Chapter 41 Her Mother
Her Mother
Even so, it’s surprising that children would come into a building like this…
They must be with their parents, and I can’t help but think they must be worried.
“I’m sorry, both of you. Hoshikawa-san, or rather, Kurumi-nee-chan, has already finished work, so she’s not here anymore.”
““Eh~!””
“Nee-chan, did she leave already?”
When I quietly told them the truth, the two of them seemed both surprised and disappointed.
I took Hoshikawa-san’s younger brother and sister into the elevator, and as we exited the building and headed toward the entrance, we soon ran into a woman who appeared to be their mother, looking for them.
Her short, blonde hair, just like Hoshikawa-san’s, caught my eye, and I immediately recognized her. Her eyes looked a little worried as she searched for the children, and the moment she spotted them, she hurried over to us.
“Ah, Mama!”
“Mou! Where have you two been? I was so worried!”
“It seems they got lost in the building while looking for their sister…”
I gave her a straightforward explanation.
“I see. I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to trouble you…”
“No, it’s not a problem at all.”
“Mama, this person. I think he’s a friend of Nee-chan!”
The younger brother suddenly said that.
I wonder if he noticed I was looking for Hoshikawa-san and said that because of it?
“Oh? And who exactly might you be?”
“Well, I write songs for Luminous Stars, and lately, I’ve also been helping with producing.”
“Oh, I see. So, you’re close with Kurumi, then?”
“We talk from time to time, I suppose…”
Hoshikawa-san’s mother seemed a bit surprised by the answer, then paused as if thinking, before she suddenly asked,
“Do you have time after this?”
“Eh?”
I was naturally surprised by her question. Based on her tone, it seemed like she wanted to talk to me.
Honestly, I had no idea what she might ask or say, and I was tempted to gently decline. But, in reality, I didn’t have any plans.
“You do have time, don’t you?”
I felt a strange sense of pressure…
She was being so persistent; it felt like there was something important she wanted to discuss.
“W-Well, just for a little while…”
In the end, I couldn’t turn her down and answered reluctantly.
At a café near the building, I sat at a small table with Hoshikawa-san’s mother, her younger brother, and her younger sister.
I never would have imagined something like this would happen just a short while ago.
Feeling a little awkward, I made eye contact with Hoshikawa-san’s mother.
“Amagi-kun, I’m really sorry for pushing you like this. Actually, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Something you’d like to ask?”
“To put it bluntly, I want to know if my child is truly managing to be an idol.”
I had braced myself for all sorts of questions, but her inquiry turned out to be something surprisingly simple, which made me feel a bit relieved.
“Eh, you were at the stage to watch today too, right? In that case, it’s probably clear from what you saw…”
“But we can only understand what’s on the surface, can’t we? I wonder if she’s getting along with the others… especially the girls in her group. Is she being bullied or anything?”
“I think she’s okay. After work today, it seems like she went sightseeing or something… Doesn’t Hoshikawa-san’s mother ever contact her directly?”
It was a simple question. It seemed like it wouldn’t be too difficult for a family to talk about things like this without needing to ask someone else.
“Well, the thing is, when I contact her, she hardly ever responds. And when she does, her replies are short and distant, and I can’t make sense of what’s going on. She became an idol and started living in a dorm, but I never expected things to turn out this way.”
“I see… Is there something in particular that’s bothering you?”
“I sometimes worry that Kurumi might be pushing herself too hard to be an idol, and that really concerns me.”
“Pushing herself…? What do you mean by that?”
“It’s a long story, but a few years ago, my husband disappeared.”
“Eh?”
D-Disappeared?
In other words, he suddenly left home and went missing.
The conversation was starting to take a heavy turn.
“At that time, I was under so much pressure raising the kids that I ended up being hospitalized. During that period, Kurumi showed me an idol audition website and told me she wanted to become an idol. I was shocked, honestly, because I never thought she’d actually pass, but she said she wanted to become a famous idol so that she could help ease my burden.”
“I see… Hoshikawa-san really cares a lot about her family, huh?”
“It’s hard to tell from her usual attitude, but deep down, she’s a really good kid. That’s why I worry… If she’s so fixated on becoming a popular idol, it makes me anxious.”
The definition of a “popular idol” is hard to pinpoint, but one way to measure it might be by standing in the center position in a group.
Maybe… she’s aiming for the center position for that very reason.
“And as for money, that’s no longer an issue. For some reason, my missing husband suddenly reached out to me. I don’t know if it’s out of guilt, but he also sent some money.”
“He contacted you… again? Does Hoshikawa-san know about this?”
“I haven’t told her. I’m sure she’d be upset, and I don’t want it to affect her idol activities.”
“I-I see… You’re right…”
I don’t really know what it’s like, since I’m not personally involved, but if my own father had suddenly gone missing, I’d be shocked, and being resentful wouldn’t help. As I was thinking this, suddenly the door to the shop swung open with a quick sound. When I turned around to see what was going on, an unexpected person was standing there.
“What are you doing here with Mom?”
“H-Hoshikawa-san!?”