Some time earlier, in an old apartment.
After finishing her shower, Ichinose Chizuru stepped out of the bathroom with her body still warm, her wet hair wrapped in a towel. Beneath her thin, short-sleeved pajamas, her pale skin flushed a soft pink.
"Hah... Today's practice was exhausting~"
She complained to herself, collapsing onto the bed like a boneless doll, carefully making sure the slightly damp towel didn't touch the pillow.
After resting for a moment, Chizuru reached for her phone beside her and began checking for job offers or audition notices.
She was currently a trainee at an acting academy, without a manager. If she wanted performance opportunities, she had to seek them out herself—request them, compete for them.
Constantly monitoring this information and seizing chances before others was crucial for her future.
She took a deep breath. Chizuru prepared herself.
She opened her email inbox—no messages about rental girlfriend jobs. At the start of the school term, it was the off-season for their work, so it was normal. Besides, her savings were enough to cover living expenses for now, and she'd just paid her training fees, so she didn't need to worry about that yet.
She opened her message inbox. The newest messages were a phone bill and promotional ads. Below them was the latest audition rejection notice, always with the same line: Keep trying, and wait for the role that suits you.
"Haaah—"
She stretched her long arms and legs forcefully, letting out a long sigh as if trying to expel all her frustration.
Even though she felt her acting had improved, why couldn't she land even a supporting role?
What's wrong... Well, she knew the problem.
"Next time, I should try auditioning for theater groups with less complicated member dynamics, where newcomers have more opportunities..."
Muttering to herself, Chizuru set down her phone, stretched her arms across the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling light.
Blurry light spread across her pupils. In her confusion, the scene from that day—filming by the riverside—replayed in her mind.
That day, when her acting had been at its peak, when she had witnessed acting at its peak—she couldn't forget it.
Although she hadn't contacted director Morikawa again afterward, and she hadn't received any opportunities in the entertainment industry... For Chizuru, precisely because of that unforgettable experience, her world had broadened, and she gained a deeper understanding of acting.
Unfortunately, in this fiercely competitive industry, great acting alone wasn't enough to become famous.
Just like being a rental girlfriend—no matter how skilled your acting, how gentle your personality, or how beautiful your face, not every client would be impressed.
Like that conscienceless coworker of hers, that man once listed her flaws: losing in 10 seconds in fighting games, failing to win claw machine toys, breaking combos on easy mode in rhythm games, and being a burden in shooting games... and so on.
Though in the end, he still gave her a five-star rating, the constant feeling of being criticized, having flaws picked out from every odd angle, and being looked down upon—was exactly like audition judges who had already decided on a winner!
Thinking about this, Chizuru couldn't help grinding her teeth. She shook her legs, tapping the floor with her slender, pale heels—then slowed down, afraid the tenant below might complain.
After venting her frustration, she picked up her phone again, staring at the profile picture of a long-uncontacted friend in her contact list.
"Tenkuji-kun... Is he really just an ordinary person?"
Even now, Chizuru still doubted this.
Though it had nothing to do with her, out of curiosity, she'd once tried to look him up. But she'd never heard of a genius actor or experienced senior in the industry with the surname Tenkuji—so that man was definitely just an S-rank ordinary person.
Despite differences in talent, he was still of the same kind as me—the thought arose unintentionally.
That's why, after their last date, Chizuru had exchanged private LINE contacts with him. She planned to chat with him if she ever hit a dead end one day, to see if she could get some useful advice.
It was a kind of hope—that someone stood ahead of her, telling her there was still a path forward.
A hope that she could conquer everyone with pure acting, overcome all the absurdities, and keep striving.
...She'd postponed it from summer break until now. Maybe it was time?
She opened the chat with only a few messages. Chizuru hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she sighed and tossed the phone aside.
"I'll try once more on my own... Asking others for help is too useless..."
She raised her hand to cover her eyes, lying motionless on the bed, murmuring in a very soft voice: "If the next audition fails again, I'll completely quit the rental girlfriend job and focus entirely on acting training..."
"When the time comes, I'll ask that person if they have any good ideas."
The night grew deeper.
Dreams felt like distant little stars—unreachable, vanishing behind dark clouds at any moment, leaving no trace.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The next morning, Tuesday.
Yuu and Masuzu had made plans the night before. They would meet at the park near school, go to school together, and walk side by side through the school gates in front of everyone.
After school, they would also return home together, creating the intimate scene of a couple, to dispel rumors about Yuu and Yukino's relationship and to deter Masuzu's bothersome admirers—those cockroach-like pests from America.
Yuu didn't particularly care about the latter. He was only slightly annoyed when he heard about it. As long as they didn't bother him, he didn't mind if the rumors spread. Whether they disappeared or not was of no concern to him.
But Masuzu had a different opinion:
"Gossip about who's dating whom is terrifying. If you're careless, it can affect people's mental states—making those who shouldn't be together become couples, have sex, break up, get abortions, and even kill each other, just because of the atmosphere. In the end, it causes tragedies in your life."
"...Don't go imagining the second half of the story yourself."
After giving her a resigned glare, Yuu prepared to leave the quiet park and walk toward Sobu High.
Unfazed by his attitude, Masuzu smiled proudly, then naturally linked her arm through his.
Something soft, warm, and elastic—almost wire-free—pressed tightly against him, leaving no gap at all.
"Does it have to be this close?" Yuu asked, not blushing, only curious.
"When acting, you must go all-in, understand?" Maintaining a perfect smile, Masuzu spoke with a mocking tone. "Couples who enjoy physical contact—inside their heads, there's only the urge to reproduce and fear of loneliness... Just skin touching skin, no real happiness at all."
Yuu was stunned. "You just wanted to know this?"
Masuzu didn't answer. She only gave him a flirtatious glance and smiled meaningfully.