"As you all probably know, the troupe will be preparing a new play next month, The Forbidden Game of Youth by the former Soviet writer Lyudmila Razumovskaya."
Inside the LALALAI Troupe building, the manager, Toshirou Kindaichi, had gathered all the members for a rare meeting, his expression serious as he made the announcement.
"As before, all roles for this new play will be decided through auditions. If you're interested, you can contact me after the meeting."
He flipped through the materials in his hands and explained:
"There are five named characters in this play—three males and two females. Among them, two characters have the most lines."
"The first is the teacher, Yelena Sergeyevna. She's a struggling woman whose mother is seriously ill and hospitalized. She holds the key to the safe containing her students' exam papers, which is why four of her students come to her under the guise of celebrating her birthday to demand the key. To play her, you'll need to portray a fragile yet unyielding will."
"The second is the student, Vitia. He's the son of a high-ranking diplomat and the mastermind behind the operation. As the leader among the four students, he has the most scenes with Yelena, and their ideological clashes form the core of the play's dramatic tension. To play him, you'll need to show a stark contrast between his outwardly model-student appearance and his inner madness and arrogance. The sense of contrast is crucial."
"The character profiles and lines for the other three roles are also written in the script. If you're interested or feel a role suits you, don't hold back."
Toshirou Kindaichi raised an eyebrow and smiled:
"That's all for now. Meeting adjourned."
After the impromptu meeting ended, Hoshino Ai jogged up to Toshirou Kindaichi and raised her hand:
"Mr. Kindaichi, I'd like to sign up for the audition."
"Oh, it's Hoshino. Which role are you aiming for?"
Toshirou Kindaichi turned around and nodded:
"There are only two female roles in this play—the teacher, Yelena, and the student, Lyalya."
He smacked his lips and rubbed the scruffy beard on his chin:
"Personally, I think the role of Lyalya might suit you. She's a girl from a poor family… Hmm."
"Isn't your family also struggling? I've noticed you always finish your meals at the troupe, and you even take leftovers home."
"…Haha, you don't need to bring that up, Mr. Kindaichi."
Hoshino Ai laughed it off, but Toshirou Kindaichi frowned, his expression turning serious:
"What I just said wasn't a joke."
"I know you want to share the stage with that kid, Ryo, but honestly, a talent like his is one in a million—not just in our troupe, but in the entire theater world. So, if you're thinking of casually picking roles like he does and still expecting to perform well, you should give up on that idea now."
"Do you know why our troupe is always short on people? It's because many former actors couldn't accept this reality and ended up stuck in a dilemma."
Toshirou Kindaichi looked at Hoshino Ai, thinking about how well she got along with Kitagawa Ryo, and patiently added:
"Ryo is the kind of guy who can effortlessly switch between presentational and method acting. The actors who've stayed in LALALAI Troupe all have their own strengths. You've only been learning acting for less than a year, right? That's why I suggested earlier that you try method acting."
"Even the worst actors have their own worries and pains. You just need to bring those out and channel them into your character."
"If you work hard in this direction, you might just snag a role or two."
After saying this, Toshirou Kindaichi waved his hand, as if he'd been holding back for a while, and pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket. He lit a cigarette and walked out:
"Good luck."
"I might have said some things that made you uncomfortable, but if you want to get back at me, it's simple—just show me your acting. If I think it's good, I'll give you any role you want."
As if suddenly remembering something, Toshirou Kindaichi turned back and blew out a smoke ring.
"Oh, by the way, Ryo won't be around for the next couple of days. Your acting and cultural classes are on hold for a week."
"Huh? Where's Ryo?"
Hoshino Ai tilted her head, curious.
"He's gone to deliver toilet paper to public restrooms in Tokyo."
[Note: He means signing event but in a sarcasm way.]
["Seize the Critical Years: From Birth to Age Eight. Many parents overlook this stage, letting their children waste these precious years. In fact, boys and girls can reach 50% of the intelligence measured at age 17 by the time they're 4. From ages 4 to 8, they develop another 30%, and the final 20% is completed between ages 8 and 17. Building a strong foundation during this critical period paves the way for future academic success." — Child, Please Give Me Your Hand: Parenting Insights That Will Benefit Your Children for a Lifetime (by Kitagawa Susumu and Kitagawa Tomoko)]
[The parents of the ultra-popular rising star Kitagawa Ryo present a parenting guide for every young couple!]
[Endorsed by Swiss child psychologist Jean Piaget and American child psychologist James Dobson! Essential knowledge about child-rearing that every parent must know!]
[Comes with exclusive merchandise (randomly selected from Kitagawa Ryo acrylic standees, keychains, posters, and more)! Plus, a chance to win an autographed photo!]
Kitagawa Ryo propped his head up with one hand as he looked at the sample book in front of him. His other hand moved almost instinctively, signing the stack of photos on the table with practiced ease.
The living room was empty. After handing Ryo a sample book and a pile of photos, instructing him to share them on social media and sign them, the Kitagawa couple had rushed off to film a TV show.
"Hah."
He took a deep breath, rubbed his sore wrist, and walked out to the courtyard. Pulling out his phone, he called his manager, Mr. Izaki.
"Old man, how's the preparation going?"
"If you just want to break away from the Kitagawa family, the evidence we've gathered so far is enough. If we expose it, they'll be in a pretty bad spot by tonight."
Mr. Izaki, who had never married or had children, had been Ryo's manager since his debut. Their relationship had long transcended that of a typical artist-manager dynamic, resembling more of a family bond.
