Chapter 31: The Actor's Grand Scheme

My head is pounding.

I am standing backstage in a sweaty, chaotic stadium.

My mom is somewhere.

And this lunatic actor, Hiroto Suzume, is staring at me like I'm the answer to a test he didn't study for.

"This is PERFECT!" he shouts again, making a nearby stagehand jump.

"What is perfect?" I hiss, my 'Bloody Twilight' aura back in full force. "My phone is a warzone. My school is a drama set. And you kissed my cheek!"

"Exactly!" Hiroto claps his hands, his (now-repaired) pants swishing. "The drama! The conflict! The passion! A cold, beautiful ice queen, a School Prince, and a King of the digital world! And now, me! The Star!"

He strikes a pose.

I just stare at him.

"You're an idiot," I inform him.

"I'm an artist, my Angel!" he counters, his eyes shining. "And you are my inspiration! I need you!"

"I'm leaving." I turn to find my mom.

"Wait!" he says, his voice suddenly serious.

I stop.

"You hate this, don't you?" he asks.

I look over my shoulder. His dramatic, goofy grin is gone. He's observing me. Really observing.

"You just want them to go away."

"Yes," I say, surprised. "That is exactly what I want."

"I knew it!" His bright, goofy smile slams back onto his face. "A true tsundere! You pretend not to care, but deep down you crave the drama!"

"I literally just said-"

"And I can help!" he declares.

"Help how? By adding a third name to my block list?"

"By managing the narrative, my Angel!" he says, tapping his temple. "I'm an actor. I know how to handle dramatic rivals. Those two are amateurs. They're using brute force. Miso soup? Really? So uncreative."

He leans in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"You are stuck between 'Ice' and 'Fire.' Fuji is the 'School Prince.' Stiff, cold, calculated. Daiki is the 'Fire King.' Lazy, arrogant, but passionate. You need a third option."

"Which is you?" I groan.

"NO!" he laughs, like I'm the crazy one. "I'm the Director! I'm the wild card! The 'Wind'! I'm here to mess things up and make it interesting! But first!"

He leans in even closer, his eyes sparkling. "I don't even know the name of my Dark Angel! Tell me! What do they call you?"

"Aoi-chan! There you are!"

My mom. Thank god.

Hiroto freezes, his "tell me your name" pose still active. He looks devastated by the interruption.

My mom walks over, her eyes widening when she sees who I'm talking to.

"Oh! Suzume-san!" my mom says, bowing.

"Ah, Isuzu-san's mother!" Hiroto beams. He instantly transforms. He's charming, polite, professional. "Thank you so much for your company's support! And thank you for lending me your daughter!"

"Lending...?" my mom asks.

"She saved my life tonight!" Hiroto gushes. "A true backstage angel! We were just exchanging contact info."

He holds his phone out to me. In front of my mom.

I am trapped.

This cunning, yellow-haired devil.

I slowly type in my number.

"Wonderful!" he chirps. "I'll text you! We must collaborate! It's destiny!"

He bows to my mom, winks at me, and dances away, humming his own song.

"Wow, Aoi-chan," my mom says as we walk to the car. "He's so famous, but so nice! I'm glad you're making new friends."

Bzzzt.

My phone.

Unknown Number: Welcome to the 'Operation: Save Aoi's Peaceful Life (By Making It More Dramatic)' Squad, my Angel!

Unknown Number: P.S. I am the President, CEO, and Lead Actor.

Unknown Number: P.S.S. I'm changing your contact name to 'My Dark Angel Muse <3'.

I hate him. I hate him so much.