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"If I'm not mistaken, isn't this the stalker who died in your living room?"
Yoko Okino was startled at first, but then she slowly nodded.
She pressed her lips together, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke.
"Yes."
"His name was Akio Fujiie."
"Back in high school, he had a bit of a crush on me. But after we graduated, we never kept in touch."
"..."
She never expected the stalker who had been harassing her recently to turn out to be Akio Fujiie. Even more shocking was the fact that he had somehow ended up dead in her apartment.
This whole situation was an absolute nightmare for her.
First, she was taken in as a suspect and interrogated at the police department.
And to make matters worse, the night the detectives came to her apartment, paparazzi managed to snap photos. Now, rumors were spreading both inside and outside the industry, with people speculating whether Yoko Okino had done something illegal.
"You took this photo to help me keep it a secret, didn't you?" she asked.
"Something like that."
"I could tell you didn't want to talk to the police about it, so I stepped in."
"So..."
"How do you plan to thank me, Miss Okino?"
As Akira suddenly leaned in closer, Yoko Okino felt her heart race uncontrollably.
He gave off a completely different vibe compared to everyone else.
Most people looked at her with admiration, seeing her as a famous idol on TV.
But Akira didn't.
In his eyes, she wasn't just some celebrity. Instead, he made her feel like a girl who could be teased and toyed with.
"Uh..."
"Thank you very much."
"Here's the remaining payment I owe you."
"..."
As she spoke, Yoko Okino pulled out 3 million yen from her bag.
Originally, she only needed to pay him an extra 1 million yen. The other 2 million was meant to get back her high school graduation photo from him.
But after learning why Akira had taken the photo, she realized she had misunderstood him.
So, the extra 2 million yen naturally became her way of expressing gratitude.
That being said…
She had never intended to hide the fact that she knew Akio Fujiie. It was her manager, Sakae Yamagishi, who had stopped her with just a look.
And from there…
Things kept spiraling out of control.
Fortunately, the police hadn't uncovered the fact that she and Akio Fujiie were high school classmates.
At least now, everything seemed to have settled down.
"Miss Okino."
"Have you been looking for a new place to live recently?"
Akira had found a sheet of paper among the 3 million yen, filled with listings of properties for sale around Beika Town.
"Mm…"
Yoko Okino nodded.
She didn't have much choice.
Ever since Akio Fujiie died in her apartment, she hadn't dared to step foot back into Sakura Heights. These past few days, she had been staying in a nearby hotel.
Going back was out of the question.
And living in a hotel wasn't a long-term solution either.
"I can recommend a place."
As he spoke, Akira picked up a pen and wrote an address at the bottom of the listing.
"Beika Town, 2-chome, 68."
Yoko Okino found the location acceptable.
She quickly ran through her memory and confirmed that she hadn't considered any properties in that area yet.
"You should check it out."
"The place is on the market."
Yoko Okino bowed deeply and sincerely said, "Thank you."
She hoped that Akira's recommendation would bring some good luck to her otherwise disastrous life.
A few minutes later…
Yoko Okino, who had left CLOVER Convenience Store, suddenly turned back.
"Akira, you… you…" She hesitated before finally gathering her courage and asking, "Did you see the new script on my vanity?"
"Mm… yeah, I saw it."
"A school romance drama called Blue Ocean."
"I also noticed you really don't want to play the female lead."
"..."
The moment he had stepped into her bedroom that night, he had noticed it immediately.
On the script's cover, in bold letters, she had scrawled: I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!
The words were pressed in so hard that they left an imprint on the next page.
It was clear that this script went completely against her pure idol image—and even more so, her true feelings.
"Yes."
"I really don't want to do Blue Ocean."
"Because… there's a kissing scene with the male lead."
That was something she absolutely couldn't accept!
Not only would it go against her carefully maintained pure idol persona, but it would also betray the promise she had made to herself when she entered the industry.
She had sworn never to take on roles that required such scenes.
"Then just refuse the role."
"Or…"
"Are you asking me to rehearse the scene with you first?"
Akira teased.
If that was really what she wanted, he wouldn't mind indulging her.
In fact…
Even if she wanted to take things a step further, he wouldn't hesitate one bit.
...