Nia and Amy smiled as they watched their picked actors and actresses come on to the set. Each of them was in costume and they looked great. Mai was in a high school uniform, Oliver was wearing a black business suit, Lin's was grey, Masako had a kimono and no piercings, John was in a priest's robes, Ayako had her wig and all the necessities for her character, and Houshou—who had agreed to Amy and Nia's spontaneous request—was dressed in a casual yet somewhat dressy manner.
"First of all," Nia began, starting loudly to gain everyone's attention. "Amy and I would like to congratulate everyone again for making the cut. We believe you all are very talented actors and will make this show very successful."
The team made a few sounds of recognition to Nia's statement before quieting down. Amy then stepped up to give instructions.
"Unlike most other productions which choose to film scenes in accordance with scenes, such as filming all the scenes in a park together or all of the scenes in a building together, we will film in chronological order. Meaning what we film first will be at the beginning of the episode and we will continue on like that until we reach the end. Do you have any questions?"
Everyone silently glanced at each other, waiting to see if someone would speak up first. Amy's eyes raked over everyone present, wondering if anyone would speak. Finally, Houshou slowly raised up his hand, as if he was unsure about something. Amy nodded in the man's direction, indicating he could ask.
"Do you I really have to make fun of, Ayako?" he asked, his expression almost looked painful at the thought as he looked over at his sister. "Because I have enough times of her hitting me off-set when I make fun of her. Trust me when I say it hurts."
Amy nodded. "But don't worry, the purse will actually be thickly padded dense material. It will work with gravity in the same way that a real purse would, but when it hits you it shouldn't be as painful as a normal purse. Any other questions?"
"Yes," Masako spoke up. "does my character really have to like him of all people?" her voice was one of animosity as she glanced over at Oliver with a scowl.
"Yes," Amy replied. "It's a part of the character dynamics. But the characters don't get close physically very often. Does that satisfy you?"
Masako said nothing, only crossed her arms and looked away as a reply. Amy tucked the response away in her brain. If this actress caused too much trouble, there were always ways to troll on the actors. She looked to Nia to see if she had the same devious thoughts as she. With a smirk, Nia looked back at Amy and gave her a nod. She was sure there would be plenty of times to mess with the actors. She turned her attention to the people on the stage.
"Is there any more questions?" she asked them. John came forward and raised his hand. Amy nodded for him to speak.
"Do I really have to speak in a Kansai accent? I can't do one all that well and my friends will never let me live it down."
"Yes, Mr. Brown, you do. It comes with the character, and how and where he learned Japanese." Nia gave the young man a small smile. "Besides, it'll be adorable." she mumbled under her breath, only for Amy to hear. Amy did her best to hide her sudden chuckle, and when the characters glanced at her oddly, she attempted to pass it off as a cough. "Alright, is there any more questions?" Nia inquired. Honestly, she really hoped there wasn't; she wanted to hurry up and start already. She couldn't wait!
She was rewarded when none of the cast came forward with any more questions. Everyone was set, the props were in place, costumes and makeup were done, and cameras were ready.
It was showtime.
Nia clapped her hands together happily with a bright smile. "Okay, everyone! Let's get started!"
Take One.
"Then, without realizing it...the girl answered...and then," Mai paused dramatically for effect, allowing the extras to take their breaths. She smiled evilly as she continued. "She had the worst period of her life, right in front of the policeman!"
The girls could not help themselves. They burst out laughing at the hilarious impromptu ending of Mai's horrific tale. Amy took a sigh as she tapped her clipboard onto her shoulder. Hopefully they would not be like this all the time.
XxX
Mai switched off her flashlight after she finished her ghost story, successfully giving her 'friends' a fright. Their only source of light was now Michiru's flashlight.
"You're up next, Michiru." Mai said, pointing to the girl with a smile. Michiru looked down briefly.
"Okay... This is a story about a magical, glowing flower that can keep you young forever." She began, causing Mai and Keiko to smile in amusement. "There's a white unicorn, however, who is the guardian over the flower to protect it from evil people who want to use it selfishly, and—"
"Cut!" Nia yelled, standing to her feet. "Michiru! What was that? You're suppose to be telling a ghost story!"
"Waah! But ghost stories are scary!" Michiru wailed, clinging to Keiko. Nia sighed in mild irritation.
"Does she even know what show she signed up for?" Masako commented haughtily from behind the directors where the other actors were. Nia couldn't help but agree.
XxX
"One..." Michiru said, looking about with suspicion.
"Two..." Keiko whispered, feigning fright.
"Three..." Mai said determinedly, looking for something to look at. The atmosphere was tense—
"Four," Oliver said. Amy fistpumped silently. This would be a great first take! Now they just needed to flip on the lights and—
"HE CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL!" The girls screamed out, laughing hysterically. Each of them were doing some sort of odd dance that Amy could not interpret for the life of her and Oliver broke character to chuckle at their foolish actions. Even though Amy laughed as well, she could not help but face palm.
