Nanaya Kiryu had never met anyone as annoying as Momokusa. Although Momokusa wasn't the person Nanaya hated the most, he was definitely the most irritating like a buzzing fly that never went away.
Honestly, Nanaya still couldn't understand why the guy insisted on being so confrontational. They didn't even have any direct conflict. "So what if I told you the person you were flirting with was actually a guy? Does it really have to escalate into some point-of-no-return feud? Are they just bored out of their minds?"
"How did he even do it?" Nanaya picked up another pair of chopsticks and continued eating, though his expression was so dark it looked like water could drip from his face. The boxed lunch, already mediocre, now tasted like nothing at all.
"It seems he used his connections to bring in a few trainees from Johnny's Entertainment to act as extras. I wasn't paying attention for one moment, and they slipped in. I'm really sorry."
Utsumi's expression was equally terrible. As the production manager of Rinpo, being tricked by a minor idol was a complete humiliation.
"No, this has nothing to do with you, Utsumi-san."
Nanaya finally understood why those extras all looked suspiciously handsome they were idol trainees.
Ori asked, puzzled, "I remember Johnny's Entertainment is very strict about managing their idols, right? How could they let their own trainees take minor roles like this?"
Johnny's Entertainment's stars were famous for high popularity, high viewership, and high fees. Because their appearance fees were exorbitant, the company maintained extremely strict control. Even trainees were absolutely forbidden from taking private jobs.
"Those trainees are basically about to be dropped. Management there has gotten a little lax with them." Utsumi lowered his voice, wanting to keep the matter from spreading. "I already checked this was just that brat's idea. Johnny's has nothing to do with it. And even if they're powerful, they wouldn't dare mess with Rinpo. I'm guessing this is the extent of the tricks that kid can pull. Kiryu, you don't need to worry."
Nanaya nodded. "Yeah. What I need to do now is focus on making the movie as perfect as possible. Everything else can wait until after we're done."
Using a finished film to slap someone in the face was far more effective than any verbal comeback.
"Do your best, big brother! We believe in you!"
The little girl who had been watching the commotion Illya gave Nanaya a big thumbs-up.
"…Mm."
Nanaya reached out to ruffle Illya's hair, but quickly withdrew his hand not because her hair was prickly, but because Sera's stare was way too intense. If Nanaya didn't have a strong will to live, he suspected Sera would've chopped him in the neck and sent him to the hospital.
"Uh… Ori, what's the shooting schedule for this afternoon?"
Trying to cover up his embarrassment, Nanaya hurriedly asked Ori about the plan.
Ori immediately flipped through the script. "Let me see… It should be the scene where Ryougi Shiki first passes by the Shijou Building and sees the corpse and the spirit floating in the sky."
"The female lead's scene… Ori, are you really not going to try it yourself?" Katsura Mako asked tentatively, rubbing her slightly chubby chin.
Please allow me to refuse.
Ori turned her down without hesitation.
"Speaking of which," Illya chimed in with sparkling eyes, "what kind of person is the female lead you found, big brother? Is she the type you think is super pretty?"
Nanaya looked helpless. "Well… the budget is limited, so we could only pick someone suitable. She should be arriving soon."
As he spoke, Nanaya checked his watch only to realize the agreed time had already passed. His heart sank.
"Senpai…?"
"It's fine. Maybe she's stuck in traffic." Nanaya forced a calm smile. "Katsura-nee, once Ms. Adachi arrives, take her for makeup. Ori, prepare her costume ahead of time."
Although Nanaya looked composed, his clenched right fist exposed his real feelings.
Fortunately, his worst fears didn't come true. Half an hour before afternoon filming was scheduled to start, the female lead's car finally arrived.
"We're very sorry we're late!"
A young man in a suit jumped out of the driver's seat of the black sedan and bowed deeply to the crew.
"Uh… I'm just an extra. The director is over there."
The elderly extra he bowed to pointed at Nanaya awkwardly.
"A-ah! Sorry!"
The young man rushed toward Nanaya only to immediately trip over his own foot and fall flat on the ground.
Everyone watching broke out in cold sweat.
"…Is he trying to be funny?"
Katsura, on the other hand, looked impressed. "What an interesting kid. I feel like he'd pair well with my little uke!"
"No thanks, Katsura-nee! I already have a child!" Ikeda Subaru shuddered. The last thing he needed was yet another strange label from her. Nanaya and Ori were more than enough.
Nanaya sighed and went to help the man up.
"Thank you." The young man quickly brushed off the dust. "I'm really sorry. I'm Tamari Tsukasa, Ms. Adachi's manager."
"A newcomer?" Nanaya raised an eyebrow. He'd dealt with many agents, and this guy was clearly a greenhorn who had just entered the workforce.
"Yes…"
Tamari scratched his head, embarrassed.
"I remember Ms. Adachi was a child star, right? Why is her manager a total newbie?" Nanaya felt something was off. Suddenly, he wondered if hiring this actress might have been a mistake.
There had been many candidates from the industry, but most weren't qualified enough. It wasn't about looks there was never a shortage of beautiful actresses but lack of acting experience. Nanaya didn't have the budget to train someone from scratch.
However, the pay was too low, and the cast of Kara no Kyoukai was mostly unknown actors. Established actresses didn't bother auditioning.
Nanaya chose Adachi Satomi because she had once been a popular child actress. At age ten, she starred in the hit drama The Runaway Daughter and became quite famous. Although her career had faded in recent years, Nanaya could tell from her audition tapes that she still had solid acting fundamentals making her slightly better than the other candidates who had none.
But her attitude had been terrible. When Nanaya and Rinpo's casting staff first visited her, she immediately raised her price and demanded a higher salary and a private car.
If the Rinpo staff hadn't held Nanaya back, he would've walked out.
Even I, the director, don't get a private car! Why should you?! Just because you were a child star? Please!
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
After tough negotiations, her fee was set at 750,000 yen. Rinpo also provided a company bus but she had to arrange her own driver.
When questioned, Tamari looked even more embarrassed. "Actually… Ms. Adachi hasn't worked in a long time. Her previous manager ended her contract."
"So they just dumped a newcomer on her after the job was confirmed?" Nanaya guessed immediately. It was likely because the "big star" insisted on having a driver, so the agency shoved the newbie onto her. As a newcomer to the workforce, Tamari was basically a disposable tool.
"I'm very sorry."
Knowing he had no real defense, Tamari bowed again.
"It's fine. Just bring Ms. Adachi over quickly. We need to start soon." Nanaya waved him off he didn't want trivial matters delaying the schedule. He had become too frugal to waste even a tiny bit of the budget.
Tamari ran back to the car, opened the door, and helped Adachi Satomi out.
A young woman with a high ponytail stepped out, glanced at the slightly dirty abandoned building, and frowned in disgust.
Her expression was subtle but Nanaya caught it instantly.
Please don't cause trouble…
Watching Adachi follow Katsura to the makeup area, Nanaya silently prayed. As the female lead, she deserved proper treatment. But if she started acting like a diva, complaining and stirring up trouble among the crew, that was the last thing Nanaya wanted.
After all, he didn't want to become Kevin Reynolds
PS.Director Kevin Reynolds is known for major on-set conflicts, primarily with star Kevin Costner, leading to Reynolds walking off Waterworld (1995) due to creative differences