As time passed into the first part of May, preparations for filming "Coming Closer to You: Love Line School" moved along at breakneck speed.
Under PD Matsushige Sojiro’s brisk command, they were quickly set to begin shooting, with the main goal of securing at least two episodes’ worth of footage before the real heat set in, thanks to an efficient pre-production system.
Having once narrowly escaped death from illness, he made it clear from the very start that there was no longer any room for blindly following the usual grind-it-out shooting style, where productions pushed ahead under terrible conditions.
'This isn’t nearly as tight as I expected.'
What Kaoru had been most worried about was that, like other productions, the schedule would be thrown into chaos by indefinite waiting and erratic shoot times, with cancellations and postponements forcing him to spend most of his free time on the drama set.
For Kaoru, that was especially troubling because he had school, as well as work with the troupe. If drama filming were added on top of that, it would become very difficult to see his family.
Ai had been happily supportive, but she had also seemed deeply disappointed by that prospect, unable to hide how much it bothered her. Remembering that made his chest feel even heavier.
Fortunately, thanks to PD Matsushige Sojiro’s own public promise, Kaoru could finally breathe a little easier and carve out time to keep up with his activities.
Of course, unexpected problems could always crop up on set, so he couldn’t completely relax. But after seeing Matsushige Sojiro’s abilities firsthand, Kaoru didn’t worry too much.
"……."
Sitting in the taxi on the way to the set, Kaoru read the script and lightly furrowed his brow, scratching at his forehead.
Through hobby practice—writing short scenarios for exercise, copying theater scripts, acting them out himself, and studying them—Kaoru had developed a certain eye for this sort of thing.
To be honest, despite the unusually high production budget and the quality of the other infrastructure going into the drama, the script itself was only average.
Still, even that was among the better scripts he had been given.
A female lead who transfers to a famous private high school.
A popular male lead takes an interest in her, and the surrounding male and female supporting leads all rush in to interfere with their relationship, creating a bumpy youth-school drama!
It was a story he’d seen before, the kind often borrowed from shoujo manga in magazines. But cliché or not, it was still exactly the sort of story that fit a youth drama.
And the role Kaoru had been assigned, that of the "charismatic third-year student council president"—Kiriyama Ryota—was...
"【(gathering his fan) Do you think this school is some playground for the likes of you? Mind your manners.】……."
Kaoru let out a small, dry laugh and shook his head at the line, which practically dripped with overblown character-setting.
After first receiving the script, he had already analyzed roughly how he would play Kiriyama Ryota. Even so, he was genuinely looking forward to seeing how PD Matsushige Sojiro would direct every scene in the script.
After all, Matsushige Sojiro’s presence was one of the reasons he had chosen this drama in the first place, so in a way, it was only natural.
"……."
Kaoru closed the script for a moment and took his phone out of his pocket.
He unlocked it and quietly looked through the photos of Ai and the twins stored in his gallery.
Photos of Ai with him, photos of Ai with the twins, photos of the twins together, photos of Aqua, photos of Ruby, photos of himself with the twins.
He carefully looked through each memory-filled picture, keeping them precious in those brilliant blue eyes of his.
Before long, he reached the last photo. Unable to help himself, Kaoru gently brushed his thumb across the screen, where Ai was smiling happily with the twins held tight in her arms, and soothed the ache of longing in his chest.
The corners of his mouth, which had been wearing a faint smile, slowly filled with regret, and the happiness that had lingered on his face as he savored those memories faded back into his usual indifferent, cold expression.
Just a little longer. If he waited just a little more, he would be able to see them soon. Comforting himself with that thought, Kaoru immediately opened the script again.
-
"Waaah!"
"Okay, okay. I’ll change your diaper..."
Ruby, who had been lying there blankly watching TV just moments ago, started crying for a diaper change.
Miyako trudged off to get a diaper with a thoroughly depressed look on her face.
When would she ever be able to escape this hell of childcare?
"Ugh... I really can’t take it anymore..."
As she changed Ruby’s diaper, Miyako sniffled back tears.
