Aqua was still dreaming about expensive motorcycles and oversized leather jackets when he was jostled awake.

“We’re almost home,” Ai’s soft voice said. “You still need to eat dinner, so wake up, Aqua.”

He reluctantly opened his eyes, the rumbling of the car helping stir him back to reality. Aqua rubbed at his temple. He was in the front passenger seat across from Ai, her at the wheel and driving toward the last exit off the expressway. It was only a couple more side roads until they reached the house.

Although Aqua was now ten-years-old, Ai still normally wouldn’t allow any of her kids in the front seat. An exception was made tonight since they were using one of Strawberry Production’s company cars to drive back from the filming set, and there was too much miscellaneous equipment for other projects slotted in the back to make space for Aqua.

As Aqua yawned, Ai ruffled his hair. He straightened his seat and his back to help keep himself awake, vaguely listening to Ai’s compliments for his performance a few hours earlier.

Today’s work for Aqua had been exhausting. It was an acting role the most divorced from his natural self yet: an obnoxious, disrespectful punk who blasted out spit with every self-centered word and bratty boast that came out of his rotten teeth. It was also the most makeup Aqua had ever needed to wear for a part, as well, both before the motorcycle accident scenes and after it. A different crew and stunt team would be filming the accident itself, so all of Aqua’s responsibilities were to sell the attitude of a petulant child who survived such a troublesome incident. Not a character Aqua had any personal experience in this life or the last in genuinely embodying, but the job had certainly been educational; very beneficial to further improve his acting ability.

All to improve his understanding, renown, and connections in the entertainment industry. All in service to his ultimate goal.

Still, Aqua had to admit… It had been fun playing a character so out of scope from his normal repertoire, and doing so to the approval of the episode’s director and Aqua’s fellow cast members. All the tips and training between Aqua’s mother and Director Gotanda for this job had definitely paid off.

Aqua blinked back to the present moment when he realized Ai was poking his cheek. “I’m awake,” he said groggily. He cleared his throat to repeat himself more clearly.

“I don’t want you to get too startled when Cobie tackles you with a hug when we get home,” she teased with a smirk. She tapped her smartphone sitting in the cupholder between them. “Don’t be surprised when Ruby starts talking your ear off when she sees the snapshots I took of you.”

Aqua groaned. “You didn’t have to record anything extra. Ruby would’ve seen it anyway when the episode aired.”

“It’s her sibling privilege to get sneak peaks of her brother’s acting in action!”

Ruby was always the harsh critic whenever she saw Aqua play a role too different from his usual self. Aqua guessed it was to keep him from developing an ego since Cobalt consistently complimented his acting no matter the part. Or maybe Ruby was letting her jealousy take over since even as a child actor, Aqua Hoshino was a more familiar name in the public sphere than Ruby Hoshino still too young to audition for idol work under Ai’s care.

Neither of Ruby’s nor Aqua’s names were as cemented in the public consciousness as Ai Hoshino at this point, but when comparing the siblings, Aqua had the head start.

Not that Aqua cared for fame and influence over the masses as much as his idol-obsessed sister was… From a certain point of view, his intentions were actually a little less pure than hers…

In the six years after B-Komachi’s Tokyo Dome concert, Aqua had continued to expand his expertise in the entertainment business through two primary contacts: Director Taishi Gotanda, who served as a mentor imparting his extensive knowledge on video editing, emotional acting, and other technical aspects of the art; and Ai Hoshino, who kept her word and maintained her momentum as an actress, model, and music talent, and never again as an idol ensnaring the spotlight. She wasn’t the greatest actor in the world, but she knew how to capture an audience, improving steadily over time.

Between the collective contacts of Gotanda and Strawberry Productions, Aqua had received his fair share of opportunities as a child actor. Being the oldest son of the Ai Hoshino obviously helped, but Aqua had earned himself a decent reputation of being perfectly professional and reliable for the type of roles he was commonly cast in. Far from the level of skill and renown of true acting prodigies his physical age like, say, Kana Arima, though Aqua was content with never reaching such heights. Compiling the list of Ai’s possible past lovers and finding the means to test if they shared blood with the Hoshino triplets was what mattered more.

Ai actually still did some idol-related work, instead in a teaching role. Strawberry Productions often received contracts for Ai and other former B-Komachi members to train newer individual idols and idol groups. Lessons weren’t limited to purely putting out a good performance. Advice was also provided on how to handle fan interactions, online criticism, potential post-idol work, maintaining healthy relationships between peers and loved ones as an idol, and other specialized guidance drawn from firsthand experience.

