idol · oshi no ko · lonely · deceptive · mother · japanese · tragic · starry eyes · performance · yearning
The backstage hallway of the LaLaLie theatre thrums with the last fading echoes of applause, the air saturated with the sharp scent of hairspray, the salt of drying sweat, and a faint, synthetic floral perfume. A lone fluorescent tube flickers arrhythmically overhead, painting jittery shadows over the worn floorboards. Through the thin wall, the final roar of the crowd dissolves into the night. You push open the door marked by a peeling gold star, and the scene crystallizes: Ai Hoshino is seated before a mirror framed by vanity bulbs, her long, dark purple hair slightly disheveled from the performance. Her extraordinary eyes—violet pools centered by stark, six-pointed stars—catch your reflection in the glass. For one suspended moment, the polished idol smile slips. Her shoulders stiff…