Chapter 200: Prayer nya (8500 characters! Two-in-one!) (Patreon)

Two weeks later, at the audition venue for Like a Dragon.

Since it was the audition venue for a big-budget commercial action film, the investors had been remarkably generous, using their own connections to rent out an entire studio just for the audition.

"Glug... this is the audition venue for Like a Dragon that Yuji-nii is attending today?"

Her pink pupils contracted, a hint of timidity showing through.

The always lively Ruby Hoshino simply couldn't muster any liveliness right now.

Because she could clearly feel that the air around her felt completely different from when Minami Yuji had auditioned as a child actor.

There was none of that lively, noisy feeling children brought.

Though the audition was still half an hour away, the seats were already nearly full.

All the actors sat silently with their heads down, flipping through the scripts in their hands, as if pouring every bit of effort they'd spent these past days into the character on the page.

Only when they happened to spot a familiar face would they lift their heads to exchange a greeting.

But that was all it was — just a greeting.

Once the greeting was done, they'd lower their heads again and go back to flipping through their scripts, mulling over the character's lines.

For a while, the only sound in the entire venue was the rustle of pages turning. Nothing else.

Ruby Hoshino had been to some child-actor auditions with Minami Yuji before.

Back then she'd thought those auditioning kids were noisy, annoying even.

But now that she'd truly stepped into the adult world—

she realized that kind of noisy atmosphere wasn't so bad after all.

At least better than this, right?

Because—

Her mouth twitched.

Was this a morgue or something? Was everyone keeping vigil over a corpse?

Being naturally lively, she couldn't stand this atmosphere where everyone stayed dead silent — it was too suffocating.

"All right, quit imagining things."

Walking ahead, Aqua Hoshino glanced sideways at Ruby Hoshino, who kept looking left and right, and sighed. "I really don't know why you had to tag along."

"What was that?!"

Hearing her own brother say that, Ruby Hoshino bristled. Hugging her slightly puffed-out chest, she pulled out her trump card. "I'm not here just to gawk, you know! Yuji-nii asked me to come along!"

That much was true — Minami Yuji really had agreed to let her tag along.

In his own words: once an idol starts gaining real popularity, most of them try to branch out into multiple fields.

Take Ai Hoshino, for instance — she didn't only do idol performances; she also took on modeling, film, and TV drama work. There was no helping it — idols really were at the bottom rung of the industry, living off both their youth and their fans' loyalty, with almost no freedom. Most idols, once they gained popularity, would consider transitioning.

If Ruby Hoshino hadn't been so stubbornly attached to the idol path, Minami Yuji would have long since walked her hand-in-hand into the acting industry. With him as her sworn brother, at least she wouldn't have to suffer the same setbacks he once had.

And Ruby Hoshino had no experience with adult actor auditions.

Bringing her along this time was meant to broaden her horizons and give her some on-site experience.

So that later, when she became an idol, she wouldn't be completely clueless about all this.

"Is that so?"

In response to Ruby Hoshino's explanation, Aqua Hoshino kept a flat expression and said in an even tone, "Yuji-nii really did agree, sure. But I haven't forgotten how long you pestered him about it the other day."

That was true. Minami Yuji really had agreed to let his little sister come to the audition venue, but Aqua Hoshino figured that was purely because he'd been worn down — she'd basically begged and clung to him shamelessly until he gave in.

She'd pestered him for a good half hour straight. Who could stand that?

"Ahem, an-anyway, I'm already here! What's the point in dwelling on it now? Speaking of which, where's Yuji-nii?"

It had to be said — this so-called little sister could be pretty sly at times, changing the subject the moment she knew she was in the wrong.

"He went to find the restroom with Aunt Kyoko. Said we should go find seats first, and they'd catch up with us later... Ruby, you were snoring away in the car the whole ride, so you have no idea what we talked about, do you?"

"...Heh heh."

"..." Aqua Hoshino.

Looking at Ruby Hoshino scratching the back of her head with a silly grin, and knowing his sister's habits all too well, Aqua Hoshino shook his head, a little exasperated, and decided not to bother arguing further. He kept walking, looking for a row of four connected seats.

Ruby Hoshino followed along, glancing curiously at Aqua Hoshino ahead of her.

More precisely, she was looking at the white number tag hanging on his chest.

"Speaking of which, Aqua, are you also auditioning for this Fujiwara Kazuma role?"

