They all pushed me!

"Yes, it's called ACE. It's a completely new idol group that hasn't even had a debut live or a debut song yet... They're too new."

Watanabe Seiko answered her while combing her hair.

"Do you know what's going on? Who is this group? They can directly appear on our show for promotion."

Facing her companion's question, Hoshino Ai answered neatly:

"This ACE has Ryo's sister in it, that's it."

As soon as she said this, several other people with gossipy hearts gathered around her, each with a mischievous smile on their face, and some deliberately covered their mouths and spoke in a long tone:

"Wow, doesn't that mean this is Ai's sister-in-law?"

"No wonder he was arranged to be included in our program. He is basically our own child."

"By the way, what if I can't hold back my laughter during the interview?"

Listening to her companions' increasingly unreliable speeches, Hoshino Ai shook her head helplessly:

"That being said, we'll just follow the normal process when the time comes."

"I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

Ignoring the teasing from behind, such as "Are you shy?", "After all, you're getting married soon?", "This time, 'It's Not My Fault That I'm Popular' has become the winning documentary", Hoshino Ai walked out of the room, took out her phone from her pocket, and sent a message to the screenwriter in charge of the program arrangement:

"We'll use this script for the skit portion of the next show."

This was an adaptation she accidentally saw at the LALALAI theater troupe.

It was an interesting script that suited her taste.

Chapter 10: Say Love Out Loud

Tokyo, Kitagawa family.

"Hey, I found it."

Kitagawa Rumi stood on tiptoe slightly, stretched out her arms, and pulled out the book she liked from the top row of books on the bookshelf in the room.

After blowing away the dust on the colorful plastic cover, Kitagawa Rumi opened the "Fairy Tale Collection" that Kindaichi Toshiro had given her as a gift a long time ago.

This kind of large collection of illustrated fairy tales for children usually does not deliberately indicate who wrote whom, so much so that for a long time Kitagawa Rumi herself could not tell which stories were Andersen's fairy tales, which were the Grimm brothers' fairy tales, and which were Wilde's fairy tales.

Kitagawa Rumi turned the pages of the fairy tale with some nostalgia, recalling the bedtime story time she and her brother had every night when she was a child a few years ago.

If she had not had the equipment and conditions to record at the time, she would have wanted to record all of Liang's storytelling sessions during that period. If she used it to fall asleep, she should have no problem using it until she was eighty years old.

This is not Kitagawa Rumi's personal filter. After all, as the five-time champion of the "Most Wanted Men to Hug" list, there are many fans who like Kitagawa Ryo's voice. There are even people who specifically imitate his voice and use professional equipment to create a variety of ASMR (spontaneous sensory meridian response, which refers to the pleasant and unique stimulation produced in the skull, scalp, back or other parts of the body through visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory stimulation) and doujinshi sounds, which are sold on DLsite (a Japanese doujinshi product sales platform).

It is said that sales were quite good at one point.

If you think about it this way, even if you only look at it from a financial perspective, the benefits she has enjoyed after living with Kitagawa Ryo for more than ten years have already exceeded 99.9% of her fans.

Kitagawa Rumi took the fairy tale book and threw herself directly on the bed. Although her brother always taught her that this reading posture was bad for the eyes, she just liked to read while lying down like this.

However, after removing the filter of memory, Kitagawa Rumi, who was searching for "The Little Mermaid" along the catalog, felt like complaining.

Some of the fairy tales here are not suitable for children at all.

Whether it is "The Little Match Girl" or "The Happy Prince", as well as "The Daughter of the Mermaid" which I suddenly wanted to rewatch on a whim, for human cubs, these are all stories full of malice no matter how you look at them.

I clearly remember seeing complaints online that fairy tales always end with "the prince and princess living happily ever after", but after really re-reading those stories that impressed me, I only feel that the number of tragedies is much less than the happy endings.

No, to be honest, it seems that at the end of the story of "The Little Mermaid", the prince and princess did live happily ever after.

But the name of the fairy tale is clearly "The Daughter of the Sea" or "The Little Mermaid".

After thinking about it for a long time, Kitagawa Rumi finally found "The Daughter of the Mermaid" in the catalog and turned directly to the page according to the marked page numbers.

"Ruby, are you there?"

Beichuan Liang's question came from outside the door, along with the sound of knocking on the door.

It was obvious that Kitagawa Rumi never had the habit of closing or even locking the door when she was at home. She even left it ajar most of the time except when she went to bed at night. But after she was ten years old, Kitagawa Ryo would always knock on the door and ask before coming in.

Although Kitagawa Rumi has always felt that the phrase "Are you there?" is one of the most ridiculous words in contemporary Internet social networking, she also knows in her heart that this is the buffer time that Kitagawa Ryo has reserved for her to prevent some embarrassing incidents that may occur in the daily lives of siblings.

