Male Idol V13c126

Volume 13 Chapter 126 Kirika Kotono, Stage Greeting

---

Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

---

 Finally, the day has come for the premiere of the Heaven’s Sword movie!!

 After finishing our work in Beryl in Wonderland, we all got into the car we had arranged in advance and headed to the theater together.

 ”Aqua, see you later!”

 ”Yeah!”

 The stage greeting group, including Aqua-san, was guided to a separate room away from us.

 As I watched the backs of the 4 Beryl members, I felt they had become more reliable.

 Aqua-san has always been dependable, but the 4 of them seem bigger now than when I joined Beryl.

 ”Well then, Yui-san and the others, see you later!”

 ”Yeah, I’m looking forward to your scenes, Kotono-san!”

 ”Hakuryuu-sensei, if your head starts to feel weird, wrap this aluminum foil around it!”

 ”Oh, thank you, Kaede-chan… haha…”

 We, the Shirogane family group, split into several smaller groups here.

 Of course, I’m in the same Verification Team with Kanon-san, Emily-san, and Kaede-san.

 Even though we were supposed to draw lots, I wonder why we ended up in this combination?

 Emily-san said that if we die, we die together, and we’re all in this together, but it always seems like it’s me and Kanon-san who get dragged into things.

 Hehe, but maybe that’s okay because it’s fun.

 ”Kokona-chan, Lisa-chan, um, is it really okay for us to be here?”

 ”Come on, Uruha-chan, you’re worrying too much! This kind of opportunity doesn’t come often, so let’s enjoy it!”

 ”Just like Kokona-san said~desuwa. Since we’re here, let’s have fun!”

 ”Yeah, yeah, you’re both right. Let’s all have fun together!”

 ”Hehe, Lapis-chan. Did you wear that thing like big sis said?”

 ”Ah, yes… I wore the Homme underwear so I won’t have to go to the bathroom during the show, just like Emily-san said.”

 I thought Emily-san was harassing Lapis-chan again, but wearing the Homme underwear isn’t a bad idea, so I didn’t say anything. However, that creepy smile of hers is a bit much, so I think she should stop.

 Kanon-san, Emily-san, Kaede-san, and I entered Theater 1, which was almost full of customers, guided by the staff.

 ”Kanon-sama, so cute!!”

 ”Emily-sama! You look beautiful today!”

 ”Morikawa! Don’t push yourself too hard!”

 ”Nee-san, thank you as always!”

 People cheered when they noticed us coming in.

 I never imagined I would be in this situation a year ago.

 If I could time travel back to a year ago and tell myself, sitting alone at my computer in Shizuoka, looking at a bulletin board, that I would marry that guy, get pregnant, and now be working at Beryl like this, I wouldn’t have believed it.

 Feeling a bit embarrassed, I waved to the people who called out to me and took my seat.

 ”Nee-san, I’m excited!”

 ”Yeah, me too.”

 ”By the way, which scene did you appear in, Nee-san?”

 ”Hehe, can you at least tell me a little bit?”

 Except for Emily-san, we all have extra roles, but we have no idea who appeared in which scene.

 To prevent leaks of information from the cast, only the 4 main members of BERYL and Kobayakawa-san have been told about the script outside of their own filming scenes.

 ”This time, we really had very little information, right? There was no preview either.”

 ”Yeah, that’s true. Since no one knows we’re in it, they’ll probably be surprised when they see the movie.”

 ”I expected Aqua-kun to say nothing, but Emily, you’re surprisingly tight-lipped.”

 ”Of course, Kaede-senpai. I may be loose in other ways, but my mouth is tight. Guhehe…”

 Emily-san… if you keep saying things like that, people around you will find out, you know?

 Maybe it’s because of all the events today, but Emily-san seems more defenseless than usual.

 Kanon-san, who was next to her, was giving Emily-san a side-eye.

 ”Ah.”

 At someone’s voice, everyone turned their gaze to the stage.

