Ai lay on her futon staring at the ceiling, her blanket twisted in knots around her legs. Sleep refused to come.

Her mind was full of him.

That ridiculous fall from the closet. That laugh. That impossible grin. And those words—

“Guess I just… fell for you all over again.”

She rolled over and pressed her face into her pillow, groaning. “What does that even mean?”

Unfortunately, their moment had been interrupted when the other band members stormed in. At first, they had gawked at her like she was some crazed fangirl who had broken into the apartment. Ai had panicked, fumbling for words, but Sora had stepped in, explaining she was the housekeeper.

Then—something worse happened.

They started talking to her.

Like, really talking. Desperate for conversation with a girl, they bombarded Ai with questions: where she was from, what food she liked, did she have a boyfriend, could she sing their songs too? It had taken every ounce of her composure to excuse herself, clutch her mop like a sword, and make her escape.

But still.

Her heart kept circling back to Sora’s words. Did he… actually mean it? Or was it just another one of those idol playboy lines he threw at every girl who crossed his path?

“No, Ai. Stop.” She sat up, running her fingers through her hair. “You have no time for this. You promised Mom and Dad you’d become something. A pianist. A singer. Not… not some star-chasing daydreamer.”

She walked over to the corner of her small apartment where her battered keyboard sat. Her fingers touched the keys, and soft music filled the silence. A melody of longing, hope, and something she refused to name.

---

Meanwhile, across town, Sora sat awake in his plush apartment bedroom, staring at his phone.

Ai.

He had caught her name at last. Sweet, simple, perfect. The memory of her laugh when he fell out of the closet made his stomach flutter with a nervous energy he had never known before.

This wasn’t like the fleeting crushes his fans accused him of. This was… terrifying.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Jiji, the oldest member of Stars Aligned, padded in wearing pajama pants and carrying a bag of chips.

“You’re up late,” Jiji said through a mouthful.

“Jiji…” Sora leaned forward. “Have you ever… been in love?”

Jiji grinned wickedly. “Of course! With all the ladies. Every single one. Love is a buffet, and I eat everything on the menu.”

Sora groaned and shoved a pillow over his face. “Useless.”

But even Jiji’s nonsense couldn’t kill the anticipation bubbling in his chest. Tomorrow, she’d be back. And maybe this time… they’d actually get to talk.

---

The next day, Ai arrived with her cart and her nerves tightly wound. Mr. Dai, mercifully, wasn’t around. She tiptoed through the apartment, humming lightly as she polished the living room table.

“Back again, huh?” a voice drawled.

Ai jumped, nearly knocking over a vase. Turning, she saw Sora leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, mischief in his eyes.

“You—! Don’t sneak up on people like that!” she huffed, clutching her rag to her chest.

He grinned. “I didn’t sneak. You were just too lost in your little song to notice.”

Her cheeks flushed. “I was not—”

But he only chuckled, stepping closer. “So… you like music?”

That simple question cracked something open inside her. Before she could stop herself, Ai was telling him everything—how she’d grown up in the countryside with only an old piano for company, how she dreamed of one day performing her own songs, how she’d moved to Tokyo to study but had to work herself ragged just to afford it.

“I want… more than anything… to be on a stage,” she whispered finally. “Not cleaning it. Not just watching others shine. But me. Singing. Playing. Among the stars.”

The words hung between them, raw and vulnerable. Ai bit her lip, regretting how much she’d spilled. “Ah, forget I said that. You probably think it’s silly.”

But Sora’s smile was different this time. Softer. Almost reverent.

“No,” he said quietly. “It’s not silly at all.”

Something electric passed between them, so sharp and undeniable that Ai’s breath caught. Sora’s heart thundered in his chest as he realized the truth: this girl didn’t belong in the shadows. She belonged in the spotlight.

And maybe…just maybe…..standing there beside him.