Shiratori Seiya's face was grim—the kind of expression a protagonist wears right before the final battle. Listening to Takahashi Miki's hesitant, stumbling voice on the phone, he pulled on his jacket and headed for the entrance, asking coldly:
"What did you two talk about?"
"Ah, yesterday..."
"I'm asking—what have you two talked about since the night you got drunk?"
After slipping on his shoes, Shiratori Seiya shut the door behind him and hurried toward the elevator, not bothering to grab anything else. Reaching the elevator, he mashed the down button like he was trying to skip unskippable cutscenes.
"I drank a bit too much that night... I don't remember clearly..."
Takahashi Miki listened to the urgent voice on the other end. It sounded harsh and uncomfortable, sure—but she could understand his anxious mood. Anyone would be freaking out in his position.
"Let me think..."
Saturday, 22:13.
Takahashi Mio hugged her knees, curling up into a tiny ball in the corner of her bed like a character hiding from their own problems. When she saw her older female cousin's name pop up on the screen, she immediately got a bad feeling—the kind of dread that precedes a plot twist you didn't see coming.
Her heart felt like it was wrapped in plastic wrap—heavy, suffocating, and repressed . Or as the anime fans would say: she was feeling like a side character stuck in a never-ending filler arc.
But if you asked her why, she couldn't really explain it.
Why was her older cousin calling her so late?
Was it her mother checking up on her again? But when she called her mom the day before yesterday, nothing had come up... Or was her cousin having trouble with work recently and just wanted someone to vent to?
Recalling her older cousin's worried expression when they last spoke a few days ago, Takahashi Mio figured that was probably the case.
But when she hesitated and finally picked up the phone—before she could even get a word out—she heard Takahashi Miki say:
"Mio... your boyfriend... he's a director, isn't he?"
Hearing that, Takahashi Mio's heart skipped a beat. Her mind went completely blank—error 404: thoughts not found. Her red lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
Seeming to know that her words had caught Mio off guard, Takahashi Miki closed her eyes and stayed silent, giving her cousin time to process—like a loading screen before the next boss fight.
After a long moment, Takahashi Mio came back to her senses and said hesitantly:
"I... Miki-nee, why are you suddenly saying this?"
"Ah, I ran into him while eating out today. His name is Shiratori..."
For a moment, she couldn't remember his name. Takahashi Miki frowned and tapped her forehead with her bent index finger—the classic thinking pose.
Takahashi Mio took a deep breath, placed her hand on her chest, and forced herself to calm down. She reminded her cousin in a steady tone:
"Shiratori Seiya."
"Oh, right—Shiratori Seiya. I saw him having dinner with his crew today..."
Half the alcohol she'd drunk was still sloshing around in her stomach, burning uncomfortably like a low-level fire-type attack. Takahashi Miki groaned in pain, sat up in bed, and explained:
"Mio, I told you last time that I wanted to try acting, right? I'm preparing to audition for a new drama this time. I've met the producer and director of this drama..."
Hearing this, Takahashi Mio lowered her gaze. Her five toes unconsciously gripped the bedsheet—a nervous habit she couldn't shake. She controlled her tone and said:
"Seiya is indeed working in film and television, but... he's not a director. He's a screenwriter."
"Screenwriter?"
Miki questioned, enduring her dizziness as she poured herself a glass of water and downed it in one gulp. Her thoughts cleared significantly.
"Yes. A screenwriter."
Takahashi Mio confirmed again, hesitating over whether to tell her cousin that she already knew about the script.
If she told her... would her older cousin ask her to have Seiya help her pass the audition?
But even if she asked, it wouldn't do any good. Not to mention that Shiratori Seiya would absolutely refuse—even if she herself... even if her audition rival was her own cousin, out of pure selfishness, Mio wouldn't willingly hand over the female lead role.
Takahashi Mio now felt she largely understood the reason for her older cousin's call. Lowering her gaze, she began mentally preparing a polite refusal.
Or rather... not a refusal. Just a "we'll see", and then after the audition, she could say it didn't work out.
As she was thinking, Takahashi Miki's lamenting voice came through the phone again:
"It's really... surprising. If I remember correctly, he's still in school, right? And he can already write scripts?"
"Yes."
Takahashi Mio responded, feeling that her older cousin's next sentence would almost certainly be a request.
"Well..."
Her older cousin's hesitant voice entered her ears. Mio's fair, rounded toes tightened a few more notches, and the bedsheet by her feet wrinkled under the tension.
Here it comes.
"Mio... are you hiding something from me?"
"Miki-nee wants me to ask Seiya about the audition... Eh?"
Takahashi Mio's words cut off halfway. Hearing her older cousin's actual question, she finally processed it. Her eyes went blank, and she let out a surprised sound from her cherry lips.
Silence hung over the phone like an awkward pause in a conversation-heavy episode.
After a while, Takahashi Miki's light laugh came through her ear.
"Heh heh... Mio, do you think I called you to ask you to beg Shiratori-kun to help me pass the audition?"
"Ah, no..."
That's... not it?
"To be honest, before I made this call, I did intend to ask for help. After all, whether Shiratori-kun is a director or a screenwriter, he could probably help with the audition one way or another..."
She paused, then sighed deeply—the kind of sigh that carries years of exhaustion. Reaching into her pocket, she lit a cigarette.
A dazzling red glow flickered to life. She took a deep drag and exhaled slowly. The mixed white smoke, illuminated by the streetlights outside her window, formed a slender trail in the dim room—like a visual effect in a moody anime ED.
"I'm sorry, Mio. Please forgive me for having that thought. I'm already this old, and I'm still thinking of making things difficult for two juniors... It's a bit embarrassing, you know."
"No, no, how could that be, Miki-nee."
Hearing her older cousin say things like that, Takahashi Mio quickly denied it. It was the first time she'd ever heard her speak with such a self-reproaching tone.
Her older cousin's usual confident, radiant image flickered in her mind—contrasting with the haggard, downcast version she'd seen recently.
Takahashi Mio's heart ached with pity. She bit her lip and said:
"I'll talk to Seiya about the audition. But he might not necessarily be able to help..."
Hearing that, Takahashi Miki couldn't help but let out a light laugh. Then she narrowed her slender eyes and said playfully:
"Is that so? But then... Mio, what will you do?"
"Huh?"
Hearing the surprise in Mio's voice—and knowing the other girl didn't understand what she meant—Takahashi Miki clicked her tongue at the bitter taste lingering in her mouth. She asked in a calm, measured tone:
"Mio... aren't you participating in this audition yourself?"
"You're preparing to pursue an acting career, aren't you?"
"Huh? How could that be, I—"
Before the girl could finish her flustered explanation, Takahashi Miki continued:
"When I visited your house last time, I saw the training notes you hid under your bed. Ah, those were notes, right? Half a notebook's worth. Shiratori-kun must have written those for you, no?"
"I also saw notes about directors and screenwriters... So, you and Shiratori-kun are actually planning to make it in the film and television industry together, aren't you?"
Takahashi Miki tried to recall the contents of the notes Shiratori Seiya had written for Takahashi Mio, and a wry smile crossed her face. It was precisely because she remembered those notes that she knew—even if she begged—it probably wouldn't do any good.
She pinched out the cigarette with her thumb and forefinger, feeling the sting of heat on her fingertips. She couldn't help but exclaim:
"He really loves you, Mio."
"Although I can't be 100% sure you'll definitely participate in this drama... considering how much effort he puts into you, it's probably the case, right?"
"However..."
At this point, Takahashi Miki's voice shifted. She added gravely:
"Mio... does your father know that you want to be an actress?"