Were these people serious?
XxX
Oliver observed the three girls for a moment with feign interest before taking several steps into the room. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect anyone to be in here. But then I heard your voices and I couldn't help myself."
"Oh, no! It's totally fine!" Keiko exclaimed. Mai glanced at the two girls, seeing blushes on their faces. She immediately recognized them to be real as no one could fake that look. Of course. Every girl blushes when they look at Noll... Mai thought a little sourly.
"So what year are you?" Michuri asked, giggling along with Keiko.
The directors looked at each other and smiled. Maybe they'd finally get through a scene without any interrup—
"I'm a senior this year."
Amy and Nia then immediately facepalmed for the fifth time that day. They had spoken too soon.
XxX
"Eh, senpai, you like ghost stories, too?" Keiko asked, astonished and extremely pleased. Oliver nodded his head.
"Sure," he replied. The resulting squeal that happened next was scripted. Oliver rubbing his ear was not. Amy cut the scene.
"Mr. Davis, you're not supposed to give them a reaction," she admonished him. He turned a frowning glare onto her.
"If you'd like, you can stand two feet away from fangirls who squeal and then pretend it did not bother you in the least," Oliver invited. Amy sighed. Better get this challenge done now and show him he was just being a baby. She switched with Oliver without the cameras rolling and invited the girls to squeal again. They did so.
"Okay..." Amy announced as soon as the ringing in her ears ceased. "Why don't you just try giggling some more, okay?"
In the background, Oliver smirked at the fail of half of their directors. Nia frowned and shook her head.
XxX
"Okay, Kazuya. I have one question. Why are you here?" Mai demanded, her voice bored and laced with suspicion.
"There are some things I have to take of." the man replied, walking passed the girls as he remembered he should. And on cue, Keiko and Michiru followed after him, still giggling like the school girls they were being paid to be.
"Then what are you waiting for?" was the brunette's immediate reply before she began her rant that suspiciously smelled of jealousy. "Or do you just like being surrounded by girls who will give you their full and utter attention? You probably don't even have anything to do, do you? You just come in here to collect more girls for your own personal fan club you have?" she finished, her voice still surprisingly even.
Oliver and the two girls beside him stared at Mai in shock. Then Michiru nudged Keiko with her elbow.
"Was that in the script?" she whispered.
"I don't think so..." Keiko muttered back. Nia shrugged, looking at Amy.
"I say we keep it. I liked it."
Continuously, Amy shook her head while Nia nodded with a smile.
XxX
"This weather is great! I was right to get out early," Mai said through a stuffed nose and runny eyes and—wait a minute.
"Cut!" Amy shouted, leaping onto the set. She approached the actress with severe allergic reactions with a frown. "How is it that you're showing the symptoms for allergies?"
"Maybe because I have an allergic reaction to the cherry blossoms?" Mai asked, waving her hand to the surrounding pink trees. Amy frowned as she walked to the nearest tree and pulled a branch from its place. It came down with ease and she returned to the actress.
"Let me rephrase this: How is it that you're showing the symptoms for allergies when we've got no real trees inside the building?" she asked, holding the plastic branch aloft. Mai scowled.
"We can't get anything past you guys, can we?" she grumbled as she walked off the stage to remove the massive amount of makeup that had gone into faking her sickly appearance. Amy heaved a sigh as she returned the faux branch to its place. How long would it take to film one episode?
XxX
Mai walked towards the old-looking building that—supposedly—had the camera inside of it. However, as she peeked through the windows, she found that the camera wasn't in there. Confused, she turned around to face the directors.
"Umm...where's the camera? It isn't in here..." she asked, pointing at the doors. Nia frowned.
"What? It should be." she stood up, deciding to go take a look herself. She got on to the stage, and with Mai, they looked in the windows again. Suddenly Ayako and Houshou jumped up from behind the window, sticking their tongues out and pulling their skin below their eyes down. Nia and Mai jumped back, causing the Takigawa siblings to begin laughing.
"Holy—"
"What the fudge?!" Nia shrieked from being startled the same time as Mai. Amy whipped her head around to look at the other actors, glad to find everyone else was there. How are earth did the Takigawas get passed her and Nia to do that though?
With a sigh, and when she turned back around to face the stage again, Amy unsurprisingly found Nia berating Ayako and Houshou. And quite angrily at that. Maybe now they'll learn their lesson never to scare Nia again.
XxX
"That's what it is all right," Mai said aloud as she looked onto the camera in apparent confusion. "But why would it be in a place like this?"
Mai looked around in confusion before turning her attention back to the camera. She grinned cheekily. "Maybe I'll just check the film on here..."
