NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50: Tobacco
Reality show...
As its name has represented, the purpose of this show was to bring idols, celebrities, and talents from all over the country to participate in games for entertainment purposes. The other side was to help the audience to be able to catch a glimpse of the true nature of their Oshi (idols) and have a closer perspective toward the people who were out of their reach.
Why did I describe so? Just as you thought, the image in front of the public was a man-made personality. It could be their true self or a mask to hide their ugliness and flaws. Of course, I also wore the mask. Humans always have a flaw somewhere. Unfortunately, becoming a public figure was the most painful price for the person choosing the entertainment industry because fans generally weren't normal.
Even though idols were human, they were expected to have the qualifications of a saint/saintess. However, they couldn't blame their fans because they earned profits from them. After all, the idol was a job with income that involved squeezing fans' pocket money. The higher the pressure is, the more the rewards you gain. Idol was originally like that.
"Sui-chan, good job~"
My mom handed me the bottle and praised me. Of course, my heart was filled with joy and I even wanted to hug her and respond to her praise. No human could endure the temptation of being praised. The praise I've worked so hard for in my previous life was nothing to this current happiness. The true praise after I'd opened my heart was so warm and ecstatic. It was like a drug that you couldn't help but be addicted to it.
The good news was I'd finished my model job. The bad news was my stamina was completely exhausted after the shooting. There are too many poses, too much time to change clothes, and too much back pain to wait for the make-up. I was tired...At this time, I should have switched to Hyouri to let her finish our job. Unfortunately, she'd gone...
"Um..."
I took a bottle of water from my mom and poured it into my mouth...Guh~, It quenched my thirst completely...
"Sui-senpai, it's hard for you...Model is different from what I'd imagined in the past"
"I thought it could be finished in at least 1 hour but it took our whole morning"
Nagisha on the side spoke to me. This girl insisted on following me to the model studio instead of playing and waiting at the old hag company. She said she wanted to see how I worked in this industry, which led to her sudden visit today. Besides that, as a guest, I still had a reality show to attend in the afternoon. The author should have written how I grew up in a reality show but he directly went into the time skip period before the premise that I would go into the first reality show of my life. Ah, again, what was I talking about? Who was the author? I just had a sense of Deja Vu as I've just scolded a non-existent person...
Despite being a guest, my duration in the show just took a short part of an episode. After all, in the entertainment circle, they called me with the nickname 'Ice sculpture'...My face had been paralyzed to the point that my haters thought I had done surgery...You knew they were just brainless haters. As long as I was still breathing in this world, they would hate me to death.
Back to the point, being a model was as hard as Nagisha's speech had described. Reminiscing my past, I'd first thought I could lie down like a Cabybara enjoying life but not...Some poses went against my physics and male mentality. Geez~, girls in my previous life hid too deep that we 'male' thought it must've been easy...
"Nagi-chan's right. That's why I didn't dwell into this industry in the first place"
At this moment, the purple-haired girl approached and spoke. Miwa-senpa...I meant Miwa-nee should be more appropriate. I was deeply jealous of the relationship between her and my Onee-sama...Did you wonder why she was there? It was because my mom trained her to become a true miss of the Hoshiyuki family.
Anyway, she was here to learn from my mom to take my manager role in the future. After all, my mom couldn't always stick to me and still needed to spend time with her peers.
After saying that, Miwa-nee brought us a bag of food. I didn't know what was inside but I could see many boxes topping each other. Perhaps, it was just a fast (junk) food to stabilize my stomach. My job at this model studio was finally done.
"By the way, Sui-chan, do you remember Miyamoto Mio-san at your school?"
Miwa-nee suddenly threw me a question, making me catch off guard. Of course, how I couldn't remember that name. She was originally my fiancee in a book's story.
"Yes, what's wrong, Miwa-nee?"
My head tilted to express my confusion when she mentioned this name.
"Um...How should I speak? I just learned from my future Natasha-Okaa-sama to check the work mail for you...I was surprised when I saw this name"
Miwa-nee said while displaying her surprised expression. However, I wondered why she wore the scarf under this weather. Even I couldn't help but feel hot and irritated for her sake.
"Oh"
"I thought we'd settled things down, right?"
I asked back. Mio had fished me out of the trouble from the certain scumbag prince and confessed to me immediately after that. Besides that, we didn't have feelings for each other but the only one-sided profit from her. I thought I had made it clear for both parties. Since 1 year from that day, Mio had stopped pestering me and put away the disguised feeling. She even admitted she did it for her family business and her parents' nagging.
"Yes, but No! I mean that girl's family has changed into the fashion industry!!!"
Miwa-nee spoke as if some meteorites would fall into the Earth.
This butterfly's wing had been expected by me anyway. Nonetheless, I didn't expect my family's core technology would play a huge role in Mio's family business...Without it, her family even had to transform into a different field.
"Miwa-chan, you're so forgetful. Your head is always occupied by the girl Maria"
Natasha-Okaa-sama reprimanded.
