[CH.30] Dinner with Director Kanzaki
**TL Notes: So as not to confuse you all, I made a list of the characters that get mentioned in this chapter that you may have forgotten before. Sumire Matsuda: MC Yoko Ando (Yoko-san): Sumire's manager. Director Kanzaki: The interviewer at Sumire's first audition and the person who paved the way for Sumire to enter the entertainment industry. |
"Just the right time, how about having a meal together?" Director Kanzaki suggested, and both Yoko-san and I eagerly agreed. It seemed Yoko-san had a favorite Western-style restaurant she often visited, so we used the public phone in the lobby to make a reservation before heading there.
"I have a good Western restaurant I often go to, I'm not a fan of overly formal places," Director Kanzaki said with a slightly bashful smile, and I nodded in agreement. Truth be told, even though I was an old man in my past life, I didn't quite understand table manners. I had a complex about it, so I avoided restaurants where I had to use knives and forks. I even ate at family restaurants with chopsticks. I plan to study it properly in this life, but I haven't had many opportunities so far.
I thought we would take the train, but just like when we arrived, we used a taxi. Director Kanzaki and Yoko-san sat on either side of me. The night road was getting darker, and the headlights and neon lights on the road shone brightly, creating a lively atmosphere. Tokyo is probably just as bustling, but I don't have much of an impression since I rarely go out at night due to my age.
"Sumire, do you know Osaka well?" Yoko-san asked, and I tilted my head slightly. The time when I started wandering around the streets of Osaka of my own accord in my past life was when I entered high school. Of course, I had a set route since my grandparents' house was there. But this era's Osaka was mostly uncharted territory. While some of the old landmarks might still be there, I thought the shops and businesses would be completely different, so I really didn't know much about it.
When I told them that I wasn't familiar with Osaka, we decided to do some sightseeing before I headed back to Tokyo the next day. Yoko-san mentioned that she had been to Osaka for work but never had the chance for sightseeing.
We discussed routes like "Let's go up to the Osaka Castle tower" and "Tsutenkaku would be great too." However, Director Kanzaki interrupted us.
"I was planning to discuss this during our meal, but I'd like to have some of Sumire's time tomorrow afternoon. There are people I want her to meet, and I apologize for the sudden request..."
Seeing Director Kanzaki looking genuinely apologetic, it made it difficult to decline. Yoko-san and I exchanged glances, and I nodded to signify that I was okay with it. Yoko-san then responded on my behalf.
As a result, we agreed to contact Director Kanzaki's office tomorrow morning to get the location and time from the staff, and then we would proceed to the designated meeting place. While we were discussing this, it seemed we had arrived near our destination. The taxi came to a slow stop.
We got out of the taxi and followed Director Kanzaki. There, we found a charming, old-fashioned Western-style restaurant. Drawn in by the inviting aroma, we sat down at a table and started browsing the menu. Everything looked so delicious in the menu with photos, making it hard to decide, but I eventually settled on the classic hamburger steak. I thought that being able to order what you wanted without worrying about the price was a privilege of being a child. In my past life, I used to choose restaurants based on their price range, so I never had the chance to enjoy someone treating me to a delicious meal.
As I sipped on the water brought to the table, I listened to Director Kanzaki's story. Although it had been a while since we met, Director Kanzaki had been keeping an eye on me, calling to check on me at least once a month. It turns out that when he mentioned wanting to cast me as the lead in a movie, he was serious about it. He had been steadily preparing for this project over the past year.
He and his staff had been working tirelessly, carrying the project proposal to potential sponsors and companies willing to invest. The project was beginning to take shape. However, a setback occurred when the CEO of a particular company expressed doubts about the lead actress - in other words, me. While he was keen to invest in Director Kanzaki's project, he was firmly against casting an unknown child actor as the main lead.
I can't entirely fault the CEO's perspective. Despite my appearances in educational dramas and commercials, my level of fame in the public was indeed quite limited. If they were going to invest a substantial amount of money, it was only natural for them to prefer a more renowned child actor.
Afterward, Director Kanzaki sought the help of other company CEOs he had connections with, and this one CEO tried to persuade Director Kanzaki to use a child actor they were endorsing instead. However, Director Kanzaki couldn't back down, given the promise he had made with me. As a result, they reached a compromise: an audition would be held with both me and the child actor recommended by these companies.
"Well, if that's the case, I would have preferred if you had informed our agency beforehand."
"I understand, but Ando-san, we had to do this on very short notice. We did our best to contact your agency and get your schedule for today. I had to work diligently to catch up."
I wondered if it was really okay to casually share a talent's schedule with outsiders like that. If someone claimed to be Director Kanzaki, perhaps they'd have to reveal the schedule, but I couldn't help but feel uneasy. Given my past life experiences with excessive privacy management, I worried about potential risks. I quietly prayed that no one would take undue interest or turn out to be a stalker.
As the conversation reached a stopping point, our sizzling hot hamburgers arrived, and we decided to pause our discussion and enjoy our meal. The hamburger was presented on a hot iron griddle with glazed carrots as a side and three pieces of fried potatoes, looking delicious both in appearance and aroma. I had requested the rice to be halved as part of the set, so I was confident that I could finish it. Unfortunately, there were no chopsticks available, so I watched Director Kanzaki and Yoko-san's knife and fork usage carefully and mimicked them as I sliced the hamburger and took a bite.