 Director Hongou came up on stage, pushed by Aqua-kun from behind.

 ”Wait, I’m in front!? This should be Aqua-kun!”

 ”No, no, what are you talking about? There’s no one else but you, Director Hongou.”

 Hehe, I couldn’t help but smile at their exchange.

 Following them, Toa-chan, Mayuzumi-kun, Tenga-kun, Kobayakawa-san, and Abe-san came out with smiles.

 Since it’s a big event, the 4 members of BERYL are in suits, and the women are in dresses.

 ”Good evening, everyone! I’m Hongou Hiroko, the director of this movie. Thank you so much for coming to see the Heavens Sword film!!”

 ”.””.””.”Thank you!!”.””.””.”

 As Director Hongou bows, the other 6 main cast members follow suit.

 We respond with warm applause.

 ”I don’t have much to say, but I hope we can talk about some behind-the-scenes stuff after you watch the movie. So, Aqua-kun, it’s all up to you now.”

 ”W-wait, Director Hongou, you can’t just pass it off like that!?”

 ”No, no, everyone came to see you guys!!”

 Laughter erupts from their exchange.

 ”Um… right. When I entered this theater today, I remembered something. A year ago, I heard that Director Hongou was looking for a male actor for Driver, and Ako-san, President Atori, helped connect me with Director Hongou and Producer Matsumoto, which led to me playing Kenzaki Souji. The reason I remembered this when I entered the theater is that I first met Director Hongou at a café nearby.”

 Wow, really?

 I thought this place might become a holy site for fans.

 Kanon-san and I silently nod at each other, having a conversation in our hearts about going there someday.

 ”Wait, is the café we discussed, Noire Noir, over here?”

 ”That’s right. Huh? I remembered it clearly, but Director Hongou forgot!?”

 Aqua-kun’s reply makes Director Hongou flustered.

 ”No, no, it wasn’t here; wasn’t it at Ebisu?”

 ”Director Hongou, Director Hongou, the Nore Noir in Ebisu is where the 3 of us signed the contract!”

 ”Ah…”

 From the audience, a voice immediately calls out, “Director Hongou, you should remember that!” and everyone bursts into laughter. The speed of this tsukkomi is definitely from someone on the bulletin board.

 If I wasn’t part of the same board, I would have missed it. It seems like the Nore Noir in Ebisu might become a holy site, but the problem is which of the two places it is.

 I thought I should check with Toa-chan later, who seems to remember it well, and let everyone know on the board.

 ”Now, I ended up appearing in Heaven’s Sword and playing Kenzaki Souji, but I think both Heaven’s Sword and Kenzaki Souji helped me grow a lot, both as an actor and as a man. Honestly, if I hadn’t appeared in Heaven’s Sword and hadn’t played Kenzaki Souji back then, I might not have married Kanon, and I might still be single now.”

 Hearing this, we exchanged glances, and the audience erupted in a big commotion.

 Not only that, but Director Hongou and the other cast members on stage also showed surprised expressions.

 ”Back then, the Kenzaki Souji inside me asked if it was okay to make the girl you love the most cry. And on top of that, it was the 3 members of BERYL who pushed me forward.”

 Aqua-san looked a bit shy, yet he had a gentle and calm smile as he turned his gaze to the 3 members of BERYL.

 ”Thank you, Toa, Shintaro, Tenga-senpai. Because you guys became my heroes back then, I was able to become Kanon’s hero. And that made me want to be a hero like Kenzaki Souji, someone who lights up this country. So, I’ve been grateful to you all, back then and now, forever. But usually, I find it hard to say it, so I’m taking this chance to say it out loud.”

 A big round of applause erupted from the entire venue.

 Emily-san and I quickly turned our eyes to Kanon-san, who was sandwiched between us.

 ”Hey, don’t cry! The movie hasn’t even started yet!!”

