The next morning, the bright sunlight bathed Mount Fuji outside the window in a golden glow.
"Phew… last night was wild," Tetsu Fuyukawa murmured, feeling the warmth of the heater. His left arm was pinned under the sleeping beauty beside him, and a gentle smile crept onto his face.
Let's be real—when a 30-year-old woman lets loose, things get crazy. From the hot spring's steamy "train bento" session to the bed, then the bathroom's glass walls, the floor-to-ceiling mirror, and even the pillar under the snowy courtyard eaves—they didn't stop until past 3 a.m. Even Tetsu, who prided himself on his stamina, felt drained.
"Addressing the root cause sure beats treating the symptoms," he chuckled, glancing at the wall clock. "Time to get up."
Careful not to wake Sayako, he gently rolled her off him and started to get ready. But just as he moved, a soft, warm tongue tickled his sensitive ribs.
"Tetsu-kun, ohayo~" Sayako mumbled, half-asleep, her face lighting up with a dreamy smile as she blinked up at him.
"You little vixen, that tickles!" Tetsu flopped back onto the bed, pinching her cheeks playfully. "Go back to sleep. We've just got some wrap-up scenes this morning, then we're heading back to Tokyo."
"Mmm, no way." Sayako wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling her sweet face against his chest. "I already took half a day off yesterday. If I slack off again, people will talk behind your back, Tetsu-kun."
"No worries. Everyone's seen how hard you've been working." Tetsu affectionately tweaked her nose.
Truth be told, next to him, Sayako was the busiest in the crew. It wasn't just her after-hours work on Fate—the three-month production schedule for Surrounded by Beauties was grueling. Nogi handled company paperwork and liaised with other departments, often working from the office, which was easier without Tetsu hovering. Kawaguchi managed finances, tracked equipment and venue costs, and occasionally played the male lead, keeping him busy but not as swamped as Sayako. She was juggling game UI design, character illustrations, and, due to Kojiro Honda's understaffed filming team and tight budget, she was also running around Tokyo to rent costumes, comparing prices. Back on set, she helped with makeup, hairstyling, and other odd jobs. It was exhausting, physically and mentally.
Hearing Tetsu's words, Sayako's eyes sparkled with warmth. She flipped over, straddling him, her hands gripping his arms as her pale feet brushed against his hairy calves. "You're the big boss saying this, so it's definitely not me being lazy, okay?" she teased, her voice dripping with playfulness.
Tetsu felt her soft weight pressing against him and grinned at her beaming face. "Got it. Our Sayako's the hardest worker."
"So, doesn't that mean Tetsu-kun owes me a reward?" Her breath was hot against his neck, her big, dewy eyes burning with mischief.
The ancients weren't kidding—30 is a wild age for women.
Tetsu's breathing quickened as he locked his strong arms around her slim waist, rolling them over on the bed.
"Got you!" he growled.
"Mmm, Tetsu-kun's always so rough," she pouted, feigning complaint.
"Don't like it?"
"I love it. This time, I want you to… hold my neck from behind."
"You like the pressure, huh?"
"Mmm…"
Desire's one heck of a vortex. After another round in bed, when Tetsu finally hit the shower, a soft "koala" clung to him again. By the time Sayako was gently adjusting his trench coat collar at the hotel door, the clock read 8:30 a.m.
No wonder they say emperors skip morning court for this.
He was late. Tetsu gave a wry smile, but Sayako's parting kiss, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, melted away any frustration.
"You little temptress," he muttered, stepping out of the hot spring hotel into a blast of cold air. "Brr, it's freezing."
Shrugging his shoulders against the chill, he tightened his high-neck sweater to hide the love bites and hurried to the crew's bus in the parking lot. No surprise—Tetsu Fuyukawa was never late, but today he was, and straight from a hot spring hotel, no less. As he boarded, Kawaguchi, sitting by the driver, stifled a laugh, avoiding eye contact. In the back, Asuka Tsukitake's playful gaze scanned him, landing on his high neckline. A sly smile spread across her cool, moonlit face.
"Since when does the team leader wear turtlenecks?" she teased, sliding into the seat next to him as he sat down.
"Mind your own business," Tetsu shot back, rolling his eyes.
Asuka leaned closer, whispering with a grin, "Oh, the team leader's private life—however blissful—is none of my concern. But you didn't forget our bet, did you?"
"Relax, I'm not about to scam a kid. Send me the model and address, and I'll order it online."
"No can do." Asuka's eyes glinted mischievously. "It's the deluxe high-speed version. You can't get it online—it's exclusive to that store."
Exclusive, my foot! It's just a darn bouncy toy! Tetsu thought, exasperated. High-speed deluxe version? Seriously?
He was too tired to argue. After last night's marathon and this morning's encore, he was beat. Yawning, he waved her off. "Fine, I'll get it when I have time."
"You'd better keep your word, big boss," Asuka said, smirking.
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
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The filming for Surrounded by Beauties was nearing its end, but the final scenes were the toughest. The three idol actresses, including Asuka, had little acting experience. To help them get into character, Tetsu shot the scenes in the order of the story's progression. Since Surrounded by Beauties was a romance game, the confession scenes and character arcs came at the end, making them harder to nail.
High-pressure work was exhausting, but it also made it easier to focus entirely on the job. Asuka, in particular, had a knack for acting, slipping into her role more naturally than the others. But that was a headache for Tetsu. She was playing "Hao Hao's Mom," whose key scenes involved Mount Fuji, skiing, and the hot spring. They'd finished the skiing and Fuji scenes yesterday, but the hot spring scene, planned for last night, got delayed to this morning due to the power outage. And this morning…
Tetsu was sore. Really sore.
