Chapter 8: Performing Arts Program
Yoto High School, like any other educational institution, had its entrance opened a fair amount of time before the designated hour for the commencement of that day's scholarly activities had arrived. As such, it was not an unusual sight to see a couple of students already within the school grounds, hours before classes would start.
The building where the classes for the Performing Arts Program were typically held was a striking exclusion in regards to that as save for passersby walking through its hallways, almost every single one enrolled under the program were too busy to be at school that early.
On one particular morning, a day after the opening ceremonies for the new session to be specific, a figure, dressed in the standard school attire for girls, traversed the empty hallways of the Performing Arts Program by herself.
The beret on top of her head bobbed while her short, red hair swayed with each echoing step she took through the normal route to her classroom. Any other ambience beyond the confines of the school had been reduced significantly and she could hear each and every motion she made clearly.
While there was no one else in sight at the moment, Kana pulled on the handle of the door leading into her classroom.
A routine view awaited her.
Rows of desks and chairs arranged in an orderly fashion, the interactive touch board blinking to indicate that it was fully charged and the various accessories and decorations lying about, immobile. Bright sunlight pierced through the window panes, leaving no need for the lights on the ceiling to be switched on for at least the entirety of the forenoon.
After putting her school bag gently next to her designated seat, she sat on the chair, leaning back to allow her body to rest after a short walk.
To while away the time, she reached for her phone.
"Manager-san hasn't messaged me yet, huh?...and what about the applications?"
After opening her e-mails and seeing not even a single reply to the numerous applications she had sent in response to the advertisements posted on various studios, Kana utilized the brief period of isolation to let out a heavy sigh, showing a visible emotion of doubt.
"At this rate…I'll have to…"
She then glanced at a screenshot of an advertisement in the gallery of her phone, which was an audition for a supporting role in the live action adaptation of a rather infamous romance manga.
A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of having to resort to being associated with such a bad story.
"…This will h-have to be my last resort…"
Although she knew she'd definitely attain a bit more followers from acting in such a piece of media, she was wary of her friends and family questioning her involvement. Even if it was a mini-success, her experience filming "Sweet Today" had not given her much enthusiasm in participating in similar projects.
Had it not been for Aqua, she might've been in an even deeper spiral of stagnation.
Of course, she'd never reveal that to anyone but his addition in the final episode of that show as well as the words he said to her had reignited her desire to find better work to restart her stuttering career.
But such fervor petered out quickly as she understood she didn't have the pull she used to possess while she was a child actor. Sure, she could still be casted in a variety of age-specific roles owing to her youthful appearance, however, landing such a role had not been easier.
There was a lingering hope in her heart though.
One that would not have remained had she not been reunited with a certain boy a short period of time before.
While she was lost in her thoughts, Kana had not noticed the classroom slowly filling up with students who were moving about, not even caring to speak to her…not that she expected any one of them to do that.
The novelty of being a talented child actor had already faded and with her recent unremarkable catalogue of roles which couldn't boost her repertoire, she was simply treated by her more famous classmates as an afterthought; a person who was merely there.
Readjusting her seat, she leant back, wincing a bit as sunlight had reached her desk and subsequently, her face.
Her introspective thoughts had to be shelved for the time being, at least until she couldn't be distracted by the noise made by her classmates.
"…I wonder if I'll see him today…"
Taking in a deep breath, she focused on the reality presented in front of her with a hopeful wish for a fateful meeting, similar to the previous day.
"Ah! Arima-chan~! Good Morning!"
"H-Huh?"
A look of surprise on her face followed as she tilted her head slightly up, staring right at a springy classmate of hers she had interacted with before.
Gasping quietly, Kana's red-tinted eyes were fixed upon the smiling face of Yamada Aiko, her classmate in the Performing Arts Program. The young girl, who had a respectable degree of fame in the independent idol world, was giving her a cheery grin while greeting her.
Her sudden actions raised a number of questions in Kana's head as she had not spoken to the light-green haired girl much in the past. In fact, the clearest interaction she had ever had with her had occurred the previous day when she guided her to her seat.
