Chapter 43: MV in Production
"What on earth are you doing here?"
Hikaru Hoshino frowned, his tone openly blunt and unwelcoming.
The little girl with white hair and red eyes looked up, flashing a perfectly innocent smile. "I happen to really enjoy acting too."
Alarm bells instantly went off in Hikaru's mind. This seemingly ordinary little girl was actually the true deity of this world–Tsukuyomi. Under miserable life circumstances, a person might pray for a god to appear before them, wearing a halo and extending a helping hand. But Hikaru was currently living a perfectly comfortable, fulfilling life, so when a god actually materialized...
He felt nothing but pure wariness. He didn't need any divine intervention; he just hoped this entity wasn't here to cause trouble.
"Don't go causing any mischief," Hikaru warned in a low, hushed voice. "Or else..."
"Or else what?" Tsukuyomi tilted her little head, asking with the pure innocence of a child.
Hikaru suddenly let out a defeated sigh. "Or else I'll just have to beg you to let me off the hook."
Tsukuyomi giggled, thoroughly amused. "I really just came to watch." She covered her mouth and laughed, her voice clear and bright like silver bells.
"I hope so."
As Hikaru turned to leave, Tsukuyomi suddenly asked, "Don't you have anything you want to ask me? Opportunities to meet a god don't come around often. I might just be able to clear up some of your doubts."
He stopped in his tracks. After standing in place and reflecting for a brief moment, he asked, "...Is Hikaru Kamiki dead?"
That guy better be dead. Hikaru didn't want to deal with a trashy trope like two souls fighting over one body.
He pulled Tsukuyomi toward a secluded corner of the shrine, planning to properly grill this little lo–... goddess where nobody was looking.
Tsukuyomi let him lead her along without resistance. "You are him," she said, blinking her eyes. "In reality, you just lost your memory and then remembered your past life."
*No way,* Hikaru thought, clicking his tongue inwardly. He didn't like that answer at all. He stared deeply into the white-haired girl's eyes, noting that her crimson irises were actually quite beautiful.
"You're lying," he smirked.
Tsukuyomi's curiosity was genuinely piqued now. "Are you really that certain I'm lying?"
"Of course," Hikaru said. "I have eyes that can see right through lies."
"Liar!" the girl cried out. "In this world, there are only eyes that *tell* lies. There's no such thing as eyes that see through them."
"Didn't I just see through yours?"
Tsukuyomi lapsed into silence for a moment. "Fine, Hikaru Kamiki is indeed dead. At the very least, I can no longer find his soul anywhere in this world."
"Then what's the deal with the star eyes?" Hikaru fired off his second question.
"The star eyes can only be perceived by those outside the play; ordinary people don't actually notice them. It's merely the manifestation of a specific trait."
Hikaru gave it some thought, realizing it was a bit like the breathing style sword effects in Demon Slayer. "So it's just a visual effect?" he asked.
"You could understand it that way," Tsukuyomi nodded. "Those are eyes that tell lies, possessing the power to turn lies into reality. People can't help but be drawn to them."
"Is that so?" Hikaru pulled his usual pair of colored contacts from his pocket and popped them in. "I think I'm already pretty good at lying."
Tsukuyomi quietly observed Hikaru in his double-black-star form. "Yours are fake," she said.
A moment later, an identical pair of stars manifested within her own eyes. "Mine are the real deal."
Did Tsukuyomi ever manifest black stars in the manga? Hikaru recalled that she didn't, but there was no point obsessing over that now.
"Does real or fake even matter?" He took the contacts back out. "A deity's blessing? I don't need it at all. Even without some innate talent, I can still reach the absolute peak of the entertainment industry."
"Besides, if the stars you give only possess that level of power..." then he didn't think it was anything impressive.
Looking at the few people who possessed those stars–Ai, Aqua, Ruby, Hikaru Kamiki, and occasionally Kana Arima and Akane Kurokawa under specific circumstances–every single one of them seemed to have a miserable time. Calling it a divine blessing was a stretch; it felt a lot more like a curse. It couldn't cast illusions, and it didn't possess black flames that could burn through anything.
