" 𝘈𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥. "
- Gerardine Clark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" I'm look forward to seeing you act, Aqua."
......
" Ah, but, um..." She gives him a sheepish look. " That being said, the situation on set is kinda....all over the place. So bear with that, okay?"
" Hm?" Aqua wondered what she meant by that.
.
.
.
~~~~~~~~~~
" What?! You're gonna be in a TV drama, Aqua?!"
" Why'd you tell her..." Aqua shoots Miyako a glare.
The older woman sat there, unfazed by the boy's staring, and remained as calm as ever while doing her work. " Well, you weren't going to tell her yourself. Someone had to." She shrugged.
" Besides, doing publicity for entertainers is part of the agency's job. So think of it as a practice." Miyako smirked, which only made Aqua glower.
Beryl was just casually strolling through his phone, with nothing much to add in the conversation. Besides, he and Aqua already had a talk as they walked home together from the Cafe. The real reason Aqua joined the show...
" I can't believe it," Ruby was grinning as she poured herself a glass of milk. Her eyes glittered with reminisce. " Mon did say....that one day maybe I'd become an idol and you'd become an actor..."
" I see you haven't forgotten at all, brother." She says, fondly.
Aqua averted his eyes from her and towards his entangled hands. Contemplating on her words, all he could think of the moment was that she was far from the truth. Becoming an actor for now, is but a means to reach the end goal. He had no passion for it, none at all. It was just a means to find the person who blew out their star.
I just want to get close to that producer....Kaburagi... Aqua's eyes darken at the thought of that man possibly being the answer. To test his DNA if it matches with him, and if it does....then...
" Oh? And what about Beryl, hm?" Miyako glances to Ruby, curious about what Ai's final wishes for Beryl.
Beryl's thumb stops scrolling upon hearing.
" For Beryl? Hm..." Ruby hummed thoughtfully, trying to recall.
But Beryl recalled everything, perfectly.
Her words. Her last words to him.
Her voice....
.....
" Beryl....will you become a therapist? A chef?"
.....
" Which one, I wonder..."
.....
The feeling of her comforting him for the final time, laying her chin atop his head and trying to hum a happy tune, as if it were just another day.
.....
" Well....it doesn't matter. Beryl, listen to me closely... "
.....
He remembered her smile. The most sincere smile she'd ever put out, as tears streaked down her beautiful eyes.
.....
" Whatever you choose in the future....or whoever you become... "
.....
How his tears mixed in with the taste of bitter iron.
.....
" Just know this..."
.....
As she said the words he'd never thought she'd say...
Words that he'll cherish till his final days.
Words that he'll no longer hesitate to say to the family he has left.
.....
" Mama loves you..."
.....
Words.....he wished he could've said back.
" Ah, now I remember!" Ruby twirls around, facing Miyako with an optimistic expression. " How can I forget?"
Unbeknownst to Beryl at the moment, Ruby noticed it. The way his eyes took a dip back into the memories. The same somber look he always has on, when he thinks deeply about something, and often he gets himself lost in it.
" Mama said..." She speaks, " That Beryl will become my secretary one day!" To bring him back.
Beryl's eyes widened, as he craned his head to her in slight befuddlement. Miyako also looked suprised, she wondered if that's what Ai really said. It wouldn't be a suprise if she did...
" Isn't that right, Beryl?" Ruby decided to ask him.
Beryl's eyes lighten up a bit. A small smile threatening to break free on his lips, but he drowns it out with a sarcastic chuckle.
" How brazen of you to say." Is all he remarked.
" Hey, you know I'm right!" Ruby jokingly insists.
He sighs, shaking his head at her. But secretly thanking her for always bringing him back to today. It doesn't happen that often anymore, whenever anything related to Ai's death is brought up. But the human mind is....to put simply, a conscience that thinks sporadically. Most days, it thinks steadily, but some days...it can go out of line and cause you to sink deeper into your thoughts than expected.
When that happens....you'll need someone or something to get you back on the boat. He concludes. Thank you, Ruby.
" Every single time you think you're right, you get twice the amount of wrongs." He jokingly responds.
" Hey!" Ruby pouts.
.
.
.
" So, what's the show called?" Ruby asked Miyako, taking a seat on the chair next to the woman.
Miyako opens up a new tab and begins typing. " It's called ' I'll go with Sweet Today '. It's based on a shoujo manga with the same name." She explained before hitting enter.
Ruby's eyes lit up in recognition as she lets out a gasp. " Oh! I know that one, ' Sweet Today ', that's the manga in Aqua's room. That was a fun read!"
" Don't get stuff from my room without asking." Aqua interjected.
" This one right here?" Beryl says, holding up the manga he got from Aqua's room just a few seconds ago.
Ruby nods, affirmative. " That's the one!"
Aqua glares at Beryl. " I literally just--" He cuts himself off with a defeated sigh, " Never mind. I give up." He palms his face tiringly.
Beryl shrugs and begins skimming through the pages...
" It's a drama produced by a recently established internet TV station." Miyako continues to relay the information from the screen and Ruby also peeked over the woman's shoulder to read through as well.
" It's slated to have six episodes in total, three of which have already been released. But..." The woman's eyes narrow in on the castings. " It seems the casting is mostly made up of new actors, and the production is on the smaller scale of things. Similar to the one you partook in all those years ago, Aqua."
Aqua doesn't respond, only listening in as he sips his drink silently.
" What role will Aqua play in the show?" Ruby asked.
" He'll play as the villain," Miyako answers. " He'll show up in the final episode."
" Sounds fitting. He has a sinister-looking face, after all!" Ruby ruthlessly says.
" Oh, shut up." Aqua rebukes, only causing Ruby to giggle unfazed.
But then her jewel-like eyes land themselves on Beryl's figure.
