Hoshino Aqua, 8 years old this year, real name Hoshino Aquamarine.
Because his real name was really too tongue-twisting, most acquaintances called him by the nickname ‘Aqua’.
His appearance was exceptional, with beautiful blonde hair unlike a Japanese person’s, and blue pupils as deep as the sea.
Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, he was just a child with an outstanding appearance who didn’t like to talk much and was taciturn.
Yet he had a secret that only he and his younger sister shared together.
That was—
He was a transmigrator who possessed the knowledge of a person in their twenties from a past life, having been born into Hoshino Ai’s womb.
Logically speaking, relying just on his past life’s knowledge should have quickly allowed him to stand out from among the crowd of children and become a true prodigy.
However…
“None of this matters anymore.”
Hoshino Aqua thought, covering his face with the back of his hand.
On what was clearly a child’s naive face, an extremely adult-like, weary, and gloomy expression suddenly appeared.
These past two years since Ai died…
how on earth had he spent them?
Muddled every day, like a walking corpse.
Aside from exacting revenge on the culprit who truly killed Hoshino Ai, the only two thoughts supporting him to keep living were Hoshino Ai’s words on her deathbed: “If it’s Aqua, it should be becoming an actor, right.”
These words were like a curse.
Making Hoshino Aqua think at all times about how to Study Acting and everything related to Acting.
It could be said that in the two years after Hoshino Ai passed away.
He only thought of becoming a qualified actor, just as Hoshino Ai had said.
However…
He failed; he had no talent for Acting.
Probably after appearing in three or four works, he realized this matter.
The more he performed, the more he could understand.
As an adult in essence, his Acting floated on the surface, completely unable to keep up with others, and he could only rely on his ability to read people’s expressions from his past life to make up for it.
But not working hard wouldn’t do!
Not becoming an actor wouldn’t do!
That was Hoshino Ai’s…
only dying wish before her end!
Therefore, when he heard that Gotanda Taishi—the director who had been taking care of him ever since Hoshino Ai’s death—approached him to explain that the role he was supposed to play this time changed midway and was given to another child actor.
He, who was always taciturn, revealed emotion for the first time: “Why?”
“Hiss…
whoosh…”
Smoking in front of children was indeed not very good.
After exhaling the last puff of smoke, Director Gotanda pressed out the cigarette butt in his hand and raised his gaze.
To be honest…
looking at Hoshino Aqua in front of him, he couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.
The original Hoshino Aqua didn’t talk much and was quite precocious, but at times, he would still show his emotions.
However, after Hoshino Ai died, he became taciturn, even hiding his emotions completely.
Therefore, seeing him still able to express emotions like this now…
He actually felt somewhat relieved deep down.
But…
the role…
“Regarding that matter, I don’t think you should come to me to settle accounts, but rather ask Ms.
Saito.
It was she who made me give your role to another child actor.”
Director Gotanda rolled the script into a tube and tapped his own shoulder with it.
“Ms.
Saito…?
Kyoko?”
A trace of fluctuation stirred in Hoshino Aqua’s gloomy eyes.
Saitou Miyako, ever since President Saito Ichigo vanished into thin air, had been the president of [Strawberry Pro] and the de facto adoptive mother to him and Hoshino Ruby.
Though called an adoptive mother, Saitou Miyako truly treated him and Hoshino Ruby as her own flesh and blood.
Not only did she work hard to run [Strawberry Pro], but she also carved out free time amidst her busy schedule to accompany him and Ruby, which could be said to spoil them both immensely.
Yet the more it was like this, the less he understood.
Why would Saitou Miyako, who doted on him so much…
one could even say spoiled him, transfer his role to another child actor?
Perhaps sensing the change in Hoshino Aqua’s expression.
Gotanda Taishi touched his chin.
“I don’t know the specific details very well either, but I heard from Ms.
Kyoko that child actor seems to have just transferred into your [Strawberry Pro]…
What was his name again…
Oh…
right, it’s Yuji.”
“Yuji…”
As soon as that name came out, Hoshino Aqua immediately had an impression of it.
He remembered that two days ago, when Saitou Miyako came home, she specifically sought him and Hoshino Ruby out to talk about this child actor.
Her excited and thrilled expression as she grabbed him and Ruby back then.
He still remembered it clearly even now.
He remembered she said it like this at the time.
“Aqua, Ruby-chan!
I’ve found him!
A quite talented child!”
Returning to the present.
Seeing Hoshino Aqua in front of him fall into thought, Director Gotanda couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
If it were any other child actor, he wouldn’t have said so much at all.
But after all, the child Aqua shared a deep friendship with him.
So he shook his head and still offered a word of comfort.
“Alright, I reckon Kyoko just distributed your work to the other party in order to take care of a newly entered member of the agency, so you don’t need to care too much about it, right?”
Furthermore——
Gotanda Taishi’s lazy gaze instantly became sharp, and his voice also turned steady.
“If that child recommended through the back door has subpar Acting, I will kick him out without hesitation and reinstate you.”
Indeed.
Gotanda Taishi, in the original work, was considered a powerhouse director who had won Best Director a few times; he was definitely not someone sloppy about Acting.
The reason he always chose Hoshino Aqua to appear in his works, although partly due to the other’s handsome appearance and looks, essentially came down to the fact that Hoshino Aqua was quite ‘easy to use’.
The ‘easy to use’ here did not refer to usefulness in terms of Acting, but rather his ability to read the room and comprehend the intentions of the director, camera operators, and camera positions.
Most child actors were unable to achieve this.
And this was also the most important reason why he repeatedly chose Hoshino Aqua, whose Acting was merely mediocre!
Therefore——
His works would absolutely not be perfunctory!
Even though he changed personnel at the last minute this time out of consideration for Saitou Miyako’s face.
But if the newly transferred child actor’s performance didn’t meet his expectations…
he would show no mercy whatsoever in kicking the other person out and re-employing Hoshino Aqua.
…
After having someone send the silent Hoshino Aqua to the makeup room to wait.
Gotanda Taishi heaved a heavy sigh, relit a cigarette, and then spoke toward the ornamental bushes nearby.
“Alright, Ms.
Kyoko, Aqua has already left.”
As soon as these words were spoken.
There was immediate movement in the bushes beside him.
Footsteps sounded.
It was Saitou Miyako with an apologetic face: “I’m truly sorry for making Director Gotanda do something you dislike.”
“Indeed.”
Gotanda Taishi took a hard drag of his cigarette: “For this kind of thing, you should have given a heads-up to the precocious kid in advance.”
“Ah…
um…
I’m really sorry.” Saitou Miyako apologized with her hands pressed together: “How should I put it, whenever I see that child’s expression, I reckon I immediately waver.”
As Aqua and Ruby’s adoptive mother, whenever she saw the two of them looking despondent, her heart would soften immensely, subconsciously agreeing to their conditions.
“So you found me to play the bad guy, huh.”
Gotanda Taishi was somewhat speechless.
He finally understood one thing…
this whole family at [Strawberry Pro] agency really treated him like a tool.
But…
whatever.
He didn’t continue to dwell on this matter and simply went straight to the point.
The previously relaxed and casual tone vanished, replaced by a seriousness bordering on interrogation.
“What I’m going to say next might lack some respect for you, Ms.
Kyoko, but I still want to ask.”
Puff——
“Is the child actor you found really more useful than the precocious kid?”
Indeed.
He was genuinely curious.
What kind of magic did this Yuji actually possess?
To actually make Saitou Miyako willing to let her adopted son Hoshino Aqua act as his substitute for his sake?