They all pushed me!

"I feel like the actor who played our childhood is a little bit different... I feel like if Kana puts on an elementary school uniform and a backpack, maybe she'll be better than that little actor?"

While teasing Arima Kana, Kurokawa Akane looked at the eight or nine-year-old children on the set and realized in a daze that they were already fourteen years old and could no longer be considered child actors. The media also used the term "new generation" to describe them.

"It's OK. I actually like the two kids who played our childhood. I signed autographs for them at noon. They said they liked me since I was very young. I can't help it. After all, Chiyin only started acting last year. What a pity."

Arima Kanae immediately responded with a confrontational response.

With the game tied at 1-1, as Ogata Satoshi, played by Kitagawa Ryo, came on the court, both Kurokawa Akane and Arima Kana looked over.

"I feel that Senior Liang is in better condition than in the morning. Is this the effect of taking a nap?"

Arima Kana, who has mastered the skill of reading people's expressions in the entertainment industry, immediately noticed the difference in Kitagawa Ryo's mental state and made a comment out of curiosity.

"If we carefully control the variables, is there a possibility that it was the result of the loving meal I made at noon?"

Akane Kurokawa carefully carried forward the rigorous spirit of scientific inquiry and solemnly put forward another hypothesis.

In order to enhance her persuasiveness and credibility, she immediately added:

"Not only Ryo-senpai, I feel that Kana and I, who also ate the loving food, will definitely be in better condition this afternoon."

Arima Kana just curled her lips and raised a finger:

"Then is there another possibility, since all of our scenes this afternoon are against Ryo-senpai? Sachiko-san?"

"You can take this as a reservation, Natsuko-san."

At this point, the two of them smiled at the same time, causing many other crew members who were a little far away to secretly feel that the relationship between Kana and Akane was indeed not a made-up character setting. As professionals in the industry, they naturally have their own small circle of information sharing. If nothing unexpected happens, the crew stories and gossip related to "Pest" will appear on time in some self-media articles in the evening.

"Thank you for your hard work. Everyone performed very well."

Beichuan Ryo, who had just finished filming this scene, naturally did not notice that his every move was being watched intently by two juniors who were sitting in a row with their cheeks in their hands. At this moment, he was bowing slightly to the child actors in front of him in a friendly manner and praising their performance with a smile.

"No, it's your turn."

Seeing that the filming of this scene was successfully completed, Arima Kana, who was already familiar with the script, patted the shoulder of Kurokawa Akane who was sitting next to him and said with a smile:

"Let me see if the loving cooking has any merit."

"Ah."

When it came time to go on stage, Kurokawa Akane lost his previous enthusiasm, but Arima Kana didn't care. She could tell from the changes in his eyes and tone that he was slowly getting into the role of Sachiko.

It's a performance that will leave a lasting impression no matter how many times you watch it.

After letting Kitagawa Ryo rest for a while and changing back into his previous outfit, Gotanda Yasushi waved his hand to signal his intention. As the clapperboard fell cleanly again, Ogata Satoshi ended his reminiscence and pulled his thoughts back to the alley. Looking at the girl leaning against the wall in front of him, who was the same age as his daughter, he revealed a look of nostalgia:

"Sachiko? Now I remember, she was the one sitting in the second to last row of the second group... I remember you and Natsuko went to the amusement park and aquarium several times. She asked me to buy her an annual pass just for this."

"But why are you here?"

He had moved to this city with his daughter Natsuko specifically to avoid the scandal. After being surprised to meet an old friend in a foreign land for a short time, Ogata Satoshi immediately asked with some confusion.

Perhaps because he had taught the other person in the past, his tone and posture unconsciously resembled that of a teacher to a student. However, Ogata Satoshi immediately realized this and subconsciously lowered his posture:

"Could it be that Sachiko also goes to school nearby?"

"Well, because of my mother's job change, I moved here. I didn't expect to meet Mr. Ogata. Is he still teaching now? Where's Natsuko? Is she also studying nearby?"

Faced with Sachiko's rapid-fire questioning, Ogata Tomo pursed his lips in embarrassment, then he remembered that the other party had transferred to another school in the fourth or fifth grade, and was not aware of what happened between him and Natsuko in the last year.

Perhaps it was because the other person had a faint smile on his face from beginning to end that made people unconsciously feel favorable towards him, or perhaps it was because he really needed to talk, after a brief hesitation, Ogata Tomo chose to simply tell the other person the whole story.

"The dean called me over again today. If Xia Zi doesn't come to school, she might be judged as an unqualified student and be expelled. But Xia Zi just doesn't want to go out. Although I have thought about transferring to another school, if she still does this, the other party will not choose to admit her."

"...Is that so? Natsuko used to be very cheerful. Not only me, but everyone else in the class also liked to be friends with her."

Listening to Ogata's words, Sachiko just lowered her head in disappointment, knocking her leather shoes against the wall again and again. After a while, she raised her shoes and suddenly put on a serious expression:

"If Mr. Ogata is willing, I would like to meet Natsuko, even if it is just to comfort her as a good friend from the past."

