In a family restaurant not far from the Rinpo studio, several key members of the Kara no Kyoukai crew sat around a table in the corner.
Everyone's faces were dark with frustration, and Nanaya Kiryu, the director, was filled with resentment.
"Everyone, I am truly very sorry!"
As Satomi Adachi's manager, Tamari Tsukasa knelt on the floor in a full dogeza before the group.
That morning, Tamari had gone to pick up Adachi as usual, but after waiting downstairs for a long time with no sign of her, he became worried something had happened. He went to the apartment manager, only to learn that Satomi Adachi had already moved out, leaving behind only a letter.
After reading the letter, Tamari immediately panicked. Subaru Ikeda, who had gone to the address Adachi registered with the crew, arrived soon after. Once Tamari showed him the letter, Subaru realized the situation was bad and immediately contacted Nanaya.
Tamari bowed again. "I'm so sorry!"
"You dare to say that?! As a manager, you can't even control your own client!" Ikeda grabbed Tamari by the collar, nearly ready to punch him.
Tamari cried out miserably, "But what can I do? Adachi-san has a terrible temper! I can't say anything about her personal life!"
"Forget it. Let him go. This isn't his fault," Nanaya said tiredly, signaling Ikeda to release him.
Nanaya understood clearly: Tamari was essentially a nanny for Adachi, not someone she trusted. Their connection only existed because of Kara no Kyoukai there was no loyalty. If Adachi wanted to disappear, she would never tell Tamari.
"Oh dear, oh dear… I never thought Ms. Adachi would be such a heartless woman."
Shounan read the letter with an uncharacteristically serious expression.
Nanaya glanced at the page in Shounan's hand; he had already read it countless times.
The content was simple: Adachi didn't think highly of Kara no Kyoukai, feared it would damage her career, and therefore decided to withdraw. She also demanded the crew delete all footage of her, or she would sue for violation of portrait rights.
"What future? With that sickly like face, what 'portrait rights' do you even have?!" Nanaya cursed. He had never met an actor like this in either of his lives.
Quitting without a legitimate reason was a severe breach of contract career-ending for anyone not already a superstar. Who would hire someone who quits without warning?
Sure, there was one exception:
If the movie was objectively terrible, the actor might later justify quitting as "good judgment."
But that only worked for high-profile films. For small productions, nobody cares.
Normally, actors finish filming and only after release do they blame the production to distance themselves.
Walking away mid-shoot was self-sabotage.
"This is unbelievable!"
Adachi's actions put Nanaya in a terrible position. If they deleted her scenes, they would basically need to reshoot the whole movie something the budget could not support.
Using her footage was out of the question not because of her threat, but because Nanaya felt that seeing her face in his film would make him vomit.
Just as Nanaya was desperately trying to figure out how to solve the crisis, his phone rang.
The caller ID displayed: Unknown caller
Who would call at a time like this?
Thinking it might be staff from the studio with more bad news, Nanaya stepped outside to answer.
But the voice that came through the speaker was the one Nanaya least wanted to hear.
"Hey, country bumpkin! How's it going?"
That grating hoarse voice stabbed straight into Nanaya's ears.
Nanaya's hand trembled as he held the phone.
"I figured things must be going terribly on your end, so I called to check," the voice continued smugly.
So you're the culprit?
The problem only happened this morning, and Momokusa Toshinobu already knew.
There was no way this wasn't his doing.
Nanaya realized how naive he had been. This guy probably used those extras earlier just to lower his guard, then delivered a fatal blow at the critical moment.
"You really mastered the art of distraction and misdirection, didn't you…" Nanaya thought bitterly.
"What angered him most was that the plan had actually worked."
Nanaya wanted to slap himself.
"Oh, you're angry? ~ Don't blame me. You forced my hand. Who told you a nobody to try turning your life around with something like this? I had no choice but to crush you completely. That's how a real big shot works~"
Big shot? Monkey with a crown is more like it.
Nanaya didn't even bother saying it; the idiot wouldn't understand.
"How did you convince Adachi?" Nanaya asked coldly.
Momokusa replied smugly, "Easy. I offered her the lead role in my next movie. She agreed immediately. She's smart she knows who to follow."
"You? Being kind?"
"That woman's somewhat attractive. Not too bad next to a popular idol like me."
Exactly what Nanaya expected. One was a popular idol. The other was an unknown director. The choice was obvious.
And for that, Nanaya sentenced Adachi's career to death in his heart.
Even assuming Momokusa didn't screw her over later, she had used their film as a stepping stone. That stain would follow her forever.
"And then what? You called just to mock me? If so, congratulations," Nanaya said, ready to hang up.
But Momokusa wasn't finished.
He cleared his throat dramatically, then said something that froze Nanaya in place.
"Hey, you country bumpkin. Want to work for me?"
Has he lost his mind?
"I acknowledge your talent. If you serve me faithfully, I'll give you work. After this failure, you've offended Rinpo. You'll never direct again. Only someone as generous as me would still hire you. With your help, I'll become a world-class superstar and you'll benefit too."
Nanaya felt sick.
He would rather work in a convenience store than serve Momokusa for one second.
"Sorry. I refuse. If I see your face again, I might throw up on it."
Momokusa, who had been babbling non-stop, suddenly fell silent.
Nanaya expected more insults.
Instead, after a long pause, Momokusa sighed heavily.
"So you really are just an inflexible country bumpkin. I truly thought highly of you. You worked harder than all the other idiots… that's why I tried to recruit you."
"No need. We became enemies the moment you targeted my juniors."
"Do you really think you can turn things around with your teacher? Don't dream. He's already in deep trouble. There's no way he can gather 15 million yen in cash this quickly. Even as a top director, he doesn't have that much liquid money."
What?
Nanaya froze.
"You didn't know? The entire 15 million yen you spent on the movie your teacher paid it himself."
Momokusa's words struck Nanaya like thunder