Extra in the Student Council
16. A unique taste
After they finished the rehearsal. Shuu acknowledged it. The girl, Ichinose Chizuru, is definitely above the rest.
"Ichinose-san," Shuu called.
Chizuru looked at Shuu, wondering what he wanted from her. Not to brag, but Chizuru knew and understood it well. She has an exceptional look compared to others. She is also quite proud of her look; after all, she takes care of herself to maintain that look.
It's not unusual for others to hit on her. On the other hand, the person called Shuu might be the most exceptional person she has ever met till now. In terms of looks, even her acting friend Umi would feel lacking next to him. In terms of acting, it was no different either; at first, she thought Shuu was only a random person who had a connection with the director and was suddenly interested in what they were doing before requesting to become a stand-in.
But she made a big mistake with that impression.
The moment he started acting, his aura changed. Sure, he had the basics of acting mastered, but there's something more than that. His acting strangely captivated the attention of the audience. However, he also didn't do any emotional acting like the one she knew. Instead, she felt the real shogun from the story was really here, and she was unable to feel emotion from the real Shuu.
Every actor or actress always has their own intention or impression of the characters when they act, no matter how small it is. Like 'I want my character to be like this' or 'This character should be like this" or many others, but Shuu had none. He followed it perfectly according to the script.
(Or maybe it's just me who's still not good enough.) Chizuru stopped her insight.
"Yes?" she replied.
"I think your acting is really exceptional," Shuu started with praise.
"Oh," Chizuru was a bit surprised by the sudden praise before she replied with a smile, "Thank you."
Observing her reaction, Shuu concluded her temperament was also good, at least the impression she gave was enough to make a stranger or audience think of her as a very polite and good girl. "I know it's a bit sudden, but are you thinking of advancing in the entertainment world? Or are you just acting as a hobby?" If this wasn't a serious matter to Shuu, he might already be stroking both hands against each other and showing her a wicked merchant smile just to have fun.
So that Chizuru wouldn't misunderstand him, Shuu held back from joking around.
"?? It's really sudden." Chizuru showed an awkward face before she went silent for a moment. "My dream is to become an actress," she answered honestly, staring straight back at Shuu.
Her gaze was filled with confidence; she knew and understood her abilities well. She also worked hard. She is confident that it's only a matter of opportunity and time before she is able to become one.
Shuu smiled "It's a good answer, then... Are you interested in joining our movie?" Shuu waited for a moment, but there was only astonishment in Chizuru's face, and she's still not showing any sign of answering him. "That's right. Where's my manner?" Shuu said, snapping her out of her daze, "Let me introduce myself once again. I'm..." Shuu gave her his name card.
"Shiro Entertainment's CEO, Katsuragi Shuu" She read it slowly.
"That's right," Shuu replied, "and we're interested in having you as our actress in our next project."
And once again, Chizuru went silent. (Well, no surprise there.) Shuu thought (If it weren't for the way I speak, he might even have taught me as someone younger than her. Well, she's not wrong if she thought it that way.)
Then suddenly, some force pushed Shuu from behind, breaking him from his thought, "You're right, Shuu. It feels like watching myself act." Ai rounded her hand around Shuu's neck from behind.
Shuu took a step forward, dampening the force. (She's especially clingy today.) Shuu thought it was rare for Ai to act like this. (It might be because of what happened this morning.)
(No, it must be it.)
(It might be asking for the impossible for her to forget that instantly, even if it's Hoshino Ai.) Then Shuu turned around before hugging Ai's waist. "Right? "It wasn't very clear in the past as we only started training in acting, but now it's obvious," Shuu replied.
"Oi, don't go poaching other company talent in broad daylight." Kindaichi also came to them and immediately complained about what he heard from Chizuru and Shuu's conversation.
"Kindaichi-san," Shuu turned to him, "I also have some matters to discuss with you, for now, I'll send you this." Shuu opened his smartphone and emailed him some files.
Intrigued, Kindaichi opened the file, and he was surprised the next moment. "Are you serious?"
"100%," Shuu said. "It's my next project, and I'm hoping to hire Lalalie Theater for the cast members. For now, I'm only sending you the movie's title and a bit of an explanation of what kind of movie it's going to be. If you're interested, we're going to send you the official document later."
"Since when have you even had an entertainment company under you?" Kindaichi replied speechlessly. To which Shuu only smiled at him: "Just like, the past you wanted to hide, I also have my own secrets." The way Shuu said it implied he knew what that secret was.
"To think there will be a day where I'm afraid of a teenager, time really takes a toll on me." He said exasperatedly, "You're really like a Pandora's box."
Shuu laughed at his words: "Well, it's your hobby to collect a freak like me, you can't complain about that."
"Sigh… About this matter, I need to check it more in detail before I can give you my answer"
"Take your time. Oh, the one I'm inviting, Ichinose-san, was also about that, so you don't have to worry I'm poaching her," Shuu added.
After watching Kindaichi leave, Shuu turned his attention back to Ai in his arm. "We're really going to become koalas like this," he said, to which Ai giggled and took a step back from him. "Koala? It might not be too bad."
"Koala cosplay, huh… you have quite a unique taste," Shuu followed with her joke.
"Then we have to check the quality later." Ai replied, "After all, we knew too well what you would do to me; it will be bad if it's easy to rip."
"I'm not into animals!" Shuu quickly retorted, which made Ai laugh again. (Well, if it's only the ear) Shuu quickly decided to bury that thought and not tell a soul about it.
Then finally, Shuu turned his attention back to Chizuru, who'd been waiting for him all this time.
"Have you decided, Ichinose-san? Or do you need more time?" Shuu asked once again.
and this time without hesitation and with strong determination. "I'll take the role," Chizuru replied resolutely.