[CH.32] An Incident After Returning to the Dormitory
**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 Azusa Oshima (Ms. Oshima): Sumire’s mentor Yoko Ando (Yoko-san): Sumire's manager Toyo-san: An elderly maid who works for the Oshima family. Maho Iida: MC’s senpai at the dormitory, a high school student. Natsumi Shirakawa: MC’s senpai at the dormitory, also a high school student. Yumiko Kurita (Yumi-san): MC’s senpai at the dormitory, a middle school student. Ai Shinonome: MC’s senpai at the dormitory and an actress. |
"I never thought I'd pass..."
I muttered to myself on the Shinkansen ride back home. Yoko-san, who was sitting next to me, flipping through her notebook and jotting something down, chuckled.
"From my perspective, I thought 'It's a done deal!' during the improvisation part because you did so well. You earned it with your skill, so have confidence."
Yoko-san complimented me as she gently patted my head, but I couldn't muster much confidence. The reason being that the performance I gave was a stroke of luck, far from my usual abilities.
If I could consistently perform at that level with intent, then I'd have confidence. To achieve that, I needed more practice and experience in my work.
After a brief break, I learned from Director Kanzaki that we still had about a year until filming would commence. I didn't know the specifics, but I could imagine that there would be various preparations and adjustments that would take time. I also heard that the audition was originally scheduled to happen later, but it was moved up due to objections from some sponsors.
Oh, by the way, the president and others who were initially against it apologized to me. Interestingly, the president who spoke to me in Kyoto dialect before the audition turned out to be the leader of the opposing group. He seemed quite gentle, so I didn't think of him as a troublemaker, but apparently, it was a typical Kyoto trait – somewhat like a subtle form of sarcasm. To put it simply, it was a kind of light teasing.
When I was called cute back then, it was like, to summarize, "You may look cute, but can you act? Shouldn't you go home before embarrassing yourself?" or something along those lines.
I'm fine with having somehow proven them wrong, but it's a bit unsettling when the person who said such things later tells me about it. Well, I'm an adult, so I don't let it show on my face.
However, those company presidents who managed to overcome various troubles and grow their companies significantly in post-war Japan are truly something. The opposition group quickly changed their tune and came to me with comments like this:
"Sumire-chan, I always believed in your talent! Could you please appear in our company's commercials?"
"Hey, don't cut ahead of the line! Sumire-chan, you can appear in our commercials too!"
Even if the older guys were getting all enthusiastic, I didn't feel particularly pleased about it, so I just left it all to Yoko-san. There are scheduling issues to consider, and I can't just respond on my own. Judging from Yoko-san's delighted expression, it seems like she received quite a number of offers, so it's a win-win for both of us, I guess.
Finally, I bid them farewell with a salesperson's smile, saying, "I look forward to working together in the future." Then, I left the director and the company presidents and headed straight to Shin-Osaka Station. Yoko-san suggested, "Since you're already so close, why don't you visit your parents before going home?" But it was already late in the afternoon by that time, so I declined. The mature part of me is fine with not seeing my parents and understands the reasons, but there's a small child inside me who's throwing a tantrum.
Why can't they get their act together for my sister? Are my parents okay not seeing me? I can't meet my friends easily, and I wish they'd resolve this soon. I have a young me deep inside that shouts these things, and each time, the adult me comforts her, saying, "It's something we can't help." But if things continue like this, I might explode someday. Before that happens, I hope my parents will make an effort and work towards a solution. I'll do my best to keep this child calm and not let her explode.
Then, I bought some souvenirs in Shin-Osaka Station and boarded the Shinkansen, bringing us to the present. I couldn't decide what to buy, but in the end, I chose some delicious-looking snacks. When you think of Osaka souvenirs, items like pork buns and takoyaki come to mind, but I figured individually wrapped treats would be easier to share. So, I bought waffles for everyone in the dorm. I also got a box of dorayaki for Ms. Oshima and Toyo-san. Since I'm earning a reasonable income, I thought I should use my own money to buy souvenirs.
For Touka-chan and the others, I wasn't sure if I'd see them during the summer break, so I picked cute animal-shaped keychains instead of food. They might not need them, but I thought keychains might come in handy someday. I hope they won't be relegated to the bottom of a drawer but will remain cherished, never to be thrown away.
As I pondered, the Shinkansen arrived at Tokyo Station. Time had truly passed by in the blink of an eye while I was lost in thought. Yoko-san seemed engrossed in organizing something in her notebook, and it appeared that she hadn't noticed our arrival at Tokyo Station.
Since it was the end of the line, there was no need to rush, but we hurriedly got our belongings together and disembarked from the train. Carrying our luggage, we joined the line at the taxi stand. Due to coinciding with the evening rush, we waited for about 40 minutes until it was finally our turn. We got into the taxi, and when Yoko-san told the driver our destination, the taxi started moving slowly.
There were some traffic jams here and there, so it took about 35 minutes, but we reached the dormitory without any issues. Here, I got out of the taxi, and Yoko-san was heading straight to her own home.
"Well then, Sumire. Take a good rest, we're back to work the day after tomorrow."
"I'll be fine, I understand. Yoko-san, please go home quickly and rest."
We exchanged words of kindness, and I watched the taxi drive away after we bid our farewells, then walked through the gate into the dormitory. Hmm, it's strangely darker in the main building than usual. I wonder if Ms. Oshima isn't here due to work?
While tilting my head, as I entered the dormitory, I was suddenly embraced by someone without even getting the chance to say I'm back. Startled by the suddenness, I couldn't even let out a sound as I stiffened, and from above my head, I heard a familiar voice.
"Sumire~ I'm so hungry~"
"...Maho-san, you scared me!"
