[CH.77] Meetings and Things I Want to Do
During spring break, I submitted the draft for the representative speech at the entrance ceremony and received approval from the school, preparing for the new life ahead.
Speaking of new things, I've started participating in meetings regarding job offers that were previously left entirely to Yoko-san. Of course, it's mostly jobs that have been decided in the direction of incorporating Ms. Azusa's intentions, as it would be impossible to take on everything.
According to Ms. Azusa, it's now a time for industry professionals to remember not just the actress in me but also the real Matsuda Sumire. She mentioned that direct communication with the person involved creates a stronger sense of familiarity and is more likely to leave an impression on the memory of the assigned personnel, compared to interactions through intermediaries.
Certainly, this is a double-edged sword. If I were to display a disrespectful attitude in front of representatives or executives from sponsor companies, it would undoubtedly leave a negative impression. Moreover, for an actress like me, who is still in the mid-to-lower range in terms of popularity and recognition, it's unlikely that they would intentionally choose someone with such rude behavior.
Ms. Azusa reassured me by saying, "If you interact with others just as you are, no one will think it's disrespectful." Taking this advice to heart, I approached everyone as if they were superiors, and they responded with smiles.
In addition to the projects on my desk, there are people who introduce different kinds of work during such meetings. Grateful for their kindness, I expressed my thanks with a smile. Although I've only participated in five meetings so far, Yoko-san has praised my interactions, and I plan to continue in this manner.
I've been getting jobs as an actress, mostly similar to those of child actors, but recently, I've also received offers for roles like a reporter or a quiz show contestant. Ms. Azusa, who used to be negative about appearances on such shows, has somewhat relaxed her stance, saying, "It's okay as long as it's not too much," perhaps due to the fact that I'll soon be entering junior high. The standard for what constitutes "too much" seems to be negotiated between Ms. Azusa and Yoko-san, but they haven't shared the details with me. I was scolded for getting concerned about unnecessary things and was told to focus on each job in front of me.
"Well then, we look forward to your positive response. We're cheering for you, Sumire-chan!"
The director from the television station stood up and said this, addressing Yoko-san for the first half and me for the second. Yoko-san and I also stood up, bowed politely, and then replied energetically with smiles, saying, "Thank you! We'll do our best!"
Having been an uncle in my previous life, I understand well that men tend to support cheerful and honest girls with smiles. Although it's partly a joke, it's nice to receive job offers with a supportive mindset. Of course, it's still business, so they probably have their own calculations and expectations. I don't think it's a problem to consider things a bit strategically; after all, it's a mutual benefit.
Leaving the TV station's meeting room accompanied by the uncles, I entered the elevator. As the doors closed, I exhaled the breath I had been holding in my lungs, and Yoko-san beside me chuckled.
"What's wrong? Were you nervous? Sumire handled it well, so I think we can continue to have a good relationship with them."
"I hope so, but if my attitude causes the other person to dislike me, it might be a bother for the agency, right? Wouldn't that be unpleasant?"
"Don't worry, it'll be fine. If that happens, I'll go apologize with you. Let's bow our heads together. And then, let's eat something delicious and forget about it. Keeping unpleasant memories won't benefit us, so let's quickly forget and replace them with enjoyable memories. That way, we can lead a happy life."
Though I'm older in terms of age from my past life, Yoko-san likely has more life experience. The way she's learned to forget unpleasant memories throughout her life as a working adult is probably beneficial for me, the reincarnated me with a somewhat negative mindset.
As I noted Yoko-san's advice in my mental memo pad, I settled into the back seat of the pick-up car. Apart from today's meeting, there seems to be another TV program proposal explanation. I haven't participated in that program before, but for some reason, they've reached out to me. Whether the concept suits me exceptionally well or for some other reason, I have no clue. Well, I'll find out once I'm there.
Enjoying the relaxed journey to the next TV station amid the car's vibrations, Yoko-san's car smoothly descended into the underground. While suburban studios sometimes have above-ground parking, TV stations in the city seem to frequently utilize underground parking for efficient land use.
After getting out of the car, Yoko-san informed the receptionist of the contact person's name. After a short wait, a man in his thirties came to greet us. He handed us guest entry passes and escorted us to the meeting room where the discussion would take place.
Upon knocking on the door, we heard the man's response from inside, so I opened the door and took a step into the room. Inside, two long tables were arranged with two pipe chairs each. The vacant chairs in the foreground were probably meant for Yoko-san and me. Across from us, two men were sitting, and wait a minute, isn't that person...
"Lo-long time no see, Mr. Nishijima."
