Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818622170980777575
“Ryo…”
I heard Asahina whisper my name. But I continued speaking.
“Asahina… Do you have any idea how Asahina felt when she was called that?”
My voice rang out, unmuted by the noise of the station. Passersby stopped in their tracks to see what was going on.
“Talent, or failed nurturing! Adults just label her however they want, completely ignoring Asahina’s feelings… Just because things went well for a moment, they treat her like a product again…”
My voice was trembling. I felt bitter, angry, and above all, my chest ached with the pain Asahina was carrying.
“Asahina has been saying she’s always been lonely! Have you ever imagined how much her words have hurt her!?”
Every time I spoke, my throat burned with pain. But I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.
Because this…
Because this!
“You could have saved Asahina anytime! Sooner! Before me!”
This was the anger I had always felt toward the adults around Asahina!
From the start, something felt off! These people didn’t try to help Asahina, who was alone in that room! They didn’t even worry about Asahina, who was eating instant noodles all the time!
They were supposed to be much closer to her than I was… They were supposed to have spent much more time with her than I did…
I can’t help but be furious about that!
“Just because it worked out this time, don’t you dare joke around! Asahina isn’t a tool! She’s not a product! Don’t try to take her away without respecting her will!”
No matter the reason, these people ignored Asahina’s will again this time! I can’t hand Asahina over to such people! I can’t send her off with a smile!
After the voice faded, a moment of silence fell over the station platform. The announcement for the train’s departure echoed as usual.
The former manager tried to step forward, but Asahina’s mother stopped her with her hand.
“You’re making all this noise, but what do you really want to do with Asahina?”
Asahina’s mother asked me in a cold, emotionless voice.
“I…”
I pause to catch my breath, then lock eyes with Asahina’s mother.
“If it’s the celebrity I raised, Asahina Toka..”
I don’t want to lose to these people. I don’t want to lose, no matter how old they are. I don’t want to lose to Asahina’s past achievements!
Just like how she gave me strength back then…
Since meeting her in high school, I felt like I’d gained courage again!
This time, I’ll be Asahina’s strength! SSR isn’t enough!
“I’ll make the future Asahina Toka even better! I’ll bring ultra-level smiles to Asahina Toka!”
My shout caused the school grounds to fall silent once more.
“…Haa”
Slowly, Asahina’s mother broke the silence.
“You’re still a child. Really, kids these days…”
With a wry smile, she said that with a look that clearly looked down on me.
“I—”
“Ryo-kun”
As I tried to retort, Asahina interrupted me. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“…Mom, Yamanoe-san”
Asahina’s voice was unlike any I had heard from her before. It wasn’t the perfect brightness of her child actor days, nor was it the exhaustion of someone who had given up.
“I’ve always doubted my own worth. I hated myself for no longer being needed by anyone.”
I think those were Asahina’s true feelings…
“I wanted to disappear like a stone thrown into a river. I even wanted to die. But there are people who care about me, even someone like me. There are people who have expectations for the future me, not the past me. So…”
Asahina bowed deeply to the two of them.
“I won’t be returning to the entertainment industry. I’m officially retiring.”
…It was the first time Asahina had ever said the word “retirement” herself.
At those words, Asahina’s mother’s expression grew even more stern.
“Toka, are you sure that’s what you want? You have talent.”
“Even if I don’t have talent, there are people who care about me. I want to be myself, Asahina Toka.”
“You’re just a high school student…”
“It’s this high school student who’s telling you this! I don’t want to be around you anymore!”
Asahina’s emotions overflowed like a dam breaking.
“No matter what you say now, you abandoned me! That fact won’t change! So don’t get involved with me anymore! If you don’t do as I say, I’ll report what you did to me today! I’ll tell the world what you did to a child!”
“You abandoned me”—those words seemed to contain all the pain that had been building up inside Asahina.
Asahina stared straight at her mother without wiping away her tears.
“Toka! Once you become an adult, you won’t be able to talk about the future or what will happen next!”
“I will never become an adult like you!”
As the two argued, the next train slid into the station. The sound of the train approached, and the air on the platform trembled slightly.
“Hey, isn’t that Asahina Toka who was on TV the other day?”
“Is there some kind of dispute at the agency?”
“That old lady is so rude.”
“Shouldn’t we call someone?”
“Who are you talking about?”
The voices of the people around us watching the situation grew louder and louder. I could see station staff nearby.
“…Tch. Yamanoe-san, let’s go.”
I don’t know if she heard the voices around us, but Asahina’s mother turned her back on us. The former manager who was standing nearby seemed about to say something, but in the end, she nodded, and the two of them walked toward the stairs in the opposite direction of the train.
“Mom…”
“Just make sure you don’t regret it. You chose ‘your own life,’ after all.”
With those words, Asahina’s mother and the others disappeared into the crowd.
I don’t regret the words I blurted out.
But an indescribable sense of unease lingered in the air.
“Asahina!”
I immediately ran over to her, who was standing there unable to move.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry, I said something really selfish!”
When I approached her, Asahina collapsed to the ground as if all the strength had left her legs. Tears were streaming down her face, which had been so composed just a moment ago.
“Ryo… Why… Why did you go that far with me…”
“You heard how I feel, right? Besides…”
There are so many things I want to say, but there’s one thing I want to make clear. I don’t want to deny Asahina as a celebrity. Besides, I was actually looking forward to it.
“I still haven’t gotten the ‘signature’ you mentioned that day.”
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