 ”But, but…”

 ”Kanon-san, here’s a handkerchief.”

 ”Thank you, Nee-san.”

 ”Ugh, ugh…”

 ”Wait, Kaede-paisen!? Why are you crying harder than Kanon!?”

 ”I’m weak against this kind of thing!!”

 ”Kaede-san, here’s some tissues…”

 Kaede-san was blowing her nose with the tissues I handed her.

 I was glad I brought extra tissues. I decided that next time, I would give Kaede-san one tissue at a time.

 ”Aqua… saying that at this moment feels a bit unfair, doesn’t it?”

 Yeah, yeah. We silently shook our heads at Toa-chan’s words, which had a bit of a tearful tone.

 ”Because of that, I forgot everything I was going to say next…”

 ”Oh, sorry.”

 Aqua-san gently wiped the tears from Toa-chan’s eyes.

 Of course, the audience got excited seeing that.

 At this moment, Tenga-san stepped forward with the microphone to speak for Toa-chan, who had forgotten his lines.

 ”I also have to thank Aqua, just like my junior. There was a woman I’ve loved since I was a kid. But when I heard she was getting married, I ran away from my hometown to Tokyo. I escaped from my hometown that raised me, from the family that loved me, and from the person I loved. I had nothing. Yes, I had nothing.”

 Everyone’s eyes widened at Tenga-san’s story.

 We never expected him to mention Haruka-san.

 ”It was my junior who reignited the cold heart I had. My junior was just like the hero from the anime I admired──passionate, reliable, strong-willed, brave, hardworking, and above all, never giving up. It was during that time that I reunited with the woman I loved.”

 Tenga-san closed his eyes slightly, as if regretting past mistakes.

 ”She was suffering from terrible domestic violence and abuse from the man she married. Seeing her like that made me think I had no right to help. But then my junior said to me, ‘Senpai, you’ve always been the coolest senpai to me.’ I looked in the mirror. Is this really the cool senpai my junior admired? At that moment, I wanted to become a person who wouldn’t be ashamed in front of my juniors, in front of the hero I admired, Kamishiro Hajime, and Poison Chalice.”

 Seeing Tenga-san with a little sparkle in the corner of her eye, we felt like we might cry too.

 ”Yes, I wanted to be a cool senpai my juniors could be proud of. But then, after I punched that man and got reported, I ended up spending a night at the police station. The next morning, I secretly had my junior come pick me up on his bike. I will never forget the really awkward look on my junior’s face when he came to get me, and the concerned faces of the police officers.”

 ”Tenga-senpai, that’s unfair!”

 ”I didn’t expect there to be a twist in this good story!”

 Hehe, I couldn’t help but smile.

 To be honest, violence is not okay, but I think that man deserved to be hit at least once.

 ”I still regret hitting that guy because I got too carried away. Because of that, I made her sad, and I caused trouble for my juniors, the police, Beryl, and the Heaven’s Sword staff. But, if I hadn’t moved when my junior told me to back then, I think I would have regretted not saving her for the rest of my life. Aqua, thank you again. Thanks to my junior, I was able to protect something really important. I became her hero. Junior, you are my Kenzaki!”

 ”Tenga-senpai… you really are the best senpai for me!!”

 Aqua-san and Tenga-san gaze at each other.

 Watching this, Mayuzumi-san gathers his courage, takes the microphone, and steps forward.

 ”I was born into the Kokucho family’s branch, and no matter what happened around me, I always… yes, even when my mother was suffering, I never took a step forward. I just watched everyone from the outside. I wanted to change that about myself. When I was thinking about this, Aqua invited me, saying, ‘I’m going to be in a special effects show, do you want to come and watch?’”

 Mayuzumi-san’s expression softens, and he smiles.

 ”Aqua was really pushy from the first time I met him, and I even doubted if he was really a guy like me, or if he was even human.”

 ”I get it! I thought he was CGI at first!”

