Chapter 6

The main reason she supported Karin Shotsuki was because of her fantastic performances. But if that were the only reason, then she would no longer have any motive to support Karin now that she’d quit being an idol. And of course, that wasn’t true at all. Just exchanging messages with Karin every day was enough to sustain Suzune emotionally. It filled her heart in a different way from gazing at photobooks or merchandise. Ever since Karin’s graduation, Suzune could only wallow in nostalgia and despair when she looked at those things, but now she could enjoy them just like when Karin had still been active. “B-but I’m her senior at work…” She brought her glass to her lips and drank deeply. The cold umeshu did nothing to cool the burning in her throat. Her heart was racing. It truly hadn’t occurred to her until Yuika pointed it out. Now that Karin-sama was no longer an idol, how and why was Suzune still her biggest fan…? “This is what I had in mind for auditions for next season. What do you think?” At the office, Suzune carefully inspected each of the materials Miama handed to her. These days, there were more than fifty new animated shows coming out every season. Each required between one and five main cast members, which meant roughly a hundred people total, at least in theory. But since it wasn’t unusual for one voice actor to play multiple leading roles, the actual number was much smaller. On top of that, it wasn’t as if one person could try out for every single new show. Some agencies might not even get contacted to put their talents in the running, and even if they did, there was a limit to how many people could audition from each agency for any given show. So there were several hurdles to clear, even before auditioning. And since the office needed their voice actors to pass auditions in order to make a profit, they would naturally give more chances to their most popular talents. Consequently, the window of opportunity kept shrinking by the season. Fortunately, Suzune was lucky enough to audition for around twenty shows each season. Even if she usually only got cast in three or four of those, that was still a fairly high success rate in the industry. Once Suzune finished looking everything over, she nodded. “Looks good to me. Please sign me up for all of them.” “Got it. Also, you’ve got an offer for a film dubbing role. If you take the part, you’ll have to make an appearance at the premiere, though.” “I’ll do it.” She didn’t even look at the materials before accepting. Truth be told, Suzune wasn’t a big fan of going to movie premieres. These days, it was becoming more popular to cast famous actors who didn’t specialize in voice acting for some dubbing roles. She didn’t know how to interact with these people on stage, and since most of the audience was there for the big-name celebrities, it felt like it didn’t really matter if she was there at all. As far as she was concerned, it was a big waste of time. Still, if she was being requested for a role by name, she couldn’t just turn it down. And Miama wouldn’t have brought it up to her if it wasn’t the right fit. “Okay, then. I’ll go ahead with this and get a schedule to you soon.” “That would be great, thank you.” “I’m on it.” Her manager grinned, clapped Suzune lightly on the shoulder, and returned to her desk. Suzune had a TV show narration to record after this. Instead of the convenience of the downstairs studio, she had to go to the TV station. While it would be easier to take a taxi, she didn’t want to get caught in a traffic jam. She’d already needed to apologize profusely because of that very situation once before; she’d been using the train to get around ever since. Suzune placed her materials into her tote bag and hoisted it onto her shoulder. “I’m heading out,” she called as she left the office. While she waited in the hallway for the elevator, she wondered how many auditions she might pass this time. Back when she was in middle school, she never would have imagined that she’d still basically be taking tests all the time at this age. But every single time, she continued to feel as nervous as if it were an entrance exam. She would be over the moon every time she passed and upset enough to cry whenever she failed. And unlike entrance exams, there was no telling when you’d get the results, which meant the waiting period was unbelievably stressful. In some cases, you didn’t even find out until the cast was publicly announced, making it all the more difficult to process. No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, the worry was there in the back of her mind, lurking like dust in a corner she’d neglected to clean. The elevator arrived with a ding, and the door slid open. “Ah…” Suzune murmured without thinking, then quickly added, “G-good morning!” She quickly took a step back and ducked her head, her tote bag nearly slipping off her shoulder in her haste. “…Good morning.” The other woman, who sounded rather dour as she responded, was Mami Gamikawa. She’d joined in the same year as Yuika, making her Suzune’s senior at the agency. To be honest, Suzune didn’t like dealing with the woman very much. She was always on edge, and her every comment seemed pointed somehow. According to Yuika, she hadn’t always been like this, but that didn’t make Suzune feel any better, since she had never known Gamikawa any other way. “Pardon me.” Suzune tried to shuffle past her. “Hang on.” The other woman stopped her with a sharp tone. At such close quarters, Suzune could hardly get away with pretending not to hear her, so she stopped and answered reluctantly. “Yes?” The elevator closed before her eyes, trundling back down with a faint whine. There was no getting out of this now. Sighing inwardly, Suzune turned to face Gamikawa. “What is it?” she asked, putting on a smile. “Come over here.” The woman strode over to a spot that was mostly out of sight of the office entrance, gesturing for her to follow. Suzune complied, because she didn’t want to hang around in front of the elevator and get in other people’s way, but she was hoping to get this over with as quickly as possible. Though she still had a little time to spare, she was hoping to stop at a café and reread the script before entering the station. As they stood in a corner where there used to be a smoking area, the walls stained slightly brown, Gamikawa glared at Suzune with a look of thinly-veiled disapproval. “…Listen, I