Chapter 119: A Ready-Made Candidate

Before leaving, Mai Hoshō went to change out of the wig.

When the three of them were alone in the room, Yukihiko Tsutsumi said, “Impressive of you, preparing even the props.”

“I’m very confident in her for this role, so I wanted to pave the way for her,” Akira Ha smiled. “Now, Tsutsumi-san, you must feel that Miss Hoshō fits the character much better, don’t you?”

Tsutsumi also smiled. “Since you’ve gone to such lengths to prepare, it would be very ungracious to say it doesn’t fit.”

“That said, if Tsutsumi-san truly thinks it’s not right, we can discuss it again,” Akira said seriously.

“I’m just joking,” Tsutsumi’s smile faded. “At first, I wasn’t very optimistic about her, but after seeing her performance, all doubts vanished. Besides, just now, after a bit of a disguise, she seemed like a completely different person. It made me think it would be a real loss not to have her play this role.”

While the casting for Kasumi Higashihara went smoothly, there was a slight problem with Aya Zejima’s role.

On the first night of auditions, Miki Sakai’s agent called to politely decline the role. “Ms. Sakai is very interested in the part, but her schedule is really tight lately… Moreover, the production requires a training camp before shooting, which she likely cannot make time for. To avoid causing trouble for the crew later, after consideration, she has decided to withdraw.”

Akira naturally understood. If it were just filming, Aya Zejima’s role was significant enough for an actor to clear their schedule, but the added requirement of training made it unreasonable, so rejection was expected.

Thus, on friendly terms, although the collaboration didn’t come through, they exchanged courteous words about hoping to work together in the future. Akira could then put the matter aside and focus on casting.

For Aya Zejima’s role, the actress couldn’t be a dazzling beauty. If she were so striking, she wouldn’t have been like an unnoticed wildflower harboring a quiet, long-standing crush.

Of course, she wasn’t ugly either. Though she occupied a modest position as an admirer, she had considerable pride. When a junior from the wind instrument club told her, “If other boys saw the way the club president practices, they’d definitely like you,” Aya Zejima’s smile betrayed a restrained yet unmistakable pride.

But her pride differed from Risa Iida’s—who stood at the apex of the social pyramid. Aya’s pride was a bit pretentious yet deeply yearning for recognition.

“I wonder if Miho Kanno would want to play the part…” Since negotiations with Miki Sakai fell through, Akira thought of someone else.

“Miho Kanno?”

“The girl with two braids in the movie ‘The Great Heartbreak.’ Do you remember her, Tsutsumi-san?” Though the film’s plot was somewhat weak, its cast was a dream lineup, far more star-studded than Akira’s current plan for a ‘luxury all-star’ ensemble. Yamaguchi Tomoko, Nakatani Miki, Takeda Shinji, Suzuki Kyoka, Seto Asaka, Nishijima Hidetoshi, Miho Kanno, Mai Hoshō—a truly fantastic cast.

Speaking of Miho Kanno, both as an actress and in her personal life, she was quite remarkable. She also shared a connection with the confirmed lead, Mai Hoshō. They had appeared together in ‘The Great Heartbreak’ and also had minor roles in a drama called ‘Twin Teachers,’ where Hoshō played Junko Nomura and Kanno played Keiko Kohinata.

Miho Kanno was eighteen, perfectly fitting the age range. Her looks were still somewhat youthful—not so much beautiful as adorable, with a pure and innocent aura. Her status was roughly on par with Miki Sakai’s, and her fee would be acceptable… She seemed quite promising.

Tsutsumi retrieved the tape of ‘The Great Heartbreak’ and reviewed it to confirm Miho Kanno’s appearance and acting. He nodded, “Worth a try.”

…

In the audition room, Akira flipped through the script rapidly, stopping at the scene where Aya Zejima secretly follows Sana and Hiroki Kikuchi behind the lab building to confirm their date, only to encounter the film club preparing to shoot there. They face off again over territory, and Ryo Maeda confronts her.

Akira handed the script to Miho Kanno. “Imagine you’ve come here with a sense of farewell, determined to see your secret crush one last time. But now there’s me, who has a legitimate reason to be here, asking you to leave. You’re cornered by someone you usually disregard, yet you must protect your secret. Take five minutes to get into the mood, then we’ll act out the scene.”

With limited staff, Akira, as the least experienced, naturally had to take on whatever tasks were needed—including acting opposite the auditioning actors.

Miho Kanno took the script, sat down on a chair in the room, and focused on reading. Akira took off his wristwatch and held it, timing the five minutes.

“Ready to start?” Akira asked as the timer hit five minutes.

Miho Kanno stood and gently placed the script on the chair she had sat on. “Yes, I’m ready.”

“Okay.” Akira nodded, casually placed the watch on the table, and recited Ryo Maeda’s lines. “Why? Tell me, why do you insist on practicing here? Is there a reason you must be here?”

…

After the rehearsal, Akira returned to his seat. “Very good. We will notify you after the auditions conclude.” Though he said this, when he exchanged glances with Tsutsumi, they both saw the same thing in each other’s eyes: barring any surprises, Miho Kanno would be cast as Aya Zejima.

Miho Kanno bowed and left the room.

The two most important female roles were now cast, leaving Risa Iida, Sana, and Mika Miyabe still uncast. Before auditions even began, Akira had reserved Risa Iida’s role for Yukie Nakama.

What kind of character was Risa Iida? She was the queen bee of the school’s girl clique. Boys chased her, girls adored her, and even her boyfriend was one of the most outstanding students. Unlike Aya Zejima’s somewhat self-important pride, Risa possessed all the qualities worthy of admiration. Though she did not flaunt her superiority, her status and the admiration she received naturally gave her a dignified pride.

The actress playing Aya Zejima must not be a bright beauty. If she were an attention-grabbing girl, her secret crush on Hiroki Kikuchi would be impossible to keep, as others watching her would inevitably notice her gaze always fixed on one person.

Conversely, for Risa Iida’s role, the actress needed to be stylish and beautiful—this was a non-negotiable criterion. From the moment the decision was made to film this movie, Akira believed Yukie Nakama was the perfect fit.