"Hey, big brother, what are you writing?"
The sudden question nearly made Nanaya jump out of his seat, and the pen in his hand clattered to the table.
He looked up immediately and saw a smiling face.
Pale, translucent skin, naturally delicate features that could easily grace a camera, smooth legs beneath a red plaid knee-length skirt, crimson eyes, and long silver hair tied at the waist, giving her an aura of elegance. In the dim lighting of the café, the girl shone like a miniature sun, dazzling in her presence.
From Nanaya's estimate, she couldn't be older than twelve. Her distinctive hair and eye color immediately reminded him of a character he knew very well from memory.
"Little one, what brings you here?" Nanaya asked with what he hoped was a kind, gentle smile.
The girl pouted, hands on her hips, and scolded him:
"I'm not little! And didn't Ilya just ask big brother a question? Why is big brother asking Ilya instead?!"
Hearing her response, Nanaya's first reaction was a silent, "So that's the name, huh?" He found it slightly unbelievable how naturally he had accepted it.
Humans really are a strange species… he thought.
Seeing that Nanaya wasn't reacting, the little girl seized the moment and snatched the script off the table.
"Hey!" Nanaya shouted, but it was useless. Ilya plopped herself down across from him and began flipping through the pages.
"Oh, it's a movie script… Kiryu Nanaya? So that's big brother's name? What a nice name…" Her eyes immediately sparkled with excitement as she eagerly read the script.
Is this little girl naturally this forward? And… does she even understand a script?
Unlike a rich, story-driven novel, a professional script can feel dry and straightforward to outsiders. Most readers might enjoy the story itself but rarely appreciate the script's structure.
Ilya looked up, smiling.
"I've read quite a few scripts, you know. My family gets a lot of them all the time."
"Oh… excuse me, that was rude of me," Nanaya quickly apologized, realizing he had spoken his thoughts aloud without meaning to.
He exhaled in relief as Ilya grinned mischievously and asked, "Big brother, are you a screenwriter?"
"No, a director."
"Director?!"
Ilya's eyes turned into sparkling stars as she banged her hands on the table, standing up in excitement. Nanaya scratched his cheek nervously, unable to meet her gaze directly.
"Yes… although I'm just a newcomer who hasn't directed a film yet."
"So that's why big brother came to Rinpo for investment? Will it succeed? I think your story is really interesting!"
Seeing Ilya so excited, Nanaya lowered his head and muttered reluctantly, "Well, actually…"
Ding-ding-ding!
Just as he was about to admit his failure to secure funding, his phone rang.
"Sorry, big brother, I need to take this call."
Nanaya apologized to Ilya and checked the unfamiliar number, hesitating briefly before picking up.
"Hello, who's this?"
"Nanaya kid, it's you, right?"
The deep, commanding voice on the line made Nanaya's heart leap. He had just left the office of this very person.
"Chairman Ryutani?" Nanaya asked, trying to keep his voice steady, though his excitement made it crack slightly. Someone of his stature wouldn't call me for no reason…
Ilya, sitting across from him, noticed the change in his expression at the mention of the name.
Ryutani's voice was flat, almost neutral:
"Yes. I've thought it over and decided to give you that spot. Come by with your teacher tomorrow for a short meeting."
"Thank you so much!" Even though Ryutani wasn't physically present, Nanaya bowed deeply out of respect.
"Alright, we'll discuss the details in person tomorrow." Ryutani hung up without another word.
"Yesss!!!"
Nanaya pumped his fist in the air, overflowing with excitement.
"Looks like big brother got the investment after all," Ilya said, finally settling down and resting her chin on her hands, examining him more closely than before.
"Yes, but it's only a 15 million yen TV movie slot nothing too impressive. Apparently, Chairman Ryutani offered it because of a personal connection. It's a late-night slot, but for me, it's still a rare opportunity," Nanaya explained, feeling the weight lifted from his chest and his energy restored.
"Ohhh~"
Ilya's eyes gleamed as she came up with a brilliant idea.
"Big brother, when you start filming, can I watch too?"
"What?"
Nanaya's jaw dropped at the sudden request from the little girl.