What was the point of just being a good liar? To make it in this world, you needed real leverage and a strong background. In this ruthless capitalist society, being born into a family like the Shinomiyas was a million times more useful than any magical eyes.
Hikaru waved his hand and walked away, leaving Tsukuyomi with nothing but a casual view of his back.
"Boo hoo, getting looked down upon as a god is so embarrassing," Tsukuyomi muttered on the spot, her face completely blank. "Well, it can't be helped. After all, I'm just a crow."
She suddenly transformed into a black crow, spreading her wings to preen her feathers before shifting back into human form in the blink of an eye.
"But I already told you, didn't I? Those eyes can only be seen by people outside the play."
A mischievous smile spread across her face. "And since you are already a part of the play..."
"How could you possibly know whether you truly have a god's blessing or not?"
[LanLi: She's at it again.]
The preparations before shooting were brief, and it was soon time to officially record the MV.
"Alright everyone, get ready to work!"
Director Gotanda shouted at the top of his lungs, wisps of blue smoke rising from the cigarette clamped between his fingers. The set instantly came alive as the camera operators calibrated their angles, the lighting technicians double-checked the filler lights, and the background extras filed into their designated spots.
Ai was dressed in a long, pristine white dress adorned with vibrant crimson accents, looking just like a blooming white rose covered in fresh dew. Standing amidst the crowd, she was an absolute focal point, her long purple hair fluttering gently in the breeze. Hikaru wore a deep blue jacket, getting into position to deliver a soulful performance.
"Everyone've read the script, right?" Gotanda looked around at the group. "Shooting an MV is very straightforward. Extras, try to keep completely quiet during this shot and just watch the female lead dance."
He turned to Ai, his expression turning serious. "Ai, how is your Kagura dance coming along?"
"I've completely mastered it!" Ai replied, bursting with energy.
"Good," Gotanda tossed his cigarette into a nearby bin. "But you don't need to perform the dance perfectly. Feel free to make plenty of mistakes, and it's fine if your posture isn't entirely standard. I need to capture a sort of stumbling, clumsy feel. However..."
"You can't actually fall over," he instructed.
Ai nodded enthusiastically. "Understood!"
With all the preparation finalized, the cameras formally started rolling.
The Shinto shrine sector of Tokyo Film City had been meticulously staged. The rustic wooden architecture exuded an aura of ancient solemnity under the sunlight. The main hall sat at the highest peak of the stone steps, with a vintage offering box positioned right out front, its bronze surface polished to a brilliant shine by the crew.
Dense, ancient trees grew around the shrine, their lush foliage casting dappled patterns of light and shadow across the ground. The ema racks were completely filled with colorful prayer plaques, clinking softly whenever a gentle breeze swept through. A massive sacred tree was wrapped in a thick shimenawa rope, its trunk so massive it would take several people linking hands to fully encircle it.
From the shrine down to the foot of the mountain, rows of crimson torii gates formed a mysterious and majestic pathway.
Ai stood directly beneath the largest torii gate, which towered over the rest like a sacred portal.
Taking a deep breath, she began to dance.
A Kagura dance was supposed to be solemn and graceful, but following the director's specific instructions, Ai deliberately made her movements sway unsteadily, creating a somewhat eerie visual effect.
The extras formed a semi-circle, quietly watching her performance. Their expressions carried a trace of deep sorrow, as if they were gazing upon a deceased lover.
Hikaru stood at the very edge of the crowd, working incredibly hard to control his facial expressions as he watched Ai dance with a soulful gaze.
He felt a bit detached from the scene, finding it hard to get into the zone. At that moment, he recalled Aqua's method-acting approach and figured it was worth a shot.
Staring deeply at Ai as she danced, the image of her death from his past life flashed across his mind–the scene from the first episode of the anime where she lay in a pool of blood.
His memory was simply too sharp, meaning that vivid image remained indelibly stamped into his mind, utterly impossible to forget.
In his past life, he had merely felt a passing sense of pity, feeling bad for the tragic end of a fictional character.
But now...
Now that he was actively a part of this reality, if Ai were to truly die...
