Unfamiliar Territory (Chizuru Ichinose x Reader)

(25) Acting Opportunity

(A Few Months Later)

Y/n's POV:

Waking up, I receive a text from Ichinose. I wait on answering it, deciding to have breakfast and get some exercise done. Once ready, I open my phone:

Chizuru: [Hey, can you meet me at the cafe. There's something I'd like to talk about]

I quickly type a response, wondering what this could be about.

Y/n: [Okay. I'll be there in 10 minutes]

I get dressed as fast as I can and exit the apartment, going into the cafe. She spots me, calling me name and gesturing for me to join her. I sit directly opposite her, causing a change in her expression that lasted only for a split second. Almost all the males in the cafe sneak glances at her, mesmerised by her beauty. I don't even bother getting angry anymore, used to it whenever we hang out. She finishes drinking a coffee she must have ordered prior to me arriving before she begins:

Chizuru: "I auditioned for a play my drama group is hosting and I actually got a part. It's not the main character but it's still something..." She says as I cut her off, congratulating her.

"I wasn't finished." She says, glaring at me. I apologize for interrupting. She then continues:

"A famous director will be there, looking for an actor to join his cast. If I do well, I could catch his eye and that would lead to bigger things." She says, evidently putting on a front to act maturely about it. I can almost hear the hidden excitement in her voice! 

"Since you said you wanted to help, I can have a seat reserved for you, if you have the time..." She states, to which I interrupt her again, this time on purpose:

Y/n: "Of course, I'd love to come along. I'm glad to see you're advancing in your acting career." I reply, causing her to brush it off, stating that the play itself 'isn't that big of a deal'.

Chizuru: "In which case, I'll send you the details of the play and the time it starts over the phone." She says casually.

Afterwards, our time together ends and I go back to my apartment, walking in the opposite direction to Ichinose, who has to go to rehearse.

I finally finish the last book, just in time for the deadline. I sit on the couch relaxed. I decide to take a break from writing anymore stories, clearing my desk and placing my rough ideas in a safe place. Although I love writing, it can be a little tiring at times. Having a month off should be enough. I thought, excited to have more free time on my hands.

I get a little more exercise done, followed by catching up with my friends. I'll have a lot more time to hang out with Kibe and the others as well.

Later on, I receive a message from Ichinose, saying that Sumi would like another practise date. I smile, happy as just her wanting to try again is proof of her progress. I accept, the date being set to tomorrow.

I take a look out of the window, the charcoal coloured sky giving me an idea of the time. I check my phone once more, confirming this, before going to bed.

Chizuru's POV:

Once I get to my acting class, rehearsals and planning begin! A couple of my peers who didn't get through auditions watch me as I practise, complimenting me on my dedication to the character. I thank them for their kind words, insisting that they're overestimating me a little. Those that didn't make the cut got involved with the planning and preparations. Honestly, I'm not sure whether I'm good enough yet... I think to myself, reading over my notes on the script I was given a couple of months ago. Analysing every line carefully, I continue rehearsing until someone from the planning team approaches me.

Aoi: "H-Hi Chizuru. Do you want a seat reserved for the night of the performance." She says, preparing for the usual 'no'. She looks at me confused as I take a deep breath before answering:

Chizuru: "Yes, one please. Middle row if possible." I say, stunning not just Aoi, but all around me that overheard, including two who also have a role in the play.

Shiori: "Ooh, is Chizuru finally bringing her boyfriend?" She says excitedly, while Umi, standing next to her, just listens to the conversation.

Chizuru: "Nope, because for the millionth time, I don't have one." I say flatly, annoyed at her remark.

Upon hearing this, Umi finally chimes in:

Umi: "Is it perhaps your grandma then?" He asks, to which I shake my head.

Chizuru: "It's just someone from my Uni who's interested in plays." I say, knowing that they'll want more details.

Sure enough, this puts Shiori back onto the 'boyfriend' idea, with even Umi being quite interested. Shiori and many others bombard me with more questions, which I try to ignore. He comes to my defence:

Umi: "Now now, if she doesn't want to say then that's her business. Let's give it a rest everyone, we are interrupting her practise after all." He says calmly. Many others fake-groaning, sad that he 'spoiled their fun'. 

Chizuru: "Thank you, Umi." I say, relieved.

Umi: "No problem. To be honest, I'm quite curious myself who it is but now's not the time. We need to be as great as possible for the production, right?" He asks, to which I agree, even more determined to improve.

After 2 more hours, I finally stop for the day. The building being almost empty as everyone else had left half an hour ago. Umi stayed the longest but eventually left too, giving me the a spare set of keys to the building, so I could lock up afterwards.

I walk back to my apartment, treating myself to a warm cup of green tea whilst reading more of the books Y/n gave me. 

I receive a message from Sumi, asking me to arrange another practise date with Y/n. I do just that, texting Y/n and setting one up for the next day. 

After that, I start my own research on the character I'll be playing, in order to give as convincing of a performance as possible.

Many, many hours pass as I go way past my schedule. Realising this, I rush to bed, going straight to sleep, though it'll only be a couple of hours until I have to wake up to go visit grandma in the morning.

Still, I regret nothing