Another week passed, and as Hiroshi prepared for his first day of school, he reflected on everything that had happened in the past few days. The memory of the exhausting process, from returning to the agency to sign the contract with Strawberry Productions to the admission interview at the new school, was still fresh in his mind.
Contract Signing
Hiroshi entered Miyako's office again. It was a week after his impressive performance at the studio. With a confident expression, he sat in the chair in front of her. Miyako, always efficient and straightforward, handed him the revised contract.
"This is the final agreement," Miyako began. "As we discussed, you will have a say in creating your music, you can decide on shows and commitments, and in each album, you will sing at least one song of our choice." She watched him as he calmly flipped through the contract's pages.
Hiroshi read each clause carefully, finding nothing to make him hesitate. With a firm signature, he returned the contract. "I'm ready to start," he said with a slight smile.
Miyako returned the gesture. "Welcome to our agency. We will achieve great things together."
Admission Interview
The school interview had also been smooth, Hiroshi thought. The day after signing the contract, he met with the teacher responsible for his admission. The interview was nothing more than a meeting to better understand his aspirations and fit him into the school environment.
With two other teachers present to assist, the questions were simple: "What do you think of our school?", "Why did you choose to study here?" Hiroshi answered easily, highlighting his desire to improve in all areas of performance, from acting to music.
The lightness of the conversation made the interview more of a chat than a formal test. He knew that this was the right environment to grow and show his potential.
Now, in the present, Hiroshi walked through the school gates, feeling a mix of excitement and anticipation. The environment still new to Hiroshi was impressive.
Heading towards the gym where the entrance ceremony would be held, Hiroshi internally complained. 'I hate these ceremonies.' Always repetitive, they never fail to make students feel an intense desire to sleep.
After an exhausting ceremony, Hiroshi made his way to his classroom with little energy. Looking for room 1-F, Hiroshi walked through the wide school corridors filled with other students talking with friends, getting to know each other, or simply searching for their classrooms.
After walking a bit more, Hiroshi finally found his room. Upon entering, Hiroshi saw some familiar faces from the anime. Searching for an available seat, Hiroshi observed the classroom. Finding a spot, he walked toward it.
Sitting near two girls who were chatting happily, Hiroshi thought about the best way to connect with these people. After all, to be the perfect artist, Hiroshi also thought he needed to be good at making connections easily with people.
Accustomed to curious glances, Hiroshi tried to ignore the situation, but Ruby continued to watch him intently. Now uncomfortable, he decided to break the silence with a friendly smile:
Hiroshi: "Hi, I'm Hiroshi Takahashi. It's a bit strange being stared at like this, so I thought I'd introduce myself. I hope we can get along."
Ruby, taken by surprise, smiled awkwardly but quickly recovered and responded energetically.
Ruby: "Oh, sorry about that! I'm Ruby Hoshino. Nice to meet you!"
Before the conversation could deepen, Ruby quickly pulled out her phone and began typing something. Hiroshi raised an eyebrow, curious.
Ruby: "Wow! So you're an actor? I thought you were a model... But here it says you're also a theater actor. How cool!"
Hiroshi tried to maintain his composure in the situation but couldn't help but joke about it.
Hiroshi: "I didn't know you could stalk me in real-time. Is that what they call efficient research?"
Ruby, not noticing the slight sarcasm, just laughed, fiddling with her phone again. The other girl beside her, who had been watching the situation with a slight smile, took the opportunity to intervene.
Minami: "Hi, I'm Minami Kotobuki. I'm also new here. Don't worry, she did the same thing to me earlier."
Hiroshi let out a relieved laugh, feeling that he was finally on familiar ground.
Hiroshi: "Looks like I'll have to get used to this. Nice to meet you, Minami."
Minami smiled, friendly.
Minami: "So you're an actor? That's amazing! Do you have any hobbies outside of that?"
Hiroshi, taking advantage of the calmer pace of the conversation, relaxed a bit more in his chair.
Hiroshi: "Besides acting, I really enjoy singing and playing the guitar. Music is a passion that goes hand in hand with acting for me. And you, Minami, what do you like to do?"
Minami (enthusiastically): "I love photography! For me, capturing moments is a way to show emotions that words can't express."
Hiroshi raised an eyebrow, surprised by the depth of the response.
Hiroshi: "Photography, huh? It seems like you have a sharp eye for details. Do you work with that too?"
Minami smiled, excited by the question.
Minami: "Yes, I'm a model! I love working on photo shoots. Each click tells a different story."
Hiroshi, not realizing it, ended up giving a compliment.
Hiroshi: "It makes sense that someone as photogenic as you would be a model."
Minami blushed slightly but laughed to cover it up.
Minami: "Oh, thank you. That's very kind of you."
As Hiroshi and Minami continued to talk, Ruby, who had gone back to her phone, finally intervened, excited.
Ruby: "So you're really a famous theater actor? That's incredible! I didn't know we had such a talented person here at school!"
Hiroshi (with a playful smile): "Well, I'm still working on becoming 'famous,' but I think I'm on the right track."
Ruby, now full of questions, fires away with enthusiasm.
Ruby: "When's your next play? Have you thought about acting in movies or TV shows? What's your dream role?"
Hiroshi, laughing internally, tries to keep up with the barrage of questions.
Hiroshi: "Hold on, one question at a time! Let's take it slow. As for movies and TV shows... I'm open to anything that challenges me."
Before Ruby can ask more questions, the teacher enters the room, drawing everyone's attention to the start of the class.
Hiroshi thinks: 'Saved by the bell... or rather, by the teacher.'
As the teacher begins the lesson, Hiroshi lets out a sigh of relief, still taking in his new classmates' first impressions.
Just as the teacher was about to start the lesson, a student opened the door, interrupting him. "Excuse me. I had to go to a live TV broadcast for a commercial campaign." She continued, "So unfortunately, I had to miss the entrance ceremony."
After giving her reasons for being late, the stunning and bright actress, Shiranui Frill, entered. With the class in awe and surprise, the teacher resumed the lesson.