"Aqua, Aqua! Look, look! This is Wenren Seiya and Shiranui Mariru's LINE contacts! Aren't you jealous?
It's only my first day in the Performing Arts Department, and I've already made this many friends! With your personality, you're probably still a lonely loner, huh?"
"How about this—if you beg me nicely, I can share Shiranui Mariru and Sumino's LINE with you! You know, Shiranui Mariru, the super-popular actress! And Sumino—she's a cute girl too, and she's got a G-cup gravure model figure!"
On their way home, Ruby Hoshino was practically glowing with joy, chattering non-stop beside Aqua while showing off her phone like it was a treasure.
After all, both Wenren Seiya and Shiranui Mariru were top-tier celebrities.
People were desperate just to get their contact info, yet Ruby somehow had their LINE accounts—an honor most could only dream of.
Especially that big-busted girl Sumino sitting next to her in class—ever since adding Seiya's LINE, she had spent the entire day staring at her phone with a goofy smile.
Originally, Aqua didn't think much about Ruby's talk of "connections."
But the moment that word—connections—came out, a light flickered in his mind, and he suddenly stopped walking.
"...Can you share Wenren Seiya's LINE with me?"
Ruby blinked in surprise.
She had just offered him Mariru's and Sumino's, yet her brother—who was totally unresponsive to cute girls—asked for Seiya's instead.
Wait a second...
Could it be that her brother was actually...
Of course, that wasn't the reason at all. Aqua wasn't interested in Seiya that way.
He suddenly remembered—Seiya had been a child actor who'd worked in the industry for years. With his current fame, he must have a powerful network of contacts.
Aqua had previously cracked Ai Hoshino's old private phone and found a list within it.
After years of digging, he'd confirmed that the person who killed Ai was among those names.
But the people on that list... after all these years, they had become big figures in the entertainment world.
For a mere high schooler like him, approaching or investigating them was practically impossible.
However, if it was Wenren Seiya, things would be very different.
With Seiya's status as a top actor, he had access to people Aqua could never reach.
He didn't want to drag Seiya into his revenge—but at this point, he had no choice.
"Seiya! Be home before ten, you hear me? And no shady places! If you're seeing a girlfriend, we need to approve her first!"
Around eight that evening, under the endless nagging of Yuko and Yako, Seiya finally left the Wenren residence.
When they heard he was meeting a "friend," the two women had interrogated him for nearly an hour straight.
Only after confirming the friend was male did they finally relax.
Their concern wasn't unfounded—though Seiya had always been sociable, he'd never had what one might call a real friend.
Sure, Arima Kana from before might count, but aside from that, Seiya never really went out to "hang out" with anyone.
Handsome, wealthy, and a popular actor—of course Yuko and Yako were worried.
They feared some sly woman might seduce or take advantage of him.
That was why they'd always kept close watch over his private life—to make sure he didn't stray off the right path.
"Seiya only just transferred to Yoto High, and he's already made new friends? Hopefully, they're not... that kind of people."
Yako's tone was uneasy.
She knew the Performing Arts Department wasn't like the general one.
Though everyone there was high school age, the students had already been working in showbiz—they were far more mature.
And because they'd entered society early, many of them had already picked up the industry's dirty habits.
Even if they didn't personally engage in them, their agencies certainly would.
Seiya was a star now—a top-tier actor.
And his classmates were mostly unknown rookies.
If they could start some rumor or scandal involving him, their fame would skyrocket overnight.
Yako knew from experience—people in showbiz would do far worse things for fame.
For years, they had protected Seiya carefully, shielding him from such filth.
And as a child actor himself, Seiya understood those dark realities all too well.
But he was still a young man.
If some pretty girl threw herself at him, could he really resist?
After confirming Seiya had indeed left the house, Yuko and Yako exchanged a look—then, in perfect sync, turned toward Seiya's room and crept inside.
His room was simple: just a bed, a computer, movie posters on the wall, and a few anime figures.
Ever since middle school, Seiya had banned Yuko and Yako from entering his room.
What he didn't know was that they both had spare keys—and visited far more often than he did.
Yuko crouched down with practiced ease and pulled out a well-hidden cardboard box from under his bed.
Inside were stacks of... very large, very white, and very explicit comics, games, and DVDs.
"'My Summer with Little Sister'? Trash! What's so good about lolis anyway?"
Yuko scowled after glancing at the first title.
She tossed it aside and continued rummaging through the box.
"'The Depths of My Stepmother's Heart'... 'Older Women Are Justice'...? Hmm, these actually seem meaningful. We'll keep these."
While Yuko was busy sorting through the stash, Yako had rolled her wheelchair over to the computer.
She smiled warmly at the family photo set as the desktop wallpaper—then her fingers flew across the keyboard with frightening precision.
Within seconds, she had unearthed something Seiya had hidden very, very deep in his hard drive.
His so-called 'study materials.'
(End of Chapter)