It was not the time for long-winded contemplations and recollections though as she was yet to return the greeting.
"…Good morning, Yamada-san" Kana replied, trying to compose herself.
Aiko giggled and placed both of her hands on top of her desk.
"I binged all of "Sweet Today" last night" she eagerly stated, "I loved your performance! Gah~ ! You were so, so, so, so, so CUTE!"
"Eh?"
Kana could not stop herself from expressing genuine astonishment upon hearing that someone like Aiko had taken the time to watch one of the most divisive live action adaptations of a manga.
Even more so, her classmate had specifically mentioned her performance as the main girl of the show, asserting that she was "cute" in her role. She had rarely heard such praises come from someone of Aiko's stature and that had left her in a state of surprise and confusion.
"Y-You watched it!?" she nearly raised her voice as she stared right into Aiko's eyes, "You really watched it!?"
"Yes!" Aiko smiled brightly, "I had seen a bit of your stuff from when you were…"
The girl seemed to give an uneasy smile as she paused.
Instinctively, Kana narrowed her eyes.
"When I was what?" she asked in a firm tone.
Smiling sheepishly, Aiko replied.
"When you were smaller…hehe…" she let out a nervous laugh, "Y-You're still very cute and small right now but you're also bigger now and you…uh…I think I'm saying weird things right now…hehe…"
"Wha-?"
Kana was unsure on how to exactly respond to what her classmate had just blurted rather incoherently.
"Is she…mocking me because of my size?"
Still sporting an awkward grin, Aiko put a hand on her hip while placing the other near her lips. She kept her gaze right on Kana all the while.
"Arima-chan, what I'm trying to say is…" she tilted her head and smiled, "…You're still as good as you were while you were just a kid. Actually, right now, I think you're even better!"
A perplexed expression came across the redhead's face as she tried to make sense of Aiko's reason for saying everything she had said to her. Lately, she had been given a bit of praise from her peers due to how fantastic her portrayal of the heroine in the final episode was, but she had never had anyone else mention her past in the same breath.
As she continued locking sights with her classmate, she felt a sensation of pride and appreciation entering her heart, knowing that her work had even captured the attention of an idol who had never seemed to care about her previously.
And the honest way in which Aiko spoke put a smile on her own face.
"Ah! It wasn't anything special, Yamada-san" she replied in a casual way, "I'm just trying my best in my work. I'm happy you took the time to watch it all in one go."
"Hehe…I was simply curious" Aiko told her, "I'm really glad that you're still in the acting business. Usually, many child actors switch professions when they're in high school or even earlier. I'm happy that you chose to stick with what you're really good in!"
A sparkle formed in Kana's eyes as her words pierced through the flimsy mental barrier she put up to lower her self-esteem in regards to her career.
"S-She really likes my work, huh? This girl…"
She stared intently at Aiko, a pleasant smile still etched firmly on the idol's face.
"…she…she's super nice!...How have we not properly met each other yet?"
Her heart was instantaneously surrounded by a feeling of warmth upon hearing the girl's kind and reassuring words that she was as talented or even more talented that she was when she first gained popularity as a gifted child actor. That kind of support had never been outright given to her by her peers and to have a star like Aiko say that to her meant a lot.
"Y-Yeah…"
Once again, she lost her composure.
"I…I…" Kana then cleared her throat, "I am just following my dreams! I'm still very interested in the acting side of the entertainment industry. And I will be the star I deserve to be!"
There wasn't a single bone in her body that wanted her to be modest with her answer; especially when she had ambitious classmates. The smallest hint of contentment with a mediocre career would be throwing herself far behind everyone else, being left as nothing but a relic of the past.
The emphatic smile she put up showed how much Aiko's words had spurred her on in just a couple of sentences.
"I'll be cheering you on all the way through!" the long-haired girl winked at her classmate.
