N-A-A Page 133
Page 133
Kasumigaoka Utaha, holding a cup of black tea, strolled over to Yuuto's side, glanced at Eriri's drawing, and smiled.
"Visual impact is important, but without a matching core, it is ultimately just a cheap gimmick for horror movies."
As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Yuto, her tone languid yet aggressive: "Junior, it seems our director not only has to be in charge of the camera work, but also personally guides the female lead on how to 'experience' the role. He's truly an all-rounder."
"Is this immersive directing style something new that wasn't in the script? Or is it something you two created spontaneously?"
Words are like knives, each one piercing the heart.
It both belittled Eriri's prized art and directly targeted the ambiguous atmosphere between Yuto and Mai.
Yuto was immediately at his wit's end.
He could only laugh it off, praising Eriri's talent as the cornerstone of the film, while simultaneously retorting with a witty remark that Kasumigaoka Utaha was the source of inspiration for the entire crew.
An invisible war is escalating on the small film set.
Eriri threw herself into the art creation almost obsessively. From the viscosity of the blood plasma to the realism of the wounds, and the color scheme of each scene, she did everything herself, frantically demonstrating her presence and importance with the visible results.
Kasumigaoka Utaha, on the other hand, puts the battleground on words.
She makes minor adjustments to the script almost every day, making the lines more concise and the characters' psychological transformations more convincing.
She uses her profound literary knowledge to continuously elevate the film's meaning.
Mai Sakurajima, on the other hand, never participates in any verbal arguments.
She simply used her impeccable professional skills to perfectly blend Eriri's horror art style and Kasumigaoka Utaha's profound script into her performance.
……
The days flew by in this bittersweet battlefield.
Finally, a week before the opening of the cultural festival, with Yuto shouting the final "Cut," all the scenes for the movie "Echo" were successfully completed.
"It's done!"
Someone shouted first, and thunderous cheers and applause erupted throughout the abandoned warehouse.
Everyone, whether they were the lead actors or extras, excitedly embraced each other.
That evening, to celebrate, Yuto booked a small private room in a Japanese izakaya, where several core members of the club, along with Mai Sakurajima and two hardworking buddies, gathered together.
"Cheers to the successful wrap-up of our film!"
"cheers!"
The wine glasses clinked in the air, making a crisp sound.
Having shed the pressure of filming, everyone's faces were filled with relaxed and happy smiles.
The initial atmosphere was harmonious and beautiful, filled with the camaraderie of revolutionary comrades.
However, after a few cups of sake, the taut string in the air began to tremble quietly again.
"Yuto-kun, try this. This shop makes really good tamagoyaki." Mai Sakurajima picked up a piece of golden tamagoyaki and naturally placed it on the plate in front of Yuto.
She sat next to Yuto, leaning slightly towards him, the distance between them almost too close.
She would lean close to his ear and whisper about the funny things that happened during the shoot, occasionally letting out a pleasant chuckle.
The eyes that looked at Yuto shone brightly, carrying an undisguised intimacy and...possessiveness.
This scene was witnessed by two girls on the opposite side.
Eriri gripped the teacup tightly in her hand; the barley tea inside had long since gone cold.
Looking at Mai Sakurajima's smooth and effortless "offensive," and then at Yuto who seemed not to have refused and was even responding with a smile, a surge of grievance and anger rushed to her head.
She felt like an outsider, helplessly watching as her treasures were gradually taken away by others.
Kasumigaoka Utaha appeared more composed, but the fingers holding the sake cup turned slightly white from the force.
She just watched quietly.
Finally, when Mai Sakurajima once again smiled and poured Yuto a full glass of wine, and casually brushed away non-existent dust from his collar with her fingertips, Kasumigaoka Utaha knew that she could no longer remain silent.
She put down her wine glass with a crisp sound, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
"Speaking of which, it's really enviable," she said.
"The chemistry that our great director Itsuka and national idol Mai Sakurajima developed on set is truly amazing."
"If you didn't know better, you'd think you were making a live-action version of 'Love Metronome' instead of a horror movie."
"So, could you give us viewers a hint, junior?" Kasumigaoka Utaha stared intently at Yuto, her smile alluring, but her eyes sharp.
"How far along is your 'play outside the play' now? Has filming wrapped up, or... are you preparing to hold a sequel production announcement?"
Upon hearing this question, Yoshihiko Uego and Kohei Onodera, who were just there to observe, wisely buried their heads in their food and pretended to be background figures.
Mai Sakurajima's smile faltered slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. She didn't look at Kasumigaoka Utaha, but instead watched Yuto with great interest, seemingly eager to see how he would respond.
Eriri's face had turned completely white.
She stared intently at Yuto, her hands clenched into fists under the table.
She even had an impulse to stand up immediately, grab Yuuto, and leave, to escape this suffocating interrogation.
In an instant, Yuto Itsuka became the center of the storm.
He felt three distinct yet equally intense gazes fixed upon him.
Refusing to answer or giving a perfunctory answer will cause the situation to spiral out of control.
He was silent for a moment, and just as the atmosphere was about to freeze, he suddenly laughed.
He didn't answer Kasumigaoka Utaha's question, but instead picked up his wine glass and stood up.
"That's an excellent question, senior." He looked around, his gaze sweeping over each person present.
"Speaking of 'drama,' our film is indeed full of all sorts of wonderful 'dramas.'"
"The first scene is Mai-senpai's 'one-woman show'." He looked at Mai Sakurajima with sincere eyes.
"Without your god-like acting skills, all our ideas would just be empty talk. It was you who, with your professionalism and dedication, breathed true soul into our makeshift production. This toast is for you."
Mai Sakurajima raised her glass and gently clinked it against his, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes.