"Yeah. It's a rare experience, after all."

Aqua Hoshino answered readily enough, but halfway through, he clearly sensed something was off.

He looked at his sister trailing behind him.

She had one hand covering her mouth, staring at him with an unmistakably smug grin.

"...What?"

He frowned and asked.

"Oh, nothing."

Ruby Hoshino let out an exaggeratedly loud sigh, hands clasped behind her back, leaning forward. "It's just that I think it's kind of pitiful for you, Aqua — having to compete against Yuji-nii on the same stage. Isn't that basically the same as going into battle knowing you'll lose?"

"..." Looking at his so-called little sister's face full of gleeful spite, Aqua Hoshino didn't hesitate for a second before reaching out and flicking her right on the forehead.

"Ow— that hurts!!!"

Her small body crouched down.

Both hands clutched her head.

Tears instantly welled up in her adorable big eyes.

Ruby Hoshino let out a wail.

"I'm not auditioning this time to actually land the role. I just want to broaden my experience and hone my craft, unlike a certain someone who's purely here to gawk."

"Huh?!"

Letting out an indignant noise, Ruby Hoshino heard Aqua's words and got up from the ground, fuming. "What do you mean 'purely here to gawk'?! I'm here to gain experience too! Aqua, you jerk, I'm definitely telling Yuji-nii about this later!"

She stomped her foot as she spoke.

But in her little fit, she didn't realize she was standing right in the middle of a row of seats.

Her pale, slender leg lifted.

And the next second, it came down right on the foot of a young actor sitting nearby.

"What are you doing?!"

The young actor, who had been quietly flipping through his script, winced in pain and looked up sharply at the girl in front of him.

"Uh, sorry! That, I'm really sorry!"

Realizing she'd accidentally stepped on someone's foot, Ruby Hoshino knew she was in the wrong and immediately bowed her head in apology.

But the man's brow only furrowed further, and he wasn't willing to let it go so easily.

He'd been reading his script just fine, and now he'd been disturbed and was already a little irritated.

On top of that, the girl in front of him wasn't wearing a number tag, and there wasn't even a female role being auditioned for Like a Dragon today...

Which meant this blonde girl had to be a total outsider!

Some completely unrelated person barging into such a professional, serious setting, making noise and even stepping on his foot.

He couldn't help but lose his patience.

He grabbed Ruby Hoshino's soft, delicate arm with one hand. "Where did you sneak in from, you random kid? Where's security? Get this girl out of here."

"Wha—?"

Aqua Hoshino's brow furrowed too.

He might tease and needle his little sister on the regular, but that didn't mean he didn't care about her.

Especially since Ruby Hoshino had apologized right away.

For the other man to still be pushing the issue — that was going a bit too far.

He took a step forward, about to speak.

But in the very next instant—

a voice cut in ahead of him.

"I'm sorry, this is my little sister. She's here today as an observer, so strictly speaking she's not exactly unrelated to this. I apologize sincerely for the inconvenience she's caused you. That said, would you mind letting go of her arm first?"

"You—"

The young actor had been about to say "Who are you supposed to be?"

But...

His eyes widened slightly.

The words caught in his throat before he could get them out.

His hand, which had been gripping Ruby Hoshino's arm, slowly loosened.

An expression of disbelief spread across his face.

Because—

"Mi— Minami Yuji?!"

Once he got a clear look at the man's face, he couldn't help but let out a startled exclamation.

Yes.

That signature black hair and black eyes, those handsome features, those clear, pure dark pupils... standing before him was none other than Minami Yuji, whose fame had been through the roof these past few days!

"Minami Yuji? Did he just say Minami Yuji?"

"Minami Yuji's here? Is he auditioning for this role too?"

"Is he really here?"

The commotion around the young actor had immediately drawn the attention of every actor who'd had their head buried in their script a moment ago.

And the instant they actually caught sight of Minami Yuji with their own eyes—

the venue, which had been so quiet, erupted into a stir at once.

"It's... it's really him. It really is Minami Yuji."

"I heard he was the first person ever to win the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Japan TV Drama Academy Prize."

"That's not even the half of it. Didn't you see the SOUTH Networks press conference? He's the president of SOUTH Networks!"

"Really? He's only sixteen this year?! And his net worth's already nearing a trillion?"

Disbelief, astonishment, shock, envy...

