A few weeks ago, it was reported that Hello! Project member Ai Kago (of W) was in the process of making a comeback after having been suspended for a year for underage smoking. Now, it appears that it may take even longer.

The April 7 issue of Weekly Gendai reports that Kago has been smoking again, and further claims that Kago is seeing a man 18 years older than her.

A reporter for the magazine took pictures of the two of them holding hands outside an onsen ryokan in Kusatsu, Gunma. They spent the night there on the 17th, and returned to Tokyo the next morning by car. The reporter says that Kago smoked a cigarette in the car, but no pictures were provided as evidence.

When the two arrived in Tokyo, the reporter confronted them. The man, Yasuyuki Ishimoto (who is the owner of the popular Shibuya cafe SOMA), denied a love relationship with Kago. He stated that Kago is his cousin, and he further mentioned that he already has a fiancee. According to him, the two of them were in Kusatsu for a family function. The reporter apparently did not ask about Kago smoking, however.

Kago's agency said they are in the process of verifying her relationship with the man.