If there had been even a shred of familial warmth from the Kitagawa family toward Ryo before the birth of Kitagawa Ruby, that bond had irreparably fractured after her arrival.
This was also why Mr. Izaki had agreed to Ryo's request to secretly transfer some assets and gather dirt on the Kitagawa couple.
"If it's just about breaking away, I can already imagine them clinging to me like leeches afterward."
Ryo twirled a pen in his hand and sighed.
"What I really want is to… send them to prison."
"I remember overhearing them discussing tax evasion before."
Mr. Izaki lowered his voice on the other end of the line:
"I've heard rumors about that too, but we don't have concrete evidence. Besides, this kind of thing isn't uncommon in the industry. Many agencies handle it cleanly, leaving no traces."
"That was around the time I first started gaining popularity. They were in a nouveau riche mindset back then, and neither of them had much experience in this area. They probably didn't handle it very cleanly."
Ryo tapped the table lightly:
"Besides that, I've also heard that the man used his status as my adoptive father to privately contact one of my fans. Oh, and the fan was a minor."
"Apparently, they settled it with money, but if we can find evidence of that, it could be another angle to pursue."
Mr. Izaki sighed on the other end:
"It seems you're really set on sending them to prison."
"I've already repaid the debt I owed them for taking me out of the orphanage."
Ryo looked down at the well-manicured lawn beneath his feet. This beautifully decorated five-story Western-style house was just one of the (insignificant) profits he had brought to the Kitagawa family.
"Though if this really happens, the only person I'd feel bad for is my sister, whom I've barely even met. Is her name Ruby?"
"She'll inevitably get dragged into this, but I'm sure there are plenty of relatives in the Kitagawa family willing to adopt her. I hear she's a smart kid."
"A baby just a few months old hasn't done anything wrong, but I won't let her stop me from going after those two, right? Right."
"Besides, I don't think they'll raise her to be anything special. The only thing they probably wrote themselves in that book is the author's name."
"Well, that's all for now. I'll hang up."
After ending the call with Mr. Izaki, Ryo returned to the living room, only to bump into a middle-aged woman. She was the nanny hired by the Kitagawa couple to take care of Ruby, as their increasing number of TV appearances left them with little time to care for the child themselves.
She looked flustered and asked Ryo urgently:
"Young Master Ryo, have you seen Ruby? I just took a short nap, and now she's gone!"
She pointed to a baby carriage in the room, where a soft mattress and blankets formed a cozy nest, but it was now empty.
Ryo shook his head, about to say he hadn't seen her, when a loud noise came from around the corner of the hallway. The two hurried over and found a seven- or eight-month-old baby girl sitting there, tears in her eyes.
"Oh, my dear, how did you crawl all the way here?"
The nanny quickly picked up Kitagawa Ruby, carefully checking her clothes for any signs of injury. Finding none, she gently placed her back in the baby carriage.
With Ruby found, Ryo nodded to the nanny and turned to leave, but a tiny hand reached out and firmly grasped his sleeve.
From the baby carriage, a small hand clung to Ryo's sleeve with surprising determination. Ryo turned back and met a pair of ruby-like eyes:
"Bro—ther."
The word came out in a baby's babbling tone.
"Ruby really likes you, Young Master. She always loves watching your movies and variety shows."
The nanny smiled and flattered, though the Kitagawa couple had instructed her to minimize contact between the two. But now that they'd run into each other, she couldn't just pull the child away.
Besides, the Kitagawa couple wasn't even here.
The baby's hand was tiny, and her grip wasn't strong. Ryo could have easily pulled away, but he didn't.
He paused for a moment, then turned and picked up the child.
Wrapped snugly, Kitagawa Ruby clung to Ryo like a koala. She seemed delighted with her current position, giggling and trying to touch Ryo's face with her hands.
"Brother—kiss."
Ryo smiled. He pulled out his phone, opened the camera, and handed it to the nanny:
"Take a picture for me."
"Oh… sure, sure."
The nanny took the phone, fumbling a bit as she held it horizontally and aimed the camera at Ryo and Ruby.
Then, she felt as if the boy in front of her had transformed.
His dark, ink-like eyes filled with a clear, bright warmth. He smiled, his eyes softening with tenderness as he leaned down and gently kissed Ruby's cheek.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
"Got it."
"Thanks."
Ryo moved his lips and gaze away, taking the phone back with one hand and placing Ruby back in the baby carriage.
"Bro—ther."
"I…"
The baby's incoherent babbling made it impossible to tell what she was trying to say. Ryo patted Ruby's head and playfully tapped her nose.
Kitagawa Ruby still couldn't bring herself to reveal her true identity.
Because she had overheard Ryo's phone call.
After learning that Ryo would be home today, Ruby had carefully planned her "escape."
While the nanny was napping, she had climbed out of her crib, crawled to the floor, and made her way to the living room.
Just in time to see Ryo walking toward the courtyard while on the phone.
She had planned to reveal her identity to him after he finished the call, so she quietly waited in a corner.
But what she heard was beyond anything she could have imagined.
Over the years, the Kitagawa couple had carefully crafted an image of themselves as model parents and celebrities. Many of Ryo's fans even admired them for adopting him.
Though Ruby had sensed something was off over the past year, she never imagined the relationship had deteriorated to this extent.
She couldn't say it.
If she revealed her identity, Ryo, who had already resolved to bury the Kitagawa family, might hesitate because of her.
She knew her one-and-only Ryo better than anyone.
And not only could she not say anything—she had to help him.
She was in the best position to uncover the Kitagawa family's secrets.
"Brother—like."
Kitagawa Ruby gave the boy in front of her most genuine smile.
"Like—brother."