~'¶\ Broken Lies \¶'~(Ai Hoshino X OC)

Chapter 17: Ultimate Idol's Secret

Kai landed gently in front of Ai's apartment, a smile spreading across his face. "That's the best experience of my life! Can we do that again sometime?" Ai exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, why not?" Kai replied, grinning at her enthusiasm.

"Mama! We're back!!" Ruby's voice rang out as she sprinted toward them.

"Ruby!! Don't run like that! And don’t call Mama in public!" Aqua shouted, following closely behind.

Ignoring Aqua's warning, Ruby continued to run, her eyes sparkling as she reached Kai. "Aqua, look! Mr. Kai's back!!" she yelled, hugging his leg.

"Ahaha, Ruby!" Kai chuckled as he lifted her into his arms.

Aqua approached them, and Ai asked where Miyako was. Aqua explained that she had gone home after helping them to the stairs.

"Let's go inside, shall we? Mama's going to make dinner now," Ai said as she unlocked the door.
Ruby cheered in excitement as Kai set her down. "Bye, you guys!" he waved as he turned to leave.

"Do you want to eat dinner with us, Kai?" Ai invited him. The insistence in her tone made him wonder if she wanted him to cook for them.
Kai couldn’t pass up the offer. He turned around with a bright smile and said, "Sure! I'd love to! But I'll do the cooking."

"Yay!!" Aqua, Ruby, and Ai cheered, extending their hands out in celebration. Ai’s plan had worked perfectly; they were all thrilled at the prospect of enjoying Kai's cooking together. With smiles plastered on their faces, they entered the apartment like a happy family.
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"Huhh, that was really fun..." Kai exclaimed, lying on his bed, utterly exhausted after hours of playing and teasing Ruby and Aqua. Even Ai had joined in, tickling Aqua and adding to the joyful chaos.

After saying goodbye, he returned home with a satisfied smile. The day's events replayed in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel grateful for the time spent with them. Yet, amidst the happiness, one thought kept creeping into his mind—his favorite idol, Ai Hoshino.

"Am I falling for her?" he pondered, recalling her cute smile and the way she interacted with him.

"Have I fallen in love with Ai-san?"Kai felt a deep blush spread across his cheeks at the realization. He shook his head vigorously, trying to dismiss the thought.

"No, I can't fall in love again... Not after what happened. She already has a family; she has someone else in her life." His voice was barely a whisper as he wrestled with his emotions. He didn’t want to disturb Ai's current life; he was here to escape his past as a Time Patrol member and find himself again after Ruby's death.

His heart felt shattered, and he believed nothing could ever fix it. Still, he forced himself to keep it together, even if it meant wearing a smile that felt more like a mask. Other people had their struggles too—some even harsher than his own. If they could keep pushing forward, then so could he.

His heart doesn't matter to him much anyways. He don't want to dump all his troubles towards someone.... someone that says they will ease his burden. But no, Kai Ross isn't that type of man. He'll keep all those never-ending guilt of his mistakes to the grave.

After all, he's nothing but an enigma in history of all.

One day, he'll die and everything will be gone with him.

The idea of loving someone still pained him deeply. A part of him had died when Ruby was taken from him, and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing someone he truly loved again.

A tear slipped down his cheek silently as he lay there alone in the dim light of his room, grappling with feelings he wished he could ignore.
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