"……it is good."

Ogata Satoshi, who was already somewhat desperate about the current situation of stagnation within his family, agreed with the mentality of giving it his all. Thinking that his daughter was indeed a very good friend of the other party in the past, his attitude became more friendly. It was not until they got on the train together that he belatedly asked:

"Don't you need to say hello to your family?"

"Yeah, it's okay. Mom is very busy at work and won't be home until very late."

Sachiko just shook her head, as if she noticed that Ogata Tomoyuki was using his tall stature to create a small private space for her in the crowded carriage. She suddenly smiled sweetly, smoothed the hair by her ears, and said:

"Teacher Ogata is still as gentle as before. When he taught us before, he always used to half-squat to talk to us."

Upon hearing this, Ogata Tomo remained silent, but in his mind he remembered the time a few days ago when his daughter yelled at him through the door: "It's still the same as before. You only remembered to care about me and mom at the last minute."

"…By the way, which junior high school does Sachiko attend now? Why did she come to our school today?"

After a long while, he finally spoke, but instead of reminiscing about the past like Sachiko did, he asked directly about what had just happened.

After saying the name of a nearby school, Sachiko also answered Ogata Satoshi's question:

"I heard some rumors about a teacher named Ogata in the school next door, so I wanted to come over to confirm if it was the one I knew. I didn't expect it to be true."

"…They must be some very bad rumors."

"That's why I wanted to confirm it even more, but now it seems that it is just an unrealistic rumor."

Sachiko held her schoolbag in both hands with her arms hanging naturally. She stood quietly in the corner of the carriage, slightly tilted her head, and smiled at him again.

What she didn't know was that this was one of the answers that Ogata Satoshi had most hoped to hear, at least from his daughter.

At this moment when he was a little dazed, the car suddenly shook. Ogata Tomo only heard Sachiko sighing in panic, and the tie on his chest was grabbed by the other person who was not standing steadily, and then he stood firm again.

Looking at his tie that suddenly became crooked and loose, Ogata Satoshi, who was holding a briefcase in one hand and holding the ring in the car with the other hand to keep his balance, was still wondering whether he should put the bag down first and tie his tie again when Sachiko's hand reached out first.

"Sorry sorry."

Because it was only slightly loose and tilted, Kitagawa Ryo didn't even have time to react before Sachiko had already put the bag on the ground. She pulled the lower end of the tie with one hand and pressed the tie knot with the other, and with a little force she restored it to its original shape.

"That's good."

After doing all this, she breathed a sigh of satisfaction, then stepped back and picked up her schoolbag.

"Is Sachiko still living with her mother and two others?"

As if to erase the strange feeling in his heart just now, Ogata Tomo also forced himself to find a topic. He knew that Sachiko came from a single-parent family when he was the other party's homeroom teacher, and the other party also said "the mother comes home very late" just now.

"Yeah, I live with my mom."

But Sachiko still answered his questions very seriously, and the familiar expression suddenly reminded Ogata Tomo of an incident a few years ago.

On Mother's Day at that time, he assigned an essay about mothers. In addition to his daughter Xia Zi's heartfelt essay, he was also equally impressed by the essay written by the girl in front of him.

He remembered that the other party used a very strange metaphor, so strange that he couldn't help but call her to the office to ask specifically, and at that time, Sachiko also had the same expression.

[My mother loves me like a dog lifts its legs to pee on my bare feet]

Kitagawa Ryo has always admired Gotanda Yasushi's description of his mother. If he didn't know that he had a mother who loved him very much, he would have suspected that he had suffered some kind of trauma in his childhood.

In his opinion, this was a metaphor as wonderful as the spider.

It was an intimate and tender feeling without reservation of privacy, an act of marking territory and leaving a scent, and a brief but real warmth that came with a humiliating connotation that she herself was not aware of.

Chapter 42: Foreplay

After finishing a whole day of variety show filming, ACE's agent Kyoko Saito skillfully stuffed Kitagawa Rumi and MEM啾, who were almost exhausted, into the back seat of the car one by one, and politely said goodbye to the staff who came out to see them off, then started the car and left the parking lot, ready to send the two home one by one.

"Paraguay in South America, Egypt in Africa, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan in the Middle East... this one is too hot, this one is too chaotic, this one is too..."

Seeing Kitagawa Rumi, who had been a little bit weird since noon, counting something inexplicably excitedly, the MEM sitting in front of her turned her head curiously and asked:

"Since when did Ruby become interested in geography again?"

"Is it possible that the next variety show on our schedule will be a geography quiz?"

"ACE's next variety show recording schedule is a talk show to promote the Tokyo Dome performance. It is scheduled to be "Passionate Continent."

Saito Kyoko answered while driving.

"Is it the show where he was pinched in 'It's Not Easy to Escape'?"