Kana could not help but soften her expression upon seeing Aiko stating her support for her without any indications of ulterior motives. It had been a while since she had heard such words from anyone and in the sea of superficial and hollow praises she was showered with following her last project, it meant a lot more.
Strangely, the little favour she did for her the previous day now seemed to be pivotal in potentially forming some semblance of a friendship between the two of them.
In order to cement that they were no longer strangers to one another, Kana decided to thrust Aiko's profession into their conversation.
"Yamada-san, you're working on your debut album, aren't you?" she asked, "How far are you into that?"
For a moment, the idol seemed to be surprised that her future plans were brought up.
"Oh!..." Aiko smiled sheepishly, "…hehe…at this point, it is nothing but a concept. I'm not in a rush to complete it soon."
A bit disappointed that there wasn't much she could discuss with Aiko if the album's progress was barely zilch, Kana opted to spout a fact she had learnt from a classmate to keep the spotlight on Aiko.
"I guess you still have plenty of time to work on it since you're not signed to any company" she stated, "And the financial year just barely started so even if you wanted to join a major idol company, you'll have to wait nearly a year until the auditions are opened again."
Aiko nodded.
"I'm surprised you know about that, Arima-chan" she giggled, "Yes, it would be nice to get all of my other projects out of the way before the turn of the New Year so I can be free to take part in the auditions if I planned to."
"Free…?"
That word formed an idea in Kana's head as she remembered a certain invitation from Producer Kaburagi which she had declined in favour of being available to accept any potential roles.
"Have you ever had any experience in a field beyond your idol career, Yamada-san?" she quickly asked.
"Uhhh…I…" Aiko required a few moments to answer, "I did a bit of acting before. Why do you ask?"
With an excited grin, Kana then took out her phone and scrolled through her screenshots in her gallery until she found the invitation given to her by Producer Kaburagi.
"This is a way that I can repay her kindness! She can be even more famous if she is a part of this!"
"If you're not too busy, you could be a part of this!" she added before showing what was displayed on her phone's screen to Aiko.
"Eh?"
Thoroughly perplexed, the light-green haired girl put a finger near her lips as she carefully read and observed what was on the image.
It was a screenshot of an e-mail sent to Kana by Producer Kaburagi in which he had asked her to be a part of the cast for the dating reality show "The Beginning of My Love With An Idol". The size of the cast was set to be eight and two spots still remained. The show's logo was also attached as an image file underneath.
"A dating reality show?" Aiko mumbled before turning to Kana, "Arima-chan, isn't this for adults typically?"
Kana narrowed her eyes a bit in confusion before shaking her hand.
"Yamada-san, your knowledge of dating shows is a bit outdated" she giggled, "Nowadays, they only cast high schoolers for these type of shows. It's to gain the attention of the teenage demographic."
Still fairly puzzled, Aiko nodded before giving a nervous smile.
"Ah…so, you want me to take your place in this then?"
"Well…not exactly since I've already declined the invitation…because of…of…reasons…" Kana tried to distance herself from it, "There are still two spots available and I'm positive you'll get it if you voiced your interest to Kaburagi-san."
The mere thought of having her classmate be a part of dating reality show suddenly fuelled her imagination.
"If she joins the show and she puts her mind to it, she's going to have a swell time! And the audience will love her so much since she's such a nice and caring person! Oh! Maybe she'll even continue dating a guy she meets on the show, some semi-popular guy or something, and since she's a notable person in the idol industry, their marriage will be grand and…and…"
Upon realizing the silliness of the scenario of her classmate's potential future she had chalked up in her head, Kana's cheeks turned bright pink as she glanced to the side, unable to meet Aiko's quizzical look.
"G-Gah! Stupid! Why did I picture her whole love life like I'm some sort of a…a…stan!"
"Anyway…" she lowered her voice to subdue her embarrassment, "…Are you interested in that?"
"Errr…"
Even without facing her, Kana could tell that Aiko did not have a concrete answer to her question. It was a huge commitment that would require the girl to sacrifice a number of her forenoon and afternoon hours to shoot episodes as well as take part in some behind-the-scenes activities as well.
