Chương 19: [19] @RealAkiraHoshino
I woke to the incessant buzzing of my phone. Marin stirred beside me, her warmth a comforting presence against my side. The room was dark, save for the faint glow of streetlights filtering through the curtains.
"Mmm... Akira, your phone," Marin mumbled.
I reached out blindly, fumbling for the source of the noise. Before I could grab it, Marin's hand shot out and snatched the device.
"Hello?" she muttered, her eyes still closed.
There was a pause, then a female voice crackled through the earpiece. "Akira! Wait, that's not Akira. Uh... excuse me, can you give the phone to Akira?"
Marin's eyes snapped open, suddenly alert. "This is Akira's girlfriend, Marin. Who is this?"
I propped myself up on my elbow, watching as Marin's expression shifted from sleepy confusion to something sharper.
"Kana Arima," the voice replied. "I'm his co-star on Sweet Today."
Marin's eyebrows shot up. "Oh! Hi Kana!"
There was a beat of silence on the other end. "Marin? Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me!" Marin chirped, her earlier suspicion melting away. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "It's 11:38 PM. What's up?"
I could hear the excitement in Kana's voice even from where I sat. "Has Akira seen the first episode?"
Marin's eyes widened, and she turned to me, covering the mouthpiece with her hand. "Akira! The first episode! We forgot!"
I sat up fully, running a hand through my disheveled hair. How had we lost track of time like that? The memories of our intimate afternoon came flooding back. Ah, so that's how.
"Put it on speaker," I whispered to Marin.
She nodded, tapping the screen. "You're on speaker now, Kana. Akira's here too."
"Akira!" Kana's voice filled the room. "Have you seen it? What did you think?"
I cleared my throat, trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep. "Sorry, Kana. We, uh... we lost track of time. We haven't watched it yet."
"Oh." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Well, you need to watch it right now! The response has been incredible. Social media is blowing up!"
Marin was already scrambling for the laptop, turning it on and navigating to the website. "We're pulling it up now, Kana. Do you want us to call you when we finish?"
"If you don't mind," Kana replied, her enthusiasm returning. "I'd love to hear your thoughts."
As the opening credits began to roll, I felt a knot of anxiety form in my stomach. This was it - my debut as a leading man. Everything I'd worked for, everything I'd left behind... it all came down to this moment.
Marin squeezed my hand, sensing my tension. "It's going to be amazing," she whispered.
As the scene unfolded on screen, I felt a strange mix of pride and discomfort. Watching myself - or rather, Kanata - interact with Kana's Miyu was surreal. I'd been so caught up in the moment during filming that I'd almost forgotten how it might look to an outside observer.
Marin squeezed my hand, her eyes glued to the screen. "Akira, you're amazing! The way you're scowling - I can practically feel Kanata's frustration!"
I nodded, trying to focus on the technical aspects of the performance rather than the memories it stirred up. "Thanks. Kana really brought her A-game too. Look at how she's subtly softening towards Kanata, even as she keeps her guard up."
On screen, Kanata and Miyu continued their search for the cat. Marin giggled as Kanata made another gruff comment. "You know, he kind of reminds me of you when we first met. All prickly on the outside."
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And here I thought I was the epitome of charm."
Marin playfully swatted my arm. "You know what I mean! You had this whole mysterious, standoffish thing going on. It was pretty hot, actually."
I felt my cheeks warm slightly. Even after everything we'd been through, Marin still had the ability to catch me off guard with her honesty.
"Shh, look!" Marin suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the screen. "They found the cat!"
We watched as Kanata scooped up the injured animal, his gruff exterior cracking just a bit. Marin cooed at the sight. "Aww, he does have a heart after all!"
"Don't sound so surprised," I muttered, half-joking. "Even jerks can care about animals."
Marin rested her head on my shoulder. "I know. That's part of what makes Kanata - and you - so interesting. There's always more beneath the surface."
As the scene shifted to the vet clinic, I tensed slightly. I remembered this part all too well - the unexpected confrontation with Takeshi's character.
"Oh no," Marin whispered as Takeshi appeared on screen. "I don't like the look of this guy."
I watched myself - Kanata - square off against Takeshi. The tension was palpable, even through the screen. Marin's grip on my hand tightened.
"Wow," she breathed as Kanata delivered his scathing retort. "You really put him in his place! Go Akira!"
I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Thanks. But you should see how Kana handles it. Watch."
Sure enough, Kana's Miyu stepped up, shutting down Takeshi's possessive behavior with a mix of firmness and compassion that perfectly balanced Kanata's more aggressive approach.
"They work so well together," Marin mused. "You and Kana, I mean. The chemistry is incredible."
I nodded, a small knot forming in my stomach. "Yeah, she's a great scene partner. Really knows how to elevate the material."
Marin turned to me, her eyes searching my face. "Hey, what's wrong? You got all tense all of a sudden."
I sighed, pausing the video. "It's nothing. Just... I don't know. Watching it all back, seeing how well Kana and I work together on screen... I guess I'm worried about how people might interpret that."
Marin's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
I ran a hand through my hair, struggling to put my thoughts into words. "You know how fans can be. They see two actors with good chemistry and suddenly they're shipping them in real life. I just... I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or anything."
Marin's expression softened. She cupped my face in her hands, forcing me to meet her gaze. "Akira, listen to me. What I see on that screen is two incredibly talented actors bringing their characters to life. Yes, you have great chemistry. That's a good thing! It means you're both doing your jobs well."
I leaned into her touch, feeling some of the tension leave my body. "You're right. I'm probably overthinking it."
"Besides," Marin continued, a mischievous glint in her eye, "I know where your heart really belongs. And it's not with Kana Arima."
