Chapter 170: I'm Playing Minami Yuji? Really? (5500 characters!) (Patreon)

Filming for a single episode of LoveforReal didn't actually take that long — it usually wrapped up somewhere between four and six in the afternoon.

That was only natural.

A production crew shooting a dating reality show had to think about more than just capturing footage — ambient lighting mattered just as much. Otherwise, were they supposed to slap a spotlight on every cast member's face and keep filming deep into the night? That wasn't realistic, and it would have killed the fresh, airy feel a dating show needed.

As the most senior — and also the busiest — talent on set, Minami Yuji simply finished up his part of the day's filming, gave the director a quick word, and headed straight back to Minami Pro to deal with other business.

There was no helping it. His own agency had only just gotten off the ground, with a thousand things still needing attention, and he still had to help Minami Reiko and the others settle into their current workload.

There were simply too many odds and ends demanding his attention. Unlike Akane Kurokawa and the rest of the younger cast, Minami Yuji had no way of sticking around after filming just to sit and chat.

Twang — a guitar let out a raw, ringing note.

Silver-gray-haired Kengo Morimoto let out a satisfied breath, then lifted his chin with a rather smug flourish, glancing over at Yuki Sumi. "Well? What do you think?"

"It sounds great. But what song is that? I don't recall your own band having anything this good."

Yuki Sumi gave a little round of applause, then looked over at him, curious.

Her bluntness made the corner of Kengo Morimoto's mouth twitch.

What did she mean, his band didn't have anything this good?

Had she even heard his band's songs before passing judgment?

He was speechless — but he had to admit she had a point.

"You're right, this isn't one of our songs. It's a track by SOUTH, the hottest underground band of the past few years."

"An underground band?"

As an industry insider, what caught Yuki Sumi's attention first wasn't the name SOUTH at all — it was the label "underground band."

As far as she was concerned, weren't underground bands just amateurs who couldn't land a contract with a real agency, and so were stuck playing music as a hobby on the fringes?

People like that shouldn't even be comparable to a signed professional like Kengo Morimoto.

After all, one was a hobby, and the other was a livelihood.

As she spoke, she raised a finger and pressed it lightly against her pale chin.

Kengo Morimoto gave a small nod of agreement.

"Yeah... if we're talking about your average underground band, then you're absolutely right. But—"

His tone shifted abruptly, his expression turning faintly excited.

"SOUTH is nowhere near that level of underground band."

Talking about his own specialty seemed to light him up — his usually composed face grew almost feverishly animated.

"Huh?"

Watching the change come over him, Yuki Sumi blinked. "Is... is there really a difference?"

"Of course there is! Little Yuki, you probably have no idea just how legendary SOUTH is!"

Kengo Morimoto was practically bursting with enthusiasm.

"Do you know how young the members of SOUTH were when they debuted? Do you know how many awards they've racked up over the years?"

His voice rose a notch.

And from his rundown, Yuki Sumi finally began to understand just what kind of band SOUTH really was.

A shifting, versatile style; a delicate inner sensitivity; wild, untamed composition — that was B-san! (Blue)

Every inch a queen, someone who surely carried that same commanding, unshakeable presence in real life, never showing a hint of weakness — the lead singer, Y-san! (Yellow)

Overflowing with emotion, as if pouring every last thought straight into her guitar — G-san! (Green)

Since none of them had ever revealed their real names over the years, fans simply referred to each of them by hair color.

An underground band whose entire lineup had debuted at eight years old — and at that same age, they'd already claimed the Japan Band Grand Prize's gold award, one of the most prestigious honors in the whole industry.

Three people, three completely different styles, yet somehow blending seamlessly together.

The very next year, they took home the Gold Award at Japan's Amateur Band Grand Prize, along with an Internet Golden Hit Award.

Now they were the single most popular underground band online, their official SNS account having broken 750,000 followers.

But the truly terrifying part was this: ever since SOUTH started performing, they'd been dropping new songs at a rate of roughly one every two weeks.

Only a fellow band composer like Kengo Morimoto could truly appreciate how insane that output actually was.

Calling them geniuses wouldn't even be an exaggeration.

And the real kicker was that every single song SOUTH released was unbelievably high quality — not a single filler track in the bunch.