None of these idols seeking Ai’s counsel could ever hope to achieve the same long-reaching impacts that Ai had accomplished… or rather, Aqua’s bias aside, none as of yet has developed a following and body of work that beat Ai’s nearly decade-long idol career. Still, there was enough good feedback on the lessons and measurable success for her students to keep doing this work, supplementing Ai’s other jobs in the industry.

While Aqua gained new perspectives and insight from watching Ai’s progression in her non-idol fields, Ruby never forgot their mother’s original roots and regularly participated in dance performances for school productions. Ai also regularly gave Ruby private lessons, though with Aqua’s little sister still at the age of ten, it would be another few years before she would be allowed to seriously present her aptitude and potential as an idol more publicly.

Ruby also dabbled in acting for school plays. It was only a passing interest for her, her true passions reserved for directly following Ai’s footsteps. It was only a matter of time until B-Komachi was revived for the next generation.

Cobalt never really applied himself in acting, or dancing, or any other niche in entertainment that Ai already set her foot in. Aqua assumed a part of Ai was disappointed her youngest didn’t have a concrete, lofty dream to aspire to. Ai dreamt of Aqua the Actor (though likely only part-time as an adult, as Aqua intended to reclaim his medical license in the future), Ruby the Idol (who will inevitably have to seek alternative entertainment work as she grows older), and Cobalt… can be whatever he wanted to be, because he was still a kid loved by his family, and he had plenty of time to decide what to do for the rest of his life.

“We’re here!” Ai suddenly announced in a mock-shout. Just low enough not to deafen Aqua but still keep him aware. She remotely opened the garage and was about to pull into their driveway. “Don’t forget your bag in the trunk.”

“Yes, mom.”

It was a nice neighborhood in Tokyo they lived in now. Low crime rate, not too noisy or crowded compared to Ai’s old apartment, a police station virtually around the corner from their house, and friendly neighbors who only gushed over Ai’s fame half the time when they happened across each other. The bodyguard Ichigo had hired for the stalker attack was let go on benevolent terms within a year after, and Ai felt safe enough in this area to only sometimes don a pseudo-disguise.

The garage was a little cramped for the company car considering all the odds and ends placed here for storage, so Ai had called ahead to make some space, but there was still barely enough clearance to tightly park the vehicle. Ai got out to make more room before moving in and setting the brake again. After sliding out of the front seat and getting his duffle bag, Aqua had to awkwardly squeeze through a few metal cabinets, raising his duffle above his head.

Ai rounded behind him and helped support the duffle’s weight. “I’ve got it, mom,” Aqua insisted. She didn’t listen. It was late enough as it was. Aqua declined from trying to argue harder.

Aqua referred to her as “mom” aloud, but he still couldn’t keep from calling her Ai inside his own head.

In his heart, he had long since accepted that she was Aquamarine Hoshino’s mother. She was his mother. There was no need to avoid calling her as such in public after the identities of her children were revealed. Nevertheless, thinking of her as Ai helped put Aqua’s mindset to a more objective one able to carry out his investigation for his father’s identity.

The emotions were still there, burning. The want for revenge. The love for his family. But Aqua still needed anchors keeping him stable as he undertook his mission. A child still growing, already losing some of his earlier memories as an infant, on the cusp of puberty with more changes to his body forthcoming, couldn’t maintain a consistent pace of a part-time acting career, apprenticing under an acclaimed director, and supporting his family in the day-to-day mundanities without practicing a strict discipline. A discipline and commitment which Aqua drew from Gorou Amamiya’s experience as a medical doctor. Calling Ai by her name helped harken back to those days of professionalism and focus. Of a devotion to steady his hand.

It was still too easy for Aqua to get lost in the motherly affection Ai gave. Like in the current moment, Ai lifting the duffle bag so she hung it upright atop his head. Aqua felt those childish compulsions to bicker and whine. In response, he hardened himself as best he could.

Leaving the garage, a vague scent permeating from the living room helped sober Aqua up… ironically so, in fact.

The stench of booze was an oddly familiar comfort to Aqua. Gorou Amamiya and his coworkers had appropriately drank to their hearts’ content during their off-hours. Gotanda sometimes drank when Aqua was working at his home, the director’s mother always considerate of young Aqua by providing him his share of sugary drinks. Ai periodically came home bearing that familiar scent, too, though rarely was she ever as drunk as Ichigo or Miyako.

Especially Miyako, in recent months…

The Vice President of Strawberry Productions was napping on the couch, lying prone with her face smudged against a pillow. A bottle, glass cups, and thick binders surrounded her open laptop on the coffee table.

“We’re home, Miyako,” Ai greeted softly. Miyako didn’t give any sign of hearing her. To Aqua, Ai said, “Go wake up your siblings. I’ll get Miyako to bed and start making dinner for you three.”

If Ruby wasn’t exuberantly welcoming Ai back home, then she must be already asleep. The days of staying up late to argue online for Ai’s sake had been scaled back the more Ruby had to devote time to dancing and schoolwork. She was probably drooling all over her homework again. Ruby knew Ai was bringing Aqua home tonight, so she likely skipped eating any of the leftovers in the fridge if Miyako hadn’t cooked anything new, and loyal Cobalt would have followed her example.

“Will do,” Aqua said, dragging his luggage to the bedroom shared by the triplets. He could hear Miyako wake up and spout the usual drunk ramblings, to which Ai bantered back at.

The consequences of Ai’s sudden assault and abrupt retirement were still felt by Strawberry Productions to this day. The Hoshino and Saitou households were able to merge and take joint residence of a big house in this neighborhood for the childrens’ sake, but financial troubles and contract disputes had led to a downsizing of the agency. Their new office possessed less capacity, so a fair portion of the work was inevitably brought home. Even with some of the B-Komachi girls still working with Strawberry, the disbandment of their group had ruffled a lot of feathers. Ichigo had to trade some of their other talents to other agencies to secure immediate and long-term arrangements for further work. High-level management responsibilities were more evenly split between him and Miyako, but the workload was practically doubled for them both.

Six years ago, Strawberry Productions was rising to the top with Ai as the spearhead.

Now, they were making a living, recovering bit by bit a semblance of their prior prominence. If not strictly in the idol sphere, then in the industry at large.

Miyako had eventually taken to drinking in the interim.

“Functioning alcoholic” was the term Ai and Ichigo liked to use when Cobalt asked why aunt Miyako smelled so funky whenever she drank. He didn’t have any real context on what an alcoholic was beyond what he saw of Miyako, so Cobalt accepted Ai’s reassurances that Miyako was alright in stride.

Aqua tolerated Miyako’s vice… for the time being. It hasn’t become a pressing issue if Ai and Ichigo were still freely letting her drink and work at the house while the children were also home. A ticking time bomb Miyako may be, Aqua’s work toward his ultimate goal required prioritization.

Miyako was a problem Aqua was perfectly aware of. The status of Aqua’s father was still unknown. That man remained the greater threat to the Hoshino family.

Aqua’s assumptions about Ruby proved right, as he entered their room and saw her using a textbook as a pillow instead of her actual pillows, or her stuffed animals. The room was fairly spacious to accommodate three sets of beds and dressers with a single desk and bookshelf used by all three siblings. A clutter of toys and clothing was strewn about the floor and furniture. Aqua tossed his bag on his bed and picked up one of Ruby’s notebooks wet with drool, lightly tapping her head with it. Instinctively, she shot out her elbow. Aqua caught it before tapping her again and stepping out of elbowing range.

“Not now, Cobie,” she muttered. “The charger’s in Mama’s room.”

“Ai’s home,” Aqua said.

In a blur, Ruby stood up and dashed out to meet their mother.

Aqua turned his head to Cobalt. Normally, he would have greeted Aqua immediately upon him entering, but since the instant Aqua set foot in the room, his little brother was sitting cross-legged on his bed with his eyes glued to an electronic tablet in his hands.

His eyes were red. He must’ve been staring at the tablet for a long time. The volume was too low, only letting Aqua make out voices speaking with music in the background.

Cobalt was… transfixed on whatever he was watching. His default expression was to smile, yet his lips now formed a straight, thin line. Cobalt was focused.

Barring the scar on Cobalt’s face, it was almost like looking in a mirror for Aqua

The older triplet climbed onto the bed and sat next to Cobalt. Despite being identical brothers, Aqua’s posture was straighter as he looked over Cobalt’s shoulder at the tablet screen.

Fantastical creatures modeled from different colored clay were bickering atop what looked like a kitchen countertop, with coffee cups and eating utensils positioned as decoration. The clay characters were acting out some sort of comedy routine.

It was a YouTube video. Not at fullscreen. Aqua was able to see the title of the video; something written in English. Aqua could read the language, but he was drawn more to the uploader’s name presented in both English and Japanese.

“Robo-Max?”

Cobalt threw his head backwards, brushing his hair against Aqua’s chin before Aqua pulled completely out of his way. Unlike Ruby, Cobalt welcomed him with a smile. “Oh, hi Aqua!”

“Hi. What are you watching?”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“I don’t know, but it looks really cool!” Cobalt aggressively tapped the screen, accidentally pausing and unpausing the video. “Robo-Max has a ton of videos like this one! His cartoons look really realistic!”

Well, that was only natural, since this style of animation used real objects in its production.

Aqua decided to get ahead of another potential Cobie-misunderstanding before it spiraled out of control.

“This type of cartoon is using what’s called stop-motion animation,” Aqua said. Very well familiar with Aqua’s informative lectures by this point, Cobalt turned his whole body around to listen diligently. “Anime is a cartoon composed of a series of pictures someone has drawn, by hand or on a computer. Shows and movies rapidly flip through these images to give a sense of motion in a scene on a flat page.” Aqua had explained 2D animation to Cobalt before, but something about Robo-Max’s videos seemed to have really resonated with Cobalt. “In stop-motion, it's the same principle of gathering a series of images, except for videos like this, there is a three-dimensional set with real figures and props you can hold in your hands. Instead of drawing dozens or hundreds of frames on a page, many photos with a camera are taken of each little adjustment of these objects. Again, rapidly flipping through these frames paints a scene with moving objects.”

Cobalt hummed inquisitively. “So it’s like CGI or live-action? Where you need to move people around in front of a camera, but you have to be really specific with how exactly everything moves? Like how artists are in anime?”

“Sure.” Cobalt had also picked up a thing or two when he attached himself on Aqua’s excursions to Director Gotanda’s house. Good on Cobalt for remembering their prior lessons.

“Oh! It’s like when I play with my action figures! Isn’t it?”

“Yes, it's very similar…” The video continued playing, shifting to a different set and depicting a more complex animation than the clay figures merely standing and talking. Aqua drew Cobalt’s eye to it. “You see this character jumping across the gap? The animator didn’t just throw this figure in front of the camera. They held the character’s real-life figure up, probably with wiring or an apparatus they edited out later, and moved the figure over the gap slowly. With each movement, the animator takes a picture. The entire set of photos put together, also edited, presents a scene with movement in it.”

Cobalt frowned. Aqua almost preferred that countenance over the flat, neutral stare Cobalt had worn earlier. At least a frown gave a hint of what he was feeling inside. “But wouldn’t it be easier to just throw the clay man? And save the time it took to take all those pictures?”

Aqua considered it. “It might be,” he conceded, “but stop-motion animation allows a greater degree of control by the animator. Throwing a figure is like… a stunt double who only needs to get from point A to point B without necessarily worrying as much about acting. Animating the figure allows the animator to inject more character or choreography they might not have been able to otherwise. They have more precision with stop-motion animation, so long as they put in the time and effort for it.”

Ai was calling to Aqua and Cobalt now. Dinner would be ready soon, and she must want to learn about Cobalt’s day after hearing Ruby give her spiel. Aqua decided to wrap this lecture up.

“I’m not an expert on the topic,” he said. “I don’t believe stop-motion is as prevalent as other forms of animation, or used in media as often as it once was. It has been used for special effects in movies, like animating the movements of a puppet meant to represent a monster put on a green screen to scale it larger than human actors, but I can’t name any pieces that use stop-motion exclusively off the top of my head.” There were a number of American-based productions that used stop-motion in feature films and long-running television series, Aqua was pretty sure.

“Hmm…”

“You really like these videos, don’t you?”

“It’s really cool!” Cobalt exclaimed with vigorous nods of his head. “You and mom have to work with a lot of different people for your acting jobs, but Robo-Max can tell cool stories all by himself! He even does the voices alone!”

Ah, now that Aqua paid more attention to the video, what Cobalt said was true. Aqua would have assumed otherwise at a glance, but a keen ear could make out the similarities between the inflections spoken by each character. “That is impressive. Did you just start watching him – Robo-Max – today?”

“Yeah! One of his videos just popped up when I was looking through YouTube. He’s been doing this for at least two years. I’m subscribed now and everything!”

“You can tell mom all about it as we eat dinner.” Aqua left the bed, prompting Cobalt to follow.

“Okay!”

Aqua took the lead, but he glanced back when he sensed Cobalt not matching his speed. He was taking slow steps forward, eyes still on the tablet as a musical jingle played for another video.

“Watch where you’re going,” Aqua said out of habit.

“I am.” Cobalt’s foot brushed against Aqua’s.

“You’re not.”

“I’m okay!” Cobalt sped forward, using his socks to slide across the floor to get ahead of Aqua, all the while keeping his attention on the tablet.

Cobalt was normally never this… insubordinate. He’d pout and complain like any other kid, but he never outright disobeyed a command from a member of his family.

Aqua didn’t understand why, but Cobalt was infatuated by the animations he saw.

It lacked the same intensity or passion equivalent to, say, Sarina watching Ai, but it was the closest comparison Aqua could think of. A child, unlearned in the ways of the world, latching onto something inexplicably inspirational.

Aqua will have to sort through Cobalt’s watch history and view this Robo-Max channel for himself, make sure it was appropriate material to keep watching. The last thing any of them needed was Cobalt trying to emulate any crazy antics he saw in these videos.

----------------------------------------

Miyako Saitou drank from her cup.

What was she doing with her life?

She knew Ai and Aqua were going to be coming home late the other night while the garage was still a mess. She knew Ruby and Cobalt were being their rebellious selves again in a pseudo-hunger strike, closing their bedroom shut until their mother and brother arrived. And Miyako knew she had paychecks to finish filing for valuable talents that were already considering moving to a different agency.

But Miyako still hadn’t bothered to make room in the garage for Ai’s car. She had still neglected to push harder for Ruby and Cobalt to eat their dinner and go to bed on time for their big test the next day. And Ai had to call up Ichigo to help her complete their financials this week while Miyako was still sleeping off that night’s drinks.

These weren’t the worst mistakes Miyako had committed in her career, as the Vice President of Strawberry Productions and as the guardian over Ai’s children, but they were still reminders that Miyako was slipping.

She took another sip.

Wasn’t Ai supposed to be blessed by the gods of entertainment? Yes, she and Cobalt miraculously survived an assault, and she was able to stay in the entertainment business, but was everything Miyako doing not enough? She still watched over the kids, made sure they did their homework and ate healthy food and stayed out of trouble, giving Ai all the time she could spare to shower them with love when she wasn’t working. That was on top of Miyako’s duties in Strawberry beyond Ai. With Ichigo jumping through hoops to commit as much time and resources for Ai, it fell to Miyako to do a lot of the management for Strawberry’s other talents. Surely Miyako lessening the load on Ichigo’s shoulder contributed enough to Ai’s success to warrant a share of divine blessings to Miyako’s personal life?

She downed another swig.

Miyako was promised a second marriage with a hot young actor. Yes, she’d been digging for gold when she said yes to Ichigo that night in Kyoto. Yes, she still fantasized about others even when they were in bed together. Not that they even sleep in the same bed most nights these days thanks to their hectic work schedules. Miyako could even admit to overtly tempting the actors and talent scouts on Strawberry’s payroll to spend the night with her to “renegotiate” their contracts. No one she tempted ever had the social awareness or the confidence to take her up on her offers. Yet, for all of her faults, didn’t Miyako deserve something special for herself?

She drank again.

What was she doing? Right now, right this second? She was drinking when she had another expense report to finish up and a grocery run to get to.

And she had to bring Cobalt with her, since Ruby had snuck into the company car Ai was using to take Aqua to another acting gig. Ai had already called Miyako and was okay with taking Ruby since there was no school tomorrow, but leaving Cobalt behind meant that Miyako couldn’t let him out of her sight. With no one else to chaperone him, the risk of Cobalt doing something to hurt himself was always there. For goodness sake, Cobalt had smacked his head against a wall the other night by just carelessly sliding his feet down the hall!

Miyako put the glass cup against her lips, but she sucked in nothing but air.

Oh, the cup was empty now. She had poured nothing into it. The bottle was empty. She had gone through it faster than she expected.

Miyako glanced at Cobalt. He was still relaxing in one of the big comfy chairs in the living room. Wait, Miyako was the one relaxing, draped across the sofa. Cobalt was actively… that was bad posture, leaning forward from the edge of the chair to stare wide-eyed at her laptop monit– wait, why was he using Miyako’s laptop and not Ai’s tablet?

