Chapter 34: Shame

January 5th.

The Ginza Line of the Tokyo Metro is filled with post-holiday fatigue.

Countless office workers, dressed in suits and carrying briefcases, crowd together and take the train to their companies, their expressions blank.

Today is the second day after Japan's New Year holiday.

But aside from the New Year promotion announcements that haven't yet been removed, there's no sign that the holiday season lingered on the subway.

Amid this group of social workers hurrying to work during the morning rush,

there is a figure that looks slightly out of place.

It's a man who appears somewhat thin.

At this moment, he's holding onto the subway ring with one hand, looking at his mobile phone through the maroon bangs that almost cover his eyes.

Beside him, a young woman with shoulder-length hair and thick-framed glasses, also dressed in a suit and blending in perfectly with the surrounding crowd, appears pale and takes a deep breath.

Before the New Year holidays, Akikawa Kyousuke and Itakura Misaki had successfully received notice that they'd passed the preliminary review.

So today, they were heading to the Imperial Theater in Chiyoda Ward for the comprehensive final audition.

After arriving at Ginza Station, Akikawa and Itakura Misaki got off the subway and walked toward Exit A9, which is close to the Imperial Theater.

"Ms. Itakura seems very nervous. What's the matter?"

Akikawa looked at Itakura Misaki's pale face and difficulty breathing, asking her with concern.

"Are you even thinking about who's responsible for this?"

Itakura Misaki looked at Kyousuke and spoke loudly.

Since they received the notification about passing the preliminary examination right before the year-end holidays and the official audition was scheduled right after,

Kyousuke and Itakura Misaki didn't have much time to prepare.

Initially, Itakura Misaki thought about asking Akikawa to rent a place outside to practice during the holiday, but he refused because he wanted to study novels and directors.

As a result, even today, Misaki Itakura hasn't yet seen Kyousuke act.

"There's no problem, don't worry."

"You didn't even know what a play was before signing up. Mr. Akikawa, your words aren't convincing at all!"

Although Akikawa promised that he would seriously study the character over the holiday,

Misaki Itakura didn't believe he would practice unsupervised.

When they arrived at the Imperial Theater, several artists were already waiting to audition.

"There are actually... so many people!"

Misaki Itakura looked around, seeing that at least ten artists were waiting there.

There was still half an hour before the audition started.

Misaki Itakura estimated that over twenty artists would be auditioning in total.

She thought that, since the role was only a high school student, not many people would be interested.

But Itakura Misaki realized she had still underestimated Yusaku Kudo's influence.

"At least half of these twenty people were selected through two rounds of interviews, and the rest are contracted artists from well-known agencies... This isn't ordinary competition,"

Misaki Itakura thought to herself.

She noticed that all the artists looked bright and energetic before the audition.

Looking back at the artist beside her, exuding a gloomy and lazy atmosphere and unable to recognize kanji in the library,

Misaki Itakura felt anxious once more.

"It's like going to an exam without studying!"

Just as Misaki Itakura was panicking alone, she suddenly heard the surroundings grow noisier.

"Koichi Nishihara?! Did he really come to this audition?"

"Really? Isn't he filming a TV series? When did he start performing in theater?"

Misaki Itakura followed the gaze of the artists and managers present,

and her dark eyes suddenly widened.

Misaki Itakura knew this artist. Like Kyousuke Akikawa, he was signed with Wonderful.

Unlike others, Koichi Nishihara didn't start his career as an idol.

Instead, he debuted as a child actor at the age of three and remains an actor to this day.

Though Koichi Nishihara isn't as popular as Yoko Okino,

he usually lands roles as the antagonist or major supporting character when he appears.

So, Misaki Itakura was amazed to see Koichi Nishihara auditioning for what would, at best, be a minor supporting role.

"There wasn't any record of other Wonderful artists registering, so did Mr. Nishihara register after us?"

Itakura Misaki, who had begun to lose hope, felt a new wave of despair.

Not to mention that Koichi Nishihara's popularity gives him an advantage during auditions,

even if it's just his acting experience—no other artist here could rival him.

Many artists present looked anxious at the appearance of Koichi Nishihara.

"Hey, it's our first time meeting, Akikawa-kun."

Akikawa Kyousuke, who was sitting there looking at his phone, suddenly heard someone greeting him.

He looked up and saw a handsome artist walking toward him.

"Hello, may I ask who you are?"

"Akikawa-kun, you don't even know me? My name is Nishihara Koichi, and I'm with Wonderful, like you."

