"Wait—what did you just say?"
"I said… I'm kind of tempted."
"Not that. You said Hojo Shione is his girlfriend?"
"What nonsense—aren't I his girlfriend?"
Takahashi Mio's eyes flew open. Her delicate brows knit; her tone turned prickly.
"Oh, so you mean ex-girlfriend—his ex is Hojo Shione?"
"Mm… that's what he said…"
Mio nodded, then reflexively pushed back:
"But how is that even possible?"
"How could Hojo Shione have anything to do with him? He's probably like those hardcore anime shut-ins with overactive imaginations. You don't know…"
She told Haruno Rika the whole story about finding promo posters in his car and mistaking them for photos.
Mio argued her case at length—the gist being: impossible.
Rika listened, then, after a moment's thought, said:
"Hard to say."
"…"
Mio's eyelid twitched; she shot upright.
Irritation flared. What do you mean, "hard to say," again?
She pouted, forced herself to be patient, and asked:
"Enlighten me?"
"He's got money. The way he's spending on you, he could've done the same for Hojo Shione. And don't people online always say she had a rich backer? Otherwise she couldn't have blown up that fast…"
"Oh…"
At that, Mio's lips moved; the irritation ebbed a lot. She slid back down the wall.
"When you put it that way… it's not impossible."
"Mm?"
Rika sounded puzzled. "Mio, I thought you hated hearing people talk smack about Hojo Shione?"
Mio was a Shione diehard. Ever since seeing her on TV at a new-talent competition—so confident on stage, singing so beautifully—she'd been hopelessly hooked. She listened every day, and at karaoke she always queued up Shione's songs. A true fan.
When someone gets big, rumors swirl. Whenever friends gossiped about Shione, Mio would smile and counter with, "Who knows if that's even true—probably media hype. Anyway, her songs are great…" But if she saw outright slander online, she'd go full attack dog.
So hearing Rika ask that, Mio's face stiffened. She chewed on her words, then said:
"I'm just following your line of thought. Logically, it's… possible, that's all."
No matter what, she didn't really want to accept that those two had dated. Even if their looks were comparable, it still felt like being outshone. It was… annoying.
And if—if—Hojo Shione really had dated Shiratori Kiyoya, Mio preferred to believe she'd only agreed out of real-world pressure. That way Mio could think, "Hey, the star and I are in the same boat," and feel a little better.
"So what do you think? Do you actually want to be an actress?"
"No."
Mio answered instantly.
"I only said I was a little tempted. I never said I'd become an actress. Even if what he said is true, if my dad found out I was going into acting he'd probably break my legs…"
Rika fell silent.
They'd known each other since high school—back when a talent scout had approached Mio while they were out shopping. Rika knew Mio's type: someone who enjoyed being in the spotlight.
Club activities, private hangouts—Mio never said anything outrageous on purpose, but she'd always arrange little details so the attention drifted her way. The jewelry, bags, and outfits that didn't quite match her "station" were all chosen to draw eyes.
Rika had figured Mio would at least go home happy and pitch it to her family, if not say yes on the spot. She hadn't expected a flat refusal. Later Mio explained: her dad was old-school to the bone, pure Shōwa spirit.
Ultra conservative—believed a girl's goal should be to become a housewife and raise kids. Acting? Forget it. In high school Mio mostly wore her uniform; "pretty clothes" meant a yukata or something low-key.
Rika had guessed this week that Mio's college splurging—blowing money on luxury and racking up over two million in debt—was probably the rebound from being suppressed so hard before.
"I'm just… momentarily tempted."
"I mean, if you can't be a star, it doesn't hurt to daydream, right? Besides, I'm not the right age. The famous ones mostly started as child actors—they've got the connections and the craft. I can't compete…"
"That's only some of them. Plenty of people start learning properly in college and don't land a role till two or three years after graduating. How are you behind them?"
She didn't wait for Mio to answer before urging:
"Mio, why not try? You're already out on your own. Study quietly, take a small role or two. Your family might never find out. By the time you graduate, your dad won't be able to control you anyway…"
"…"
Silence stretched over the line.
After a moment, Mio chuckled.
"Forget it. I don't want it that much. It's exhausting. And the rumors… The industry sounds brutal—this person got coerced, that person got framed…"
"And what if that guy's lying? What if he tricks me into signing a contract and it turns out to be an adult film? I'd rather die."
"…Fair."
"Mm. Let's leave it here, Rika. I'm beat. We'll talk details when we meet up."
Rika had more to say, but hearing how tired Mio sounded, she just said good night and hung up.
"…"
Mio tossed her phone aside. The dim, narrow rental went quiet.
She stared at the ceiling without a word.
A shaft of cool moonlight slipped in through the window and washed over the wall where a Hojo Shione poster hung.
Her gaze was pulled to the glow.
She slowly raised her hand, peering at the girl on the poster through her fingers.
For a second, Mio felt like the face on the wall was her own.
Kiyoya's words echoed in her mind:
"Have you ever thought that someday you'll be on stage too—up on the screen?"
"Don't say stuff like 'There's no way I could.' If you don't try, you'll never know how bright you can be."
A cloud slid over the moon; the room went dark.
Mio snapped back to herself.
She hesitated, then smirked at her own expense, yanked up the blanket, and dove under.
"Daydreaming."