Before I could respond, she pulled me in for a kiss. It was soft and sweet, a reminder of everything we'd built together. When we parted, I felt a smile tugging at my lips.
"You're right," I murmured. "No competition at all."
Marin beamed, then turned back to the laptop. "Now, let's finish this episode. I want to see how Kanata and Miyu handle that jerk Takeshi!"
As the episode drew to a close, Marin squeezed my hand tight. The final scene faded to black, and she let out a long breath.
"Akira, that was... wow. Just wow."
I nodded, a mix of relief and pride washing over me. "Yeah, it turned out pretty well."
Marin whipped her head around, eyes wide. "Pretty well? Are you kidding me? It was amazing! You were amazing!"
She launched into a rapid-fire analysis of every scene, gushing over my performance. I appreciated her enthusiasm, but I knew Marin wasn't exactly an impartial critic. Still, her praise felt good.
"Oh!" Marin exclaimed, grabbing her phone. "We need to call Kana!"
As Marin dialed, I turned back to the laptop. Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened Twitter. My fingers hovered over the keys for a moment before I typed in my name.
The results loaded, and my eyebrows shot up. #AkiraHoshino was trending at number 6.
"Kana!" Marin's excited voice filled the room. "We just finished watching. It was incredible!"
As Marin chatted animatedly with Kana, I scrolled through the tweets. My eyes widened with each new post.
'Who is this Akira Hoshino and where has he been hiding all my life?'
'That scene in the park... I felt like Kanata was looking right into my soul!'
'Is it just me or does anyone else feel weirdly drawn to the new guy?'
A genuine smile spread across my face. This was what I'd wanted, wasn't it? Recognition, admiration, a fanbase forming before my eyes. It felt... good. Really good.
"Akira, Kana wants to know what you thought," Marin said, holding out the phone.
I took it, still processing the flood of positive reactions. "Hey Kana. Great job tonight. You really nailed Miyu's character."
As Kana and I discussed the episode, Marin leaned over to look at the laptop screen. Her eyes widened as she took in the tweets.
"Oh my god, Akira!" she whispered excitedly. "You're blowing up online!"
I nodded, trying to keep my voice steady as I wrapped up my conversation with Kana. "Thanks again. Yeah, we'll definitely celebrate soon. Goodnight."
As I hung up, Marin scrolled through more tweets. "This is insane! You've got a fan club already!"
"Yeah, it's... something," I said, still trying to wrap my head around it all.
Marin looked up at me, her brow furrowing slightly. "You don't seem as excited as I thought you'd be. Isn't this what you wanted?"
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to sort out my thoughts. "No, I am excited. It's just... I don't know. It's a lot to take in."
"Well, you should post something!" Marin said, reaching for the laptop. "Thank your fans, you know?"
That's when it hit me. I had no online presence. At all.
"Uh, Marin," I said, gently stopping her hand. "I don't actually have any social media accounts. Well, except a Twitter that just posts automated updates about work stuff."
Marin's jaw dropped. "What? How is that possible? Everyone has social media!"
I shrugged, feeling suddenly exposed. "I guess I never saw the point before. Didn't think I'd need it."
Marin shook her head, a determined glint in her eye. "Well, that changes now. We're setting you up with accounts right away. Instagram, YouTube, the works!"
"Alright, let's do this," I said, trying to match her excitement. "Where do we start?"
Marin grinned, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "Twitter first. It's where most of the buzz is happening."
We set up the account quickly, using my stage name as the handle. When it came time to choose a profile picture, Marin's eyes lit up.
"Oh! Use that selfie we took with the face masks on," she suggested. "It's cute and shows your fun side."
I hesitated. "You sure? It's not very... professional."
Marin rolled her eyes. "That's the point, silly. People want to see the real you, not just the actor."
Reluctantly, I agreed. The photo of us, faces covered in green goop and grinning like idiots, became my official Twitter face.
Next came Instagram. Marin insisted I take a new photo for this one.
"Come on, do a peace sign," she urged, holding up her phone.
I felt ridiculous, but I complied. The resulting photo showed me looking slightly uncomfortable, fingers raised in a V shape.
"Perfect!" Marin declared, uploading it immediately.
As we worked on filling out my profiles, a thought nagged at me. "Hey, Marin? Should we... should we make our relationship public?"
Marin's fingers paused over the keyboard. She turned to me, her expression thoughtful. "That's a big decision. It affects both of us."
I nodded, grateful she understood the weight of it. "Exactly. You've got your own career, your own fans. I don't want to complicate things for you."
Marin bit her lip, considering. "Well, my cosplay fans know I have a boyfriend. They just don't know who you are."
"And now, suddenly, I'm in the spotlight," I mused. "People will start digging."
Marin reached out, taking my hand. "What do you want to do?"
"Honestly? Part of me wants to shout it from the rooftops. But another part... I don't know. I'm worried about how it might affect us."
Marin nodded slowly. "I get that. The entertainment world can be brutal on relationships."
We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the decision hanging between us.
Finally, Marin spoke. "What if we don't make a big announcement, but we don't hide it either? If someone asks, we're honest. But we keep our private life private."
"That sounds perfect, actually."
Marin smiled, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "See? We make a good team."
As we finished setting up my accounts, I felt a mix of excitement and trepidation. This was a new world for me, one where I'd have to balance my public image with my private life.
"Okay," Marin said, sitting back. "You're all set. Want to make your first post?"
I stared at the blank text box, cursor blinking expectantly. What do you say to a world that's suddenly paying attention to you?
After a moment's thought, I typed:
"Thanks for all the love for Sweet Today. Honored to bring Kanata to life. More to come!"
Simple, grateful, professional. It felt right.
As I hit 'post', Marin squeezed my hand. "Welcome to the digital age, superstar."
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