As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

Despite the lack of conveniences, the filming of 'Howling' progressed steadily. Yuina also had slowly adapted to living in the forest alongside the crew.

She woke up early, way earlier than most crew but still found a queue in front of the portable toilets and showers.

Her meals were decent enough to fill her stomach and Ryuu often sneakily gave her snacks yet they were inferior to what she used to have in the city.

The foldable bed was quite hard. Yuina had back pain for a few days before her body was accustomed to the mattress.

But, despite all these, she didn't even think of leaving. Yuina only became more grateful because she was able to experience what Ryuu often had during filming in desolate areas.

Although the treatments received by the main character of the film were better than what the crew had, they actually didn't differ much. It was also because Ryuu didn't make a fuss about it. 

Yuina also was relieved to see that no one dare to openly offend Ryuu by asking him about the news of his hidden marriage. There were crew members who spoke about it yet they did it behind his back. 

Another thing that Yuina learned was when Ryuu was talking about dangers, he wasn't joking.

The other night, a snake was found in the set. Its appearance caused an uproar. Most of the female members of the crew were frightened, Yuina was included.

Fortunately, no one got bitten. The snake itself was quite small and non-poisonous. The rangers that were with the crew helped to chase the snake back into the wilderness.

"Sister Yuina, Brother Ryuu would film the next scene soon. Wanna go to see him?"

Riku spoke to Yuina when the latter was washing her face at the river. The stream was so clear and the water was cool and refreshing. It helped to dispel the scorching summer heat.

"Is there any job to do?"

Yuina slowly rose up to her feet. She wiped her face with a towel. The remnants of water dripped from her chin.

"Nothing too important at this moment," Riku answered swiftly.

Yuina might be brought here under a pretense but, she really wanted to help whenever she could. Certainly, there were things that even a Mathematics teacher could do, right?

"How about Akane and Emi?" Yuina draped the slightly wet towel around her neck. She tied her long hair into a high bun. 

"I sent them on an errand to the nearby village out of the forest. They followed a ranger there."

Akane and Emi also had adjusted well in the camp.

Well, they had worked for several actors before the management company pulled them to Ryuu's team. Even though they appeared young and fragile, they did their work excellently. Their experiences were abundant.

Yuina followed Riku to the open field. Crew members had already gathered there, everyone was in their own position. 

From the dense mass of people, Yuina saw Ryuu talking to Director Aoyama with the child actor Kiyoshi standing between them. After that, they walked away from the director.

Ryuu and Kiyoshi were shabby from head to toe, befitting their characters that had to survive in a deep forest.

"In this scene, Ryuu was supposed to climb the tree, isn't he?"

Yuina stared at the tall tree that stood prominently among the others.

"Yes. He has to roll in the mud afterward, trying to avoid a gunshot from the unknown force," Riku simplified the rest of the scene. 

The father and son were thrown into the forest when their trip went awry. Not only did they have to survive the dangerous place, but they also came across the villain that wanted the father to be dead. 

To avoid making people take unnecessary notice of her, Yuina only stayed at one place and silently saw Ryuu entering his role. The only times she could be closer to him was when Riku disguised her help as instructions.

It was already enough for Yuina. She didn't come here with the intention to cling to her husband. 

"Scene 75, Take 1! Action!"

The cameras began rolling. Everyone kept quiet.

Ryuu was climbing the tree with a safety harness and ropes as a precaution. His palms met the coarse bark of the tree. 

Kiyoshi waited on the forest floor, his small body was fidgeting. His expression portrayed anxiousness while he spoke his lines to Ryuu.

What the child actor felt after entering his role was just the same as Yuina's emotions right now; distressed.

No matter how many times Yuina saw Ryuu acting the dangerous scenes, her heart always pounded out loud. The safety ropes that held Ryuu didn't help to alleviate her tensed nerves.

"Please, don't let anything happen to him."

Yuina whispered to herself.