"…I'm a bit tied up with some super secret stuff!" Aiko cheerily explained.
While her tone was playful, the moment Kana turned to look at her again, she understood that her classmate was basically telling her that she had more important matters to attend to.
"Oh…I see…" Kana nodded, "It will take someone with a lighte-"
"Why don't you be a part of it instead, Arima-chan?"
"…"
"…"
"…WHAAAA-"
The suggestion from Aiko had come from out of nowhere and it almost sent Kana flying out of her seat in surprise. A look of sheer shock came across her face which soon gave way to an anxious expression as she stared at her classmate incredulously, unable to comprehend the possibility of taking part in a dating show.
"Y-Yamada-san! W-What do you mean I should accept this?" she stammered, trying to gather herself, "I-I already declined it!"
From the amused smile Aiko was giving her, Kana knew that she was enjoying her brief outburst.
"You can just call him and tell him you changed your mind" she giggled.
Still uncertain on how to handle all of the emerging thoughts about being suddenly casted in a dating show of all things, Kana tried to at least keep her emotions in control lest she caused a scene in the middle of their classroom.
"I…I can do that but to be a part of that…I…I might have some acting roles to pursue and I will need to keep myself avai-" she tried to argue.
"Oh! Are you already acting in something else?"
That innocent question instantly broke down any other excuses she could've concocted to avoid the reality presented in front of her. Kana knew that other than the offer to be a part of the dating show, she had nothing to work with for the moment…it was either that or the live adaptation of the horrendous manga.
"Ughhh…like I would be a part of that!"
"Fine…" she let out a defeated sigh as she looked at Aiko right in the eyes.
The idol had a pleased grin on her face as if she was absolutely certain that Kana would not regret being a part of some cheesy dating show.
"I'll contact Kaburagi-san later…" she added before speaking in a more firm voice, "But I will certainly not take part in any of the drama or the nonsense that these dating shows always seem to have, alright? I'll just be there to somehow use it to increase my stock, okay?"
"Alright! That's the spirit!" Aiko giggled, "I'm sure you'll fit in well with the rest of the cast…whoever they might be."
Kana groaned and put her hands on her desk. She could feel her soul slowly withering away within her.
Because of what she had just said to Aiko, she now had to face the imminent possibility of being lumped together with two-faced, dull and narcissistic high schoolers for months, trying to find a way to make sure the project they were all involved in ran smoothly.
"…I can't believe how easily I agreed to that…I hope this doesn't become a habit of mine…ugh…"
As her gaze focused on Aiko, she could sense the natural radiance of the idol shining upon her.
"…Yamada-san…is this the effect of a true idol?...are you always able to get your way every time?..."
Steadily, she regained her composure and let out a heavy sigh before taking in proper breaths.
"Will you be the watching the show if I am a member of the cast?" she asked out of curiosity.
Aiko nodded without any hesitation.
"Of course I will! I normally don't watch them but if you're a part of it, I won't miss it!"
Once more, a genuine smile of joy reformed on Kana's lips and her eyes sparkled with admiration and appreciation.
Though she only gave a nod in response, Kana knew she couldn't put into words how much she was glad to have someone as positive and as supportive as Aiko in her corner. Only a short exchange between the two of them was enough for her to be convinced that her classmate was someone she wouldn't mind being true friends with.
In the back of her mind, she decided right there and then to return the support in whatever endeavours Aiko would embark in. After all, the start of any healthy friendship was through support and understanding of one another.
"…so this is what the effect of a real idol feels like…"
After finishing up her eventful interaction with Kana, Ai returned to her seat near the back of the classroom…the exact position that the red haired girl had guided her to the previous day.
She had not recognized her initially but a quick search on the internet had allowed her to learn that her classmate in the Performing Arts Program was the child actor she had seen several times in the final years of her old life.
When the shock of the discovery wore off though, she regained the composure to have a meaningful conversation with girl, who had impressed her with the way in which she conducted herself.
