Arc-2 Ep-36

It was a fine weekday in mid-April. I had taken the day off from school and was riding in a car toward a slightly rural town a short distance from the city. 

“This time we’re shooting outdoors?”

“Yes. That was decided after discussions between the client and the director.”

Today’s shoot was for a sequel-style commercial, updating the previous beverage advertisement with a new product. The cast was the same as last time: just me and Miho Miyashita-san.

She was an exceptionally beautiful girl, two years older than me, a second-year high school student who in no way fell short compared to my own abilities.

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“Good morning! ♪ This is Mikuri Kayanuma from ff•Fortissimo ♪ I’m pleased to be working with you today ♪”

“Oh, good morning. Looking forward to another great shoot!”

When we arrived at the location, the commercial director and the filming staff greeted us warmly. It seemed the client and Miho-san had not yet arrived.

“It looks like we still have some time before we start. I’m going to go around and greet everyone, so please go back to the car and wait inside for now.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll be right back as well.”

The shooting location was a fairly wide river embankment road and the riverbank itself. Returning to the parking area nearby, I unlocked the car door with the key I had been entrusted with and slid into the vehicle.

It was still April, yet the sunlight streaming into the car made the interior noticeably hot. Even so, I couldn’t start the engine to run the air conditioning. Thanks to memories from my previous life, I could drive a car, but as an idol, I had to avoid unnecessary actions.

I endured the heat with the handheld fan I had brought and passed the time by scrolling through my smartphone. While doing so, the phone suddenly rang. The display showed Taneyama-san’s name.

“…Hello, Kayanuma speaking.”

『Hello. The client and Miyashita-san should arrive in about ten minutes, so please come back now.』

“Understood. I’m on my way.”

After ending the call, I returned the handheld fan to my tote bag, took the bag in one hand, and stepped out of the car. The sunlight was dazzling, yet the air outside was cooler than inside the car.

“Well then, let’s go.”

I locked the car, confirmed it was secure, and headed toward the shooting location. Around the nearby filming area, people who had somehow learned about the shoot were already starting to gather.

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“Good morning. This is Miho Miyashita from Innocent Smile. Thank you for having me today.”

“Ah, good morning. The client will arrive shortly, so we’ll start after that.”

Miho-san had arrived first. After exchanging greetings with the director, she walked over toward us with her manager.

“It’s been a while, Miho-san.”

“Mikuri-chan, it really has. I’m looking forward to working with you today.”

“Yes, same here. Please take care of me.”

Beside us, the managers exchanged their own greetings. If all went well, this pair might continue appearing together in commercials, so there was no harm in fostering a good relationship.

“By the way, congratulations on landing the lead role in that movie.”

“Ah, thank you! Doesn’t Mikuri-chan get any acting offers?”

“In our group, the basic rule is to focus solely on idol activities for the first year.”

“I see.”

“Well, apparently people expect me to be the one to break that wall.”

While waiting for the client, I continued chatting with the beautiful girl. It was all work-related conversation, but I was still happy.

“You’re studying acting too, right?”

“Yes. I’ve actually been receiving quite high praise. Though of course, I won’t truly know until I try it on set.”

“That’s true. The tension on set is completely different from lessons.”

“As I thought… Oh, looks like they’ve arrived.”

Finally, the client arrived and exchanged greetings with the director and staff. Once that was finished, he approached us actors with a cheerful smile.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Miyashita-san, Kayanuma-san.”

“No, not at all. Thank you for having us today.”

“Thank you very much.”

“The pleasure is ours… My goodness, the previous commercial you two did was a huge success. The PR department is delighted.”

The man in his fifties, whom I believed was the head of the PR department and whom I had met during the last shoot, spoke with a broad grin.

He seemed thrilled to speak with two exceptionally beautiful girls in private—a rare opportunity, probably unavailable during ordinary shoots. 

That was just my guess, though.

“That makes me happy too.”

“Yes! I’m glad the product featured in the commercial we worked on is performing well ♪”

“Indeed. I’m sure we’ll have more requests in the future, so please continue to take care of us.”

“…Well then, we’ll start preparing for the commercial shoot now, so please get ready as well.”

While we spoke with the client, the director addressed us.

“That was fast. I wanted to chat a little longer with you two.”

“Well, the crowd around us was starting to get noisy, so I thought we should wrap it up early.”

Following the director’s lead, I glanced around and noticed that the number of onlookers had increased since earlier. In this day and age, news probably spreads quickly on social media.

“Understood. Then we’ll go get ready. Excuse us.”

“Excuse us ♪”

After bowing to the client and director, Miho-san, the two managers, and I headed toward the parking area together. Our destination was one of the location buses the filming staff had brought.

That bus was to serve as our changing room for the outdoor shoot.