15-Year Lie「１５年の嘘, Jūgo-Nen no Uso?」 is the one hundred and fifty-fourth chapter of Oshi no Ko manga series. It is written by Aka Akasaka and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari. It will be released in Weekly Young Jump on July 4, 2024.
Summary[]
As Hikaru questioned Ai why they should stop seeing each other, Ai announced that she was pregnant. Hikaru wanted to take responsibility by asking Ai to marry him but she turns him down, saying that it was fine for them to date as young people but to be together forever was too much of a commitment for her. She mentioned that she was aware that Taiki is his child with Airi and while it had been a difficult decision with the baby and all but it was over them as she could not love him.
A devastated Hikaru concludes that Ai left him after learning what he did. He would subsequently reveal her location to Ryosuke Sugano, in the hopes of scarring her a little but things got out of control as he ended up killing her. It was never his intention as he only wanted her to understand his despair of being rejected despite his willingness to sacrifice for her and carry the burden. Aqua asked if Hikaru believed in Ai's words, which he confirms he did. While others forced their fantasies on her, Ai was simply an ordinary girl with her own desires and cruel sides. Therefore she did not love him just like everyone else.
Aqua then asks Hikaru if he ever thought of the reason why Ai gave birth in the first place and whether he knows the meaning behind the movie. He added that the first screening is still incomplete as they are still debating whether to include one more footage in the credits, revealing the DVD that Ai left for him. As Aqua presses to play, a recording of Ai is shown. Her words would leave Hikaru speechless and stunned for the rest of the video.
The video starts with Ai explaining why she broke up with Hikaru. According to her, Hikaru was already at his limit, making him dependent on her due to being consumed by the darkness of the entertainment industry and her pregnancy would just add to his burden. Therefore she decided to break up with him, believing that he could move forward without her and be happy. She also admitted that she could not properly process her emotions since she did not know what it means to love someone. Despite her decision, she confessed that she wanted a future to be with him forever, to share the burden and raise their children together. Then she left Aqua with a question whether her words were lies and wished Aqua to save his father with her if he were still lost all these years later.
Aqua credited Ruby for properly honoring Ai's wishes by acting out the words "I can't love you", as a lie. He added that the movie itself is Ai's timeless love letter to him. However, he also declares it as their revenge on him for failing to understand Ai, while shedding a tear. On the other hand, Hikaru seemingly breaks down in front of Ai's image as the video continues to play.
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