章 36: Chapter 36: Feeling Flattered
Two days passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was time to rehearse for the play.
Compared to Akikawa Kyousuke, who, as always, lacked energy, today Misaki Itakura seemed particularly excited.
There was no need to say why.
Today, this young agent finally had the chance to work with her idol, Okino Yoko.
Akikawa Kyousuke and the others arrived at the Imperial Theater half an hour before the agreed time.
As the time gradually approached, more and more artists gathered at the venue.
Okino Yoko, who had started rehearsing a week ago, arrived fifteen minutes early.
A vigorous and sweet "Good morning~" instantly swept away the residual fatigue in the minds of many present.
"Hurry up, Mr. Akikawa! Let's go greet Miss Yoko, too!"
Itakura Misaki seemed particularly excited.
She looked at Okino Yoko, who had immediately been surrounded by many artists upon her arrival. She reached out and grabbed Akikawa Kyousuke's arm, trying to drag him toward Okino Yoko.
"Mr. Akikawa also said he really likes Miss Yoko, right?"
"Miss Itakura, it's better if you go alone. I'll go greet Nishihara-senpai."
Akikawa Kyousuke wasn't very interested in Okino Yoko.
Moreover, he had already deduced that Okino Yoko was very likely acquainted with his original self, so he didn't want to initiate contact.
Anyway, he knew that Okino Yoko would avoid him and wouldn't make an effort to speak with him.
"Oh~ Mr. Akikawa is really shy~"
Itakura Misaki misunderstood.
She teased Akikawa Kyousuke playfully, then quickly walked in Okino Yoko's direction.
Meanwhile, Akikawa Kyousuke moved toward another "acquaintance" from his company who was also present.
Not long ago, Kouichi Nishihara had been eliminated by him during the audition for the high school student role, Sae Otani.
"Nishihara-senpai, good morning!"
"Thanks to Nishihara-senpai's guidance during the last audition, I successfully got the role."
Nishihara Kouichi, who had been watching Okino Yoko from afar, couldn't help but twitch slightly at the corners of his mouth upon hearing Akikawa Kyousuke's words.
Barely holding a neutral expression, he forced a kind smile for Akikawa Kyousuke.
"Congratulations, Akikawa-kun. It seems Akikawa-kun's temperament really suits a high school student."
"Really? Thank you, Nishihara-senpai."
Akikawa Kyousuke smiled shyly at Nishihara Kouichi.
Nishihara's face twitched again, feeling even more disgusted with Akikawa Kyousuke.
"What an idiot. I'm mocking him for being childish, and he doesn't even realize it."
"Takemura's current directing level isn't good enough if he actually cast an inexperienced fool like this."
Before the New Year holiday last year, Kouichi Nishihara, who had been heading to meet Okino Yoko, had accidentally overheard her conversation with her agent, Nakata Sae.
He learned that Okino Yoko wanted Akikawa Kyousuke out of the company but didn't have a suitable reason.
Later, Nishihara Kouichi researched Akikawa Kyousuke's information and discovered he had also signed up for the same play audition as Okino Yoko.
Thus, Kouichi Nishihara also signed up for the same role audition.
Not only did he want to crush Akikawa Kyousuke's acting dreams, but he also wanted a chance to perform alongside Okino Yoko.
Little did he expect to lose the role.
And the director assigned him a minor supporting role as a consolation.
This was a huge humiliation for Kouichi Nishihara, who had always prided himself on his acting skills.
Naturally, this made him dislike Akikawa Kyousuke even more.
"I'm furious."
Akikawa Kyousuke noticed Nishihara slightly raising his head, which struck him as strange.
This was a microexpression indicating inner anger.
Though he didn't know these things before, he had learned to recognize them now.
But Akikawa Kyousuke wouldn't swallow his anger if someone caused trouble out of nowhere.
He knew exactly how to effectively stir up someone's anger.
And he knew the other person couldn't do anything about it.