" Ah, but Beryl could also be perfect for the role. There's nothing scarier in this world than his emotionless robot-like expression!" She cheekily says.
" Besides your horrible grades." Beryl effortlessly replies, and then flips to the next page.
" Die." She instantly begins handchopping the top of his head, but to no effect whatsoever.
" Die.Die.Die.Die.Die.Die.Die--" She said repeatedly with each chop, but for Beryl it felt no less than getting hit by a fly.
Miyako chuckles before clicking the show with her mouse.
" Since it's an internet streaming show, why don't we watch it right now?"
Ruby immediately halts her assault on Beryl's head and runs back to Miyako's side with an excited look. " Oh, I wanna watch it!"
" Beryl, what about you?" Miyako asked.
" I'm good--"
" No, you're watching it with me!" Before Beryl could even finish his sentence, Ruby had already dragged him to her side without further question. Ruby then shoots a look at Aqua, expecting him to do the same.
He sighs, walking himself over to Miyako's side as well. " Whatever..."
Finally, the triplets arrived to watch the first episode of the show.
" I have high hopes that they did it well." Ruby smiles.
" I feel like we're going to regret this..." Beryl muttered with a slight frown, already setting himself up for disappointment. After all, most manga don't translate well to live action...
" Right there with you on that one." Aqua shared the same opinion, he never watched the episode himself just yet but he did do a bit of research on the show beforehand. And the reviews aren't really...
But before he could finish that thought, Miyako clicked ' Play '.
~~~~~~~~
After all, everyone only thinks about themselves....
.......
" Oh, it's loli-senpai!" Ruby calls out.
Everyone pays close attention, interested to see how this will go. Aqua, especially, since he's curious to see how far Kana's acting skills have grown since the last time they've met.
.......
" Hey,so...." A boy calls out to her.
" Hm?" She turns to him...
" There something you want?" She asked.
" Not really, I was just chasing some cat and happened to come across you."
........
" What....What am I looking at?" Beryl asked, genuinely confused.
Aqua sighs. As expected, if it were anything really worth praise for, then it'd have a better rating...
Miyako and Ruby looked offended by what's happening.
........
" What the heck?" She smiles a bit, looking bashful.
" Oh well look at that," The boy grins. " You're a lot cuter when you smile."
" H-Hey now, don't tease me like that..." She tucks a a loose of hair behind her ear.
........
" This is depressing..." Beryl muttered.
Miyako and Ruby remained silent, or maybe it's because they were left frozen and shell-shocked by how....underperforming this all is?
........
" Hey buddy! Hands off my girl!" A new character enters the scene.
........
"....I'm done." Beryl leaves the scene.
He could no longer handle the cringe radiating off this show.
........
" Stop fighting!!! "
........
*Plop*
It didn't take another minute for Miyako to confidently decide to cut the episode right there. There was no need to continue.
" Wait...was ' Sweet Today ' really like that?!" Ruby had to ask after snapping back to her senses, turning to Miyako with a worried look.
" On the whole, was that the feel it had to it, I wonder...?" Miyako, who knew nothing about the manga, was the one with more questions here.
" The direction is on point, so I wouldn't go as far as to say that it was unwatchable..." Ruby bit her lips, feeling herself flinch from the aftermath of it all. She palmed her face in embarrassment for the episode-- and the show itself.
Aqua stood at the back, skimming through the pages of the manga to confirm his suspicions, there were plenty of add-ons to the scenes and some were entirely original scenes that didn't make sense in the context either.
" It had all those original characters that weren't even in the manga..." She muttered.
" The production side must want to feature as many actors as possible, then, huh..." Miyako thinks.
Ruby snatches the manga from Aqua's hands and begins skimming through it herself-- not without Aqua giving her an annoyed expression though.
" Also, the story didn't unfold like that in the manga, did it?" Ruby asked as she tried to concentrate on each page, wondering if she really missed the big details.
" It didn't." Beryl returns to the scene, gently prying the manga off of Ruby's grip and going back to the page where stopped earlier. " Usually, live action adaptations try their best to compact the entire story into one season. And usually, that never goes well." He answers her.
" Plenty of scenes either get compact or cut out entirely. Character development gets minimized in order to save film time, and since this is made by a low budget production-- then the quality is also just as questionable. " He said.
" And the acting..." Ruby shivers.
" It's a set of actors who haven't gone through any prior experience." Aqua says before snatching his manga back from Beryl's hands, causing the latter to frown at him.
" Hey, I was reading that." Beryl muttered.
" You got it from my room without permission." Aqua glares.
" Can I borrow it then?" Beryl asked.
" No." Aqua said.
" ....And here you ask why I got it without permission..." Beryl grumbled.
" But...the acting...still it's just..." Ruby was shaking.
" It's downright awful! There's no other way to put it!" She yelled.
" Now, that's a bit too blunt." Miyako says.
" Besides, wasn't Loli-senpai better at acting than that?" Ruby ask out of desperation.
" True," Beryl agrees with her. " Maybe she's already past her prime, prematurely." He comments.
~~~~~~~
" Shut the hell up! She really said that?! Tell your sister she can drop dead!"
" I see you still have a foul mouth..." Aqua sighs.
The next day, Aqua and Kana convened once again at a private booth at the popular cafe, Strawberyl. While the two were seated next to each other this time, Beryl was seated across, once again enjoying his break for what it's worth. Munching on a few cookies and slurping a strawberry milk frappe, he was losing himself in short blissful delight.
" And what do you mean past my prime?!" Kana turns to Beryl, pointing at him. " This is my prime, you hear me?!"
" If this is your prime then that's just sad." Beryl replied. " Might as well give up on acting, senpai."
