"Hm? Really?!"
After receiving the answer, Ichika couldn't hide her surprise; she had never expected that the girl next to her had been a child star!
And judging by Nakano Yu's tone, it seemed she had been quite famous! A real, well-known child star.
But why had she never heard of it?
Could it be… that her peak had long passed?
Thinking about that, Ichika watched the girl she was helping with slight confusion.
The girl next to her was very beautiful, and had probably been a beauty even as a child. Since she had been a famous child star, why was she now, as an adult, completely absent from television?
Although she was very confused, Ichika was not foolish and didn't want to dig into someone else's painful topics, so naturally she didn't ask what had happened.
"Hm… I only appeared on screen a few times when I was a child. I didn't expect anyone to remember me, though most consider me a failure."
Kana nodded, looked deeply at the young man, and said in a somewhat dejected tone.
She had once been in the spotlight, the only one under the lights, but now, not even the fireflies wanted to shine on her.
Arima Kana had always thought that way, but she never expected that someone would still remember her, that someone would touch the light!
That was her only comfort amidst all the misfortunes Arima Kana had experienced today.
I just heard from Miss Nakano that this young man is her… brother? Does that mean I still have a chance?!
As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Arima Kana realized how shameless it was to fantasize about standing next to him when she was only a failed child star whom he had saved.
Arima Kana had long stopped believing in Cinderella and prince stories.
Thinking about it, Arima Kana reluctantly looked away.
"No, no, no, that's not true at all! Miss Arima clearly worked very hard at the audition!"
Seeing Arima Kana so easily joke about herself, Ichika quickly waved her hands and said…
"Really? Thank you, and thank you, Mr. Nakano, for saving me today. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the chance to continue working hard."
Arima Kana, who was already used to such things, smiled and thanked Nakano Yu.
Nakano Yu waved his hand, obviously not used to being addressed as "Mr. Nakano," and told Arima Kana to call him directly by his name, as he wasn't accustomed to using surnames for formal closeness.
"Just call me Yu. Also, I want to know why you were brought here."
"Alright, alright! As for why we were brought here…"
Arima Kana was quite pleased with Nakano Yu's question and naturally didn't refuse. However, when it came to why she had been there, she turned and exchanged a glance with Ichika.
Ichika shook her head. She wasn't entirely sure of the details of today's monster abduction; she only remembered entering the audition studio and then, before she could say anything…
Wait! She remembered!
It was that director! Those rats, it was that director who let them in!
"Yu! Those rats from today's audition were released by Director Shimada! Shimada Naichiro!"
As her memories gradually returned, Ichika immediately said everything she knew.
"Director Shimada?"
Hearing that, Nakano Yu narrowed his eyes. He had never heard of that man before, but soon he would no longer exist.
"Alright, understood. It's already late, so first I'll take you home."
After quietly memorizing Director Shimada's name, Nakano Yu took out his phone, checked the time, and said…
"Hm!"
Ichika nodded firmly. She roughly understood Nakano Yu's intentions when he asked about it, but she had no intention of stopping him. She realized that she actually didn't know this young man, who had grown up with her since childhood, as well as she thought.
Moreover, Ichika clearly knew that if it weren't for Yu, today she would have died in the jaws of the monster because of Director Shimada!
Seeing that both planned to leave, Arima Kana appeared a little anxious. It was already late, and after everything she had experienced today, she no longer dared to walk alone at night.
She lived alone in this city, so it was impossible to call friends to pick her up. Not to mention friends, she didn't even have many schoolmates she could really talk to!
As she thought about how she would get home later, Ichika suddenly grabbed Arima Kana's hand.
"Hey, Yu, why don't we take Miss Arima home first?"
Hearing Ichika's words, Arima Kana was stunned. She looked at Ichika in surprise, only to see her wink and smile.
Nakano Yu, who had already stepped a little ahead, also turned around, looked at the two girls holding hands, and sighed helplessly.
Perhaps Ichika, who had lost her mother early and quietly chased her dreams alone, was more considerate of others.
Looking at Arima Kana's expression full of anticipation, but also uncertainty, Nakano Yu sighed helplessly:
"Come on, quickly. If we don't go back, Nino will scold me again."
"Alright! Let's go, Kana!"
Seeing that Nakano Yu didn't refuse, Ichika smiled and pulled the girl, wanting to catch up with Nakano Yu's pace.
However, Arima Kana, looking at Ichika's radiant smile, remained still for a moment.
"What's wrong? Kana can call me Ichika, after all, we're colleagues in the entertainment industry, right? If you don't mind…"
Seeing Arima Kana's reaction, Ichika thought she was bothered by being called by her name without permission, so she said a little nervously.
Looking at Ichika, Arima Kana was thoughtful for a long time. Finally, for the first time, she showed a sincere smile and replied:
"No, I don't mind, Ichika!"
Perhaps in this huge city, in the entertainment industry, she also had friends she could confide in. In fact, that wasn't bad at all.
…
"Ding-dong!"
With the sound of a notification, the elevator doors slowly opened.
Standing in front of the elevator with Ichika, Nakano Yu touched his phone and accepted Arima Kana's LINE request.
Seeing that the elevator had arrived, Ichika quickly stepped inside. She just wanted to get home as soon as possible and sleep well. What happened today had truly shaken her perception.
"Hurry, hurry! Yu, get in, I'm holding the elevator!"
Seeing that Nakano Yu didn't show any intention of entering, Ichika urged him.
However, the young man put away his phone, looked up, and smiled at Ichika:
"Ichika, you go home first. I still have something to deal with. For dinner, today I'll ask Nino."
Hearing that, Ichika removed her hand from the elevator button and asked:
"Yu, are you going to find Director Shimada?"
"Yes, and something else."
Seeing Ichika ask, Nakano Yu thought for a moment and answered.
"…Be careful, leave no traces. We'll wait for you to return home. Oh, and please keep this matter regarding the entertainment industry a secret, Yu!"
After a brief silence, Ichika winked at Nakano Yu. After finishing, the elevator doors slowly began to close.
"Don't worry, I will."
Smiling, the young man's words reached Ichika's ears through the last gap of the elevator doors, and then the elevator doors firmly closed.
After the elevator doors closed, Nakano Yu's smile gradually disappeared. He waved his hand and opened the system panel, and a golden, shining panel appeared in front of him.
And on the panel was Nakano Yu's task:
[Daily Quest: Death of Three Dreams—Ape Dream!]
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Hey guys, I have a small problem, I hope you can help me. Can you see this fanfic in the "Anime & Comics" genre? Does it show up in that genre when I publish a new chapter?