Meanwhile, he could maintain his pure image with others—two birds with one stone.
On the other side, Okino Yoko, who was chatting with a group of artists around her, was suddenly approached by Misaki Itakura, who squeezed through the crowd.
"Miss Yoko, I've been a fan since your days with Earth Lady!"
"I never imagined I'd get to work with you. It's such an honor!"
"Ahaha, thank you for liking me."
Okino Yoko was accustomed to such situations and smiled warmly at Misaki Itakura.
"I remember; your surname is Itakura, right?"
"Wow—! Miss Yoko actually remembers my name!!"
Itakura Misaki was instantly thrilled, feeling deeply flattered.
She didn't remain lost in her happiness for long.
Misaki remembered she was Akikawa Kyousuke's manager and knew she should leave a good impression of him on Okino Yoko.
"Well, my client, Mr. Akikawa, said he really likes Miss Yoko too."
"It's just that he's a bit shy and embarrassed to approach you, so..."
"Ehh?!"
Misaki was mid-sentence when she suddenly heard a cute gasp in front of her.
She then saw Okino Yoko suddenly cover her mouth with both hands as a light pink blush appeared on her cheeks.
The scene didn't only captivate the men present; even women, including Itakura Misaki, were momentarily stunned.
"Oh my gosh, Miss Yoko is so cute when she's shy!!"
Misaki felt as though a nosebleed was imminent and might erupt at any moment.
Okino Yoko, covering her slightly heated cheeks, looked slowly toward a certain figure whom she had noticed but deliberately ignored.
However, after seeing Nishihara Kouichi conversing with Akikawa Kyousuke, her slight confusion immediately settled.
"Miss Itakura, does Mr. Akikawa know Mr. Nishihara?"
"No, it's just that Mr. Akikawa said he wanted to thank Mr. Nishihara for his guidance during the audition, so he went to chat."
"Guidance?"
Okino Yoko's long-lashed eyes flickered slightly, and she asked softly:
"Speaking of which, between Akikawa-kun and Nishihara-san, who signed up first for the Otani Sae audition?"
"We did! If we'd known Mr. Nishihara, a former child actor, was competing, we wouldn't have applied!"
"Oh, I see."
Okino Yoko's voice was even-toned.
When artists from the same company register for an audition for the same role, the company's internal system displays if another artist has already registered.
While the company doesn't prohibit competition, Okino Yoko knew Nishihara Kouichi couldn't have known Akikawa Kyousuke personally.
The only reason Nishihara would stoop to take a minor role was because Akikawa Kyousuke was also cast.
Additionally, Nishihara Kouichi deliberately signed up for a role Akikawa Kyousuke had already registered for.
Even though Akikawa was just a junior artist in Okino Yoko's company, Nishihara's actions were enough to disgust her.
Not to mention that Akikawa Kyousuke's relationship with Okino Yoko was far from ordinary.
"Miss Itakura, please try to keep Akikawa-kun away from Mr. Nishihara in the future."
"Nishihara was once a very popular child actor in Japan. His popularity waned not because of poor acting skills."
Okino Yoko hinted to Misaki.
Her words greatly shocked Itakura Misaki.
"So his popularity didn't drop due to his acting?"
"In other words, because of his character?!"
Itakura Misaki knew the strict standards of Japan's entertainment industry.
No matter how talented an artist is, if they're unpleasant to work with, their career suffers.
Unexpectedly, that's how people perceived Kouichi Nishihara.
"Wow! Then we absolutely can't let Mr. Akikawa continue interacting with Mr. Nishihara!"
Misaki Itakura knew her artist was skilled at aggravating people.
If he offended Nishihara Kouichi, future work might suffer greatly.
As soon as Misaki ran toward Akikawa Kyousuke, she saw him walking toward her.
Looking at Nishihara Kouichi, who was still smiling, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thankfully, Mr. Akikawa doesn't seem to have done anything to offend Mr. Nishihara."
*(End of Chapter)*
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