45 chapter 45

Chapter 45 – Sweet Today

"So what's the title again? Of that drama Aqua and Kana are in," Ruby asks from the couch.

She had been in really high spirits for the past couple of days, no doubt due to getting the news of the revival of B-Komachi from Ai.

Though... she needed to get at least a couple of girls before they performed.

"'I'll go with Sweet Today', or just 'Sweet Today'. It's based on a shoujo manga, and Kana's playing the protagonist," Ai answers from the kitchen.

"Oh, that one? Aqua has it in his room! It was pretty cool!" Ruby exclaims.

"Really? Didn't think Aqua liked stuff like that," I add.

"He doesn't really, but for some reason, Aqua got it when Kana started filming it," Ai says in a teasing tone.

"I see."

I also couldn't help but smirk at the obvious sign of affection.

Aqua... you needed to man up, my son.

If they aren't together by this year, I'll force Aqua to make a move.

"Anyway, Aqua's gonna be playing the big bad villain in the final episode. So while he won't be there for long, he's sure to make an impact. Ah! Speaking of, I think it's an online drama. Do you guys wanna watch it together?" Ai asks.

"Yeah! Here, I'll put it on the TV," Ruby says.

Taking a seat next to Ruby, and with Ai deciding to lay across our laps, we then begin watching the latest episode.

"Ah! There's Loli-senpai!"

"Ruby..."

'I hate people.'

Watching Loli- ahem!

Watching Kana, I could feel the tension, the slight worry that she felt, hiding behind her aloof persona.

Well, not Kana to be exact, but the character she was displaying.

'They're selfish. They only think about themselves.'

Curling in on herself, her lower lip trembles, clearly showing how stupid she feels, spouting her true feelings like this.

How naked she feels, having her defences dropped.

The shame and terror mixed and churned in her mind, forming an ugly mass that manifested in the subtle gestures that captured the audience's attention.

'Do you enjoy making that face?'

And... my immersion was ruined.

Who the hell was this preppy kid?

He looked like that prince that I kicked in the nuts after he professed his 'love' to Lily in front of me.

And he wasn't even the crown prince either. The nerve of that prick.

'Don't lay a finger on my girl!'

And it was getting worse!

'Huh? Who the hell are you?'

"Ahh! I can't watch it anymore! Turn it off. Turn it off!" Ruby shouts, slamming the power button on the controller.

The room descends into a sombre silence as we all process what garbage we just witnessed.

I eventually broke the silence, "So... not a word to Kana, agreed?"

"Definitely not."

"Nope."

"Good. We're all on the same page then," I say.

Jeez. While Kana's was more than passable, the other cast's acting was... horrible.

They could position themselves well, from what I could tell at least, but their emotions connected to their character were... nonexistent.

It's like they read off the script as if it were a section from a textbook.

"That... did they add new scenes or something? I don't remember it going like that..." Ruby eventually says.

"Yeah, but at least the production was good? It's just..." Ai says, trailing off at the end.

"The actors suck," Ruby finishes it for her.

"They suck bad," Ai agreed with a nod.

They were both straightforward like that.

"But while she was definitely better than the rest, wasn't Loli-senpai a bit... better than this?" Ruby says.

"Well... with bad supporting characters, you can only do so much. Especially on the screen, where it's harder to shine. But... hopefully Aqua will make the finale end on a good note," Ai says.

"Y-Yeah..."

Well... hopefully he would, but I don't know how exactly he could salvage whatever that was.

But... love was a powerful thing, so was I to say?

"Anyways, while that was fun and all, I have two daughters to pick up from school," I say, getting up.

"Okay! I was gonna cook noodles for dinner. Did you want to pick up anything for dessert?" Ai asks.

"Nah. The kids can finish off the ice cream in the freezer. My dessert, on the other hand, will have to wait for tonight."

I then place a small kiss on Ai's lips, causing my wife to hum in pleasure.

"...Could you two not, please? I'm right here, you know."

Ignoring Ruby, I then begin making my way out the door, being sure to grab an extra pair of umbrellas as Amethyst was sure to forget hers.

Hmm... I wonder how Aqua and Kana are doing?

----- Aqua POV -----

"So... the target audience is girls who want to see hot guys swoon over the main lead... isn't this basically a model shoot with a plot?" I ask.

"Precisely! And most aggravating of all, you'll probably be thirsted over too!" Kana shouts, pounding her foot against the ground.

"Why would that be the most aggravating part?" I ask in confusion.

She then averts her eyes, deciding to sip her juice instead of answering me.

"Anyway... while I get why the rest of the cast aren't very skilled, haven't you been steeping down to their level?" I then ask.

Kana then releases a large sigh, tilting her head down as if to hide her face from the world.

"It's just... I'm to only one who can actually act, so if I went all out, the difference in skill would be so glaringly obvious that the production would be ruined," she pouts.

"Then why did you join this in the first place?" I ask.

"Because it was the only job that offered me a main role! I didn't know it was going to be garbage when I signed up!"

Ah. I made her angry.

"I get it. I get it. It's not your fault. There there," I placate her.

"Stop treating me like a kid!"

'Then stop acting like one,' was what I wanted to say. But I knew better.

"Well... I guess we'll have to make the final episode a good one then. If it ends on a good note, then people will look a little more fondly on it," I say.

There were even some niche productions that had the acting be bad at the start as an artistic choice, showcasing the character's growth through the growth of the actors' skills.

"Just promise to do your best with me there, okay? I don't plan on holding back, after all," I say, smirking down at her.

"Heh. You're on then. I guess if there was ever a time to show off, it would be the finale," she responds.

Good.

After all, the main reason I joined this production was to make Kana shine.

In my pursuit of improving my craft, I had come to appreciate how special she could be on the screen.

So, if I were to put it in words, with Ai retiring, you could say my new idol was this redheaded girl.

"But I'm gonna be better than you, okay? I've got the beautiful looks to go with it, after all~!"

Though... she was still a little arrogant.

Perhaps that was just an entertainer thing?

"Sure... Still, I can't believe we're not even doing a read-through. They're just relying on the production crew and... well... you, to make the final product watchable."

"But that just means it'll end up being pretty good when you join, right?" she says.

"I suppose so..."

And luckily, I knew exactly how to correctly portray this character of mine. The deranged stalker.

It was almost ironic.

----- 1 Hour Later ----

"-My name is Aqua Hoshino, and I'll be playing the stalker role today."

Taking a bow, I introduce myself.

The boy simply walks past me while saying, "Yo."

...Quite rude, wasn't he?

"U-Uhh, that's Melt Narushima. J-Just... try not to mind him," Kana placates me.

"Still though... greeting people is like the basics of showbiz. How did he even get this far?" I ask.

"A pretty face? A good manager? Not everyone needs skills to succeed, Aqua. Despite what you would like to think. Anyway, I'll introduce you to the one in charge: Masaya Kaburagi," she says, motioning for me to follow.

Kaburagi... I think I've heard that name before. But where from?

Oh, right.

"Mama already told me about him. He helped her out early in her career. Though she didn't bring up any details," I say.

"Really? Well... I guess it makes sense. He is a good main director, it's just that the main product here is the actors themselves rather than the actual product. Something like this would be perfect for a start-up idol," Kana says.

Greeting the director, he gives me an inquisitive glance before giving me a dismissive 'Hello.' in return.

...I guess he was a man of few words.

"You've memorized your lines, right? We're rehearsing now," Kana says, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah... let's just get this over with."

Looking at how uninterested the male leads were, this was going to be tough.

I should first find out what I needed to do to change them.

After all... as a supporting cast, I won't be able to improve the final cut as much as I would hope. But if I could make them change... just a smidge... then something cool could happen, as Cassius would say.

----- 30 Minutes Later -----

I was wrong.

Or rather, I was misled.

Their acting... it was so much worse than I imagined.

The show's editors and film crew were quite skilled in making the final product something you wouldn't gag over.

But... at least I found out what was wrong.

The scene here, which was to be the final scene in the show, was also the most important.

Where the protagonist confronts the stalker, and the female lead discovers love.

It's the most popular scene in the manga and is likely what catapulted the story to popularity.

The emotions... the eerieness... and then the tonal shift as the girl is saved.

Those were the key elements of this scene, and I knew exactly what was wrong with the actors.

They were completely lacking emotion.

No matter how eerie I played my part, the tonal shift was stale, as there was no tone to their characters at all. Simply bland actors with handsome faces.

So how to fix this? Well... it was easy.

Just bring out the protagonist's emotions.

"And... action!"

