Meeting Ai

Without thinking, I blurted out, "Pretty eyes..."

She stood there, eyes widening in astonishment. "H-Huh?"

W-Wait a second! What did I just say?! Ahh, how embarrassing! But...

I returned my gaze to her eyes, captivated by their brilliance. I grinned, admiring their sparkle.

Her eyes are really pretty.

My words stumbled out, accompanied by a bashful grin. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blurt that out, but your eyes are just so lovely, hehe." I scratched the back of my head, a touch of embarrassment coloring my cheeks.

A blush painted her cheeks as she murmured, "Th-that's... umm, well, no one's ever said that to me before."

Her response caught me off guard.

No one?! Really? But her eyes look like jewels in the night sky!

"Really?" I replied, a hint of surprise in my voice. "Well, it's their loss for not noticing how beautiful your eyes are."

Who are those people? This girl really has beautiful eyes...

Silence settled between us. Then, I noticed her struggling to hold back tears.

She's a strong girl.

Drawing closer, I spoke gently, "It's okay to cry, you know. I promise I won't tell anyone."

I turned away, giving her privacy as she let her tears flow. Her emotional outburst reminded me of my past self—scared and lost.

I could hear her trying to stifle her sobs, and in that moment, I couldn't help but wish:

Please... I wish that no girl would have to go through what I did!

I shed a few tears of my own, feeling the pain in her voice that once echoed my own.

After our emotional moment, we settled into a comfortable silence. Then, I broke it with a warm smile and introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Lila. Nice to meet you."

She hesitated, then replied in a shaky voice, "M-My name is H-Hoshino Ai..."

"Ai?!" I exclaimed excitedly, catching her off guard. "That's amazing! Having a name that means 'love' is really cool!"

Her happiness was fleeting, quickly replaced by sadness. "I don't think it suits me," she admitted, voice tinged with sorrow. "After all, I'm not loved. Not even by my own parents."

My heart ached at her words.

I decided to address it directly. "So, are you going to be living with me now?" I asked with a warm smile.

She gave me an awkward look. "Wait... are you from the orphanage?"

"Yeps!" I answered cheerfully.

Curious, she asked, "How did you end up here?"

Hearing her question, my heart ached, and I inadvertently displayed a fleeting sadness, which she noticed.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ask such a question! S-Sorry..." Ai quickly apologized.

I chuckled, gently patting her back. "It's alright. I'm way past that now, hehe."

It hurts... trying not to remember.

"Feel free to ask me anything if you'd like," I told her.

She hesitated before asking, "W-When you introduced yourself, why didn't you include a family name?"

Oh...

I paused before replying, "I actually forgot it."

She stared at me, her expression saddening at my response.

My family name, huh... My past must have erased it from my mind.

I smiled at Ai. "I think we've been out for quite a while now. Let's go."

I extended my hand, and as she slowly took it, I held onto it tightly. With a cheerful spirit, I ran back to the orphanage, bringing her along. I couldn't see her expression, but the sound of her silent giggles told me she was happy.

I'm glad, hehe.

As we reached the orphanage, I noticed the nervousness in Ai's eyes.

To lift her spirits, I said, "The orphanage is really cool! When I arrived, everyone gave me a warm welcome and threw a little party for me! Oh, and there's someone super awesome here—her name's Nana. She takes great care of us and is incredibly friendly. You're going to love her!"

With a bright smile, I opened the door. Inside, Nana and the other orphans stood waiting, shouting in unison:

"Welcome, Ai!"

Happiness surged within me. They welcomed Ai just as warmly as they had welcomed me.

But when I glanced at Ai, I saw tears in her eyes.

I approached her, worried, but then she broke into a cheerful smile.

"Thank you, everyone!" she said with heartfelt gratitude.

The room erupted in excitement as everyone rushed closer to welcome Ai.

I breathed a sigh of relief, seeing her smile grow.

Hehe, I'm happy she feels welcomed here.

As I stepped away, Ai suddenly grabbed my hand, her expression filled with emotion.

"W-Where are you going, Lila?"

Our eyes met, and in that moment, I sensed unspoken thoughts and feelings in hers.

I smiled warmly. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here with you."

She hugged me tightly, momentarily catching me off guard. But I returned the embrace gently, holding her close.

It's been a while since I've felt this kind of emotion...

Ai had been at the orphanage for months now, but during that time, she was bullied.

Yes, bullied! By those annoying neighborhood boys! They mocked her name, her clumsiness—anything they could find. It was frustrating!

During those months, I introduced Ai to my favorite idol, Akemi, and she became a fan too. But when the bullies saw her holding a magazine with Akemi's pictures, they mocked her for not being able to dance like her.

I couldn't stand it. So I decided to teach Ai how to dance.

She struggled. She failed. But she never gave up.

Months later, she mastered it.

We showed those bullies her dance, leaving them speechless. But then, they found another reason to target her—her inability to sing.

Argh! Those bullies!

"Do! Re! Mi! Fa! So- Kuek!" Ai began but coughed uncontrollably. "Uh, Lila! This is so tough! My throat can't handle it!"

Chuckles

We just started.

"We've only been at it for five minutes," I said. "And remember, you're still a beginner. It's normal for it to be challenging."

She pouted. "But..."

"Do you want those bullies to keep looking down on you?"

She shook her head immediately.

"You've mentioned wanting to be an idol someday. Becoming one isn't easy. You struggled with dancing but succeeded. If you truly want something, you learn it, just like Akemi said."

She hesitated, then whispered, "They even told me my parents left me because I'm annoying..."

I froze.

"They... said... what?!"

She tried to calm me down, but I sighed deeply. "You've been keeping quiet and letting them bully you, haven't you?"

She hesitated, then admitted softly, "Yes..."

I knelt before her. "Listen, Ai. I can teach you dance and singing. But I can't teach you courage. Courage will open so many doors for you."

She smiled slightly. "How do you have so much courage, Lila?"

"Because of the orphanage, Akemi... and you."

Ai giggled and patted my head. "You must have gone through a lot. There, there."

...

Huh?

Tears welled up in my eyes.

Am I... crying?

Ai panicked. "Oh no! Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

I wiped my tears and beamed. "No... Thank you."

______________________________________

"You two will be performing on stage for our Thanksgiving event," Nana announced.

Ai and I gasped. "WHAT?!"

Our first performance...

I'm so excited!