"I really like movies! Because of my family, I've always wanted to become an actress, but they never allowed it. So I want to observe how a film crew really operates to prepare for the future! Think of it as making up for earlier when big brother was rude to me!" Ilya clapped her hands cheerfully as she explained.
"But… I'm just a newcomer…" Nanaya hesitated. His crew wouldn't be the ideal place for her to observe. He was inexperienced, and the first stages of production were always chaotic. From what he could see, Ilya came from a wealthy family, and she might even have connections to film production. Any professional crew would be a far better observation opportunity than his rookie set.
"Because I want to see how big brother, a newcomer, manages a crew~ I promise I'll just watch and won't say a single word. Please, big brother~"
The little girl's pleading, in her cute, coaxing tone, sent shivers down Nanaya's spine.
"I haven't finalized anything yet…" He tried to resist, sweat forming on his forehead, but Ilya didn't give him a chance.
"Then I'll wait until big brother has everything set and let me know! For now, let's exchange emails~" She handed her phone to Nanaya, showing her own email address.
"If big brother wants to refuse…" Ilya tilted her head with a mischievous glint in her eyes and slightly tipped her iced coffee toward the edge.
"What if I shout that big brother spilled coffee on me and have to use a towel to clean it?"
Think about that… terrifying! Nanaya thought. This little devil left him no excuse to refuse. He felt his smile faltering. Though her appearance was flawless, in every other sense, she was an absolute handful.
"Alright… the email address, got it," he muttered.
"Mhm! I like obedient big brothers the most!" The mischievous smile instantly transformed into an angelic one, leaving Nanaya speechless.
This kid might actually be cut out to be an actress, he thought.
In the end, Nanaya reluctantly exchanged emails with Ilya, promising to contact her once all the movie arrangements were finalized.
"Then I'll wait for big brother's good news~"
After waving goodbye, Ilya watched Nanaya leave, swinging her legs in satisfaction as she looked at her new friend's email.
"Hehe, looks like things won't be boring for a while. I thought I'd just be sniffing out the special scent in grandpa's office to see which uncle visited, but this turned out way more interesting."
At that moment, a silver-haired, red-eyed maid, who had been sitting outside Nanaya's line of sight, stood and took a seat across from Ilya.
"Milady, you really don't need to associate with such an unknown nobody. If you want experience, you could just ask grandfather…"
Ilya cut her off without looking up:
"That wouldn't matter, Sella. Grandpa would only introduce me to a perfect, harmonious crew. That's not what I want! I want to see a real crew in action, not some pretend play!"
Sella, the maid, refused to back down:
"Then that kind of small crew is pretend play! And milady, you have no need to touch those messy matters just preserve your innocence!"
"If I always stay in a greenhouse, I'll never become a great actress like mom!" Ilya retorted, standing her ground. "And I didn't just randomly pick a crew. Big brother is my carefully chosen option."
Seeing Sella's puzzled expression, Ilya puffed out her chest proudly:
"I know that recently grandpa didn't have any extra TV movie slots to spare. This whole thing is a test. Grandpa must have noticed big brother's talent, so he used this method to see if he was capable."
"But if he thinks highly of him, why not give him a bigger budget? A single high-quality TV animation episode costs around 30 million yen," Sella said, still confused. She couldn't believe her grandfather would do such a thankless task.
Ilya explained confidently:
"Of course! Grandpa wants to test the limits of big brother's ability with a limited budget. Anyone can throw money at a project! The real skill is making a successful work with limited resources. I've already read his script it's fine. The rest depends on how he performs as a director!"
Excited, Ilya even put one foot on the table, making Sella quickly tug at her skirt.
"Milady! You can't act like that in public!"
"No problem, Sella. I'm sure about this! Now all I have to do is wait for big brother's reply!"
Little did the excited Ilya know, her assumption wasn't entirely correct. Nanaya wasn't receiving her grandfather's help because of any special talent; it was simply because her grandfather's old friend wanted to help his apprentice realize his dream of making a movie. But in hindsight, the misunderstanding might not be such a bad thing after all.