However, Kitagawa Rumi has always hoped that the other party would not pay so much attention to such details, and just say "Ruby, I'm coming in" and then go straight into the room.

"Yeah, I'm here."

Because what they were doing at the moment was not a private matter that must not be discovered, Kitagawa Rumi responded quickly. After receiving the reply, Kitagawa Ryo pushed open the door and walked into Rumi's room.

"Are you reading a book? A Complete Collection of Fairy Tales... This is from a long time ago."

Naturally, Beichuan Liang turned his gaze to his sister and quickly recognized the thick fairy tale picture book in her hand. He smiled nostalgically and asked:

"Why did Ruby suddenly think of digging this out?"

"Because not long ago at the LALALAI Theater, I saw a stage play script adapted from a fairy tale from Uncle Min, which left a deep impression on me, so I wanted to re-read the original work."

Upon hearing this, Beichuan Liang nodded, with a look of realization on his face.

"Ruby, you're talking about The Daughter of the Sea, right? What a coincidence! Ai also mentioned this script to me a few days ago. Although it was adapted to catch the attention of the audience at the beginning, the quality of the script is indeed good."

"But to be honest, it's also because of the foundation of the original work. Although the genre is a fairy tale, Andersen's literary attainments and writing techniques are not at all childish."

Just as he was interested in the topic raised by his sister, and seeing that the fairy tale book in Rumi's hand was the first page of "The Daughter of the Mermaid", Kitagawa Ryo also took two steps closer, looking like he wanted to express his own opinion.

Because Kitagawa Rumi was now lazily lying on the bed, Kitagawa Ryo was also sitting casually on the other side of the bed, and accidentally pressed down the doll [Orange Bear] placed on the bedside.

"Sorry, I pressed it accidentally."

Knowing that his sister particularly liked this doll, Beichuan Ryo apologized subconsciously and pulled the doll out from under him.

"It's okay, it's okay. Can you read the words clearly, brother? I'll get closer."

Kitagawa Rumi, who completely ignored the doll, behaved quite magnanimously. She moved forward, threw away the two slippers on her feet, and rolled a long way towards Kitagawa Ryo.

She swung her white legs up and down, with an expectant expression on her face.

But Kitagawa Ryo immediately asked Rumi a question:

"Why does Ruby think the tragedy of the Little Mermaid happened?"

"Because the little mermaid obviously saved the prince, but because she sacrificed her voice to the witch, she could not tell the truth and could only watch the prince and princess together."

Kitagawa Rumi answered without hesitation, and then she pouted in dissatisfaction:

"This plot is so full of malice. When I first saw the little mermaid had to trade her vocal cords for her legs, I knew it would be a tragedy. She couldn't tell the prince that she was his savior."

"Actually, it can be told in writing, but the little mermaid has been living under the sea and is illiterate, so this story also tells us that we should study hard...Okay, I made this up myself."

Beichuan Liang made a few witty remarks, but immediately changed the subject:

"In fact, as the world's most famous fairy tale master, Andersen has set up many small settings in his works that are worth savoring."

As he spoke, he pointed to the beginning of the story:

"One night, when the sisters floated out of the sea hand in hand, the youngest sister stayed behind alone, watching them. It looked as if she was about to cry, but mermaids have no tears, so she felt even more uncomfortable.

"Mermaids don't have tears. This is a setting mentioned in the first few paragraphs."

"A genius writer will never set up useless foreshadowing in a book. Chekhov once said, 'If there is a gun in a story, it must be fired.' Although this statement is a bit absolute, it is actually true."

“So why does The Daughter of the Sea specifically point out that mermaids can’t shed tears?”

Then, Kitagawa Ryo threw the question to Rumi again.

“…Because when you’re sad, not being able to cry is more tormenting than actually crying.”

"Well, so no matter how much pain she was in, both physically and mentally, even until she turned into foam and disappeared in the sunlight, the little mermaid still couldn't cry."

When Beichuan Liang said this, he rubbed his sister's head and said gently:

“Crying is the most direct way to express sadness. Although there is a saying about crying with joy, in most cases, laughing is always matched with a happy mood, and crying is always connected with a sad mood.”

"Every step the little mermaid took was like stepping on a knife edge, but she still performed the dance for the prince. When the prince was about to marry the princess, when she held up the bride's wedding dress at the princess' wedding, and when she finally jumped into the sea and turned into foam, she could not cry at all these times when she should have cried bitterly."

In Kitagawa Ryo's opinion, when Andersen constructed the story of "The Little Mermaid", his description of scenery was bold and imaginative, and he almost effortlessly came up with all kinds of magnificent scenes, but in the description of emotions, he was implicit, and in many places he only mentioned them briefly.

"The fact that the little mermaid can't speak or cry is itself a foreshadowing that drives the plot forward."

"After all, an important element of tragedy is information asymmetry and the resulting misunderstandings."