"Wait, Taniyama-san!" Lin shouted as the girl picked up the camera. Paying no heed to the other man, she opened the camera and watched the film inside. Before the tall man could flee in embarrassment, something could be heard over the speaker of the camera.
'Man! I feel like a woman! Wai—Madoka! Stop—'
Mai grinned as she watched the footage of Lin doing karaoke. The man attempted to just go back to his spot, but not before the girl shouted something that made him go pale.
"I told you he used the camera! Amy, you owe me five!" she shouted at the director. The elder blonde grumbled as she withdrew the money from her pocket.
"And just when I thought I had some responsible actors..."
XxX
Take One.
"We met yesterday, right? What's your name?" Oliver asked Mai, his hand on Lin's arm, supporting the man who had fake blood on his forehead.
"It's, uh...Mai..." the girl answered distractedly, still looking at Lin with concern.
"Well, alright then, Mai. I thought you might want to know you're going to be late for your first class since the morning bell just rang." Oliver told her.
Mai waited for a few moments, letting his words in sink, before sprinting out of the building in a panic. As she ran, she attempted to jump over the bushes, like the script demanded. However she didn't jump far enough and fell to the ground. Before anyone could say or do anything, she—amazingly—hopped right back up.
"I'm okay!" she yelled as she continued to run.
Take Three.
Once again, Mai ran out of the building for the third time, determined to jump over the bushes this time. But she didn't jump high enough because one of her feet got caught behind the bush while the rest of her body made it to the other side. This time when she fell though, she landed flat on her face. Everyone winced and looked away as she did.
When Oliver didn't hear her jump up and give a verbal reply that she was okay, he came running to his girlfriend's aid. "Mai, are you okay?" he asked, helping her to her feet. The girl gave a pained moan and leaned against him for support.
"I think I might have broken my nose..." she said, pinching her nose together which made her voice come out funny.
XxX
"Mai, you're going home?" Michiru complained. Mai forciby placed a few books into the bag she had been provided. "What about our engagement with Shibuya-senpai?"
"The only one with an engagement with 'Shibuya-senpai' would be me," she stated evenly, making a complete one-eighty from the script. Keiko and Michiru's faces paled when the girl turned her face up to look them in the eye. "Anyone saying otherwise deals with me, got it?"
"Got it, Taniyama-sensei..." the girls whimpered. Mai grinned in victory before she remembered that she had completely botched the lines. Amy and Nia sighed in the background. This girl's jealous streak was going to cost them at least half a day of filming...
XxX
"Ghost stories?!" a bespectacled girl named Kuroda demanded hotly as she walked into the room. "Are you three the reason I've been having such horrible backaches?! Err, wait...that wasn't right! Can I try that again?" she asked nervously. Nia tried her best to be patient and smiled at Kuroda.
"Of course."
Taking a deep breath, Kuroda tried her lines again. "Ghost stories?! Are you three persons why I have... I'm so sorry! I got tongue-tied!"
Lazily, with crossed arms, Nia slid her gaze towards Amy. "This is her first time being on a stage in front of anyone, isn't it?"
"Most likely." Amy answered as Kuroda tried again, and failed, at her lines once more."
XxX
You there," Oliver's voice sounded, perfectly executed. He leaned upon the door frame as the camera turned to get the perfect shot. "If you are spiritually sensitive, then do you sense anything about the old schoolhouse?"
Mai turned evenly, an exasperated expression upon her face as her 'friends' cheered for the return of 'Shibuya-senpai'. Amy and Nia held their breaths as those lines in particular went on without any disturbance. Kuroda walked smoothly from her place to confront the newcomer.
"Are you the one who put these girls up to telling ghost stories?" she asked, somehow making it through her lines as calmly as she could. The mask of controlled anger was absolutely perfect. Amy sighed silently in relief. This was going well!
"Will you please—"
"Director!" the cameraman called out, disrupting this perfect scene. Nia and Amy shot dirty looks at the cameraman. The actors had finally been doing their jobs perfectly! And now? He looked remorseful as he decided to inform the directors of the problem. "Ano, there's no battery pack in here... We have to film the past three scenes all over again..."
The next thing Amy knew, all was black.
XxX
Oliver turned around to leave the classroom, however, he stopped at the threshold. He looked over his shoulder at Mai emotionlessly.
"Oh, and Mai?" he asked, and once he had the girl's attention he continued. "Would you mind coming with me for a moment?"
The brunette grinned happily instead of wearing a depressed expression like she should. She shot a smug look towards Keiko and Michiru before skipping to Oliver. Latching on to his arm, she looked back and stuck her tongue out at the two girls.
