Chapter 164: The Physical Education Student's 7-Year Accumulated Stats (8.5k Word Goal Achieved!) (Patreon)

Winner of the Galaxy Awards, the Broadcasting Culture Foundation Award, the Blue Ribbon Award, the Kinema Junpo Award, the Golden Flight Award, the Pegasus Award, and seven consecutive Best Actor trophies at the Drama Academy Awards—not to mention Three Siblings, which had reigned atop the box office for five straight weeks—could someone who'd done all that while still only sixteen possibly be anything other than the industry's single most valuable young actor?

If it had been anyone else, that string of titles would have sounded like pure bluster—utterly meaningless.

But Minami Yuji was different. He had genuinely accomplished every bit of it by the age of sixteen.

So—

"Why would Senior Minami come on a dating reality show like this?"

Curiosity written all over her face, she leaned her pretty features in just slightly. It was Akane Kurokawa who'd spoken. Mostly because she really was curious.

After all, Minami Yuji wasn't like some rookie such as herself. If he wanted to, his schedule would fill up in an instant—there was no reason for someone at his level to bother with a dating show at this tier.

"Mm... mostly it's an invitation from Producer Kaburagi. Consider it repaying a favor from back when he looked after me on That Child. Plus, I've got a few considerations of my own."

Minami Yuji obviously couldn't lay out the full truth of his deal with Kaburagi Katsuya, so he answered with a mix of truth and evasion.

"Oh, I see."

As a fellow actor, Akane could tell he was hiding something he didn't want to say, but she didn't press.

The reason was simple, really: right now, she was excited. Genuinely excited. It had been years since she'd last shared a stage with Minami Yuji! All this time, she'd only ever watched her idol from a distance. Now that she actually had a chance to work alongside him, how could she not be thrilled? She clenched her small fists in delight.

Meanwhile, Minami Yuji propped his chin on one hand and turned his gaze toward the young man standing off to the side in a fitted uniform shirt. The young man looked distinctly ill at ease. His handsome, easy-on-the-eyes face carried a hint of awkwardness—like he wanted to step up and start a conversation but worried it would come across as too familiar.

That was, in fact, exactly what was going through Uehara Ritsu's mind. It had been years since he'd last seen Minami Yuji. He could never forget the Three Siblings audition, back when he'd thrown everything he had into showing off his acting in front of Minami Yuji—already a star by then—and Minami Yuji had actually responded to that performance in kind.

But that was eight years ago now. Never mind whether Minami Yuji even remembered that far back—Ritsu had changed so much since then that it would only be natural if the man didn't recognize him at all.

And if he worked up the nerve to say hello, only for the actor he'd idolized for years to look at him and go, 'Sorry, and you are...?'—that alone might be enough to break him. He might genuinely end up burying his face in his hands, weeping in heartbreak.

But then, quite suddenly, he froze. Because right in front of him, the corner of Minami Yuji's mouth—which had been studying him this whole time—moved. There was no mistaking it: it was an utterly captivating smile. And beneath that smile, he heard Minami Yuji's next words.

"Didn't expect to run into you here, Ritsu. Let's see... it's been quite a while since the Three Siblings audition, hasn't it? How's the industry been treating you?"

Huh?!

The anxious knot in his chest suddenly loosened. Ritsu's tense expression shot up in disbelief. He remembered! Minami Yuji—standing at the very top of the industry now—still remembered him, a total nobody actor even back then! A feeling of gratitude he couldn't quite put into words welled up inside him. Ritsu nodded firmly.

"Yes! I'm still with the North Agency. I switched over from child acting, so I'm pretty much a rookie now, but I'll keep working hard!"

"Is that right? Then keep at it."

While chatting with Ritsu and Akane Kurokawa, Minami Yuji stroked his chin, lost in thought. There was no denying that a lot had happened in the industry over these seven years. The thing most worth his attention was the Lala Lai Theatrical Company.

Just as the original storyline had it, the Lala Lai Theatrical Company had reorganized into a proper talent agency a few years back. As a result, Akane Kurokawa now counted as one of its signed talents. As a rookie fresh out of the troupe, she was probably being pushed hard by the agency for this show—if she couldn't produce results here, the pressure on her would likely be considerable.

But... Minami Yuji shook his head. None of that had much to do with him. What he really needed to focus on were the places where things diverged from the original storyline. And if there was one difference that stood out above all the rest this time, it was unmistakably...

Minami Yuji said nothing, letting his gaze drift toward the blonde girl on the other side of the room. Her golden hair was clearly dyed, with a small tuft of her natural brown showing at the crown, blending with the surrounding blonde into an adorable gradient effect. Apparently noticing his gaze, the small, cute face that had been sneaking glances back at him whipped away, flushing red.