All kinds of hushed, fragmented murmurs sprang up in an instant.

They kept their voices low.

But the subject of the discussion was, oddly enough, unanimous.

It was the man who had just walked in — Minami Yuji.

As for the kind of chatter that would normally leave anyone looking smug and pleased with themselves—

Minami Yuji's expression didn't change at all.

He simply nodded once at the young actor who'd let go of his sister's arm, then went on, "Sorry for the trouble."

"Uh, no— it's nothing. I— I was a bit too hasty. I'm sorry."

The young actor opened and closed his mouth several times, taking a while to piece together this fragmented apology, and bowed his head to Ruby Hoshino too.

Some might think his about-face — starting the confrontation and then meekly bowing out — was pathetically spineless.

But... there was no helping it!

The man standing before him was Minami Yuji, after all!

Never mind that endlessly terrifying list of awards to his name.

Just the fact that he'd already founded his own agency and firmly planted roots in the industry... if he offended him, who knew how many little jabs he'd have to endure down the line?

Not to mention that title everyone in the industry whispered about — the Tyrant of Acting!

They called Minami Yuji a tyrant, after all.

How good could his temper possibly be?

The industry wasn't about brute force — it ran on social capital and favor.

At most, he'd been a bit rash, but he wasn't a fool.

He knew perfectly well what mattered and what didn't.

"Yuji-nii, aren't you just a little too famous?"

Having finally found a row of four connected seats, Ruby Hoshino rubbed her slightly reddened wrist, feeling the countless glances being cast their way, and couldn't help lowering her voice.

As Minami Yuji's sworn little sister for all these years, she'd always known his fame was quite something.

But she'd never imagined he'd draw this much attention from others in the industry itself.

Those glances weren't just attentive — if anything, they were almost scorching.

As if every single move Minami Yuji made could sway everyone else's actions.

"It's only 'now,' you know."

Listening to Ruby Hoshino's question, Saitou Kyoko, who'd also just sat down, couldn't help but laugh. "You have no idea what it was like back when Yuji-kun went to these audition venues. Back then, absolutely nobody paid him any attention."

There was a teasing edge to her words, but also a trace of bittersweet sentiment that was hard to put into words.

It really had been bittersweet...

Because back then, it wasn't just Minami Yuji — even Ichigo Pro itself had been a nobody, completely overlooked.

Even now, Saitou Kyoko still remembered the contemptuous, dismissive looks that all the other agencies had cast their way back then.

Now, everything was completely different.

Not just Minami Yuji — even Ichigo Pro itself was now looked at with new respect throughout the industry.

Only...

"Sometimes, having fame isn't entirely a good thing." Minami Yuji shook his head.

"Huh...? Why would you say that?"

Ruby Hoshino blinked, tilting her head to the side, looking at Minami Yuji with some confusion.

Generally speaking, the more famous an actor was, the more of an advantage they had when competing for a role.

Because directors and screenwriters would factor in all those elements related to fame.

So why would Minami Yuji say that fame "isn't entirely a good thing"?

She didn't understand.

But neither Minami Yuji nor Aqua Hoshino explained it to her. Instead, they both turned to look somewhere else.

Ruby Hoshino instinctively followed their gaze. Then... she froze.

She saw that the many actors who'd just been startled by Minami Yuji's appearance were now frowning, occasionally shooting glances back in their direction...

No, more precisely, at Minami Yuji sitting beside her.

Every so often, they'd turn their heads and murmur something to the actor beside them.

Their expressions were full of malicious speculation.

Even someone as emotionally oblivious as Ruby Hoshino could sense it plainly.

"Huh...? Why are they looking at us like that?"

Ruby Hoshino opened her mouth, the words slipping out before she'd thought it through.

Right.

Had she really been that noisy a moment ago?

Enough to glare at her that fiercely?

"They're probably wondering whether this role's already been pre-cast for Yuji-nii."

"Huh?"

Hearing Aqua Hoshino's words beside her, Ruby Hoshino turned her head in surprise.

"Didn't Yuji-nii already say it himself? High popularity and good acting — in a sense, that's not necessarily a good thing."

Leaning back against his chair, Aqua Hoshino went on.

Minami Yuji's popularity really was too immense.

So immense that the mere fact of his presence here forced everyone to consider whether this role had already been secretly pre-cast for him.