Struggling to extract the name from my memory, I greeted him, and when he heard his name, he looked genuinely surprised, opening his eyes wide and staring at my face.
"Well, I'm surprised. You remember me from the one time we met before, even though you were still so young."
"Well, it was during the spring break when I was about to enter the fourth grade, so it wasn't that long ago."
Sharping my gaze as if to say, "Don't tease me about my height," Nishijima-san awkwardly chuckled in an attempt to deflect the situation.
By the way, there was an incident during a cherry blossom viewing event with the agency members where, as part of the entertainment, I accidentally sang a future anime song. Furthermore, Yoko-san had recorded that audio with a tape recorder. She brought that tape to him. Yoko-san seemed to want to show off, saying, "Isn't my girl amazing?" and she was curious to hear the opinions of an expert since the song was improvised but sounded quite polished. Well, that's understandable since in the future, it's a professionally composed and released song. It couldn't be anything shabby.
Naturally, when Nishijima-san asked where I had performed those songs, I vaguely remember making some excuse like I heard them in a dream to get through that situation. Nishijima-san was a good person, so he didn't press further. However, if he had asked more probing questions, I might not have been able to avoid it.
Feeling anxious about how Nishijima-san would be involved in my work, I sat on a pipe chair with Yoko-san. I hoped he wouldn't dig into that past event because I couldn't come up with any good excuses.
"Um, thank you for taking the time today amidst your busy schedule. I'll explain the purpose of this plan, so please wait until the end of the explanation to ask questions."
Whether he was from the TV station or not, a man in his forties prefaced the discussion. He began explaining the details of the plan while flipping through the summary. Since we also had the materials he was looking at, we listened attentively.
The program called "Baramaji" is a challenge variety show where celebrities undertake various challenges, such as crossing the Pacific Ocean on a yacht or forming a soccer team with recruited experienced participants from the audience. This time, I received an offer to create a girl band on the show and aim to top the sales rankings. They plan to audition general viewers for the vocalist and gather skilled members for the other band positions from the junior generation and above. Those already confirmed for the guitar, bass, and drums are all local child prodigies, having been featured on local TV stations.
For the remaining position of keyboard player, they, for some reason, want to request me. After the explanation was finished, the coordinator asked, "Any questions?" and I was the first to raise my hand.
"Matsuda-san, please go ahead with your question."
"It's not exactly a question, more of a simple doubt, but why me? Frankly, my skills are no more than those of an amateur. I'll be standing next to members of the same age who are called child prodigies, and I can't help but feel I'll just embarrass myself. Besides, this program has a documentary aspect, and it seems to go against Ms. Azusa's advice not to expose my true self too much in public."
Looking at Yoko-san with a questioning expression, she seemed to have already heard about the details of this project, as she shrugged her shoulders and sighed.
"I wrestled reluctant approval from the president. Even if Sumire has talent as an actress, success is not guaranteed just because someone is talented. While I understand the president's words that an actor is a vessel for acting, when I said, 'Isn't it our role as adults to create options for Sumire that could work in the future?' and promised to adhere to certain conditions, permission was granted."
I felt a warmth in my chest at Yoko-san's words, realizing how much I was being cherished. Indeed, the entertainment industry is unpredictable, and there is a high possibility of putting in a lot of effort without achieving success. In such a situation, if I were already appearing on TV in roles other than acting, I could redirect my path in that direction. Accumulating experience and gaining popularity there, I might have the chance to return to the path of acting. Of course, that would require connections and funds, and it might be a much tougher journey than smoothly pursuing an acting career.
With Ms. Azusa's permission obtained, one hurdle was cleared, but the most pressing question had yet to be answered. Why was I, who seemed inferior to the other members, offered this opportunity? That intrigued me the most.
"I'll explain why I chose Sumire-chan. Is that alright?"
The one who spoke was Mr. Nishijima. It seemed that the final question was directed towards the staff of the program, and he nodded without any apparent discomfort.
"Indeed, there were opinions suggesting that forcing participation in a band from a different field, especially when there are many others who are better at the keyboard than Sumire-chan, might not yield good results. But from our perspective, we are expecting more from Sumire-chan's ability to silently put in effort and her coordination skills than her playing skills."
"Coordination skills?"
When I tilted my head and inquired, Mr. Nishijima flipped through his notebook. Whether he found the relevant note or not, he stopped flipping the pages and glanced over here.
"Sumire-chan, you smoothly facilitated the shooting by handling a child actor who is known to be difficult and has connections on your first job, right?"
"Um, are you talking about Suzu-chan and Keiko-chan? They did seem a bit moody at first, but we quickly became friends, and we were able to play and shoot together."