Nia threw her hands up into the air, frustrated, and dropped her clipboard in the process. She shook her head as she pressed her fingertips to her forehead. Glancing over at Amy, who was still unconscious—not that she blamed her, she'd like nothing more than to join her, but someone had to direct this show—Nia let out a sigh. Then she turned her gaze to the actors on-set.
"Everyone, take fi—no, ten...while I somehow find a way to wake Amy..." she mumbled the latter part under her breath. "Oh, and Mr. Davis, would you please come see me for a few moments? I need to discuss something with you."
Amy held a hand to her head. She had blacked out and now she was paying the price. She was very grateful to Nia to allow her time to regroup and refocus. The other director had begun conversation with the lead actor—Mr. Davis—about five minutes ago. Amy figured that while that was happening, she might as well be useful. She stood up and cracked her back, then her neck.
Time to—
"Okay, we're back to filming now!" Nia announced as she returned with Oliver. Amy blinked. That had been quick. Nevertheless, she waited for her co-director to join her on their seats.
"What did you want to talk to Mr. Davis about?" Amy asked curiously as the actors went back to their positions. Amy made sure out of the corner of her eye that there was a battery pack in the camera this time.
Nia sighed. "About Miss Taniyama... She messed up another scene with that jealous streak she has going on. I asked him to try to talk with her about it since he's her boyfriend and all. Maybe she'll listen to him better than us. If she doesn't...well, we'll have to try something different." she answered.
"Or play on it a bit," Amy mused aloud, thinking about it.
"What?" Nia questioned, tilting her head.
"Just an idea. Let's see how Mr. Davis handles it first..." Amy said, smiling. Nia said nothing in reply, only smiled back and gave a nod.
"Alright, everyone!" she called out. "Let's start from where we had left off!"
"So, um...how's your friend doing?" Mai asked as they walked through the hallway in the school, trying to fill the awkward silence. She waited a few moments for Oliver to say his lines, but they never came. She frowned. "Um, hello?" she asked, still in character. "I know I'm the reason he got hurt, but you could still answer me!"
More silence.
With a sigh, Mai stopped walking, which made Oliver do the same when he heard her footsteps falter. He didn't turn around to face her though.
"You forgot your lines, didn't you?"
"...Yes."
XxX
Take Three.
"The opposite. He's the assistant and I'm the boss," Oliver stated blandly. Despite the last three takes having ended in Mai in a fit of giggles, this time she looked properly impressed. She took a step backwards as Oliver continued. "Now my assistant can't move. I believe that you have an obligation here."
"J-just a minute!" Mai protested earnestly before the camera. She was about to say her next line when Oliver cut across her.
"The camera is broken, too," he stated. Amy frowned. Although it was too early, she did actually like the line there. She decided to let it run for a bit to see if they would be serious. Mai took another step in horror as Oliver continued. "He was trying to stop you, because you were touching the camera, and this is how it turned out."
Mai hid her face in her hands, looking convincingly scared. "By the way, um... how much was it?"
"Probably more than you have," Oliver said, then shifted to one foot as though somewhat uncomfortable. His face, however, gave nothing away.
"You mean, um..."
"You couldn't reimburse me. Which means there is only one course of action you can take," he said. Amy watched on with a steady glare. So help her if they messed this scene up and said something that wouldn't work—
"But I don't wanna be your chauffeur! I can't even drive!" Mai exclaimed—extremely upset. Amy dropped her head into her hands. Just when she thought they were being professional...
"Mai, I'm supposed to hire you as an assistant, not a chauffeur," Oliver sighed. The girl instantly stopped her acted out despair in order to blink repeatedly.
"Eh?"
XxX
"What do you exactly do at your job?" Mai asked skeptically. Oliver stared at her, his expression still blank.
"I hunt leprechauns."
Mai abruptly snorted as a result of trying to keep her laughter in while the other actors laughed as well. Amy sighed yet again in frustration, and Nia banged her head against the table.
Were they ever going to finish the first episode?
XxX
"Asprin, you'll need it if you keep that up," Amy offered to her friend. Once the headache for medication had been transferred, the directors returned their attention to the action. The set quieted down in order to film the next scene.
"Saikiku risachi?" Mai asked, confused.
"Is that a question?" Oliver returned evenly. Mai staggered under an invisible weight of confusion as her boyfriend turned away with indifference as he continued. "Psychic means 'shinrei'. Research means 'chousa'. In other words, Shibuya Psychic Research is a spiritual phenomenon bureau."
Oliver turned dramatically as he was supposed to, but then landed on his rear as he was not. Mai could not contain her bubble of laughter as she jogged over to help her boyfriend. She was not laughing when she herself slipped on the tile and ended up face planting into his chest. Amy sighed.
"Who waxed the floors?" she asked, casting a glare in the direction of the Takigawa siblings. As they protested for their innocence while Amy attempted to tell them the dangers of waxing a busy floorspace, John and Masako gave each other a subtle fist bump.