If there had been even a single ray of light in this lonely, brutal hell of childcare, it would have been Kaoru’s gentle, caring smile as he came home after school with dessert and stopped by to see the twins.
Rain or shine, no matter how busy he was, Kaoru always came by after school to see the twins, bringing dessert or gifts for Miyako and comforting her.
Miyako knew. She knew what a devoted, family-minded beautiful boy Kaoru was. She had seen and felt firsthand how much he loved Ai and the twins, and she thought that if her own sacrifice brought peace to this family, then that alone was enough to say she had done her part.
She had quit a stable company, and even if her career was cut off... as the saying went, a son-in-law’s love was a mother-in-law’s love—if she had Kaoru’s support and smile, she was sure she could somehow endure it.
But...
"Ugh... sob. I wish I’d never known from the start!!!"
Once Kaoru could no longer come by because of drama filming, Miyako flailed in the depths of despair, her happiness having been stolen away.
Was this what it felt like to have the sun taken from you and be trapped in eternal darkness?! Always! Always, that beautiful boy’s bright, radiant smile and the sweet chocolate cake he brought had soothed her exhausted body and mind!
If only she had never known!
Then it wouldn’t hurt and depress her this much!
"Right... what a miserable state this is. Why do I have to be so stressed out over childcare I never even planned for...!"
Even the twins’ adorable faces were starting to look scary now. She desperately needed Kaoru’s help, but the beautiful boy who was supposed to become her son-in-law was not by her side.
And the man who was supposed to be her husband didn’t even notice how hard she was struggling, let alone call her!
"...Should I just run away...? Hm?"
As Miyako wrestled with fierce inner conflict, her eyes shook violently before sinking into darkness in an instant. At last, her mind reached its limit, and her reason went numb.
"Fine... let’s get divorced. Divorce. Yeah—if you try to grab me now, it’s too late. I’ve done enough, haven’t I? Hm? I’m sorry to Kaoru-kun and Ai, but I really have done enough! I should just divorce that awful husband of mine, take him for everything he’s worth in alimony, and use the money to push the host I like up to the number-one spot in revenue. I have a life too! I have dreams too. You think you’re the only ones who matter? Honestly!"
Ruby and Aqua, who had been watching Miyako’s rampage from behind as she muttered darkly and stuffed clothes into a bag, exchanged quiet whispers with serious expressions.
"What do we do? Shouldn’t we stop her? Call someone or something!"
"Would calling change anything? It’d just be like a baby under one year old suddenly calling and confessing she can speak clearly on her own, wouldn’t it?"
"Then what are we supposed to do? If we just leave her like that, it’ll interfere with Mama and Papa’s activities!"
"Maybe this is our chance! I just had a great idea."
"Huh? A chance for what?"
"We go all the way and drive the point home. So she can’t think of anything else!"
Ruby looked puzzled at Aqua’s determined gaze, but after hearing his plan, she nodded.
"Heh heh heh... anyway, the one at fault here is you, right?! Even if you cling to my skirt and keep whining..."
"Poor woman. The frustration in your heart cannot be solved by running away!"
"……?"
Miyako, who had been stuffing Ichigo’s bankbook into her bag, froze at the young voice coming from behind her. Turning her head stiffly like a rusted machine, she looked toward the source of the voice...
"Eh? What did you say?"
She blinked blankly at the twins sitting on top of the table.
Miyako’s thought process stopped dead.
Seeing her panic, Aqua sensed that he had successfully taken the first step of his plan and, with his arms folded, recited the line he had prepared in his head with an imposing expression.
"I am a messenger from heaven! I can no longer stand by while you abandon your [duty] and run away from your sins!"
"……."
Miyako’s mind went white as paper, and she couldn’t recover herself.
The babies who had been perfectly normal just moments ago, not even a year old yet, were suddenly standing on the table, arms folded, speaking clearly and scolding her sternly.
What was this? Was she dreaming?
Miyako let out a dry laugh without realizing it and shook her head.
"No way. Hehe—this has to be a lie, right? This—uh—this doesn’t make sense, does it? I’m seeing things, right? Right? Hohoho~?"