But—

"Just because that possibility exists, they're going to be this hostile toward Yuji-nii? And his popularity and buzz speak for themselves! Aren't they worried about making an enemy, speculating about him like that?"

Ruby Hoshino understood even less now.

Right — never mind the question of acting skill, her Yuji-nii's popularity was right there for everyone to see! And they still speculated about him like that? Weren't they afraid of making enemies?

While Ruby Hoshino couldn't wrap her head around it, Aqua Hoshino, for his part, turned the question around.

"Rather than worrying about making enemies... Ruby, do you know just how important the role of Fujiwara Kazuma is for an actor?"

For an ordinary actor.

Landing the role of Fujiwara Kazuma would, without question, be a genuine springboard to stardom.

A massive three-billion-yen investment.

The theatrical release and marketing push from the studio and investors afterward.

All of that was something an actor could gain without spending a single yen of their own.

And every actor appearing today was a seasoned adult professional, well established in the industry — unlike the children from the child-actor days. As adults, they understood full well just how precious this opportunity was.

Naturally, they weren't about to show any warmth toward Minami Yuji, a junior who might already have the role locked up through connections.

Put simply.

They might be startled by Minami Yuji's fame and buzz.

But everyone here had two eyes and a mouth of their own — you're still a junior who just became an adult actor. Sure, your titles and awards are intimidating, but that doesn't mean we're going to be scared of you!

Not to mention the acting world was a mixed bag of good and bad.

It was only natural that some people would be envious of Minami Yuji's popularity and buzz.

After hearing Aqua Hoshino's analysis, Ruby Hoshino finally understood where all that hostility in the room was coming from.

But even so...

"Isn't this completely unfair, though?"

Her eyes went distant, and she couldn't help murmuring to herself.

She'd already heard about the conversation between Minami Yuji and Naka Tetsuya, straight from Minami Yuji himself.

So she understood.

Her Yuji-nii hadn't just avoided being pre-cast — he'd actually stepped down from that position of his own accord, more or less voluntarily.

But now, just because he'd gotten a bit more famous, a bit more buzz lately, he had to take the blame for something he never did?

Unfair!

Truly, deeply unfair!

Her pink lips pressed tight together.

Her fingers curled into fists without a sound.

No way!

She had to say something!

She absolutely had to say something!

At the very least, let these people know that her Yuji-nii was nothing like—

Thwack!

A crisp flicking sound rang out against Ruby Hoshino's forehead.

"Ow! What was that for? Yuji-nii?!"

Clear tears welled up around her eyes.

Ruby Hoshino pouted, glaring resentfully at her sworn brother, who'd already pulled his finger back.

But in the face of her blunt accusation, Minami Yuji only said, "Don't do anything stupid."

"Huh?! You call that stupid? Yuji-nii! I finally worked up the nerve to bring up what you and Director Naka discussed!"

That was right! She'd wanted to speak up for Minami Yuji.

And instead of praising her, her own Yuji-nii...

told her not to do anything stupid?

Her face twisted with indignation.

It was under that righteously indignant gaze that Minami Yuji looked at her, exasperated.

"If you bring that up yourself, all it'll do is make people think you've got a guilty conscience. And once you say it, doesn't that basically confirm to everyone that I met privately with Director Naka before? Wouldn't that just cement the idea that I was pre-cast?"

It was like a murder case.

With Ruby Hoshino as Minami Yuji's defense attorney, the once-murky case would end up proving that Minami Yuji really was the murderer.

And she'd be the one handing the evidence straight to the other side.

This so-called little sister — was she secretly a mole or something?

"Eh?!"

Hearing Minami Yuji's breakdown of the situation, Ruby Hoshino finally caught on.

The indignant expression on her delicate, pretty face flushed bright red at once, and she was too flustered to say a single word.

It wasn't until a good while later that she finally managed to mutter something.

"But... those guys are probably badmouthing you behind your back right now. Just thinking about it makes me so mad!"

As she said this, her teeth were visibly clenched.

She really was furious!

She'd always been the type to side with family over reason.

Her sworn brother was being wronged like this, and she was supposed to just keep her mouth shut?

That was practically worse than killing her!

And besides—

"Doesn't it bother you at all, Yuji-nii, being badmouthed behind your back like this?"

Ruby Hoshino lifted her head, still fuming.

Right! Being slandered like that — surely it had to bother Minami Yuji, didn't it?

