"Ah… well, I've already arrived in Okinawa. I didn't expect to be invited so suddenly. It really is… too unexpected."
Pulling her suitcase, Arima Kana walked along the cobblestone streets of the small town, and a trace of disbelief could still be seen on her face.
Arima Kana had been almost beside herself with excitement when she received the call to participate in the filming of "current love," but just as she began to celebrate, the production team of "current love" removed her, citing the reason that she didn't have a boyfriend.
But how could Arima Kana not understand? The person in charge of production hadn't even asked her whether she had a boyfriend; they simply removed her directly. It was obvious that she had been eliminated to make room for someone else. Arima Kana also knew that she had been used as a stepping stone.
Because of that, Arima Kana cried bitterly. After all, because of that incident many years ago, she had been pushed off the stage for a long time, and all the publicity that should have belonged to her had gone to others.
And not only did she lose opportunities, but her agency also terminated her contract.
How could Arima Kana not cry when such a hard-earned opportunity was lost?
Fortunately, now the opportunity had returned to her. If she used it well… perhaps she could become a sensation overnight! Ride this wave of popularity!
Thinking of that, Arima Kana tightly clenched her fist to encourage herself and quickly headed toward the large villa in the distance.
By the time she arrived in front of the villa, it was already afternoon. She had received the call from production at noon, quickly packed up, and left immediately. Although Japan is not a large country, the journey from Tokyo to Okinawa still takes quite some time, and she had already been quite fast.
"Are you Miss Arima? As expected, you don't have a boyfriend, right? Come with me, there's only one room left."
As Arima Kana was about to enter, a staff member noticed her. Seeing that she was alone, an expression appeared on his face as if he had known everything in advance.
At that, Arima Kana forced a smile, indicating that she wouldn't say anything, but inside she was already cursing.
Their production had said that regardless of whether someone had a boyfriend or not, filming could begin, and now they had started grumbling. Still, after so much time in the entertainment industry, Arima Kana knew that the staff were the last people she should offend, because if they played some small trick on her during filming, she could only endure it in silence.
"Alright, thank you."
She replied with a smile, pulling her suitcase and following the staff member into the villa.
Under the staff's guidance, Arima Kana was brought to the last remaining room, the middle one of the three. Since she had no choice, she had to settle into it.
As soon as she finished unpacking, Arima Kana wanted to visit the performers from the remaining two groups.
Carefully, she peeked out of her room and looked around. According to what the staff member had just explained, the far-left and far-right rooms were for the participants, while the others were empty.
The production had arranged it that way because they were couples, and the sound insulation in such an old villa was not very good.
"I'll go to the right first."
After hesitating briefly at the doorway, Arima Kana headed toward the room on the right.
The corridor of the old villa had lights, but most of them had been installed later and were probably quite old. Although the light was white, it appeared somewhat dim in the hallway.
Knock, knock.
"Is anyone in the room? I'm a participant from the second group of the show, I just arrived and came to introduce myself. Oh, and I brought some homemade cookies…"
While knocking on the door, Arima Kana spoke toward the inside, taking out a small bag of homemade cookies from her handbag.
However, after she finished speaking, there was still no sound from the room.
"Did they… go out?"
Looking at the silent door, Arima Kana turned around in confusion. It was understandable; after all, they were a couple. The first thing they would probably do upon arriving in Okinawa would be to go out and enjoy themselves, since filming only starts tomorrow.
Arima Kana didn't think much of it. She rubbed her nose and walked toward the far-left room.
By the way, why did the corridor smell like meat? Was the production handing out bento boxes?
Arriving at the far-left room, Arima Kana took a deep breath, adjusted her expression, smiled, and reached out to knock, but before she could, the door suddenly opened.
"Eh?"
Seeing the door open, surprise flashed across her face. What a coincidence?
Just as she was about to greet them, Arima Kana froze when she saw who had opened the door:
"I-Ichika?!"
"You, you… how are you here?!"
Looking at Ichika in the room, Arima Kana's eyes were full of disbelief.
She clearly remembered that Ichika had told her she would also participate in the filming of "current love." At that time, Arima Kana had been happy for Ichika, until she herself was removed under the pretext of "no boyfriend."
She had wanted to ask Ichika whether she had gone through the same thing, but then she remembered that Ichika had said she didn't have a boyfriend. If she had also been removed, it would have been a huge blow to Ichika.
So she gave up and never mentioned it again.
But… Ichika hadn't been removed for such a trivial reason. Obviously… it had only been directed at performers like her, without backing and without an agency, right?
"Kana-chan! It's really you! You arrived so late, but just in time, Yu and I were just about to go to dinner!"
Ichika, who had just been going out, saw the figure at the door. When she recognized Arima Kana, her face immediately lit up with a smile and she hugged her as she spoke.
