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[AI ERROR / SAFETY BLOCK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

“Yes.I just read the message.”

“Since you received the results, I imagine she did as well.”

“You think it’s because of that?”she asked.

Setting that aside for a moment, did you come all the way to my house unaware that we were supposed to be filming today?

“Apparently, they called everyone to inform them of the results.Mr.Matsuda said that although I passed, they had a few critiques.”

They had pointed out stuff about her acting and singing.It was so harsh, one had to wonder if she really passed.

“You usually hear all that from your agent, but considering Hina’s working on her own, she must’ve heard it firsthand.”

“Why kick her when she’s down…?”

So they told her exactly why she failed.

“A lot of people can’t accept the results until they’re told why they were rejected.”

I immediately thought of visiting her, but what would I even say?Any words of encouragement or consolation I could come up with would only ring hollow.

“I don’t think she’d hold a grudge, but I don’t know how I should act when I see her again… I think it might be best to just leave her alone for a while.”

I nodded.Then Himeji told me about the role she’d be playing.

A few days went by since Fushimi had asked that we postpone the filming.I hadn’t heard from her since.

I looked for an excuse to meet and messaged her asking if she could check my homework, but she left me on read.

I felt like she’d usually say yes to that request; she must’ve been immensely hurt.Or maybe she was actually feeling unwell still?That’d only have me worrying in a different way, though.

Himeji, Torigoe, Mana, and Deguchi, everyone was worried about her.Apparently, she wasn’t answering anyone.

It was the day before our next scheduled filming.

I sent a schedule confirmation message to the group chat.Fushimi responded with anOKsticker.I guess she’ll be fine tomorrow.

I doubted she’d be back in shape right away, but at the very least, we could continue filming.

The day came, and at first glance, she looked the same as always.She cheerfully smiled at everyone.And, well, filming was…not exactly on schedule, but we weren’t that behind.All good.

“Thank goodness Hina is feeling better,” Torigoe said in between shots in the classroom.

“Yup!I guess it was just a cold or something.”Mana also looked relieved.

Fushimi, though not in the highest spirits, was mostly her normal self.Perfect, as always.

“Maybe she wasn’t even ill,” Himeji said.

“Good job today, everyone!”Deguchi shouted once we wrapped up.

“I have homework to do.See you all.”With a smile, Fushimi quickly left.

We had talked about going to eat somewhere all together, but I decided to take my stuff and leave right away, too.

I followed Fushimi and just barely made it on the same train as her.She got on the next car over.

She sat down and stared into space—a shell of a girl.Like an android made in her image.

Hey, nice job back there.Great acting as always…felt a bit too distant.What should I say?

Hey, I haven’t finished my homework yet; how about we do it together?That felt safer, but, I mean, she had already ignored a similar request…

We arrived at our station before I could make up my mind.I got off, but then I realized she hadn’t.

“What?”

You’re gonna miss the stop, Fushimi!It was then that I heard the announcer’s voice, and I got back on the train.The door closed right behind me, and the train departed.

I walked to the next car over.“Fushimi,” I finally said.

She turned my way, and her vacant eyes finally seemed to focus, meeting my gaze.

“Ryou.”

“You missed our stop.”

“Oh… You’re right.”

I sat down beside her and stared out the window at the view I usually didn’t see.

“Your head’s in the clouds.”

“Hee-hee.You’re right.I should be more careful.”

I knew that smile.

“You were lying, weren’t you?”

“About what?”

“Homework.You don’t have any left to do.”

“Why do you think that?”

“You always finish in July.”

She always helped me out with mine.At least back in every summer of grade school.

“I was just busy this year.”

“I sure hope that’s it.”

Maybe that was one odd thing about her today—having homework left to do in August.

“Remember last time?I made you come with me all the way to the last stop.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

Although we’re going the opposite way this time.

We arrived at the next station, but she showed no intention of getting off.

“So are we going all the way to the end this time, too?”

I had no plans anyway.Didn’t need to rush and finish homework, either.

“Yeah.Let’s do that,” she said.

It wasn’t like I had a particular place in mind.Rather, I didn’t even know what was around there.

The train got emptier and emptier.I was seeing more and more green and mountains outside the windows.

We finally arrived at the last station—a deserted, tiny place about eighty square feet in size.It was surrounded by mountains and a river on the side.

There was one vending machine outside the station and an old mom-and-pop shop.

“It’s so hot.We’ll get sunburned.”

“Yeah,” I said.