MEM. In the original storyline, a member of the new B-Komachi lineup.

Going by the current timeline, she shouldn't know him at all. And as a matter of fact, Minami Yuji had no memory of ever meeting her before. Could she be a longtime fan who'd followed his films and dramas? That was possible, sure. But thinking back to how she'd burst into tears the moment she saw him, and her guilty reaction just now—there was no way this was as simple as ordinary fan devotion. Minami Yuji found himself rubbing his chin again.

He took a deep breath and shifted his gaze to the bottom-right corner of his vision. A single thought stirred. A system panel he hadn't seen in a long, long time surfaced before his eyes. His gaze swept down the display.

'System Subject: Minami Yuji.'

'Life attributes: Academics 9, Looks 9, Athletics 9.'

'Skills developed so far: Study LV9, Acting LV9, Modern Mixed Martial Arts LV9, Music Theory LV9, Harmonica LV9, Insight LV8, Screenwriting LV8, Company Management LV8, Reading the Room LV8, Physical Fitness LV8... [remainder omitted].'

Granted, it didn't stack up to some athletic prodigy's sixty years of grinding, but after seven years Minami Yuji had accumulated no shortage of skills himself—by industry standards, he counted as a genuine all-around powerhouse with no weak points at all.

Just from the "[remainder omitted]" tacked onto that skill list, it was clear how absurdly stacked his skill roster had become by now.

He skipped straight past Traits ① through ④, which he'd already unlocked, and moved his attention to the ones between ⑤ and ⑧.

'Currently Unlocked Traits.'

'⑤ Bewitching Melody (Long practice has given you total mastery of the harmonica—you are now, without question, a true harmonica virtuoso. Any tune you play carries an entrancing melody woven into it, one that leaves listeners spellbound.)'

'⑥ Talent Scout (Years of grinding it out inside the industry have pushed your ability to read people beyond that of most professionals. You now possess an extraordinary sensitivity for reading others, letting you gauge the exact skill level someone actually possesses.)'

'⑦ Business Tycoon (By riding the wave early, investing in virtual capture technology, and founding the short-video app south, you've developed, through running your company, an ability to sense trends and dodge risk far beyond that of ordinary people. This trait sharpens your sensitivity to every rising trend.)'

'⑧ Superhuman Stamina (Seven years of daily training and grueling work have built you a level of stamina and energy beyond that of ordinary people. With this trait, you could go three full days without food or water and never feel fatigued.)'

'Limit Mode: Not activated. (Activate? Yes/No?)'

'Life-sim commentary: Setting aside the fact that you still look human, buddy—you stopped being human a while ago.'

As always, Minami Yuji ignored the system's commentary. Instead, he focused on the Talent Scout trait, narrowed his eyes, and activated it on Akane Kurokawa standing beside him.

'Target: Akane Kurokawa.'

'Life attributes: Academics 7, Looks 8, Athletics 6.'

'Skills developed: Acting LV8, Investigation LV9, Gaze Perception LV6.'

'Current status: Boundless admiration toward the user, considerable goodwill.'

Hmm... Minami Yuji mused. Akane Kurokawa's numbers fell about within his expectations. After all, in the original storyline she'd been hailed as an actress on par with Kana Arima, so after seven years of honing her craft, her acting sitting at LV8 wasn't surprising.

It was the Investigation LV9 that was a little unsettling. Where had this teenage Sherlock Holmes come from? Wasn't it kind of a waste that she wasn't working as a private investigator or a reporter? he thought to himself.

At the same time, this confirmed that the Talent Scout trait the system had granted him worked exactly as advertised. Well then...

He lifted his gaze, his dark eyes settling directly on MEM. Then he blinked, genuinely caught off guard. Mostly because he hadn't expected MEM's real name to be this interesting. No wonder everyone in the original storyline just called her by her stage name and never mentioned her real one—with a name like that, it really wasn't something you'd want to bring up.

Minami Yuji shook his head and kept reading down the list.

'Life attributes: Academics 6, Looks 8, Athletics 5.'

'Skills developed: Self-Promotion LV7, Dance LV6, Singing LV4.'

'Current status: Overwhelming admiration toward the user, overwhelming goodwill, overwhelming curiosity.'

"Huh?"

This time Minami Yuji genuinely couldn't hold back a sound. Staring at those three "overwhelming"s in front of him, he rubbed his eyes, looked again, then rubbed his eyes once more...

After repeating that a few times, he finally confirmed he wasn't seeing things.

But... how was that even possible? Minami Yuji really couldn't wrap his head around it.

