Carrying her bag, Nozomi stepped into the reserved private room.

Every head turned.

An eerie silence fell. If she couldn’t still hear the noise from the main hall, she might have thought someone had pressed a mute button on the world.

Even Akane Mia sat frozen, mouth slightly open.

"What’s wrong?" Nozomi asked, blinking. "Why is everyone staring at me?"

She touched her face and hair in confusion. "Is something off?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Uh..."

Her high school friends exchanged glances. Mia was the first to recover, smiling faintly.

"Nozomi... what happened to your style?"

"Huh?"

Only then did Nozomi realize.

Thanks to Alan’s makeover, she looked like a completely different person.

The most obvious change was her hair. The once blue-streaked blonde was now jet black, softly curled at the ends and draped over her shoulders, framing her face perfectly.

Instead of short skirts and stockings, she wore a pale-blue maxi dress and a white chiffon blouse. Elegant. Serene.

She was still beautiful, but compared to her former peacock-bright flashiness, her beauty now felt natural and gentle, like a rose in full bloom, drawing attention without effort.

Soaking in her friends’ admiring stares, Nozomi felt a surge of satisfaction, though she pretended to be shy.

"Stop staring, it’s embarrassing. I’m basically the same..."

Perhaps enjoying the attention, her movements grew even more graceful. She slid into the seat beside Mia and picked up the menu.

"Have you ordered yet? It’s been ages. My treat tonight."

Mia raised an eyebrow, studying her for a long moment, then handed the menu back.

"Fine. You finally got yourself a boyfriend, you should treat us for once."

The word boyfriend broke the dam.

Across the table, a round-faced girl leaned forward eagerly. "That’s right! Mia told us, Nozomi. You actually have a boyfriend and didn’t say a word. When did this happen?"

"Recently..."

"I always said a beauty like you should’ve had one ages ago. But wow, you’ve changed so much I almost didn’t recognize you."

Throughout the meal, Nozomi and Mia gave a vague introduction to Alan, carefully omitting the two-million-yen debt and the nature of their arrangement.

They simply asked everyone to judge him freely.

As for prying into his past, there was no need to prompt them. The questions would come naturally.

Women never lacked curiosity.

Eventually the topic drifted away. For Nozomi, the main purpose of the gathering was already complete.

Then a thin, fragile-looking girl with a short bob suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, did anyone check the school message board today?"

"Nope. What now?" a round-faced girl asked while chewing. "Another breakup? Stolen takeout? Cheater exposed?"

"Way bigger. Supposedly Akari Hojo showed up at our school gate and left with a guy. Rumor says he’s her boyfriend..."

"Huh?"

"’Ran off’ sounds exaggerated," someone scoffed. "And the timing doesn’t fit. Hojo should be buried in concert prep. How would she have time?"

"I thought it was fake too," the girl said, "but there are photos."

"Seriously? Photos?"

"Yeah. Grainy side profile..."

"Show us."

She zoomed in and placed her phone at the center of the table.

Everyone leaned in. Nozomi stayed back, a bad feeling creeping up her spine.

"No frontal shot, and she’s wearing a mask. Are we sure it’s her?"

"People said they saw her around noon. Can’t be AI, right?"

"Let Nozomi decide," someone said. "She’s the super-fan. You’d know."

All eyes turned to her.

"Yeah. I can tell."

Smiling faintly, Nozomi tucked her hair behind her ear and took the phone.

The instant she saw the image, her attention locked onto the man beside Hojo.

The silhouette was unmistakable.

Her pupils shrank. The smile froze on her lips.

Isn’t that...?

"So? Is it her?" someone asked.

Nozomi didn’t answer. Her grip tightened.

Beside her, Akane Mia narrowed her eyes and casually stepped on Nozomi’s foot under the table.

Startled, Nozomi snapped back to herself. She set the phone down and laughed lightly.

"Sorry, I got too serious. Hard to say, blurry photo, masks everywhere..."

"Oh well." Disappointment rippled through the group before the conversation moved on.

Nozomi barely touched her food.

Her mind replayed the lunch she’d shared with Alan.

That phone call he took, was it from Akari Hojo?

Is Hojo really his girlfriend?

...Impossible.

***

Later, after they parted ways, Mia lit a cigarette by the curb and took a long drag.

"That was Hojo in the photo, wasn’t it?" she asked quietly.

"I don’t know."

Nozomi shook her head, though she had recognized her instantly.

Mia flicked the ash away. "Your new boyfriend?"

This time, Nozomi didn’t deny it. She nodded faintly.

"Yeah."

Mia said nothing. She finished her cigarette in silence, eyes fixed on the streetlamp.

Then she spoke softly.

"Maybe... it’s not such a bad thing for you."

"What do you mean?"

Nozomi Sakura was still trying to make sense of the strange heaviness in her chest when Akane Mia spoke. She lifted her eyes, confused.

"Do you really not get it?"

Catching Nozomi’s glance, Mia drew deeply on her cigarette, then pursed her red lips and exhaled a thin ribbon of smoke that unraveled beneath the neon lights.

"Didn’t I already tell you?"

"If Akari Hojo really was his ex-girlfriend, then you can relax. The chances that he’s setting some kind of trap are pretty low."

Watching traffic slide past under garish signs, Mia recalled what Nozomi had told her earlier and let out a soft chuckle.

"Maybe he honestly wants to make you a star."

"..."

Nozomi hugged her knees and stared into the distance.

"I know all that..."

"But why?"

For an instant, Alan’s voice echoed in her ears.

"You’re different from everyone else."

"You just don’t realize it yet."

"The moment you step onto a real stage, the whole world will be drawn to you."

"If you trust me, everything will work out."

Am I really different?

In her mind, she saw a girl standing onstage, bathed in spotlights, smiling calmly beneath thousands of gazes—radiant, untouchable.

Akari Hojo...

A sudden wave of inadequacy washed over her.

Could I ever shine like that?

"You see," Mia said, glancing sideways at her, "don’t be like John."

Nozomi raised an eyebrow. "Who’s John?"

"You know. John."

Nozomi shook her head.

Mia stubbed out her cigarette. "Piano Man. By Billy Joel."

Seeing Nozomi’s blank stare, Mia clicked her tongue. "Tsk. You only know Akari Hojo’s songs. Anyway, my point is... maybe you could be a movie star. No—you will be a movie star, Nozomi."

A movie star?

The thought startled her. Her expression froze.

Then a self-mocking smile tugged at her lips.

Ridiculous...