"Just like the author almost forget to write our novel..."
And then, she lowered her volume at the end to scold someone but I didn't catch it. Her eyes showed an agitated flame as if she wanted to jump out of the computer screen to tear off someone. I didn't know who was her target...but 'Amen'.
"Then, what's her purpose to send mail to Sui-senpai?"
Nagisha joined in the conversation. Before I could answer, the unexpected voice from the bystander helped me do it.
"To let Oujo-sama be a spoke model for their brand-new company"
Sasaki-san showed her professionalism as a butler by providing her opinion in the conversation.
"I don't recommend Oujo-sama to accept their invitation"
Sasaki's face turned expressionless like the first day she'd come to serve me.
"Wow~, Sasaki-san, you're great. You can guess the content of their mail"
"Are you sure you aren't hiring a hacker to look at my phone?"
Miwa-nee praised Sasaki but her face remained unmoved.
"Miwa-chan...It's a basic common sense in the wealthy circles"
Natasha-sama covered her head as if she suffered a severe headache. However, I knew how she was feeling right now. Actually, Miwa-nee had the protection of her brother so she could be a love-brain Omega without caring about the world. Don't be wrong...I didn't insult or scold her. She was a true lovely but good girl.
"I agree with Mizuno-san's opinion. This action isn't different from borrowing Sui-senpai's reputation and letting her become a golden co...I mean cash machine"
Nagisha spoke, making my face turn dark. Damn girl! Replacing Golden Cow with Cash Machine didn't make your sentence better!!
"Miwa-chan, just learn from Nagi-chan, separating Maria for a while didn't make you die, right?"
"Even Shiori left for a year, I could handle the family affair"
Out of the blue, Natasha-Okaa-sama bragged with her high nose but her face was extremely unreliable. I, the victim, had been tutored by her constant complaints at home. 'Sui-chan, what if Shiori found a younger Omega and left me?', 'Sui-chan, what if Shiori brought an unknown Omega to be your step-mother?', 'Sui-chan, what if I and Shiori divorced, who you will follow then?', and 'Sui-chan, bla bla bla...'.
I sneered at your nonsense talking anyway.
"Wait a minute, someone had just offended me!!!"
"..."
Natasha-Okaa-sama's hair grew an ahoge and it moved like an antenna of your TV to catch wave. At that moment, I knew whom Rei's ahoge inherited from. How could you be so sensitive? I just thought a little bad about you. It couldn't be unscientific like that, right?!!
In the end, Miwa-nee's mysterious scarf became a mystery to me under that hot weather.
Our quick lunch was finished as we devoured those cheesy hamburgers. We quickly ran our car to the Asahi company to do a reality show. By the way, Asahi was not only a simple news but also a large entertainment company comparable to SBS in Korea.
Like previous reality show that was skipped by the author, my mom, Nagisha, and Sasaki would sit at the crew's staff position to watch the 'Oshii' playing game. Ah, what was I talking about again?
Back to the point.
Actors, Comedians, Musicians, and Models were all there. Of course, famous names from various fields such as national athletes were invited to this game as well. However, because of my paralyzed face, I didn't get much attention from those righteous directors. Only the problematic and negative directors sent mail to me. As you expected, they were eager to use the unspoken rules on me.
Without the cheating background, I would have had a hard time surviving in this circle.
Fortunately, my showtime on this show was quite short.
"Let the game be fair, we've invited the youngest and most talented musician as the judge, Hoshiyuki Suiri-san!!!"
The host called my name and the staff gave a hand signal to guide me. Unlike the previous staff that I've worked with in the past, this staff girl almost didn't speak...However, I didn't mind much because I couldn't delay the recording time.
Plus, I had another purpose in coming here. The album had been ready to launch. Participating in the reality show was a way of marketing to advertise your product. Naturally, I couldn't blatantly say 'I have an album, you must buy it' or 'I kneel in front of you to beg you to hear my album'. No, no no...I couldn't do that. In the first place, I wasn't an idol with the strong point of acting 'cute' to attract the audience.
"Konichiwa, my name is Hoshiyuki Suiri, please take care of me"
I bowed my head and walked to the stage. A huge applause from the main members and guests in the show celebrated my arrival. You knew, the Japanese were the people loving in acting over-politeness. In front of the educated people, you would almost never receive those negative words but those ugly things would rampant in their head behind the facade. I didn't know which one was the real one. The truth blends in with the fake, you wouldn't know the true face behind those celebrities.
It meant I had to constantly turn on my guard around them. If they knew about my secret affair like living with Charlotte and Sakura-san, I would be doomed in a way.
It seemed that two teams were covering famous songs, which happened to be my songs. The directors invited the owner to judge the cover version.
I hated to be the judge the most. It was always my dilemma to decide who was the victor. Just imagine...The song sounded good to the ears but the basic notes and structures were all screwed up. You couldn't judge it as a failure. The excuse named 'Innovation' would be born to go against me. Vice versa, it didn't sound good, but the foundation was solid...It was a headache.