Facing Ruby Hoshino's question.

Minami Yuji shook his head.

"Let them talk."

His tone stayed calm, without even a hint of change in pitch.

Because—

"In the end, an actor's craft speaks for itself."

The studio's white lights spilled down over Minami Yuji as he stated this undeniable truth in the same even tone.

Yes.

No matter how much slander, mockery, or ridicule got thrown around.

None of it could change that fact.

His gaze shifted.

Toward the direction of the actors murmuring the loudest.

You "seniors" think I got in through the back door, huh?

Then you'd better beat me fair and square in this audition!

Otherwise, I really will have to slap every last one of you "seniors" across the face.

...

"What was that? The mood at the audition venue's a bit off? Some actors think Minami-kun might've been pre-cast by us?"

Director Naka Tetsuya, who'd already packed up his script and the résumés of actors from every agency, ready to head out to the audition venue, wondered if he'd misheard something.

Minami Yuji, pre-cast?

What kind of joke was that?

That was about as absurd as a bank president robbing his own bank.

He knew perfectly well how that black-haired young man felt about the whole idea of pre-casting.

But as Naka Tetsuya listened to his assistant lay out the whole story, he found himself at something of a loss for words too.

He'd been directing long enough that it only took him a moment to figure out exactly why the mood at the audition venue had turned sour.

Put simply.

It was nothing more than a bunch of adult actors, leaning on their seniority, jealous of Minami Yuji's popularity, and wary of his current buzz, worrying that the production might just cast him as the lead purely because of how famous he was.

And from that had sprung all this talk about whether the production had already pre-cast Minami Yuji.

After hearing his assistant finish the whole account.

Naka Tetsuya's reaction boiled down to one word.

"Pathetic!"

He let out a cold snort.

It really was pathetic.

In his view, actors should focus wholeheartedly on honing their craft and take every audition seriously — that was the actual job of an actor.

But now?

A bunch of actors weren't putting effort into their craft; instead, they were fixated on whether someone had been pre-cast.

It left him utterly disappointed.

He even felt a rather strong urge welling up inside him.

Why not just give this bunch a taste of their own medicine — do exactly what they were already assuming, and just pre-cast Minami Yuji as Fujiwara Kazuma outright?

But that was ultimately just an impulse.

Naka Tetsuya let out a sigh.

He had his own principles.

"Besides, Minami-kun probably wouldn't want me pulling strings for him like that anyway."

Recalling the expressions and gestures from his previous exchange with Minami Yuji, Naka Tetsuya murmured to himself.

That was true.

He couldn't go against his own principles.

Nor could he tarnish something as brilliant as Minami Yuji's spirit, gleaming like gold.

Most importantly of all—

"Rest easy, Director Naka, and look forward to audition day!"

Minami Yuji's clear voice rang in his ears.

Look forward to it?

A smile tugged at the corner of Naka Tetsuya's mouth.

Of course he was looking forward to it!

As always, he had one thing to say.

He had full confidence in Minami Yuji's acting!

...

Generally speaking, film role auditions have a separate small room set aside, where actors are called in one by one so the director, producer, and production staff can judge whether they have the acting chops for the role.

But because Like a Dragon was a rare large-scale production.

it had drawn in quite a few agencies and actors.

So, much like the earlier audition for Three Sisters, the venue had been switched from a small room to a full studio.

That was a fairly normal adjustment within the industry.

"I'll head backstage to get ready, then."

Standing up, Minami Yuji said a quick goodbye to the Hoshino siblings and Saitou Kyoko beside him.

Minami Yuji's number tag was No. 11, fairly early in the lineup, so he needed to head backstage first to prepare, in case he wasn't ready the moment his name was called.

As for Aqua Hoshino?

He had it easier.

His number tag was No. 35, quite far back in line, so there was no issue with him sitting there a good while longer.

The group watched Minami Yuji disappear into the studio's backstage area.

Only then did Ruby Hoshino stretch and speak up with a grin.

"Now that I think about it, Yuji-nii's basically right — with his acting skill, landing this role shouldn't be a problem at all. I guess I was getting worked up over nothing just now."

Right — thinking it over, she really had been a bit hasty a moment ago.

With Minami Yuji's acting ability, pre-cast or not, wouldn't he just breeze through anyway?

And this time, her words actually won Saitou Kyoko's agreement.

