"Does Toru-kun also like going to the planetarium to look at stars?"
Misumi's eyes lit up. She asked with a hint of joy and surprise in her eyes.
Toru shook his head. "I've never been to a planetarium, but I don't have anything to do right now anyway. I can see Misumi seems to really like it, so you shouldn't mind if I also take a look, right?"
Misumi pursed her lips and smiled. "The planetarium isn't mine. It's a public place. If Toru-kun wants to go, I can't stop you."
Toru gazed steadily at the flawless, almost perfect, beautiful face before him.
Being stared at like this by Toru made Misumi a little flustered. She asked in a low voice, "What's wrong, Fujiwara-kun? Is there something on my face?"
"There's nothing on it, but Misumi, you weren't calling me that just now."
"Calling?"
Misumi was startled for a moment. She thought back carefully and realized that before those two sentences, she had directly called Toru "Toru-kun" instead of "Fujiwara-kun."
She immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, Fujiwara-kun, that was a slip of the tongue."
Earlier at the restaurant, Sakiko had kept calling Toru "Toru-kun." Misumi had just thought of Sakiko, so she subconsciously called him that too.
In Japan, different forms of address carried different meanings. Calling someone directly by their first name indicated absolute closeness.
On the other hand, if two people who were not particularly familiar with each other used such an address, it could be seen as overstepping boundaries.
"I don't know whether you learned it from Sakiko, but you're always too formal with your etiquette. I don't actually care about titles. I grew up in America and am quite unused to the forms of address here in Japan."
"Besides, I call you Misumi, so you can just call me by my first name."
As they spoke, they walked toward the planetarium not far away.
Misumi put on her large sunglasses. She tilted her head and chuckled. "Since Toru-kun said so, I won't be polite."
The entertainment industry and the political world were actually the most demanding places. Everyone was an actor.
Misumi had been deeply involved in the entertainment industry for nearly a year and had long since learned how to read people and situations.
She could tell from Toru's expression that he was serious when he said that, and that his personality was relatively easygoing and casual.
Therefore, Misumi immediately concluded that if she insisted on calling him by his surname, it would make Toru unhappy.
The girl's thoughts were meticulous, and in the melting pot of the entertainment industry, those who were not meticulous would never climb up and gain fame.
The planetarium was not far from the river, with a show every hour.
There was a large advertisement sign at the entrance of the venue, which read, "In the hot summer, gaze at the dreamy stars with your boyfriend or girlfriend, bringing you closer and healing and warming your hearts."
It was clear that the advertisement slogan was meant to attract couples.
"Excuse me, both of you, there are no adjacent seats available right now, but a couple just returned their tickets. Would you two like to sit in the couple seats?"
A young man and woman of similar age coming to the planetarium together would look like a couple to anyone. The ticket seller at the front desk spoke apologetically.
Misumi only hesitated for a moment, then readily paid for two couple tickets on the spot, not even using the ticket she had bought earlier.
Holding the couple tickets as they walked toward the performance hall, Misumi blinked her crystal-like eyes and asked with a smile, "Toru-kun, doesn't this feel like a scene from an anime?"
"Hmm?"
"You know, where two strangers meet, and for various reasons, they can only buy couple tickets and sit together, which brings them closer."
Toru said, "And what's the final outcome? Do the two strangers become a couple?"
Misumi smiled reservedly and didn't answer. Her words just now were merely to liven the atmosphere, not to actually flirt or imply that she had any other intentions.
Toru was not surprised. This girl was actually extremely cautious inside. On the surface, she seemed very approachable to everyone, but there was always a subtle distance and sense of boundaries.
In Toru's opinion, this was a good thing, because in the entertainment industry, you never knew who was genuinely kind to you and who had other intentions.
Maintaining politeness on the surface while not trusting everyone in your heart could actually keep you safer.
Toru then asked, "Misumi, do you usually watch anime?"
"I watch some when I'm under a lot of pressure."
Misumi tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
The planetarium was like a cinema, except the screen was overhead.
When the show started, all the seats would recline, allowing people to lie down and watch the beautiful starry sky.
The couple seats here were large, soft circular sofas, with artificial grass next to them to mimic an outdoor scene.
Couples could lie on those sofas and admire the mysteries of the universe.
Misumi was very open about it. She lay down on one side of the sofa without any awkwardness and gestured for Toru to lie down as well.
The venue was dim, so Misumi didn't have to worry about revealing her identity. She took off her sunglasses and hat, and her exquisite face with light makeup was reflected in Toru's eyes.
Toru lay down beside Misumi. There was only a fist's distance between them. The girl carried a faint scent of lily petals.
She took off her casual shoes, revealing a pair of small, delicate feet in boat socks. Her exquisite ankles were taut, forming a stunningly beautiful curve.
The show began, and the venue grew even dimmer. Misumi lay quietly beside Toru, breathing softly, her hands clasped over her abdomen, her clear eyes gentle and pure as she gazed at the celestial scene above.
Her breath was as fragrant as orchids as she said softly beside Toru, "Back home, my favorite thing was to lie on the grass and look at the stars in the sky."
"After coming to Tokyo, I've hardly had a chance to do that again. It's rare to see a sky full of stars here, and only in the planetarium can I recall those past scenes."
"Every time I'm tired from work, I come here to quietly watch for an hour. The next day, I'll have the motivation to keep going."
Perhaps being under the stars made Misumi reveal the softness in her heart. She voluntarily admitted that she actually faced a lot of work pressure, and that things were not as easy as they seemed on the surface.
"Sometimes, I really want to be reckless instead of being like this, having to be careful about everything I do, watching my words, and having to accept their gossip."
Ms. Misumi sighed softly. As an idol at the lowest level, even though she was very popular now, in Japan's hierarchical society, she still had to be careful with her words when facing those senpai and the management company.
Especially since she was too beautiful, it was easy for people to think she had become famous through other means.
"I'm sorry, Toru-kun, I said too much just now. I might have said something you don't like, something that brings negative energy." Ms. Misumi smiled gently.
Her words were a bit too intimate for their shallow acquaintance.
"An adult's awakening is realizing that no matter how you live, someone will gossip. But we only come to this world once, so people should live to the fullest, eat what they want to eat, see who they want to see, and see the scenery they like."
After a pause, Toru said again, "...Misumi, you haven't truly awakened yet. You still have room for improvement."
Misumi thought for a moment and said playfully, "But I'm not an adult yet."
Toru laughed out loud.
This girl, besides being beautiful, was also cute, well-behaved, and understanding. She did not have the trouble of being tsundere or anything like that. She was truly likable.
However, Toru always felt that this girl might be a hidden yandere.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)