“This second scene is Eriri’s ‘fantasy scene.’” His gaze shifted to Eriri, becoming much gentler.
"Those monsters that make everyone's scalp tingle, those props that are so realistic they're terrifying, all come from your paintbrush and your hands."
"It was you who turned our fears into reality. Without your talent, our film would lose half its color. This toast is to our best art director."
Eriri was stunned. Looking into Yuto's sincere eyes, the grievances and anger in her heart miraculously dissipated, replaced by waves of warm feeling.
She raised her teacup somewhat shyly.
"Also, Kasumigaoka-senpai, you," Yuto said with a smile as he looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha.
"You-/Yue-/Yi-/First*-delivered the most wonderful 'inner drama' for us."
"It was you who revised the script time and time again, turning our story from a simple scary ghost story into a work that explores human nature."
"It was you who gave this film its true depth and structure. Without you, it would just be an empty shell. This toast is to our irreplaceable screenwriter."
Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at him, her originally sharp gaze gradually softening in response to Yuto's words.
She gave a soft hum, picked up her wine glass, and accepted the compliment.
“Of course.” Yuto’s gaze finally fell on Kato Megumi, who had been quiet in the corner.
"And thank you for our most indispensable 'behind-the-scenes' work, Kato-kun."
"Thank you for taking care of everything for us silently, from script supervisor to logistics, without a single mistake. You are the most stable anchor on our shaky little boat. This toast is to our logistics chief."
Kato Megumi, who had been relatively unknown until now, looked up in surprise upon hearing this, then gave a faint but genuine smile and raised her glass as well.
Yuto downed his drink in one gulp and declared loudly, "So, if we're talking about a 'drama,' it's that we all put on this wonderful show called 'Echo' together! To our success, everyone, let's drink again!"
He defused a crisis that could have ignited a bloodbath with ease, using this method to deflect a huge attack with minimal effort.
He did not show favoritism to anyone, but instead made everyone's contributions public, temporarily elevating their competition to the glory of the team.
Mai Sakurajima looked at him, her eyes filled with a deeper meaning.
She knew he was avoiding the issue, but she admired his effortless composure even more.
Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha, though temporarily appeased, found their inner alarm bells ringing even louder.
They realized that the man in front of them was no longer the junior or friend they could easily manipulate; he was growing at an alarming rate and becoming increasingly difficult to control.
The celebration ended, and everyone dispersed.
At the entrance of the izakaya, Kato Megumi and Yuto walked side by side, and she quietly slipped a folded napkin into his hand.
"Be careful on the road, Itsuka-kun." After saying that, she turned and left.
Yuto returned to his apartment and collapsed onto his bed, utterly exhausted.
He unfolded the napkin, on which was written Kato Megumi's neat handwriting: "Yuto-kun, thank you for your hard work. I'm very happy to have completed this work with everyone."
A few simple words flowed through his mind, which was somewhat muddled by alcohol and complicated interpersonal relationships.
Just then, my phone vibrated twice.
He picked it up and saw that the first message was from Kasumigaoka Utaha.
[Xia Shizi: Tonight's speech was excellent; I almost believed it. However, using collective honor to avoid personal problems isn't a long-term solution, junior.]
[Kasumi Shiko: There are some things we'll have to talk about sooner or later, not as screenwriters and directors, but as... boys and girls.]
**A naked test.
Before Yuto could even process it, a second message popped up—it was from Eriri.
There were no words, only a cartoon drawing she made herself, featuring a little girl with golden twin tails.
The little girl was squatting in the corner with her knees drawn up to her chest, a dark cloud floating above her head. She looked both aggrieved and pitiful.
Looking at these two messages, Yuto let out a long sigh.
……
Volume 1: Chapter 133: An Unexpected Interlude
A week later, the cultural festival arrived, and the atmosphere at Toyonosaki Academy reached its peak.
The afternoon sun was no longer so scorching, but the auditorium was even more stuffy than at midday in the height of summer.
The horror movie "Echo" will be shown in ten minutes for Class B of Grade 11.
Backstage, Yuto Itsuka was nervously observing the grand spectacle from below the stage through the gap in the curtain.
The auditorium seats were already full, and even the aisles on both sides were crowded with students sitting on the floor, a dense mass of people.
The front row was occupied by school teachers and members of the news department, who were holding notebooks and striking a professional pose.
"Hey, Yuto, what's with that expression? You look like you're about to be sent to the guillotine."
Eriri's voice came from the side. She was dressed in a gothic Lolita-style dress, clearly having dressed up carefully, but the fingers tightly gripping the hem of the dress still betrayed her nervousness.
"I was just thinking that if the movie isn't good, we might get drowned in popcorn by angry audiences," Yuto said, turning his head and making a not-so-funny joke.
"Hmph, how could that be!" Eriri puffed out her small chest. "My monster design, plus that scheming woman's script, and... your direction, how could it possibly fail!"
She spoke toughly, but her gaze unconsciously drifted to the other side.
Kasumigaoka Utaha was leaning against the wall, flipping through a book of original texts, seemingly indifferent to everything around her.
But Yuto noticed that she hadn't turned a page in her book for the past five minutes.
Not far away, Mai Sakurajima was quietly talking to her classmates who were playing other roles, comforting them.
Meanwhile, Kato Megumi found a bottle of water from somewhere, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Yuto.
"Wuhe, have some water," she said softly. "Your lips are a little dry."
Yuto took the water and gave her a grateful look.
In such chaotic times, only Megumi Kato could always offer the most appropriate care in the calmest way.
"Om-"
The lights in the auditorium slowly dimmed, and the clamor of the crowd instantly turned into a low hum, eventually fading into silence.