After seeing the System's dazzling moves firsthand, the director's mind lit up with an idea.
He called for a pause and pointed straight at Shirase. "You—don't leave yet."
As the crew relaxed, Nakano Ichika hurried over and whispered, "Why are you here?"
The System opened its mouth to reply coldly, but Shirase quickly warned it inwardly, Don't you dare start anything in front of someone I know!
[System processing…]
After three seconds of silence, it met Ichika's puzzled gaze and said evenly, "I'm just here to watch the excitement."
"Watch the excitement?" Ichika blinked. "You didn't know I'd be here?"
"Mm."
"…I see."
Ichika sighed, palm to her forehead. So she'd guessed wrong—Shirase hadn't known at all that she was secretly acting.
But now that they'd run into each other on set, there was no hiding it.
A small, charming smile curved her lips. "Shirase-kun, can I ask one thing? Please don't tell anyone what you saw today, okay?"
The System nodded immediately. "Understood."
Eh? That easy?
Ichika was taken aback—but relieved. Whatever the reason, she'd gotten "Shirase's" promise.
System, Shirase said inwardly, ask her why she's working on such an obviously doomed drama.
The System relayed the question.
Ichika startled, shushing him at once. She darted a glance around—thankfully, only a few female staff nearby had noticed—and whispered, "Please don't say stuff like that here. If anyone overhears, it'll cause trouble. As for your question…"
She smiled, light but a little wistful. "I'm just a rookie actress, no connections, no backing. It's rare enough for me to get any part—let alone a supporting role with lines and screen time. That's already a blessing."
The System commented bluntly, "But their fight choreography is extremely stupid."
Ichika giggled. "You can't expect a late-night drama with no budget to hire top-tier action choreographers. Be realistic."
Then, teasingly, "Actually, it's not just the fights—the plot's a mess too~"
The System said nothing, but Shirase urged, Let her explain.
Reluctantly, it obeyed: "Tell me about it."
Ichika did.
It turned out the show wasn't a continuous series—it was made of short, standalone stories.
This episode followed a married couple who got into trouble. After barely escaping pursuit, Ichika's character—the wife's best friend—kept whispering that the husband was to blame. Meanwhile, the husband's friends whispered that the wife was.
With the marriage already cracking under the seven-year itch, their early passion long gone, disaster followed: the wife got injured, and the husband, told not to be a doormat, didn't visit her.
Then his friend seized the chance—and NTR'd him.
The final scene would show the husband realizing everything, sobbing in the rain.
After hearing it all, Shirase's feelings condensed into a single thought:
Are they seriously filming this?
The System said it aloud. "Stupid. Utterly stupid."
Ichika just laughed. "It's weird, sure. But what can we do? Prime-time slots are dominated by hit dramas, and variety shows take the rest of the viewers. Like the director said, we're already doomed in a late-night slot. If we go weird, at least people might notice."
More like you'll trend from being roasted, Shirase thought dryly.
Still, he knew getting roasted enough to trend wasn't easy. Not everyone could go viral like Brother Kun.
By now, Shirase had concluded the drama was bad—at least this episode was.
But for a new actress, getting any work was better than none.
"Oh, right, Shirase-kun."
Ichika's eyes brightened as she leaned closer. "When did you find out I was an actress?"
She had her suspicions, but wanted to confirm.
The System couldn't care less about small talk. Still watching the director and assistants wrap up nearby, it answered casually, "Just today."
"Just today?"
"Just today."
Ichika stared blankly for a moment, then sighed.
So he really found out by chance. Just her luck.
Even if he wouldn't tell anyone, being outed as an actress before making a name was the last thing she wanted.
Once she became famous, she wouldn't care—but now? Too soon.
Just then, the director returned with his assistant. He greeted Shirase first, then turned back. "That Yusuke guy still not here?"
"No," the assistant said.
The director frowned. "He's probably drunk again. Does he even realize he has scenes today? Maybe he doesn't want the job anymore."
Ichika whispered to Shirase, "Yusuke-san's supposed to play the second male lead this episode—the husband's close friend. He has a few fight scenes later, but he drinks a lot. Gets drunk almost every night."
The moment she finished, the System spoke up. "Then let me do it."
The director didn't even look surprised. "We were just talking about that. But you've signed a temp actor contract, right?"
"I don't have a contract," the System said confidently.
Director: "???"