On top of that, SOUTH had mostly retreated behind the scenes these days — aside from a few early videos showing their faces, everything they'd posted online since then was either a black screen or blurred out.

That was exactly why people called them the most mysterious underground girl band around.

"If other underground bands can't sign with an agency because they don't have what it takes, SOUTH is nothing like that at all."

He paused, his eyes gleaming.

"It's not that they don't qualify — as an underground band, they've turned down practically every agency that ever reached out to them... Now do you understand just how incredible this band really is, Little Yuki?"

"Uh..."

Different trades, different worlds — honestly, as a print model, Yuki Sumi couldn't really grasp just how "incredible" this "incredible" was supposed to be.

But... even without understanding it...

Watching Kengo Morimoto, the musician, gush with such reverence, she did understand one thing.

Kengo Morimoto was, without question, a diehard fan of this band called SOUTH.

"And what I just told you is only the tip of the iceberg. You really have to hear their music yourself to know how amazing they are!"

"Uh...?"

Watching Kengo Morimoto pitch away so earnestly, Yuki Sumi couldn't help but make a small noise.

How to put it... she couldn't shake the feeling of being cornered by an obsessive band fan. So annoying.

And that was exactly when it happened.

On the other side, Akane Kurokawa and Mem-cho happened to walk over.

Yuki Sumi finally felt like she'd escaped with her life, flashing a bright, sunny smile as she steered the conversation elsewhere. "Oh, Akane, Mem-cho, are you two done filming too?"

"Pretty much. With me on the case, this episode's guaranteed to turn out great."

Say what you would, Nobuyuki Kumano really was just as optimistic and self-assured as in the original storyline — the moment he heard Yuki Sumi's question, he thumped his chest and promised her exactly that.

Except he wasn't actually the one she'd been asking.

Her real target was — "Actually, Akane, didn't Senior Minami pull you aside at lunch today? What did he say to you?"

Leaning in with the neat, pretty face that had earned her a print modeling career, Yuki Sumi asked, brimming with curiosity.

Of course!

This was what she really wanted to know.

After all, Minami Yuji was a bona fide senior heavyweight in the entertainment world.

Him pulling Akane Kurokawa aside alone was, in the context of LoveforReal, basically a headline moment for the show.

How could a fellow cast member not be dying of curiosity?

And she wasn't the only one, either.

The instant Yuki Sumi asked her question, everyone present turned to look, curious.

Clearly, her question had caught everyone's attention.

"Uh..."

Akane Kurokawa parted her lips. She hadn't really wanted to say anything.

But under everyone's curious stares — even Mem-cho, who'd always looked out for her on camera, had turned her head to listen too.

After a moment's hesitation, she went ahead and shared how Minami Yuji had given her some tips on the show earlier that day.

"Huh? Senior Minami actually told Akane all that? I'm so jealous!"

Yuki Sumi slammed both hands down on the desk, her dark eyes going wide.

Saying she wasn't jealous would have been an outright lie.

Because this was Minami Yuji they were talking about!

An absolute titan of the industry!

Just getting on his radar was worth a fortune, never mind him voluntarily sharing his own know-how with Akane Kurokawa.

Talk about favoritism! It was maddening!

"Um... I think... if you'd asked him, Senior Minami probably would've been happy to share his tips with you too... He's a genuinely good person..."

Perhaps embarrassed under Yuki Sumi's stare, Akane Kurokawa pulled out her notebook and held it up to hide the lower half of her face.

"Huh... now that you mention it... that actually does sound like something he'd do..."

Hearing that, even the ever-savvy Yuki Sumi had to nod in agreement —

Minami Yuji really was a senior worth respecting.

When Minami Yuji first joined the show, they'd all figured they were done for.

They'd assumed the entire show would end up swallowed whole by his presence.

But after actually spending time with him...

they'd realized it wasn't like that at all!

Minami Yuji's presence really was dazzling.

But he'd also gone out of his way to look out for them.

He could easily have hogged every second of screen time, yet he'd deliberately dialed back his own presence on camera so the rookies wouldn't get overshadowed.

On top of that, unlike most seniors, he never threw his weight around on set, never once bullied the newcomers, and was genuinely funny to talk to — they actually had plenty in common with him...

