Volume 2 Chapter 14 Shirogane Aqua, Is Ad-libbing Not Allowed？
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Aqu-Aqu, are you nervous?”
Ako-san, who was leaning forward, stared at my face as if peering into it. I couldn’t help but feel a thump in my chest as I caught a glimpse of Ako-san’s slightly flushed face, the valley between her breasts, and her bra peeking out from her loosely fitted tunic.
Black… huh…
After confirming the color of her bra, I quickly averted my gaze from Ako-san.
”Just a little…”
It has been a few months since I came to this world myself. So, I think I can distinguish whether this action is intentionally done or not. Ako-san is undoubtedly a natural airhead. Unaware of such things, she tends to be casual about various matters. Especially recently, with the rising temperatures, she has been dressing lightly, making it even more casual. Right now, she’s wearing a tight mini-skirt under the loose tunic. Just earlier, when she dropped something and bent down to pick it up, I accidentally caught a glimpse of her panties, which were a different color. Seeing her wearing mismatched underwear gave me a strong sense of everyday life, but at the same time, it felt vividly real, making it difficult for me to remain composed as the one looking.
”But, it’s okay.”
I replied with a smile. Actually, I might be a little nervous, but the feeling of excitement is much stronger. Several days had passed since I escorted Her Highness, and now I was with Ako-san at the filming location of a late-night drama where I would provide a cover song together.
To You, Where Flowers Bloom.
It is a fairly old shoujo manga that still enjoys a decent amount of popularity. In celebration of its 30th anniversary this year, it was planned to be adapted into a late-night drama as part of a revival project. However, due to various factors, including the coordination with other events, the budget allocated to this drama is not very large. In fact, production is currently behind schedule, and despite the broadcast being only three days away, the filming hasn’t been wrapped up yet. The reason I ended up singing the theme song for this drama at the last minute can be attributed to the disorganized progress of the production, which didn’t finalize the theme song until the very last moment, and the limited budget. The broadcast is scheduled for four episodes starting in three days, and I also coincidentally got a small role in this drama.
”Shirogane-san, are you ready for the shoot soon?”
”Ah, yes!”
I looked towards Ako-san, who cheerfully whispered words of encouragement.
I raised my hand and said, “I’ll be back” before leaving.
”Shirogane Aqua-san, who plays Yuujin, will be joining us.”
”Nice to meet you.”
After greeting the staff members, I stood in position where masking tape was placed on the floor.
To briefly explain the work titled “To You, Where Flowers Bloom,” it’s a story about a girl born into a wealthy family who chooses her partner from among four men. I unexpectedly got selected for a minor role that appears in the second episode, as one of the major characters from the original manga. Despite being a major character, the reason for my minor role is due to the fact that there are only four episodes of the drama, making it difficult to delve into the backgrounds of all four male characters. Additionally, the low budget is another factor. Firstly, it’s almost impossible to cast four male actors with such a limited number of episodes. Therefore, the director only offered the role of one main male character to an actual actor. Another one is played by a woman disguised as a man, and the remaining two are either pulled from previous footage or handled through CGI. Just hearing this story already shows how precarious this drama is. However, Ako-san was the one who made it happen.
Thanks to Ako-san’s proposal, I ended up taking on the role of Yuujin Mustafa, a character originally planned to be portrayed through CGI. Yuujin is a noble of the Stars, a half-breed born between the Count’s family and a woman from this country, and he is the third son at the age of 19. As I delved into the original work, I became increasingly eager to take on this challenging and complex character, who carries a darkness within due to his mother’s death during childbirth and his struggles to fit in with the Count’s family because his mother was a commoner. He is depicted as a mysterious person who stands out because of that reason too.
Nevertheless, the challenging nature of the role and the fact that Yuujin was already a half-breed, the more I read the original story, the stronger my desire became to give it a shot. In the beginning, he was transformed into CGI because it wasn’t possible to replicate him, and I can’t help but question whether I can really play the role of Yuujin.
”Yuujin-sama…!”
I turned my gaze in the direction of the voice and saw an elderly woman behind the director, crying uncontrollably. Next to her, a slightly younger woman was consoling her through her own tears. What could have happened…? Perhaps I looked so different from Yuujin that she couldn’t bear it and started crying.
Because of Yuujin’s platinum blonde hair, I had dyed my hair and eyebrows to match today’s broadcast. I even wore colored contacts to hide my true eye color. The staff had put in a tremendous effort, but it seemed like it was still difficult.
”Now, let’s begin shooting.”
Upon hearing the voice of the staff, I flicked my switch. Even if I didn’t resemble Yuujin, I had to compensate with my acting skills. That was the only way I could repay the people who worked so hard to put me here. I convinced myself that I was Yuujin and discarded my identity as Shirogane Aqua.
”5, 4, 3…”
2, 1…
I slowly walked forward. But it wasn’t just a normal walk. Yuujin, who had lost her mother and been estranged from her family, didn’t trust anyone because he didn’t know what love felt like. Additionally, due to the experience of being scolded by his father for his mother’s death during his birth, he believed his own life had no value. I, too, had lost my mother in a previous life, so I could understand those feelings, albeit only to a small extent. Fortunately, I was saved by my idol, but Yuujin probably hadn’t been saved by anyone until this age. Embodied by his self-destructive nature, I locked onto the protagonist standing before me with vacant, empty eyes.
”Hey, you there, what are you doing here?”
The protagonist was supposed to be in the middle of a fight with the guy she was playing a role of a partner, looking gloomy in the middle of the town. Yuujin saw her and thought she might be useful for tonight’s sleeping arrangements. Fortunately, Yuujin, who was good-looking, often ended up staying at someone’s house in exchange for spending the night with them. At first, Ako-san negotiated with the director, saying that it was impossible for an idol to take on such a role and requested a different character. But after the director’s persistent request and my own desire to immerse myself in the role by reading the work, Ako-san granted permission, saying that if I wanted to do it, I could.
”Sorry, but… I have a boyfriend.”
The protagonist firmly rejected my, no… Yuujin’s invitation.
This is where my work begins. Yuujin is truly enchanting, capable of making even such an unapproachable girl’s heart flutter.
”Oh, really? But isn’t your boyfriend a lousy guy for leaving you alone at this hour?”
I gently reached my fingertips towards the tear at the corner of the girl’s eye. However, before I could touch her, she slapped my hand away. Then she glared at me, perhaps annoyed by the badmouthing of her boyfriend.
”Hmph.”
I stared at the hand that had been pushed away. And now, unlike the indifferent eyes from earlier, I looked at her with a slightly more intrigued gaze.
”Hey, you should choose me over a guy like that.”
As I took a step forward, she was taken aback. To be honest, there is no script for the actions after this line. It’s entirely improvised. If we followed the script, after this line, she would decline and my scene would end there. But I felt that ending it like that would leave fans of this character unsatisfied with the original work. I approached her and gently touched her disheveled hair.
”!?”
She showed a bewildered expression at my unexpected ad-lib. Originally, the character Yuujin was supposed to become strongly interested in her after being rejected by her. Then, through several interactions with her, Yuujin would find meaning in his own existence and become a character who would approach her with his playful nature, making her heart flutter.
But I ad-libbed an action that evokes what happened to Yuujin, which was cut out in the drama.
That is… I pushed her away.
Without speaking out loud but only moving my lips, I whispered in her ear, making sure it wouldn’t be picked up by the camera. Fortunately, she saw my lips move and understood in an instant. She pushed me away with her hands and left me as scripted.
But this isn’t the end. I let out a small sigh and watched her departing figure with a gaze that seemed to suggest I had found something interesting. Yuujin’s eyes, which were void of emotion just a moment ago, were now following her as she walked away. I thought that it could allow the audience to imagine the future story between Yuujin and the protagonist.
”…Cut!”
Amidst the silence, only the voice of the staff resounded. A few seconds later, applause filled the shooting location. Looking around, I saw all the staff members who were sitting in chairs standing up and applauding. It seems my ad-lib was accepted.
”Sob… Sob…”
The elderly woman who had been crying behind the director since before the shooting was now in tears. The young woman next to her was comforting her, saying, “There, there.” Wait, could it be… Was she the author of this work? No, it couldn’t be, right? I suddenly felt anxious about inserting the ad-lib without permission. I apologized to the director, the actress who played my scene partner, and the author for taking the liberty. However, I had confidence in what I did, and I believed it would make the work better. After all, it’s the 30th anniversary, and this work has been supported by many people for a long time. If my ad-lib didn’t work, I would feel sorry for the effort the staff put in, but I was ready for a second take.
But everyone said the ad-lib was great, so I wanted to believe it was the right decision. I was a rookie with a minor role, and normally, such reckless actions wouldn’t be tolerated. Nevertheless, I wanted to repay the character Yuujin through this small improvisation and do something for the people who were looking forward to Yuujin.
”Aqua-kun, well done.”
”Yes!”
Ako-san apologized with me. When I consulted her about wanting to insert an ad-lib, she said she would apologize with me and encouraged me to give it a try. It was Ako-san who gave me that push. For the sake of Ako-san who supported me, I had to succeed on the first try. In the midst of that pressure, the ad-lib worked, and the director, staff, and author accepted it. That made me happier than anything else.
Now, the broadcast day will determine how many fans will accept the Yuujin I portrayed. Maybe I’ll face criticism. But even if it’s just a little bit, I hope there will be people who think it was good.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.