In the past, Kana Arima was known as a "genius child star," and her pride made her arrogant and sharp-tongued. Her poor social skills and high self-esteem made her unpopular after elementary school. In middle school, she could hardly get any roles, and they were all for low-budget productions. In other words, young Kana was a brat who was arrogant and self-centered. Even Seiya was often on the receiving end of her insults.
The last time Seiya saw her was two or three years ago. At that time, Seiya was the male lead of a movie, while Kana was only an extra. After work, Seiya wanted to catch up with his childhood friend, but she was nowhere to be found. Seiya was disappointed. He wanted to get her contact information, which wouldn't have been difficult with his connections, but he figured she must have had her reasons for leaving so abruptly, so he didn't bother.
Seiya was surprised to see her again in his high school. He saw that she was a second-year student.
"Seiya... I can't believe you chose Yoto High School, too. And what do you mean by that? What do you mean I haven't changed in two years? I'm your senior! Have some respect for your senior!" Kana complained. Seiya was surprised by her tone.
He smiled and said, "I take it back. Kana, you've changed a lot. I'm a little bit unused to it."
Kana smiled wryly. She understood what he meant. But after all these years, it would be strange if she hadn't changed. Her arrogance and stubbornness had made her suffer. After facing so many setbacks, she had no choice but to become more flexible and learn to compromise with reality. Her agency had let her go when she was in elementary school, and she couldn't get any popular roles. Even when some companies gave her a chance, she still couldn't get famous. The constant failures had made her lose her pride, and she had even thought of retiring, but her passion for acting kept her going.
She had recognized Seiya in that movie two years ago and had wanted to say hello to one of her few childhood friends. But when she saw him surrounded by people, she stopped. She knew he was a big deal now, and they were no longer in the same world. Seeing him now and thinking about her past, she felt pathetic. She thought Seiya wouldn't remember her, the one who was mean to him when they were kids. She decided it was better to leave quietly than to humiliate herself.
But today, she was surprised to see him again, and he was not what she had expected. When he teased her about her height, she was secretly happy even though she pretended to be angry. She realized that he hadn't changed at all. He wasn't arrogant or stuck up just because he was famous. He was still the same Seiya from her childhood.
Kana was about to say something, but a blonde girl's gasp interrupted her.
"Seiya Wenren! No way! Is that really him? Arima-senpai, aren't you a washed-up star? How do you know such a popular actor?"
Kana's face twitched. She felt like this girl, Ruby Hoshino, was her nemesis. She had just met her, and the girl had already insulted her so many times, and it wasn't even intentional.
"Hmph. The popular actor you're talking about is my junior. We are childhood friends. What's so weird about that? Besides, this is Yoto High School, the only school for actors in this city. It's not weird to see idols, models, or actors here." Kana said with a smug look on her face. She was happy that Seiya hadn't become distant from her.
Seiya smiled and introduced himself to the boy and girl, who seemed to be Kana's friends. "My name is Seiya Wenren. As Kana said, I'm her junior and childhood friend. I'm a first-year student here. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Ruby Hoshino was shocked. "My name is Ruby Hoshino, and this is my brother, Aqua Hoshino. It's a pleasure to meet you, too!"
"You're so easy to get along with, Mr. Wenren. You and Arima-senpai are opposites. You don't have the attitude of a celebrity at all."
"Please, just call me Seiya. We are in the same school, so it's a little weird to be so formal."