" Uuuu...!" Steam was practically coming out of Kana's ears, she turns to Aqua with tearful eyes, " Tell me again, why is he here...!"
" Just....bear with it." Aqua strains.
Kana pouts, before glaring at Beryl again. " I really don't like you. You're just as-- if not more infuriating than your sister."
" Wow," Beryl's eyes lightened up at her disgust. " That's the nicest compliment-- or well, sorta compliment --you've given me, senpai."
" Tsk," Kana really was annoyed with Beryl. She didn't remember him to be so much of a brat from back then, though, when she first noticed him. She really knew nothing about him, and they've never once spoken to the other.
" Forgive me for his teasing, Arima." Aqua collects her attention this time, " Despite what they said about your acting, both him and Ruby actually expected greater from you. In the show it just felt underwhelming so--"
" You know, there are hardly any high schoolers that can act as well as I can." She interrupts, " And if I wanted to, I could've easily surpassed your expectations of me to new heights."
" Then why didn't you?" Aqua asked.
"..." Kana pauses, her anger from earlier slowly subsiding as she releases a deep sigh.
Crossing her legs, and leaning her chin on her palm as support, she tells him.
" This TV drama is meant to target the young female demographic that's into good-looking guys." She started off with a professional tone.
" And to do so, they feature a bunch of models they want to start promoting. They're just there to look pretty and catch attention, acting ability was a secondary concern." She muttered the last part with some underlying disappointment.
" But if they went with that strategy alone, the show would be a bust. That's why they casted me in the show, someone known for her acting chops, to make up for my co-stars lack of skill." She said.
" But your acting wasn't on point," Aqua narrows his eyes curiously. " Even I'm sure you could do much better than that."
" Obviously, I'm holding back." She rolls her eyes, releasing a huff. " Everyone there on the screen with me are ham actors!"
She clenches her fist, gritting her teeth. " I'm the only one in the cast who can act worth a damn!"
" Just imagine if I gave it my all in that situation-- it would easily expose how ham everyone's acting is, it'd be like a ham roast party!" She said, gesturing her hands to a table, describing the image of a ham buffet.
" Ham roast tastes good..." Beryl mumbles, clearly enjoying Kana's imagination. It just reminded him that he didn't get to eat a proper breakfast after exercise...
Ignoring Beryl's unrelated comment, Kana continues. " I'd like to put everything in my acting, you know. I mean, who would enjoy going out of their way to act poorly?" her mood slowly died, and to try and calm herself she takes a sip of her coffee drink before sighing again.
" But, the truth is, good acting and creating a good show are very different things."
Aqua and Beryl look to her, waiting for her to elaborate on that.
" It's no doubt that right from the planning stages. The seller's viewpoint was overly prioritized. There's no way it can be an entertaining show." Her tone now turned bitter.
" I still remember, during the filming of episode 1. The author of the manga visited, and as I turned to look at her reaction from being told of what was going to go down..." Kana clenches the hem of her skirt.
" Her disappointed look....was hard to bear." She said.
......
" Despite that, the actors and behind-the-scenes staff all gave their best into making this show good, as best they could. In spite of how bad we're doing, the common goal we share is to just make this show a good show that could entertain everyone, especially the fans of the manga. We had to make do with what we got." She closes her eyes, releasing a calm breath.
" Even if I have to do lousy acting to make it work, I won't hesitate." she finishes. " I want to do everything I can to make this show watchable."
" Even if that means diminishing your reputation as an actor?" Aqua asked.
" If it's necessary." She answered.
" Even if...you don't like what you're doing?"
Kana pauses, the question came from none other than Beryl who stared at her with a testing expression. She takes a moment, to think carefully, honestly it's been the question she's always asked herself since the show began. It mocked her ability, and she hated having to hold herself back. But she's determined herself to make it work, somehow. Even at the expense of her own pride.
" Yes, even with that." She smiles past it. " As an actor, the most important part is communications skills. My feelings have nothing to do with it."
Aqua's eyes widened at that, hearing that line. It reminded him of the conversation he had with Director Gotanda from years ago. His very first lesson of being actor, though he didn't know it at the time. To hear it being repeated from Kana felt ironic, since she was the prime example of a person who didn't have such skills back when they were children. She really has grown as an actress...
"....Senpai, you're really amazing." Beryl suddenly uttered, catching both Aqua, and especially Kana in suprise.
" What?" She blurted out, confused.
" I respect your dedication to your career. It's really something else to see, in person, especially." Beryl places his now empty cup back on the table. " I humbly apologize for my prior critique at your acting from a while ago, it was over-reaching of me, when it's not even my field."
".....Are...are you serious?" She had to ask, looking at him suspiciously.
" I'm serious," Beryl nods. " It's a shame the production is failing to utilize your skills efficiently, senpai. From your work ethic alone, you are an outstanding actress."
"...."
She waited for a few seconds. And then a few more. And then more and more, till it turned to minutes. It was just silence in the booth as she processed what he just said. But upon seeing that there was no follow-up insult, she began to panic and turned to Aqua with a horrified look.
" D-Did someone kill your brother?!"
" Wow. Really? Right after I said something nice?" Beryl blandly reacts.
" C-Can you blame me!" Kana was flustered, " You never say anything nice! Not even to your own sister!" She points out.
" Sometimes I forget he can do that..." Aqua comments.
Beryl shoots him a look that said, ' Are you for real? ', before sighing to himself and getting up from his seat.
" At any rate, good luck to you both with the acting gig." He says, putting on his employee hat. " I've gotta work right now."
" Sure," Aqua nods. " Work hard."
Beryl responds with a hum before eventually leaving the room. Leaving Aqua and Kana alone in the intimate atmosphere of the private booth....
......
......
......
