When I arrived at the Stardust Promotion building, there were more people than I expected. However, there was no one famous there.
'Well, it's not easy to run into someone famous. They wouldn't be in the reception area.'
Besides the staff, there were people waiting—probably there for auditions or something like that. Of course, since I'm in Japan, most people there were Asian, but I noticed one or two who weren't Japanese.
Korean, maybe? And all of them were women.
'But there aren't any children here besides me.' I noticed that most people in the large reception area were looking at me. My appearance really stands out.
My eyes met those of a girl who looked about 16 or 17 at most. She was wearing a lot of makeup. She waved at me with a smile. Not knowing how to react, I simply ignored her. I hope that didn't make her sad.
My mother spoke to the receptionist, saying I had an audition scheduled.
The woman looked at me and gave a big smile. I'm sure she thought something like, "What a beautiful child."
My mother gave her name, and the receptionist replied with a smile, "Go down the hallway to the right and enter the fifth door on the left." After that, my mother thanked her, and we went where she directed us.
I started to feel a bit nervous, but I took a deep breath and calmed down.
'This place is huge.' The hallway was enormous, with many doors.
"Are you ready, Kyo?" my mother asked, smiling at me.
I nodded, and she opened the door.
But contrary to what we expected, there was no waiting area. Normally, in places like this, many people participate in the same audition and wait to be called.
But this was different.
We found ourselves in a room with only one person sitting there.
It was the same man who had approached us on the street. A rough appearance and an unpleasant expression.
The room was also smaller than we expected.
"Good to see you again," said the man, Akihiko Inoue. Yes, I remember your name very well.
"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Mr. Akihiko," my mother said, extending her hand.
"Please, have a seat." Inoue pointed to the chairs in front of him.
I sat next to my mother, and Inoue began speaking.
"First, I'd like to apologize for approaching you so suddenly that day. It must have been unpleasant, right? I know my appearance can be a bit intimidating. Hahaha." He laughed loudly.
"It's alright, I was just surprised."
"Hmmm… but what made you change your mind?"
"About that…" My mother looked at me.
"Hahaha!" Inoue laughed again and continued. "I understand what happened. You got interested in this, didn't you?"
I simply nodded.
I started sweating nervously because I wanted to say something. Inoue found it strange that I didn't speak, but the conclusion he reached was…
"You must be shy."
My mother gave an awkward smile and said, "So… usually many people participate in auditions. And normally it doesn't work like this… This is…"
"Oh, about that. We don't actually have an audition scheduled for today." Inoue rested his chin on his hands.
"What? But you said…"
"The audition happened a week ago. The child actor has already been selected, and the commercial has already been filmed. I'm sorry for lying to you—I just didn't want to miss this opportunity."
My mother was visibly uncomfortable, but she didn't stand up to leave.
What a strange guy.
Did he like my appearance that much? People like this make me uneasy.
"Your son has a very special appearance. Just by looking at him, I can tell how special he is. He's the kind of child who would become an instant success as soon as his face appears on TV. I've never felt this way looking at any other child."
He sounded like an obsessed creep. My skin started to crawl.
Without meaning to, I made a disgusted expression. Not just me—my mother was also uncomfortable.
He noticed her expression and said,
"Don't take it the wrong way. I'm not very good at expressing myself. What I mean is…"
"Kyo is very beautiful and would stand out in anything he did on TV, even as a child."
"Yes, exactly."
My mother looked at me and said, "You're right, Kyo is very cute. However, he's—" My mother was about to say that I can't act cute because my personality is too "adult" for my age.
Before she could finish, I squeezed her hand.
I gave Inoue a cute smile.
His eyes lit up instantly.
"That's it, that's what I want—that smile! Mrs. Evans, please take a look at this."
Inoue pulled some papers from under his desk.
They were documents I didn't bother reading.
After reading them, my mother said, "An audition for a TV commercial for Takara Tomy?"
Takara Tomy? Isn't that the company that makes Beyblades and things like that?
They have many other products too.
My eyes lit up immediately.
"I want Kyo to participate in this audition. It's a commercial for the company's miniature cars. They're looking to hire young children to create a 30-second TV commercial."
I thought it would be a Beyblade commercial… what a shame.
Well, Beyblades are more for older kids and even adults.
My mother read the paper and stayed silent for a few seconds.
After sighing and looking at me, she asked the most important question:
"In this commercial, will the child have any lines?"
Inoue looked surprised by the question.
He glanced between me and my mother and asked,
"Why do you ask?"
My mother didn't hesitate:
"Due to a health condition, Kyo cannot speak."
Inoue was speechless.
It looked like his world had just collapsed.
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Next Chapters: Chapter 17 - Unpleasant. / Chapter 18 - Boy without a voice. / Chapter 19 - 12 Years.