All of which made him wildly popular on set, and won him genuine goodwill from every one of them.

After all — a senior who never made you run errands, never pulled rank, and was kind and approachable to boot? That kind of person was rare in this industry.

So — "Since Yuki-chan brought it up, there's actually something I've been wanting to ask, too."

"You have a question too...?"

The young people around her all turned, curious, to look at Akane Kurokawa.

Her expression had turned surprisingly serious, and it sobered their own lighthearted moods a little.

Then, under their watchful eyes, Akane Kurokawa took a small breath and spoke.

"Um... I haven't really had much close contact with men before... so... I wanted to ask, when you've been looked after by a male senior like this, what exactly should you do for him to make him happy? I really want to repay Senior Minami."

Akane Kurokawa twisted her fingers together, looking a little embarrassed.

As far as she was concerned, there was nothing wrong with what she'd just said.

Both her word choice and her tone had been perfectly earnest.

But—

the moment she finished, the air went dead silent.

Then — "Pfft — repay a debt of gratitude! Here I thought you were about to say something else."

Yuki Sumi was the first to burst out laughing.

"Wha—?!" Akane Kurokawa flapped her hands in front of her chest in a fluster. Hadn't she just said something perfectly normal? Why did Yuki Sumi look so amused?

Sensing her confusion, Yuki Sumi wiped away tears of laughter and finally explained.

"It's just — you said all that with such a serious face, and it came out sounding exactly like something an old man would say. It's hilarious."

And honestly, it wasn't her fault for laughing.

The way Akane Kurokawa had phrased it — going on about "doing something" and "repaying a debt of gratitude" — all with such a dead-serious face...

In the trend-conscious world of Japanese high school girls, that kind of language sounded nothing like something a sixteen-year-old would say — it sounded more like something an eighty-year-old grandmother would come out with. The contrast was jarring.

Still...

"Repaying a debt, huh... Yeah, now that I think about it, I really don't have a clue what would actually make Senior Minami happy."

Yuki Sumi propped her chin on a finger, lost in thought despite herself.

In front of the rookies, Minami Yuji always came across as a dependable senior, and they were all happy to chat with him.

But thinking it over carefully... she realized she genuinely had no idea what he was actually into.

With no other option, she turned to Nobuyuki Kumano and Kengo Morimoto, hoping the two of them might have an answer.

After all, they were guys just like Minami Yuji — surely they'd have more common ground to talk about than the girls did.

But Nobuyuki Kumano and Kengo Morimoto were destined to disappoint them.

The two exchanged a glance, and the more outgoing Nobuyuki Kumano finally spoke up.

"What Senior Minami's into, huh... honestly, we've got no clue either."

Basically—

"Senior Minami's just too reliable for his own good."

Kengo Morimoto sighed.

It was true. Minami Yuji really was almost impossibly dependable.

Kengo Morimoto was already a senior in high school this year — technically two years older than Minami Yuji.

And yet whenever he was around him, he couldn't shake the inexplicable feeling of a junior standing before an elder.

It was probably just some kind of presence the guy had — he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

And precisely because of that—

far from figuring out what Minami Yuji was interested in, it was their own hobbies and interests that he'd already sussed out almost completely.

Now everyone present was stumped.

Money?

No matter how you looked at it, a star at Minami Yuji's level surely wasn't hurting for cash.

And thanking Minami Yuji with money? Wasn't that basically an insult?

So maybe something more heartfelt, then? Akane Kurokawa was pretty enough — would he go for a homemade lunchbox from a pretty girl, that sort of thing?

Hmm... that seemed like a stretch, too.

Minami Yuji really was dependable, sure, but given how smoothly he handled women, he probably already had one or two pretty girls around him on a regular basis.

As for fame, popularity, that kind of thing...

Was someone at Minami Yuji's level really lacking in any of that?

If anything, it was the rookies who were short on that stuff, not him.

Damn it all!

Didn't he have a single flaw, this Senior Minami?!

Everyone ground their teeth, equal parts frustrated and helpless.

It was mainly that none of them had ever imagined—

that one day they'd end up feeling this thoroughly defeated simply because someone was too perfect.

And it was right then—

"Actually, I think I know something that could help Senior Minami."

a voice cut in.

