Chapter 10
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Volume 2: The Demons Of The Hananomiya Family
Chapter 10: The Cross-Dressing Boy Is Feared
I never would have thought that the president and Risa Sakuragaoka would be twins…
After safely delivering Student Council President Sakurako Sakuragaoka to her home, I quietly walk alone through the streets of this upscale residential area.
“――――Listen carefully, Onee-chan! This man is an embodiment of art, wearing the skin of a human—a devilish man!! Anyone who stays near him will be consumed by him in no time, and their mind will be shattered…!! He is someone that ordinary people must absolutely avoid!!”
“Huh? Huh? But, Risa, I don’t think Yanagisawa-san is such a bad person, you know? After all, he did help me when I wasn’t feeling well…”
”Don’t be fooled!! This man… isn’t human!! Fuuma Yanagisawa!! Leave the premises of our Sakuragaoka household immediately!! Got it!?”
With those words, Risa Sakuragaoka took the president inside the mansion.
Recalling that scene, I exhale a short sigh while gazing at the full moon in the sky.
“…I don’t know why, but Risa Sakuragaoka really hated me…”
Well, the reactions of those who saw Fuuma Yanagisawa in his child actor days were usually one of two.
Either they would curse him as a monster and despise him, or they would cozy up to him for the money.
Someone like Akane, who boldly challenged me head-on, was a rare case.
Risa Sakuragaoka’s reaction… was exactly how my fellow actors felt about me back then.
“A devilish man, huh…”
The acting of Kaede Kisaragi likely wouldn’t earn her the title of ‘Devil’.
Her acting and mine from my child actor days are fundamentally different.
Kaede Kisaragi’s acting entertains the audience.
My acting, on the other hand, overwhelms and silences them.
I don’t know which is better as an actor, but… I certainly don’t want to be called a devil by my peers anymore…
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[From Akira Kuroshiki’s Point Of View]
――――――I still remember those deep, lightless, dark blue eyes of that boy, like the abyss of the ocean.
I had never seen a human with such cold eyes before.
When I first saw him in the dressing room, I thought he had no emotions.
Always expressionless, saying little, and quietly reading the script.
As a fellow second-generation actor, I saw that boy as my rival, but at the time, I was confident that there was no way I could lose to a kid like him.
But… when he stood on stage, he transformed.
That man――Fuuma Yanagisawa――became a vessel for a soul.
Like a soulless doll suddenly being brought to life, Fuuma Yanagisawa exploded with emotion, painting the stage with vibrant colors.
His performance felt like it was inhabited by ‘magic’.
He didn’t create a ‘fake’ on stage, but instead, he created ‘the real thing’.
A performance that silences and overwhelms the audience, a violent force that leaves no room for objection.
Seeing his performance, all I could think was… how terrifying.
It was a performance inhabited by the abyss of art, like that of a devil.
It was certainly not a human capability.
“――――Ah, Kuroshiki-kun. I’m sorry, but about that monthly drama you were going to appear in… it’s called off.”
“Huh…?”
“The sponsor was adamant about casting Fuuma Yanagisawa. Sorry.”
“I… see…”
When I was a child actor, there wasn’t a day that went by without hearing his name.
“Hey, hey, Kuroshiki-kun, you’re a child actor, right? Have you ever met Fuuma Yanagisawa?”
Even in middle school, it was an everyday occurrence to hear his name.
“Fuuma Yanagisawa is amazing, isn’t he? As expected from the son of Kyoichiro Yanagisawa.”
“Yeah, right? Akira Kuroshigi, another second-generation actor, isn’t as famous. Fuuma-kun really is a genius.”
Even walking down the street, I could hear such conversations.
…Everyone, everyone, Fuuma, Fuuma, Fuuma, Fuuma.
I’m not talentless. If that monster weren’t around, I’d definitely be the one in the spotlight.
But… in the face of a true genius, people like me are not even noticed.
That man, Fuuma Yanagisawa, is painting black over the world of acting that I loved.
…And yet, as an actor, I still respected Fuuma Yanagisawa.
“―――――So, you too… have your heart broken by that boy…?”
“Risa Sakuragaoka, huh”
When I lowered my head on the office sofa, a fellow child actor Risa Sakuragaoka from the same production spoke to me.
She had dark circles under her eyes and looked utterly exhausted.
“…I’m thinking of quitting acting.”
“Is that so? How ironic, so am I.”
It’s not uncommon. Many child actors quit after the emergence of Fuuma Yanagisawa.
Whether they had talent or not, all of them left.
“Before I quit acting, I’m thinking of going to meet that boy… Fuuma Yanagisawa. Would you like to come with me?”