Unlike a couple of other students she had spoken to prior, Kana was genuine in everything that she did and with every word that she said. There was nothing about her that implied that she wanted to deceive others to attain an image that betrayed how she truly felt inside.
In a crowd of pretenders trying to stand out by fabricating a side of themselves which appealed to others both publicly and in private, she stuck out with her innate insistence on being exactly who she wanted to be without hiding behind a false image.
In that sense, Ai felt that Kana was a better person than she was already.
With a friendship slowly budding between the two of them, she looked forward to what the future held for the girl and she hoped that it would be something that would continue to make her smile.
As for her own future, the long period of contemplation she had the previous night had caused her to formulate a step-by-step plan on how to utilize her new life to the fullest.
The next thing she needed to do though was to sign the contract that would tie her down to Strawberry Productions…again.
But for the sake of being close to her kids, she had no qualms about it.
Brrrrrr…
She had to leave her thoughts aside for the moment the second she felt her phone vibrate within the confines of her schoolbag.
After taking a second to wave at a classmate who was greeting her on the other side of the classroom, she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.
Having spent a fair amount of time getting used to her new device previously, Ai had now full knowledge on how to properly utilize the phone.
A touch of the screen later, she was greeted with an unread message from Ruby.
"Oh? A message from Ruby?"
She tapped on the notification and found a short message written to her.
"Senpai, let's go to Strawberry Productions together after school!"
Smiling giddily to herself, Ai put a hand to her heart upon reading the sweet invitation sent to her from her beloved daughter.
"AAaaaa~…she's always so cute with her words!"
Rereading the online interaction she had with Ruby prior to that message reminded her of the most important thing in her current life. She fully understood that while she had several things she needed to take care of, none of them were as important as her children.
Her ultimate goal always remained the same…which was to find a way to let her children know who she was without disobeying the direct commands that Tarou had given to her.
"Yes! Let's do that!"
The reply to Ruby's invitation could not have been anything else.
While she wasn't sure if their class would be dismissed at the same time as their kouhais, she was certain that she'd run into Ruby or Aqua at least at the end of the day. A chance meeting during school hours was a bonus she welcomed as well.
Just as she was about to put her phone back in her bag, she received another message.
"Huh? What a fast reply…"
She quickly opened it, believing it to be a response from Ruby.
However, to her surprise, it was a reply from Aqua instead.
"Eh? This is from Aquamarine?..."
A swift reread of the message she had sent to him earlier that day would solve that particular mystery.
"Hehe…hehe…hehe…"
Her classmates nearby raised their eyebrows in confusion as they heard her giggling to herself, trying to stifle her laughter.
It was then Ai remembered that she had messaged Aqua the previous night, telling him that she was about to binge all of "Sweet Today" and that she was looking forward to seeing his performance in the final episode of the series.
The reason for her mirth though was the simple fact that the reply Aqua had sent to her was just…"Ok".
"To be honest…I kinda I expected that from him…hehe…"
Though her new journey with Strawberry Productions was more intertwined with Ruby than it was with Aqua, she was still glad that she was given the chance to see him often as well, since it seemed like he would frequently hang out at the company in his free time.
She then recalled the roller coaster of emotions she felt when she watched the final episode where he featured as an antagonist.
Unbridled pride and joy had gripped her heart the second she saw him on screen and she was so engrossed by the mere fact that he was still involved in acting that she wasn't bothered by the role he played in the drama series. She clearly remembered how she was smiling all the while during the emotional climax of that particular episode.
Though she could ask him through the messaging application, Ai decided to keep her question regarding his future plans to act in something else for when she'd meet him in person again.
"Maybe he could do something with Arima-chan…?...I like her so I don't think I'd mind her working with him…hehe…" she giggled to herself as she let that thought run through her mind, "Ahaha…at this rate, I'm going to pair him up with every girl his age in my mind…tee hee…"
With her head filled with pleasant thoughts about her children and the future, both near and far, Ai sat in the classroom, ready to listen to lessons she never had the chance to be exposed to in her previous life.
