Something was wrong.
Something wasn’t right.
This was the strongest feeling in the heart of Saitou Miyako, who was holding a water cup and drinking.
As for the reason why she had such a feeling…
it was actually very simple.
Because her adopted son, Hoshino Aqua, was doing something that she found somewhat incomprehensible.
“I brought some chocolate snacks from home.
Brother Yuji, would you like some?”
Under her gaze, Hoshino Aqua fished a pack of snacks out of his bag and took the initiative to speak to the black-haired child actor beside him.
No…
Who are you?!
Looking at Hoshino Aqua’s expression, which was still somewhat gloomy yet much brighter…
As his adoptive mother, Saitou Miyako’s footing slipped, and she almost fell right over.
Mainly because the scene before her eyes was simply too incomprehensible to her.
If the person in front of her had been Hoshino Ruby, she could have accepted it.
But that was Aqua!
That Hoshino Aqua who always wore a gloomy face all day long and whose thoughts were a complete mystery!
Let alone taking the initiative to approach someone.
Even if he were willing to say a word or two to others, Saitou Miyako estimated she would be astonished for quite a while.
But what kind of situation was presented before her eyes right now?
Not only did he start a conversation.
He even acted like he was trying to curry favor, asking Yuji if he wanted any snacks?
Saitou Miyako let out a ‘hiss’, truly finding it a bit hard to understand the situation before her.
The crucial part wasn’t just this.
Her memory returned to just now at the shooting location——
“I’m truly sorry for all this time, making Ms.
Kyoko and Gotanda Taishi worry about me.”
Hoshino Aqua lowered his head, bowed, and spoke such words right in front of her and Gotanda Taishi.
At that instant, Saitou Miyako had no idea what kind of expression she was wearing.
But judging by the performance of Gotanda Taishi on the side—who didn’t even realize he was burned by his cigarette until a second or two later when he belatedly let out a cry of pain…
The expression on her face must have been equally colorful.
Because that was Hoshino Aqua!
That Hoshino Aqua who kept everything bottled up inside and was overly precocious…
actually bowed and apologized to the two of them.
Furthermore, although Hoshino Aqua’s words sounded as cold as ever, from the tone of those words, the two veterans who had knocked around in society could clearly perceive that…
the other party was earnest, without any hint of mere social pleasantries.
He was truly feeling apologetic from the bottom of his heart, and was apologizing to her and Gotanda Taishi.
When she realized this point.
The shock in Saitou Miyako’s heart dissipated, replaced by a sense of relief that she could finally set her mind at ease.
Yes…
she could finally set her mind at ease.
Ever since Hoshino Ai died, she had actually been living on pins and needles all this time.
Because she always had an inexplicable feeling—that one day Hoshino Aqua would leave her quietly in some place she didn’t know.
The moment she thought of this possibility, she had been secretly paying attention to him in daily life.
But now…
“It’s finally over…”
Putting down her water cup and looking at the ripples rising on the transparent water surface, Saitou Miyako muttered to herself.
And the person who brought about these changes…
Saitou Miyako looked at the black-haired child actor sitting on the sofa, eating chocolate while reading a book.
Yuji…
She clearly remembered that during the shooting, the other party had approached her and took the initiative to request a meeting with Hoshino Aqua.
To tell the truth, she was actually a bit worried at that time.
Fearing that Yuji would be choked into speechlessness by Hoshino Aqua.
After all, in her view, no matter how excellent Yuji’s Acting was, he was still just an 8-year-old child.
But Hoshino Aqua was different; he was absurdly precocious by nature, and furthermore had an extremely closed inner world, remaining in a state where he was unwilling to communicate with others except for a few people.
But looking at it now…
it seemed the thing she was worried about hadn’t happened at all.
Not to mention being choked into speechlessness by Hoshino Aqua; judging from the result, Hoshino Aqua was practically like a changed person, and even called him by such an extremely affectionate nickname as ‘Brother Yuji’—this was a treatment that even she didn’t have!
You must know that she had taken care of the twins Hoshino Ruby and Hoshino Aqua for a full seven years!
