It begins slowly.
A new director is added to a drama production Aqua is in. He's relaxed. Charming. Walks with the confidence of a pro. His name?
Kamiki Hikaru.
He shakes hands with Aqua and speaks smoothly.
"You're good. No—natural. You and your siblings… You're all talented."
Aqua stiffens. There's something in that smile—familiar and chilling. And the way Kamiki says "siblings". it's too deliberate.
Souta, observing from the hall, furrows his brow.
He doesn't need proof. He knows.
That evening, Aqua catches up with Souta in his bedroom.
"He's our dad, isn't he?"
Souta nods slowly. "Yes."
"Then why have you done nothing?! You could've—!"
Souta is calm, but his voice is thick:
"Because Mama is smiling. Because you and Onee-chan are happy. And if I do what I want to do to him… I'll lose that."
Aqua clenches his fists. "We can't pretend. He's dangerous."
Souta glances away, on the verge of tears. "I know."
Kamiki starts inserting himself deeper into the business—subtly offering employment, nurturing talents, flattering Ai's children in subtle interviews.
He never directly claims them—but he sows seeds.
Whispers circulate:
"Is Ai's son working with his actual dad?"
"Does their past hold more than we imagined?"
Ruby begins getting hate messages online.
Aqua's cast starts blending with Kamiki's productions.
And Ai…
.receives a text from an unknown number:
"Do you still love me, Ai-chan?"
She doesn't respond.
But that evening, she doesn't sleep.
Souta sits by himself once more, gazing at the moon. He could delete Kamiki. Erase him from the face of the earth. Or reduce him to a child. Or make people forget he existed.
But he made a vow.
He vowed to be a good boy. A loving son. An ordinary brother.
"Mama would be sad."
He closes his eyes. He will not act.
But Kamiki comes to the house.
Not threatening. Not with violence.
He arrives with flowers and a bow.
"May I speak to Ai-san?"
Miyako tries to hold him back—but Ai goes outside.
The children peer from the window.
Kamiki speaks gently.
"I saw your concert. You were lovely. You always were. I know I took flight. But I never ceased watching."
Ai smiles weakly. She speaks calmly, too calmly.
"You don't get to say that. You didn't watch. You vanished. You left a girl with twins—and then triplets. You let your fan nearly kill me."
Kamiki shakes his head. "You survived. That's what counts."
Ai's eyes blaze with anger, a fleeting and uncharacteristic emotion.
"You haven't changed. And we don't need you. We don't need you."
Kamiki exhales.
"I see. Well… your children are growing up. We'll meet again, I'm sure."
He heads off.