Meeting Your Heroes

A WAVE OF NAUSEA STRUCK RYUUJI AS HE MATERIALIZED AGAIN. He’d been teleporting like a madman since the previous night, and the magic was starting to take its toll on him.

“Whoa… It’s so pretty…” said Akari, gawking at Hotaru’s residence. Unlike Ryuuji’s old warehouse, Hotaru had brought them to a stylish and neatly organized apartment.

The décor was modern-minimalist, with girlish accents like cute flower pots and the occasional plush toy on a couch. It had white walls, light oak flooring, and a warm LED lighting as Hotaru flipped on the switch.

“Ta-da!” she said with a smile, showing off her humble abode.

“Where’s this?” asked Ryuuji, looking out the window to check the surroundings.

“We’re in Meguro. On paper, the apartment is registered under a shell name, but in practice it’s all mine.”

“Wow,” said Akari, honestly impressed. “It’s so nice in here.”

Ryuuji quietly agreed. An apartment like this was too rich for his blood.

“You can crash here whenever you like,” said Hotaru, nodding with satisfaction. “My door will always open for you.”

And with that, they were official guests to the Lair of the Firefly.

“How did you even get this place?” asked Ryuuji. “It couldn’t have been easy, considering your circumstances.”

“Akiko-chan gave me a hand.”

“Oh, right. With her money and connections, it’d be easy for her.”

“How rude! I paid for this myself!” Hotaru puffed her cheeks. “Granted, I needed Akiko-chan as an intermediary, but still. Details.”

“Whoa,” Akari’s eyes widened. “You actually bought it? Hotaru-san, if I may ask… what do you do for work?”

With such a bounty on her, Hotaru couldn’t afford being in the spotlight. Yet she earned enough to buy an apartment in a decidedly nice area of Tokyo, so Akari was dying to learn her secrets.

“Oh, um…” Hotaru looked away in a panic. “You know, things. There are ways.”

“Chiii~” Akari stared at her with suspicion.

“You didn’t just say ‘Money, come to me~’ ...did you?” even Ryuuji doubted her, imitating her voice.

“Of course I didn’t! I do honest, hard work, okay? You have no idea!”

“If that’s the case, then spit it out. How did you buy this?”

“Mmnnh…” she fiddled her fingers awkwardly.

“Hotaruuu…” Ryuuji was losing his patience.

“Oh, fine. Come with me,” she finally gave in, leading Ryuuji and Akari towards the furthest door in her apartment. When they took a step inside, it became obvious that the room was professionally sound-proofed, and was outfitted with a plethora of musical and recording equipment.

“I’m an online singer,” Hotaru admitted. “I upload my music with an avatar, and once in a blue moon, I stream as a Vtuber.”

“No way!” Akari’s eyes lit up. “Who are you? Maybe I’ve listened to you!”

“Unhh… There’s a chance you have,” Hotaru blushed with embarrassment. “Does the name Tōka ring any bells?”

“GAH!” Akari recoiled, taking a step back. The look on her face was one of utter, complete shock, as she pressed her hands to her temples. “HOTARU, YOU’RE TŌKA!? NO WAY! NO FREAKING WAY!”

“Not so loud!” she pulled her inside the soundproofed room in panic.

“Oh boy, here we go,” Ryuuji sighed in resignation and took a step aside.

“Kyaah!” Hotaru yelped as Akari ran and glomped her.

“Tōka-sama!! I love you so, so much! Oh my God, words can’t even describe!”

“Waaaah!” the poor woman kept screaming as Akari picked her up and spun her in circles, unable to contain her excitement.

“And she dares to complain about Ren,” Ryuuji muttered.

“Time-out! Time-out!” Hotaru begged, tapping Akari’s shoulders.

“Ugh, I know! I know. It’s just… I’m sorry. I just like you so much.” Akari finally managed to pipe down her emotions, gently snuggling up to Hotaru instead.

“There, there…” said Hotaru, patting Akari’s back. Her head was still spinning, but deep down, she couldn’t help feeling warm and fuzzy about the exchange.

“The Dance of the Firefly is my favorite song ever, you know? It’s written with so much heart, so much feeling in it. And the way your voice fits with the instruments, the rhythm, everything… Tōka-sama, you’re a master!”

“Wohoho, what can I say?” Hotaru scratched her head awkwardly. “I’m glad you liked it so much.”

Because of her wanted status, Hotaru wasn’t at liberty to interact much with her audience, let alone do a meet & greet. Being face to face with a hardcore fan like Akari was a first for her.

“Earth to Akari, Earth to Akari,” said Ryuuji, tugging on her jacket. “I know you’re on cloud nine right now, but we need to talk.”

“Hm? And what kind of business could Tōka-sama’s boyfriend have with me?”

Ryuuji had hoped Akari would’ve cooled down by now, but to no avail.

“Let’s see…” she pondered. “How about you explain to me why you’ve been dating my idol behind my back?”

“Yeah, well… that would be a good starting point,” he conceded. “Mind if we talk in here? The soundproofing should help.”

“Sure, just let me bring us some seats.”

At Hotaru’s command, a trio of puff cushions manifested out of thin air. Akari couldn’t help but gawk in amazement.

“Tōka-sama, you’re so cool,” she tightened her hug around her.

“Oh stop it, you,” said Hotaru with a massive grin plastered on her face.

“At least they’ll get along,” Ryuuji thought.

“Here, let’s sit together,” said Akari, pulling up two cushions and leaning on Hotaru as the two of them sat down. As for Ryuuji, he checked the door was firmly shut and took a seat of his own.

“Where do I even begin?” he wondered, preparing to recount the story of his and Hotaru’s lives… even the darkest details he would much rather forget.