Volume 6 - CH 28

Fake Idol’s [Feelings]

“Gift Holder huh…….”

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We got back to business and Miko-san told Tatsuyuki-san about me. (Calling him Touno-san would be confusing since he’s her brother so I called him by his name).

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“You can change your face, height, and voice huh. Hmm, that’s a very dangerous Gift.”

“Eh?”

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Touno-san bluntly said that.

Dangerous?

I know that there are dangerous Gifts out there like my father’s suicide Gift.

But is my Gift really such a dangerous ability?

The only thing it can do is alter my appearance, you know?

What is there to be afraid of?

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“She can pass off as a high schooler or a college student right now but she’s still in elementary school, right? Why did you scout an elementary school kid!? She’s way too young, isn’t she? This is nothing but trouble, Nee-san…….”

“I mean, she’s perfect, isn’t she! The management was also breathing down my neck to find a good girl within this week too.”

“So that’s the real reason huh.”

“Seiko-chan also said that she wants to become an idol you know.”

“Listen here……..”

“U, Uhh!? Can you tell me why you think my Gift is dangerous……?”

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Everyone, even grandma and mom, saw my Gift as something troublesome.

I don’t understand them.

I mean, people on the TV said that Gifts are something that everyone longs for. My friends, even my teachers said the same thing.

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Surprised by my voice, the siblings looked at each other.

Then, with a sigh, Tatsuyuki-san opened his mouth.

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“I guess an elementary schooler still can’t see it huh? Can’t be helped then…….. Let’s say Seiko-chan killed Miko here, in this restaurant.”

“Eh!?”

“Hey!? Don’t just kill me off.”

“Metaphorically.”

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After replying to Miko-san, Tatsuyuki-san turned his gaze back to me and continued.

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“Obviously, there would be footage of you on the security cameras, right? You did enter this place with her after all.”

“Yes.”

“So, if you killed Miko here and ran, the police would naturally go after you.”

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I gave him a nod of understanding and urged him to continue.

His metaphor was easy to understand so he must be a smart person.

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“But what would happen if you leave this restaurant and get to somewhere isolated, somewhere without security cameras?”

“………”

“That way, your appearance that the restaurant’s cameras recorded would no longer be reliable evidence. On the contrary, it will become your alibi. If you use someone else’s appearance to commit murder, you can easily pin it on that person. Since you can freely alter your appearance, I assume that you can change your fingerprints too right? I do not know that for sure but I think that it would be simple enough for your Gift.

Even if you kill someone, you can perfectly get away with it.

Moreover, girls always long for attention. Even though you’re still in elementary school, you can look like a college student.

Even when you get old, you would be able to keep looking like someone in their 20s forever right?

People always say something like Gifts is some great power of god but that’s just ridiculous. Idiotic even. A power like this, it’s nothing short of demonic.”

“Demon……..”

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[[Seiko, your mother, your real mother was killed by a demon……, she was murdered by your father’s Gift.]]

Those were grandma’s words.

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I’m just like my father who killed my real mother…….

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“I don’t have a Gift of my own but I think that learning some morals would be good for you. If Seiko-chan truly wants to become an idol then my sister and I will do everything in our power to make you one. In exchange, I want to guide you on how you use your Gift. That’s my condition.”

“…….is it really okay?”

“Nn?”

“Tatsuyuki-san……., is it really okay for me to become an idol with my Gift?”

“Of course, it’s okay. If used correctly, Gifts are just some powerful ability after all. We still need to get permission from your parents though. If your parents say it’s no good then you will have to give up.”

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I need to persuade mom and grandma huh.

But if that’s all I need to do then I will do something about it.

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“Seiko-chan, try undoing your Gift for me.”

“Eh?”

“I’m not trying to scold you or anything. I just want you to show me the real you without what you made up.”

“I understand.”

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When I wished to return to my original form, my body became smaller.

The clothes and shoes became baggy.

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“Hou, that’s some amazing Gift. It must be pretty rare.…….and dangerous.”

“My friend told me that I can’t become an idol because my eyes are scary……..”

“I don’t think that they are that scary though. Let me tell you something, Seiko-chan.”

“Nn?”

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Tatsuyuki-san’s expression turned serious.

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“No matter how cute you are or how good you sing, if your [Feelings] aren’t real then no one is going to look at you. On the other way around, no matter how ugly or how bad you are at singing, you will have plenty of fans as long as you are true to your [Feelings]. It’s something that goes both ways. Do not set a goal like getting a million fans, think about how to at least get one die-hard fan. To do that, the power of your [Feelings] is important. No matter what kind of Gift it is, your [Feelings] are still the strongest of all. Don’t forget that.”

