POV: Third Person
Ten minutes passed, and filming was finally about to begin. Once again, the director spoke with the actors as they took their positions while the crew tested the lighting and audio.
Everything was going according to plan.
The actors picked up their scripts for one last read—except for Kyo, who had his eyes closed, focusing. He took a deep breath, and at last, filming began.
"Let's begin!" someone shouted—it was the assistant director.
The actors took their positions, all of them serious.
"Audio OK!"
"Cameras OK!"
After a few seconds of silence, Kyo heard the clapboard snap with the scene number.
Right after that, Director Hayashida shouted, "Action!"
The moment he heard it, Kyo's mind shifted—he had become "Sota."
He performed just as he had during rehearsal. He entered the house and kicked his shoes aside. "I'm home!"
As the scene unfolded, Director Hayashida tapped his foot while watching closely. The entire studio was silent—the only thing that could be heard were the actors' voices.
Haruna, who was standing beside Rina behind the production area, had her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were filled with tears.
Seeing her son there, acting… it made her deeply emotional.
Rina looked at Haruna and smiled.
'He really is amazing.' It was the first time Rina had seen Kyo act. 'Not only is he such a talented author, but he's also this good at acting… He's perfect…' she thought.
When the scene ended, the director's voice was heard.
"Cut! That was perfect! Let's move on to the next scene."
The director was very satisfied—he didn't want to reshoot that scene.
No one had made a single mistake.
He already expected Keiko, Hiroshi, and Ren not to make mistakes—but Kyo was different.
Hayashida knew Kyo had talent, especially after watching the rehearsal. But once the cameras are rolling, things change.
Many rookie actors get nervous, and even if they're talented, they end up making mistakes or stuttering. But Kyo handled it naturally. It was as if he was living the role.
Yes—like he was truly living as Sota, as if he were actually inside a house.
Not like he was on a set.
He ignored everything around him and became the character he was portraying.
Hayashida had never seen someone so young with that much talent.
He thought, 'This kid… he will become the greatest actor in Japan.'
Hayashida was not someone who made wrong predictions.
####
POV: Kyo
After the first scene, I filmed a few more scenes that used those sets, and eventually we wrapped up. It was hours and hours of work—but not because of me.
The other actors, like Ren and Hiroshi, made mistakes. They were simple mistakes, but even small errors force us to reshoot the entire scene.
We had to film one of the scenes three times before Director Hayashida said it was perfect.
I left the set and ran into my mother and Rina on the way. Rina was holding a small bottle of orange juice. "Thanks, Rina." I took it and had a few sips.
As soon as we got back to the dressing room, they said,
"You were excellent. You didn't make a single mistake. The director seemed very satisfied. I was really surprised by your acting ability."
"Have you seen other actors perform before?" I asked.
"Yes, I have. But honestly, you stand out—and I'm not just saying that because I work with you."
"I'm so proud of you, Kyo!" After I placed the juice bottle on the table, my mother came closer and hugged me. Then she kissed my cheeks. "I thought my heart was going to explode! I was so afraid you'd make a mistake!"
"You were worrying for nothing. If I had made a mistake, we'd just reshoot the scene—that's all."
"But the director could have gotten mad at you! I'm just glad everything worked out."
"What about the next shoots, Rina?"
"The next shoots will be outdoors. You'll need to film your next scenes next week."
"I see. Then put that in my schedule. Oh—and something important might happen soon, so leave space in my schedule for a new commitment."
"What do you mean something important? Is it related to your work as an author?" Rina asked.
"Something like that."
I smiled at her.
After washing my face—since my makeup was smudged—I changed clothes and left the studio after saying goodbye to the staff.
However, I didn't say goodbye to the other actors.
As soon as I left the studio, we went to the nearby parking lot and got into the car.
"Before we go home, I want to stop by a café to get an iced coffee. I'm tired," I said to Daiki.
"Any café in mind?"
"Any is fine. You can pick one you like."
"Alright."
####
When I got home, I went to my room and finally checked my email after such a long time. I had received two emails from Mr. Kuroda. One was about the final volume of Overlord, and the other was about Oregairu.
The first email talked about Overlord's sales—it had broken records.
The second said that Oregairu's initial sales were a success.
Sales started in the morning, and by the end of the day, more than 20,000 copies had been sold. It's unlikely that Oregairu will be as big a success as Overlord, but it will certainly be a major hit.
I stood up and took a shower. When I came back to my PC, I noticed a new email had arrived.
"Who is this?" It was from an unfamiliar address, but the subject was…
[Koe no Katachi]
I quickly opened the email.
####
Read 8+ more chapters on my patreon!
/KyoHaruhi
By subscribing to my Patreon, you can suggest works for the protagonist to recreate!