"Because there will be information gaps between the two people, information gaps will lead to misunderstandings, and misunderstandings will lead to dramatic conflicts. In these conflicts, the differences in people's personalities will be revealed, and the story can continue to develop."

Kitagawa Rumi listened to her brother quietly, but what she was actually thinking in her mind had already deviated from the story itself.

“It was the little mermaid who saved the prince, but she had no way to tell him the truth. And because she couldn’t cry, she could only be happy and joyful forever and dance for him forever in front of him, so the prince didn’t care about her thoughts at all, or, as a matter of course, instilled his own thoughts into her.”

"'You will be happy for my happiness, because you love me most of all!' This sentence itself is quite arrogant."

"It is these foreshadowings that lead to the tragic ending of the story. Although the little mermaid still gets the chance to become an immortal soul, her love affair does end there."

After listening to Beichuan Liang's words in full, Beichuan Rumi nodded thoughtfully, and with a leap of a carp, she sat up straight on the bed and waved her little fist:

"I understand everything!"

It turns out that in addition to being a master of fairy tales, Andersen is actually also a master of love!

When facing someone you like, you must be brave enough to tell your true feelings. You cannot always ignore the information gap and the misunderstandings that arise from it. It is best to explain it as early as possible.

Kitagawa Rumi instantly formulated a series of perfect plans in her mind.

If I had to sum it up in one sentence, it would be to choose a suitable time and place as soon as possible and confess everything to my brother, no, it should be Liang.

She even had the confession line ready:

"Ryo once said that if I became an idol, he would promote me."

"I am now an idol (more popular than Hoshino Ai)."

"From now on, Liang will only look at me."

Ignoring for the moment the modifier that was automatically added to her inner monologue, Kitagawa Rumi's pupils sparkled for the first time in a long time, full of longing for the future.

If you love someone, you should say it out loud.

-------------------------------------

"If you love someone, you really should say it out loud here."

“It should be almost aggressive, but not too sharp.”

"It is necessary to show that the action was sudden and moved by the other party's behavior and words, but also to show that there was a plan beforehand. In short, it is reasonable and abrupt, but it also has a sense of being unexpected and reasonable."

At the filming site of "It's Not My Fault That I'm Not Popular Yet", Hoshino Ai, who was currently filming the first episode, was listening carefully to the director's instructions.

"I understand."

Hoshino Ai nodded as if she understood everything, and then returned to the venue.

The plot of the first episode of "It's Not My Fault That I'm Not Popular!" is very simple. The character she plays, Moriyama Mikuri, has had a bumpy career since graduating from graduate school. She was recently fired by the company and became a "vagrant". Through her father's introduction, Mikuri, who had nowhere to go, came to the home of a single man named Tsuzaki Heimatsu and took on the weekly housekeeping job.

As a graduate of clinical psychology, she can perfectly understand the needs of Tsuzaki Heikyuu. Under her arrangement and handling, everything in Heikyuu's home is managed in order. As a result, Shili gained Heikyuu's trust, found the focus of life, and cheered up again.

However, the good times did not last long. Shili's parents decided to move away, which meant that she had to "quit her job."

"Thank you. It's great to be able to entrust you with housework. I would like to continue to ask you for help if possible."

Tsuzaki Hiramitsu, played by Kitagawa Ryo, perfectly replicated the original in terms of temperament and lines, and portrayed the image of the taciturn herbivorous or even hunger-striking male protagonist to the fullest.

Then, Hoshino Ai suddenly stood up with great momentum, supporting herself on the table with both hands, leaning forward, looking like a hunter, and she spoke loudly:

"Why not just get married?"

Chapter 5: Very Sweet (5k)

"Why not just get married?"

"Rather than being married, it's more like a marriage of employment, like hiring a domestic agent, or what's called a contract marriage?"

Facing Moriyama Mikuri who was excited and thought he had come up with a perfect solution to the problem, the male protagonist Tsuzaki Hiramitsu, played by Kitagawa Ryo, had a completely dull expression as if he didn't understand. He just raised his head and stared blankly at Moriyama Mikuri who was talking to himself.

The two of them stared at each other for a long time before Moriyama Mikuri sat back in his seat as if he was embarrassed, with an embarrassed smile on his face:

"You don't understand at all. Sorry... I said something very strange all of a sudden."

"Just kidding - it's not funny though."

Trying desperately to make up for his strange remarks just now, Moriyama Mikuri quickly put Tsuzaki Heimura's briefcase that was placed aside into his hand, pulled out a chair and supported his shoulders, as if trying to cover up his embarrassment with his attentive performance.

"Company! We're going to be late."

"Let's go quickly. Sorry to have wasted your time. Hurry up."

Like a full-time housewife urging her husband to go to work, she was obviously shorter than him and did not have the strength to push an adult man. However, Tsuzaki Hiramitsu was completely out of his mind and seemed to have not yet come to his senses before he was pushed and dragged out of his home.