All this while, Yuina only watched Ryuu's performances from the already released films. Every time she watched the action scenes especially the high-level ones, her heart often jumped to her throat.

"Hehe, it's not that bad. It's only exaggerated by the special effects. I didn't get injured. It's just fake blood!"

Those were Ryuu's words whenever she questioned him about the time he filmed them.

Witnessing it first hand was definitely different than hearing it.

"Cut! Nice job!"

After four takes because of the child actor's inexperience, the scene ended with Ryuu rolling in the mud, splattering dirty water all over his body. 

Riku dragged Yuina to Ryuu. A male assistant came with a bottle of water. He tilted the bottle while Ryuu spread his palms under the running water. 

On one side, Kiyoshi's assistant came to do the same. The boy grinned despite having specks of dirt on his face. He was brought away by the assistant.

"Brother Ryuu, quick! Go and take a shower!" insisted Riku.

"Yeah, yeah," Ryuu wiped the sticky mud from his face using the towel. His eyes fell on Yuina a second longer before he looked at Riku, "How many hours are my break before the next scene?"

"You have two hours max. Then..."

"Ms. Masuda, come with me," Ryuu cut Riku off, "I need your help for something."

Yuina was startled but she still followed Ryuu.

Riku could only watch her employer walk away from her.

The husband and wife maintained a distance when they walked. Ryuu was ahead of Yuina by a few steps while she quietly followed him from behind. Their actions were just natural, resembling a boss and his assistant.

"Did you get injured anywhere?" Yuina whispered after they left the set. There were not many people around them.

"Just some scratches," Ryuu smiled softly even though his eyes were not looking at his wife, "Don't worry."

Yuina pursed her lips. She let out a soft 'En'.

As the assistant, Yuina went to get a set of fresh clothes for Ryuu from the stylist's room. He was currently washing up inside one of the portable shower rooms. She put them inside his tent. 

Ryuu's tent was as spacious as the one Yuina shared with Riku. But, because he only used it alone, there were more spaces left.

Yuina tidied up the place for a bit before she came out. It wasn't wise to stay inside the film emperor's tent, either alone or with just Ryuu. Even when Riku came, the tent door was opened in a half.

"What are you doing inside?"

The shout startled Yuina.

She had just stepped out of the room when someone yelled at her.

"I was just bringing new clothes for Teacher Ishizaki."

Despite her gotten surprised, Yuina managed to calm her expression.

The ones who stood in front of her were the assistants working with the stylist. Yuina often saw them whenever she had to go meet with the stylist.

The one with a ponytail smirked, "Are you simply sending clothes or are just planning to seduce Teacher Ishizaki? We have seen assistants like you."

Yuina frowned instinctively at such accusations.

What were they trying to do?

"Watch your mouth, Miss Taketa," Yuina stared at the woman's ID card, reading her surname. She closed her eyes, opened them again and looked straight at the woman, "Do you want to slander me?"

Taketa's face turned twisted. She stepped forward. Her friend quickly grabbed her. 

"I'm here as Teacher Ishizaki's assistant. It's not weird for me to help him. But, do you need to be here?"

The meaning behind Yuina's words was obvious.

Did Taketa come here to seduce the film emperor instead?

"You're the one slandering me! Teacher Ishizaki would only allow Miss Riku to get inside his private space. Why does it change when you're here? I didn't see the other assistants got the same privilege."

"Privilege?" Yuina raised up her brows, "Do you call that a privilege? Both I and Miss Riku are just doing our job."

"Heh, even the fact that you're here is suspicious enough."

Taketa didn't back down easily. She crossed her arms and eyed Yuina sternly.

"I heard that you've never been involved with any production. Yet, you straightaway got to enter Teacher Ishizaki's personal team? Are you actually a crazy fan who does anything to get closer to your idol?"

Yuina got more confused.

What the hell was wrong with this woman?

Was she actually the jealous one here?