Work Text:
“Goodbye everyone! I love you all!” Ai blew a kiss to the crowd in Miyazaki City’s concert hall.
B Komachi’s first concert of their national tour had been a success, judging by the loud cheers.
But it wasn’t over for the girl group just yet.
As they entered backstage, gratefully accepting water bottles and handkerchiefs, Saitou tapped his watch. “The bonus fan meet starts in thirty minutes. So make the most of your time. I want you there at least five minutes early.” It wouldn’t do to be known as late so early in their tour.
Nino gulped down her water. “Got it president.”
Takamine dabbed the sweat off her face as examined her face. “Compared to dancing and singing non-stop, it will be a breeze just to sit down and talk.”
“It’s not so easy as that,” Saitou reminded her. “Be careful with what you say so it can’t be turned against you. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. And try to avoid giving out personal info OR advice!”
Takamine bowed her head. “Understood, president.”
Ai studied her reflection in the mirror. Her face was flushed and sweaty. She better freshen up.
She was looking forward to the fan meet.
After reading her fan mail, Ai had wanted so much to be a fan herself, to support and love someone else. If she talked to them more, actually talked to them rather than just shout out “I love you” to a crowd, or ask generic questions in between songs, maybe they could teach her how to be a fan too.
Once she was a fan of someone, it would mean she had actually learned to love that person. That she wasn’t so different from everyone else after all.
Less than thirty minutes later
B Komachi looked out at the queues waiting for them, queasy.
This time there were no verbal barbs about how Ai had the longest queue because all the queue lengths were equal.
When Saitou had told them about the bonus event being a fan meet, Ai had met up with him in private and insisted that there be an equal number of lottery tickets to meet each idol.
The president understood and agreed.
Even if someone in the queue wasn’t a fan of the idol they were meeting, they were still meeting someone from B Komachi and got front row seats to the concert. It was a reasonable bet that they would not waste this opportunity when it cost so much money. (Unless they actually had a time limit, but Ai was betting that they wouldn’t.)
To Ai’s relief, few of the people in the other queues wore her merch, literally in shirt form. Nobody was surprised that her fans were in other queues. The vast majority of B Komachi’s fanbase followed Ai; to say it was at least sixty percent was a huge understatement. But at least many seemed to realize that it wouldn’t be polite to be so obvious about it in front of her fellow idols upon meeting them.
Said idols seemed to be more happy and nervous at meeting their fans rather than envious or disgruntled. That was good.
Saitou adjusted his tie before he went out.
The lines of fans immediately applauded, sensing that the fan meet was about to begin.
“Thank you all for coming tonight,” Saitou began. “I am Ichigo Saitou, the president of Ichigo Production. It gives me so much joy to see B Komachi embark on our first ever national tour!”
Another round of applause.
“To thank everyone for your support,” continued Ichigo, “I organised this fan meet where our idols can get to know their fans personally. You’ve all written letters to them. Now you can hear what they want to say in return. So let’s give it up for B Komachi!”
The third round of applause was the loudest yet, with shouts and cheers, and a few declarations of “I love you, Ai!” The members of B Komachi came out in a line, in order of their table.
They stood and bowed. “We are B Komachi! Thank you for being our fans.”
Then they took their seats.
At last the fan meet could start.
As Ai chatted with the fans, playfully answering questions about her beauty secrets and diet, she also learned about how they had become fans of hers, why they enjoyed her music and how her dancing made them want to dance too.
To hear them say they loved her was gratifying, she supposed. But she could not fully appreciate the sentiment because she knew they loved a lie.
A lie that repeated their affectionate words back to them, hoping it will one day come true.
Then he came.
The next fan in the queue was an older man. Handsome in a serious way, Ai supposed, but definitely too old for her.
And he was wearing Ai merch and two light sticks.
There was something funny about seeing such a serious-looking man dressed like an otaku that it brought a genuine smile to Ai’s face.
“Hi, there. What’s your name.”
The man had a deep voice, matching his looks. But the nervous blush on his face ruined the mature vibe. “My name is Amamiya Gorou, I am a recent fan of yours.”
The rule for each fan was that they could only get five things to be signed, one of which would be personalised.
The items Gorou laid out on the table were a poster, two of B Komachi’s CDs, a photo card. It was the fifth item that made Ai blink.
It was a small Gacha keychain saying Ai's my fave forever!!! The very one that Saiki showed her while she was contemplating quitting B Komachi.
There was now a nostalgic smile on Gorou’s face. “If it’s not too much trouble, I would like the personal message to be on the back of this keychain. Addressed to me and to Sarina.” There really wasn’t much space for anything else.
Ai smiled. “Is she your wife or your friend?”
Gorou’s smile turned sad. “She was a friend of mine and the one who got me hooked on B Komachi. You see I’m a doctor at Takachiho General Hospital and Sarina was one of our patients. I got two tickets for both of us to attend but…she couldn’t come.”