" So, just making sure......" She whispers before leaning closer to Aqua, and pointing to the door Beryl just left from. " That was your brother just now, right--"
" It's not an imposter, Arima."
" Impossible..."
She seemed to be in disbelief, still. Aqua couldn't blame her, she doesn't know Beryl that well yet-- nor will she ever get to probably know him more on an intimate level. The only reason Aqua's got the upper-hand over most people is because they're related, they're siblings after all. But just being siblings didn't clear up the other various mysteries regarding his existence, there's something there-- a wall, almost. It's been that way since they were children and although he's soften up since her death. There's still something rooted within, beyond the small joy, beyond the anger, something akin to an emptiness or so.
But Aqua doesn't indulge himself further into Beryl's past background. He's said it before when they were kids, and he'll say it again; It remains none of his business.
Besides, he had something more important to ask Kana today.
" Arima. Actually, I have a favor to ask you..."
" Hm? What is it...?"
~~~~~~~~~
" Well, it seems you're serving me again."
" It seems I am."
Beryl was met with the mysterious woman-- no, he can't exactly refer to her as that anymore. They've already exchanged introductions, he can identify her as Sagami Yuki.
" I noticed Tamako-san wasn't serving the entire day, is she here?" She asked as Beryl placed down her parfait and chocolate melt cake.
" She is," Beryl answers. " But she's been feeling unwell since she arrived."
" Will she be okay?"
Even without needing to see her eyes or brows furrow in worry, her tone and lip movement conveyed it just as well.
" She'll be okay." He assures her. And she sighs in relief.
The Cafe was unexpectedly quiet, with lesser girls coming in than usual. That immediately grabbed at the Strawberyl employees' attention but curiosity quickly spawned relief as they wouldn't have to deal with a near-endless mob of girls for today at least. Beryl, especially, shares that sentiment. It's a lot calmer, a lot peaceful here now.
Even so, Tamako wouldn't appreciate him slacking off and letting his guard down during his shift. And besides he wants to take no part in the disciplinary methods she used on Hayate the other week to make him become so obedient. Overtime, he returned to his old self, making jokes and throwing insults on Tako and Beryl's expense-- but he's become a lot more careful since then with the topic of ' when ' he can be himself. Especially when Tamako's presence was near.
" Enjoy." He finalizes with a bow of his head, as per the routine of any Strawberyl employee. He should return to his post.
As he was about to turn around with his tray in hand, Yuki unexpectedly calls out to him.
" Where are you off to?" She suddenly asked.
" Behind the counter." He answers.
She releases a huff, " I see. You really are a hard-worker, Tamako-san is lucky indeed." She muses before smiling and raising her glass of parfait towards him. " But since the Cafe is not that busy as usual, would you mind sparing me some company?"
" If this is your attempt of grooming a minor then it's a pretty bad attempt." Beryl raises a brow.
" You say that, and yet I can't count the amount of times I've caught you staring at me since I began my regular visits on my hands alone." She replies, unfazed by his controversial remark to get an amusing reaction out of her. " if anything, it looks to be that you're attracted to me instead of the other way around, no?"
"...."
Interesting... Beryl muses. He was used to people becoming immediately repulsed when he pulls such comments. It was his method of preventing further conversation, or his daily amusement to just pull a fast one on any of those close to him for entertainment purposes. This woman however, responded with the same energy as him, and without needing a moment to think either.
She was already a person of interest in his eyes, under the concern of suspicion of course. But now a new theory arises; What if she becomes a person of interest under the matter of friendship as well?
.......
After accepting the offer, it doesn't take a second before Yuki slides over the strawberry parfait to Beryl's end. He looks at her, confused.
" Why did you slide it to me? You ordered it." He asked.
" Well, it'd be rude of me to have you keep me company while I indulge in these treats alone." She answers, gesturing for him to accept it. " Go on, I don't mind."
"...In that case, thank you." Beryl manages a small smile before accepting the parfait and then the small spoon Yuki also provided him.
" The cafe is a lot more quiet," Yuki hums. " It's rare."
" Mmm." Beryl hums accordingly, with the spoon of parfait still resting in his mouth.
" Actually, I'm glad you've taken my offer of sitting here for a while." Yuki says before taking in a piece of chocolate cake into her mouth. " I've been meaning to ask you something."
" Is it about me staring at you?" " It is about you staring at me."
The both of them said it at the same time. Silence befell upon them soon after, the longer Beryl locked eyes with Yuki's shades-- the clearer it gets for him to see through it. Nearly. He could almost tell the color of her eyes if he tries to squint it. Meanwhile, Yuki masks her expression with a calm grin, when really she was running in all the possible factors that this kid could have a connection to something that might cause her problems in the future.
Tamako has made it clear that the kid was nothing to worry about, but Yuki's guts say otherwise. Perhaps one might call it paranoia, and maybe that's true for someone like Yuki who'd go the extra mile to keep everything about herself confidential until the time was right. Tamako was insistent on proving her wrong that she was willing to allow a few instances for Yuki to get up close and personal with the kid.
Beryl was pleased with the circumstances too, as he wanted to get more information of Sagami Yuki as well.
" Well, you are dressed highly suspicious for someone who insists she's not a predator." He points at her accusingly with his small spoon, " I'm simply looking at you out of concern for myself and everyone else who is in the cafe."
He's a wisecrack, indeed... Yuki thinks.
" Either that, or you're some famous celebrity in hiding when you go out into the public." He adds.
Yuki lets a chuckle escape her lips at that. " Fortunately, I'm neither. Though I would've much appreciated had you only assumed I was a celebrity first instead of a child predator."
" Then why do you dress like this if not the former nor the latter?" He finally gets the chance to ask.
" Oh, that's because I'm anxious of what I look like." She answers within a beat. " Despite how I may act, I'm quite shy as a person, you know?"
