Chapter 4: Aqua Temporarily Rejects the "Forbidden Path"
Light rain began to drift from the sky, passing through the canopy to patter softly against Ruby's hair and shoulders. She seemed entirely unaware, continuing to drown in her own sorrow. Tears flowed from her eyes, mixing with the raindrops before falling to the ground, forming tiny puddles.
On the other side, Aqua was still searching.
Unable to find Ruby at the funeral site, he looked around anxiously before finally deciding to try his luck in the adjacent woods. Pushing through the dense trees, Aqua finally spotted that small figure curled up beneath a tree.
He approached quickly but stopped several paces away.
Aqua was shocked to find Ruby crouching helplessly on the ground, weeping bitterly.
The sight made his heart skip a beat.
A terrifying realization flashed through his mind.
Who was Ruby crying for?
In this context, there could be no other reason; she was grieving for Gorou Amamiya.
Aqua clenched his fists.
This went far beyond a normal level of grief for the passing of a stranger. When combined with her peculiar behavior regarding Gorou's funeral...
The way Ruby acted in her daily life began to overlap with the image of Sarina from his past life, finally merging into one.
*I should have known,* Aqua thought with a self-deprecating smile.
Growing up together, he had often seen shadows of Sarina in Ruby, but every time, he told himself not to indulge in fantasies.
Sarina was dead. To believe she had been reincarnated just like him was nothing more than a weak, desperate delusion.
Yet Ruby's recent behavior—her abnormal attitude toward Gorou Amamiya—pointed so clearly toward a single truth.
Aqua exhaled a long breath, his emotions slowly stabilizing.
Ruby was Sarina Tendouji.
Just as he was the reincarnation of Gorou Amamiya, Ruby was the reincarnation of Sarina.
Hiding in the shadows of the woods, Aqua watched the sobbing Ruby. He knew he should go over and comfort her, yet his feet refused to move.
The fine rain continued to fall, pitter-pattering among the leaves. The distant voices of people at the funeral drifted over, but this forest felt isolated from the world, leaving only Ruby's faint sobs and the sound of raindrops hitting the earth.
In Aqua's eyes, seeing that Sarina was alive and growing up healthy was enough.
In her past life, Sarina was tortured by illness, eventually unable to fulfill her dreams. Now, Ruby possessed a healthy body and infinite possibilities.
He shouldn't use his identity as Gorou Amamiya—a dead man who no longer mattered—to influence Ruby's current life.
Perhaps forgetting Gorou Amamiya would be better for her. She could pursue her dreams and become just like Ai...
No, she would become an idol who surpassed Ai.
Aqua remained where he was. Once Ruby had gradually calmed down, he circled to a distance and pretended he had only just arrived.
"Ruby? Where are you? It's time to go."
Ruby hurriedly wiped her tears. "Coming, I'm coming!"
Aqua looked at Ruby's reddened eyes and pursed his lips, pretending to know nothing.
Facing the sunlight breaking through the clouds, Aqua reached out a hand toward Ruby.
"Let's go. Ai is waiting for us."
Due to the funeral, Hikaru Hoshino's group stayed in Miyazaki for a few extra days. Upon returning to Tokyo, they went back to their respective homes—Hikaru to his apartment in Chiyoda, and Ai to the villa with the twins.
Urban life returned to its normal, steady rhythm.
After finishing the post-production and release of the "Ao to Natsu" music video, Hikaru decided to take some time to lay low. Although his career as a singer was developing smoothly, he knew his vocal skills still had significant room for improvement.
Meanwhile, Ai devoted herself to filming. Director Gotanda's movie had reached a critical stage, with the leads filming their Tokyo scenes; it wouldn't be long before production wrapped. Ruby used her free time for idol training, focusing primarily on singing and dancing lessons.
Aqua was also filming, though the pressure and intensity for the child actors were much lower than for the adults. While Gotanda was demanding, he disliked exploiting children, so Aqua and the other child actors still had plenty of leisure time.
Aqua still hadn't decided what he wanted to do in the future. On one hand, he wanted to see if he could become a qualified surgeon—a dream he failed to achieve in his past life. On the other hand, Ai hoped he would become an actor.
Of course, Ai's expectations were only part of the reason. The real cause of Aqua's indecision...
...was that he actually enjoyed acting himself.
Even with a personality as twisted as Aqua's, he had to admit that when he fully immersed himself in a role, he felt happy. Aqua was skilled at deducing a director's intent and could always grasp it quickly; he enjoyed this alternative form of "deciphering." At the same time, seeing a character he had painstakingly performed gave him a great sense of accomplishment.
He still wasn't sure if he would eventually become an actor or a doctor. Fortunately, he was still young and didn't need to stress over it too much. For now, he would build a solid resume in the entertainment industry while ensuring his academic grades remained high enough to keep his options open.
Based on these reasons, Aqua established his future direction and planned to work hard on improving his acting skills.
Thus, Aqua found himself at the Lalalai Theatrical Company once again.
Backstage at the theater. After running a scene together, Akane and Aqua sat in chairs to rest.
"Your acting is already very good, Aqua-kun. I think even Kana Arima would say the same," Akane praised in a soft voice.
"No, I'm different from you all. My acting mostly comes from figuring out the director's intentions. It's not something I can truly call my own."
Aqua shook his head in denial.
Hikaru Hoshino, having bought two bottles of water from the convenience store, walked over just in time to hear Aqua's self-deprecation again.
"As long as the result is the same, why worry so much?" Hikaru completely disagreed with Aqua's view. "You're overthinking it. At the end of the day, everyone has a different style—otherwise, we wouldn't have so many different schools of acting."
"You don't need to force yourself to mimic Kana or Akane's style. Their way might not even suit you."
The head of the company, Toshirou Kindaichi, happened to be resting nearby. Overhearing their conversation, he interjected, "Akane's style is indeed difficult for others to learn. Very few people can fully immerse themselves in a role the way she does. However, there's another very talented child in our troupe; perhaps you could try learning from him."
Kindaichi didn't keep them in suspense. He took a sip of water and continued, "Taiki Himekawa. He is the most talented actor I've ever seen. I believe he will surely become a powerhouse in the future. After his parents passed away, I adopted him in the name of the troupe. If you're interested, I can introduce him to you."
"He happens to be at the theater today. Come, I'll take you to him." Kindaichi was a man of action and immediately stood up to lead Aqua.
*Taiki Himekawa...*
Upon hearing that name, the smile on Hikaru Hoshino's face slowly vanished, replaced by a dark, heavy expression.
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