Until now, Hoshino Aqua still addressed her with honorifics like ‘Ms.
Kyoko’.
She secretly felt it was incredible, stealing glances at the other party.
Amidst his scattered black hair, his calm black pupils seemed to carry an indescribable temperament.
Yuji…
It was as if there truly was some unspeakable magic, sufficient to draw everyone’s gazes over.
The past Saitou Miyako wouldn’t have believed in pie falling from the sky.
But looking at it now…
how could this be pie falling from the sky for her?
It was simply gold falling from the sky!
Smashing squarely onto her head and leaving her whole person dizzy—cough cough, maybe this description wasn’t very apt, but that was precisely the feeling!
However…
Saitou Miyako narrowed her eyes, looking at the other party with a slight smile, sighing inwardly.
As expected, what was that colorful book the other party was holding in his hands?
A children’s picture book?
He was still a child after all…
Thinking this, she smiled and took the initiative to walk over.
“Yuji-kun.”
“Hm?” Yuji raised his face.
“What book are you reading?” she asked with a smile.
“Oh, Complete Solutions to National High School Exam Questions in Japan.
Do you want to read it?” He turned the book’s cover around to show Saitou Miyako.
“Eh?” The smile froze on her face, and Saitou Miyako was stunned—Com…
Complete what now?
Even though it was all Japanese, why couldn’t she understand it at all.
And most importantly…
why would an 8-year-old child read this kind of stuff?
At your age, shouldn’t you be holding fairy tales, or tokusatsu shows, or comic books and things like that?
Why are you considering matters of entering higher education?!
Perhaps noticing her confusion, Yuji went out of his way to explain.
“It’s nothing, I was just quite curious about the educational level of Japanese high school to university admissions, so I specially asked Aqua to borrow it to read.
Do you understand now, Aunt Kyoko?”
“…” Saitou Miyako.
The hell do I understand!!!
The corners of her mouth twitched.
It was hard to imagine that she had just heard words like ‘curious about Japanese educational standards’ from an 8-year-old child.
Are you…
really an 8-year-old child?
You feel even more precocious than our Aqua.
She was left speechless over there, not knowing how to reply.
But at this moment, Yuji on the other side suddenly spoke up.
“Speaking of which, another thing I’m curious about…
is this really the [Strawberry Pro] agency?”
Although three days ago he had taken the form from Saitou Miyako and filled out the agency transfer paperwork.
But this was his first time actually coming to the [Strawberry Pro] agency like this.
“Er…” Saitou Miyako secretly glanced at Hoshino Aqua at the same time, still not daring to bring up matters of Hoshino Ai in front of him.
She could only give a light cough to mask her awkwardness and said, “The environment is a bit poor.”
A bit?
Yuji couldn’t help glancing at her, very much wanting to ask her: You call this ‘a bit’?
The practice room inside exuded a sense of desolation; leaving aside the feeling of it having gone unused for a long time.
But the problem was——
How come there weren’t even many staff members?
For an excellent agency, the quality and quantity of staff must be guaranteed.
Only in this way could artists be successfully managed and promoted.
But…
isn’t the situation in front of him a bit too tragic?
The number of departments was pitifully small.
The former B-Komachi idol department had already been disbanded, and it was a ghost town.
There were only a meager two or three people buried in their work in the management department.
The general affairs department—that is, the director’s office—responsible for coordinating all departments that ordinary agencies would have was even more tragic—it was directly canceled, leaving the president Saitou Miyako to manage everything alone.
Although he had long known that the passing of Hoshino Ai—the flagship idol built with a massive amount of [Strawberry Pro]’s resources—would deal a huge blow to [Strawberry Pro], he truly didn’t expect the blow to be this massive.
And under such circumstances, the only thing [Strawberry Pro] was running with flying colors was presumably the recently emerging internet celebrity management department.
But calculating by the current timeline, internet celebrities as a media vehicle were just starting to develop, and smartphones had only just emerged a few years ago—
This scene…
how should he put it…
was simply too pitiful and shabby.
It even made Yuji unable to help sighing right now.
It seemed ever since his transmigration into a fetus, he had been playing a hell-difficulty dungeon all along…