" That's..." Her smile ' dampens ', " Probably part of the reason why I...wanted to confront you this time about the staring." Her tone also sounds quiet at that.
"...."
Beryl sat there in suprise. Was she serious? He had to ask himself that. If the person he'd been suspecting this entire time was just some adult who's held deep-rooted social anxiety, then that'd be quite the table flip for his end. Being anxious does explain her choice of clothing, though a bit more exaggerated than commonplace, and it does explain how she usually picks the least occupied area of the cafe whenever she comes here. Away from all the other customers. But could he really believe that? It's itching at him, he can sense it, the lie spilling out of her mouth and yet it's woven so well coincidentally that it could really be just a misunderstanding.
And if her manner of speech this entire time was just her way of masking her nervousness then...
" I'm....sorry?" His apology came out confused, upon realizing that he quickly rephrases. " I mean, I'm sorry. if I made you uncomfortable, then that's really on me."
" No, it's okay now. Knowing your reason for staring at me-- It's fair to blame the fault on my attire. I guess I do attract attention even though that's precisely what I'm trying to avoid, huh." She laughs.
" I'm more suprised by how outgoing you sound despite being anxious." He comments.
.......
" May I ask you a question ?"
" Go ahead." Yuki says.
" During my time-- staring --" He starts, the apologetic emphasis aroused a giggle from Yuki. " I noticed that Tamako would talk to you a lot. In fact, she stopped me from serving you at first and would often take the job herself..."
" Ah...she really is such a good friend." Yuki sighs, " She saved me from the early panic of having to talk to a new person but....in exchange, I was constantly attacked by your -- ahem -- staring." She also puts an emphasis, amusing Beryl a bit from this exchange.
Seems like that's going to be a topic they're never going to let go...
" But to answer your question. I knew Tamako-san since I was in my teens, she was like a sister figure even though she was my friend, you could say. So that explains our closeness." She explains it plainly, Beryl was hoping there's more to be add but in that context there really wasn't anything else to add.
And if he tries to pry, he doubts she'd actually give him important details. If her relationship with Tamako-san really is as normal as she says, then that just adds more substance to her claim of being a socially anxious person. It does make sense for her so called ' sister ' figure to take it upon herself to serve Yuki and not letting some other stranger do it.
" I see. That explains it." He decides to close the topic there before Yuki could get suspicious. He doesn't necessarily believe that she's being truthful with him entirely--perhaps hiding the juicy details from him. But the same could be said for him, he's trying his best to discern her character.
And her name... ' Yuki '.
It's really doing a round on him, if he were to be honest...
" Is it my turn to ask a question now?" She perks up.
" Since when did this turn into a similar game of 21 questions?" He asked.
" Since you shot me with that first question of course." She answered.
....
" Well, in that case. Go ahead. It's the least I could do for making you feel uncomfortable, and you even treated me to this parfait.... so...." He allows it this time.
" That boy who entered the cafe with that girl earlier. He shared similar appearance to you. Is he your twin brother?"
" Older twin brother, yes. Though actually we're triplets since I also have an older sister." He nods.
Yuki gasps, a bit amazed or so it looks. Somehow, Beryl can sense the shocked eyes behind her shades from this revelation, it's not common to meet triplets after all.
" Does he also share a similar naming sen--"
" He does share a similar name, yes. Our mother named all of us three after gems." Beryl quickly clarifies.
" Haha, now that's really unique. All three of you." She softly says.
" Yeah." He nods before sitting back straight again. " Anyways, my turn to ask a question."
" Go ahead."
" What's your job, Sagami-san?" He asked.
" I'm a journalist." She answers firmly.
Journalist.....so that's what she's been doing with her laptop all this time huh... He thinks. But also, it's quite...
" Journalist? Isn't that quite a competitive field?" He questions.
" Yes, I'm suprised you know that." She said.
" Well, you learn a ton of things when you can't sleep and decide to scroll through youtube shorts but anyways--" He goes back to his point. " But don't journalists have to organize and gather interesting stories for their publishing company? Not to mention the amount of interviews you have to fight for when the opportunity comes. For an anxious person like you, that sounds like hell."
She sighs, " It is, but I do have a passion for this job. You see, I want to craft the biggest story the world has ever seen. A true real-life based story.....that will stun millions." She grins.
A story that can stun millions...? Beryl wondered what that could be.
" That's quite the ambition. Are you close to attaining it?" He asked her.
" Hm, not quite. But maybe." She eats the last piece of cake she had on her plate. " It's taken me years to gather all the material I have now. And I'm trying my best not to mess things up or else my entire career would've been a flop..."
" Years, huh." He mumbles. " That's some dedication. It's unheard of for anyone these days to really be dedicated to a job that of a journalist."
" Well.....I made a promise to someone from long ago." She said that with a softer tone than usual. " I promised him that his story would be told. That others' story would be told. So that's my drive."
"...I see." Beryl can sense the sincerity in her words, but it's not just that.
He could feel...a certain flame in them.
Eerily similar to the one he holds deep down himself.
" But for the time being, besides working on my own stuff, I also do the editing of my superiors. Though I don't really get any credit but....still, " She shrugs nonchalantly. " I get paid." She casually says.
" You sound carefree for a woman in her late 20's," Beryl muses.
" Hey, not all adults are depressed slobs who are pessimistic about life and the horrible reality that is taxes, okay?!"
......
Their conversation went on, both individuals spending their leisure time getting to know each other at a basic level. Nothing too deep, but nothing too superfluous either. It was an equal value exchange of information, a spawn of a new acquaintanceship perhaps.
And two people in the cafe can't help but notice these two talk the time away.
" Hey...Beryl's been sitting there for a while now." Tako muttered.
