Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 90 Choice
Upon seeing Miki Takahashi's name, and thinking of her relationship with Mio, Seiya Shiratori almost immediately wanted to cross her name off the list.

But when the pen tip touched the first character of the name on the paper, his hand stopped moving.

The ink spread across the paper, staining a corner of Miki Takahashi's photograph.

Shiratori Seiya stared coldly at the paper for a few seconds before looking up at the girl in the training room.

He put down his pen, picked up his phone, and called Fujikawa Shunpei.

The call didn't connect immediately this time, and even hung up automatically once, but Shiratori Seiya didn't stop and called again.

This time, he didn't have to wait long; the phone rang only a few times before it was answered.

"Hello? Teacher X, what's up?"

"Producer Fujikawa, I wanted to ask about our filming schedule..."

Fujikawa Shunpei let out a long "Ah," wondering why a screenwriter would ask such a question, but he didn't say anything and continued:
"You said."

"Will we film this entire series in one go, or will we film half and broadcast the other half?"

"This one……"

This question took Fujikawa Shunpei somewhat by surprise. He paused, rummaged through the documents at hand, and after a moment, stared at the proposal before replying:

"The schedule for this drama is quite tight because one of the actors I booked in advance has another drama next year... so it's half filmed and half broadcast."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Producer Fujikawa."

"What's wrong? Why are you asking this suddenly?"

"It's nothing, it's just that it's my first time participating in filming, and I'm not very familiar with these things, so I wanted to learn more."

"Haha, I understand. It's normal for this to happen the first time. But you don't need to worry too much, since you've already completed your most important task..."

"..."

Fujikawa Shunpei praised him a few more times for his work efficiency and talent before hanging up the phone.

Putting away his phone, Shiratori Seiya stared at Takahashi Mio in silence for a moment, recalling her dejected look in the car earlier.

The pen tip was removed from Miki Takahashi's name.

The reason why Takahashi Miki's name was not crossed out was not because she was Mio's cousin and therefore showed leniency.

It's not that I think it's unfair to just cross out her name like that.

It wasn't because of a change of heart or a feeling that doing so constituted an abuse of power...

In fact, he only considered the 'success rate', and all factors that might interfere with Mio Takahashi's success, as well as all unfavorable possibilities, should be eliminated.

She quietly crossed out Takahashi Miki's name and kept it from Takahashi Mio. As for what would happen to the other person in the future, that was none of her business.

It doesn't matter if Mio Takahashi finds out and blames me later.

At least her first drama won't be affected by family issues.

Shiratori Seiya originally thought that once the first drama was finished and Takahashi Mio had her first work, she would have leverage to 'negotiate' with her family, even if they found out.

But now it seems almost impossible to prevent her family from finding out about this.

The fact that half of the TV series was filmed and half of it was broadcast meant that Takahashi's parents knew about it was practically a done deal.

If they go back to deal with Takahashi's family issues halfway through filming, it will have a significant impact on both Takahashi Mio's condition and her reputation within the production team.

Rather than making a mess of things halfway through, it's better to resolve all potential problems before you even begin.

Shiratori Seiya never liked to procrastinate on anything; if a problem arose, he would solve it.

but……

Even though she had mentally prepared herself to face Mio Takahashi's family, could she really be that prepared?
His gaze fell on the girl in the training room, and seeing the earnest and focused look on her face, Shiratori Seiya fell silent.

"Thank you for your hard work, Araki-sensei."

After the training session ended, Mio Takahashi bowed deeply to Oriko Araki.

After spending more than a month together, she genuinely respected the teacher. Although she had paid for the course, the teacher truly dedicated himself to teaching her, a fact she could personally attest to.

They are completely different from those teachers online who say they teach only half and hide the other half.

Seeing this, Araki Oriko adjusted her glasses and nodded, saying:
"Well, there shouldn't be any major problems. Your current skill level is more than enough for this role. Just perform normally during the audition."

As she spoke, she nodded and smiled at Shiratori Seiya. Although he was her senior, she had known him since he was with Hojo Shione.

People always have a good impression of talented yet humble individuals, and she was no exception.

Araki Oriko pursed her lips, wanting to ask him if Hojo would really be able to sing in the future. But seeing Takahashi Mio beside her out of the corner of her eye, she said instead:
"I've listened to your new song, Snow Flower, it's very good."

Shiratori Seiya was taken aback by her sudden remark, paused for a moment, and then bowed in return:

"Thank you."

Araki Oriko glanced at the two people in front of her and smiled slightly, saying, "Good luck."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Although Araki Oriko had kept her words to herself, Takahashi Mio understood the meaning behind them after just a moment's thought.

Although she was somewhat surprised that she knew Shiratori Seiya's identity, it also felt reasonable.

But the thought that the other person might compare her to Hojo Shione made her feel a pang of jealousy.

Mio Takahashi smiled, but couldn't help glancing sideways at Seiya Shiratori and saying:

"It's really good."

After saying that, she turned to leave without waiting for a response.

Shiratori Seiya noticed that her favorability rating had dropped a little, but he didn't try to soothe her jealousy at the moment.

"Wait a minute, don't rush off, I have something to tell you."

"?"

Hearing him say that, Mio Takahashi stopped and turned around to look at him with a puzzled expression.

Shiratori Seiya sat down on the bench, took out the audition list, and handed it to Takahashi Mio, saying:
"Look at it."

"what?"

The girl subconsciously reached out and took it, then glanced at the expression on his face and sensed something was off. Her tone became cautious.

"This is the list of candidates for the female lead in this drama..."

Mio Takahashi's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but glance at him, thinking:

Even if you don't trust me, you shouldn't let me know about the opponent in advance, right?

Isn't that being a little too cautious?

Noticing her gaze, Shiratori Seiya said:
"Look at the second page, the third line from the bottom."

"Oh."

Mio Takahashi responded and casually turned to the second page, looking in the direction that Seiya Shiratori had indicated.

Her pupils contracted sharply when her gaze fell on Miki Takahashi's photo.

A silent fear welled up inside her, and all color drained from her face.

……
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(End of this chapter)