*I probably wouldn't handle it any better than Aqua did.*
With that thought, a profound sorrow surfaced in Hikaru's eyes, and that genuine, heartfelt grief translated flawlessly through the camera lens.
Ai gracefully concluded a segment of the Kagura dance, the hem of her white dress blooming like petals as she spun. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, but her expression remained completely focused and immersed.
"Let's do it one more time!" Gotanda called out.
Ai nodded, returning to her starting position. Just like that, she repeated the exact same dance over and over, though the angle of her stumbles differed slightly every single time.
After several retakes, Gotanda finally nodded in satisfaction. "That's a wrap on this shot!"
"Take a break, everyone get some lunch." Gotanda clapped his hands, signaling the crew to relax.
The crew members let out a collective sigh of relief and headed toward the rest area. The production had prepared high-quality boxed lunches for everyone, featuring steaming hot rice, grilled fish, vegetables, and fragrant miso soup.
Hikaru sat down on the stone steps and opened his lunchbox, looking somewhat distracted.
"Not actually singing out loud feels kind of awkward," he mentioned to Gotanda.
Gotanda picked up a piece of grilled fish, entirely unfazed. "We're not tracking vocals right now, the audio track gets layered in during post-production anyway. Why bother singing out loud? This is how all music videos are shot."
"I'm just not used to it. I'm really not cut out for acting," Hikaru chuckled dryly, shaking his head.
Ai chimed in with a smile, "Actually, you did a great job, Hikaru. The way you were looking at me made it feel like I had actually died."
Hikaru froze for a second before smoothly fabricating a lie. "I just have a very vivid imagination, so I was able to picture the scenario."
Gotanda stretched, getting up to walk back over to the cameras, deliberately giving the young pair some space.
"So, what did I look like dead?" Ai asked curiously.
Hikaru hesitated for a moment but decided to tell the truth. "Basically what would have happened if Ryosuke succeeded. Massive blood loss, and then that was it."
A sudden wave of goosebumps broke out across Ai's skin. "I've actually imagined that scenario before too. It's pretty terrifying. I'm just glad you were there, Hikaru."
Right at that moment, Tsukuyomi suddenly popped up from behind Ai, her white eyelashes looking rather eerie in the bright sunlight.
Curving the corners of her mouth, she looked at Hikaru and said, "Yeah, it's a good thing you were there."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hikaru's gaze turned cold.
"Nothing." Tsukuyomi's expression turned remarkably sincere. "I'm being completely genuine, you know. I'm genuinely thanking you."
The midday break concluded quickly, and by afternoon, everyone was fully rested. Gotanda stood up, his professional drive completely reignited.
"Back to work! Let's shoot the next sequence!"
The next scene required Ai to dance on top of a coffin, which demanded an extreme level of physical control. The surface of the coffin was quite narrow, meaning a slight misstep would cause her to fall off, yet she had to execute complex choreography on top of it.
Fortunately, Ai's foundational dance skills were exceptionally solid; years of intense idol training had gifted her with incredible balance and bodily coordination. She lightly leaped onto the coffin and began to dance elegantly within the tight space, seamlessly maintaining the visual beauty of the choreography while ensuring her own safety.
They spent the entire afternoon capturing this high-difficulty sequence, and by the time Ai jumped down from the coffin, her forehead was drenched in sweat, though a satisfied smile remained on her face.
"That wraps it up for today's shoot," Gotanda announced. "Also, the rest of you are officially wrapped. You can head over to accounting to collect your pay." The extras immediately broke into cheers. Spending a single day just posing and doing a few simple movements for a quick paycheck was an awesome gig.
Tsukuyomi also jogged over to collect her wages for the day.
"Wrapped, wrapped!" Hikaru threw his hands up in celebration.
"What are you getting excited for?" Gotanda grabbed Hikaru just as he was about to make a break for it. "Tomorrow we continue shooting the hospital scenes."
"Wrapped, wrapped~" Ai attempted to quietly slip away as well.
The director reached out and caught Ai too, saying helplessly, "You're obviously coming along too."
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