Even in a situation that felt like it would drive her out of her mind.
Unable to make sense of the clearly broken, absurd phenomenon before her, Miyako’s face went white as she laughed like a madwoman and waved her hands frantically.
For some reason, if this went any further, she looked like she might quite literally faint.
'This is dangerous.'
Worried that something unexpected might happen, Aqua flinched and failed to rebut Miyako’s words.
Unable to stand it any longer, Ruby looked down at Miyako with her usual emotionless, cold eyes and said,
"Know your place."
"...Huh?"
Miyako stared at Ruby, unable even to wipe away the cold sweat running down her face.
That arrogant posture, perched on the table as if a god had manifested before her.
That cold, emotionless gaze and expression, so much like Kaoru’s father that it was practically identical.
That chilling, eerie presence that made people instinctively shrink back.
Miyako clutched both trembling hands together and shook like a frightened lamb.
"I was going to bestow an oracle on you as a sign of appreciation for all your hard work, and yet you dare to abandon your sacred [duty] and run away so shamelessly? Ungrateful thing."
"W-w-who are you? Why are you talking to me like that? Huh?"
"I am the manifestation of [Amaterasu]. I am the [god] you speak of."
"...Hic."
Soaked in cold sweat, Miyako tried to scoot backward while seated, but the TV stand blocked her path and left her trapped. Ruby sharpened her gaze and raised her presence even further.
"And you would dare throw away your [fate]! Are you not afraid of divine wrath? [Hoshino Ai] is a girl chosen by the [god of entertainment], and [Kamiki Kaoru] is... a boy chosen by the [god of strength]. And their child, too, is twins born of sacred blood and a great destiny. To protect us and support the two men and women chosen by the gods—was that not the sacred [duty] given to you?"
Ruby pointed at the shell-shocked Miyako with her short, cute index finger and continued in a solemn voice.
"After all the hardship you endured for that [duty], do you still want to throw yourself into ruin here? To run from your [duty] is to defy the [god]. Do you truly wish to receive [divine punishment]?"
"Di-divine punishment? What is that—"
At Miyako’s cry, Aqua said quietly,
"[Death]."
"……."
After hearing Aqua’s thunderbolt-like verdict, Miyako froze like stone for a moment, unable to say anything.
Then,
"...Hwaang."
Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed unconscious on the spot.
-
"Director."
"Oh, Kaoru. You’re here."
The set was bustling with preparations for filming. As soon as he arrived, Kaoru finished greeting the team leaders from each department and found PD Matsushige Sojiro, who had just come out of a meeting, then bowed politely.
Since he preferred being called by his title as director rather than as PD on set, Kaoru addressed him as Director Sojiro, his blue eyes gleaming as he said,
"I’m ready."
"Good. We’re shooting the other supporting roles in batches right now, so your turn will come soon. Heh heh heh. Personally, I’m really looking forward to it. I want to see that amazing skill again—the one from four years ago, when you memorized the whole script and finished in a single take without a single NG."
"...If you’re trying to put pressure on me, I think you’ve succeeded."
At Director Sojiro’s glittering, pressure-heavy gaze, Kaoru gave an awkward smile. Sojiro patted Kaoru on the shoulder with a smile full of trust, then looked over at the assistant director standing nearby.
"Oh, for Kaoru-kun, the waiting room..."
Thud-thump!
At a loud noise from somewhere nearby, the staff around them all turned their heads toward the source at once.
The same was true for PD Sojiro and Kaoru.
Camera cases lay scattered on the floor, and right beside them a handsome, tall young man stood frozen in shock, not knowing what to do.
Before long, the nearby staff hurried over to tidy up the cases and say it was fine. Watching the scene, PD Sojiro let out a deep sigh and muttered with a faint but unmistakable note of displeasure,
"And they call these kids leads, when they can’t even handle a set... honestly."
"……."
Following Director Sojiro’s gaze, Kaoru looked at the man whose ears had turned bright red with embarrassment as he hurried toward the waiting room.
As far as he knew, there were six lead actors in this drama, three male and three female. If Director Sojiro was right, that man must be one of the six leads.