XxX
"One week ago your principal contacted my company." Oliver began their scene after he opened up the door to the van. He picked up a set of shelves and handed them to Mai, placing them on to her arms. They were a little heavy, but nothing she couldn't handle, Mai silently noted.
"When I checked the records," he then placed a medium-sized box into her arms. With this, it seemed Mai was beginning to struggle with holding both the box and the shelves. "I was able to verify that up until eighteen years ago while the old school house was still being used there would be at least one or two deaths within the structure every year."
Mai's knees and arms began to shake, not being able to have the strength to hold them any longer.
"U-Um, Noll... I can't..." Before she could say another word, or Oliver could turn around to see what was wrong, she dropped the equipment and collapsed to her knees in exhaustion.
Nia frowned upon seeing the contents that spilled out of the box when it was dropped. "Okay, who packed rocks inside the box?!" she glared at the other actors behind her. Lin scoffed, looking away.
"Like they can expect me to do nothing while waiting for my next scenes, which is episodes away?" he mumbled under his breath. His wife only patted his shoulder in sympathy for the man.
XxX
Oliver continued his explanation as they went through the house. Mai carried a—now much lighter!—load in her arms as she followed him. Right now, he was saying something about a nervous breakdown. Mai was not paying attention. These floors were creaky! But they were only a foot off the ground! What if she tripped and fell? What if the floor fell through and she twisted an ankle or something? What if—?
"Miss Taniyama, we would appreciate it if you didn't walk off-set with the props while we are still filming," Amy announced, bringing the girl out of her musings. Mai blinked and noted that she had indeed been just about to walk off of the elevated stage. She hopped back in fright. Everyone sighed.
"Really, Mai?" Oliver asked from the doorway they were supposed to have entered together. The girl could do more than offer a nervous chuckle before they tried the scene again.
XxX
As Oliver left the building to gather more equipment, Mai placed the box she was carrying on the table. On cue, she heard a sudden creak and glanced around the room warily, acting startled. Then she heard an odd noise coming from above and gasped in fright. The lights suddenly came on and she cringed, covering her ears with her hands. She heard another creak coming from the doorway and turned towards it as she held her breath in. Then a hand suddenly grabbed the door.
However, instead of seeing her boyfriend coming into the room like she anticipated, John and Masako walked in but stopped when they realized where they were. Mai let out her breath in mild irritation. Just when she doing great and wasn't the one messing up the scenes, someone else had to!
"Ah, wrong way, Masako." John muttered. Nia rubbed her temples, resisting the urge to bang her head on the table again.
"Mr. Brown and Miss Hara, will you two please not wander around backstage while we're filming here?!" she tried to keep her cool, but failed. Miserably.
XxX
"It's amazing that you can use all of this stuff," Mai said as she leaned in closer for a better look at the cameras Oliver had just introduced.
"Of course I can. My brain works differently than yours," Oliver replied easily, looking over the numerous identical black compartments on the shelves. He moved away so the camera could get a look at Mai as she continued with her next line.
"You don't say. Well, you are an office manager, at your age, so you can say that. But why are you exterminating ghosts?" she asked. Her face held the appropriate amount of confusion.
"Because I am sick of the Ghost Buster's theme song constantly being added to my phone," he stated easily. Before either director could interject or face palm, Mai took a defensive step backwards.
"Hey, it was the only way to get you to come to the auditions in the first place..." she stated, pointing a finger at Oliver. He turned a pair of unamused eyes on her.
"Is that so? Perhaps I should change your alarm clock to 'Friday' instead of—"
"Touch my alarm clock and you are so dead, Davis!" Mai threatened, stalking straight up to her boyfriend. As the two continued their banter, Amy and Nia hung their heads. Maybe this was a bad idea...
XxX
Take One.
"Amazing. He's just smart as he is handsome." Mai muttered to herself out loud, almost dreamily. It was true though, which made it easier for her. Her boyfriend was just as smart and handsome as his character was suppose to be. The only thing that was different was Oliver didn't brag about his looks like 'Naru'.
"So you think...I'm handsome?" Oliver inquired, sliding his gaze towards her. Mai remarkably flushed on cue.
"Of course! I-I mean that's what all of the girls at school are saying!" Mai quickly corrected herself, waving her hands in front of her. Then she dropped her hands to her sides and looked away. "The tramps..." she grumbled threateningly.
Take Seven.
"Amazing! Smart and handsome, too!" Mai muttered to herself, a weary look on her face. While it could be easily mistaken for surprise at the boy's self-confidence, the cast and crew knew it was because both of the directors were getting short with her. If she did not make this take flawless, there would be a cut from her paycheck.
"You think I'm handsome?" Oliver asked, not removing his eyes from her stance.