"Well, it's a popular show that has been on for more than ten years. So prepare well."

After communicating with Saito Kyoko for a while, MEM啾 realized that Kitagawa Rumi still hadn't answered her question. She looked over and saw that she didn't seem to notice the conversation between her and Saito Kyoko at all. She smiled inexplicably at the air, as if she had thought of something happy:

"Mmmmm..."

MEM啾 was forced to reach out his hand and wave it in front of her eyes twice. Kitagawa Rumi just came back to her senses and tilted her head slightly:

"What's wrong? Are you home yet?"

"We just set out not long ago."

MEM pouted and gave Kitagawa Rumi a blank look:

"Ruby, what happened?"

At this point, she also moved closer to Kitagawa Rumi, lowered her voice, and asked softly in a voice that was loud enough to make sure that Saito Kyoko in the driver's seat in front of her could hear her:

"Did Liang feed me some kind of drug again at noon?"

She was recording a program with Kitagawa Rumi at that time, so she naturally knew that the other party had been away for a while. She knew without even thinking about it that Rumi had called Kitagawa Ryo again.

"I guess so - but it's not called a magic potion. I'll tell you when I get back."

Kitagawa Rumi also responded softly, her tone full of joy, and the corners of her mouth that were raised hard looked like she couldn't suppress it.

However, she did think about the social issues that Beichuan Liang mentioned on the phone. After thinking for a while, she asked Saito Kyoko in a coquettish manner as usual:

"Kyoko A-mon, what have you done with the idea of ​​becoming an actor that I mentioned before?"

"As for the actors... I have indeed contacted them, and many crews have expressed interest, but they are basically attracted by Ruby's current popularity. They are all guest-starring roles. If you ask me, it would be best for Ruby to focus on preparing for the performance at Tokyo Dome during this period."

From the perspective of an agent, Kyoko Saito carefully put forward her suggestions.

But when she saw the disappointment that suddenly appeared on Kitagawa Rumi's face through the rearview mirror, Saito Kyoko, who had seamlessly switched to the mother's position, got angry again:

"But being able to develop in multiple fields is definitely a good thing for idols. Ai also switched to the acting industry after graduating from idolism. Anyway, Ruby's popularity has indeed reached a certain saturation bottleneck period. I will also help cut some unnecessary schedules. If Ruby really wants to act, I will ask Ichihu to keep an eye on her and definitely find a good role for Ruby."

"Thank you, Kyoko A-mon - I love it the most!"

If they weren't so far away, Kitagawa Rumi would have gone up to give her a kiss, so she immediately struck while the iron was hot and said:

“It would be even better if I could act with my brother.”

"Brother and sister acting together? It's a good plan indeed. After all, "Today's Meal at the Kitagawa Family" is very popular."

After stopping the car and waiting for the red light to slowly turn green, manager Saito Kyoko first made a calm comment, and then switched forms at the speed of light:

"Speaking of which, how are Ruby and Ryo going lately? It's been almost a year since you moved out, so you should have gotten used to being independent..."

Before she finished the last syllable of the interjection, she heard a rather casual reply from Kitagawa Rumi.

"My brother and I? We only did it once this month, and it felt a little too little."

"Seeing each other only once a month is a bit...wait, what?"

For a moment, she didn't even notice that the traffic light in front of her had turned green. It was not until the car behind her started honking that Saito Kyoko came to her senses. While driving the car through the traffic light, she asked in disbelief with a trembling heart, and her voice unconsciously increased by several decibels.

"Yes, that's what it means."

MEM啾, who was standing by, originally thought that it was Kitagawa Rumi who let the secret slip, and was just about to cover up for her when she heard her nod again as if she didn't care.

"Kyoko should have realized it a long time ago. After all, you are the one closest to me besides my brother and sister. To me, you are no different from my mother."

Before Saito Kyoko could even make a reprimand or question, she was stunned by Kitagawa Rumi's two words, which were as sweet as honey. For a moment, she was speechless. After finding a parking space on the side of the road and parking the car temporarily, she sorted out her complicated emotions and took several deep breaths.

"Does Love know?"

"Sister will know soon. Brother should tell her during this period."

Kitagawa Rumi's attitude was very well-behaved, and she answered whatever was asked.

"Was it Liang who took the initiative?"

"Of course not, it was all my own initiative."

There was another long silence. MEM啾 felt that he might as well go back to the overly small lounge at noon, where the air was slightly turbid due to the large number of people. He didn't know what expression to use for a moment and tried hard to reduce his presence.

Kitagawa Rumi herself did not seem to be panicked at all. She just looked at Saito Kyoko openly, just like a child who was caught by his mother stealing candy from the candy jar at home, and his first reaction was to smile and put a candy into his mother's mouth.

Then, Saito Kyoko's attitude softened, and her voice dropped again when she asked the next question, returning to normal:

"When did it start?"

"At the end of last year."

Kitagawa Rumi answered this, and then added in her mind: