Volume 3 Chapter 9 Shirogane Aqua, Like a Younger Sister, Like a Senpai
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Drama: My Honor Student Big Brother.
I was given the role of Satou Kazuya, the big brother of the protagonist, Satou Sayuki, in this drama. Today is the cast meeting for that drama.
”Nice to meet you, I’m Kohina Yukari, playing the role of Sayuki, the protagonist. Looking forward to working with you!”
Kohina-san plays the role of my younger sister, or rather, she plays the role of a 16-year-old high school freshman, but her actual age is 24. With her lingering childlike face and a body shape that isn’t much different from Lapis, she’s been exuding the little sister vibe since she entered the venue. The meeting room is filled with a warm atmosphere, thanks to Kohina-san’s innocent smile. On the other hand, there is a woman who emits a cold air, in stark contrast to Kohina-san.
”I’m Tsukimachi Ayana, playing the role of Kasamichi Rina, Sayuki’s rival. Nice to meet you.”
Yes, she is my classmate, the girl who sat next to me, Tsukimachi-san. Just to clarify for Tsukimachi-san’s sake, it’s not that she has a bad attitude or anything like that. It’s just that the tense atmosphere around her creates a sense of tension in the surrounding environment. By the way, I don’t dislike Tsukimachi-san’s earnestness in this kind of work. On the contrary, I can say I like it.
”I’m Shirogane Aqua, and I’ll be playing the role of Satou Kazuya, Sayuki’s big brother. I’m grateful to be chosen for such a significant role. I’ll do my best to fully immerse myself in Kazuya’s character. Thank you!”
As I finish my introduction, the room stirs a little. It seems that male actors don’t often say this kind of thing, so it’s probably causing a stir due to being unusual.
”Oh no… He actually exists.”
”I thought it was just an urban legend.”
”I thought it was the latest CG from Panasonic.”
I bow my head calmly and take my seat. Then, Kohina-san, who was sitting next to me, pokes my arm with her elbow.
”Hehe, Aqua-kun, you’re as serious as you look. Relax a little! I wanted to tell you that, but wow, you seem quite composed. Hmmm?”
Kohina-san gazes at me as if peering into my soul. Looking at her up close like this, I start to doubt if she really is older than me.
”Shh, Kohina-san, other people are still giving their greetings.”
I place my index finger on my lips, gesturing for Kohina-san to be quiet.
”Oh, what you just did seemed a bit more like a big brother rather than Kazuya, Aqua-kun.”
Well, you too, different from Sayuki, aren’t you, Kohina-san? Sayuki is a refined and graceful type of younger sister character. It’s hard to imagine that from Kohina-san right now.
”And, Kohina-san, rather than being distant, you can call me Yuka-nee with affection, if you’d like.”
Nee-san…? I tilt my head. Kohina-san’s stated height is 150cm, but the person in front of me is clearly shorter than that. She looks more like an elementary school student than a middle school student. And on top of that, this childish, playful attitude. I’m starting to feel uneasy about this person portraying a high school student.
”Kohina-san…”
I look at Kohina-san again and slightly overlap myself and Kazuya in my mind.
”Yukari, everyone is still in the middle of their greetings, so let’s keep it down a bit.”
I reached out my hand and gently touched Kohina-san’s brownish, long hair, lightly patting her head. This was a reenactment of a scene where Kazuya scolds Sayuki.
”Whoooa, that’s so Kazuya-like! Good job, Aqua-kun!”
I had intended to quiet Kohina-san down, but it clearly had the opposite effect. With her excitement heightened, Kohina-san grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her.
”But… Is it really okay for Aqua-kun to casually touch girls like that?”
Yukari-san, who had pulled me in, quickly changed her expression and demeanor.
”Yukari-neechan may have this appearance, but I’m a proper adult woman, you know?”
Her gaze carried more than her age, with a hint of allure in her eyes, her expression devoid of innocence, and her lips moving in a way that exuded sensuality. In just a moment, Kohina-san transformed into an adult woman, giving me a startled feeling. I wanted to slap away my previous skepticism towards Kohina-san. Faced with her genuine acting skills that earned her the lead role in a prime-time drama, I was shown the difference in caliber.
”Cough.”
In response to the distinct sound of a throat clearing, my body instinctively reacted with a slight twitch. Uh-oh, both Kohina-san and I turned our gaze towards the direction of the loud cough. Then, Tsukimachi-san, emitting a chilling aura, smiled at us. Ah… There’s no doubt she’s angry. I think it’s just my imagination, but I could see a vein pulsating on Tsukimachi-san’s temple.
”Ah… Sorry.”
It seems our conversation interrupted the greeting. I apologize normally.
”Hehe, we got scolded, Aqua-kun.”
No, no, Kohina-san, if you hadn’t started talking to me… No, maybe it’s my fault for reacting. While feeling sorry towards Kohina-san, I chose to ignore her this time.
”Pffft, Aqua’s so stingy, Mr. Stingy!”
Blowing up your cheeks like a hamster won’t work. Once Kohina-san realized that I wasn’t responding, she immediately stopped teasing me. Watching Kohina-san earlier, I couldn’t tell which was her acting and which was her genuine self… or maybe both were part of her performance. Either way, I couldn’t discern it, and I felt that I paled in comparison to her acting skills.
”Yukari-neesan is a true hero.”
”She always maintains that distance with everyone.”
”But that real sibling-like vibe just now, thank you very much.”
”Well… Having a male sibling might not be so bad. Kohina Yukari, who has been called a ‘two-in-one actress’ before, is truly amazing.”
There was a slight commotion in the surroundings, but after that, each individual’s greetings ended smoothly. We actors read the script together for just a little while and then disbanded for the day. On the way from the dressing room to the bicycle parking lot where I parked my bike, I noticed Tsukimachi-san walking ahead of me.
”Tsukimachi-san.”
As I called her name, Tsukimachi-san turned around, visibly showing a displeased expression. Judging from her reaction, it seemed that she still disliked me.
”Shirogane-kun, do you need something from me?”
When she displayed such an obvious sense of distance, I couldn’t help but feel apologetic for having approached her.
”Ah… Well, it’s quite a coincidence that Tsukimachi-san is also in the same drama.”
Tsukimachi-san, who is not only the center of the idol group eau de Cologne but also active as a model and actress, caught my attention during a previous commercial shoot, so I looked her up when I got home. I was surprised to find out that she was an idol, but seeing her exceptional beauty, it made perfect sense that Tsukimachi-san was an idol.
”So, it’s your first time acting in a drama?”
”Yeah, that’s right.”
As I replied, Tsukimachi-san’s expression stiffened, almost grinding her teeth. Even though I may be oblivious, I could sense that I had somehow angered her. Perhaps Tsukimachi-san had initially distanced herself from me or had some issues with me.
”Let me make this clear, I have no intention of getting close to you.”
Tsukimachi-san stepped closer to me and stared at me with sharp eyes.
”And also, just because you’re a man, please refrain from hindering me with your poor acting skills.”
Ah… I see.
With Tsukimachi-san’s words, I understood everything. I had watched several dramas and movies for research purposes, and it’s true that the acting skills of male actors were mostly terrible. It’s not difficult to predict the outcome when men are pampered and favored, given certain privileges. Therefore, Tsukimachi-san’s words weren’t just directed at me, but towards men in general.
Perhaps Tsukimachi-san had put in tremendous effort to reach this point. In a world where the main target audience consists mostly of women, becoming a successful female idol is undoubtedly a formidable challenge. Considering her role in a prime-time drama like the “9 PM Drama” slot, it must have been quite an accomplishment. And that also served as evidence that Tsukimachi-san had put in that much effort.
So, when I said I was different from other male actors in this place, it was nothing more than a shallow remark.
”That being said, I’ll excuse myself. Shirogane-kun.”
Tsukimachi-san took a step back, turned around with her usual smile intact, and gracefully walked away as if nothing had happened.
”Hehe, Aqua-kun, it seems Ayana-chan doesn’t like you.”
I was surprised by a voice coming from below, near my side. The owner of the voice, Kohina-san, covered her mouth with her hand, wearing a mischievous grin that resembled a naughty child.
”Kohina-san…”
No… I understood from our first meeting that anything I said to her would be in vain. So the only choice I had now was to ignore her. I walked past Kohina-san, heading towards the bicycle parking lot with determined steps.
”Ahh! Aqua-kun, pretending to be a good young man and ignoring your senpai. That’s no good, no good!”
”Kuh…”
This person was completely playing with me…
Kohina-san may be a rare type in this world of women, different from Tsukimachi-san in another way. On previous greetings as well, the adult women I interacted with always maintained a certain distance, unlike my female classmates who had a slightly different way of interacting. Among them, only Kohina-san treated me from the start like a familiar neighborhood acquaintance, constantly teasing and engaging with me. It seemed different from how my female classmates interacted.
”Oh, um, Kohina-senpai, thank you for your hard work today. I appreciate it. Well, I’ll be going…”
”Hmm, Aqua-kun has such a cold attitude towards his senpai on set. We were just looking into each other’s eyes from such a close distance earlier… Was that just for fun?”
Kohina-san gazed at me with watery eyes, giving me a puppy dog look.
”Guh!”
No, no matter how hard I struggle, I can’t envision a vision where I can win against her.
”Afterward, I’ll let Ako-cchi know how Aqua-kun is ignoring Yukari-oneechan,” Kohina-san said mischievously.
”Ako-cchi?”
I reacted to that phrase with a sense of familiarity.
”Ako-cchi is Ako-cchi. Atori Ako, my friend since elementary school and the president of Beryl Entertainment, the agency where Aqua-kun belongs!”
Hey, seriously… I never heard anything about that, Ako-san.
”Oh? Judging by your reaction, Aqua-kun really didn’t know, huh? Ako-cchi is always so absentminded or clumsy. You should have properly informed her about important things. Consider this a lecture from a senpai in the entertainment industry.”
Kohina-san passed me by and headed towards the bicycle parking lot. Feeling a sense of foreboding, I followed her, and she casually sat on the seat of my beloved motorcycle. I didn’t know how she knew about my bike, but coming from her, it didn’t seem strange at all.
”Come on, come on, you’re going back to the office now, right? Yukari-oneechan will accompany you too, so let’s go quickly!”
Instinctively, I tried to put my hands on both sides of Kohina-san and lift her off the bike, but I stopped myself. If I did that, I had no idea what she would say next. I handed Kohina-san a helmet and put one on myself.
”Just so you know, I just got my license, so please hold on tight.”
”Okay!”
Kohina-san tightly hugged me. She was wearing a loose-fitting silhouette dress, so I couldn’t tell, but… this person… I won’t mention where, but considering her height, she had quite a… No, rather, considering she was less than 150cm, it was quite good size.
Guh… Despite her appearance looking like an elementary or middle school student, I couldn’t help but feel joy from the pressure of her breasts pressing against me. It almost brought tears to a man’s eyes, the essence of the male species.
[Shirogane… Be careful of the breasts.]
Akio-san, even if I try to be careful, what can I do? I mentally directed those words to my mentor, who I couldn’t meet at the moment.
It’s great that Aqua-kun can ride tandem with a girl…
The “Monday 9 PM” drama has started. Tsukimachi-san appears here. Kohina-san has quite a fair amount of screen time in the “Monday 9 PM” slot, so I hope she likes it. These two will help Aqua-kun grow as an actor.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.