Chapter 37: Understanding Her
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(Third POV)
In the quiet stillness of the night, inside a modest apartment, the soft sound of crying echoed, filling the room with its sad rhythm. The weeping melody was accompanied by the gentle chorus of chirping cicadas, their soothing hum creating a somber atmosphere.
After what seemed like a very long time, the tears gradually faded away, and Miyako's sobs turned into a gentle sniffle. With a tired expression on her face, she reached up to gently rub her eyes, which had become slightly swollen from the continuous outpouring of emotions. Her trembling fingers followed the paths of her tears, leaving behind a hint of vulnerability on her flushed cheeks.
Now that Miyako's emotions calmed down, Ruby came to Aikara and also congratulated him with her sniffles as a small amount of tears trailed down her face from her joy. Though afterward, she was curious about the drama he'll be in so Miyako, who was also curious, got her laptop as they watched the episode.
As they continued to watch the episode, everyone except Aikara, who already watched the show, felt their disappointment growing as they looked at the bad drama.
After watching the entire six episodes, Ruby went of to a rant explaining how bad the drama was from the new character, to the cut out contnet, the fast pacing, and even the bad acting.
"Hey!" Aikara protested, his brows furrowing slightly and forming a playful pout. He crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Kachan's acting isn't bad," he stated, his voice carrying a hint of genuine enthusiasm.
"Come on, you gotta agree with me on this, Aka nii! Why are you defending her?!" Ruby exclaimed, her fist clenched tightly.
She furrowed her brows, her expressive face showing a mix of determination and passion. "I remembered her acting before, and it was, like, so much better. Don't be all nice to her just because you want her to be your girlfriend. Seriously, you did the exact same thing as kids! Always being super sweet to her, no matter what, since you were trying to groom her for a relationship!" Ruby's voice rose in volume as she spoke, her animated gestures punctuating her words.
After she shouted, she took a moment to process the words she just blurted out, her eyes widening with surprise, and then quickly brought her hand to cover her mouth. "Ah!" she exclaimed, a hint of pink tinting her cheeks as she realized what she had done.
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe I just said that out loud!" she laughed nervously, her gestures animated as she fidgeted with her hair, clearly embarrassed by her impulsive outburst.
Miyako glanced at Aikara, her eyes filled with skepticism, disgust, and curiosity. Aikara, aware of the potential impact on his reputation, shook his head swiftly, his charming smile never fading.
"Jeez, what's with that stare mother. Relax, I'm not trying to make her my girlfriend or anything. Ruby's just having some wild fantasies, you know?" He shifted his gaze towards Ruby, mischief dancing in his eyes, and a subtle yet confident grin adorned his face. "Hey Ruby, what's got you thinking like that? Feeling a little jealous of all the kindness I'm showing her, maybe?" He playfully teased, his words laced with a touch of undeniable charisma.
Ruby quickly averted her gaze from Aikara, a small blush forming on her cheeks.
"Aww," Aikara cooed, his voice filled with gentle amusement, as he swiftly made his way over to Ruby. He watched her with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes, unable to contain his playful nature. "My little sister being jealous? It's so adorable~" he teased, his words dripping with a playful charm. "Though I'm undoubtedly the most adorable, beautiful, and handsome sibling among us three." He boasted, his voice oozing with smugness as he playfully rubbed his chin.
Ruby and Aikara continued to banter with each other as Aqua and Miyako watched their interactions. Miyako's face lit up with a warm smile, while Aqua, devoid of any visible emotions, watched the two of them.
'I need to talk to Aikara about Kaburagi,' Aqua thought to himself, contemplating the matter. 'While I don't trust him with seeking revenge if it involves someone else, this situation is different. I can rely on him to gather a sample of Kaburagi's DNA. He's charismatic and skilled at acting. Even if that guy isn't our father, I can trust Aikara to obtain information that could lead us to more clues about our real father.'
Now that he finished organizing his thoughts, Aqua supposed now's a good time to talk to Aikara about it. He shifted his gaze towards his foolish siblings before speaking up "Hey Aikara, let's talk. It's related to that."
Aikara flashed a dazzling smile as he playfully teased Ruby, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He turned towards Aqua and replied with a confident nod, "Sure thing!" Following Aqua's lead, he strolled towards his room, but before leaving, he glanced back at Ruby, his grin widening. "Don't think it over yet, okay?" With a wink, he continued on his way.
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As they entered Aqua's room, Aikara closed the door behind them and looked at Aqua curiously. "So, do you have any new information about our father?"
"I have a lead," Aqua stated, causing Aikara's smile to widen as he grabbed Aqua's hands.
"That's fantastic!" he exclaimed proudly, gazing at Aqua with admiration. "As expected from a genius, you inherited those genes from me." Aikara's playful remark earned him a deadpan look from Aqua.
"Inherited genes from you? That's quite a stretch, considering it doesn't make any sense," Aqua responded bluntly.
"Tee-hee!" Aikara playfully closed his eyes and rested a fist on his head, his tongue sticking out cutely. "You're right. Silly me.""
Aqua sighed and refocused the conversation. "Anyway, our lead is Director Kaburagi."
"You mean the director for our upcoming drama?" Aikara asked, curiosity piqued.
"Yeah, I suspect he might be our father. That's where you come in. I just need you to obtain a DNA sample from him and give it to me."
Aikara tilted his head upon hearing Aqua's suspicions. "I have no problem getting a DNA sample from Director Kaburagi. However, I think it's a waste of time and money."
"Why?" Aqua inquired, curious of Aikara's perspective.
"Isn't it obvious?" Aikara asked. "It's because he's not our father."
