"Why do you seem so distracted today?"
Kitagawa Ryo, sitting behind his desk, looked up at Hoshino Ai in front of him:
"Is it because the acting classes were paused for a week, and you haven't gotten back into the groove yet?"
He had just returned to the LALALAI Troupe after a long signing event, only to find that Hoshino Ai, whom he hadn't seen for just a week, seemed to be troubled by something. She was constantly zoning out, and her movements were stiff.
"It's all because of that play, The Forbidden Game of Youth."
Hoshino Ai didn't hold back. She pulled over a chair and sat across from Ryo, slumping onto the desk and waving her hand listlessly in the air:
"I want to audition for the role of the teacher, Yelena, but Mr. Kindaichi insists that I'm more suited for the role of Lyalya. He even said something like, 'You're not a genius like Ryo.'"
Imitating Toshirou Kindaichi's old-fashioned tone, Hoshino Ai's hand fell onto the table, drawing circles as she complained:
"I've read the script. Lyalya is just a decorative character."
"Any actress in the troupe could play her…"
"So I want to play Yelena. Besides, Ryo, you're auditioning for the role of Vitia, right?"
Ryo listened patiently to Hoshino Ai's rambling. The Forbidden Game of Youth wasn't a long play. The setting was small, with few scene changes, and only five characters: the teacher, Yelena, and the students Vitia, Volodya, Pasha, and Lyalya.
The general plot was simple. Four students wanted to alter their exam answers to get better grades, so they used the excuse of celebrating their teacher's birthday to break into Yelena's home, where the key to the safe containing the exam papers was kept. Under Vitia's direction, the students tried every trick to get Yelena to hand over the key. After witnessing the true nature of her students, a heartbroken Yelena ultimately chose to take her own life.
From the summary alone, it was clear that the play focused mainly on Vitia and Yelena. The other three students were more like supporting tools.
Volodya was the son of a petty bourgeois drunkard, and most of his scenes involved following Vitia's orders, making him more of a henchman.
Pasha and Lyalya were a couple, with Pasha being the son of an intellectual and Lyalya coming from a poor single-parent family.
After attempts at deception , bribery, and violence all failed, Vitia finally destroyed Yelena's psychological defenses by threatening to rape Lyalya in front of her. Pasha, under Vitia's threats and manipulation chose to stand by and do nothing. Volodya, who came to his senses at the last moment and tried to stop Vitia, was knocked out with a single punch. In the end, Vitia, who had obtained the key, casually tossed it back.
As the son of a high-ranking diplomat, Vitia never needed to worry about his graduation grades. The entire plan to get the key was just a game to him.
The Forbidden Game of Youth.
Ryo also understood why Toshirou Kindaichi wanted Hoshino Ai to audition for the role of Lyalya. In this play, Lyalya only needed to exist as a victim.
Tragedy is about shattering something beautiful for others to see.
From Toshirou Kindaichi's perspective, Hoshino Ai, like Lyalya, came from a poor single-parent family and should be able to convey Lyalya's emotional state.
On the other hand, Hoshino Ai's striking looks made her perfect for the role of a beautiful decorative piece, only to be shattered on the ground.
Thinking this, Ryo gave Hoshino Ai an encouraging smile:
"Actually, if you can perform well, any role can leave a lasting impression. And Lyalya isn't completely just a decorative character."
Toshirou Kindaichi's mistake was that he only saw Hoshino Ai as a late-blooming theater actress.
He had never seen Hoshino Ai's performances as an idol on stage.
"The last scene of the play is Lyalya's solo scene. She bangs on Yelena's door, crying hysterically and filled with regret. The despair after being bullied and the complex emotions after being saved—it's a real test of acting skills."
"Not every actor can pull it off. In my opinion, maybe only you, Ai, can capture that feeling."
Hearing Ryo's words, Hoshino Ai suddenly sat up straight, as if revived, and excitedly asked:
"Really? Really?"
"Of course. After all, you're the absolute center, right?"
"So, even in the final shot before the curtain falls, make sure to firmly capture the audience's attention."
"Hmm… this doesn't seem to be working."
Ryo twitched his lips as he watched Hoshino Ai recite her lines, feeling like his earlier bold claims might have been premature.
"Because I just don't understand this girl Lyalya's way of thinking—"
Hoshino Ai pointed at the script, somewhat exasperated:
"'My mom always says to control your desires, but in reality, she's the one who controls her own desires. Whenever I want something, she tries her best to fulfill it in different ways. If I want new clothes, she'll go out and find odd jobs to make money.'"
"Why did you mark the tone here as matter-of-fact with a hint of disdain?"
"Because that's just how Lyalya is. She thinks her mother's actions are a given. She wants new clothes because she hopes to dress up and wants to enter the so-called high society."
Ryo spread his hands and explained.
"I can't understand it."
Hoshino Ai's brain seemed to short-circuit as she muttered to herself:
"Completely—can't understand it."
"Not being able to understand doesn't mean you can't act it out. Just use presentational acting. You're good at that, right?"
Hoshino Ai fell silent for a moment, then averted her gaze as if she didn't dare to look at Ryo:
"…Actually, this is all your fault. Who told you to teach me method acting? Now I've started instinctively immersing myself in the role."
She spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum:
"That's why I just can't understand it."
For Hoshino Ai, the mother Lyalya described was something she had never dared to imagine. When she read that line, she even felt like using a dreamlike tone, as if reading a fairy tale.
She could no longer remember her own mother's face clearly. Whether it was intentional or not, it was probably for the best.
