YNoMH? (BL)

15

Chapter 15: Center of the World (2)

The next day around 4 in the afternoon, Kei was sitting in a corner of the empty cafeteria when a voice approached him and said, "Oh, Kuniedkun."

I'm on my break, dammit. Get a clue, stupid.

However, he immediately put on his best smile and greeted, "Hello, good afternoon."

"Perfect timing. I was just about to head to the announcer department to find you."

The lady was sporting a pair of large, dangly earrings, and Kei wanted to ask, What department are you from? She seemed like a producer, probably joined the same year as Shitara.

"It's still a couple months off, but I have a project in mind for you for Cinenight. I wanted to ask you what you think about it first."

"What is it about?"

It was a 10-minute short program that aired late night on Saturdays. Announcers would introduce and spotlight a movie for each show, highlighting PR teasers and interviewing the directors and/or cast members. It was essentially additional publicity for movies. The announcers were on rotation, appearing at least once every 3 months—Kei included.

"There's a film called Caramel Days that just finished shooting. Have you ever read the original work that it's based on?"

"I believe it's an incredibly popular shoujo manga?"

"That's right."

Of course, I've never read it. And on the off chance that I did, I wouldn't be able to admit it.

"It would probably be a little weird if I read it."

"Oh, no, not at all! I recently borrowed the books from my niece, and it was pretty interesting."

It's probably another cliched story filled with ridiculous teenagers, all hearts and sparkles in their eyes as they fumble through their way through school, emotions, friendships, and love. I also don't get why in the live-action films, all the high school boys look like they cosplaying as hosts.

"Anyway, the film will open this summer, and when we feature it on Cinenights, we'd love to have you be the presenter. We plan to bring in the two leads for the interview."

"You'd like me to present it?"

He wore a mask of bewilderment, but under it he was griping, You gotta be kidding me! Although it was a part of their job duties, there was an unspoken rule that films would be matched to the announcers in a way that would fit their image. For example, Tatsuki introduced a lot of action and comedy films, and Kei was typically in charge of deep, introspective dramas or documentaries. In other words, the type of film that would make him fall asleep in 5 minutes if he was watching it at home.

"But at the heart of the film is a shoujo manga love story, correct? Would it not be more suitable for a woman announcer to present it?"

"We wanted to change it up and have you present it, Kuniedkun. The main character is in love with the very proper and kind-looking class president, and it'd be perfect to have you on! But on the inside he's pretty arrogant and rude."

Ugh, I just felt a cold shiver run down my spine at the sound of that.

In the end, Kei had no grounds to refuse the request. It was going to be a more painful screening than usual. Since the film was based on a manga, he'd have to read that too. He also had to check up on the actors' backgrounds and previous films. The show's director would handle the interview questions and pass the list over for the management company to review beforehand, but Kei still had to come prepared with his research otherwise the interview could come off sounding empty and disinterested.