I'll post an extra chapter every 300 Power Stones. Good luck with that!
Goal for the next extra chapter: 25/300
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The voice I heard was Aya Fuji's. She appeared right behind Ren as if she were a ghost.
"Does Kyo have a girlfriend?" she asked again.
Then she looked at Miu, who was sitting with her head lowered.
She was clearly avoiding making eye contact with either of them.
"Is this your girlfriend?" Aya asked. Then she stepped a little closer and asked, "What's your name?" She smiled.
"Are you talking to me?" Miu asked in surprise.
"Yes, you. What's your name? You're Kyo's girlfriend, aren't you?"
"G-Girlfriend!?" Miu looked panicked. "No, of course we're not dating. We're just friends. We met at school. We work together, that's all..."
"I figured. Hahaha." Aya Fuji laughed. "There was no way Kyo would be interested in someone like you, right?"
Aya said those incredibly rude words as though they were nothing.
Everyone around them noticed just how unpleasant her words were.
The atmosphere turned cold.
Aya, however, didn't seem to care.
I looked at Miu, and her smile had disappeared. She looked deeply intimidated and visibly saddened. She seemed like she wanted to run away.
Because Aya Fuji is my senior and I respect her very much, I didn't want to say anything. But seeing Miu like this, I couldn't stay silent.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, looking at Aya Fuji.
Ren Kisaragi's eyebrows rose, and he smiled.
He gave me a thumbs-up as if to say, "That's right. Stand up for your girl!"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"You said I wouldn't be interested in someone like Miu. Do you even know what my type is? What makes you think that?"
"Well..."
"Besides, Miu is beautiful, kind, studious, and hardworking. Any man who got to know her well would be interested in her. Don't go around saying things like that."
Everyone around us fell silent.
Even the people sitting farther away stopped talking so they could listen.
"I didn't mean to offend her, okay?"
"But you did. Apologize to her right now."
I stared straight at Aya Fuji.
She looked back at me, seemingly unable to understand.
She was probably thinking, "What did I do wrong?"
Aya Fuji looked at Miu, and the hatred in her eyes was unmistakable.
Miu, embarrassed by my words, said, "It's okay, Kyo. She doesn't have to apologize."
She was trying to avoid causing any trouble.
"See? Mia knows I didn't mean to offend her."
"Her name is Miu."
I let out a sigh.
"Fine, let's just drop it. Let's forget about it and enjoy the event."
Even though I said that, I was visibly irritated.
Aya Fuji noticed and decided to back off rather than cause even more trouble.
After watching Aya walk away, Ren Kisaragi said,
"You did the right thing."
He smiled at Miu and me before sitting back down beside his wife.
His wife, who was sitting right next to Miu, said,
"Don't pay any attention to what that woman says. You're very beautiful. You two make a lovely couple."
She smiled warmly.
"We're really not a couple," Miu said in a panic.
"Oh? I thought you two were dating. So you're really not together, huh?"
Miu said something to Ren's wife, but I couldn't hear it.
All I know is that the two of them started laughing and seemed to be getting along.
I looked over at Aya Fuji, and she was staring at me as though I were her enemy.
Or was she looking at Miu?
I wasn't sure.
####
Time continued to pass, and the theater gradually filled up.
The event was much bigger than I had expected.
Besides the production staff, critics and journalists were also attending.
I thought I would have to do something, but everyone remained seated. Only the director and the screenwriter went to the front before the first episode started.
They talked a little about the story, then thanked the entire production team and the cast for making the project possible.
I smiled the whole time while listening to them. Their words were genuinely touching.
When they finished speaking, everyone applauded, including the actors.
Then, at last, the first episode of the series began.
This was the very first scene I had filmed.
My character, Sota Mizuno, came home after spending the night out and got into an argument with his parents.
It was amazing that I already had so much screen time in the very first episode.
'This scene is longer than I expected.'
I was completely absorbed in what I was watching.
I started remembering what filming had been like.
I remembered the emotions I had felt while shooting those scenes.
It was as if I had truly become Sota Mizuno.
I looked to my side, and Miu's eyes were sparkling as she watched.
She was so focused that I decided not to say anything.
I looked at Rina, and she was the same way.
Not just the two of them—I looked behind me and saw the faces of several critics, or at least I thought they were critics.
They were clearly impressed by what they were watching.
Since I had so much screen time, maybe they were impressed by my performance.
Or maybe I was just being too full of myself.
When my character ran upstairs to his room, leaving his parents and younger brother downstairs, Miu quietly whispered into my ear,
"That was amazing."
As soon as she said it, she went right back to watching as though nothing had happened.
With a smile on my face, I continued watching the first episode.
After that, I only appeared in a few scenes at home.
The spotlight shifted entirely to Ren and Aya, the main characters.
When the first episode ended, the entire theater fell silent.
Then, to my surprise, someone started clapping.
I don't know who started it, but soon more and more people joined in.
Before long, the entire theater was applauding.
####
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