 Everyone bursts out laughing at Toa-chan’s interjection.

 Hehe, I understand. Both of you. But that’s Aqua-san for you.

 And about the CGI thing, hehe, I remember when Aqua-san was the talk of the boards back in the day with the CGI theory.

 I remember that time when Kanon-san was arguing with the CG theory believers for about 120 hours, and even Emily-san, who usually accepts everything about Kanon-san, was totally shocked.

 ”But, because it’s Aqua, I think that’s why I went to see the Heavens Sword back then. That led me to appear in Heavens Sword, where I played Tachibana Zanki and Lightning Hopper. As you all know, my acting in the beginning was pretty bad, right?”

 ”That’s not… completely true, but you worked hard after that!”

 ”We all saw how hard Mayushin-kun worked!”

 ”It’s okay. Sunday morning tokusatsu shows are all about the cast growing together like that!!”

 Mayuzumi-san smiled at the warm words from the fans.

 When I first met Mayuzumi-san, he would show a natural smile to Aqua-san and the others, but he wasn’t someone who smiled so openly at women.

 ”Thank you. Being a first-time actor is really tough, and I still regret watching the early footage. But those frustrating experiences helped me grow.”

 Mayuzumi-san looked back at Aqua-san.

 ”Aqua, thank you. Because of you, I was able to fix my past mistakes. Just like in Heavens Sword, we can’t change what happened in the past, but we can acknowledge and correct our mistakes. You taught me that, and you also showed me how cool it is to have the courage to admit my mistakes. Without you, I would have just been watching my crying mother from the sidelines.”

 ”Shintaro!”

 Aqua and Shintaro high-fived each other with smiles.

 I think the moms from the BERYL group were watching from the second floor, right?

 I could picture Marin and the others comforting Kiyoko, who was crying.

 ”And on a personal note, I’m currently dating Awashima Chigiri, who plays Tsukiko and Tora-uma, thanks to this project.”

 The whole venue erupted in cheers at the unexpected relationship announcement.

 The agency said everyone could talk freely, but I thought that was quite bold.

 ”Aqua, it’s because you pushed me that day that I’m able to spend happy times with Awashima-san now. Thank you. Aqua, you always change me. You believe in me. That’s why I can keep trying. I want to be a man who won’t disappoint my best friend. My best friend, Shirogane Aqua, might be a hero to everyone, but he’s a hero to me too!!”

 The entire venue gave a big round of applause for the story about Shintaro and Aqua.

 ”This project is irreplaceable to me, Mayuzumi Shintaro. So please, I want everyone to smile while watching this. Don’t worry, I promise! Kenzaki Souji, the Heavens Sword played by my best friend, was cooler than anyone else!!”

 ”Hey, best friend, you’re raising expectations too high before it even starts!!”

 Everyone was about to cry from Mayuzumi’s growth, but Aqua’s joke turned their tears into laughter.

 ”Well then, am I next?”

 Toa-chan steps forward with a microphone in hand.

 ”This is definitely in order.”

 ”Damn, you’re such a nerd.”

 It’s the henshin order, right? Kanon-san, I totally get it!!

 Also, Emily-san, since you noticed the interview order too, you’re just as much of a nerd, so don’t worry.

 ”I’ve been a shut-in for a long time. I think everyone knows this, but I was attacked by a woman, and I was so scared of women that I just stayed inside. But then, Aqua, who is really pushy, showed up, just like Shintaro said.”

 Laughter erupts from the audience.

 Even though it’s not a funny story, I could feel Toa-chan’s strength in turning it into one.

 ”The world outside that Aqua pushed me into reminded me of the fun things I used to do. Like Shintaro, I don’t really remember why I took Aqua’s hand. But maybe, like Shintaro, I just wanted to change.”

 Toa-chan looks around the theater with a gentle smile.