The reason was obvious in the sadness now lingering around Gorou, as well as the choked emotion in his voice.
“This keychain is the last gift she gave me. I wasn’t at all interested in idols when we first met but she kept trying to convert me,” he chuckled. “She highlighted a list of reasons for why B Komachi was the best idol group and assured me you would be great.”
Gorou steadied his voice and then gave a formal bow to Ai. “On behalf of Sarina, I wanted to thank you personally, Ai for making her smile while she was hospitalised. Seeing you dance and sing always brought a smile to her face.”
Ai didn’t know what to say in the face of such love. This man was undoubtedly a fan of hers, but the affection he had for his patient was just as undoubtedly greater, she almost felt jealous.
To be loved and seen just like Sarina had been.
Finally she found her voice. “Are all of these for you?”
Gorou shook his head. “I’m keeping the poster, keychain and one of the CDs. But the second CD and the photo card will be for Sarina.”
Ai tilted her head, teasing, “Are you sure about that? Didn’t you say you had two tickets? What happened to the second?”
Gorou blinked, and brought out two tickets from his pocket. “I still have it with me. I was going to pass it to Sarina later with the merch.”
Ai took in the amount of her merch on his person. Two lightsticks and two headbands, and one shirt. He really was representing two people.
Ai took out her pen cap and began signing her name on his keychain, addressing Gorou and Sarina’s names. “Well, as I recall, it was five signed items per ticket, not per person. So if you have any other objects you want me to sign…”
Gorou immediately placed his two lightsticks on the table, then dug into his bag for more merch he must have bought. Two more photo cards and one acrylic stand.
Ai signed them all.
Sensing the impatient, incredulous and outraged fan behind him, Gorou thanked Ai heartily and gathered his signed merch before sidling away.
He didn’t even see the personalised messages she wrote on the lightsticks to both him and Sarina. Shame, she wanted to see his reaction to that.
For the record, Gorou wept when he read her messages. Then he drove all the way to Sarina’s plaque.
Gorou, I’m glad to see you’ve changed your stance about idols! Here’s to embracing change in our lives. Ai
Sarina, missed you at our concert. Thanks for supporting us for all this time. Ai
Ai may be terrible with names but the impression the doctor left on her was deeply felt.
When Ai had learned she was pregnant and made the choice to keep her child, Saitou told her they needed a hospital far from Tokyo.
“What about Mizayaki?” Ai commented offhandedly. “Takachiho sounds lovely at this time of year. Plus I haven’t been to see the countryside in a long time and I miss the stars.
Saitou narrowed his gaze on her. “This is not a vacation.”
“But I’m right, aren’t I?”
“…Yes,” Saitou admitted. “Takachiho would be a good place to hide, but don’t you dare tell anyone else. Not even the father!”
“Sure, sure,” Ai agreed easily.
Ai recognized the doctor immediately. Though to be fair, she had also done her research on the staff at this hospital and requested him specifically so maybe this shouldn’t have been such a surprise.
Both Ai and Gorou acted as if they had never seen each other before.
Ai was truly impressed. Gone was the fanboy, in his place was a professional doctor.
Come nightfall, even with Gorou admitting he was a fan of hers, Ai was more touched that he still remembered his friend Sarina and that he prioritised Ai’s happiness over her single status.
So this is the love of a fan, huh?
Well, Ai had changed her priorities.
She still wanted to learn to love everybody, be everyone’s fan.
But she wanted to learn to love her children first and foremost.
Maybe this doctor could help her with that as he advised her on how to look after them.
When Gorou had vanished, Ai had been worried and wanted to ask the police for help searching for a missing doctor.
Saitou freaked out and reminded Ai that a scandal would break out if it became known Ai was personally worried about a doctor who helped deliver babies!
He promised Ai he would take care of it but she should recuperate first and focus on her children.
Strangely enough, Ai soon forgot about Dr Gorou, one of the few genuine friends she had in her life.
Perhaps it was because her twins took up all her attention, or maybe it was training to get back in idol shape.
It most probably had something to do with that strange silver-haired girl Ai met on the way home.
Giggling, the girl thanked Ai for her concern of the doctor and expressed his regret that he could not be the one to deliver her twins.
When Ai asked if Gorou was fine then, the girl had laughed once more and said, “He’s alive, if that’s what you are asking. Well, sort of. But his last wish had been to ensure you and your children to be healthy. It’s better for you to honor his last wish rather than try to find him again, don’t you think?”
And crows surrounded the girl, whisking her away before Ai could ask any more questions.
Even now Ai could not be sure if Gorou was dead or in a coma, but in either case, she decided to listen to the crow girl and honor her fan’s last wish.
It’s the least she could do for her friend.