Relieved that it wasn't a thief or a pervert, my tense body relaxed. I could tell right away that it wasn't a man; she smelled nice and her body was soft, just like a girl's.
With the gap that was created when I spoke, I looked up to see silky hair and a familiar face. It was Maho Iida, one of the high school girls from our dorm. She had a soft wave to her naturally slightly wavy black hair, and her face, though youthful, was pretty enough to be called a cute girl without hesitation.
"What happened? Wasn't today one of Toyo-san's days to cook?"
"Nah, she was supposed to make dinner and come back, but it seems something came up, so she returned home before preparing the meal."
I felt a bit anxious hearing this from Maho as she spoke with a furrowed brow. Keeping Maho clinging to me from behind, I dragged her into the living room. There, another high school dorm mate, Natsumi Shirakawa, was lying on the floor. Unlike Maho, who had wavy hair, Natsumi had straight black hair splayed out on the floor, and I couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated – this wasn't a crime scene, after all.
"Natsumi-san, are you alive?"
"I'm starving and might die..."
I instructed Maho, who was still clinging to my back, to help lift Natsumi, and then I placed the box of waffles on the table. I casually tore open the packaging and uncovered about 30 individually wrapped waffles. In hindsight, I was glad I bought the largest size.
"Please have these for a while. I'll get some ingredients from the main building's fridge and prepare something to eat. Oh, these are also for Ai-san and Yumi-san, so don't eat them all, okay?"
"Yes."
The two high school girls responded amicably. I let out a sigh and then carried my belongings to my room. I had worked up a sweat during the audition and the journey, so I changed from my summer dress into a T-shirt and shorts. By the way, this oversized T-shirt was a hand-me-down from Yumi-san and was mainly used as pajamas and loungewear. Yumi-san had worn it a year or two ago, and when I wear it, it's quite loose. To give you an idea, it's like those boyfriend shirts that were popular for a while in a past life.
I also tied my hair back in a simple manner and washed my face in the bathroom. Then, I went to the main building to collect some usable ingredients from the fridge and other items. It might affect Toyo-san's menu, but I'll make sure to replenish any used ingredients tomorrow morning by going to the supermarket. Unfortunately, at this time, the nearby supermarkets have probably already closed.
Illustration by totto様
Returning to the dorm again, I found the two lazy high school girls in the living room, leisurely enjoying waffles. They seemed to have calmed down, so you might think I should have helped a bit, but these two are utterly hopeless when it comes to housework. If I asked them for help, it would only make things more complicated, so I decided to let it go. By the way, I hadn't had dinner yet. I ate a pork bun at Shin-Osaka and felt quite full, so I hadn't paid much attention to it. However, now that I was cooking, my stomach began to grumble a bit.
Since we didn't have a specialized wok in this dormitory, I used a regular frying pan to make fried rice. I finely chopped the onions I had obtained from the vegetable section and sliced the sausages as a substitute for roast pork. I thawed the leftover cold rice from the freezer in the microwave and mixed it with beaten eggs.
First, I put the rice in the frying pan and sautéed it, then added the onions and sausages. I wanted to add green onions, but I decided to skip them today. I seasoned it with soy sauce, salt, pepper, and a touch of sesame oil, which is the Matsuda family style. With this, the fried rice was complete, and I washed the frying pan and started making another dish. I found a packet of instant mapo tofu sauce mix in the cupboard, so I combined it with diced silken tofu and brought it to a simmer. Finally, I mixed in some cornstarch, and it was done in no time.
"It's ready. It unexpectedly turned into a Chinese-style dinner, but if that's okay with you, please help yourselves."
I made several trips between the living room and kitchen, arranging the finished dishes on the table. Maho and Natsumi cheered and eagerly dug into the fried rice.
I served myself about a third of what Maho and Natsumi had on my plate, then used a ladle to bring a mouthful of fried rice to my mouth. Yep, it turned out quite well. I also scooped some mapo tofu onto a small dish and ate it, and despite being instant, it had the familiar and reliable taste.
"Is it okay that I didn't prepare dinner for Ai-san and Yumi-san?"
"It's fine. Ai-san is apparently going out for drinks, and Yumi is having dinner with people from her theater company."
Maho answered my question while munching on fried rice. I wondered if it was okay for breakfast tomorrow, there was bread, so it should be fine. But more than that, I was concerned about Toyo-san, who had hurried home earlier. I hoped there were no problems.
When I checked the notice board at the main building earlier, I saw that it stated Ms. Oshima would be working late tonight and wouldn't need dinner. She would probably be home late tonight, and I suspected she would sleep in tomorrow. If Toyo-san goes to work without any issues tomorrow, I'll ask her what she needs and offer to help with the shopping. Yoko-san will probably inform Ms. Oshima of the audition results, but I think it's important for me to report it in person too, and it seemed like things were getting busy as soon as I got back.
After finishing the meal, I took a short break and then washed the used dishes, placing them on the dish rack to dry. I turned off the faucet, stretched, and suddenly a hand reached out from my side and lifted me up.
"Alright, as a thank you for the delicious meal, the two older sisters will clean you up, Sumire."
"Oh, I'll take care of it myself later! Let me go, please!"
"Give up, Sumire-chan. When Maho gets like this, you know no one can stop her, right?"
"You're trying to act nonchalant, but what Natsumi is holding in her hand is my underwear!"
They're both plotting this to me, what a terrible betrayal. I tried to resist, but with this feeble body, I stood no chance against the strength of the two high school girls. I ended up getting thoroughly washed from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I did return the favor by washing their backs properly as a thank you, but I couldn't help but earnestly wish for a bit more height.
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ReplyDeleteGotta love Japanese stories and their casual use of sexual harassment lol
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