The next day, I prepared to head out for Aqua's shoot, but since I share a room with Ai, sneaking out discreetly was incredibly difficult.
If I hadn't been careful, she would have 100% thrown a fit demanding to come along, so I had no choice but to be stealthy.
For the record, I left a note. Just in case she got worried.
Upon arriving at the set, I first walked around to greet the staff and the director.
"H-huh!? Ho... Ho-Ho-Ho-Hoshino Yume-senpai!?"
"Ah, you must be Arima Kana-san. Nice to meet you."
"I'm a fan! Please give me your autograph!"
"Ahaha..."
Since she said she was a fan, I gave her an autograph.
I could already roughly predict how things would go.
"Is it alright if I call you Arima-san?"
"Kana is fine!!"
"Then, Kana-san. As far as I know, usually for a drama, the main cast does a table read or rehearsal in a room."
"Based on that, the director or AD draws up the storyboards."
"Finally, on the set, you do a dry run, camera rehearsal, and a run-through before the actual filming begins. That's what I understand is standard."
When I pointed this out precisely, Kana-san broke out in a cold sweat.
"Well... they said we can only use this set for one day. So from the dry run to the run-through, everything is bundled together as just 'rehearsal'! ...Or so they said..."
"Wow."
"On top of that, we only get one practice run."
Hearing Kana-san's words, I found myself instinctively face-palming.
"Aren't they being too reckless? Even our director puts in more effort than this."
Aqua wasn't wrong, but...
"There's no budget and no time."
I suppose so.
While Aqua and Kana were talking, another voice came from behind them.
"Ah. Morning, Kana-chan. Isn't the rain crazy today? I wish they'd postpone the shoot."
That guy... Narushima Melt, playing the lead role of Amano Kanata, right?
I had already memorized the names of all the cast members, so there was no issue. But since he was behind Aqua, he didn't seem to see my face clearly.
"There seem to be some leaks, but it's fine."
"When it's humid, my hair gets frizzy. It feels damp and unpleasant in here..."
"Ah, let me introduce you. This is the guy playing the, uh, stalker today."
"I'm Hoshino Aqua. Nice to mee—"
"Uh-huh."
He brushed off Aqua's greeting and was about to walk past me when he finally saw me. His body froze.
"Uh... H-H-H-H-Hello!!!!! I am Narushima Melt!!!!! I am playing the role of Amano Kanata!!!! I always watch your dramas and movies, Hoshino Yume-senpai!! Would it be okay to ask for an autograph!?"
"I don't mind."
The treatment is quite different compared to Aqua. Well, it can't be helped.
Guys who blow up overnight tend to think the same way.
Once the guy who got my autograph disappeared...
"His attitude is pretty bad. He didn't even catch my name. And he only introduced himself to Yume."
"Ahaha... His name is Narushima Melt. Well, he's young, too... And in a way, Yume-senpai is close to a legend for us actors, so it can't be helped..."
Since when did my existence become a legend?
"It's common for kids who get famous instantly... Ah, saying this deals damage to me too."
To think it deals true damage... You've grown, Kana-san.
"That certain idol agency educates their talents properly, so they're polite and have high likeability on set. They say there are no duds with them. There's a reason they get used a lot."
If that's the level of education he received, then that agency's competence must be just so-so.
"Well, greetings are important! Come on!"
"Right, Aqua. You should at least go say hello. There are staff members you haven't greeted yet, and you haven't greeted the director either."
Watching Kana-san push Aqua by his back was a nice sight, but just then, the director Aqua decided to work with for this drama approached us.
"Oh, long time no see, Yume-kun."
"Long time no see, Director Masaya."
Since the last time was a year ago, I guess you could say it's been a while.
"It's rare for you to come to a shooting location like this, isn't it?"
"Ahaha, is it? Well, a kid who's like a little brother to me is filming today, so I decided to act as his manager for the day."
"Wow~ To think the famous 'Actor with a Thousand Faces' is personally looking after him. I'm looking forward to it."
"You flatter me. Ah, this is..."
I signaled Aqua with a hand gesture.
"Hello. I am Hoshino Aqua from Ichigo Productions. I look forward to working with you today."
"Right, looking forward to it."
As expected, after lightly receiving Aqua's greeting...
"Well then, feel free to watch over him, Yume-kun. Let's have a drink sometime later."
"Yes, I'll be in touch."
Aqua watched the director as he walked away.
There must be something Aqua is thinking. But as far as I remember, Director Masaya has no connection.
