After Shirase and Nakano Ichika wrapped up their scenes, their parts in the drama were basically done.
Just as the current [Free Hosting] session was nearing its end, the professional stunt driver who'd been assigned the car scenes approached Shirase, eyes shining. "Your driving earlier was incredible! The way you accelerated and left the pursuers behind—honestly, even as a pro, I was stunned."
The system gave him a cool glance. "True speed lies in cornering—any fool can drive straight."
"…That's not what I meant."
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Huh? Yeah, I do. Why?"
"No wonder you're surprised. A true driver needs only his car and his hands. Women are unnecessary."
"…"
And that was the end of that conversation. The poor driver was completely silenced.
Right after, the familiar voice echoed crisply in Shirase's head:
[Thank you, Host, for using Free Hosting mode. Please leave a five-star review immediately.]
Shirase blinked, momentarily speechless. The damned system used to ask for feedback—now it was demanding five stars outright.
Naturally, being the generous soul he was, Shirase gave it a one-star rating.
He received a [Triple-Experience Card] in return but didn't activate the [Wheel-of-Fortune Lottery] yet—Ichika was still beside him, and he had no desire to draw attention.
Thanks to the system, his acting scenes—despite being a last-minute addition—had finished in record time.
At first, he didn't realize how unusual that was. But as he stood with Ichika among the crew, watching other actors constantly flub takes and restart, it hit him: the damned system really was omnipotent.
At least his parts had been done in one take each. Of course, that was only because the system refused to follow direction, forcing Shirase to constantly rein it in.
Through that "harmonious and loving" cooperation between man and machine, the scenes had wrapped up fast.
The novelty of filming faded quickly. Even though the system had technically done the work, Shirase had already lost interest.
As he stood zoning out, he noticed Ichika wasn't watching the shoot either—she was looking at him. And smiling.
Unable to resist, Shirase lowered his voice so as not to disturb others. "What are you smiling about? Do I have something on my face?"
Ichika narrowed her eyes with a bright grin. "I was just thinking—it's amazing. I thought I'd keep my acting secret forever, but you found out so fast."
She paused, her smile deepening. "And you found out by climbing over a wall just to watch the excitement. Isn't that incredible?"
"That's probably what people call fate."
"Fate?"
"Yeah. Haven't you heard the saying? Fate's something you can feel but can't explain."
"Oh, I see. I get it now." Ichika nodded with a knowing smile—though it was obvious she didn't understand a thing.
Shirase saw right through her but didn't call her out. "Got more scenes this afternoon?"
"I do! Quite a few, actually—probably until four or five." Ichika pulled out her phone, eyes bright. "I wonder if I'll ever get to play the lead in a prime-time drama. If I do, I'll give it everything I've got."
Teasing, Shirase said, "If you like acting that much, why not rope Nino and the others into a group project? You quintuplets are close, right? They'd definitely help if you asked."
"A group project? What do you mean?"
"Like a little hobby film or a school project—you play the lead, they take the side roles, and you all handle the filming and sound yourselves."
The more Ichika listened, the more her eyes sparkled. "Keep going!"
Shirase froze. No way. I was joking… she's actually taking it seriously?
Trying to play it off, he shrugged. "That's all. Just a random idea. You're not seriously interested, right?"
"Of course I am!"
Ichika's whole face lit up. She even clenched her small fist, eyes gleaming. "It's perfect! I can use it to practice acting and get my sisters used to me being good at it. Then, when they eventually find out I'm acting professionally, they'll just grumble a bit instead of blowing up. The only issue is—I can't be the one to suggest it. It'd look too obvious. Someone else has to start it…"
Then she turned to him, smiling sweetly.
Shirase stared blankly. "…You've already thought that far ahead?"
"What do you think?" Her eyes shimmered with mischief.
"I think it's pretty good," Shirase said—lying through his teeth.
It was, in fact, a terrible idea.
Because clearly, he was going to end up being the one to "start" it.
As if reading his mind, Ichika's smile grew radiant. She leaned closer, voice soft as honey. "You'll help me, right?"
Shirase sighed. "Knew it."
"Eh, you guessed it too? We're really in sync, huh~"
"No matter how sweetly you say it, I refuse to believe you're complimenting me."
But Ichika was already lost in thought, arms crossed, muttering plans under her breath.
A moment later, a woman in a gray suit approached, looking directly at Shirase. "Shirase-san, here's your payment."
She handed him a thick envelope.
Ichika blinked. "Already?"
Shirase took it casually. "Is that fast?"
"Extremely! Usually, even with short dramas like this, payments take days. If the company's slow, it can take weeks."
The woman smiled politely. "Nakano-san seems quite familiar with the industry." Then, turning back to Shirase, she said, "If you don't mind me asking—are you signed with an agency?"
"No. I was just filling in today." Shirase realized right away—she's the reason this got processed so fast.
"A guest appearance?" Her enthusiasm instantly rose. "That's rare! I'm the manager from Yamashita-san's agency—the male lead you just worked with. I watched your performance closely and thought you had remarkable acting instincts."
"Really? Thanks, but I'm not interested in acting," Shirase said flatly, as if he'd heard it all before.
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T/N: heres ur updates :3 meeting the 4 chaps a week quota :3
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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