Chapter 11: The Knight's Vow

Fame is a magnet. It pulls the good, the bad, and the weird. As Ectiqa’s star ascended, the magnet began pulling in something ugly.

It started subtly. An odd comment here and there. While most messages were a variation of "You're amazing!" or "Marry me!", these were different.

User ‘Ectiqas_True_Love’: I see you. Even when you think you're hidden.

User ‘Ectiqas_True_Love’: That cafe you go to in Shibuya has nice coffee. I was there today too. We just missed each other.

Miki, who monitored all of Ectiqa's social media with an iron fist, was the first to notice. She immediately blocked the user. But he just came back with a new account, 'Ectiqas_Destiny.' The messages got more specific, more unsettling. He seemed to know Rina’s public, alibi-job schedule.

"This is getting creepy," Miki said one evening in the studio, her face grim. She, Hana, and Rina were gathered around a laptop screen.

"He- he knows about the cafe?" Rina whispered, a knot of ice forming in her stomach. That was her safe zone, her cover story.

"Don't worry," Hana said, trying to sound confident. "He's just some loser trying to scare you. He doesn't know anything real."

But the damage was done. A shadow of fear had been cast over Rina's life. Every trip to the cafe was now filled with anxiety. She found herself scanning the faces of the customers, wondering if one of them was 'Ectiqas_True_Love.' She started taking different routes home from the train station. She jumped at every unexpected noise.

I noticed the change immediately. She was quiet, jumpy, and her eyes were constantly darting around.

"What's up with you?" I asked one night as she nearly leaped out of her skin when I came up behind her in the kitchen.

"N-nothing!" she squeaked. "You just- you shouldn't sneak up on people!"

"I was walking at a normal volume," I said, frowning. "Is everything okay? Is it- that guy?"

Her head snapped up. "What guy?"

"You know," I said, lowering my voice conspiratorially. "The secret boyfriend."

Her face went from panicked to utterly bewildered. "The what now?"

"Don't play dumb," I said, crossing my arms. "You think I haven't figured it out? The late nights, the weird excuses, and now you're all jumpy. He's obviously a creep and he's scaring you. Just give me his name and I'll- have a talk with him." I puffed out my chest a little, trying to look intimidating.

Rina just stared at me, her mouth hanging open. Then she burst out laughing. It was a weird, high-pitched, slightly hysterical laugh.

"A secret- boyfriend?" she gasped, wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh, Onii-chan. You are the world's greatest detective. Yes. That's it. My secret boyfriend, Kenji, is a total creep."

"Kenji?!" I yelped, horrified. "You're dating KENJI?!"

"No, you idiot!" she said, shoving me playfully. "I was kidding. I'm just stressed about a big school project. That's all."

She walked away, still giggling to herself, leaving me more confused than ever. The boyfriend theory was in shambles, but the fear I'd seen in her eyes had been real. Something was wrong.

That night, I was on duty, moderating the Ectiqa Alliance forums. I saw a new post in the general discussion section. The title was 'Your true face'. The user was 'Ectiqas_Shadow.' My internal alarms went off.

The post read: I saw you at the Hoshizora Gala. Even from the fan zone, I could feel your presence. The cameras love you. But they only see the mask. I know you took it off in that private room. I wish I could have seen it. Don't worry, I will one day. I'm going to find out who you really are. A goddess like you shouldn't have to hide. I'll be the one to show the world your true, perfect face.

The words sent a chill down my spine. This wasn't adoration. This was a threat. This person was openly declaring their intention to unmask her, to strip away the privacy and security she fought so hard to maintain. The violation of it, the sheer, entitled arrogance, made my blood boil. This wasn't a fan. This was a monster.

My fingers flew across the keyboard. As a moderator, I had a responsibility. But as her self-proclaimed number one supporter, I had a duty.

I deleted the post and permanently banned the user's IP address. It was a temporary solution at best, but it was a start. Then, I went to the staff-only section of the forums and started a new thread.

Starlight_Knight_01: Urgent: Regarding Harassment and Doxxing Threats.

I laid it all out. The pattern of behavior, the escalating creepiness, and the latest post which constituted a direct threat to Ectiqa's privacy. I proposed a new, zero-tolerance policy.

The response from the other admins was immediate and supportive. Within an hour, M-Chan had drafted a new site-wide announcement based on my notes.

It was posted publicly on the front page of the Alliance website.

A Message to the Community, it began.

It has come to our attention that some individuals have been engaging in behavior that crosses the line from admiration into harassment. Let us be perfectly clear: This is unacceptable. Ectiqa-sama is a person who deserves privacy and respect. Attempting to discover her private identity, tracking her movements, or making threats to expose her is not the behavior of a true fan. It is the behavior of a criminal. From this day forward, any such activity will result in a permanent ban and, where appropriate, will be reported to the proper authorities. We are here to support an artist, not to enable obsession. Let's be a community she can be proud of.

The post was signed by the entire admin team, but I knew my fellow moderators had let me write the core of the message.

In her studio, Rina saw the announcement. Miki showed it to her. She read the words, her eyes widening. She saw the conviction, the anger, the fierce, protective loyalty. It wasn't a corporate statement. It was a vow. A declaration of war against the shadows that had been terrifying her.

She scrolled down to the comments. Hundreds of fans were voicing their support, disgusted by the stalker's behavior. The community was rallying.

And then she saw the first comment on the thread, posted just seconds after the announcement went live.

Starlight_Knight_01: She is not an object. She is a person. We are her shield. We will not let anyone harm her.

Tears welled up in Rina's eyes. It was him. He was leading the charge. He was standing between her and the darkness, a knight in digital armor. She didn't know his name or what he looked like- other than that one brief, blurry encounter- but in that moment, she felt a connection to him that was deeper and more real than anything she'd ever known. He made her feel safe.

He was her hero.