"Stand up!"
"Sit down."
"Stand up!"
Kitagawa Ryo sat behind his desk, observing the girl in front of him and giving a slight nod.
As he had expected, Hoshino Ai, who was financially strained—almost to the point of desperation—had no reason to refuse his offer. Without hesitation, she accepted his invitation and became a new member of the LALALAI Theater troupe.
Unlike the newcomers in the Workshop who paid for classes, she was now a genuine, official member of the troupe. She would receive a monthly salary but also had performance responsibilities.
"So… what's the point of this exercise?"
Hoshino Ai tilted her head slightly, standing there, not quite understanding why her first day at work involved being called into the office and repeatedly standing up and sitting down at Kitagawa Ryo's command.
"Just checking your physical posture."
Kitagawa Ryo rested his chin on his hand. The way an actor stands up is one of the most basic physical movements in performance. It shouldn't feel sluggish; the reaction should be quick, the movement crisp, and the posture of the chest, abdomen, waist, and back should be upright.
Compared to the photo he had seen a few months ago, Hoshino Ai had made significant progress in the Workshop. Her previously slightly hunched posture and lack of physical coordination had greatly improved. At least now, she wouldn't look out of place on stage.
"Since Miss Hoshino is still working part-time as an idol, you only need to report to me three times a week."
"I think you can just call me 'Ai.'"
She felt like he was being oddly meticulous about such trivial matters.
Kitagawa Ryo nodded.
"Alright, Ai."
"Then can I call you 'Ryo' too?"
In a way, she was pushing her luck. Hoshino Ai clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly, her expression brimming with anticipation.
"Do as you like. It's just a name, after all."
Having grown accustomed to being called by his first name by fans, Kitagawa Ryo didn't find it strange. He stood up from his office chair and walked over to Hoshino Ai, tilting his chin slightly.
"Stand straight again."
"Okay."
Obediently following his instructions, Hoshino Ai immediately straightened her posture, her hands naturally hanging by her sides, chest out, stomach in, looking as serious as an elementary school student being scolded by their teacher.
Kitagawa Ryo tried to carefully examine Hoshino Ai's physique from head to toe but quickly realized he wasn't tall enough. Unlike Sarina, who was the same age, the twelve-year-old Hoshino Ai perfectly exemplified how girls develop earlier. She was significantly taller than Kitagawa Ryo.
Once again grumbling internally about why he hadn't grown taller yet, Kitagawa Ryo obediently fetched a chair, stood on it, and finally managed to meet Hoshino Ai's eye level.
To his surprise, despite his somewhat comical actions, Hoshino Ai showed no unusual expression throughout. Her shoulders didn't tremble, and there was no sign of her holding back laughter.
Hoshino Ai's physique was quite striking. The light-colored sweatshirt she wore traced a perfect semicircle over her chest, the kind of delicate, petite figure many child actresses in the industry wished to maintain. Over the years, Kitagawa Ryo had seen too many actresses whose career paths narrowed due to changes in their physique.
Perhaps because she had developed too quickly or because she wasn't wearing an undershirt, the hem of her top had become slightly too short when she stood straight, revealing a glimpse of her slender waist. Below, her pink-and-white skirt reached just above her knees, and her pure white stockings hugged her ivory calves, giving her the proportions of a ballet dancer.
Hoshino Ai felt as though her entire body was being scrutinized, but she didn't mind. After all, they were just kids.
After observing her from the front, Kitagawa Ryo also examined her from the side and back before finally standing in front of her again and nodding.
"When creating art, painters use canvases and brushes; sculptors use clay and chisels; poets use words and poetic talent—rhythm, meter, and rhyme."
"Art varies by its tools, but an actor has only one tool."
"Their own body."
"Whether you're an idol or an actor, once you're on stage, the only thing you can rely on is yourself. The audience sees only that."
"Alright, you can relax now. Sit down."
After receiving Kitagawa Ryo's permission, Hoshino Ai gave a thumbs-up.
"I've been exercising every day!"
"Yeah, impressive, impressive."
Kitagawa Ryo's praise sounded rather perfunctory. He looked up at Hoshino Ai and said, "From your debut live performance last night, it seems you're a representationalist."
