Kakeru is a typical high school sophomore who is totally obsessed with the super popular Vtuber, Muna Hoshinova. But one day, he accidentally discovers that the new transfer student, Hazuki, is actually Muna in real life! Hazuki begs him to keep it a secret from everyone at school, making him her only confidant.
But keeping that secret is way too hard! His classmates Yuzuha and Akari keep pestering him because they know he's a Muna fan, and his childhood friend Sakura is getting suspicious of h
A Secret Kiss Behind the Stars - A Crumbling Daily Life and the Blade of Jealousy
――The classroom was dead silent.
A lukewarm late-summer breeze drifted in through the window, gently lifting the curtains. Even though October was just around the corner, the air still clung with a sticky warmth.
Aikawa Kakeru sat at his desk, staring fixedly at a single point on its surface.
(...This is bad. How did it even come to this?)
A restless unease churned deep in his chest, making it impossible to sit still. The discussion from homeroom just moments ago kept spinning in his head.
The *Aoba Festival* — the school culture festival was only two weeks away.
Every year around this time, the whole class got swept up in excitement. It was the season for deciding what their event would be.
"Hey, hey! I've got a proposal!"
Yuzuha raised her hand energetically. Her chestnut ponytail swayed from side to side. Akari, sitting next to her, had her notebook open with her usual cool expression.
"Go ahead, Yuzuhara-san,"
Their homeroom teacher, Dojima-sensei, called on Yuzuha.
"Here it is, straight up! A cosplay café themed after the super popular Vtuber, Muna Hoshinova-sama, and a look-alike impersonation contest!"
A stir ran through the classroom.
"That's awesome!"
"I wanna see Muna-sama cosplay!"
"The impersonation contest would be a total hit!"
Voices rose from both the boys and girls in class. Muna Hoshinova was the most popular Vtuber at this high school right now. More than half the class were fans.
"W-wait a second, Yuzuha...!"
Kakeru found himself on his feet before he knew it.
His heart pounded furiously. He could feel his fingertips going cold.
(*Haduki is Muna. If someone in the impersonation contest—*)
"What's up, Aikawa-cchi? Got a reason to object or something?"
Yuzuha looked at Kakeru with a blank, puzzled face.
"That's... well..."
The words wouldn't come.
(*If I object, I have to give a reason. But there's no way I can say it.*)
He couldn't tell the class that Haduki was Muna. That would be the same as ending her life.
"Aikawa-kun, you look pale. Is something wrong?"
From the seat diagonally behind him, Sakura was staring intently at Kakeru. Beneath her sakura-pink bob cut, her slightly upturned, dark brown eyes observed him closely. Lately, she had been watching Kakeru even more carefully than usual.
"N-no... it's nothing."
Kakeru hurriedly sat back down.
He glanced softly toward Haduki. She was looking down, her face pale. Behind her fashion glasses, her violet eyes trembled with fear.
"...What do you think, Tsukimiya-san? About the Muna-sama plan."
Akari spoke to Haduki in a quiet voice. Her narrow, sharp eyes gazed at Haduki as if probing for something.
"I... I don't really..."
Haduki's voice was so hoarse it was barely audible.
"Alright then, let's decide by majority vote! Everyone in favor of the Muna plan, raise your hand!"
More than half the hands in the classroom went up.
"...Those opposed?"
Kakeru couldn't raise his hand. Haduki couldn't move either.
"Very well, it's decided then. Class 2-3's event will be the Muna Hoshinova cosplay café and impersonation contest."
Just like that, it was settled.
(*This is the worst...*)
Kakeru clenched his fist tightly under his desk.
――――
After school.
A few students still lingered in the classroom.
Yuzuha and Akari were by the window, looking at their phones and talking intently about something.
"What, what, Akarin! Is that for real!?"
Yuzuha's loud voice drew the surrounding classmates over to them.
"It's still just a rumor, though. Apparently, the person behind Muna Hoshinova lives in Minase City."
At Akari's words, the classroom buzzed.
"Ehh!? So she's in our town!?"
"No way, maybe she's a student at this high school?"
"If that's true, she might get exposed at the Aoba Festival impersonation contest!"
A cold sweat ran down Kakeru's back.
Looking over, Haduki was still in the classroom. Her face was downcast, her hands resting motionless on her desk.
"There was a post on the Lunalink underground bulletin board. 'The person behind it is a high school girl in Minase City, and apparently quite a beauty.' My, I wonder if it's true."
Akari's voice remained utterly matter-of-fact, but her eyes slowly scanned the classroom as if searching for prey.
"Hey, Aikawa-cchi! They say Muna-sama is in this town! Isn't that insane!?"
Yuzuha rushed over to Kakeru's desk. Her ponytail bounced.
"Ah... yeah, I guess so."
"Let's look for her! Maybe she really is a student at our school! Then we could see her every day, right!?"
"...I think you shouldn't."
Haduki spoke in a small voice.
Everyone in the classroom turned to face her.
"Th-they always say it, right? Prying into the person behind a Vtuber... is taboo..."
Her voice trembled. Her fingers were clenched so tightly on her lap that they turned white.
"...Now that you mention it, Tsukimiya-san, you just moved to Minase City recently, didn't you?"
Akari said it casually.
Haduki's body flinched.
"And your voice is very beautiful, Tsukimiya-san. Why not enter the impersonation contest?"
"P-please stop... I'm not good with that kind of thing..."
Haduki stood up. Her face was deathly pale, looking like she was about to cry at any moment.
(*Stop it, Akari...!*)
Kakeru was about to stand up too, when—
BANG!
The classroom door flew open with force.
"Haduki-san!"
It was Sakura who entered.
She was clutching something tightly in her right hand. Her sakura-pink hair visibly trembled with anger.
"What is this?"
Sakura held up a plastic card.
On the front, the words 'LUMINASTAR PRODUCTION' were engraved in silver letters. On the back were the words 'STAFF/RELATIONS – HAZUKI TSUKIMIYA' and a photo of Haduki's face.
"That...!"
Haduki was speechless.
"I was sorting returned books in the library, and it fell out from between the pages."
Sakura's voice was low and trembling.
"Luminastar Production. That's the agency Muna Hoshinova belongs to, right? And inside, there was even a memo about an NDA penalty fee. Fifty million yen, it said."
The students remaining in the classroom began to stir.
"Huh, what? Tsukimiya-san is connected to Luminastar?"
"Wait a second... then the person behind it, no way..."
"Haduki-san. You're the person behind Muna, aren't you!?"
Sakura shouted.
The entire classroom froze.
Haduki stood rooted to the spot, her face pale. She opened her mouth slightly, then closed it.
"That's not all. You've been with Kakeru a lot lately, haven't you? After school, during breaks."
Tears spilled from Sakura's eyes.
"What do you want, getting close to Kakeru!? Because of you, Kakeru's been acting strange lately!"
"N-no, that's not... I..."
"Are you just leading him on while he's confused like this!?"
Sakura's voice was becoming hysterical. It was a voice mixed with jealousy and sorrow.
(*It's no use. The secret is going to be exposed—*)
Kakeru's mind went completely blank.
(*Protect Haduki. That was my vow. I won't hand her secret over to anyone.*)
Kakeru stepped forward in front of Sakura.
"Stop it, Sakura. That's mine."
Sakura looked at Kakeru with a shocked expression.
"...Huh?"
"That pass case is something I dropped. I've been working part-time as a security guard at Luminastar since summer break. I just happened to drop it."
It was a complete lie. But right now, any lie would do. As long as it protected Haduki.
"...That's a lie. Because Haduki-san's face photo is right here."
"I picked that up. Haduki dropped it, and I was holding onto it to return it to her. Here, I'm giving it back."
Kakeru snatched the pass case from Sakura's hand and held it out in front of Haduki.
"...Kakeru-kun."
Haduki accepted the pass case with trembling hands.
The students in the classroom seemed to lose interest, as if thinking, *Oh, so that's all it was.*
"What, Aikawa, you were working part-time at Luminastar?"
"A security guard, huh? Pretty dull job."
The classmates left, and the classroom grew quiet.
But—
Sakura alone still stood there.
"...I see. If that's what you say."
Sakura said it coldly, then grabbed her bag and left the classroom.
Sorrow seemed to seep from her retreating back.
――――
The rooftop, as the sun began to set.
The wind of late September blew through the city of Minase. The distant cluster of high-rise buildings was dyed orange by the sunset.
Haduki leaned against the fence, crying.
"...I'm sorry, Kakeru-kun. Because of me, you had to lie to Sakura-san too."
Tears traced down her cheeks. Her fashion glasses were askew, revealing her beautiful violet eyes.
"Don't worry about it. I did that on my own."
Kakeru stood beside Haduki.
"But... Sakura-san was really hurt. That's my fault."
"Haduki. It's not something you should blame yourself for. Do you want to talk about it? Why you're so afraid of the secret."
Haduki trembled for a while, her head still bowed.
Then, slowly, she began to speak.
"...Two years ago, there was something called the Reveal Incident."
"...I know. I saw it on the news."
"In that incident, the Vtuber whose identity was exposed had her home address and real name spread all over the internet. And so... she became mentally ill, and even now, her whereabouts are unknown."
Haduki's fingers trembled.
"The same thing could happen to me. If I'm exposed, I won't be able to come to school anymore, and Muna will be finished. It'll cause trouble for my family. For you too, Kakeru-kun... and for Sakura-san."
"I'm not scared."
Kakeru said it firmly.
"No matter what anyone says, I'll protect your secret. Whatever Luminastar does, whether there's a fifty-million-yen penalty or whatever, I will definitely protect the place where you can be Haduki."
"...Why would you go that far for me?"
"I told you, didn't I? Right now, I'm not looking at Muna. I'm looking at Haduki."
Tears spilled from Haduki's eyes again.
But this time, they were slightly different tears.
"...Thank you."
She said it, and smiled a small, faint smile.
――――
The next day, after school.
Kakeru had been summoned by Sakura and came to the back of the school building.
Sakura stood in the cool, shaded spot.
Her sakura-pink hair swayed faintly in the breeze.
"...I looked into it."
Sakura thrust her smartphone screen at Kakeru.
"That pass case is a Luminastar exclusive, isn't it? Something only distributed to affiliated personnel. I found out right away when I searched online."
Kakeru was at a loss for words.
(*...She figured it all out.*)
"You know Haduki-san's secret, don't you? And you lied to me because of it."
Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes.
"I saw you two coming out of the library that time. I saw you together on the rooftop after school, too. Since when? Since when did you start having that kind of relationship with Haduki-san, keeping it a secret from me?"
"...I'm sorry, Sakura. I can't tell you."
"Liar!"
Sakura's voice shook.
"I've always, always been by your side since we were kids, and I've always... always..."
Her words faded away mid-sentence.
She bit her lip tightly.
"Fine then, I'll tell the class about this. I'll tell everyone that Haduki-san is the person behind Muna."
"...Sakura!?"
Kakeru's heart froze.
(*No... anything but that...!*)
"Being lied to is what I hate most. Being lied to by you is what I hate most of all!"
Sakura wiped her tears and glared sharply at Kakeru.
Those eyes weren't the gentle eyes of the childhood friend he knew.
They were the eyes of a girl who was hurt, angry, drenched in sorrow — a girl on the verge of breaking.
"Goodbye, Kakeru."
She turned her back and ran off.
Her sakura-pink hair, dyed by the setting sun, swayed as if it were crying.
Kakeru stood there, rooted to the spot.
(*What am I supposed to do now?*)
There were two things he wanted to protect. Haduki's secret, and his bond with Sakura.
But right now, both were on the verge of shattering.
If he could only choose one, then he—
A grinding pain ached deep in his chest.
The sun sank over the city of Minase. For some reason, its light looked far redder
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