Nishihara Koichi smiled at Akikawa Kyousuke.

"Oh, hello."

Akikawa Kyousuke's blue eyes silently observed Koichi Nishihara before him and politely greeted him back.

"He doesn't change the corners of his eyes when he smiles. It's a fake smile." "He came directly to me, so it wasn't by accident. He already knew I was here."

"Then, is he greeting me just out of courtesy, or does he have another purpose?"

From a brief exchange with Koichi Nishihara, Akikawa Kyousuke sensed an inconsistency.

Though it was a bit confusing, Akikawa Kyousuke felt the other party had approached him for a reason.

"By the way, Akikawa-kun, why did you decide to audition? Theater is harder for newcomers, right?"

"I joined the theater club when I was in school, so I wanted to give it a try."

"Is that so? But I heard that Akikawa-kun dropped out of elementary school."

Koichi Nishihara asked with a confused expression.

"You already know I'm lying. It seems you specifically looked up my information and know there was no chance I could participate in the theater club."

"So you came specifically for me, but why?"

"Nothing about me would warrant this veteran artist's attention; it must be related to someone else."

"If someone in Wonderful is more influential and likely connected to me, causing a senior artist to come to me, it must be Yoko Okino."

Akikawa Kyousuke put on an embarrassed expression, scratching his head and looking awkward.

"In truth, I thought that if I came here, I might have the chance to perform on the same stage as Ms. Yoko, so I signed up."

"Just as I thought."

Koichi Nishihara smiled, as if he already knew.

"But acting isn't like being an idol, something you can do based on looks alone."

"Especially on stage, where you must face the audience directly."

"In such a case, even a minor mistake can affect the entire production and embarrass both the work and your agency."

"Eh? Is it really that serious?"

Akikawa Kyousuke's eyes widened as he listened to Koichi Nishihara.

He knew well that a genuine look of surprise doesn't linger for more than a second, so the expression quickly faded.

"It's not an exaggeration; it's a fact."

Just then, someone called Koichi Nishihara's name.

"But I'm quite optimistic about you, Akikawa-kun. If you have the courage to try, you're already ahead of many artists. Good luck!"

Koichi Nishihara patted Akikawa Kyousuke on the shoulder and then walked toward the audition room.

"Are you jealous?"

Akikawa Kyousuke stared at Koichi Nishihara's back, thinking to himself.

"Mr. Akikawa, do you know Mr. Nishihara?"

At that moment, agent Itakura Misaki approached, looking curious.

"I don't know him, but senior Nishihara told me a lot. He seems like a pretty nice person."

"A nice person?! He's famous and knew we signed up for this audition, yet he still chose to participate!"

"It's absolutely disgusting!"

Itakura Misaki said angrily.

"It seems Ms. Itakura is quite unhappy."

"Of course! If he competes with us, we won't have a chance to be on the same stage as Ms. Yoko!"

"That's not necessarily true. I overheard someone say he has no experience in theater."

"Sigh, sometimes I really envy Mr. Akikawa's optimism."

Itakura Misaki sighed, too tired to argue with him further.

Even if Koichi Nishihara has little stage experience, he still has far more acting experience than Akikawa Kyousuke.

Moreover, Akikawa Kyousuke's gloomy demeanor is far from the popular high school student image.

Besides, Akikawa Kyousuke never attended high school.

By all logic, there's little hope!

Itakura Misaki had all but resigned herself to the idea that Akikawa Kyousuke wouldn't get the role.

If not for the embarrassment of leaving, she wouldn't want to stay.

After a while, Koichi Nishihara emerged with a smile after his audition.

Once again, he gave Akikawa Kyousuke some precautions for the audition, doing his best to play the part of a senior artist concerned for the younger generation.

After finishing his instructions, Nishihara Koichi said goodbye to Akikawa Kyousuke and left.

After more than a dozen artists auditioned one after another, it was finally Akikawa Kyousuke's turn.

"Go for it, Mr. Akikawa!"

Even though Misaki Itakura had little hope in her heart, she still encouraged Akikawa Kyousuke wholeheartedly.

After all, just having this audition experience would make future auditions go much smoother.

Akikawa Kyousuke nodded blankly at Misaki Itakura and then walked toward the audition room.

"If you make a mistake during a performance, you might be humiliated, right?"

He mentally repeated what Koichi Nishihara had just told him, then reached out and grabbed the door handle.

"Here, in my place, if people see mistakes in your performance, it kills."

(End of Chapter)