Section 34: 33. Just How Many Best Friends Do You Have?
Shuya had an adult's soul, which was why he could maintain a steady state of mind and keep working hard.
Mai, however, was just a six-year-old girl who was a little more mature than her peers.
Every day, she had to practice acting, train in dance, music, singing, and other skills, while also bearing the pressure of her mother's "expectations."
Lately, she'd had the added pressure of the Morning Drama.
She was also isolated at school.
At some point, she had stopped being able to laugh freely.
Only when she was with Shuya could she feel the warmth of friendship.
It was a tiny Fire Seed, quietly burning in the darkness.
All of this weighed heavily on Mai, but she didn't regret it.
She truly liked this line of work. She liked acting.
At most, she had a few regrets.
Choosing the path of an entertainer also meant giving up the joys of an ordinary life.
Shuya had at least experienced his share of an ordinary life in his previous one, but Sakurajima Mai was different.
Her ordinary life had ended before it even began.
The worst part was that it had been her own choice, so she had nowhere to direct her anger.
Alone together in the Ferris wheel cabin, Shuya smiled sincerely.
His smile was gentle as he reached out and patted her head.
But his head-patting move had no effect.
"Y-y-you! What are you doing?!"
Mai was startled and knocked his hand away, clutching her head defensively.
"Ahem, it's nothing," Shuya said awkwardly. "I just saw how hard you've been working and wanted to comfort you."
"That doesn't mean you can just pat a girl's head! You pervert, Shuya!"
"???"
Shuya apologized with a wry smile.
Seriously, there went the lovely mood.
...Or was she indirectly saying she didn't need comforting?
Mai shot him a sidelong glance. "Well? Aren't you going to take it out? The Ferris wheel is already coming down, and there's no better place to give me a present than right now."
"Huh? You saw it?"
Shuya scratched his cheek and took a small paper bag out of his little pouch.
He'd spotted the little item at one of the amusement park's shops.
He didn't know why, but he had a strong feeling it would suit Hikari-chan, so he'd bought it.
He'd thought he'd been discreet, but apparently Mai had still noticed.
"It's for you."
"Thanks. This is for you, too."
Mai handed him a paper bag as well.
Neither of them hesitated. They opened their gifts.
The gift Shuya had bought was a pink rabbit hair clip.
Mai's gift was a bookmark printed with a miniature image of the amusement park.
"Wow, Shuya, you've got a good eye. I really like it."
"Thanks for the bookmark, too. Hey, want me to put that hair clip on for you?"
Shuya recalled a lot of similar scenes. It seemed like the guy usually put it on the girl for her.
"No. After what you did just now, I'm not letting you near me today."
Hikari-chan smiled sweetly.
"Then I'm truly heartbroken."
Shuya shrugged, but he didn't think much of it.
They weren't a couple, so this was perfectly normal.
Hikari-chan put on the hair clip and checked it in a small mirror, nodding in satisfaction.
Shuya suddenly felt like this was Hikari-chan in her complete form.
Maybe she'd worn this hair clip in the original story, he guessed.
A little while later, they got off without incident.
Shuya and Hikari-chan left the amusement park. He'd planned to walk her to the station, but rush hour meant the JR trains would be packed, so he generously hailed a taxi and took Hikari-chan to the area near her home.
Mai didn't want the neighbors to see them, so she didn't let Shuya take her all the way to the door.
Shuya got out of the taxi, too. He'd take the train back later; he didn't mind the crowds.
By the time they reached the area near Mai's home, darkness was setting in, and the streetlights had come on.
"Shuya, thanks for keeping me company today."
"No problem. I wanted to relax, too."
"I know. I was just being polite."
"Hikari-chan... Now that I've gotten to know you, I've realized you have a really interesting personality."
Shuya chuckled.
"You're not bad yourself, Shuya."
Mai wasn't moved by what he said.
After saying goodbye, she didn't say anything else and turned to leave.
She'd only taken a few steps when Shuya called after her.
"Hey, Hikari-chan!"
"?"
She didn't turn around, only tilting her head slightly so he could see her profile.
"If something's bothering you, remember to talk it over with me. Don't keep it all bottled up!"
"Shuya..." Mai asked curiously, "You care about me so much. Are you trying to pursue me?"
"Idiot, no. It's because you're my best friend."
Best friend?
Just how many best friends did he have?
Mai wondered to herself, but didn't say it aloud.
"Sure. Same goes for you. Your big sister Mai is always here to listen whenever you need to vent."
She started walking again, waving casually.
She hadn't paid much attention to Shuya's words.
But those words would eventually become a seed, taking root in her heart and sprouting whenever she was hurting.
When Shu-chan heard her call herself his big sister, he laughed, too. "Senior Shu-chan will always be here to listen to you, too. Well, take care on your way home."
Without looking back, he turned and headed off in the opposite direction from Hikari-chan.
Shuya knew Mai hadn't fallen for him. What they had was nothing but a pure friendship.
He cherished the bond of mutual support they shared as friends.
She was Shuya's first close friend.
He treasured her dearly and resolved to do his best to protect this precious relationship.
As Shuya thought this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He scratched his cheek, looking bewildered. "Come to think of it... where am I?"
In the blink of an eye, the tenth episode of Alien Baby Hikari-chan had finished airing last week. The eleventh episode would air today.
That exciting ending had, as expected, sparked a lot of discussion.
Shuya knew it had been very well received because he was surrounded by fans right now.
Ayako Ishikawa and Junior Sister Seisen were busy today, so he had a rare half-day to himself.
After his workout, Mai went off to her lessons, while Shuya went home and took the Quintuplets to the park for a rare outing.
He also figured it would be a good chance to see how the locals were doing.
Parks were always full of children playing, so naturally they were also gathering places for the neighborhood moms.
They were lively social hubs.
As soon as they arrived at the park, the Quintuplets ran off to play.
Shuya, meanwhile, was surrounded by the moms.
"Oh my! Isn't that Hikari-chan?"
"Hikari-chan, come here, let me hold you!"
"Hikari-chan, Hikari-chan! Can you say 'Da!' a few times for us?"
"Ah! Hikari-chan is so cute!"
"So cute!"
"So cute!"
Enough! That line was everywhere! It was so annoying!
And I'm not Hikari-chan!
Someone, post the picture! Brother Xiao.jpg!
The moms gave Shuya a thorough groping.
He staggered about, struggling to escape the powerful arms of the middle-aged women.
By the time they finally let him go, his face was covered in lipstick marks.
The maddening part was that Shuya couldn't even get mad.
He deftly wiped off the lipstick marks without making a fuss.
Then, at the moms' excited urging, he performed a few lines on the spot, giving his fans a generous treat.
From the moms, Shuya learned that Alien Baby Hikari-chan had indeed been getting great reviews. He also chatted with them about some amusing things that had happened during production.
For instance, Inoue Hikoo's performance during his first voice recording, how Inoue Hikoo had begged Shuya on his knees to take the role, and how Inoue Hikoo had been struggling on the verge of bankruptcy.
What a talented son he had.
Once they got chatting, Shuya heard how eager the moms were to find out what happened next, so he casually asked, "Want me to tell you what happens later?"
The moment he said that, everyone fell silent and turned to look at Shuya.
Uh-oh?! Killing intent!
Shuya sensed something was wrong. The moms' iron bodies, toughened by years of fighting over sale items, were flexing with bulging muscles...
Their fixed gazes made one thing perfectly clear.
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