The matter simply solved by my suggestion of 'Voting'. The crew staff would vote together with me. Meanwhile, my vote would play a major role because it was worth 3 people's vote.
"Thank you for your present at our show. Hoshiyuki-sensei, can you share more about your career this year?"
The MC knew his job. He had to lead the topic so that I could blatantly PR my new album.
Ah, my time has come...
"Hello, the audience, the show's fan, and my fan are watching the show. My new album will be on the shelves in March"
"Its name was Plagiarism"
I proudly introduced my new children. Fufufu~, it was sad but I had to overcome it. To aim at a better future, to take off the burden of the past, and to be a happy Suiri in the new world, I would be reborn as a true Hoshiyuki Suiri!!!
"Its name was Plagiarism"
The chopsticks in my hand dropped unexpectedly when I heard the words. My face turned a little ugly as I lamented my fate...Why? Why was this hateful word haunting me?! Hadn't it messed up my previous life enough? Why? Why? Why? Suiri, why did you know such a word? Why? Why? Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Suiri? Tell me, Why?
You weren't supposed to know this word! Smooth sailing, being famous, granted the great title 'Best Newcomer musician', you shouldn't know such a word. Why? Why? Why? Why, God? Why didn't you erase that shameful memory? I wanted to rest! I wanted to have a peace of mind. My life was supposed to end already!! I didn't have any merits, I didn't act as a good person to save someone before they died, and I didn't get to know the famous Truck-kun. Why? Not only did I not gain a single merit, but I also suffered from many demerits!
Why?
I was so useless.
"Hinata-chan!!"
"Hinata-chan"
"Hinachan!!!!!"
A voice woke me up from my depression.
"..."
I didn't talk much about this paper sister.
"Sorry, Megumi-nee, I didn't have the mood to eat now"
Ignoring the Gyaru sister at the dining table, I ran upstairs and came back to my room. I hurriedly opened the drawer and took out the box.
Why? I met you again...It seemed that you and I were destined to be together in this life.
I opened the box and took out a cigarette. Igniting it with a lighter, I hugged my knee and sat at the corner of my balcony. I took a deep breath and smoked it out. The transparent white smoke illuminated my mind and blurred out the bad memories of a depressive girl in her previous life.
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
I met her once on the street but didn't have the guts to face her...Just thinking about her, the brother of the girl in her previous life came back to haunt me. Looking at Suiri, I couldn't separate Haruto(Nii) from her. How? How to do that? The obsession had haunted me twice!
How?
How?
How?
How?
How could I continue the life that was supposed to be ended? I just continued to smoke and smoke...Without caring about my health, If I were still in my previous life, I would have bought the alcohol to ease those painful memories. Unfortunately, the body didn't reach the age to buy one.
"Hinata! Open the door for me!"
How?
Even though the outside had been changed, the inside remained rotten and smelly. Hinata, who he was?
Who?
Just a background character in the game that I had been indulged in for a long time in my previous life. Unlike the original of the first version, I wasn't a saint who could help others and eliminate evils. Moreover, Suiri of this world was a heroine instead of a villainess. She was the incarnation of my brother. I had resisted...resisted the urge to hug her and let her spoil me like Haruto-nii...However, she wasn't the Haruto I knew. I had never received the same treatment since that day.
Why?
*Click*
The door was forcefully opened and the Gyaru broke into my room.
"Hinata, I need an explanation"
Megumi-nee spoke harshly.
"You, an Omega, dare to use this kind of degenerated thing!"
"..."
I remained silent because it had become my habit. After all things had happened, I couldn't help but borrow an external object to forcefully suppress my depression and negative emotions.
Don't...
'Don't act like him!!!!!!!'
I held back the urge to yell but my face lowered to my knee so as not to meet her gaze.
"What!? You reach your rebellious phase, huh?!"
"Why don't you speak?"
Megumi scolded hard.
"Please, leave me alone"
I said hoarsely.
"Where is the mature and grown-up Hinata I know?"
"Why are you doing this now?"
"I'm angry! You dropped the dinner and left without a word. And it turns out that you're secretly smoking"
Stop!
Stop, talking!
My head hurt!
"Please, get out, I don't feel so good now"
"..."
I commanded slightly. My head was buzzing with the high-pitched of my sis's voice. Worstly, it blended with the word 'Plagiarism' that Suiri had announced on the show. Which world was I living in? I had foreknowledge but it was no use because of the huge differences. My brain tried to substitute Suiri with 'Haruto'.
After the short interaction with the real Suiri, I could feel that they were indeed too similar. If I said they were the same, it wouldn't be surprising.
The unexpected, unbelievable, and out-of-the-box possibility of 'Suiri' being 'Haruto' made me feel reckless. The unwell feelings weren't because she was him but 'I don't know how to face him if Suiri were him'...
Brother...I missed you!