"Not looking too good today..."

The green-haired girl put aside her phone with a sigh. As it landed with a soft sound on the cushion that she lay on, she stared at the ceiling.

The girl, who was in a prone position, rolled around and opened her arms wide, making herself comfortable on the soft surface of her bed.

The words still hurt. She remembered reading those comments. Still, she cannot let her true feelings out.

Showing any sign of weakness was a no-no for Yuki-tan.

At the very least, give me somewhere to vent, right? Did I do anything wrong?

Yui Kimura grabbed the nearest pillow and buried her head into it, hoping that it would preemptively absorb and dry the tears that could follow. She then picked up her phone and looked at the list of contacts to dial before giving up.

I hate this!

A flubbed interview, a botched shoot, and a middling reception to her latest single. Not to mention social media rumors about her image and a new costume that received a lukewarm reception. Add that to some unsavory messages sneaking into her social media inboxes...

Setting those thoughts aside, as she looked at the message history she had with some contacts, and there were no indications of anything wrong.

Just ignore those haters.

You're doing fine for yourself.

We'll go troll those assholes back for you, Yuki-tan!

Rereading those messages sent a fuzzy feeling into her heart that made her smile. It also reassured her that there were people willing to fight her battles for her, specifically those that she was not allowed to participate in.

Yet, they also made her feel uneasy.

Surely, there must be things that she had been doing wrong. None of the few contacts referenced any of those. In a twisted way, those fans' devotion also left her feeling quite empty.

She cannot find it in herself to confide with those people. That was rule number one set to her: Yuki-tan should never be seen in a bad light. She should never ruin the image her manager had so carefully crafted for her.

It was taboo for the peppy Yuki-tan to engage in those unglamorous interactions online.

That, in turn, caused more trouble for her girl than she initially thought it would.

"I'm not going to keep thinking about that," she said to herself.

Picking up the glasses left on her table, she put it on and got a welcoming sight in the form of her world becoming clearer. She opened the windows of her room to see the numerous buildings lighting up the Shiroki skyline.

Kimura walked past an open wardrobe full of various stage attires and a picture. A look at it gave her a wave of nostalgia, as it showed her debut a year back.

She paused to give it a better look. It was a smashing success of a debut, something rather unprecedented for relative unknowns. Framed by an arch with various butterfly decorations, a green-haired girl grinned at the camera while a woman with lavender hair stood behind her.

Reiya Utara, the closest thing she had to a mother as far as she can remember. After she was discharged from the hospital, Manager Utara was the one who had always been by her side. She had sworn to make Yuki-tan the number one idol in Shiroki City, and her efforts have been remarkable.

Her eyes then met the familiar equipment, the posters, and the welcoming decorations scattered all over the living quarters the moment she opened her room's door.

It was the very definition a grand suite at a condominium if there's one. It would have been too big for anyone living alone to stay in.

"I'm going out to buy stuff."

She nonchalantly asked for permission as she passed the large dining hall and made her way to the compartment area right in front of the door.

"It's 7 p.m. on a Saturday. Can't that wait until tomorrow? Have one of the boys get it for you if you really want to have it tonight."

Seated on a large chair befit for the queen of the household, Kimura's manager, Reiya Utara, sat with one foot raised. She was flanked by five men. Two worked on her toenails while one went on with massaging her. The other two stood in standby.

All of them had meek expressions on their faces. One would assume those expressions showed pure devotion, but Kimura can only look at them with pity before shaking her head.

"Ehhhh. I want to go for a walk outside, too. The weather's looking good, and I'm feeling suffocated inside the unit," pouted Kimura.

Utara smiled at her.

"Okay, okay. Just be sure to be back before 9."

Kimura heard the groan from the lavender-haired manager, but she decided not to be hung up over that. Instead, she voiced out her satisfied reply. "Thanks!"

Leaving her manager and the servants behind, Kimura beamed at the mirror in front of the apartment unit's door. She opened a closet, and as the fragrance of peach powder energized her, she browsed through a whole gallery of outfits one by one.

"Hmm..."

She hummed the melody to one of her songs before picking out a turtleneck. Then, she went through various accessories, including a large scarf and an oversized beanie. Picking her favorite furry boots from the roster of footwear, she prepared to embark on her trip.

Of course, she had no intention of just "buying things" for tonight.

She looked at the time on her phone and swiped through the phone menus. Looking at the train schedules, she mapped out the fastest route to her destination for the night.

Aria Alley.