"Y-yes, is that so? What a coincidence… Wait?! Yu?!"
Hugged by Ichika, Arima Kana felt the almost suffocating scent of her perfume, but quickly regained her composure.
If she wasn't mistaken, that Yu was… Nakano Yu?!
Wasn't that Ichika's younger brother? How could he...
Her mind was racing at full speed, but then she thought about it. In any case, no one would know, and she certainly wouldn't report anything to the production. So there was no problem. Besides, a biological younger brother is better than hiring an actor.
At least their closeness cannot be faked by acting.
"Ichika, haven't you gone out yet?"
While Arima Kana and Ichika were exchanging emotions, Nakano Yu's voice sounded from behind Arima Kana.
At that, Ichika let go of Arima Kana and waved her hand.
"Yu, wait for us!"
Arima Kana turned around and immediately saw a slender young man standing in the moonlight by the door. For a moment, her mind froze.
She hadn't seen Nakano Yu for a long time. He was still so handsome, and the subtle smile on his lips made him look very gentle.
But when she arrived, she hadn't seen him. Had he just returned from outside?
"Kana, hurry up. We shouldn't keep Yu waiting."
Like a close friend, Ichika hooked her arm around Kana's and said with a smile.
She truly liked Kana as a friend. When she was little, she often watched Kana on television, and aside from that child-star filter, Arima Kana patiently explained the unspoken rules of the industry to her, treating her even better than Ichika's own agent.
"Mm."
Nodding, Arima Kana walked together with Ichika toward Nakano Yu.
"Nakano Yu, long time no see."
She stepped forward and greeted him first. Nakano Yu was her savior after all, and Arima Kana had never forgotten that.
Although she rarely saw him because of school and dance training, they occasionally messaged each other on LINE.
"Long time no see, but… Kana, you actually came alone?"
Seeing Arima Kana, Nakano Yu also smiled. As he spoke, he discreetly checked the surroundings, confirming that she had indeed come alone, which surprised him a little.
"Hm? Oh, right, Kana, where is your boyfriend?"
At that, Ichika finally realized. She knew that Arima Kana didn't have a boyfriend; she had only come for the pre-filming of "current love," which required real, unknown couples.
As for being unknown, Arima Kana's recent popularity was almost nonexistent, even worse than complete anonymity. And for the second condition, a real couple, although she could hire an actor, Ichika didn't think Arima Kana was that kind of person, because she would have to live together with that so-called "boyfriend."
"Well… we'll talk about it on the way."
Seeing that they had brought up the topic, Arima Kana smiled awkwardly. She herself didn't quite understand how it had happened; everything had been sudden.
Chatting along the way, the three of them arrived at Manza Town in Okinawa and randomly chose a Japanese restaurant for dinner.
After listening to Arima Kana's helpless explanation, Nakano Yu and Ichika exchanged glances.
Arima Kana did not hide that she had been removed; on the contrary, she said it very openly. Now that she was participating after all, the previous removal was no longer important.
"You two… seem to know something?"
However, after she finished speaking, Arima Kana noticed their somewhat strange expressions and asked.
Ichika and Nakano Yu had no intention of hiding anything from her. After all, all of this had happened thanks to Arima Kana's luck; among so many candidates, she had been chosen as the replacement.
"Actually, this is what happened…"
After Ichika told the whole story of today's incident, the expression on Arima Kana's face gradually changed from curiosity, to surprise, to gratitude.
"Nakano Yu, thank you so much for today! If it weren't for you, I might not have been able to participate in the filming. This was a hard-earned opportunity, truly, thank you very much!"
She stood up from her chair and bowed deeply to the young man, clearly excited.
Faced with her gratitude, Nakano Yu merely touched his nose. Was this girl thanking him for hitting someone? It felt a bit strange.
"This is Kana's luck; among so many candidates, Kana was chosen."
Ichika waved her hand and said. She had thought Arima Kana would definitely participate in the show, but she hadn't expected so many twists.
"No, I still have to thank Nakano Yu. By the way, the girl Nakano Yu hit probably got in through connections, trying to use the pre-filming as a stepping stone for the main program."
Sitting back down, Arima Kana said seriously. She was truly grateful to Nakano Yu. Her popularity was ridiculously low. For so many years, only "current love" had given her a glimmer of hope for a comeback, aside from that incident with the youkai last time.
"Is that so? The entertainment industry really is dark."
Ichika nodded lightly. Although she had guessed that the woman had some backing, she hadn't expected her to be aiming at the official filming of "current love."
Looking at the two of them, Nakano Yu said nothing, but he was already calculating something in his mind.
When the pre-filming of "current love" is broadcast, he will have Sanzenin Nagi give Ichika the green light. Even if he says nothing, Sanzenin Nagi would most likely do it anyway.