Kiyoki Katsuya turned toward Seiya. When he saw Seiya give a small nod indicating he didn't mind, Kiyoki smiled. "It's fine. Reality shows are about authenticity. Besides, getting to know superstar Wenren Seiya's views on love will probably become one of the show's main selling points."
Since Seiya had no objections, Kiyoki was delighted. In fact, he was already planning to use this clip as a teaser to generate buzz.
As for Seiya himself, he didn't avoid the question from Washimi Sayuki and MEMChu. Instead, he glanced at Aqua, who had been quietly trying to blend into the background. "What, didn't Aqua tell you? He and I are classmates. I joined Now in Love because he invited me."
Everyone turned to Aqua in surprise. None of them had expected the two to be close friends—especially since the two hadn't exchanged a single word since filming began.
"So that means Seiya didn't join Now in Love because of a girl… but because of a guy?"
MEMChu, being a seasoned streamer, instantly caught on to the playful tone and decided to roll with it. Her teasing words immediately lit up the atmosphere.
"Boys with boys, huh? If it's Seiya and Aqua, I think that could actually work. Kind of cute, don't you think?"
"Right? Now in Love might be a romance show, but no one ever said the couples had to be heterosexual, right?"
Sayuki and MEMChu's playful banter shifted the spotlight toward Seiya and the quiet "outsider," Aqua, causing everyone on set to burst out laughing.
From behind the monitors, Kiyoki Katsuya nodded in satisfaction. Sayuki and MEMChu were newcomers, but they had a real knack for variety-show banter.
He had a feeling this season of Now in Love was going to blow up, and the cast would definitely benefit from the exposure.
"Come on, enough with the jokes already," Seiya said with a laugh. "My tastes are perfectly normal, okay? If you keep teasing like that, the show won't even pass review, and the producers will be tearing their hair out."
The production crew couldn't help but grin. Even they hadn't expected that the superstar actor had such great comedic timing—his variety sense was top-tier.
"Is that so? Then tell us, Seiya—what kind of girl is your ideal type?"
Sayuki, the youngest among the girls, had a real sense for steering the conversation toward herself or others at just the right moment.
Seiya paused for a moment, lowering his head as if in thought. Then, after glancing toward the corner where Arima Kana was standing, he said, "I've never been in a relationship before, so I don't really know what kind of girl I like. But if I had to say… probably someone like Arima-senpai."
The words hit like a bomb. Everyone—Sayuki, the production staff, even Kiyoki—was completely stunned.
Wait—what?!
When Seiya had gone silent, everyone thought he was trying to dodge the question.
But no—he'd been charging up a critical hit!
He was a top-tier celebrity! How could he just drop something like that so casually?! Even on a romance show like Now in Love, people were going to take that seriously!
"Whoa! Seiya, you're even bolder than I thought! This is only the first episode, and you're already confessing to Kana-chan on camera?"
"And sure, Kana-chan's gorgeous, no denying that—but you only met her today, right? How can you be so sure she's your type? You'll come across as kind of shallow if you say things like that, don't you think, Kana-chan?"
At that moment, Arima Kana's face had gone completely crimson.
Last night's "confession" over the phone had already been mortifying—but at least that wasn't in front of everyone.
Now, though, with cameras rolling and everyone watching, Seiya had just said she was his ideal type!
"N-no, that's not it," Seiya said, smiling. "Kana-senpai and I… we've actually known each other for a long time. You all probably don't know, but we're childhood friends. I was even able to debut as a child actor thanks to her help."
Everyone froze again.
"Kana was proud and self-centered when we were kids," Seiya continued. "And yeah, she could be harsh with her words—she hurt a lot of people that way. But I always knew that deep down, she was just a kid carrying burdens she shouldn't have had to. She wanted to be acknowledged. Even when she acted reluctant or stubborn, if someone really asked her for help, she'd always lend a hand in the end.
She'd light up when praised or recognized. She might tear into someone with sharp words—but inside, she's kinder than anyone I know. That's the Arima Kana I remember."
When Seiya finished, the whole set went dead silent.
Even Kurokawa Akane, who had once been hurt by Kana's harsh personality as a child, looked utterly shocked.
Because as someone who had once admired Kana as an idol, she had never seen that side of her before.
As for Kana herself—the "topic of the moment"—she had practically turned into a cloud of steam.
When the camera panned toward her, she muttered a single "Baka…" ("Idiot…") and bolted off, face bright red.
Watching her run off, Seiya covered his face with one hand, sighing helplessly.
Come on, Kana-senpai, I'm trying my best here to get you more screen time! The topic was hot, the emotion was perfect—and then you just run off? What am I supposed to do now?
To Seiya, even though Now in Love was technically unscripted, it was still a performance meant to entertain.
He and Kana were childhood friends—they knew each other well. Pretending to be a couple shouldn't have been this hard.
So why did she bolt like that?
Aren't you supposed to be a professional actress?! You just fled the scene mid-shoot! How am I supposed to continue the bit alone?
"Childhood-friend duo turned actor couple? That's god-tier material! Looks like the rest of us don't stand a chance now."
"Seiya, you idiot—you're such a love dummy! Kana-chan just ran off, and you're not even chasing her?"
Seiya: "(￣ー￣;)… Should I really chase her, though? I didn't do anything wrong…"
Everyone stared at him, speechless.
MEMChu sighed. "You really don't get it, huh? What you just said to her was basically a full-blown, emotionally devastating confession!"
(Guys, come on—throw me some votes! If you don't have a monthly ticket, a recommendation will do! I just wanna see how many people are following along! (￣▽￣) )
(End of Chapter)