When the triplets are four years old, a producer Ai used to trust approaches them with an offer:
"A new daytime drama—just one episode. One scene. A flashback. Cute kids like yours will blow up."
Ai is hesitant.
Aqua is enthusiastic—he wants to learn the world of acting to secure his mom.
Ruby is excited—she wants to be like Ai.
Souta… hesitates. Not out of fear, but because he knows too much. He can feel what fame does to individuals.
But Ai replies softly, "You don't have to shine for the world, Souta. Just shine when your heart says so."
And so he accepts—under one condition:
"I want us to act together."
And Ai and her triplets make a mini TV debut.
It works.
A quiet storm brews.
Souta never ceases being the sunny, clingy little brother in public. But at home, he's always keeping an eye on things.
He can spot agents' insincere smiles. He senses when questions are prepared ahead of time to trap Ai. He senses the industry's undertows—like gravity bearing down on his brain.
At evening, he alone sits on the balcony with his teddy bear, a souvenir from his previous life.
"I vowed not to employ my ability. Yet. what if they come back?"
One evening, Aqua sits with him.
They hardly discuss seriously—but this time, Aqua utters:
"You saved her, didn't you? That night. You reversed time."
Souta nods softly.
"Does it frighten you?" he asks.
Aqua regards him. "No. But I don't get how you can live like that."
Souta laughs. "Easy. I just live for you guys."
For an instant, Aqua glimpses it: for all his sunny facade, Souta lives in terror. Not of death. But of losing this life he loves.
As the triplets begin elementary school, Ai takes to the stage once more for an impromptu concert filmed secretly for streaming only in Asia. It goes viral.
Folks see her strange children. Rumors fly.
And in the back rooms of the entertainment industry…
.Hikaru Kamiki observes as well.
He sees a boy who bears an uncanny resemblance to himself.
And it's not Aqua.
It's Souta—brave when he should be frightened, always smiling when the camera is on, and a little too sharp-eyed for a kid.
Kamiki starts digging.
One evening, Ai receives an unsealed letter.
A lone photograph inside—taken at the concert.
Her and the triplets. Someone had been spying.
No threats. No ransom demands. Just evidence that someone knows.
Ai sits in darkness for a long while, heart pounding.
She tosses the photo aside—until Souta enters, with a glass of water.
"Mama…? Bad dream?"
She does not respond.
He looks at the photo—and his face changes for a moment. A flash of anger. Identification.
He recognizes who sent it.
But he does not speak.
Instead, he gets into Ai's lap and places his head on her.
"I won't let anyone take you away, Mama," he whispers.
With age, the triplets start to branch apart:
Aqua goes after acting with ferocity—still set on uncovering the mysteries surrounding Ai, but now also looking out for her as she lives.
Ruby becomes a model and dancer, lively and airy, with dreams of reforming B-Komachi.
Souta fulfills his vow: never using his abilities unless it's for his family.
He becomes a child idol, loved for his effervescent personality, but feared within the industry for his behind-the-scenes power—though no one can pin anything on him.
To the world, he is the "quirky genius" of the triplets.
To his siblings, he is their emotional center.
And to Ai… he is the boy who made her believe that love was possible.