On location

“Ueno-san!”

A bright voice shook Shinya out of his stupor. He turned to see Saya walking into the building, a stack of letters in hand. He was happy to see that her fans had also shown up.

“Good morning Kobayashi-san,” Shinya replied dutifully.

“You should call me Saya.”

“Shinya,” he replied and held out his hand, which she shook.

“I heard we’re doing some rooftop scenes first. I’m glad we’re not starting out with the key moments. I’d rather have some time to get to know my character in relation to the others. You can practice a lot on your own, but acting is a dynamic between several people.”

Shinya nodded. That made a lot of sense. Saya excused herself just as the director’s assistant found Shinya and brought him to their chosen base of operation in one of the former classrooms. That was where he first laid eyes on Kimura Kazuya, who played the second male lead Fujiwara Shinji.

By god, that man was pretty. There was little else that occupied his brain when Shinya first laid eyes on him. Kimura Kazuya had a more feminine aura than most other popular actors of the day, which was why there had been a long discussion over the casting. Surely seeing someone like him in the cosplay dresses was preferred? But no. Shinya had insisted on Minato and gotten his wish.

Kazuya raised an eyebrow as he spotted Shinya, but quickly schooled his features.

“Ueno-san! Good morning. Ready for the day?” the director asked.

Her name was Fujibashi Kaoru—a powerhouse with more than ten dramas under her belt. Shinya had had a good feeling about her from the second they met during pre-production. She was a head smaller than him, but she towered over everyone when it came to experience and knowledge. Fujibashi handed Shinya a copy of the updated script for episodes 1 and 2.

“I know you approved the scriptwriter to work independently, but have a look all the same.”

“Thank you. I don’t think I’ll have any problems. I told you I’m here to observe.”

Fujibashi waved for Kazuya to come closer.

“You haven’t met yet, right? Kimura Kazuya, this is Ueno Shinya, the author of ‘Pink Secret’,” she said and waved between them.

Kazuya bowed respectfully. “Kimura Kazuya. I’ll be in your care.”

“Likewise. Looking forward to working with you.”

Damn, he was even prettier up close. But for all his beauty, which was undeniable, Shinya didn’t feel his heart racing like when he laid eyes on Minato. Kazuya played the supportive friend of the female lead, who gets clued in on her antics with the class rep and helps her with taking photos of her cosplays. Shinya wondered if Kazuya and Minato would clash like their characters…

“You’ll have a lot of scenes with Saya today,” Fujibashi said. “Get changed.”

“Yes. Excuse me.”

Shinya watched him leave the room. In the corridor, several people in student uniforms walked past the windows. They didn’t need many extras today, but for other scenes the building might be packed.

“You can take a coffee, tea or anything else from this room, Ueno-san. We’re convening on the roof in half an hour. See you later.”

Fujibashi patted his shoulder in passing and left Shinya in the room with a few other people, who were busily typing away at their laptops. He looked at the small spread of snacks on the table and ultimately took a bottled milk coffee from the small fridge. He sipped it while browsing the new version of the script. It had few corrections—mostly notes about camera angles, pauses, close-ups.

The production team had been nervous about having him on board as an executive producer, most likely fearing he’d wanted to be present to meddle with everything, but during pre-production, they had built mutual respect for their craft and conduct. Shinya was happy to let them do their magic and only chime in when he deemed it absolutely necessary. There was no need for him to police every camera angle. He wasn’t a drama director, he was an author.

Happy with the progress, he binned the empty bottle and walked out into the corridor.

“Ueno-sensei!”

Shinya turned around to see Kazuya waving him closer from a distance. He was in costume now, the student uniform making him seem younger still. Of course it was the makeup, but most of all the angelic smile that had made him famous, which was lighting up the space around him. Shinya followed the summons.

“I apologise if I was a bit rude earlier. I’m not a morning person.”

“Oh, no, no. It’s all good.”

“I’m glad,” Kazuya said and put a hand on Shinya’s arm. “I actually have a question about my character. Can you walk with me upstairs?”

“Sure.”

Kazuya beamed again. It was like he was a different person. Maybe he needed a coffee to properly wake up. Shinya could empathise with that. The school had three floors and a rooftop, so they walked up the broad staircase together, passing people here and there, who were setting up other shooting locations like the club room and the infirmary. It was like a hive of busy bees.

“So in the drama and the book, Shinji never says out loud that he’s in love with Hina, right?” Kazuya asked.

“Yeah, they don’t have that talk.”

“I had my coach suggest that it might be because he’s afraid to get rejected, but that feels wrong to me. If anything, seeing a rival would make him step up. He’s pretty assertive.”

Shinya nodded, curious where this was going.

“So I think he’s actually just a really great guy, who recognises Hina’s feelings and because they’ve been friends for so long, supports her relationship, rather than give her something else to worry about.”

“Oh!”

“Oh?”

“That’s exactly it!” Shinya said, smiling broadly.

“Ha! I knew it!” Kazuya beamed and hit Shinya playfully on the back. “So it’s alright to play him yearning, but he should show more conscious resolve than disappointment later on.”

“I’m amazed you picked up on that,” Shinya said truthfully.

They had stopped on the last set of stairs before the roof. There were footsteps behind them.

“It was clear to me from the novel. Ueno-sensei’s writing is amazing!”

Shinya actually blushed at that. He opened his mouth to immediately deflect the compliment, when he felt a hand on his back. He looked up to see Minato beside him. His heart sped up so fast, he felt it jump.

“Of course it is amazing,” Minato said. “Like the person.”

“Minato.”

“Kazuya.”

“I’ll be in your care for the shoot,” Kazuya said and bowed slightly. Then he looked at Shinya with a soft smile. “Thank you for your advice, sensei. I’ll go on ahead.”

They watched Kazuya disappear through the roof access door and only a moment later, Shinya found himself with his back to the wall, Minato looming over him. Their faces were mere centimeters apart. Shinya’s first instinct was to look around if anyone could see them, but he was unable to tear himself away from Minato’s eyes.

“What was that?” Minato asked.

“Kimura-san had a question…”

“Calling you sensei in that voice?”

Shinya bristled a bit at that. “It’s just respectful.”

“And I’m not?” Minato leaned in and put his mouth next to Shinya’s ear. “Shinya-kun?”

A wave of goosebumps traveled over Shinya’s body from his head down to his toes. He hoped he hadn’t made an embarrassing sound.

“No, I didn’t say that. You’re… we agreed on first names.”

Minato drew his head back so they faced each other again. “That’s right. You’ve seen me half-naked, after all!”

“I didn’t ask you to send me that picture!!” Shinya yelled and immediately clamped both hands over his mouth.

“True. I sent it because I wanted to.”

His words were light, but Minato was still tense. Then the realisation hit Shinya. He laughed because the thought was too ridiculous.

“What is so funny?”

“Are you actually jealous?” Shinya asked.

“So what?”

“Wait. You are?”

“I thought I made my intentions clear.”

Shinya put both hands on Minato’s chest and pushed him away, but the man wouldn’t budge. They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment longer, then Minato backed off.

“Come on, let’s not keep them waiting.”

Shinya watched Minato climb the last few stairs, following him when he reached out his hand.