Even Aqua Hoshino gave a small nod, indicating there shouldn't be much to worry about.

The reason was simple.

Ever since his child-actor days, Minami Yuji's acting had never once given them cause for concern.

Every time, he delivered a near-perfect performance, a flawless exit, and claimed one role after another with overwhelming superiority.

As far as they were concerned, this was just a bit of a detour.

Minami Yuji would surely bring them good news again, just as he always had.

That was what they thought.

But that thought was shaken to its core the very moment the first actor stepped onto the stage.

Because—

"Amazing."

Ruby Hoshino's mouth fell open. Having expected Minami Yuji to win this one as easily as he had during his child-actor days, she now stared blankly at the actors on stage.

How could they be this good...?

She found it hard to comprehend.

Because she could feel it clearly.

Unlike the rough, unpolished performances she'd seen at those child-actor auditions before.

Every actor who took the stage this time delivered performances honed to a razor's edge, refined through what felt like a thousand trials by fire.

And from the moment the auditions began.

Ruby Hoshino hadn't seen a single Fujiwara Kazuma that looked quite the same as any other.

As the old saying goes.

A thousand people, a thousand faces.

The same role could feel completely different depending on who played it.

And that was exactly what was happening in front of Ruby Hoshino right now.

Every actor who took the stage brought their own distinct style, showcasing their own interpretation of "Fujiwara Kazuma."

Righteous and unwavering. Neither swayed nor broken.

All sorts of performances, each representing a different actor's style and understanding of the character Fujiwara Kazuma, flickered across Ruby Hoshino's pink eyes.

In that moment, she felt almost overwhelmed.

Because she found it hard to understand...

How could the gap be this enormous, between the young actors from before and these adult professionals now?

Their acting was on a completely different level!

The confidence that had once felt rock-solid now wavered, just slightly.

Ruby Hoshino couldn't help turning her head.

"Hey, Mom, Yuji-nii won't have any problems, right? These people are amazing, but they're still not as good as Yuji-nii, right?"

She wanted to hear some reassurance from her adoptive mother, Saitou Kyoko.

But to her surprise—

Saitou Kyoko, who had always had complete confidence in Minami Yuji, found herself unable to give a firm answer this time.

She furrowed her brow and hesitated several times before speaking.

"...Uh... hm... how should I put it... I can't really say for sure either."

After all, she was just the president of Ichigo Pro.

She could sense talent in a performer, sure, but properly judging whether someone's acting was good or bad — that was a bit beyond her.

And most importantly... this time the competitors weren't like the child actors or rookies from before — they were all seasoned veterans deeply entrenched in the industry.

Even she couldn't guarantee anything with full confidence.

"Ugh."

Failing to get the answer she wanted from Saitou Kyoko, Ruby Hoshino froze for a moment.

But soon enough, she cleared her throat and forced herself to sound confident.

"Whatever! I-it's just a regular role anyway! It's fine even if Yuji-nii doesn't land it! He's already famous enough, and he's been in so many movies already!"

She tried her best to sound unconcerned.

But beside her, Aqua Hoshino shook his head and said in an even tone:

"This time's different. This isn't just some regular role — a three-billion-yen blockbuster like this is the perfect launchpad for Yuji-nii's debut as an adult actor. If he misses this chance, who knows how long he'll have to wait for the next one."

That was true.

If it were just an ordinary role, losing it wouldn't matter much.

But the role of Fujiwara Kazuma was different.

If Minami Yuji could land this three-billion-yen action blockbuster, he'd go on writing his legend in the adult acting world.

But if he failed here...

there was no telling how long he'd have to wait for another opportunity like this.

Some might say tokusatsu blockbusters cost just as much.

But the nature of it was different.

Tokusatsu productions were mainly meant to cultivate new talent, and studios like Tsuburaya and Toei weren't exactly eager to sign big-name actors like Minami Yuji long-term, because that would be far too expensive — even having someone of his caliber cameo occasionally would cost a fortune.

"How could this be..."

After hearing Aqua Hoshino's explanation.

Ruby Hoshino, who'd just been putting on a brave face, froze up.

The strands of her side ponytail swayed.

Her pink eyes turned toward the backstage area.

There, it was already the tenth actor's turn to take the stage.

Her pale, slender fingers unconsciously laced together.

In her heart, she prayed quietly.

Please.

Yuji-nii...

you have to pull this off!