11th of January, 11:00 pm, 100 EMOJI! Productions' studio
The time seemed to freeze as Daniel leaped over the desk towards Kana. 'It's so Oshi no Kover for me,' was the only thing that went through her head in this moment. To put it into perspective, Daniel was a bulky foreign man who was over a foot taller than Kana and probably twice as heavy.
I've definitely overdone it, so in some way this outcome is my fault.
But that doesn't mean I'll just take it.
The sound of Daniel's fist whistling through the air was the only noise that filled the hall, since the entire audience had long fallen silent. Then, with a damp thud, his entire mass crashed into Kana's chair. "Too close," murmured Kana. She had managed to jump to the side just before they made impact; her cute little hat, which she wore, wasn't lucky enough to escape, though.
A terrified expression drew across her face as she slowly backed up further. 'I gotta get away from this man,' Kana thought. A shiver ran down her spine as Daniel, who had landed in a really unfortunate position, moved again, slowly and uncoordinated. His dilated eyes stared at Kana with the kind of hatred that made her wish she could just disappear; however, the wall she found herself pressed against didn't allow for any quick escapes.
The loud sound of the curtains drawing shut broke the eye contact that had built between Kana and Daniel. "Finally, it's over," Kana muttered to herself before looking back at Daniel, whose eyes looked distant.
Kana's sweaty palms felt along the wall as she inched further and further away from him, not averting her eyes for even another second. Four members of the crew rushed onto the stage and ran right past Kana, only stopping once they had reached Daniel. But Kana couldn't care less, her mind too numb to even register what they were saying.
If I had been even a second slower, he would've hit me head-on…
This entire evening was a mistake,
I should've just let him insult me like it happened countless times before…
Now I look like someone who bullied a grown man into a blind fit of rage. Great job, Kana.
And his eyes, the way he looked at me, I really went too far…
Him doing this to others doesn't give me the right to do it to him…
I really hope he can recover from this…
But I've probably just ruined his life…
"This was wonderful!" An energetic voice that even managed to drown out the still cheering crowd manages to ground Kana again, bringing her back to the here and now. It was a man who appeared to be in his mid-fifties walking up to her with quick steps.
"What's he want?" Kana thought as she quickly rubbed her sweaty palms against her skirt before looking herself up and down, straightening her attire. "Who are you?" Kana asked as soon as the man was close enough to talk without shouting.
"I am a representative for the higher-ups and VIPs of 100! Emoji Entertainment," the man said while actually reaching out his hand to shake hers.
Kana hesitated for a second, then she reluctantly shook his hand; his skin felt old and unpleasant against hers. "Okay, and what do you want from me?"
"I wanted to congratulate you," the man exclaimed excitedly, "The higher-ups loved your confidence and act."
He reached into his right pocket and pulled a fancy-looking business card out. "We would love to stay in contact for future opportunities," he says as he holds this card out for Kana to take.
Kana inspected the card, on it various phone numbers, the logo of the company, different addresses, and more. Then she finally took it out of his hand. "Thanks," she murmured while sliding it into her pocket.
"Good choice, I will count on hearing from you in the future," the man said before walking off again, leaving Kana standing alone. Daniel, as well as the four members, were also gone by now; they left without Kana even noticing. The only thing that remained was the crowd that was cheering even now, easily 5 minutes after the curtains had closed.
…
Kana stood on the side of the road right in front of the studio building. She silently watched the various cars speed by her, all having their own lives and going to different places. She covered her mouth with her hands, breathing into them to ward the chilly night away, her hot breath fills her body with pleasure.
She had changed back into her more casual clothes, plain jeans, a thick jacket, and a new, warmer hat that was just as cute as the one she wore during her interview half an hour prior. The faint light of the waning gibbous high above her head tinted her already pale skin in its white light, making it appear even cleaner than usual.
"None of them came…" She clutched her phone tight in her right hand. On her screen, displayed almost as bright as the headlights of the traffic, were zero new messages.
I have made many amazing friends over the last two years…
Ruby, she always sees you, no matter how hard you try to stay invisible; Ruby will find a way to see you, even when everyone else is looking right past, or even worse, through you. She is so pure, I need to make sure this industry never ruins her, too.
Mem-Cho, she's my absolute bestie. Maybe I feel connected to her since our pasts are so similar, but even if that's not the case, I don't care. She always smiles, even when she's hurt. I need to protect that smile no matter what, so she can have the years back that the world stole from her.