But to do that, I would need to play my character perfectly.

A stalker... interestingly enough, despite how disgusting they are, their actions are not usually done out of malice, but instead, out of a twisted and selfish sort of love.

Offputting... disconnected from reality... like an addict, craving for a fix.

But also anger.

Anger at the world for being so cruel, for making the star I want to reach so far out of grasp, it would take another lifetime to reach it.

To reach Kana... I wouldn't sit idly by. I would instead take it into my own hands.

"Are you stupid, or what? I won't leave you alone."

The bastard, stealing my light, my world, engages in a petty argument.

How dare you talk to her like that?

Do you even know her?

The perfect feeling of her hair. How her breath whistles as she sleeps. How the corner of her lips curl up at the slightest bit of praise.

Do you know any of that? And you dare to spout that bullshit?

No... I won't have this.

You won't leave her alone?

Disgusting.

She doesn't belong to someone like you.

A shitty playboy... no, that girl deserves someone closer. Someone... darker.

Someone like me.

Stepping forward, their argument ceases as I reveal myself from the shadows.

"This girl... isn't the kind of person you think she is."

My words echo through the warehouse as the sound of water dripping from the leaky roof further sets the scene.

The air seems stifling. Tense and silent, as if waiting for a pin to drop.

Glancing over, I see that Kana's eyes are wide as her lower lip trembles with feelings of fear, worry, and confusion.

Hehe... she looks so cute like that.

Don't worry, Kana. I'll get you away from these bastards soon enough.

"We'll become stale in the sun. The darkness... it suits us better."

The lights shine against my back, casting a long shadow that reaches across the room as if manifesting my ominous aura.

"You're different from us," I say, walking slowly toward Melt.

The atmosphere was set... now I just needed the hopeless actors to play their part.

Hmm... this guy... was prideful about his looks. Extremely so.

Some complex? Trauma? I didn't know.

Nor did I really care.

What I did care about, though... was that it was exploitable.

"Now that I've seen you up close... you're actually pretty ugly, huh?" I whisper under my breath, "Editing sure is magical, I suppose."

"What'd you just say!?"

That seems to do the trick, as Melt then grabs me by my collar.

There it is... that raw emotion.

Now... let's see if you can do the bare minimum, and guide that emotion into your lines.

"Are you deaf? I said she's not worth protecting!" I shout.

"This girl... is my precious friend!"

Ah... there we go.

The tempo was set in motion, and the emotions were running rampant.

This was the time for the shift. From eerie and combative, to something pure, just as the original piece aimed for.

And that's on you, Kana.

You want to do it, right?

I set such a good scene, so you don't have to hold back anymore.

So... show me that light, that brilliance. Just like I know you can.

And to truly be brilliant... you need a contrasting darkness.

But lucky for you... a supporting role is my specialty.

"Just give up and get lost!" I shout with a crazed smile, pulling out the prop knife.

As if reacting on instinct, Melt punches me in the face, and I launch myself back, slamming against the wall.

I guess your stupid spars actually helped me a little, huh Cassius?

Now... the last resurgence. The last creepy set of lines that tainted the air, before it was finally blown away by the female lead.

"No one needs you. Know your place and live accordingly. You... have no future. Your life is complete darkness," I sneer at Kana.

Her head tilted down, I watch as her trembling hand stills before she raises her face to meet mine. Tears dripping down her face.

"Even so... there will always be light."

Ah... there we go.

Well, crying always was her specialty, huh?

"And cut!"

Getting up off the ground, I brush off the dirt from my pants.

Damn... I landed in a puddle.

Good thing I brought a change of clothes.

"Hey! I'm... sorry. For punching you," Melt says.

"It's fine. Emotions running rampant... that was exactly what I wanted to happen," I reply dismissively.

"Plus... it's nothing compared to my mother's husband."

"Huh?"

Oh... that might sound bad taken out of context, huh?

But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Anyway, it was a good performance. Thanks to that, Kana could show off her skills," I say.

Speaking of...

"I think that was great. Kana, can we do the final scene now?" the director asks.

"Huh? Ah... yeah."

Getting in position in front of the camera, Kana then looked my way, her eyes sparkling as a slight blush grew across her cheeks.

For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to avert my eyes, despite the odd feeling I felt under her gaze.

The feeling of butterflies in my stomach.

...What was the final scene supposed to be again?