" That's my guy! Hitting up a potentially hot milf is a man's dream--"
Tako immediately elbows Hayate's stomach at that, causing the latter to groan immediately and retract his statement.
" Urgh...but....ergh..yeah....he's been there for a while..." He says through his groaning.
" Could it really be that he's into older girls?" Tako questions, curious about it.
" Pfft, probably. But certainly not into a girl like you--"
Again, she elbows the same spot and causes him to nearly regurgitate his lunch all onto the floor.
" This will be...an interesting development." Tako grins to herself, " Finally, seems like our little Beryl has spawned a new romance~"
" Urgh..."
~~~~~~~
When she left the cafe, Yuki was by herself pondering on today's event.
Yuki never would never have thought that she'd have a more pleasant than expected conversation with someone from the cafe like that. A boy that was far younger than her, and possessing quite the unique name. At first, she suspected of him having connections to a certain organization she's trying to shut down, a spy who knows her true identity could end her entire operation and at best she'd have to start from ground zero-- and at worst, she'd be given no second chance at all.
And when it came to the White Room, the latter scenario would be more likely.
Her practiced smile finally relaxes to her resting expression. She really had to sell the act that she was just some introverted character, and although she believes she put out her best effort into that character-- she could still feel the doubt rooted deep within Beryl. He was still suspecting her of something, but at the very least, she can confidently say that he wasn't her enemy. He can suspect her all he wants.
Tapping her watch-- which had a touch screen installation on --for a status check, she made sure that the boy had no hidden electronics on him that recorded their conversation. Nor did he have any communication devices on him either. He was clean-- therefore he was safe. He had no ties to her goal, and she was glad since he seemed like a decent person to talk to suprisingly. However.....she found it strange that the boy didn't have his phone on him.
Usually, no sane teenager would leave their phone behind even for work. They'd always have it close by. A decade ago, she wouldn't have found it strange, but today's generation are so dependent on their device so it's quite unusual for any teenager to leave their phones behind like that. But it's possible that it may have been just charging but...
Ring, Ring, Ring!
Looking down on her phone to see that she's received a familiar unsaved contact's number. She doesn't take another second for her to answer.
" How is it?" She immediately asks upon answer.
" The madam agreed to an 'interview' with you, Sagami-san."
" Did she also agree to the date I set?"
" Yes, she has no problems."
" Thank you. You did good work."
Yuki ends the call and puts the phone back into her bag. Releasing a deep sigh, she finally enters her car and takes off her shades and cap, revealing her dark blonde hair cascading down to her shoulder blades, her amethyst eyes staring at itself through the rear-view mirror with a sharp glint to them.
Just a few more things to do now....
And then I can finally...reveal our story...
...To the entire world...
With those final thoughts leaving her head, she drives off of the pavement.
~~~~~~~~
" A hopeless project with a cast of actors who can't act."
Beryl releases a sigh as he flipped through volume 10 of ' Sweet Today ' manga. " I truly pity Arima-senpai."
" That's a first," Aqua muses as he was also comparing manga pages to the ones adapted in the episodes. " She still couldn't believe you complimented her properly."
Beryl hums as a response, not really caring of that as he felt himself being engrossed in the current arc.
Upon a more thorough comparison, Aqua quickly discovers that the script and direction were maid to suit the so called ' ham ' actors. Techniques were employed here to make the scenes look less bad than it actually is, and with Kana casted in to supplement half of the weight, they made it somewhat watchable to those who knows nothing of the original source at least.
The show's crew is excellent... Aqua notes. It really all came down to the seller's viewpoint, after all. In addition, the female lead they chose was an immensely talented actress. The average viewer wouldn't be able to tell the subtleties Kana chose to display on the screen as she tried to make her co-stars shine as much as possible.
....Thinking about it now...
...........
" Listen here kid. There are three types of actors.
Look at them over there.
One is the star actor. Their primary role is to attract an audience. Given they also act as poster-children, they garner solid performance fees.
Next is those with real talent. Their role is to ensure the quality of the production screen. Maintaining the program's block brand is their job.
And then lastly, you got the newcomer actors. Acting ability isn't really expected from them. They get a passing mark as long as they bring a freshness to the screen. "
...........
Kana was the second type in this situation.
Once again, the wise director Gotanda has proven himself as a mentor, even if it's just a previous memory.
Aqua smirks.
" There may just be a way to pull this off..." He mumbles.
.......
.......
.......
" Oh, by the way, Beryl. Almost forgot to tell you something." Aqua suddenly says.
" What is it?" Beryls says as he turns a page.
" You're coming with me to the set tomorrow." He casually says.
Beryl pauses.
And then he instantly snaps his head to Aqua with a confused look.
" Wait wha--"
~~~~~~~~~~
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" Why am I even here..." Beryl mutters depressingly.
" That's what I wanted to ask him when he insisted he dragged you along." Kana pouts.
Aqua was currently doing one last quick read-through of the script for the final episode. They were already at the set itself, and the production team has very limited time to be here due to the schedule issues and bad weather, though the latter suited perfectly with the supposed tone for this part of the manga.
" I hear we could only secure this place for one day. So we've gotta make it count." Kana says to Aqua, " One full rehearsal for us actors before the real filming begins."
" Right." Aqua already knows. " Though, the fact we only have one shot to actually practice everything today is quite problematic. Even my director's more thorough in the process."
Kana snorts, " I did warn you that there would be problems. But we've gotta make it work." She smiles. " It's all we can really do since we don't have much budget or time."
" Hey there, Kana-chan."
A familiar voice, much to both Aqua and Beryl's chagrin, called for their attention. A boy approached them-- the so called main star of the show. A boy with purple hair and the ' feminine ' looks.