Akane, my biggest rival… That's so childish, I can't… I haven't looked at her as a friend for a very long time, but that was so insecure of me, holy. She has the same interests as me, in some things she's better in other things I am… No need for me to get all jealous. I really want to act with her again. Maybe Miyako can arrange something like that.
Miyako, Crazy to think that I've even gotten a mother in the last two years, at least that is what I hope a real mother acts like. She is always so much more supportive and caring than she needs to be. My other managers were always so distant… I wonder which of these two is the norm…
My mother, if I can even call her that… No, she isn't in the wrong. If I had just been better, then she would still love me… That's at least what my old self would've said, but that's not true; neither is it love… At least she visited me when I was hurt, though.
"Aqua…" Kana whispered into the cold night as she looked up at the sky. The bright lights around her made it impossible to see anything other than the dark universe.
… but in the end, I will always be alone. The only person I will ever be able to fully count on am I myself, nobody else.
"Aren't you Kana Arima?" A voice coming from behind Kana startled her so much she almost jumped out into the oncoming traffic before she caught herself. When she turned, still a bit startled from being pulled out of her thoughts, she saw right behind her a boy who appeared to be around her age, maybe a bit younger.
"Whoa there, I'm sorry for scaring you, I just didn't know how to approach you… My name is Akira. I saw your performance early," The guy, Akira, said, while stepping closer to Kana. He began to look at the oncoming cars, while Kana still silently stared at the side of his head. Then she sighed and turned her attention back to the heavy traffic, too.
"So… Did you like it?" Kana asked awkwardly after about half a minute of silence.
"It was good for the circumstances, but you fell for their trap," Akira said, while still not even looking at her.
Kana, shocked by his sudden bluntness, couldn't help but look at him once more. "What do you mean? I was able to keep my cool, and I even gave this moderator a taste of his own medicine. A total success in my books."
"It's not that simple," Akira began before pulling out a new pack of cigarettes and lighting himself one up. "In the end, the viewers still enjoyed it, the live audience as well as the dedicated fans at home. No one really cares who it is that gets ruined as long as it is somebody who gets ruined. The poor guy was probably on drugs, too, maybe not even willingly, I mean, did you see the way he behaved, both you and I know that nobody with training would lash out like that under normal conditions."
"You mean that this is my fault?" Kana asked, suddenly pretty defensive about her performance, after all.
"No, no," Akira explained in a calming voice while sliding his pack of cigarettes back into the pocket of his pants. "Like I said, you did well. But in this business, it's always the industry who wins, no matter what… Also, it might not be over for you, just yet. They often try to pull you deeper into this whole thing and start acting like you signed a contract with them the second you take their business card…"
"When you take their business card, huh," Kana murmured. The card she took suddenly weighed down on her a whole lot.
"Where are my manners?" Akira exclaimed suddenly, "You want one, too?" He asked as he held out his pack of cigarettes.
Kana hesitated for a second as her eyes flashed with resilience, then she reached her hand out. To his surprise, she reached right by the pack of cigarettes and grabbed his lighter out of his other hand.
It couldn't have been more than a few moments that passed between Akira's offer and the 100! Emoji business card burning as bright as a supernova. "No thanks, and you shouldn't smoke either," Kana said.
The raging flames made their way up the dry paper faster than Kana had expected, but it was of no matter; she dropped it onto the dark ground before they got the chance to latch onto her hand.
"You have a serious pair of balls, girl, not gonna lie," Akira nodded while looking at the ground, the 100! Emoji logo in the top left corner slowly fading away, turning black, as the flames spread, engulfing the entire card within them.
"I'd like for them to try… I'm done playing by their rules…" Kana spat out. But literally anyone could hear how her voice crackled amidst her words.
"I expected nothing less from you after the performance you just gave us," Akira laughed in between the clouds of smoke, purposefully raising his head every time before blowing them out.
"Anyways," Akira said while dropping his only half-burnt cigarette onto the floor and stomping it out. "I have to get going now…" He turned away and walked backwards, pointing at Kana with his right hand. "Oh, and by the way, I'm an actor, too, maybe we'll act together in the future. My full name is Akira Kouboku, if you want to Google me."
With that, he wanted to complete his smooth exit, spinning around 180 degrees. What he hadn't taken into account, however, was the pole right in front of him. A loud *dung* pierced through the night, followed by a quiet "fuck" as he held his head with his right hand.
Kana couldn't help but laugh as he quickened his step, trying to get away from her as fast as possible. Such an odd person.