Everyone instinctively turned to look.

Only then did they realize it was Uehara Ritsu, who'd been playing the strong, silent type on camera lately.

He was flipping through a book at the moment.

Sensing everyone's curious stares, the fingers turning the pages went still.

Only then did he continue.

"Doesn't it strike you as odd? Why would a heavyweight like Senior Minami agree to appear on a dating reality show like this?"

The moment he said it, everyone found themselves nodding.

Just as Uehara Ritsu pointed out, Minami Yuji's appearance on LoveforReal had always been a mystery — with his level of fame, he could have taken any other job and gotten plenty of exposure. He hardly needed a dating show.

"I actually went and asked my agency's manager about it specifically, and now I know the answer."

Uehara Ritsu paused, a flicker of excitement showing in his eyes.

"The reason Senior Minami agreed to be on this show is that he wants a huge job opportunity from Producer Kaburagi, and appearing here is the trade-off for getting it. Since the rest of us are rookies the investors are pushing hard, he naturally wouldn't want to steal our spotlight."

So— "Akane Kurokawa, you don't actually need to go out of your way to thank Senior Minami. All you need to do is bring your own true level of skill to this show."

Uehara Ritsu said it with complete confidence.

After all, as a fellow actor, he knew exactly how talented Akane Kurokawa was.

If she simply showed her real skill and helped the show blow up, that alone would be more than enough to help Minami Yuji.

What surprised Uehara Ritsu, though, was that in the face of his masterfully brilliant deduction—

everyone present, instead of looking enlightened, wore increasingly strange expressions.

Because—

"Uehara... I mean... isn't that basically full-on sasaeng fan behavior?"

Nobuyuki Kumano couldn't help but shrink back a little, speaking under his breath.

"Uh—"

The words caught in Uehara Ritsu's throat.

"Yeah, and honestly, a pretty egregious kind of within-the-industry sasaeng behavior too... and, actually..."

Kengo Morimoto's face wasn't looking too good either. Remembering how worked up Uehara Ritsu had gotten — that feverish look of someone who'd just unearthed inside gossip about their favorite idol — he made a gesture. "You're not... this, are you?"

"Cough, cough, cough!!!"

Uehara Ritsu broke into a violent coughing fit, his face flushing red.

As an industry insider himself, he'd caught the meaning of Kengo Morimoto's gesture instantly — wasn't that basically calling him gay?

"Who's that?! Don't go making things up! I'm not like you two! I'm just concerned about why Senior Minami came on this show, that's all!"

He said it flat out.

That's right!

He was a perfectly ordinary straight man, thank you very much! His orientation was totally normal — gay, not gay, whatever — just don't drag him into that!

And besides... since when did admiring Senior Minami count as being a sasaeng fan?!

He simply respected Minami Yuji and had looked into things purely out of concern that something might be wrong.

That was absolutely not sasaeng behavior.

"Anyway, Kurokawa, since you want to repay Senior Minami, just work hard to keep this show hot. Aren't you supposed to be a genius at acting? Now that you've got Senior Minami's tips, why not just pick someone as a model and act out a character based on them?"

Determined not to let the topic drift any further—

Uehara Ritsu steered the conversation back and turned to Akane Kurokawa.

At his suggestion—

Akane Kurokawa blinked, caught off guard.

Building and acting out a character directly, huh...

That actually sounded like a good idea.

But...

"Who should I use as a model, though?"

She murmured to herself, pen pinched between her fingers.

Hearing that, the others fell into thought as well.

Right.

Since she was set on building a character for the audience, it would obviously be more interesting to base it on someone genuinely interesting.

And if you asked who, out of everyone on LoveforReal so far, was the single most interesting person on the entire show—

there was no question who that would be—

"Senior Minami?!"

Heads lifting, the young cast members exchanged glances before turning, in perfect unison, to look at Akane Kurokawa.

"Wha— what?!"

Hearing them speak with nearly one voice, and feeling the weight of all their curious stares—

her cherry-pink lips parted slightly.

An expression of pure disbelief rose, unbidden, across Akane Kurokawa's neat, lovely face.

She pointed at herself.

"Me...? Play Senior Minami?"

Was she serious?