Chapter 97 - Kurokawa Akane 02

To be honest, I felt a little guilty for Akane. I certainly don't know the extent of their relationship in this world. However, it doesn't seem much different from what happened in the anime or manga. I only know that Akane saw how Kana used her fame to get a role. Before, Kana herself disrespectfully mocked Akane for coming to the audition while imitating Kana. 

After all, it happened when Kana was a child and also when she started to lose work due to her diminishing fame. Even though I didn't justify what Kana did, I still felt sorry for her in the end. Then, seeing Akane's attitude when she met Kana made me feel pretty sure that what happened in the manga might have happened before I could get Kana to join Strawberry Pro.

That is the only reasonable explanation for why their relationship is similar to the anime and manga. 

This is what makes me feel a little guilty towards Akane because making Kana join Strawberry Pro, I think, put Kana in a better position to get roles than Akane. After talking to Akane a lot since Strawberry Pro took over her agency, I think sometimes there's a sense that Akane thinks she lost out to Kana, who got the role because she came to a big company like Strawberry Pro, which is unfair in her eyes. 

It's almost possible, and it's not that Kana is worse than Akane or anything like that. It's just that their acting skills are arguably on the same level, so in the end, the company would prefer a connection with a big company over a small agency, right? 

Therefore, it is not strange that Akane often loses auditions when Kana is present. Ah, in this world, there is also the presence of another child actor named Sakurajima Mai, which makes the competition in the child actor sector even more difficult than in the Oshi no Ko anime and manga.

Plus, unlike Kana, who had to lower her acting level to survive in the entertainment world, with the backing of Strawberry Pro, she doesn't have to do that in this world. So, if I'm being honest, Kana's acting ability in this world at this age is better than Akane, who has entered the theater world and started to get recognized there. I still feel she is a bit lacking in acting skills compared to Kana.

Well, in the manga itself, she became a household actress after the success of LoveNow.

That's why, ever since Akane joined Strawberry Pro. I couldn't resist trying my best to help her. Even when I first met her, I could see Akane was nervous and, at the same time, excited to see me, which made her make a simple mistake when she tried to introduce herself. It's not strange because, right now, my fame is very different from that of actors my age. 

I saw Akane, whose face was very red with embarrassment after she had made a mistake. I couldn't resist helping her, and I even told her that Akane was basically older than me and not to be formal with me.

"You don't have to be formal with me. Our ages are not that different. No, you're older than me. It feels very strange to me to see someone whose age is not that different from mine being formal to me. You can call me Aqua. I hope we can get along very well with each other." I said that to her, and I could see that she seemed hesitant because the people around her probably reminded her that I was probably the most critical person in Strawberry Pro. So she had to behave herself when meeting me and the like. 

"So you don't like to get along with me." I quickly acted sad and disappointed while showing it on my face, trying to make Akane feel guilty, so she immediately responded as I thought. 

"Eh— Of course not. I feel happy and touched to be friends and get along with you. I mean, after all, Hoshino— Nnn— Aqua-kun is a big star. I never expected it to be like this. Is it okay if I call you Aqua-kun?" 

"Of course, that's fine. At the end of the day, I'm just a teenage boy who can be considered a little special compared to other teenage boys." I spoke while displaying an unbelievably confident demeanor. 

"Is that so—" 

"Yes, I'm happy to get to know you. Honestly, I saw some of your acting performances, although there are still some flaws. I quite like your acting, and I think you have the talent to become a great actress." I told Akane about my true feelings that happened because I saw them in manga and anime. 

"Eh, really— I'm delighted that you enjoyed my acting and praised me too—" Akane responded with a blush on her face as she looked meek and bashful after getting praise from me. Sometimes, I kind of forget that at this point, people never really rate her and rarely praise her at all. 

"Yeah, you will become a great actress in the future. Ah, it may seem sudden. However, can I see your acting?" 

"Eh, well— It's fine." 

"Really, great! Then let's go to the rehearsal room." 

On that day, I took Akane to the rehearsal room and watched Akane do some acting. Of course, I was the one who asked Akane to act in front of me, so it wasn't strange that I became her acting partner. Well, after that, Akane started acting, and after she attempted one scene. I immediately commented, and I mainly criticized Akane's acting before giving some points that could be justified before asking Akane to repeat her acting following my criticism. I, who had been acting for a long time, learned from the director to write and even direct movies; of course, my knowledge in acting became more profound, so I could give points that could make Akane act better. 

Sometimes, I was harsh and harsh on Akane. Still, surprisingly, Akane didn't argue and followed what I said, so I could see her acting a little better than before in a short period. It makes me quite interested to see how far she can improve. That's why, after asking her to act in front of me for more than an hour, I ended my meeting with Akane by saying. 

"Can you come here tomorrow? If you like, we can practice together tomorrow and in the days ahead as well." 

I could see Akane was very surprised by my words; at that moment, I could also see Akane was sweating from exhaustion. She looked at me— No, she looked into my eyes as if trying to read my mind. But in the end, it didn't take long for her to agree to my proposal. Since then, I have often spent my free time or when I was visiting the office practicing acting with Akane. 

One thing I forgot was that Kana saw it, and she also knew Akane. Since she joined Strawberry Pro, the rivalry between them became even stronger. Because of that, Kana rarely practiced acting together with me. You could say she was jealous of the special treatment I gave Akane, and sometimes she asked for the same thing. 

Ultimately, I think it was because of this that Akane and Kana behaved the same as in the anime and manga, even worse. And all of that happened because of my mistake. 

"Hahaha—" Sometimes, I can only laugh dryly amid their disputes. 

[author]

Oops. Sorry I late to post. Too much fun playing Project Zomboid.

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