We sat down on the bench outside the deserted station and talked about nothing in particular.

Something else felt odd about Fushimi that day, and it kept bothering me.

“Hey, Fushimi, how long do you plan to keep up your facade?”

“Huh?”

“Maybe it’s just me?”

“No, Ryou.”

“So?”

“I have to keep it up or I’ll cry.”

She said it with a smile.A pitiful smile.

“I have to, or I’ll cause trouble for everyone.I can’t keep delaying the filming.”

I could think of only one thing that was at the root of all this.

“…I heard about the audition.”

“Oh.”She was still smiling.

I grabbed her pale cheeks and pulled as hard as I could.

“Hey!Stop that!It hurts!”

“You stop it.Take that smile off your face already.Stop worrying about other people.Trouble them if you have to.”

Fushimi’s protagonist energy had let her obtain everything she wanted up to now.Any wall that seemed hundreds of feet tall to me, she would climb without breaking a sweat.

Now she had failed.

“Just cry.”

“Why…?”

“Don’t make yourself smile.Cry if you want to.”

“You’re asking me to stop smiling?You want me to cry?That’s insane…” Tears started welling up, her eyes turning red.“Ryou.Have you seen an Olympic athlete after losing?They always apologize to everyone who cheered them on.And…I feel like that…now.”

…So it’s only harder on her because she thought I was cheering her on.

Don’t worry about me.

To begin with, I’m always the one troubling you.

“You know, Mr.Matsuda told me what you did almost never happens.The auditions are full of the elite, right?People already in agencies, already accepted as professionals.And you made your way to the final screening, beating many of them on the way.That’s amazing.”

The second and third rounds were about acting and singing, and she had passed those—they recognized her skills.

“No, don’t praise me…” Her voice trembled.She tightly pursed her lips.

Mr.Matsuda was right.I was envious of Fushimi’s ability that was recognized by other people.Of her having one goal to work toward.

But I also admired her for that.

“And despite your internal turmoil and having postponed filming once, you did perfect today.”

“Stop…” She grabbed my sleeve.

But I didn’t listen.

“No one noticed something was up.No one was worried about you today.You were perfect.”I heard her sniffle.“Isn’t that what you’d call a great actress?”

I placed a hand on her head.She started sobbing softly.

“I’m so frustrated…”

I nodded.

“I can’t believe it.”

I nodded again.

“What can they possibly know about me after just a few tests and interviews?”

“Right?”I rubbed her back.

Her shoulders trembling, she let out a wail.

Fushimi had always been the quickest to cry out of us—Himeji, Mana, and me.

She cried at the slightest sign of loneliness or sadness, but she also cried whenever she was angry, since she was too kind to yell at anyone.

But then, somewhere down the road, Fushimi’s expression of sadness had changed; she went from crying to smiling.The one she had showed back at school today was her specialty—a smile that could cover any and all emotion.

“You praise me, but seriously, I’m such a bad girl.”That again?“You worry about me.You run after me.You comfort me.You’re the only one who notices my fake smile… I’m happy about all of this.”

“Who wouldn’t want to cheer up someone who’s feeling bad?”

“Even as I was listening to the results, I was thinking about this in the back of my mind… I knew what I could say to get you to be nice to me…”

Oh, so that’s why you kept up the fake smile even when it was just us two, because you didn’t want to worry me?

“Is that really bad, though?”

“That’s not all.I…I knew you liked Ai, and I tried stealing you from her!”She immediately shut her mouth, as if wishing to take it back.

“…So you wrote that I was going to kiss you once we were in high school?”I asked.

She gave a small, trembling nod.

So that’s what really happened.

“I wrote it and then pretended we made the promise together.I also tore the page where you wrote her name…”

Oh yeah, I noticed there was a ripped page.

“And there are many other promises I made up!”

Wait, are you serious?That’s pretty bad, actually.

“I was being so, so unfair… I don’t deserve your kindness.”

Hmm… You think?

“No, you do.”

“Huh?”She looked at me, her eyes red from crying.

“You’ve been helping me a lot, in many ways.I think you rightfully deserve it.”

“No.I don’t!”

“C’mon.”

“I wasn’t your best childhood friend, and I wanted to be it so badly.”

What was I supposed to say to that?I felt like I blushed a little.

I guess most of what Himeji said was true.

It was a shocking revelation, but not big enough to change the way I saw her.I didn’t have the slightest intention of ruining our relationship.

Fushimi kept sobbing for a while, but her tears dried up soon enough.

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