" The rain's crazy today, huh?" He seemed annoyed. " Wish they could've postponed filming."
Kana answers, " Seems we've got a few leaks in the roof, but we'll be fine." She assures.
The male lead twirls his finger through his curled bangs, sighing in complaint. " Well, this humidity makes my hair frizzy. Plus, I hate how damp it feels in here."
Kana fakes a laugh at that before turning the attention to Aqua with a gesture of her hand. "Oh, let me introduce you to someone. He'll be playing as the stalker today."
" I'm Aqua." He politely bows, extending his hand. " I look forward to--"
" Hi." The lead cuts him off with a less than enthusiastic greeting, before walking past him as if he didn't exist.
"...." Aqua feels irked.
He glances to Kana. " That guy's got a bad attitude. He didn't even introduce himself." He muttered to her.
Kana shakes her head with a smile. " That's the male lead-- Narushima Melt."
" Well, he's young too, and it's pretty common for rising stars to act full of themselves-- err, okay now I think I'm bashing myself with that one..." Kana quickly cringes at the last part.
" Truly ironic." Beryl comments.
Kana then notices the approach of a certain man, causing her to perk up and immediately grabs both Beryl and Aqua's arms, spinning them around to lock eyes with the producer himself.
" Forget about that, and greet an important person that is approaching our way." She shoves the both of them from their backs, " Go on!"
Both brothers stumble a bit before regaining balance, and that's when they simultaneously locked eyes with the man they were looking for.
Kaburagi Masaya.... Beryl thought coldly.
" Pleased to meet you, I am Aqua with Strawberry Productions." Aqua didn't hesitate to introduce himself politely to the set's superior. " I look forward to working with you today."
" Likewise." The man replied before turning to Beryl. " And you?"
Beryl also bows his head, the same as Aqua. " I apologize for the intrusion, sir. I am Aqua's younger twin brother, Beryl. It's a pleasure to meet you and I hope you don't mind my presence here. I'm only here in support of my older brother."
" Twins, huh?" The man muses, " Interesting. Well, good luck to you then." The introduction wasn't drawn out with any sort of follow up conversation, the man simply turned and bid his good luck before stepping off to the background.
Both Aqua and Beryl raise their heads up again to stare at the man's distancing figure.
The man....who had some kind of connection to Ai.
" That guy's the one in charge of the set, if you haven't noticed." Kana interrupts their thoughts, stepping in between them. " His opinions get conveyed on set via the chief director or director. He has strong ties to modeling agencies and most of the show's casting fell to him. "
" So the bad selection of ham actors were all because of that old fart?" Beryl said.
Kana immediately turns to him in a panic, trying to quiet him down. " Shush! Don't let anyone hear you say that! "
" But you were the one who came up with the term--"
" Lalalalala~ I don't know you~!" She ignores him and slowly waltz away, dragging Aqua alongside her.
Beryl sighs.
"....Seriously, besides the mission.....what in the hell am I supposed to do here..." He muttered.
.
.
.
" It's rehearsal time!" It was announced.
" Let's do this." Kana glances at her co-star. " You have the script memorized?"
" Yeah." Aqua confirms. He plays a stalker who follows the female lead around.
Quite ironic that he'd have to play a role similar to that man who killed his mother...
~~~~~~~
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~~~~~~~
" We'll stop for now!"
" Hmm, there's a leak over here..."
" So for this shot, let's speed up the dolly then move onto the next scene."
.........
" Hey," Kana approaches Aqua, who was resting by the walls of the warehouse. She smiles. " For someone who says their acting was ' bad ', you still did pretty good."
" I've practiced enough that I don't hinder others during the performance. Besides that, it's still mediocre from me." Aqua insists on her, but Kana's smile told him that she didn't believe that for a second. " If you're looking for terrific acting from me, then I'm sorry."
" Well, that's a fair assessment." She leans with him. " Can't say I didn't hold any specific expectations of you..." She hummed.
" But you did enough."
"..."
She closes her eyes, resting them for a moment.
" Your acting feels like that of someone who's put in the work for a long time, and I personally like it. The little techniques you use are considerate and meticulous....it's as if I acted with a person who threw away their ego in order to blend with the story." She sighs. " Though, ordinary people wouldn't be able to tell."
" Well, only long-time actors like yourself can really notice these minor details." Aqua replies.
" Oh, please. You're not excluded from that list, you're a long time actor yourself as well." She says.
" No need to be so thoughtful." He sighs. " You're a much brighter talent than me."
" Well that's true but--"
Still a brat, Aqua remarked in his thoughts.
"-- This is an important job to me, you know? I haven't gotten any lead acting roles in a long time, I've mostly been dealt with supporting character roles or cameos more like. So you'd better believe I want to give it my all and do the best I can here!" She said, completely determined.
" True, you have a point. After all, I haven't seen you in anything noteworthy for a while now. I almost thought you'd quit acting by now." He bluntly says.
" Gah!" His merciless words quickly formed an arrow that flew straight through her vitals.
........
" Well..." Kana looked sheepish. " You're not the first to assume that. My rough patch lasted for a quite a while. I couldn't get any work, and people online treated me as if my career was over." She admitted.
" But,"
She recounts.
" I kept on training anyways."
Placing both her hands on her chest, she continues. " Even if I didn't know what I was putting all that effort in for, and even when the thought of retiring kept crossing my mind. I held onto it."
" And now..."
She turns to him.
" With this role, I'm finally getting recognized again!"
"..."
" So I'm glad I didn't call it quits." She drops her hands to her side, and now places it behind her back as she leans closer to him. " And I'm glad to find you here in the line of acting again, Aqua."
Aqua's eyes followed her figure as she took a few steps back, still maintaining that sincere smile she had on. That cute smile, he couldn't find it in himself to deny its charm.
