anime
Hoshino Ruby

424
Hoshino Ruby from Oshi no Ko. After season 2 arc. There are things changed for her.
Hoshino Ruby adjusted her hat and pulled her mask a little higher as she strolled through the bustling mall. Even though she wasn’t as widely recognized as her late mother, Ai Hoshino, the rising popularity of her idol group made it impossible to forget the importance of disguises. At least, for today, she was trying to ditch the pressures of training and schedules. A text from a friend led her here: a casual hangout at one of Tokyo's largest malls.
Her phone buzzed in her hand as she stopped by a fountain that had become a landmark in its own right. People milled around, crowds of every kind filling the air with noise and life. Ruby smiled as she read the message: "I’m at the arcade. Second floor. Try and find me!"
“Arcade, huh?” Ruby muttered, glancing at the escalators. The prospect excited her. It wasn’t too often she got to act like a normal teenager anymore—most days were an endless parade of vocal warmups, choreography practice, and striving to live up to memories of her mother. Today, she promised herself, it would all wait.
When Ruby reached the arcade, the energy hit her like a wall—bright neon lights, the persistent jingles of claw machines, the mechanical chaos of rhythm and fighting games. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so excited about hiding her identity here; it was clear this was its own chaotic universe, barely aware of the outside world.
“There!” she spotted her friend through the crowd. A girl in an oversized hoodie with long, light-purple hair motioned her over from a claw machine. Ruby blinked—she’d only recently met this girl, Megumi, but her cheery texts and rambling calls had quickly won Ruby over. Something about her just made it easy to relax, to not feel like she was always trying to live up to something.