“Cobie,” Miyako said, his nickname somehow easier to say aloud for her while in this state than his real name, “what are you doing?”

“I’m watching Robo-Max’s behind-the-scenes video.”

Robo-what? “I need that for my work, Cobie.”

“But I want to–”

“Give it here, Cobie.” Mustering what strength she could, Miyako forced herself upright and reached for the computer. Cobalt pulled away from her. She bit back a swear. “Cobie.”

“This can help with your work!” Cobalt said, still not looking at her. “Aunt Miyako, you know people in entertainment, right? YouTube is pretty entertaining! If you need more talents in Strawberry, you could try asking Youtubers!”

Ah, yes. Internet-based talent was a market Miyako was supposed to look into between her other assignments. Ichigo wanted to focus more on traditional methods, so he dumped the job onto her.

No, that wasn’t right. It had been Miyako’s idea and she pitched it to Ichigo. He was hesitant to risk putting Strawberry Productions’ foot into a market they had little experience with when there was more guaranteed work in other areas. Ai had thought the idea novel and helped Miyako push for it, finally forcing Ichigo to relent.

Ichigo always forgets that Ai wasn’t really their daughter…

Miyako picked up her coat, crumpled it in a bundle, and screamed into the cloth.

She needed another drink, pronto.

Moving faster than Cobalt could react, Miyako stood up and dragged him by the shoulder. He kept the laptop in his arms, but he walked with Miyako toward the kitchen. She didn’t want to risk him doing some ridiculous hijinks when she left the room to get another bottle.

“Are you okay, aunt Miyako?” Cobalt asked, the concern melting her heart. For the million questions Cobalt popped on a daily basis, the law of averages meant he would ask the right one eventually.

In the hallway, Miyako fell to her knees and captured him in a hug. Cobalt twisted his arms so that the overheating laptop ended up sitting on her head, but she didn’t care. He was hugging her back.

Him, Aqua, and Ruby were her kids as much as they were Ai’s. Ai understood that, and Miyako was forever grateful.

God, what was Miyako doing? She was getting Cobalt’s shirt wet with snot and tears. She was a horrible caretaker.

Miyako tried standing up again, but she moved too fast for Cobalt, getting her head bonked with the laptop. She was dazed and fell to her side. Thankfully, Cobalt was steady on his feet and caught the laptop before it split in half on the ground.

“Oh, I know what can make you feel better!” Cobalt set the computer on the floor and angled it for her to watch clearly. He even pushed back her hair hanging over her eyes. “Watch this, and I’ll be right back!” Then Cobalt ran away.

Wait a second. “Don’t run in the house!”

“But I’m going to get you something to feel better!” Then Cobalt was out of sight.

Miyako wanted to scream again. She didn’t have any leftover strength to do so. Instead, she resigned herself to cleaning her face with her sleeve. With nothing else around, she also looked at whatever video Cobalt had played for her.

A kid – a teenager was talking off-camera. His hands were in the frame, holding a figurine with an odd texture. Miyako picked up quickly that it was made of clay, the teenager contorting the cartoony-looking figure into odd poses. What did Cobalt say this was? Behind-the-scenes for a Robo-Max?

The video cut to a different scene. The camera was at an elevated position, overlooking a town in the countryside. The clay figure was posed in the foreground against a blurry backdrop. The teenager continued to commentate about where to buy clay material and related accessories.

There was a building in the distance. Miyako squinted. It looked familiar…

The camera unfocused on the clay figure and straightened out the lines in the background. It kept switching between focusing on the front and back parts of the shot.

That looked like a hospital…

Cobalt returned, sliding with a sliding flourish he must have learned from Ruby. He presented Miyako a bottle. One of her favorites, in fact… Did Cobalt know this was one of her favorites?

“Here you go!”

Cobalt even brought another tiny glass cup and poured her a shot.

Something about this didn’t sit right with Miyako. She didn’t react when Cobalt held the cup toward her.

Where had she seen that hospital before?

“Oh, you’re just smelling it? You don’t want to drink it yet?”

“You shouldn’t be drinking this, Cobie…”

“I know. Mom said so to me and Aqua and Ruby, but since aunt Miyako likes these, it’s fine for you to drink them.”

“That… doesn’t mean you should be handling them and pouring drinks for me.”

