Ann felt more confident than usual.
The casting for the campaign - internet ads for a sugar-free ginger cola - was announced only a few hours ahead, and so there were comparatively few people around. Most of them looked, for lack of a better word, green, which meant her looks and experience would stand out in the crowd. She had the role in the ba-
"Ann?"
The voice sounded familiar, and so she turned to where it came from. "Akira? What are you doing here?"
He smiled. "I've been juggling a few side jobs, and ended up signing up for a casting agency." His usual school uniform was replaced with a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt with top three buttons undone. Got an email about this casting and happened to be in the area, sooo…"
"Huh. Truth be told, you're the last person I expected here."
Akira put on a taunting grin. "What, are you scared that I'm gonna beat you to the part with my natural charm?"
Ann responded in kind. "Oh, please, as charming as you are, you simply cannot beat both good looks and experience."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, really."
"You know," a guy passing by with a clipboard spoke up, "we're looking for both a guy and a girl, so you two aren't really competing for anything."
The two turned to him. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, wasn't that mentioned in the email?"
In unison, Akira and Ann pulled out their phones and navigated to their inboxes. "Huh," went the boy. "I only noticed the date and that you're looking for guys and girls my age and just… skimmed past the rest."
"Yeah, same."
The casting guy sighed. "Yeah, you'll need to find another flirt angle, sorry." He walked away, leaving the two to their own devices.
"Well, that just ruined the plot." Akira remarked.
After a pause, Ann, desperate to break the lull in the conversation, went "You look good in that shirt."
He shrugged. "Well, you look good in anything, so…" She giggled. "Alright, seriously though," Akira looked a bit less confident than a moment before, "this is my first casting. What to expect?"
"Waiting, mostly." She looked around, trying to get a rough estimate of how many people were standing in the corridor. "Like, an hour or two. The water cooler's already empty, did you bring some of your own water?"
"No, not really."
She checked her school bag. "I've got a half-liter bottle, I can share if you'll need it."
"Thanks."
"No problem," she said, reassuringly. "When they'll call you in, you'll need to introduce yourself. Name, age, agency."
"The legal name or the one I use day-to-day?"
"Go with legal," she replied. "Or maybe both, like, 'Hi, I'm Ren Amamiya, but call me Akira'. Then, they'll photograph your face and hands and tell you to act out the scene they want. This is a cola ad, so it'll probably look like…"
She reached into her bag and pulled out the water bottle. Without unscrewing the cap, she put it to her lips and slowly tilted her head, then held the pose for a few seconds.
"...this." She put her water away. "Do you need a tissue for that nosebleed?"
Akira licked his upper lip and felt a familiar metallic taste. "No, I've got my own." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack. He pulled out a single tissue and put it up to his nose and pinched it, trying to not get blood stains on his clothes.
"Okay, there are two more things I need to mention. The first - they'll call you back in a few days, if and only if you get that role. And don't be discouraged if you won't, that's just how it goes."
"I'm the protagonist, Ann, I've got this in the bag," he reassured her. "And the second thing?"
"Please button up your shirt. Top button can stay undone, but the other two can be a bit too… daring for the ad agency."
Akira grinned. "And also because I'm distracting you with my fine physique."
"You're a twig." Beat. "But yes."
Still grinning, Akira buttoned himself up with his off-hand. Another pause followed, broken by the boy this time, "Okay, how much longer will it take?"
"Not a clue." She rummaged through her bag and produced a deck of cards, tied up with rubber bands. "I usually find someone not-bitchy to play Uno with when that happens."
"I don't know the rules."
"That's okay, I can show you…"
A few days later, Ann tapped Akira's shoulder on the school corridor, and he turned around. "Yeah?"
He noticed that she looked a bit less confident than usual. "Did the ad people get back to you?" she asked.
"No."
"Well, they did to me. I got the part."
He smiled. "Guess I was wrong about who the protagonist was. Congrats!"
"Oh, heh." She looked aside. "I dunno, I was worried that you'll be a sore loser about this."
"Oh, I am very sore right now," he said, still smiling, "I'm hiding it very well, but as we speak, I am concocting an elaborate revenge scheme that will end with me faking your suicide."
Ann chortled at the absurdity. "If I invite you for crepes after school, will that discourage you from executing your master plan?"
"Maybe?" Akira then giggled, unable to keep a straight face.
"It's a deal then. I can pay for both of us."
"Is this a date?"
"It can be if you want it to."
Ryuji and Makoto were leaning against the wall, watching the scene unfold from a distance.
"Promise me something," she asked him.
"Yeah?"
"If my attempts at flirting will look like this, punch me in the stomach."