Aqua narrowed his eyes, seeking evidence to support Aikara's claim. "You can't just say that without any proof. Show me the evidence that led you to that conclusion."
"It's quite simple, actually," Aikara explained. "Our mom's preferences don't align with Director Kaburagi, both in terms of personality and appearance. And if Ai had been sexually assaulted, she would have treated us in a specific way. I can't explain it all now, because it would take a long time, but trust me, she never acted that way around us. While it's possible for mom to love someone who isn't her usual type, I can say with utmost certainty that she never saw Director Kaburagi in that light. That's why he can't be our father." Aikara's eyes shimmered with determination, his tone reflecting his unwavering belief that Kaburagi was not their father. Aqua could see just how strongly Aikara held this conviction.
Still, doubt creeps in Aqua's mind. How can he say with confidence that Ai never saw director Kaburagi that way? How does he know what Ai's type is to say that with so much confidence? And how does he know Ai's personality enough to be able to say that she will act in a specific way if she got sexually assaulted.
"What makes you so sure that the information you have about Ai is true?" Aqua asked, skepticism lacing his voice, as doubt clouded his usually calm demeanor.
"Hmmm," Aikara hummed softly, his eyes gently closing as he playfully poked his cheek. Opening his eyes with a small smile, he met Aqua's gaze. "It's because I feel I understand everything about her, I guess?" he replied, his words laced with a gentle confidence.
"Understand her?" Aqua whispered, his voice filled with a mixture of disbelief and frustration. As his clenched fist revealed the intensity of his emotions, he couldn't hold back the floodgate of buried feelings any longer. "Stop the bullshit," he cursed, taking Aikara by surprise.
Confused, Aikara asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean what I said, stop bullshitting by saying you understand her!" Aqua's voice thundered, breaking the silence that had enveloped him for years. Emotion surged through his words, as the flood of emotions he had buried deep within his heart for the past 12 years finally erupted.
"What do you mean you understand her? You're sure that he's not our father?! You're sure that you know everything about her that you can say that with confidence?! How can you say that!?" Aqua screamed, and with each sentence he spoke, he moves his arms frantically.
Aikara stood there, stunned by Aqua's outburst. The calm and composed Aqua he had known for years seemed to crumble before his eyes, replaced by a torrent of anger, jealousy, and self-loathing. But beneath it all, the vulnerability in Aqua's eyes shone the brightest. The once-intense star in Aqua's gaze disappeared, leaving only his beautiful aquamarine eyes, reflecting the raw emotions that now consumed him.
It contained anger, jealousy, self loathing, and many more. But the emotion that shined the most was vulnerability. Not only that, but the star that was in Aqua's eye disappeared, leaving only his beautiful Aquamarine eyes. "The amount of time we spent together with Ai was the same, a measly four years. In fact, I spent more time with her than you! I was her doctor after all when she was pregnant! So how could you say you understand her!?"
He clenched his heart, his voice growing softer as he directed his gaze towards the ground. "It's so unfair. I want to understand everything about Ai, yet no matter how much I try, I can't seem to grasp her at all. But you... you could. It's frustrating. It's always been like this. You instantly guessed the password for Ai's phone, claiming it's easy if you understand her. How the hell do you understand her? We've been living under the same roof the entire time Ai was alive, so how?" he repeated, his voice laced with pain as his mind was consumed with the singular thought of how does Aikara understand her when he doesn't.
The room fell silent, the weight of Aqua's words hanging heavily in the air. After a brief moment, Aqua sighed and spoke again, his tone more subdued. "Ignore my rambling. I was being emotional just now. And don't bring up the topic of my past life again. You now know I was Ai's doctor, but that's all you'll ever learn. Remember, extract information from Kaburagi no matter what. Obtain a DNA sample, even if you believe he's not our father. And congratulations on finally securing a role after Ellie's attempts to stop you for years."
"Hey, Aqua-nii, I think you're pretty amazing yourself. You knew about Ellie's attempts to stop me from acting, and even the methods she used, despite me never giving you any information about it. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't have thought of that at all. So please, don't be frustrated because I can understand her. Just as you can't compare to my ability to understand her, I can't compare to your intelligence, planning, and foresight. You should give yourself more credit."
Aqua paused, his footsteps frozen for a few precious seconds. Then, without looking back, he opened the door and continued walking. "Whatever," he said dismissively before disappearing from the room, closing the door behind him.
The words lingered in the air, floating like unspoken truths and unexpressed emotions. Each step Aqua took echoed with the weight of their shared burdens, their complex bond and unspoken understanding now shrouded in the silence between them.
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A.N
Hey guys, end of chapter.
It might seem out of character for Aqua, but it isn't.
Why is he acting frustrated that Aikara understands Ai when he wasn't when Akane did? It's simple, he knows it's because Akane is a genius in the acting world, and she used her talents to understand Ai and become her. On the other hand, Aqua never understands that Aikara purposely researched her to become her, and he's left with the assumption that the only reason Aikara personally knew Ai the best was because he had more moments with her and was closer with her. It frustrated him, he never understood the enigmatic figure called Ai Hoshino.
Even when Aikara acted as Ai for the first time, Aqua wondered how he could be so similar to her and remind him of her. So a feeling of jealousy slightly arises inside him as he thinks Aikara understands Ai enough to be similar enough to her.
That emotion slowly built up over the years as Aikara and Aqua discussed together their plans and Aikara successfully guessed the password in one try, and when Aqua asked why. He explained the reason (There's an actual reason why it's that password and it relates to B-komachi. You can look it up if you're curious.). And he followed up by saying it's pretty obvious if you understand her.
And finally, his emotions bottled up enough that it got released.
And it looks like Aqua accidentally revealed some tidbits about his past life. Aikara might find out more about it.
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