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As Aqua and the other actors took the floor and waited for filming to start, Aqua looked up at the roof, where water was leaking into the small abandoned building.
Due to the rain, water was getting inside the building.
Including the spots actors stand, the plan for the performance is already set, and it cleverly avoids places with puddles.
I've even confirmed that point during the rehearsal.
The spot where I enter, the set surrounding me and positions of the cameras, the lighting...
How I'll look on screen, including during the cutback...
Aqua turned around and stared at the staff members who were getting the equipment ready.
Luna had already explained in detail to me her observations about these points.
I'll hammer the scene into my head one more time.
Outside, the rain poured down and thunder rumbled in the distance. Soon, there was another call, "We're resuming filming!"
"Cameras are good to go!"
"Lighting's good to go!"
"Mics are good to go!"
"Scene 6, shot 51!"
"Ready and... action!"
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The scene opens up with the male lead and female lead in a dark, dreary building.
"Leave me alone! I don't like you following me!" Kana, as the female lead, yelled.
"It's so like you to think like that!" Melt, as the male lead, shot back at her. "Are you stupid?"
"But..."
"I won't let you be alone!" Melt insisted loudly.
From the wall she was leaning on, Luna caught a slight alteration on Kana's face.
If she's trying to synchronize with Melt to make his performance better, then it's hopeless, she thought, blowing another bubble with her gum. It would be an impossible task. But I think she realized that.
Meanwhile, Kana's thoughts were racing.
Why's the chief director and his team okay with this performance?! she thought in shock. Isn't this supposed to be a more tense, scary, spine-chilling scene?!
...Do they not care about the acting at all? This part should be more...
Aqua and Luna caught each other's eyes and nodded slightly. Then, Aqua started his performance.
There was a splash of footsteps. Someone was walking over the puddles. Hearing this sound, Melt and Kana turn around in surprise. A figure in a hooded jacket walks toward them, his face shrouded from view.
"The mics are picking up his footsteps due to the puddles," one of the staff members whispered to the chief director. "Should we stop filming?"
"No. Hmm..." the chief director mused. "It's stylish... and gives off a certain vibe."
The hooded male paused in front of them. "The girl isn't the kind of person you think she is," he said, raising his head to look at the two people in front of him. "She's simply not compatible with a shallow playboy like you. She's the same sort of person as me"
Kana looked surprised at the turn in Aqua's acting.
Huh? I thought his acting earlier wasn't very good... she thought. But compared to the rehearsal, he's bringing out the character.
...
I don't have talent the way Ai did.
I don't have that aura that keeps viewers' eyes glued to me, a talent that my sister inherited and excels at.
It's not like I'm good at acting.
Which is why... I'll use all the tools at my disposal.
Props, the cameras, the lighting, the actors...
Even if it takes leveraging them all, I'm gonna be like Ai.
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Aqua walked closer to Melt, who was looking confused, and said lowly into his ear, "You know, up close you're actually pretty ugly."
Melt stiffened as Aqua continued, "This's how you look without photo editing, huh?"
"...Huh?" Melt growled as he grabbed Aqua with one hand. "What the hell did you just say?!"
Everyone in the room was shocked, except for Luna, who merely placed a foot against the wall and smiled mysteriously.
Slowly, Aqua's mouth turned upward into a demonic smile. "Are you deaf?! I said that girl isn't worth protecting!" he yelled back at Melt.
"That little brat... He's improvising both his lines and positioning on set..." the man standing next to the chief director muttered.
"Don't stop filming," the chief director said suddenly, causing the man to look at him, surprised. "Keep camera 2 on him. And turn up the lighting a bit."
"This girl is a precious friend to me!" Melt rebutted, his grip on Aqua's hoodie tightening.
...
This is good.
It's just like in the manga!
This is a famous scene in the manga.
The directorial intent, composition, tempo... There's meaning behind all of it.
I've long excelled at questions that ask me to think about the author's feelings.
If I can properly grasp a masterpiece, I can receive passing marks.
There, I've set the stage for you.
Haven't you wanted this chance?
Now give it your all, Kana Arima.
Kana's eyes finally lit up in realization.
Aqua forcefully slapped Melt's hand off, causing him to fall back a couple of steps. Nonetheless, he threw his arms out to form a barrier between Aqua and Kana. "Nothing you can do will make a difference!"
The lead actress's tears are the highlight of this scene.
Aqua pulled out a knife and brought it to his mouth, carefully licking the blade.
To make that aspect shine brightly... I'll bring darkness to the scene.
Aqua rushed forward, swinging the knife as he went. Melt tried to land a punch but missed as Aqua dodged under his arm and lunged at Kana, yelling," Give up and be gone!"
Melt rushed back to Kana and this time, landed a punch squarely on Aqua's cheek.
Appear frightening, disgusting...
The punch caused Aqua to lose balance, making him fall to the ground. As he did, he still retained his demonic-like smile. Slowly drawing himself up, he said, "There's not a single person who needs you. Know your place in this world! Get your head outta the clouds!"
The star in his eye twisted black. "You have no future," he crowed. "Your life is but pitch-black darkness!"
Everyone in the room turned to Kana in anticipation.
And now, the finishing touches.
Kana Arima just needs to put on a show with her crying...
Tears started to roll down Kana's cheeks, glowing in the bright light.
"Even so... Even so, there is light yet," she said, her hand on her chest like she was touched.
There it is... There's the Kana Arima that I know! Luna thought excitedly, her eyes lighting up in admiration.
On the floor. Aqua also looked surprised. Then he remembered.
Oh, right, that's her specialty, he thought with a small smile.
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The rain cleared up some time after they finished filming. Melt walked up to the Hoshino siblings while they were talking.
"My bad," he started as he approached them, causing the two to turn. "My punch connected, didn't it? I ended up swinging hard, too."
