Actor(Oshi no ko)

Aftermath of filming

PTSD.

And I instinctively knew what lay at the heart of his PTSD—the loss of our mother.

As I gazed upon Aqua, a profound sadness washed over me, realizing that he still grappled with the weight of the past. It saddened me further to realize that despite sharing years of close companionship, I had remained unaware of the depth of his struggles.

The reasons behind his PTSD flaring up during filming is something only known to him, and all I could do is speculate. However, I was certain that the root cause lay in the tragic loss of our mother.

In this moment, probing for answers seemed futile and unhelpful. Instead, I resolved to provide solace and support, remaining by his side in quiet understanding.

"There, there, Aqua," I whispered gently as I continued to offer comfort, my hand tenderly patting his back. The sound of his retching mingled with my soothing words, but I persisted undeterred, determined to provide solace amidst his distress.

Just like that, for the next few minutes, in the restroom, where solitude and silence intertwined, I stood by Aqua's side, gently patting his back in a soothing rhythm. The echoes of my voice, offering words of comfort, mingled with the pained sound of retching, resonating within the confined space.

The thought of an extended stay in this place didn't faze or bother me one bit. I mean, come on, what kind of brother would I be if I get annoyed when my sibling is obviously in pain?

___

(Third POV)

It had been a few days since filming, and today marked the release of the final episode of "Sweet Today." In an apartment complex located far away from the movie set, two women stood in front of an apartment door.

"Good morning, sensei," said the woman with green hair and glasses as she opened the door. She was greeted by the sight of another woman lying on the floor, wearing a tracksuit with a blanket covering her, and surrounded by a desk filled with electronics. "Uh, if you're going to sleep, please go to your bed. You'll hurt your back," she warned.

The woman on the floor took a moment to respond, shuffling around before opening her eyes. "I fall into a deep sleep in my bed," she began with a tired voice, "but I can wake up in about four hours if I sleep on the floor."

"What an unhealthy life hack," the green-haired woman retorted before letting out a sigh and walking to her workspace.

Minutes passed as they all prepared before starting to work, digital pens in hand, creating the manga.

"Do you have any work for us?" the other woman asked.

"For now, I've put directions for the background of page 2's cover page and page 3's panels 1 and 2," the woman lying on the floor replied. "I'll be watching 'Sweet Today' drama, so let me know when you're almost done."

Both women shook their heads, discussing how far they had gotten and whether or not they still watched the drama.

"So both of you have given up, huh?" Yoriko Kichijouji, the mangaka of "Sweet Today," asked.

"You don't have to force yourself to watch it. You worked so hard to create this piece, but they made such a mockery of it with that drama," one of the assistants said.

Yoriko let out an awkward and forced laugh, explaining that she had always known it would turn out like this. She went on to recount advice from fellow mangakas who had experienced live adaptations, warning not to keep their hopes up. She expressed that reality is often disappointing and then fell into silence as they all watched the episode until it ended.