Aikatsu Era!

S1 E16: A Present from Nature

Reyna Harusame 春雨 レイナ

"Alright, that's a wrap!" Ashikawa-san said as we finished up our filming for the day.

  I yawned. All this acting made me tired. I haven't been getting enough sleep since I became an actress.

  The day after I was officially chosen as the protagonist of Combat Duo, I observed Shibagaki Gin's actor life. The group of adults who we were with were tolerable, except this one lady. She was a jerk. I heard her last name was Fukui.

  Speaking of that lady, apparently, she was one of the producers of this television show. All I received from her was criticism. She'd say stuff like, "Harusame, you're not natural enough," or "Harusame, you're supposed to be an actress but you're not acting properly." What did I do to get her hate?

  Just as I was about to leave, Ashikawa-san handed me the script for the next filming. I thanked him.

  "You alright, Harusame?" Ashikawa-san asked in concern.

  I nodded. "I'm just tired."

  "I see," he spoke. "Please get as much rest as you can."

  "I'll try."

  I waved goodbye to Ashikawa-san. When I left the studio, a boy with silver-white hair and blue eyes was leaning on the wall. Shibagaki Gin, the colleague I spent most of my time with.

  "Leaving now, Vermicelli?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "Right. I have training with you," I sighed.

  "You're the one who told me to help you, don't you remember?" Shibagaki muttered.

I nodded. I asked Shibagaki to help me because I wanted to improve my acting skills.

I've always wanted to be an actress, but the actress life did not seem to like me. Did I even choose the right path? Was becoming an actress really something I wanted?

—————

Yana Aikyou 愛敬 矢那

I sat at a table in the cafeteria, waiting for my friends.

"Yana-chan!" I heard Syurina-chan called. "Is Reyna-chan still at work?"

Nodding, I said, "Yeah. She hasn't been getting enough sleep lately."

"You're right," Syurina replied, placing a finger on her chin. "She always seems sleepy in class. During recess, she often takes a nap."

  I sipped my peach tea. "Is being an actress at Seiza Studios that stressful?"

  "That depends on who's responsible for a certain television series," a familiar voice answered.

  I turned and saw Kiyoko-chan sitting next to Syurina.

  "Kiyoko-chan? You're here?" Syurina asked.

  "Of course!" Kiyoko replied cheerfully. "When I was at Seiza Studios, I didn't have much trouble. That's because I had Ashikawa-san. He's so kind to us! Also, I was a kid at that time, so I didn't have high expectations."

  "Then why does Reyna-chan seem so stressed?" I asked

  "She's the main protagonist of Combat Duo alongside Onii-chan. I heard that one of the producers of that show is Fukui Junko-san. She's super strict and scary and she has no sense of humour."

  "I thought Reyna-chan had Ashikawa-san," Syurina noted.

  Kiyoko nodded as she ate her dinner. "She does! But Fukui-san has a more major role in this series' production. She wants this show to be perfect. I heard that even Onii-chan dislikes her."