“I already help mom and Aqua clean up the bottles and cups after you, though.”

Miyako groaned. She wasn’t sure if she could get into a full clarification session with him right now. Aqua was always the best at them.

“Anyway, I think Robo-Max should be hired by Strawberry Productions!”

Miyako blew out a snort. “Who?”

“The best stop-motion animation YouTuber this side of the Pacific!” Cobalt repeatedly tapped the laptop screen for emphasis.

Miyako looked back at the video, paused, and it suddenly struck her where she had seen that hospital before.

It was the one in Takachiho, within Miyazaki prefecture, where Ai gave birth to her kids. Miyako has never personally been to the area, but she recalled Ai showing the children pictures of the hospital and the town when they asked about where they were born. Miyako had done research a while ago for possible vacation spots for Ai, and Takachiho had been one of the possible sites.

Miyako was then hit by another epiphany that caused her to hop up to her feet.

This must be a sign from the gods!

Aqua and Ruby still possessed their incredible intelligence, but in the years after the stalker incident, they had lost their divine messenger roles. No matter how much Miyako had tried to glean further godly guidance from them, they always claimed ignorance to any supposed promises given to her. Miyako had come to assume it was all a hysterical hallucination she suffered to stop herself from betraying Ai at the time. Miyako came to love the kids regardless of any god-given missions. Nowadays, she only thought back to those promises when her imagination was set to overdrive by her bitter ramblings.

So now she thought again of those intimidating, scary, and hopeful messages echoed by the infant Aqua and Ruby. Cobalt had always been oddly normal compared to them, but what if the divine energy once bestowed in his older siblings transferred into himself? To save him from otherwise irreversible damage from the stalker? To help Ai realize she honestly loved her own children? To ensure the gods of entertainment still had an object of their affections happily walking the earth and dutifully serving the industry?

All in no small part to the innocent love and admiration easily expressed by Ai’s youngest.

And all three baby Hoshinos were born in Takachiho, known for its shrines dedicated to deities of the arts. The kids must have been blessed by divine energies during their birth, but the blessing had to be running out after the hardships the family went through. They were surviving, sure, but in spite of all their efforts, Ai Hoshino was not thriving as Ruby had once foretold.

Now here was little Cobalt, suggesting Miyako take a look at a small-time teenage wannabe creator that just so happened to be filming in Takachiho. The town was the source of the gods’ power! A wellspring to gain good tidings for entertainers and their loyal servants! It had to be!

“And that’s why I think Robo-Max would be a great fit with Strawberry Productions!” Cobalt was saying, but Miyako paid his sales pitch no mind. Perhaps they will run into this random YouTuber in Takachiho, but simply visiting the town was the sign from the gods Miyako knew she had to follow. Then everything will start to get better.

Miyako’s phone was still on her. She whipped it out and was on a call in seconds.

“Vice President!” said Hikaru Kanzaki, the agency’s up and coming talent scout. “How can I be of service?”

“Ready the Strawberry-mobile!”

Cobalt had named it, his favorite of Strawberry Production’s company cars since it was one of the originals from the B-Komachi days bearing the agency’s logo. It still ran great and was usually reserved for long-distance travel.

“Uh, ma’am,” Kanzaki said in bemusement, “I’m still with–”

With the comedy duo Miyako had recently hired on to the company. She was aware, but destiny was calling and she needed an appropriate attendant to deliver her. Kanzaki was perfect for the job, and the duo were very easygoing and would be fine with this rescheduling hiccup. “Get those boys home safe and sound,” she ordered. “Then have the Strawberry-mobile ready in front of the office within the hour. Bring snacks.”

“But–”

“Get a pack of Cobalt’s favorite orange juice on the way, and your holiday bonus gets tripled.” Miyako will take it out of her own paycheck if need be.

The next response lacked any of the previous hesitation. “I’ll meet with you soon, Vice President!”

“Good man!”

Miyako hung up. She looked down at Cobalt, staring with a smile.

“Get your favorite lucky shirt,” Miyako told him, moving away to appropriately redress herself. “We’re going on a road trip.”

“Hot dog! Are mom and everyone else coming, too?”

They’ll follow, no doubt about it. Miyako, Cobalt, and Kanzaki will light the way. Cobalt will be their shining beacon, for Ai to sail towards and for the gods of entertainment to view from their lofty heights. They will all converge together in Takachiho, and grant Miyako and her family the good fortune they deserved.