Chapter 133

## Acting

**Acting**「芝居, *Shibai*?」 is the one-hundred thirty third chapter of *Oshi no Ko* manga series. It is written by Aka Akasaka and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari.

## Summary

Ruby continues her portrayal of Ai for the *15 Year Lie* but begins to feel overwhelmed, haunted by Fuyuko Niino's words about her not being like her mother at all. She confides in Kana and seeks her advice, but the latter is unable to answer. From their conversation, Kana deduced that Fuyuko Niino still harbors hatred towards Ai to this day, to the point that it has morphed into an obsessive love. Kana actually relates to Fuyuko Niino a little, since she gets jealous at times as well. She is also worried about Ruby's mental state, since there is a lot of pressure on her to emulate Ai, a person who cannot be easily understood. Kana believes that the only way Ruby will be able to pull off this role is for her to go through the same experiences as her mother.

Later, at Ichigo Production, Inc, Kana walks in on Ruby crying alone. Asking why she is crying, Ruby reveals her frustration at being unable to bring out the best in her performance. Kana tries to convince her to take it easy but Ruby worries about the movie possibly failing because of her. She is also concerned how such an outcome would impact Kana's future career but the latter brushes it off, reminding Ruby that she will no longer be part of B-Komachi by then. Nonetheless, Ruby is adamant that they are friends, so it's normal for her to be worried. Kana acknowledges Ruby's feelings, but also notes that her honesty is holding her back from performing Ai. Ruby further explains that, to her, this movie exists to allow her family to come to terms with their past so they might move on into the future, which is why she wants to perform well "at any cost".

Hearing these words, Kana admits that she cannot possibly understand what Ruby has been through but she can understand the desire to perform well. Thus, Kana resolves to give Ruby one thing she lacks: Ai's broken relationship with Fuyuko Niino. Kana is aware that the words she is about to say might cost them their friendship, which is why she had no intention of revealing it. However, in order to draw the best performance out of Ruby, Kana claims to Ruby that she is the only one who thinks that they are friends. Kana continues by accusing her of always monopolizing fan attention, and that is her reason for leaving B-Komachi; the group only exists to make Ruby look good. As Ruby reacts in shock, Kana concludes that her method is working and proceeds to vent all of her frustrations while the former just listens to it all, stunned.

## Characters

* Ruby Hoshino (acting as Ai Hoshino)
* Kana Arima
* Fuyuko Niino (flashback)
* Taishi Gotanda
* Aqua Hoshino (imagined)
* Ai Hoshino (imagined)
* Miyako Saitou (imagined)
* Mem-Cho (pictured)

## Trivia

* One day after publication, Mengo tweeted saying she made a mistake, the panel that featured Akane should have featured Ruby instead.

Panel featuring Akane in Magazine ReleaseThe correct panel featuring Ruby
## References

1. ↑ Mengo Yokoyari's Official Twitter (@Yorimen). Reference link: すみません、最新133話このコマトーンミスです、修正間に合わずコミックスで直してもらいます（正しいコマ貼っておきますがネタバレ防止にセンシティブ設定してありますっ）今後よりチェック気をつけます...！ (in Japanese).