Ruby's problem was actually quite obvious. She had been imitating Hoshino Ai all along.
Duanmu Huai knew this very well. After all, he had been an obsessive fan of Hoshino Ai since Ruby was a baby, and he was sick of seeing it.
The answer was actually quite standard: just tell her, "Don't imitate Hoshino Ai. Just be yourself."
But reality was never that simple. Humans were the sort who knew they were making mistakes and still refused to stop.
Not everyone could correct their mistakes once they recognized them.
It was easy to say, but not so easy to actually change.
That was why Duanmu Huai had given Ruby such a powerful dose of medicine.
First, he found Kurokawa Akane. Her possession-style acting was truly first-rate. Ruby had been obsessed with Hoshino Ai since birth, yet when it came to imitating Hoshino Ai, she was completely inferior to Kurokawa Akane, who had only spent two nights researching and interpreting Hoshino Ai after Duanmu Huai commissioned her to do so.
She could imitate not only Hoshino Ai's tone and movements, but even that distinctive quality of presence. That was the truly terrifying part. When an enemy you could never defeat stood before you, the natural choice for any sensible person was to change tracks.
So Duanmu Huai took Ruby to watch idol performances at a music festival and told her that being an idol didn't mean she had to follow only Hoshino Ai's path. Other idols weren't copies of Hoshino Ai, either.
In the end, Ruby finally understood what she wanted.
It wasn't to become Hoshino Ai, nor to surpass Hoshino Ai, but to perform onstage together with Hoshino Ai.
After that, what she needed to do was simple.
"Hmm? Ruby wants to change herself?"
MEM-cho stared at Ruby in