notice you’ve been very buddy-buddy with that ex-idol girl,” she said abruptly. “I’d drop her if I were you.” Suzune was confused for a moment before she realized this was about Karin. “You know she has a bad reputation, right? They say she pulled a lot of strings to get in here. And the higher-ups have squeezed her into an awful lot of auditions for next season, hmm? If you’re hanging around her all the time, people might think she’s using her connections to get you jobs, too, you know?” That’s ridiculous, she thought but didn’t say aloud. If Suzune argued back, this exchange would drag out even longer. The smart thing to do would be to take the high road and just laugh Gamikawa off…but really, she thought she might actually burst out laughing at the very idea. Why in the world would her manager give her jobs just for being friendly with Karin? Wait, is Karin-sama really that influential in the entertainment industry? But she dismissed the thought as soon as it crossed her mind. Even if Karin may have used some connections to get into the agency, it was perfectly normal to ask your contacts for help when transferring to a new job, let alone a new industry. There was nothing unusual about getting introduced to a company by someone or other. And while Suzune didn’t know how many auditions Karin was going for this season, it would make perfect sense if the agency and producers alike wanted to take advantage of the buzz her history would produce. If they were really trying to shove her into roles, they would just cast her directly and skip the auditions altogether. But when Suzune said as much, Gamikawa just laughed in her face. “Don’t be an idiot. You and I both know those auditions will only be a formality—don’t try to pretend Karin’s going to win roles based on actual talent. Things get rigged like that all the time. And if you’re hanging around with her, people will think you’re getting roles handed to you, too. You do realize that, don’t you?” ExCUSE me?! That was the last straw. It wasn’t the implied insult to her own character that set Suzune off. It was the insult to her oshi that did it. How dare you. You have no idea what a hard worker Karin Shotsuki really is. Anyone who was a fan of Karin’s knew firsthand. She had given her all to being an idol, even if her dream was really to be a voice actress all along. That much was clear if you saw her perform, heard her sing. She never cut corners or slacked off. “First of all—” Just as Suzune was about to give Gamikawa a piece of her mind, the elevator arrived, and the door opened again. “Oh, good morning!” Karin-samaaaa! Yes, it was her. Today, she was wearing a printed sweatshirt with baggy pants, along with a newsboy cap with the brim tilted slightly over one eye. She had a drawstring bucket bag over her shoulder, and a cat-shaped earring dangled from one of her ears. She’s sooo adorable, as always! Karin flounced toward them cheerfully. This time, Gamikawa didn’t even attempt to hide her disapproval. “Good morning,” she muttered, slinking away without meeting Karin’s eyes. Then Gamikawa repeated the greeting far more loudly and brightly as she entered the office. Suzune slumped and let out a breath. Her tote bag nearly slid off her shoulder. She’d missed her chance to get angry. That exchange reminded her of her student days and not in a good way. There were always people who tried to get you on their side while claiming they were just looking out for you. This was the first time she’d run into one since becoming a working adult. She’d always been self-employed, so she had to wonder if that sort of thing was common in the workplace as well. I’ll have to ask Miama-san. An actor should always be motivated by curiosity, not petty grudges. “Did something happen?” Karin cast a glance at the retreating Gamikawa. Suzune shook her head. “So…what brings you in today?” When they exchanged messages in the morning, Karin didn’t say anything about going into the office that day. Then again, neither did Suzune. “Miama-san called me in about some auditions. What about you, Sengu-san?” “The same.” “I see… Um, do you have any advice for me or anything?” “Huh?” “You know, about which roles I should pick, how to narrow it down and stuff.” You’re kidding, right? Suzune was astonished and a little alarmed by the difference in her perception of things. What if their manager thought her oshi was being arrogant? “No, I never pick and choose. Usually, I accept all the audition offers I receive. Miama-san will listen if you have any dealbreakers, I suppose, but she’ll only bring you offers that she’s already vetted for you.” “Ooh…” Karin looked surprised. Still, Suzune had to hand it to her. Karin must have real confidence in her career thus far if she was just assuming that there would be multiple offers from the start. But of course, that confidence was justified for Karin Shotsuki. “…So it works like that in voice acting, too, huh…” Karin nodded. “All right, then that’s what I’ll do. If you trust Miama-san that much, I’m sure I have nothing to worry about.” Her trust in Suzune felt almost unearned. As happy as she was to have Karin counting on her, she was a little worried the woman might get herself into trouble if she was so trusting with just anyone. Even within the entertainment industry, idols had to be even more careful. Suzune had assumed Karin must have a good handle on that already, since she’d managed to thrive in the idol world—but maybe she was wrong? “Um, Sengu-san… If you have time later today, do you think we could meet up for tea or something…?” “Aw, I’m sorry. I have to record a narration voiceover at a TV station after this.” “Right, of course… Sorry, I should’ve known you’d be busy. Well, I’ll message you again tonight, okay? Good luck!” “Sounds good! Thank you.” Karin smiled back at Suzune, turned, and went into the office. Suzune headed back to the elevator and pressed the button. She couldn’t remember when exactly they’d started exchanging messages every single day. It felt like it had just snuck up on her. When the elevator arrived, Suzune stepped inside and turned around, only to see that Karin was still lingering by the entrance to the office, giving her a little wave. Suzune waved back until the door closed completely. She felt a little shy and awkward, in a way she hadn’t experienced in a very long time. But it wasn’t a bad feeling—not by a long shot.