Though she occasionally relived her childhood experiences in her dreams.
Except that the one who subjected her to unreasonable violence had become a faceless woman.
Ryo looked at Hoshino Ai, whose expression had turned slightly strange, and suddenly remembered something Toshirou Kindaichi had told him. At a dinner party, President Saitou had mentioned that the reason Hoshino Ai chose to sign with Ichigo Pro wasn't money, but something more intangible—'love.'
This didn't align with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, because at the time, Hoshino Ai hadn't even met her most basic survival needs, yet she was persistently chasing the higher need of being loved.
He could sense that the girl in front of him was revealing a bit of her truth.
"Ai, try this line."
Ryo pointed to another line in the script.
It was a scene where Lyalya, after confessing her true feelings to Yelena—that she had only become Pasha's girlfriend in hopes of a better life—gets into a conflict with Pasha.
"I'll temporarily play Pasha, and you can act opposite me."
"Okay, okay."
Hoshino Ai nodded in understanding.
"Do you love me now? Right now? I need to know if you love me now! Huh?"
After adjusting his emotions slightly, Ryo erupted in furious questioning.
"Yes, yes, of course I do! How could I not love you? You're so devoted, so obedient , and your circumstances are so good—you have a house! Me? I'm just a girl with no money, no connections, no influence. I'm counting on your love! I can't live without you!"
Hoshino Ai quickly recited her lines with full emotion.
"Are you tsundere or coquettish right now…"
Ryo was at a loss for words:
"This line is clearly supposed to be sarcastic."
"Why does it sound like a lovers' quarrel when you say it?"
Hoshino Ai covered her face with the script, only her beautiful eyes peeking out:
"My bad."
"I feel like you have a subtle discomfort with lines related to 'love.'"
Ryo shook his head, pulled out his phone, and skillfully found a song released by B-Komachi. Most idol songs were filled with words like 'love,' 'dreams,' 'sweat,' and 'effort.'
After listening to it twice with headphones, Ryo looked at Hoshino Ai and said:
"Say 'I love you' in a deeply emotional tone."
"I love you."
Hoshino Ai said it smoothly, without a hitch.
"More passionately."
"I love you!"
"Alright, I see the problem now."
Ryo stood up and clapped his hands.
Most people believe that the most important thing about love is whether they are loved by others, not whether they have the ability to love others.
But Hoshino Ai was the opposite.
She was more concerned about whether she truly loved someone, while not caring much about whether she was loved in return.
That's why she struggled with the role of Lyalya, a character who was loved but unaware of it.
"Hmm… let me think."
Ryo rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then smiled at Hoshino Ai:
"How about we go out and buy some new clothes together?"
After deciding to help Ryo, Kitagawa Ruby quickly took action.
First, she secretly found an old phone in a drawer when no one was around. The Kitagawa couple upgraded their phones frequently, as if afraid that outdated technology would lower their rising status. They changed to a more expensive model every two months.
After getting the old phone and its charger, Ruby charged it overnight. Even though the SIM card had been removed, she could still connect to the home's Wi-Fi. For the first time in nearly a year since her reincarnation, she was finally reconnected to the world.
The moment she logged onto Twitter, Ruby felt like she was stepping into a different era.
Then, she instinctively searched for tags related to Kitagawa Ryo.
"Huh? Someone's saying Ryo's acting in He Once Lived is overhyped? People who've never even been to a movie theater can just spout nonsense online? A billion-yen box office still can't shut you up, huh? Is your mouth the only thing left when you're cremated?"
"Hype? Exploiting tragedy? That was all those two's doing! Disrespecting the deceased? I'm the deceased, and I give my permission, okay?"
"He doesn't act like a kid at all, not cute at all? What kind of unparalleled face does the person saying this have? Can you post a selfie? Oh, you're just ugly and jealous?"
And so, on her first night, Ruby instinctively spent hours arguing with netizens.
"No, I got this phone to gather evidence to help Ryo escape the Kitagawa family, not to surf the internet. I have to take action tonight!"
The next day, Ruby vowed to herself.
"Oh, you finally replied to your dad? I thought you'd reincarnated after a day of silence. Oh yes, yes, no one can compare to your brother's achievements. Quick question, what box office records has your brother broken?"
"Can his achievements be even half as solid as you fans' mouths? Stop dragging Ryo into this, okay? It's really not interesting to ride on his coattails. How many years have you had that ancient photo pinned? I have tons of those, you know."
And so, she spent another whole night arguing.
"Ruby, Ruby, you can't keep doing this."
On the third day, she continued to lament.
"What? LALALAI Troupe is putting on a new play?"
"Don't ask, just go watch it. It's worth it. If I could go myself, I'd have already booked front-row seats."
"You say the cast hasn't been announced yet? You don't actually think Ryo's acting isn't lead material, do you? Really?"
Then, while promoting the play, she fell asleep.
"I'll take action tonight."
On the fourth night, Ruby finally made up her mind.
But Kitagawa Susumu and Kitagawa Tomoko stayed up late that night, and with no good opportunity, Ruby pulled out her phone again.
"Just one look."
[Spotted someone who looks like Ryo at a mall in Ueno, Tokyo.]
Under Ryo's tag, someone had posted this tweet.
Ruby recognized the figure at a glance.
She couldn't be wrong.
Then, her ruby-like eyes widened, round as a startled kitten's.
In the blurry photo, Ruby noticed something.
Her brother's right hand.
Was being held by another girl.