"Cut!"
In a temporary filming base converted from an old factory, Sakurajima Mai immediately stood up when the director called it.
"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Mai."
"Thanks to everyone."
"Miss Mai, can I take a photo with you?"
"Of course."
"Mai-chan, may I invite you to dinner?"
"Sorry, I have more work after this. Maybe next time—I'll treat everyone instead."
As soon as the shooting wrapped, people swarmed around Sakurajima Mai.
There were staff members greeting her, small-time idols hoping to post selfies with her for clout, and industry peers trying to flirt.
She handled them with a maturity far beyond her age.
Even to the lowest-ranking crew members, she was courteous, replying to each person one by one.
Don't underestimate those minor staff members—they were often closest to the celebrities.
If you tried to act high and mighty, one exposé from them and the internet would tear you apart.
Once you lose public favor, your career in the entertainment world is over.
In Japan's showbiz, politeness is fundamental.
It's the very first thing every agency teaches its stars.
And on that point, Japanese entertainers do very well.
Mai never refused when small idols asked to take selfies to promote themselves.
She knew how hard it was to survive in this industry and helped where she could.
That said, she was cautious—she usually took photos with her mom's phone.
This way, she could keep the original copies.
Some people, desperate for fame, would edit the photos to make themselves look way better—brighter skin, smoother complexion—making it seem like they were more attractive than the actual star.
Mai had encountered that before and found it disgusting.
She'd been backstabbed despite her kindness.
Thankfully, staff released footage that cleared things up, and the offending actress ended up quitting after being cyberbullied.
As for those male peers trying to flirt—Mai rejected them all.
Were they really asking her out to dinner?
More like trying to eat her!
Even though she worked in the entertainment industry, she would never consider dating anyone from it.
Of course, in Japan, people usually don't say "no" directly. You have to reject in a more tactful way.
So she used the excuse, "I'll treat everyone next time," as a soft decline.
The boy's disappointment was obvious.
"Well then, everyone, I'll be heading out first."
Sakurajima Mai bid farewell to the crew one by one as she left.
After getting into her company-provided van, she leaned back in a comfy but unflattering position—the kind that would be criticized if caught on camera.
"Huh?"
She picked up the phone under her jacket and unlocked it—Ogitsu Yoshiko had sent her a message.
If it had been her work phone, she might've missed it.
But every celebrity had at least two phones.
"What's up?"
Her mom, who was also her manager and driving, asked from the front seat.
Mai's mom usually handled the work phone.
As for her personal phone—who she added, who she talked to, and what they talked about—not even her mother knew.
After reading Yoshiko's messages, Sakurajima Mai typed a reply while saying, "Looks like Ogitsu-san signed Takashi. She's his manager now."
Her mom was surprised. "You mean that Takashi? The one who blew up after Koshien?"
"Mhm."
Mai kept her eyes glued to the screen, typing rapidly, a faint smile forming on her lips.
Now that she had a direct connection to Takashi through Ogitsu Yoshiko, she could openly follow his account—no more switching to alts.
Because of Takashi's bad reputation, she'd worried that openly following him would upset her fans.
Most of her fanbase was male, after all.
So even though she liked him, she hadn't dared to follow him publicly.
"She really managed to sign Takashi…"
Her mom muttered in disbelief.
He had gained 300,000 followers overnight, with a signing bonus in the hundreds of millions. He was a golden goose.
Even if he didn't accept endorsements, his manager could still earn millions from him annually.
Every agency dreamed of signing him.
Johnny & Associates had even been sending people to stake out his house.
Whether they were after his market value or his rear door was unknown.
"Well, now it's like we're under the same agency."
Mai was in a good mood, her tone cheerful.
"But it seems like he's dating again."
Her voice dropped.
"His manager wanted him to keep his distance from that girl, but he refused. They apparently had a huge argument."
"Ogitsu-san is furious right now."
Her mom instinctively glanced back.
Mai didn't look particularly angry or upset, but her happiness had clearly faded.
"Mai, you're not—" Her mom started to ask if she liked Takashi, but stopped halfway.
"Not what?"
Mai looked up, puzzled.
"Have you noticed that you and Takashi actually have quite a few fans shipping you two?"
Her mom changed the subject.
"Me and Takashi? Fans ship us?"
Mai asked with genuine confusion.
Online, she'd seen plenty of Takashi pairings—Takashi x Yukino, Takashi x Umaru, Takashi x Hoshino Ai. Even Takashi x Nakano Ichika had fans
(Nakano Ichika: "Excuse you?")
But her and Takashi?
She didn't remember any interaction aside from exchanging a few words and taking a group photo at the Koshien awards ceremony.
And yet there were fans shipping them?
"There are."
Her mother wasn't lying.
She had indeed seen people online shipping Takashi with her daughter.
A total of nine!
As many as the nine gates of an ancient prison.
Though she had no idea how those shippers came up with their material.
"Recently, I got an offer from a romance reality show. They want to invite you to participate."
"I'm not going."
Sakurajima Mai refused with great firmness.
To her, a real actress should win over audiences through her acting, not by stirring up gossip.
She was an actress, not an idol. She didn't want to sell her private love life.
"But—"
"Mom, stop right there! No matter what you say, I'm not going!"
Before her mother could finish, Mai cut her off and completely shut the door on the topic.
A romance reality show was absolutely out of the question.
Even if it meant quitting the industry or jumping off the car, she'd never go!
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