The 'original story' I know has already been distorted, and since Aqua already knows he is my child, there's no need for a DNA test.
Even so, the fact that he wanted to do this drama means Aqua sensed something.
Well, it's not good to be certain based on mere speculation, so I'll leave this part to Aqua.
"That person is the one in charge of this site. Did you already know that, Yume-senpai?"
"Yes. Since I've worked for a long time, I have some degree of acquaintance with him."
He was also the person who gave Ai various jobs.
"His opinions are conveyed to the set through the director or AD. He has strong connections with model agencies, so he pretty much did all the casting this time."
I see. No wonder the ratio of models is so high; the reason lies with the director.
"Anyway, he's a lookist, so the fact that he hired Aqua is largely due to that too. For the record, the same goes for me."
It seems his personality hasn't changed at all.
Giving Ai work was partly due to her looks, but unexpectedly, he tried to use me along with her.
"Rehearsal is starting~"
"Let's go. Is the script in your head?"
It goes without saying, since we read and researched it countless times together yesterday.
As the rehearsal began, I watched Aqua's acting and thought.
Aqua's role is a stalker chasing the heroine.
What kind of karma is this? A stalker who almost killed Ai.
A stalker who stabbed me in the abdomen with a kitchen knife and almost killed me.
My own child is acting out that role.
Feeling an indescribably bitter emotion, I watched Aqua act.
"There's quite a bit of rain leaking around here."
My murmur was too quiet for anyone to hear, but as if triggered by my soliloquy...
"Let's stop for a moment."
Filming was temporarily halted.
Aqua came over to where I was and drank the water I had prepared.
Kana-san approached us as we stood there.
"You're acting just fine. What do you mean 'aspiring staff member'?"
Certainly, if Aqua pursued acting rather than being staff, he could succeed as a hardworking actor. But he doesn't know his own heart yet, so it can't be helped.
"Anyone can do this much with practice. It's just enough not to get in anyone's way. There's no charm in it for me personally."
Is his self-esteem this low because he's the child of Ai and me?
Aqua is probably thinking this:
When he first acted as a child...
It only passed as acting because of the uncanny valley effect caused by the gap between his age and his mental maturity.
Now that his body has caught up to his mental age, he's just an ordinary actor you can find anywhere.
Honestly, Aqua doesn't have raw talent.
But if Aqua utilizes his talent—Ai's delicately calculated directing ability and the insight to see the essence of things that I possess—he can become a first-class hardworking actor.
"If you wanted some amazing acting, I'm sorry."
"No. Well, it would be a lie to say I didn't expect a little, but this is enough."
"I like your acting, Aqua. It feels like the acting of someone who has kept trying."
"Should I say the detailed techniques are kind and polite? It feels like you killed your own ego and approached the story."
"Maybe ordinary people wouldn't notice, and maybe it's not important unless you've been an actor for a long time like us."
I guess I should say Arima Kana-san has a good eye as well...
"Don't be unnecessarily considerate. Besides, with a grand senior standing right behind you, can you really say that?"
Trying to use your father in this situation is bad, Aqua.
"No, Yume-senpai is unrelated, isn't he!? And how can I not be considerate? Even though I look like this, I am the leader!"
"Getting a lead role is a big deal for me for the first time in 10 years! I have to work hard!"
Ah... I suppose that's true. But not getting a lead role for 10 years, excluding child acting days... Is it because she hit a wall, or perhaps... No, that would be speculation.
Arima Kana-san will surely soar if she just gets the chance.
"Actually, since I haven't seen you lately, I did wonder if you had quit acting."
"Ugh!?"
Aqua, shouldn't you learn to be at least a little considerate? How can Ai, Aqua, and Ruby all be so identical when it comes to being blunt?
Having taken critical damage from Aqua's words, Kana-san faltered but continued.
"It's true that my dark age was quite long. I couldn't get work, and on the internet, I was treated as a has-been."
"But I kept practicing. I didn't know what I was working so hard for."
"The word 'retirement' crossed my mind several times..."
"But! A time like this where ability is evaluated has come! It was really tough until now, but I think it was worth continuing!!"
I see. Was the catalyst for Arima Kana-san today's shoot with Aqua?
"So, even if you aren't incredibly good at acting, just knowing that you're continuing in this job made me happy."
Is spring coming for our Aqua too?
"Just knowing there's someone else struggling alongside me in this world that's pitch black ahead and behind... that alone is enough."
Hah... Indeed. Just having that kind of mindset in this entertainment industry already makes her first-class.