After all, to keep from disrupting the story's later developments any more than necessary, the only time he'd ever gotten involved with Ichigo Pro's affairs was showing up for its influencer selection and using his Insight to help pick out a few talented candidates. Beyond that, he'd never touched anything related to Ichigo Pro at all.

And MEM, true to the original storyline, had been building her career online as a YouTuber, now a major streamer sitting on 370,000 followers. She shouldn't have had any overlap whatsoever with a genius actor like him.

But were these attributes actually serious? Admiration? Goodwill? Curiosity? All of them overwhelming?

Minami Yuji genuinely couldn't make sense of it. Why would someone he'd barely ever met have this much goodwill toward him? However he looked at it, it made no sense.

He studied her with a puzzled expression.

Meanwhile, on her end, almost mirroring Minami Yuji exactly, MEM kept sneaking glances at him too. The moment she noticed his gaze—so blatant it was practically unhidden—she forced her mouth into a cat-like smile while sweat came pouring down her small, cute face like a waterfall.

Wh... what do I do?! He's—he's looking at me! Was that expression change earlier really that unnatural?

Of course MEM knew exactly how unnatural her crying had looked the first time Minami Yuji appeared. As a professional video creator, that was an expression she absolutely could not afford to show on camera. The problem was, she really couldn't rein it in! Because that was Tsukasa-chan, after all! (the affectionate nickname fans gave Minami Yuji back in his child-actor days) The real, living Tsukasa-chan, standing right in front of her—how was she supposed to keep herself under control?

And besides... She pressed her lips together slightly, one hand coming to rest over her heart.

'Once you've got all the little things in your life sorted out, come chase your dreams over at Ichigo Pro.'

That was what Minami Yuji had said to her eight years ago, during an online recruitment livestream for Ichigo Pro.

Back then... those words of his... along with the innocent, guileless smile he'd worn during that livestream, had without question saved her when she'd been lost and adrift. Even she didn't know where she would have ended up if not for that one sentence of his.

Which was why, even now, she still used Minami Yuji's line—'come chase your dreams'—as her alarm ringtone.

Minami Yuji had saved her. As a woman, she naturally wanted to repay him. She wanted to join Ichigo Pro too.

But the problem was—she was way too late!

Covering her face with both hands, fingers twitching restlessly, MEM was truly at her wit's end.

By the time she'd finished sorting out everything going on at home, high school age had come and gone in what felt like an instant.

And by then, Ichigo Pro had already rocketed up to become a mid-size agency in the industry, and had publicly announced it wasn't taking on new talent for the time being!

Even if she'd wanted to try for Ichigo Pro's selection process, there simply wasn't any opportunity left for her!

With no other choice, she'd started building a presence online as an 'active high schooler' internet uploader.

Of course, she could just tell Minami Yuji all of this outright and thank him properly. But the problem was... She. Could. Not. Reveal. Her. Age.

That was the truth of it. To thank Minami Yuji properly, she'd have to explain her age clearly—otherwise, how could she account for something that happened seven years ago while posing as an eighteen-year-old high schooler?

But if she revealed her real age, what would happen to her carefully built 'active high schooler' persona? She barely even needed to think about it. A firestorm. And unquestionably a massive one at that.

It was, in every sense, an impossible dilemma balanced on a knife's edge. Step forward, and everything collapsed completely. Step back, and the whole balance came crashing down.

Whichever way she chose, the outcome would leave a bitter taste.

So... even though she badly wanted to talk to Minami Yuji—especially to thank him for saving her over the phone all those years ago...

But... given his standing now, and her own position as things stood... the restless urge in MEM's heart began to sink back down.

Whatever happened back then was ancient history to Minami Yuji by now. In the end, it had only been a single phone call—whether he even remembered it at all was an entirely separate question...

So... maybe she should just leave it at that? If she stopped here, it wouldn't affect Minami Yuji at all.

This was a dating reality show, after all. If Minami Yuji got tangled up with someone who was actually twenty-five this year, that would be a real problem.

She didn't want to drag the firestorm that rightfully belonged to her into Minami Yuji's life.

And yet—

"MEM-san, there's something I'd like to talk to you about. Do you have a minute?"

"Huh?"

A startled sound slipped from her mouth as MEM's eyes went wide, staring at Minami Yuji, who'd walked straight up to her of his own accord.

Because she never in a million years expected it. At the exact moment she'd stopped in her tracks, Minami Yuji had, without a moment's hesitation, chosen to step forward instead.

And it was at that very moment—right behind the two of them—that the director, who'd been quietly observing everyone's movements the whole time, finally let a look of genuine interest cross his face.

Here it comes! It's finally happening!

After half a day of warming up the room... was it finally about to begin?!

The segment the audience had been waiting for most: the dating reality show, for real this time!