Now that I think about it, after the shoot, I heard from the makeup artist that Suzu-chan is usually a bit demanding. If that's the case, maybe she was in a particularly good mood that day. I can't be sure about the details now.
Seemingly sensing my continued lack of understanding, Mr. Nishijima looked at his notebook again.
"In the educational TV drama you appeared in, you were apparently the central figure among the cast, leading everyone. Yuta Aisaka from the Dannies's agency was grateful, saying that thanks to you, he was able to deliver a decent performance. We want you to lend us the power to support others generously in the background and lead everyone."
Saying that, I let out a deep sigh as Mr. Nishijima bowed. Well, I understand his perspective, probably. If kids with interview-worthy playing skills on each instrument gather, it's visible that conflicts will arise. Even in my previous life, I heard that when there are three people, factions can form, and having lived among girls in this life, I've seen some level of disputes among them.
In light of that, I think that even in this program, they will closely cover the audition process and the daily lives of the band members, right? If that's the case, wouldn't it be beneficial for the show if there were some conflicts?
When I boldly asked that, not only Mr. Nishijima but also the program's staff seemed troubled. According to them, while they could exert top-down control, they couldn't smoothly resolve conflicts and improve the band's relationships. Well, I think it's not something to leave to girls who will become middle school students next month, adults should work hard in that regard.
"What role will Mr. Nishijima play in this program? If he participates as a music supervisor, including composing and songwriting, it might be easier if he also captures the members' hearts in that aspect."
"...Sumire-chan, you say things that don't sound like a middle schooler. Unfortunately, I'll be participating in an observer-like role, looking at the overall picture. As for the music supervision you mentioned, that will be done by my son."
Son, huh? I vaguely remember meeting him or not when I visited Mr. Nishijima's house once. To be honest, I only have a memory of a boy around the same age, and I don't remember his appearance at all.
But it's clear that Mr. Nishijima doesn't want to stain his son's work with a failure. Perhaps this is his first significant job, it's a common story to hear about kids starting to play music by touching their father's instruments, especially if they come from a musical family.
And Yoko-san was involved in this. It's within the realm of imagination, but at that time, Yoko-san and Mr. Nishijima's son seemed to know each other. For the son of an acquaintance known since childhood, it could be interpreted as an attempt to push me into an unrelated job as a sacrificial pawn. Of course, this is an overly critical interpretation, and Yoko-san might have thought that there's a benefit for me in this story, so she brought me here just to hear the details.
Otherwise, Mr. Nishijima has too much information that external people wouldn't know. He probably heard the story from Yoko-san and checked the details with the people involved at that time. But, to be honest, I feel like he's targeting the wrong area to show effort.
"If you want to support your son's work, why not communicate with the members when there's an issue, Mr. Nishijima? It would be irresponsible as a parent and in business to throw me in and leave everything to me. Handling it this way is too sloppy and irresponsible."
When I said that clearly, Mr. Nishijima grimaced as if I had hit a sore spot. Above all, they seem to have a misunderstanding, I'm not particularly skilled at mediating human relationships.
In my school life, I was under the protection of Touka-chan, so there were no issues in school life for me. However, when I rejected confessions from boys, there were apparently a few who tried to bully me. By the way, how do I know this? I overheard it on the spot when it was conveyed as a message to Haruka during our playtime after graduation.
I don't understand why those kids would want to bully me just because I turned down a confession from a boy they liked. If the bullying were to be exposed to that boy, his feelings toward the girl who turned him down wouldn't improve, and if anything, they might even worsen, right? If it were me, I'd leave the girl who rejected my crush alone and focus on consoling him or becoming friends. When I mentioned this, for some reason, I was patted on the head by Touka and Haruka, and they said, "Stay as you are, Sumire." I was treated like a child, and I sulked a little, but it was all in good fun.
Whether I can mediate among proud kids of the same age remains to be seen, and the answer is uncertain. If they're including me in the group just for that purpose, it might be better to choose someone who is simply skilled at the keyboard.
"...It seems like both of us need to discuss this further. I'll take back the opinions I received from Matsuda-san and consider them. I hope you also consider the results of our discussion. Thank you."
The coordinator said this somewhat awkwardly, and the meeting came to an end. However, considering that what I really want to do is acting, not music, I think the likelihood of turning down the offer without further consideration is higher. If opportunities for voice acting or similar roles came up, I'd love to try them, but I haven't heard of any such offers from Yoko-san yet.
Perhaps it's important to actively communicate what I want to do with Yoko-san and create opportunities for discussions. With this in mind, I left the meeting room, thinking it was a good chance to have a proper conversation.
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