 ”Kagami Natsuki was a character like me. He pretended to be a woman, lived a lie, and had feelings he couldn’t express. That’s why, when Natsuki transformed into Butterfly Mask, I was really happy. Through this work, I gained courage from Kagami Natsuki, Butterfly Mask, and the other Drivers. I think I was able to meet the woman who attacked me because I participated in this work.”

 Everyone buzzes at Toa-chan’s confession.

 As his manager, I felt a great sense of pride.

 My kid has gotten stronger, right? I really want to brag about it.

 ”Aqua, thank you for knocking on the door of my room when I was shut in.”

 ”Don’t worry about it, Toa. I’m just glad you came out of that room and took my hand!”

 That’s Aqua-san’s cute side.

 All 4 of us from the Verification Team have the same expression on our faces.

 ”Hehe, so Aqua, you better take responsibility for bringing me outside.”

 ”Of course! Toa!! I promise that the outside world and I will never let you get bored!”

 ”Thank you!”

 Everyone in the movie theater stands up and leans forward.

 Aqua-san was casually saying he would take responsibility as a friend, but that’s a bit too careless, don’t you think?

 ”This is definitely a clever move.”

 ”Aqua-sama is so pure, it makes me worried!”

 ”But that’s what makes it great!”

 Even though the movie hasn’t started yet, the stage greeting is already super exciting.

 Next, Kobayakawa-san steps up with the microphone.

 ”Wait a minute, I was going to talk about the bento I had backstage and how I went to eat Yakiniku with Morikawa-san and somehow I was the only one who got food poisoning. Do I really have to tell such a silly story after this?”

 Everyone can’t help but laugh at Kobayakawa-san’s serious face.

 ”Kobayakawa-san, that’s actually perfect!”

 ”Let’s talk about the bento!”

 ”Ah, I actually wanted to talk about the bento too.”

 ”Yeah. I want to hear about the food poisoning story!”

 That’s right, it’s the story where good meat is just smoked and everyone ate it raw, and only Kaede-san was perfectly fine…

 I’m really sorry for the trouble our Kaede-san caused back then!

 After that, a friendly chat continued with Kobayakawa-san, Abe-san.

 ”Well, it seems like it’s time, so everyone, enjoy the movie!”

 ”See you later, everyone!”

 ”I’ll come back later!”

 ”We’ll be watching from the back!”

 ”Everyone, enjoy the movie!”

 ”See you!”

 ”Later, everyone!”

 Director Hongou, Aqua-san, Mayuzumi-san, Tenga-san, Toa-chan, Kobayakawa-san, and Abe-san left the stage in that order and disappeared backstage.

 The next moment, the stage lights dimmed.

 ”Ah.”

 I don’t know who said that. Maybe everyone there said it at the same time.

 It’s starting.

 The usual logo appears on the big screen with a huge tsunami.

 This scene is always where the fun excitement and nervousness begin.

 The blacked-out screen gradually brightens.

 When we see the person who appears, we are suddenly shocked.

 ”””””Prime Minister Habu!?”””””

 In a suit, Prime Minister Habu walks up a long staircase, panting, and arrives at a certain shrine.

 In front of the shrine, a girl is cleaning the grounds with a broom.

 That figure looks very familiar.

 ’I thought you would come soon. I’ve been waiting for you, Prime Minister.’

 Prime Minister Habu is playing herself again, huh?

 Before, it was the same, but when this person plays the main role, it really feels real.

 When the shrine maiden turned around, the audience gasped in surprise.

 ’Miko-sama, it’s been a while.’

 Kukuri-chan!? Ah… so that mysterious job written on the schedule was this.

 Even I, who became a director, didn’t know about it, so probably no one except President Atori knew.

 Still, the miko outfit is mystical, and rather than being cute, it gives off a powerful and solemn vibe that suits her very well.

 ’Our country is facing a crisis.’

 ’Yes, I understand.’

 Everyone held their breath at the exchange between the two.

 I slowly focused my mind on the movie that had just begun.

---

Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!

Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.