However, she still could not help but wish for the end of the school day to come around soon.
Somewhere in the outskirts of the city
While the middle of the day was typically the optimum time for anyone who wanted to pay their respects to or visit a deceased loved one in a cemetery, one particular graveyard in the outskirts of the metropolis was uncharacteristically devoid of such visitors for nearly the entire period the sun was visible in the sky.
As the clock struck 3:45 in the afternoon though, a cab stopped right near the entrance of the burial ground, its frame imparting a long shadow that fell against the metallic gates and the nearby concrete walls.
A brown-haired man, dressed in a black business suit stepped out of the car from the backseat. He held in his hand a suitcase which he gripped tightly the second his glistening leather shoes touched the cobblestone path leading into the cemetery.
On his slightly wrinkled face, there was an unreadable expression which remained while he paid the fare to the taxi driver. The vehicle then sped off towards the highway nearby a couple of seconds later, leaving the man all alone in that particular part of the region.
Tarou's tired gaze seemed to be fixed on the numerous tombstones awaiting him beyond the entrance. The sound of the leaves rustling from the trees looming over him and several points of the cemetery served as the only environmental noise at the moment.
Taking a deep breath, he took a step forward, the sound of his shoes tapping against the smooth stones underneath filling the empty area.
"You're really brave, you know?"
The voice of a bemused girl rang in his head, originating from behind him. An eerie cacophony of flapping wings followed a second later.
Letting out a sigh of annoyance, he scowled and turned around to face her.
Standing before him was a young girl, no older than eight to ten years of age. She had all the appearance of a small, innocent child but the aura as well as the smile on her face suggested instantly that there was more to her than one could discern from a simple glance.
The more concerning detail that followed her abrupt arrival onto the scene was the presence of ominous crows, perched on the branches of the trees as well as on the entrance gate of the cemetery. A dozen or so were flying in circles above the two figures standing on the ground.
"There was no reason for you to leave your reality to disrupt mine" the girl maintained her smile as she spoke, "Is this what they call "divine intervention"?"
Tarou merely glared at her, not saying anything.
Slowly, black feathers gracefully detached from the wings of some of the soaring crows, falling onto the ground as if they were descending from heaven itself.
"Hm? Was it out of curiosity? Boredom? Perhaps even compassion?" she took a step closer to him, "Toying with souls you had no right interacting with…hm? Was it all just for fun? Is there a shred of misplaced belief in your heartless being that I share the same intentions then?"
Giggling, she narrowed her eyes at him, waiting for a response.
The man continued to stay silent, choosing not to respond.
"Oh…you are smarter than I thought as well" the young girl said, crossing her arms.
She then followed the motions of the corvids above, circling the man like a predator sizing up its prey.
"Taking up an existence that prevents your secrets from being spilled before me…" she smiled, "I am very impressed, old man. I did not expect you to go to those lengths. It was necessary to make sure those two had similar existences to those who have not died yet, wasn't it?"
One by one, the crows began cawing.
"Well, unfortunately, I have two of my own to observe" she grinned sinisterly, "Two of yours cannot exist as it is too much of a disruption."
Tarou's gaze grew more intense as she said that. The girl managed to notice the shift in his subtle expression.
"Take one of yours away and I won't involve myself in your little schemes. Is that a deal?" she asked.
The man's breaths grew heavier and slightly quicker. Sweat began to form as his lips quivered. His hands were clenched tightly as he struggled to maintain his composure.
"I won't give you a deadline" the girl winked, "As long as you promise to do that, there won't be a problem between us."
Shooting a sharp stare right at her, Tarou slowly nodded.
The mischievous smile on the girl's face grew wider as she stepped back, the unnerving avian armada that accompanied her began to fly away to different directions, scattering as if they were following a non-verbal command.
The second Tarou dared to blink, she disappeared.
Silence from before fell once again, leaving just the man and his thoughts alone near the cemetery.