and continued toward their destination.
...
Just as they expected, the two of them in their "matching outfits" still drew a lot of attention, but everyone's gazes would quickly move on after a brief glance.
'It's just a very common young couple, no need to stare.'
Misled by this first impression, no one could have imagined that the face hidden under the hood was none other than the one currently displayed on the large screen nearby: Misumi Uika of the super-popular group [Summer Zodiac].
"...Oh, so it's an ad for the new album," Tetsuya said, looking up at the large screen on the building in front of them. "And there's a preview for the [TGC] too. You're a big star now—Ow!"
Before he could finish, he let out a cry of pain.
"Wh-what's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
"'Big star' is an ugly way to put it."
"Eh? But it's the truth—whoa, I'm sorry, please stop pinching!" he quickly begged for mercy. "I won't call you that anymore, okay..."
"Hmph hmph..."
Uika sullenly released the fingers that had been pinching the inside of his arm.
"If you call me that again, I'll let you experience what it feels like to be abused by a 'big star'."
"That sounds a little indecent."
"Does the person walking around with a neck full of 'strawberries' have the right to say that to me?"
"...Sorry."
Tetsuya was completely silenced.
"This... it's still really obvious, isn't it?"
"Very obvious," Uika answered truthfully. "Even with your hood on, you can still see it from the front."
"Sigh... I even told them to be careful." A helpless, wry smile appeared on his face. "I actually thought about using a turtleneck to cover it, but Soyo took that shirt to be washed. And bandages wouldn't cover it all, so I could only try to get by with a sweatshirt."
"...Do they know you're going out with me tonight?"
"They probably don't. I just told them I was going out with a friend tonight to discuss business. I didn't say who."
"..."
Hearing this, Uika looked up at him, speechless.
"So that's how your turtleneck got confiscated..."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Nothing. I just think it's rather pitiful for someone to be this bad at lying."
Looking at the vegetarian restaurant now just ahead, Uika sighed.
"Anyway, let's wait until we're inside to talk... This place has private rooms, right?"
"Of course. I already checked on my phone before we came."
"Good. Then let's hurry up and ask if there are any available—"
"I've already reserved a private room by text, so there's no problem at all!"
"..."
Sigh. No wonder they'd use this method to declare their sovereignty. This guy really isn't the type you can just let out of the house.
Well, she might as well listen to what this pitiful and detestable man has to say.
Gazing at the back of the man who had already taken the lead to speak with the receptionist, Misumi Uika lifted the brim of her hat just a little.