In any case, the lead actors he would actually meet in the script were only four, and even then their screen time was limited, so he probably wouldn’t run into them much on set.
"Director. Then I’ll head to the waiting room."
"Yes, yes. Go on."
Kaoru smiled, bowed to Director Sojiro, and followed the assistant director into the actor waiting-room building set up at one side of the filming location.
When he entered the waiting room, the other supporting actors either hadn’t arrived yet or were too busy with their own tasks.
Kaoru greeted them, answered the usual pleasantries and small talk, and then headed straight to the makeup room in the building next door to get his makeup done.
"Oh my, who do we have here~? Isn’t this our~ Kamiki Kaoru-kun~?"
"Ah. Hello?"
As soon as he stepped into the makeup room, a familiar middle-aged woman pushed up her glasses and greeted Kaoru warmly.
Kaoru bowed in return to the woman, who was smiling as she greeted him.
Maeda Aki, the famous makeup artist who had once served as head of the makeup team for [Black Rose of the Mastermind].
She was well regarded in the industry for both her skill and her good nature, which made her easy to work with even for difficult actors.
"Wow, how long has it been? Almost two years, right? More than two years?"
"Yes. About two years."
"Time really flies. No, seriously, Kaoru-kun, I was so shocked when you said you were retiring. Our shop staff and customers were all in an uproar, I’m telling you."
"Haha..."
"Exactly! I’m so glad that dating rumor turned out to be false. I mean, men and women can be friends, can’t they? Those people always act like they’re trying to pick at fruit they can’t reach. And the people who suffer are always the innocent ones! There were so many people eyeing Kaoru-kun, it was really a shame. If it weren’t for that, you’d probably have walked right into a [getsuku] slot by now!"
"Haha..."
Sitting in a chair while she fixed his hair with a headband and hairpins and applied makeup to his face, Maeda Aki kept up an endless stream of chatter.
Kaoru’s ears felt like they were bleeding, and he could only smile awkwardly, repeating "haha," "yes," and "I see" while praying for the makeup to finish.
Before long, the makeup was done. Kaoru thanked Maeda Aki and hurried out of the makeup room.
"……."
After changing in the costume room into the third-year school uniform worn by the student council president, Kaoru stepped out and adjusted the slightly rumpled fit of his clothes as he walked back toward the waiting room.
As always, he couldn’t help thinking how nice it would be if the production budget were invested honestly in the costumes.
"Hah."
With the school blazer draped over his right arm, Kaoru frowned slightly when he couldn’t get the front buttons of the school shirt to fasten properly.
With no other choice, he hung the blazer on the chair beside him, stood before the full-length mirror, and unbuttoned the shirt down to his chest before buttoning it again—then unbuttoning and buttoning it once more—until he finally decided to leave the top button undone and use the tie to make it look as though the shirt were buttoned all the way up.
It seemed he and dress shirts had never been on good terms, not even back during [Black Rose of the Mastermind].
Noticing a loose thread from the costume caught on his carefully styled blond hair, Kaoru brushed it away with his long fingers.
With a faint crease between his brows, he raised the shirt collar and tied the school necktie himself, only to notice in the full-length mirror that several female staff members near the door were watching him with strange expressions.
"……."
When their eyes met, he had been about to ask whether they could switch him to another costume, but it was already too late.
After finishing the tie and putting on the school blazer draped over the chair, Kaoru stood there with a serious look, debating whether to fasten all the blazer buttons, leave them half-done, or leave them open entirely.
Judging by the nature of the role he was playing, a strict traditionalist would call for every button to be fastened. But doing that might make the character look too defensive and stifled, and he couldn’t quite decide.
"……."
"Hmm."
"...Haa."
The few junior supporting actors and bit-part players sitting quietly nearby and watching Kaoru.
As they looked at their own faces reflected in the full-length mirror, they silently averted their eyes like depressed frogs.
"Still, I think I’ll leave it open."
Regardless of their reactions, Kaoru finally made his decision after a long silence, nodded, and smiled quietly.
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