"Well, aren't you? Everyone else is making a fuss," Mai said curiously. Oliver scoffed as he returned to his work.
"Hmm, their taste isn't so bad," Oliver mused aloud, allowing Mai to reel back in shock. Before the scene could be ruined, Amy called for a cut.
"We got it!" she cried out happily. Nia held up her hand for a high-five which Amy gladly returned. It was then that a voice interrupted the celebration loudly.
"I certainly don't find Mr. Davis attractive," Masako sneered. "If anything, those that do are certainly in poor taste."
"What was that, you brat?!" Mai growled, turning her attention to the frowning girl.
Amy sighed. Even in success they could not have a break.
XxX
"Mai?"
Walking out of the building, the brunette turned towards the flashlight that was shining on her, wincing at the bright light when it evaded her vision.
"Were you with Kazuya all night?" Keiko questioned.
"What were you two doing?" Michiru asked. Glaring slightly, Mai gave them a half-smirk half-smile.
"He's my boyfriend—it's none your business what I do with him!" she answered, anger lacing the sweetness in her voice. "Besides children like you wouldn't understand yet."
"Miss Taniyama!" Nia yelled, off-set, at Mai hinting at such a suggestion.
XxX
"Huh? Spirit investigations?" Michiru asked, her voice naturally distraught. "Then Shibuya-san isn't a senpai?"
"Mm-mmm, and he won't notice you no matter how many times you whisper it dramatically," Mai grinned. Michiru frowned in Mai's direction before Keiko said something that would make Michiru grin in victory and Mai face palm.
"Notice me, senpai..."
Amy decided to join Mai in the art form of face palming.
XxX
Take Four.
"What are you doing?" Mai asked again as she peeked around the corner of the van at Oliver.
"Sitting here, hoping you won't mess up this simple scene again."
Take Fifteen.
Mai wandered around the back of the van, thankfully not tripping this time. "What are you doing?"
"Checking yesterday's data. Doesn't seem to be anything unusual," Oliver said. He fiddled with the case in his hands and moved to type on the computer. Unceremoniously, the clipboard tumbled from his grasp and clattered loudly on the floor. Oliver frowned while his girlfriend cheered.
"It wasn't me this time!" she announced.
XxX
"That's some fancy equipment you got there." Ayako stated, coming in for her first appearance in the show. "It looks too hi-tech for a bunch of children to be messing with." she gave a small smirk with the air around her screaming confidence. The cameras switched to Mai and Oliver, only for the girl to start giggling.
"Oh, come on!" Nia shouted. How could they mess up again already?!
"I-I'm sorry, but she looks really different in that wig!"
XxX
"I am Taikigawa Ayako, a shrine maiden-"
"WAIT! Stop, stop, stop, stop!" Amy shouted, breaking up the whole scene with waving arms and a loud voice. Everyone looked on her incredulously.
"They were getting the scene right, though," Nia pointed out. The shrine maiden actress was to introduce herself, and then the monk.
"We didn't think about the fact that none of the characters are supposed to be related. We can't have a 'Takigawa Ayako' and a 'Takigawa Hoshou', that's too coincidental in a show filled to the brim with them," Amy said. "We need a name that's somewhat generic, but can give the readers a hint that she's the daughter of—"
"What about Matsuzaki?" Ayako piped up. Everyone turned to the girl, interest in their eyes. "Matsuzaki is the family name of a bunch of doctors in this movie I saw once, but no onw will really know it if we don't explain it. That should work, right?"
Amy thought about it for a moment before nodding in assent. She turned to Nia, who also seemed in agreement. Grinning, Amy retook her chair.
"All right, from the top with the new name change," she said. A clapper went off and everyone was in character once more.
"I am Matsuzaki Ayako, the shrine maiden. The principal said..."
XxX
"Look, kids, you may have gotten this job because your office is nearby, but the principal himself said it seemed like a scam to have a teenager running the show!" Houshou exclaimed, using the right amount of irritation in his voice.
"Did he now?" Oliver muttered without looking at anyone as he opened the laptop. "It makes you wonder why he would hire a teenager in the first place if he had thought that."
Mai tapped her forefinger on her chin. "Yeah...that doesn't make sense, does it?"
"Those aren't your lines!" the younger director huffed, shaking her head.
XxX
"I'm very spiritually sensitive," Kuroda explained, the correct proportion of relief in her voice and facial expressions. Thankfully, she did not stutter or trip over her lines. "So I've been really tormented by—"
"You grandstander," Ayako deadpanned. Kuroda's features flooded with shock and surprise. "You just want to make yourself conspicuous... and..."
"Uh oh..." Hoshou said, watching as his sister began falling out of character.
"Do I really have to say such mean things?" the girl with the wig asked, her shoulders slumped over. Nia and Amy made a unanimous stern nod. Ayako took a deep breath to try again and her brother gave her a slight pep talk on the side.
