Chapter 138

I gave Wakatsuki’s number and email to Fushimi that afternoon. “Keep in mind I’ve never talked to him in person, so I don’t really know what he’s like.” “Okay. Thanks. I’ll try getting in contact with him.” He’d texted me his email, in case Fushimi was wary of calling him on the phone. She took a picture of my phone’s screen showing the data, looking nervous all the while. “Hope it goes well,” I said. “Yeah. Hopefully he’s not, like ‘You’re different from how I imagined…’” I understood why she was antsy. Fushimi had already failed multiple auditions. She’d never gotten an unsolicited offer before. This could be her chance. “You’ll be fine. He wanted to talk to you because he liked your acting. He wants your talent in his agency, right?” “D-does he?” Fushimi chuckled awkwardly. Unless he’d changed his mind, it sounded to me like he was checking her interest, not calling her in for some kind of interview. Still, it was reasonable for her to be worried, considering what she’d been through. “I don’t think you need to worry about offending him. Act like you always do, and you should be fine.” “Y-you think?” It would be irresponsible of me to say any more, so I left it at that. Later that night, Fushimi texted me. We’re gonna meet on Saturday! I replied to her with a suitable emoji. So she was finally going to become a celebrity. Just thinking about it made me feel a little lonely. “Himeji, did you fail a lot of auditions at first?” It was Saturday. We were sitting across from each other at a café in town. The concert was that evening, and we had some time to kill. “You mean auditions to become an idol?” Himeji’s street clothes had changed to accommodate the fall season—she looked more refined and mature. “Yeah, that sort of thing.” Himeji took a sip of her café au lait before saying simply, “No. I did not fail.” Despite what she said, I frequently heard stories on TV about actors struggling with not making the cut. “…Seriously?” “Yes. Including the audition for the stage play I’m working on now, I’ve never failed. That is, if we only count in-person interviews.” She’s even more powerful than I realized! Fushimi, meanwhile, was on a losing streak. “I ended up choosing Mr. Matsuda because of his passion and good character.” So she was accepted to other agencies, too? No wonder she had so much confidence. Then I told her about Mr. Wakatsuki. “Why Hina?” “Well, he saw her acting.” Himeji looked down at the table. “The reality is, there’s loads of girls on Hina’s level, both in terms of looks and skill.” “I guess he just saw something special in her.” “Hmm…” Himeji’s reaction didn’t seem very positive, just like Mr. Matsuda’s. Maybe from the perspective of someone already in the industry, it didn’t seem that special. “Speaking of skill, have you gotten any better yet?” Himeji puffed out her chest and smiled proudly. “You wouldn’t believe your eyes if you saw me now. You must come and see the first showing. You’ll think, Oh, how I wish I had kissed cute little Ai when I had the chance!” Was that supposed to be an impression of me? That’s what I sound like to her? “And what would you do if that actually happened?” I said jokingly. Himeji blinked repeatedly; my response had clearly taken her by surprise. “W-well, if it comes to that… Th-then you should just kiss me!” she cried out, her face flushed. She’d raised her voice, and I could feel people around us staring. “Hey, keep your voice down.” Ignoring me, she went on. “T-to begin with, I already gave you permission, s-so why won’t you t-take advantage of the offer!” Oh right. I forgot about that. “My acting will blow your socks off,” she continued. “Don’t worry, I’ll be wearing shoes.” Himeji did not like my joke. “Gosh… You simply refuse to leave your field, don’t you Ryou? And you won’t go into anyone else’s, either.” I…had an idea of what she was talking about. She was probably referring to my apparent lack of interest in romance. “That makes it easy to stay, of course,” she muttered to herself while poking my sneakers with her foot. “What I mean is, you can do it—so just go ahead and do it.” She challenged me with her eyes. “I gotta prepare myself mentally and stuff, you know?” “Is that the problem?” “Huh? What do you mean, that?” “Nothing.” She shook her head. “I heard Mr. Matsuda made a reservation at a nice place to celebrate your award.” Apparently, we were eating there after the concert. Himeji showed me the restaurant’s website on her phone. I could tell immediately that it was not the sort of place high schoolers went to. “I made sure to tell Mana, but…” Himeji observed me from the top of my head to my chest and all the way to my feet below the table, and then she smiled. Her sincere expression overlapped with my memories of her and made my heart briefly flutter. “Yup! She did a good job.” “Mana…? Oh, so that’s why she was so fussy about my clothes and hair today.” I was wearing a collared shirt under a muted jacket. She’d complimented me as I left, saying I looked more handsome this way. It was true that my usual clothes would have stood