"Representationalist… what does that mean?"
Hoshino Ai, who had dropped out of elementary school, naturally looked confused.
"It's a school of acting proposed and represented by the French actor Coquelin. But you don't need to worry too much about it now because last night… you already mastered the techniques of representationalism."
Kitagawa Ryo raised an eyebrow at Hoshino Ai.
"Ai, smile."
Hoshino Ai's face broke into the same smile she had worn the night before, as if she had calculated the exact angle of her upward-curving lips.
"That's pretty much it. Through continuous, almost obsessive practice, you master the external expressions of any internal emotion, and then—"
"You perform it."
Kitagawa Ryo mirrored her smile. He had already noticed that she was imitating his promotional photo for a children's toothpaste ad.
"In representationalism, the human body should be like clay in the hands of a sculptor, able to be molded into any form—whether it's the vengeful Prince Hamlet, the regicidal Macbeth, or the lovesick Romeo."
As he spoke, Kitagawa Ryo naturally shifted between different expressions. His eyes and facial muscles moved like well-trained soldiers, precisely conveying emotions ranging from anger to joy to hatred.
"So cool!"
Hoshino Ai's eyes sparkled with admiration.
Kitagawa Ryo's expression returned to normal as he spoke seriously.
"In representationalism, 'beauty' is greater than 'truth.' All performances on stage are inherently artificial. The key is to make the audience feel the beauty of art."
Hoshino Ai nodded repeatedly. This completely aligned with her own thoughts.
What people sought in idols was inherently something surreal and artificial. An idol's performance was about making them believe in that illusion.
Kitagawa Ryo continued to explain the principles of representationalism to Hoshino Ai, who listened intently, even fetching a notebook to jot down key points.
"In representationalism, every performance on stage should be methodical, composed, learned, familiar, and follow a clear sequence."
"Every emotion has its progression, its pauses, its beginning, its middle, its climax, and its end."
"You must become the character you want to portray, not let the character adapt to you."
After calmly explaining these foundational concepts, Kitagawa Ryo suddenly smiled and asked, "What do you think of representationalism, Ai?"
"It's great!"
Hoshino Ai nodded without hesitation. She felt these principles could be directly applied to her performances.
After all, she was an idol who was adept at adjusting every subtle expression in front of a mirror, using lies to present the image her fans desired.
Just perform it.
People could only ever infer emotions from external expressions anyway.
Smiles, tears, frowns, grins… expressions and gestures had long been assigned emotional meanings.
"Since you're so interested in representationalism, we'll focus on it for our upcoming lessons."
Kitagawa Ryo clapped his hands lightly.
"As I mentioned earlier, representationalism places high demands on physicality. While your current physique is good, you'll need more frequent and professional training."
After a moment of thought, Kitagawa Ryo rested his chin on his hand and smiled playfully.
"Let's start with a 'puppet exercise.'"
"Puppet exercise?"
Hoshino Ai felt like she had heard more unfamiliar terms today than in her entire life. Her brain was almost short-circuiting as she slightly opened her mouth, looking at Kitagawa Ryo in confusion.
"That expression is perfect. Hold it."
Kitagawa Ryo picked up a wooden ruler from the desk and gently lifted Hoshino Ai's delicate chin.
"Relax your jaw and shoulders. Let your hands hang naturally, and spread your feet shoulder-width apart."
"Close your eyes and imagine you're a puppet."
With the ruler, Kitagawa Ryo pointed to various parts of Hoshino Ai's body.
"The top of your head, elbows, wrists, fingertips, knees, ankles."
"Imagine strings are tied to these points, and I'm holding the other ends."
Standing on the chair, Kitagawa Ryo whispered softly into Hoshino Ai's ear.
"Now, I'm lifting your right elbow to shoulder height."
"Slowly… slowly… pay attention to the tension and movement in your joints."
He brushed the ruler against Hoshino Ai's right fingertips.
"I didn't pull the string there. The puppet isn't allowed to move on its own."
Hoshino Ai's long eyelashes fluttered like black crystal butterflies.
"Next… I'm lifting the fingertips and elbow of your left hand, raising it—raising it until it's fully extended."