How far off was lunch break again?
XxX
"So, Naru! What are we going to do today?" Mai asked with a smile. Oliver gave a pause before turning his head towards his girlfriend.
"What did you just say?" he questioned almost harshly, causing Mai to take a step back.
"Uh...oh, I'm so—"
"Did you just call me 'Naru'?" he demanded.
"Well...y-yeah...um..." she trailed off. They both stared at each other for several moments before Houshou gave a small laugh.
"It's a simple line, Mai."
"Oh, shut it!"
XxX
"Hey, everyone, I see you're all here," the principal stated happily, interrupting Mai as she playfully tapped her boyfriend's chest. The actors turned simultaneously to see the man and John standing side-by-side. "This is John Brown-san."
The blonde man—now devoid of his helmet and leather jacket—looked so cute and disarming. Completely opposite of what he had appeared like only a few moments ago. He bowed far too deeply and used a voice that was slightly more innocent than the voice they had come to know. "How's tricks?"
Rather than wait dumbstruck for the man to finish his introduction, the entire cast fell over laughing. A scowl covered the blonde's face. "I'm having a hard time doing this as it is, the least you could do is let me go through the embarrassment only once..."
"Aw, but it was so cute..." Nia pouted from the sidelines, also hiding a bit of laughter. Amy nodded in agreement.
Xxx
"Only those who have been ordained in a Catholic church as priests have the ability to conduct exorcisms." Oliver stated perfectly. "You seem young for that."
"You sure know a lot of things." John gave a sheepish smile before his expression became void of any expression except the scowl on his face, showing his dislike for the man in front of him. The directors began to panic. They couldn't mess up another scene! Where was their sense of professionalism? "Including how to be rude to people, specifically my girlfriend."
Oliver frowned, flicking his gaze towards the directors before back on John. "Excuse me?"
Nia groaned as John began berating Oliver about how he apparently mistreated Masako at the auditions. Then, once Mai started yelling at the blonde in defense for her boyfriend, Amy joined Nia as she continued to groan and shook her head.
XxX
"An exorcist, an apostate monk, and a Ghost Hunter?" Ayako asked, a lilt of exhaustion in her voice. "To call in this many people, that principal has no faith in me, huh? Hmph, just you watch! I'll clean out this run-down schoolhouse by myself!"
"I'm going to go work on my own, too," Hoshou stated with a grin as he went out of the door. John instantly ran to the exit in order to drag the actor back.
"You can't seriously leave me as the only person to work with this guy! I thought the priest and priestess were supposed to leave!" John complained. Simultaneously, the Takigawa siblings turned around with a smirk on their faces.
"Too bad," they said.
"It was whoever spoke up first, and since I've already done that, every take we do over has me and Ayako leaving," the long-haired man said with a shrug. John fumed out of his ears as he returned to the spot he had started in, ready to do another take. He could not believe this.
Amy and Nia sighed. Maybe this would be good for them...? Who knew?
XxX
Take One.
Hearing Ayako's sudden scream made Mai flinched a bit, despite knowing the fact that it was coming. She rubbed her ears. "Gosh, is she trying to burst my eardrums?!"
Take Two.
As they heard Ayako scream once more, Oliver, Mai, and John ran towards the place to where she was. Houshou already appeared to be there, trying to open the door.
"Stand back, I'm go—!"
However before he could finish delivering his lines, the door fell forward, revealing Ayako. Her eyes were wide as she stared at it before shifting her gaze towards her brother.
"Well, that wasn't suppose to happen..." Houshou rubbed the back of his head, trying to ignore Mai's giggles.
Xxx
"As I was looking around the classroom, the door suddenly closed, and when I tried it open it, I couldn't," Ayako explained, a frustrated expression upon her face. "There really is something here, after all."
"No, there isn't. I don't sense any presence," a familiar voice called from off-screen. The cameras focused in on Masako, who was cloaked expertly in shadow.
"T-there it is!" Mai cried out, grasping onto Oliver's shirt. She held onto it until she realized no one was talking. More specifically, her boyfriend. It was his line. She looked up to see he was smirking down at her. "W-what's that for?"
"Nothing in particular," he stated, seeing no need to explain himself. Mai flushed and attempted to pull down on his shirt slightly in an attempt to get a response.
"You think he's doing this on purpose?" Nia asked of Amy. The latter girl nodded, then they both sighed together. How had they amassed such a group of amateurs?
XxX
"...The only reason she gets ratings is because she's pretty and she wears that silly kimono." Ayako stated, her eyes closed and facing away from Masako. She found that it helped not to look at the people she had to be mean to.
"Why thank you. I'll take that as a compliment." Masako said, not caring that those weren't suppose to be her lines. The two directors glanced at each other, their shoulders slumped. Why couldn't these people stick to the script?!