“I understand. I will become an idol who can make her [Feelings] reach her fans. I’m going to persuade mom with my [Feelings] too.”

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When I got home, I immediately tried to persuade my mom.

I tell her I want to be an idol.

That I will use my Gift for good.

I let her hear the [Feelings] inside of me.

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At first, she kept denying me.

But after only one week, she yielded to my enthusiasm.

She agreed on the condition that if I start doing this for several years and I have no following I have to give up.

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After that, I started being in direct contact with Miko-san and Tatsuyuki-san.

I began devoting myself to singing and dancing lessons.

In a meeting, we decided that I would debut with an appearance that’s a little younger than when Miko-san scouted me.

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I’m an idol full of lies but I kept my voice as Hosokawa Seiko and didn’t change it at all.

Even with my original voice, Tatsuyuki-san still complimented me on how cute I sounded.

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With the base image of an elementary – middle schooler who looked a little older than her age, StarChild made her debut.

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“I’m going to raise you to become a star, StarChild!” With those playful words of his, Tatsuyuki-san established my official fan club and became its first member.

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“You’re StarChild right?”

“Eh!? No way!?”

“Yuki-nii told me all about you. I’m Touno Yoko, LeafChild.”

“Amazing…… it’s the real LeafChild……..”

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The real LeafChild was cuter than even the fake appearance I created with my Gift.

She’s so cute that I can understand why Tatsuyuki-san became a siscon.

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“I’m Touno Tatsuyuki’s biological younger sister. Also, Yuki-nii has 5 younger sisters including me.”

“Eh, Ehhh!?”

“That said, Yuki-nii and I are the only ones directly related. Miko-san and Yuki-nii are actually cousins. It’s a little complicated family.”

“I see……..”

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A got a glimpse of the Touno family’s complicated circumstances.

But it’s true that Tatsuyuki-san and LeafChild share a very similar atmosphere.

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“Let’s do our best together!”

“Thank you very much!”

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I also tried my best to get closer to LeafChild.

As I continue working as an idol, my fan base steadily grows.

I was so happy when my official fan club had 10 members but I’m even happier now seeing it grew to a hundred.

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And little by little, StarChild’s achievements bring happiness to mom and grandma’s faces.

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Going to school, attending lessons, and working as an idol.

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I didn’t have much free time but it was fun.

Without forgetting the lesson Tatsuyuki-san taught me about [Feelings], StarChild gradually received more and more recognition.

About a year after my debut, I’d gone viral and received a lot of attention from the public.

And StarChild went to be recognized by the world.

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Time flew by and I entered middle school.

I didn’t tell anyone about my work as StarChild and I’m leading a slow and ordinary life of a middle school girl.

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Then, when I take a look at the class chart of 2nd-year students.

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……….There it is!

I spotted it right away since his attendance number was No.1.

Besides, he’s the only one with the surname Akechi in the whole school so it’s probably always like this.

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[[Akechi Hideyori]].

The name of my brother.

What kind of person is he I wonder…….?

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I started to blush just by seeing his name.

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Yume-chan’s older brother was wonderful.

LeafChild’s older brother, Tatsuyuki-san was even nicer.

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How nice my own brother is going to be I wonder?

Would he be proud of me?

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I can’t help but want to see him.

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After I entered middle school and things calmed down a little……

I was walking down the hallway belonging to the upper class to see my brother.

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I’m so excited, my heart won’t stop racing.

I’m about to meet my brother.

I’ve waited years for this.

I resisted the urge to run to his class and slowly walked down the corridor.

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“2nd-year class 1, it’s here…….”

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I called out to a female student who just walked out of the classroom.

“Excuse me, can I have a minute?”

“Yes? Do you need something?”

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The girl has a coffee cup hair tie adorning her hair. She didn’t realize that I called out to her at first and was a little confused but I couldn’t hold myself back anymore.

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“Can you call out a person named Akechi Hideyori from this class for me!?”

“…………eh?”

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The girl stares at me with a clear disgust on her face.

Seeing such a blatant turn of expression, I had to suppress my anxiety.

Calm down, Seiko. Just a bit more and you will get to meet your brother.

TLN: I think it’s already clear enough but this NOT the novel’s timeline.

Also, the anxiety…………