out at that restaurant. The concert venue didn’t have seats, though. We’d all be standing. Wouldn’t I look weird there? “We’ll have VIP seating, so you don’t have to worry about getting crushed by the fans,” Himeji said, as if reading my mind. The time finally came, and we left the café. Himeji wore sunglasses so she wouldn’t be recognized. As far as I was concerned, they only made her more conspicuous. “I’m feeling pretty nervous,” she said. “It’s my first time watching one of their concerts since I left…” “Did you think they wouldn’t want to see you?” “I did at first, but it seemed I was just being paranoid. Mr. Matsuda said the girls were happy that I’d recovered and started working again.” Himeji had told me before that she’d caused them a lot of trouble, but it seemed like the other members didn’t feel that way at all. As we approached the venue, I started seeing people who looked like fans. They had merchandise in their bags or wore concert T-shirts, making it pretty obvious. There was a huge crowd by the tent selling such goods. We entered through the back, and several members of the staff called out to Himeji. One after the other, they said things like “Long time no see,” “How have you been?” or “It’s your first time in the audience, right?” One of them showed us to a special booth on the third floor with ten or so seats, and we sat down in the corner. There were already tons of fans downstairs. The brochure said the place could hold up to two hundred people. “This is one of SakuMome’s biggest concerts,” said their former member. “Is Mr. Matsuda not joining us?” “He’s the manager, so he’s probably backstage with the jitters about now.” Oh right. Eventually, the lights turned down, and the concert began. It started with an up-tempo song, and light sticks danced in the darkness. Himeji hummed along, swaying her head in sync with the fans’ hands. “Don’t stare,” she said in embarrassment when the song was over. “I couldn’t help it. You started doing that unconsciously, huh? Why did you ask me to come anyway?” At first, I thought she was afraid to face the others alone after leaving the group, but it turned out that wasn’t the case, and Himeji didn’t seem like that sensitive of a person, either. “…Because you seemed down.” “Me?” “Yes. Hina doesn’t seem to realize, because she’s so hyped about being scouted, but you’ve become even quieter than before.” I hadn’t realized it myself, but I had a hunch what might have caused it. “Huh, you’re usually not this considerate.” “Who do you take me for?” She jabbed my side. “Lady Aika, right?” She narrowed her eyes and pouted. “No. I’m your childhood friend.” That’s right, Himeji’s my childhood friend, too. I offered her a wry grin. After that, the group sang and danced to a few more songs, taking time to talk between each one, and the concert ended about two hours later. An instrumental version of one of their songs played in the background as the fans left the venue. “What did you think?” Himeji asked. “It’s amazing how intense it feels live.” Himeji cleared her throat. “Don’t forget I was one of them.” “They’re so friendly and authentic, too. I can understand why the fans are so passionate.” “If I’d known you’d enjoy it so much…I could’ve sent you a ticket at least once…,” Himeji muttered, her eyes fixed on the stage. “Maybe I would’ve fallen for Aika the idol.” When I’d watched concert recordings before, I’d always thought she had a powerful allure. “Huh? Huh? What did you just say?” I tried to get up, but she pulled me down by the hem of my shirt. “Let’s go,” I said. “No way! Look me in the eye and repeat what you just said. Otherwise, we’re not leaving.” “I said I finally understand how your fans feel.” “That’s not what you said. You said you would have fallen for Aika.” “So you did hear me. Why make me repeat it? And I said maybe…” Suddenly, her nice smell tickled my nose. By the time I realized what was happening, her lips were touching my cheek. “…!” I could tell Himeji’s face was red, even in the dark. She used her handkerchief to fan herself and stood up. Did she just…kiss me? “L-let’s go, then,” she said. “Get up already.” Himeji rushed off, as if fleeing. “Wait, that’s not the way.” “Ugh!” She quickly turned on her heel and hurried down the stairs. I followed behind, and we left the venue the same way we’d come. “I would usually go to the greenroom to greet them afterward,” she said, “but I won’t do that today, since I didn’t bring anything for them.” Himeji called for a taxi with practiced motions. The driver asked us where we were going, and we double-checked the restaurant’s address before giving the directions. As soon as the car started moving, we fell silent. Himeji said nothing about what had happened, so I figured it was best not to mention it. Then I heard her mutter in a voice so low, I could barely hear it: “That just now…was an accident.” “Oh, okay.” What else could I say? “Now I understand why Hina became so assertive… It’s all your fault, just so you know.” She wrapped her pinkie around the edge of my hand. “Because nothing moves you.”