"No need to apologize," Aqua replied modestly, lowering the damp towel that Luna had given him "I got in front of your punch on purpose."
"Huh?" Melt asked, lifting his head in confusion.
"Sure enough, acting's all about leaning into your emotions," Luna explained to him. "You turned in a good performance."
"And thanks to that, it seems Arima was able to pull out all the stops," Aqua added as he started to walk away.
Luna looked at her brother and back at Melt. "Keep working on your acting, Melt Narushima," she said as smiled at him in parting. "I guarantee you it's a good path to stay on."
Then she walked off to catch up to her brother, leaving Melt and Kana behind.
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"Scene 7, shot 310."
"And... action!"
Kana's gaze watched the ground before she blinked and lifted it up, her eyes sparkling in the bright light. A gentle breeze lifted her hair up as a light blush dusted her face.
"There it is..." Luna whispered to her brother. "There's the Kana that's using her full potential."
Aqua smiled slightly. "I'm glad how things turned out," he whispered back.
"Yeah, same!"
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The final episode of "Sweet Today" didn't go viral or become a hot topic of conversation, but within certain smaller circles it garnered passionate praise.
A few days later, there was a wrap party for the TV drama. Aqua and Luna arrived together, chatting as they walked in.
"Why does Kaburagi want me to come, anyway?" Luna asked her brother as they pushed open the door to the wrap party. "I didn't even participate in the TV drama."
"I don't know, actually," Aqua replied. "Kana just gave me word that he wanted you to be here. I don't think he said why."
"That's a bit... shady," Luna remarked as they lingered near the edge of the room, trying to stay out of the way of the other guests at the party. Then, she noticed a familiar face standing not too far away from them.
"Kana-senpai!" she called as she dragged Aqua along with her.
"Hi!" Kana greeted them as they stopped next to her. "Glad you could make it!"
"Trying to keep a low profile, too?" Aqua asked.
"Mostly, I guess," Kana replied, clasping her hands together in front of her.
Aqua scanned the crowd as he said, "Seeing everyone gathered here reminds me of just how many people were involved in the project."
"Yeah," Kana agreed. "Lots of people's jobs are riding on our performances. We need to produce results and absolutely can't be involved in any scandals."
Kana's eyes skittered one way before she looked back at them. "On that note, do either of you have a girlfriend, boyfriend, or anything?" she asked Aqua and Luna.
Luna raised an eyebrow as she stated, "Aqua's sister complex is terrifying to a fault. Since elementary school, any boy that tries to approach me with romantic aspirations is quickly scared off by him."
Although, I'm kinda relieved... Luna thought silently. Love... is a stupid thing. Love is the reason Ai Mama got killed in the first place. It's worthless.
Aqua grunted affirmatively before responding, "Nope, so no scandals or any dirt on me."
"I see..." Kana trailed off, a light blush lighting her cheeks. "Hmm..."
Suddenly, someone approached them. "Thanks for your hard work filming the show," the person said.
Kana turned around, noticing the author of "Sweet Today" walking toward them. "Sensei...!" she started in shock. Her eyes dropped downward, feeling like she didn't deserve the praise. But the author, Yoriko Kichijouji, noticed this and smiled at her.
"In my opinion, it was your performance that carried the show, Arima-san," she said, causing Kana to jolt up slightly in shock. Yoriko Kichijouji bowed at her slightly. "Arigato gozaimasu."
Kana's eyes glowed and welled up with tears at her words.
"Especially in the final episode... I only wish it'd been like that from earlier in the production," Yoriko said lightly, smiling slightly at Kana.
Kana laughed awkwardly as the Hoshino siblings watched with small smiles on their faces. Suddenly, a new voice chimed in.
"Hello there, Aqua-kun. That last episode was well-received," Masaya Kaburagi greeted him as he sauntered up. "Glad you could make it, Luna-chan."
"Arigato gozaimasu," Aqua thanked him as Luna nodded in greeting.
"Things were tough from an earnings standpoint, but the goal was to give talents like yourself an opportunity, and perhaps we achieved that," Kaburagi continued.
Aqua and Luna watched him warily.
I submitted this producer's cigarette butts for testing, and I learned we are not related whatsoever, which in a way was a relief.
However...
"The two of you are with Strawberry Productions, right?" Kaburagi asked. "Your faces are somehow similar to Ai-kun's."
Luna sucked in a tight breath as Aqua averted his gaze slightly. "You think so?" he asked.
"Yeah," Kaburagi responded. "After all, I often saw her up close. I'm sure of it."
"...'Up close,' you say?" Luna said tentatively.
Aqua turned back and faced him, the star in his eye dark. "What kind of relationship did you have with Ai?" he asked the director.
"We worked together when I was acting as an intermediary for fashion magazine models," Kaburagi informed them. "After that, on top of sending jobs her way, I looked after her in various ways. I introduced her to quality clients, recommended good restaurants and such when she was meeting up with a guy unbeknownst to her agency, and so on."
The last portion of information shocked the two siblings. Aqua glanced at Luna, whose expression looked like she was saying, Try not to give too much away.
"Do you know whom she was meeting?" he asked.
"Hm?" Kaburagi questioned. "Are you two perhaps fans of Ai-kun? You're interested in gossip even after her passing?"
Luna and Aqua shared a glance again.
"We are," Aqua confirmed.
"Oh, I see," Kaburagi said, placing a hand on his chin in thought. "Well, I don't mind telling you two, but I want something in return. That's why I invited you here today, Luna-chan."
Luna gripped her arm tighter as Kaburagi continued, "The two of you have beautiful faces that much resemble Ai-kun's."
Kaburagi lifted his hand and pointed at them.
"Would the two of you be interested in a reality dating show?"
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hehehe