91. Bad News
440 Words
Noriko was having a great Wednesday. The weather was really nice and it just felt like the whole world was smiling at her. She had enjoyed a romantic dinner last night with Taiki, to make up for him having to cancel their date on Sunday. The memory of the night alone was enough to make her smile.
Her agent had called her in the morning, to let her know that a popular magazine wanted to have an interview with her, and that a producer of an upcoming miniseries wanted to invite her to the casting. A new job opportunity sounded very exciting, especially since half of the Inuyasha episodes were already being cut. The filming would only go on for a few more months until they would wrap the show up. The thought made Noriko feel both happy and sad at the same time.
When she got to work everything went well. The scenes they shot in the morning were interesting, and she acted really well together with Mitsuo and Satsuki.
At lunch the cafeteria was offering her favourite meal. She sat in a corner table, chatting and laughing with Izumi. They were comparing notes and telling date stories, since Izumi too had been on a date with Mitsuo over the weekend.
After the lunch, Noriko headed to her dressing room to get her make-up redone. When she entered the room, the make-up artist and her assistant were already there, leafing through a magazine. They were huddled over the magazine, deep in a discussion, frowning and shaking their heads.
"Hi girls," Noriko greeted them. "What is so interesting?"
The two young women started and looked up. The make-up artist stared at Noriko like a deer caught in headlights, with a mix of panic and horror. The assistant wore a guilty expression.
Their reaction really alarmed the actress.
"What is it?" she asked hesitantly in a soft voice.
The women shared a look, as if silently debating the matter. Then, the make-up artist sighed and handed over the magazine.
It was opened at a gossip column, and Noriko noticed immediately what it was the two had been talking about.
There was a picture of Taiki on the left hand corner on the page, shot on a crowded street. A red-haired woman was next to him, and his hand was wrapped around her shoulders.
The actor Matsuno Taiki was seen last Sunday in Ginza, Tokyo, together with an unknown female.
Sunday. That's when they had been supposed to go on a date, but Taiki had called in last minute to cancel.
The magazine dropped from Noriko's numb, shaking fingers to the floor.