" Even if you say your acting isn't terrific, I'm just happy that I could work with you today..." No lies were found from her words, spinning around to face him once more and spreading her arms.
" In this world shrouded in darkness, I learned there was someone who'd been struggling along with me!
.......
....That alone is enough."
She releases a happy sigh.
Aqua stood there, taken in by the look on her face....
Who knew....that a bratty senpai could seem pretty....
~~~~~~~
Kaburagi and the director were privately conversing at the side, away from the set and the rest of the crew.
" How much longer till we resume filming?" Kaburagi nonchalantly asked as he blew out cigarette smoke, checking his wrist watch for the time.
" Melt's got a magazine shoot after this." He says before plugging back the cigarette between his lips.
" We're almost ready. In any case, Arima-san has been generous to the staff for us." The director informs.
Kaburagi blows out the smoke again, tilting his head upwards, at the mention of Kana a small smile plays at his lips. " Ah...Kana-chan....she is an easy person to work with. Quite nice to have around."
" She does a nice job flattering just about everyone, " He says. " So she's great to appoint to whatever random role."
The director nods in agreement.
" Besides, the name ' Arima Kana ' is more or less known to the public. Now that she left her agency and went to freelance, her performance fee is dirty cheap and we can still leverage her name recognition." Kaburagi confidently says, " Quite the good deal. Wouldn't you agree? "
" Well....it's a pain that's picky with the acting though. This TV drama is nothing more than promotional material," He takes one last whiff before blowing out another puff. Then he steps to a nearby barrel and puts out the cigarette.
" We're not even looking for acting ability in the first place." He muttered. " It seems that's the one point she hasn't picked up on..."
.......
When the two adults left to go back on checking up with the staff on set. Beryl steps out of his hiding spot, he had picked up on everything they discussed. He concealed his presence using the darkness of the warehouse, and his already quiet persona to boot. It was frankly, an easy objective to accomplish, he takes quiet steps to the barrel where Kaburagi disposed his cigarette in.
He reaches in and quickly collects the piece, placing it into a ziplock bag and then zipping it tight. He made sure to wear gloves before hand, so as not to dirty himself and the evidence that could determine Kaburagi's relation to Ai-- and quite possibly in extension to them.
But besides the mission...
Overhearing how little the producer considered of Kana....
" It's a shame you're nothing but a tool to them, Senpai." His tone was laced with slight pity.
But her feelings held little priority to him in the end.
.....
" Have you collected it?"
Aqua says as he walks up behind him. Beryl turns and gives him a nod, showing the ziplock bag with Kaburagi's cigarettes neatly resting in it.
" Got it right here," He shakes the bag around.
Aqua nods, " Good. That completes our objective here."
" Mhm. And all you have to do now is to finish the filming and then we can go home." Beryl yawns. " I really need a coffee."
"...."
" Aqua?"
"...."
................
" With this role, I'm finally getting recognized again!"
.
" Even if you say your acting isn't terrific, I'm just happy that I could work with you today..."
.
" In this world shrouded in darkness, I learned there was someone who'd been struggling along with me!
....That alone is enough."
................
"...." Beryl evaluates the expression on Aqua's face, carefully.
His older brother seemed to be torn in deciding on something, or rather, he was contemplating on something of importance that Beryl was unaware of. But he could take a guess. It was probably about her, Arima Kana, the former genius child actor who can cry in ten seconds flat...
Beryl sighs. No matter how cold or distant Aqua can get, he's still kind to others whom he considers close. It's just a suprise for Beryl to find out that in such a short amount of time that Arima became part of that.
In that case....
" Aqua, how about you put on a show? I'll take care of the directing."
" Huh?"
....A new objective has been set
" You're easy to see through." Beryl shrugs. " You're already here. Might as well go out with a bang, right? "He crosses his arms and looks towards the set. " I'll take care of the camera work too."
Aqua looked at him as if he were crazy. But Beryl returned his gaze to Aqua with a confidence the latter had been familiar with for such a long time. Seeing that, Aqua finally makes his choice.
" But what's this about you taking care of the directing and camera work? You don't have experience in professional filming, do you?" He asked, an amused grin playing at Aqua's lips.
Beryl's eyes seemingly radiated in the dark, as he reciprocated Aqua's grin with one of his own.
" I don't. But after knowing you my whole life, I know exactly the type of angles you'd probably be looking for." He confidently said.
Aqua chuckles. Of course, he thinks. That's the logic his little brother would come to.
.
.
.
Beryl extends a closed fist half-way, staring at Aqua with a ready gaze.
" Do you trust me?" He asked.
.....
" Fine." He decides,
Aqua's fist bumps against his.
" I trust you, little brother."
Both of their star pupils lit ablaze upon eye contact with the other, excitement going through the pair as they ready themselves to put out one heck of a final episode for this pitiful production.
~~~ Chapter End ~~~
Oh my god. Finally. This chapter is finished and published.
I packed in so much stuff in this chapter....it kept me up for like 3 days. I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish in this chapter but during the last 20% of writing it, the words just refused to WORD in my head ugggghhh--
I really am sorry if the ending of this chapter seemed rush, I did the best I could. I'm not exactly satisfied since it didn't hit that spot for me fully-- but I hope it was enough to serve you guys well! Maybe if something hits, I can rewrite the last segment of this chapter but thats not my priority right now.
I have to progress the story!
And next chapter may or may not be as long as this one...( Praying that it's the latter )
I'm sure some of you may be able to guess the woman Yuki is trying to interview... ;) but who knows.
Anyway, I dont have much else to say except IM FINALLY DONE WITH THIS and i can rest peacefully for a day before getting back into writing mode.
Hope u guys look forward to the next!
See you then~