Beep!

The light turned green. A car behind them honked. Alan released the brake and looked forward, saying nothing.

Seeing his silence, Nozomi put her phone away.

After a moment, she asked quietly, curiosity winning out.

"So... you two broke up?"

"We did."

"Oh."

She nodded, privately relieved she didn’t have to play the role of a homewrecker. She didn’t doubt him, Alan’s personality alone was enough to drive most people away.

Still... he had money.

What kind of woman would leave him?

Reclined in the passenger seat, her thoughts raced. Competitive instinct stirred.

What did his ex look like? Prettier than me? Probably not.

At the third red light, she caved.

"What does your ex look like? Can I see?"

She emphasized the word ex.

Not staking a claim, just curiosity.

"In the glove compartment. There’s a photo."

"Okay."

She kept her face neutral, though inside she was already cursing him again.

Still keeping her photo? Typical jerk.

She opened the compartment, and froze.

No photo.

Just a stack of promotional posters.

The girl on them was impossibly beautiful. And painfully familiar.

Nozomi raised an eyebrow, suppressing a laugh.

"You’re telling me Akari Hojo was your girlfriend?"

"Yeeep."

Alan kept his eyes on the road, expression flat.

Nozomi took a deep breath, swallowing the word delusional before it could escape.

There was no point asking why they’d broken up.

A super-popular idol. Debuted in middle school. Swept the Kansai Young Singer Award a year later. A voice like heaven, a face rivaling Nozomi’s own, backed by a top-tier songwriting team, every release a hit.

Nozomi herself had been moved to tears watching Akari Hojo sing on television.

And this guy claimed he’d dated her?

As Nozomi stared silently at the dashboard, Alan spoke.

"You’re a fan of Akari Hojo?"

She blinked, offered a brittle smile.

"I followed her since her debut. I own all her songs. I like every one of them."

Thanks to the fat check he’d given her, she kept the snark inside.

Yeah, right. Song goddess Hojo dating you?

She expected at least a flicker of embarrassment. Instead Alan said something bizarre.

"You’ve seen her perform on TV. How did she look to you on stage?"

"Huh? How did she look to me?"

"Exactly, how did she look?"

"...Stunning," Nozomi said after a moment’s thought. "Radiant. Not a trace of stage fright. A complete professional."

A flicker of nostalgia crossed Alan’s face, the hint of a smile he didn’t quite allow.

Never?

Akari Hojo’s first performance hadn’t been on television. It was at a school festival, she’d been so nervous she’d sweat until the microphone short-circuited. He’d swapped it out, then held her backstage while she trembled.

Even prodigies could be scared.

He glanced at Nozomi, seeing the shadow of that old Akari in her, and spoke gently.

"You could do it too, you know. If you wanted to. You could stand on that same stage and blind the entire world." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Nozomi’s expression went blank.

Her heart skipped.

...What?

Why would he suddenly drop a cheesy line like that...?

"..."

Moron...

---

7:00 p.m.

Nozomi leaned into the corner of the elevator, arms full of shopping bags, eyes glazed. When the doors opened on the seventh floor, she shuffled out like a zombie, keyed in the code, and kicked the bags inside.

She kicked off her shoes, didn’t bother with slippers, and padded barefoot across the living room straight to her bedroom.

Thump.

She collapsed onto the mattress.

Every sore muscle sighed in relief.

She was halfway to sleep.

How could a date be this exhausting?

Forget sweet romance, this had been brutal.

It didn’t feel like a date at all. More like hauling bricks at a construction site all day.

Arms. Back. Waist. Thighs. Knees. Ankles.

Even her toes hurt.

Meanwhile, Alan had looked as fresh as ever.

Is he made of iron?

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.

Her bag—abandoned on the floor—started vibrating.

Nozomi stared blankly at the carpet.

Then she stretched one arm out, hooked the strap, and dragged it closer. She pulled out her phone.

Akane Mia’s name blinked on the screen.

She answered.

"Hello?"

No reply.

"Hello, Nozomi?"

"...Mmm... Yeah. I hear you."

Silence.

Mia hesitated, hearing the lifeless tone.

"What’s wrong? Don’t tell me your period synced with mine."

"No... I’m just wiped."

Talking face-down was awkward and painful on her ribs. She twisted into a shape that vaguely resembled comfort.

Mia gasped.

"Wait, don’t tell me you actually gave it to him?"

"Ugh, get your mind out of the gutter..."

Nozomi closed her eyes.

"I waited, like... six hours straight today."

"...Did you two run a marathon or something?"

"Close enough."

"We hit the mall, had lunch, went straight to a hair salon, then a movie, and ended with a fashion show full of models."

"Wow. That’s a lot, but not that insane."

"Mia."

"Yeah?"

"Remember fitness tests? You couldn’t outrun me. I was on the gymnastics team. If I’m dead on my feet, how do you think you’d feel?"

Mia had no answer.

Nozomi stared at the ceiling, replaying the day’s bizarre moments.

"There’s something off about him. Really off."

"He keeps asking if I want to be famous. If I want to be an actress. If I want everyone to look at me."

"He also said Akari Hojo was his girlfriend. Like... that’s nonsense."

"And yet... aside from that last bit..."

She hesitated.

"...I kind of admit I’m tempted."