It was incredibly tender, oozing with juicy flavor in my mouth, and it tasted delicious. The demi-glace sauce was rich and paired perfectly with the hamburger.
"This is incredibly delicious!"
"Right? Whenever you come to Osaka, be sure to come here. I'm glad you liked it."
I swallowed the bite of hamburger and couldn't help but express my delight to Director Kanzaki, who smiled warmly in response. Then, Yoko-san cut a piece of her shrimp fry and brought it to my mouth, gesturing for me to say "ah." I didn't hesitate to take a bite.
The shrimp was delicious too, with its delightful firm texture. As a return gesture, I pierced some hamburger coated with demi-glace sauce onto my fork and offered it to Yoko-san, who happily accepted and savored it.
"The hamburger is also delicious. If you ever have a chance to come to Osaka again, let's dine together."
Yoko-san suggested this, and I readily agreed. However, I wondered when I would get the opportunity to come to Osaka for work with Yoko-san again. I hoped to receive offers from not only Tokyo but also Osaka. To achieve that, I needed to give my best at the audition scheduled for tomorrow.
After finishing our meal and allowing our stomachs to settle for a while, we continued with our previous conversation. In the end, it turned out that I had to audition in an unfamiliar setting. Of course, I wanted to try my best to fulfill Director Kanzaki's expectations and appear in his movie. He was the one who had brought me into the entertainment industry, or rather, connected me with Ms. Oshima. Without Director Kanzaki, I wouldn't be where I am now.
However, despite my determination, I couldn't help but feel some resignation. The executives supporting other child actors for the role had no intention of choosing me in the audition. They had already decided that I was not their choice, so it would be challenging for me to overturn their preconceived notions and leave a better impression than the other child.
(I wish I could confidently say, "Leave it to me." But I'm not that self-assured.)
I believed that confidence was something that grew with experience. With less than a year of experience in my career, it wasn't easy for me to have groundless self-assurance. Being overly confident would make me arrogant.
If I failed, I would sincerely apologize to Director Kanzaki. Despite these negative thoughts running through my mind, I continued to respond to Director Kanzaki and Yoko-san in our conversation.
---
The following morning, we woke up early and left the hotel. We had breakfast at a nearby cafe, enjoying a morning set. In the late Heisei era, retro-style coffee shops were trending, but in this era, they were quite common, and you could find them everywhere.
The morning set included salad, thickly sliced toast, a boiled egg, and a drink, all for about 300 yen. It was a great deal, and I couldn't help but think that. However, I was still full from last night, so I left quite a bit of food. Yoko-san, on the other hand, devoured her portion energetically, making me wonder if she could eat that much.
Now, where should we go? The most famous aquarium from my past life had not opened yet, and I had some safety concerns around Tsutenkaku, so it didn't seem like a good place for two women to visit. We only had the morning free, so I was trying to decide where to go. Suddenly, Yoko-san stood up and grabbed the bill.
"Let's go, Sumire! Since you have an audition in the afternoon, let's buy some cute clothes."
"Do I really need new clothes? Isn't this summer dress good enough?"
Today, I was wearing a short-sleeved summer dress made of light fabric. It had a large bow at the chest and plenty of cute flower patterns, making it a charming outfit. By the way, Yumi's mom bought it for her when she was in third grade, but she stubbornly refused to wear it, leaving it unused in the closet. It was meant for a third-grader, and now, as a fourth-grader, it was slightly big for me, which was a bit disappointing. Well, let's not dwell on it. Being short and small wasn't something new for me.
"Umm, that's cute too. You don't have to buy anything if you don't want to, but if you like something, I think you should get it. Actually, I'll give it to you as a present."
"Yoko-san, are you just using me as an excuse to go shopping for yourself?"
"Well, I also want to play dress-up with Sumire as my living doll, so let's go!"
She had completely forgotten our original plan for sightseeing. There were many things I wanted to say, but I knew it wouldn't get through to Yoko-san at this point. With a small, resigned sigh, I got up and followed Yoko-san to the cashier's desk.
Afterward, we went to a department store in Umeda and spent the entire morning trying on dozens of outfits. I was completely drained of energy. Yoko-san and the store staff praised me with "cute" and "looks good" so many times that I got carried away. But in the end, all I bought was a pair of pajamas made from red fabric with deformed star patterns.
It wasn't too expensive, and since Yoko-san really insisted, I accepted it as a gift. I thanked her and said, "I'll treasure it," and Yoko-san hugged me tightly, looking very happy. Even in the modern world, it felt a bit strange to say such things to someone much older, but I found her to be incredibly charming. Yoko-san, who was like both an older sister and a younger sister, was a fun and delightful person to be around.
As I rested on the chairs provided in the department store, still a bit dazed from all the outfit changes, Yoko-san had gone to call from a payphone at the nearby location of the company. I wished that mobile phones would become popular soon, it was such a hassle to have to use payphones for everything.
While silently grumbling about this, Yoko-san returned. Apparently, the company was located somewhere in between Yodoyabashi and Hommachi. We decided to have lunch and take a short break before heading there.
Thanks to either having a lighter breakfast or perhaps the mini fashion show of trying on so many outfits, I was feeling quite hungry now. I wanted to have something like okonomiyaki or local specialties for lunch. While discussing this, I held hands with Yoko-san as we walked toward the elevator.
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