“…I suppose so… Yes, of course, I’ll go too…”
Getting up from my seat, I left the office with Risa Sakuragaoka.
We waited for Fuuma Yanagisawa at the studio where he had just finished recording a variety show, and during his break, we approached him.
“――――――Fuuma-kun, would you please listen to us for a moment…?”
“…Listen?”
With his usual expressionless face, he looked at the two of us and said, “Come along,” before walking out of the studio.
“…So, what is it you want to talk about?”
“We’re thinking of quitting acting…”
“I see. And?”
“Before we quit… we wanted to ask you. How can we get closer to you? I… want to become an actor like you…”
With those words, I got down on my hands and knees, pressing my forehead to the floor.
“Please!! Even if it’s just a little, can you please teach me your acting skills!! I still want to be in this world of acting!! I want to keep acting in the same world as my father!!”
What a humiliating act, bowing down to an elementary school student three years younger than yourself…
But he wasn’t just a child. He was… a genius child actor who would eventually reach the pinnacle of the entertainment world.
“W-wait a second, Kuroshiki?! What are you doing?!”
“Please, please…!! Make me your apprentice…!! I’ll do anything!! I’ll even pay you!! So…!!”
To those words… the monster in front of us sighed in exasperation.
“――――――There’s no way you two could ever beat me.”
“What…?”
I raised my head and looked up.
There, floating in the shadow, were two blue eyes.
The scene made me feel as if the devil known as art had taken human form and appeared before my very eyes.
The devil looked silently at our frightened faces, then turned on his heel and walked back to the studio without saying another word.
Scary. Those eyes were just plain scary.
It felt like a mysterious monster from the depths of the abyss was peering at me.
Truly, a demonic monster. I couldn’t help but find his appearance terrifying, so frightening that I couldn’t help it.
“―――――Waaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!”
I shot up from bed, panting heavily.
Beads of sweat poured from my forehead, dripping onto the bed like a waterfall.
“What? What’s wrong, Akira?”
The naked woman lying next to me, a rookie actress named Sanae Makihara, called out, but I ignored her words, pressing my hand against my forehead and gritting my teeth.
…Even now I sometimes remember the terrifying look of Fuuma Yanagisawa’s eyes at that time.
Even though that guy is no longer in the entertainment industry.
Even though I’m now a top-tier young actor, having won the Japan Academy Award for Best Actor.
Why can’t I forget the sight of that man…?!
Why is Fuuma Yanagisawa still traumatizing me…?!
“Damn it, damn it!! I’m a top actor!! Why am I still afraid of that child actor monster!! Damn it!! Damn it all!!”
“Wha-what’s wrong, Akira!? A-are you okay?! Are you hurt?!”
“Shut up, you pathetic actress!! You’re no longer needed!! Get lost!!”
“Wha-what!? I thought we were… Isn’t this supposed to be the start of our relationship after a morning chaste kiss!?”
“Get out!! Do you want to die!!”
“Eek!?”
At my threat, Sanae Makihara leapt off the bed, grabbed her clothes and underwear from the floor, and left the room.
I glared after her, then picked up an empty bottle of liquor from the table and smashed it against the floor.
“Damn it!! Fuuma Yanagisawa!! If it weren’t for you, this wouldn’t be happening…!! I… I need more power…!! So that if you ever return, I’ll have overwhelming strength that will never lose…!!”
After taking a deep breath, I picked up the phone that had fallen on the floor and turned it on.
“…Kaede Kisaragi. To achieve that, I’ll steal your power, no matter what it takes…”
Muttering those words, I smirked.
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“Achoo!!”
“Ugh, gross! Hey, Onii-chan!! Your spit just flew into Rurika’s breakfast!!”
“Sniff, sorry, Rurika-chan. Here, I’ll switch mine with yours.”
“Muuuu…”
It seems that the Archangel Rurika is quite upset this morning.
It might not just rain today, but thunder might come crashing down too.
“By the way, didn’t you go to karaoke with your friends yesterday? That sounds so fun~ Rurika wants to go sing some anime songs at karaoke too~”
“…For your brother, it was a karaoke session straight out of hell, Rurika-chan.”
My friends from my old high school and my friends from the all-girls school ran into each other, and I felt like I was going to die.
I was terrified that my true identity would be exposed at any moment.
Sigh…
Letting out a big sigh, I stabbed the sausage on my plate with a fork and brought it to my mouth.
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Author’s Note: Thank you for reading Episode 74 | 75! Thanks to all of you, this series is able to continue!! Thank you so, so much!!