Kitagawa Ryo observed Hoshino Ai's movements, pressing the ruler against her left arm.
"When you do this, the forearm and hand should lift first, followed by the upper arm."
"Good… now lower your left and right hands."
"No problem."
"Now, I'm loosening the string on the top of your head."
Hoshino Ai's head naturally drooped forward, her slightly purplish hair cascading like a waterfall into Kitagawa Ryo's view.
She must have used a citrus-scented shampoo.
"The weight of your head will cause your upper body to lean forward. Relax your spine, vertebra by vertebra, and lean forward."
Hoshino Ai's head rested against her chest, revealing her fair, slender neck.
Kitagawa Ryo hopped off the chair, moved it aside, and stood in front of Hoshino Ai, continuing to instruct.
"Finally, I'm loosening the strings on your knees. You…"
"Wait, wait, wait! Don't fall on me!"
Completely immersed in the puppet exercise, Hoshino Ai's legs gave out the moment Kitagawa Ryo mentioned the strings on her knees being loosened. She collapsed softly, her entire body falling onto Kitagawa Ryo.
Before he could react, Kitagawa Ryo found himself pinned beneath Hoshino Ai. Fortunately, the impact was light, or else the back of his head would have hit the floor.
Muttering internally about how girls these days seemed to develop so quickly, Kitagawa Ryo extricated himself from the near-suffocating situation and patted Hoshino Ai's shoulder.
"Alright, alright, the puppet exercise is over!"
"It's over?"
Hoshino Ai's eyes snapped open, her starry pupils easily locking onto Kitagawa Ryo's. She tilted her head slightly, as if only now realizing the situation, and awkwardly stood up.
"Sorry, sorry! Are you okay, Ryo?"
She reached out a hand to help Kitagawa Ryo up, pulling him to his feet. She seemed almost reluctant to end the exercise.
"That puppet exercise was pretty fun. I could really feel the tension in my muscles and the rotation of my joints. It almost felt like doing the robot dance."
"As long as it was helpful."
Kitagawa Ryo took a moment to catch his breath, then nodded.
"Next up is the imitation exercise."
He pulled out his phone, searched for a short video of a pet cat on a video site, and placed it in front of Hoshino Ai.
In the video, a fluffy kitten walked from one end of a table to the camera, curiously reaching out a paw to touch the lens.
"So cute—"
Hoshino Ai clasped her hands together, genuinely praising the cat.
"Alright, now you try to imitate the way the cat walked just now."
"Huh?"
"That's what imitation exercises are about. How can you perform without imitating?"
Kitagawa Ryo spread his hands and smiled at Hoshino Ai.
"Let me demonstrate first."
To Hoshino Ai's astonishment, Kitagawa Ryo casually rolled onto the carpet. In the next moment, he moved with the agility of a real cat, his relaxed demeanor and flexible movements exuding the mysterious, feline charm unique to cats.
"So cute."
Hoshino Ai covered her mouth, instinctively speaking, this time forgetting to deliberately draw out her words.
But in the next moment, Kitagawa Ryo sprang up from the floor, the familiar wooden ruler in hand, gesturing for Hoshino Ai to take her turn.
"Ugh… now it's not so cute."
After Christmas came New Year's.
New Year's was the most important day of the year, artificially defined as such. If you were alone, you could usually get by, but on New Year's, the fireworks lighting up the night sky and the glow of countless homes would act like a mirror, bustling all night long, seemingly determined to expose those left behind as lonely souls.
Hoshino Ai had just finished her acting practice for the day and was about to say goodbye to Kitagawa Ryo as usual when he suddenly handed her a movie ticket.
"He Once Lived… Oh, isn't this that public service film you starred in, Ryo? It's been promoted for a long time."
"Are you inviting me to watch a movie?"
"You could interpret it that way."
Kitagawa Ryo put down his phone but didn't look at Hoshino Ai, instead gazing out the window.
Tokyo's night sky had no stars.
"I've already taught you representationalism."
"Next up is method acting."
He spoke softly, almost to himself.
"By the way, Sarina should be watching it too, around this time."
His dark eyes were clear and bright, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
Hoshino Ai instinctively tightened her grip on the movie ticket.
This was the first time she had seen Ryo like this.