Two weeks later.
The wound on Akikawa Kyousuke's neck had mostly healed.
He and Misaki Itakura boarded the bus to Hakone.
After more than three hours on the road, Akikawa Kyousuke and Itakura Misaki finally arrived in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Hakone was bustling with tourists. After visiting Hakone Yumoto, where numerous hot spring hotels were located, one could see natural hot springs everywhere, with clouds of white mist rising from them.
As soon as Akikawa Kyousuke stepped out of the car, the air's smell hit him—a stench reminiscent of rotten eggs.
Even Misaki Itakura, who had been eagerly anticipating this trip, couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the sudden odor.
Akikawa Kyousuke knew immediately what it was: hydrogen sulfide.
This only confirmed that the hot springs here weren't just a tourist gimmick but true natural volcanic hot springs.
Dragging his suitcase behind him, Akikawa Kyousuke followed Misaki Itakura, who was navigating with her phone. After a short walk, they reached their destination—
A hot spring hotel named Furusenan.
Although Furusenan was classified as a hot spring hotel, it was actually a luxury retreat built into the mountains.
Tourist numbers typically began increasing in the afternoon and peaked at night.
However, at Furusenan, where Akikawa Kyousuke and Misaki Itakura had accepted a work commission, a long queue had already formed at the entrance by noon.
Akikawa Kyousuke noticed that more than 70% of the tourists in line were families with children.
Clearly, the collaboration between Masked Superman and Furusenan had drawn a large crowd to this hot spring hotel.
Akikawa Kyousuke and Itakura Misaki, not being tourists, entered the hotel through a side hallway.
After Misaki Itakura handed her business card to the hotel staff, someone escorted them inside.
Here, a staff member in charge of the collaboration briefly explained the work process to Akikawa Kyousuke and Misaki Itakura.
The first two days would be reserved for simple stage rehearsals, with the official performance starting on the third day.
---
Akikawa Kyousuke wasn't playing the lead role of Masked Superman in the production. Instead, he was cast as the new villain, Evil Mask, from the latest theatrical animation.
Due to the popularity of the movie and the fact that the villain wasn't a traditional monster this time, the character had been brought back for a live stage performance.
Since the play primarily targeted children, it was evident the organizers didn't plan to invest significant time or energy refining the actors' skills or the plot.
---
"Mr. Akikawa, your primary role is to highlight the protagonist's strength. After forcing Masked Superman into a desperate situation, Evil Mask will eventually be defeated by him."
"Following that, there will be a plot about Masked Superman redeeming Evil Mask."
"In the end, Evil Mask acknowledges his errors, and the story concludes there."
---
"Although, as the villain, you don't have as many action scenes as Masked Superman, there are still a few. However, they aren't particularly challenging. Two days should be sufficient for you to master them."
---
After introducing Akikawa Kyousuke's role, the staff member also outlined the daily performance schedule and the arrangements for the hot spring hotel.
"The performance starts at 4 PM every day, lasting about an hour, followed by an hour-long photo session with the children."
"Mr. Akikawa, you can rest for now. Rehearsals will begin at 2 PM."
After this brief explanation, the staff member left.
Akikawa Kyousuke and Misaki Itakura were handed their room keys.
---
"It seems we've been given the cheapest standard rooms," Akikawa Kyousuke remarked quietly as he looked at the room number on the keycard.
"It's fantastic they're providing free accommodation. Do you know how much even a standard room costs during peak season? Fifty thousand yen per night!" Misaki Itakura replied.
"When you came here with your family before, did you also stay in a standard room?"
"Hmph, of course not."
Misaki Itakura waved her fingers with pride.
"When I came here as a child with my parents, we stayed in a luxury suite with a private hot spring!"
---
"You don't have to crowd into a public outdoor hot spring with other tourists. You can enjoy the outdoor hot spring right in your room!"
"Well, well, it seems Ms. Itakura's family is quite wealthy," Akikawa Kyousuke teased.
"After all, my dad used to be the most skilled programmer."
---
Misaki Itakura's expression filled with pride as she mentioned her programmer father.
However, Akikawa Kyousuke noticed her use of the word "used to" when describing her father's profession.
'Used to be a programmer? Not anymore?'
'Judging by Ms. Itakura's age, her father should be in his early fifties—too young to retire.'
Akikawa Kyousuke sensed something odd but chose not to probe further.
---
The two took their room keys and went to their respective rooms. After lunch, rehearsals formally began at 2 PM.
Here, Akikawa Kyousuke met the actor playing the protagonist, Masked Superman.
The actor was a young man with a delicate appearance but an exceptional physique.
He seemed to be around 24 years old and clearly worked out regularly, his build far more robust than Akikawa Kyousuke's.
---
"Hello, I'm Takeshi Furuzawa from Murano Entertainment," the young man greeted warmly.
"Hello, Kyousuke Akikawa from Wonderful," Akikawa responded politely.
---
Aside from Takeshi Furuzawa as Masked Superman, the cast included another actor playing a monster and two actors playing bystanders.
This made up the main cast of five.
It was evident that, except for Takeshi Furuzawa, none of the others were particularly enthusiastic about the job.
But that was understandable. After all, such roles offered little to boost an actor's career.
Among them, only Takeshi Furuzawa and Akikawa Kyousuke had a chance to showcase their faces to the audience.
---
After brief introductions, rehearsals began.
When Akikawa Kyousuke donned the tight leather costume reminiscent of tokusatsu actors, he felt his enthusiasm for the job dwindle by half.
Time passed quickly during the simple rehearsals.
---
Soon, two days had flown by.
It was now time for the first official performance.
(End of Chapter)