Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139838626691253/episodes/822139839906650363
“Hey, Ren! Did you see Hoshikawa san’s MV that came out yesterday!?”
One morning.
As I walked to school like usual, Aiba excitedly called out to me.
“MV…?”
“Hoshikawa san released the MV for her single yesterday!! It’s totally trending!!”
“Hmm.”
“Check it out…!! It’s already got over 500,000 views!! If you haven’t heard it yet, you gotta listen!!”
Saying that, Aiba handed me his earphones.
Since he offered, I decided to give Hoshikawa’s single a listen.
The melody had a slightly mature vibe, unlike typical idol songs.
It had an unsettling melody, the kind that wouldn’t be out of place as a horror movie theme song.
It was a huge difference from the songs I’d heard at Hoshikawa’s live show.
“She’s got it, doesn’t she, Hoshikawa san? This kind of vibe suits her too…”
Aiba listened with a look of complete fascination.
The unsettling melody gradually shifted towards an idol-like sound as it approached the chorus, and overall, it was convincing as an idol song.
In the music video, Hoshikawa was dressed in a white gown, exuding an aura like a princess from a foreign land.
“She changed everything—lyrics, melody, everything—but it actually fits!! It’s like we got to see a new side of Hoshikawa…!! Like, can you really pull off this style too, Hoshikawa-san…!!”
Aiba spoke passionately.
“The lyrics are great too… If I dare say without fear of misunderstanding, it’s like this obsessive devotion of a woman who’s too intense… This sickening feeling… Combined with the gap from the usual Hoshikawa, it’s unbearable…!!”
“Y-Yeah, you’re right…”
Just as Aiba said, the lyrics matched the melody perfectly, becoming quite heavy and unsettling.
~I will absolutely get you~
~No matter what it takes, I’ll make you mine~
~Even if you have a lover, I’ll make you think of no one but me~
“H-Hoshikawa wouldn’t say something like that, would she…?”
“You idiot. That’s the point, isn’t it!? Having a beautiful girl like Hoshikawa direct such intense feelings at you is every guy’s dream, dammit…!!”
“Oh, uh…”
I checked the comments section, and it seemed the newly released single by Hoshikawa was getting quite positive feedback.
The lyrics Hoshikawa wouldn’t normally say, the completely different musical style from her usual work, and the stark contrast to her previous image seemed to be highly praised.
“It’s not just the song, the visuals are great too… Look, see? she always looking straight at the camera, talking right at us, right? That means we viewers are the ones she’s directing these heavy, intense feelings towards…!!”
“Huh…”
“I can’t get enough… I’ve listened to it over 30 times since it came out.”
“Seems like you’re really into it.”
“Of course I am…!?”
Aiba’s nostrils flared with excitement.
“When Hoshikawa’s MVs drop, I basically loop them like crazy and hit 100 plays within a week!! This song? I’m probably gonna listen to it even more…!”
“Is that so?”
“You better contribute to the playcount by looping it on your own device too, okay? Or wait… could this be a message for me…?”
“Huh…?”
“Well… lately during lunch breaks, things have been… good between me and Hoshikawa, right?”
“Good…?”
To everyone else, it just looked like the same routine: Aiba making one-sided, borderline-harassment comments, Hoshikawa giving a wry smile, and the girls around them scolding Aiba. But Aiba seemed to have a different interpretation.
“Our conversations flow better, and I feel like we’re getting closer and closer… So doesn’t that mean the person Hoshikawa has feelings for in this song could be me…? Or rather, that’s highly likely, right…!!”
“…Hey, are you out of your mind, Aiba? Snap out of it.”
“Hmph. Jealousy? That’s pathetic, Ren.”
“No way.”
“Don’t hide it. You’re jealous that I’m getting along well with Hoshikawa san, aren’t you?”
“…I don’t get it. Absolutely not.”
“You go ahead and flirt with Nanase. I’ll keep steadily closing the distance with Hoshikawa… and get snapped on a date after school for my weekly magazine debut…!!”
“…Sigh.”
I held my head in frustration at Haibara, who’d completely zoned out into his own world.
“Kurose-kun.”
“…Huh!?”
Startled by the sudden voice from behind, I spun around.
Nanase had appeared right behind me without me noticing.
She peered intently over my shoulder at my phone screen.
“What were you listening to…?”
“N-no… just… Aiba recommended Hoshikawa’s song…”
“Hoshikawa-san’s…?”
“D-did you hear it too, Nanase…? Hoshikawa’s single…”
“…Yeah.”
“It’s… pretty intense, huh? I mean, it’s different from the songs we heard at the live show we went to together…”
“…Yeah.”
“Nanase…?”
“I don’t really… like it that much.”
“Huh…?”
Nanase said this while staring coldly at the screen playing Hoshikawa’s song.
“Because, don’t you think? This song… especially the lyrics… I think they’re awful.”
“S-so awful…?”
“Like how she tries to seduce someone who already has a lover, or how it says ‘just the two of us is enough, I don’t need anything else’… Overall… it’s incredibly self-centered… selfish, right…?”
“T-true… I guess you could interpret it that way…?”
Even though I thought her criticism of an idol song’s lyrics was unusually harsh, I agreed.
“Kurose-kun… you don’t like women like this… thieving cat-like women… right?”
“Th-thieving cat…?”
“You wouldn’t fall for someone like these lyrics describe… right…?”
“…Um.”
“You wouldn’t, right?”
“…!”
Nanase suddenly leaned her face close to mine.
Feeling the silent pressure, I nodded involuntarily.
“N-no, I wouldn’t.”
“…I see. That’s good.”
Nanase smiled.
It was the expression the usual Nanase showed me.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
For some reason, lately, talking with Nanase often made me feel on edge.
Even though it shouldn’t be like that, it felt like I was walking a dangerous tightrope, strangely bad for my heart.
“Kurose-kun… you’ll only look at me, right?”
“…O-okay.”
I couldn’t shake the feeling we were stepping into something irreversible, but it was probably just my imagination.
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I’m amazed MC still keeps a cool head. I seriously hope we see more of Nanase. I wonder how she looks like?
Hoshikawa is clearly declaring war with that song