Having gone at least six rounds since last night, Tetsu, now in shorts and manning the camera in the hot spring, felt his veins throbbing as Asuka, draped in a sheer veil, dipped her pale toes into the water. Thankfully, the game was rated 15+, so there were no overly intimate scenes. As Asuka leaned forward, her figure swaying, she kissed the mic under the camera, and the scene wrapped.
The shot was perfect. Kojiro Honda was all thumbs-up, shouting "Sugoi! Sugoi! Very sugoi!" Tetsu, still reeling from Asuka's "attack," took a towel from Marri Shiraishi, the mature actress, before daring to stand up from the water.
But Marri, clearly not over him, noticed something when she handed him the towel. Her face flushed, and she playfully flicked him—not hard, but after so much "use," it hurt. Tetsu doubled over in pain, making Asuka, who'd been watching, burst into laughter. She only stopped when he shot her a death glare, covering her giggling mouth as she ran off to change.
With "Hao Hao's Mom's" confession scene done, the Mount Fuji trip wrapped successfully. But Surrounded by Beauties had six female characters. After picking up a still-wobbly Sayako from the hot spring inn at noon, the crew grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to Tokyo.
Back in the city, trouble brewed. The final scenes for actresses like Ziyen Zheng, Yunsi Li, and Huixing Shen went smoothly, but the confession scene for Xiao Lu hit a snag. Tetsu had initially planned to shoot it at Chidorigafuchi, with its 700-meter stretch of cherry blossoms, but the crew was too efficient. It wasn't even February, and the cherry buds hadn't bloomed yet, but they were already nearly done.
Kojiro suggested filming and adding effects later, which was the easiest fix, but their budget couldn't afford top-tier effects, and cheap ones would ruin the immersion. After some hesitation, Tetsu rewrote the scene, moving it to a railway crossing with falling cherry blossoms.
On a sunny afternoon, as a train passed, a few cherry trees shed petals, the heroine's skirt and hair fluttering in the breeze. It was reminiscent of 5 Centimeters per Second, though the "cherry blossoms" were fake—petals bought and glued on, with crew members shaking the trees.
Tetsu had been worried about this scene. A sea of cherry blossoms, like in Chidorigafuchi, evokes the awe of Ghost of Tsushima's reed fields or Sekiro's moonlit reeds, naturally boosting the actress's performance. A few trees couldn't match that impact, and to avoid continuity errors, Tetsu had to blur the focus, putting all the weight on the actress.
The actress playing Xiao Lu was Saito, the idol who always wore white thigh-high stockings. Her acting was decent but not stellar—her appeal lay in her pure look and those eye-catching legs. Tetsu's fears were justified: after three or four days, the scene still wasn't right.
Kojiro, the cinematographer and half-director, was frustrated and wanted another take, but Tetsu called a halt and pulled Saito aside. What she said floored him.
"Um… if Kawaguchi-san is the male lead, I just… can't get into the confession scene."
Tetsu was dumbfounded.
So, under Kawaguchi's teary gaze from the cherry tree he was shaking, Tetsu took up the camera and stepped in as the male lead. It felt absurd. "Kawaguchi's been the sweet, reliable male lead for two months, and now I'm the one she confesses to? And he's stuck shaking the tree? Reality's brutal."
Feeling bad, Tetsu considered letting a makeup artist take over tree-shaking duty, but Kawaguchi, wiping tears, clung to the tree with grim determination, his face screaming, "I don't care, I don't care! Saito-san will realize I'm the better lead!"
But reality was cruel. With Tetsu as the male lead, Saito snapped into character instantly. As the train passed and cherry petals fell, her longing gaze at Tetsu was so intense it could've melted steel.
Kawaguchi collapsed, petrified, but no one paid him much attention—Surrounded by Beauties had wrapped!
When Tetsu shouted "Cut!" through the megaphone, the crew erupted in cheers. The three idols were in tears, not just because this was their first "big project," but because the past few months had been relentless—nonstop work with only a couple of days off.
Relief washed over everyone, followed by a surge of joy. It was Christmas Eve! In Japan, where less than 1% of the population is Christian, Christmas Eve is less about religion and more about a chance for young people to let loose, forget work or school stress, and hit the town for some fun. Some crew members probably just wanted to crash and sleep, so Tetsu didn't pull the "boss card" and mandate a wrap party. He announced the celebration would happen after the game's release.
The crew was officially free, and their excitement exploded. To Tetsu's surprise, the three idols didn't rush off to party but invited him to a movie. Naturally, the upright Tetsu declined.
After saying goodbye to the crew, he and Sayako went out for a big dinner and a stroll. As night fell, he was backing his black Volkswagen into the garage when a jingle of bells caught his ear.
"?"
Under the moonlight, Tetsu glanced at the rearview camera, then did a double-take. Sayako, who'd been in her OL uniform when they got in the car, had somehow changed into a Christmas reindeer outfit. She was sprawled across the backseat, hands gripping the headrest, her waist low, and her soft, peachy backside—wrapped in a red mini-skirt—swaying at the mirror.
Catching his gaze, Sayako, looking like an adorable reindeer, blushed and flashed a shy, playful smile. "Merry Christmas Eve, Tetsu-kun~"
"You little vixen!"
Skrrt! The car shot into the garage. Amid the neighbor's dog barking, the Volkswagen started rocking under the moonlit sky.
"Those two are out of control! Absolutely shameless! Is there no law left in Tokyo?!" Himawari Izumi, wearing a red Santa hat, stepped onto the second-floor balcony of her little red house and froze at the sight. Her smile faded, her cheeks puffed out in a red-faced pout, and she gripped her Christmas wand tightly.
After staring and grumbling for a while, her face growing redder, she huffed, stormed back inside, and pulled out her worn copy of A Little Story After the Rain. Slumping against the wall, she started flipping through it.
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