"Well, trust me, it's not." the other woman ad-libbed, gritting her teeth. Amy and Nia's ears perked up. Perhaps this scene wouldn't be bad after all!
XxX
"Yes. I think it's afraid to lose its home so its blocking the construction work," Hoshou said. While he had been explaining, Oliver had been holding a...
"Mr. Davis, what happened to the nail you were supposed to be fiddling with?" Amy asked, cutting the scene. Oliver looked up.
"I felt a four leaf clover was more appropriate."
Nia and Amy face palmed. He was not a leprechaun hunter!
XxX
"So, it's either a haunting or fiction and folklore..." Oliver recited after John said his lines. He then turned towards Mai, who was conversing with Ayako. "Are you listening, Mai?"
It took a few moments before the young woman realized her name was being called. She turned around, blinking at her boyfriend. "Did you say something?" she asked innocently. Oliver sighed.
"Mai..." he said in a warning tone. Honestly, if she didn't start paying attention... And she was the one who wanted to do this to begin with!
"Oh..." Mai grinned sheepishly, seeing everyone looking at her expectantly. "It was suppose to be my line next, wasn't it?"
XxX
"I can't hang around you people forever," Ayako said as she moved to the door. She was headed off by a perfectly shadowed Kuroda.
"Are you sure you can drive it out?" she asked, her voice free of stuttering or hesitation. "There is a very strong spirit in here."
"Kuro—"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset! Please don't cry, Takigawa-san!" Kuroda panicked, doing everything she could to appease the girl. Ayako shook her head.
"No, you're doing a great job at your acting, I just have to remember to stay in-character," Ayako admonished herself. Kuroda seemed shocked.
"But you're doing such a good job!"
As the compliment fest continued, the rest of the cast gave a collective sigh. Finally, they knew the pain of their frustrated directors.
XxX
"It's true. I was walking down the hallway when suddenly my hair was yanked backwards when an amazing amount of force." Kuroda explained. "When I tried to flee, it started strangling me."
"When did this happen?" Oliver questioned, his arms crossed.
"In a dream I had a few days ago..." the bespectacled girl whispered absently, almost creepily. Everyone glanced at each other warily before Mai discreetly shuffled closer to her boyfriend and away from Kuroda.
XxX
"The second floor hallway, you said?" Oliver asked, turning around to his monitors. He pressed a single button and all of the monitors lit up at the same time.
"Anyone else think that's kinda creepy?" Hoshou asked. The rest of the cast nodded in agreement. Amy and Nia sighed. It had taken hours to set that up the first time, and now they would have to do it again.
XxX
"What happened? Is the camera broken?" Mai wondered as the picture on the screen purposely went out and the static came in.
"It probably went out because it couldn't take you staring at it with that face of yours." John mumbled under his breath, but it happened to be loud enough for the other actors to hear. Masako gave a small laugh, while Mai glared at the blonde followed by Oliver. Nia and Amy sweat-dropped as they watched their actors.
XxX
"But Hara-san said there were no spirits," Mai said, trying to talk sense into Kuroda.
"I wonder if she really has any spiritual sensitivity," Kuroda said, turning to Masako with an accusatory glare. When it seemed as though her stare were about to falter, Oliver chose to say his lines.
"It's common for a female medium to run extremely hot or cold," he said calmly. "Even if she wasn't able to sense it earlier, we can't say for sure that there isn't one here. If what you say is true, then it's possible that the spirit here is quite in tune with your wavelength."
"Eh? Like a radio?" Mai asked, turning to Oliver. She sweat-dropped when everyone glared at her. "W-what's with all the looks?"
"Miss Taniyama, no one asks about that," Amy said. Mai tilted her head.
"Like an elephant in the room?"
"No, it's just that no one cares."
"Well, that's rude of you to say. And here I thought Mr. Davis and Miss Taniyama were the rude ones here," Masako said aloud, effectively knocking Amy back verbally. These people...!
Naruisawesome: Hey guys! So how'd you like these bloopers? XD We enjoyed making them~!
AmyNChan: Lol, I think we laugh as much as you guys do! XD But there is something that we should probably note, huh?
Naruisawesome: Probably so... Some of yall probably noticed that what the characters say are both from subbed and dubbed anime. ^_^; There's a reason for that lol.
AmyNChan: I thrive on the subbed version of most animes!
Naruisawesome: And usually so do I, but Ghost Hunt, along with a few other animes, I prefer the dubbed version. ^_^ So, this is why we're using both the subbed and dubbed versions of this.
AmyNChan: Yup, yup! It's really interesting, though. XD
Naruisawesome: Yup~! XD And thanks for all of the reviews, followers, and favorites! ^_^
AmyNChan: We hope you continue to do so~! *^_^*