A month had gone by and the table readings for the script were finally coming to an end. Now the crew waited with excitement for the filming to begin.
On the last day, Asakura and Sato met with Keita and Rintarou in front of the conference room.
“After today we won’t be meeting each other like this.” Keita addressed Sato in his usually calm voice. “But if you ever need to talk about your character or the plot feel free to give me a call. This is my private number.” he handed Sato a small card with a phone number on it.
“I wouldn’t dare trouble Masato-sensei.” Sato waved his hands hastily, a blush spreading across his face.
“It’s no trouble.” Keita reassured, exposing one of his rare soft expressions.
“Ah, then, thank you very much!” Sato finally relented, his face brightening up.
He respectfully took the card with both hands, returning a grateful smile.
“Well, then. We’ll be taking our leave. Good luck with the filming!” Keita wished before he walked away.
Rintarou bowed his head towards Asakura and Sato, then followed after his lover.
“Hey. You’ve taken quite a liking to that young actor. Should I feel jealous?” Rintarou nudged him gently with his shoulder. Then, he proceeded to nonchalantly wrap an arm around Keita’s neck.
“Don’t speak nonsense!” Keita snapped, shoving him away briskly. “And didn’t I tell you to stop doing such things when we’re outside?!”
“But I can’t help it. I just love you so much!” Rintarou whined, giving Keita the ‘kicked puppy’ expression.
‘Ugh. That face again! Ever since he acquired this ability, he’s been using it more and more often.’ Keita grumbled to himself, shooting Rintarou a reproachful gaze.
Rintarou, on the other hand, knew when to back down and decided to use another ability he was particularly good at: diversion.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“But now speaking seriously, it’s not like you to pay so much attention to someone. You were willing to meet up with him in the beginning and even gave him your number. What’s so special about him?”
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“Did you hear something from him? His inner thoughts I mean.”
“En. That person… He had something terrible done to him.” Keita sighed, then added in a low voice. “Being betrayed by a loved one is always ten times more painful than being cheated by a stranger.”
There was silence for a moment, before Rintarou suddenly pulled the other man in his embrace. He placed a gentle kiss on top of Keita’s head, whispering softly into his hair.
“It’s alright, Keita. You don’t have to worry. I will never betray you.”
“Wh-Who’s worried about that?! Idiot!” Keita exclaimed, pushing himself away from that clingy person.
His voice sounded flustered and while his face flushed red, his eyes seemed to glow brighter. This honest reaction betrayed the pleasure he was secretly feeling upon hearing those words.
“So, it’s just about that? Is that the reason you got closer than you normally would have?”
Rintarou inquired, once again successfully shifting Keita’s attention towards the original subject.
“That and… I have a feeling we might be seeing him more often in the future.” Keita hummed, turning his head to glance at Sato and Asakura. “It all depends on that man’s resolution, though.” He finished in an undertone.
~~~
As the weather was beginning to cool, the departure for the filming site had been settled for the end of September. They would start with the Nara region first, then move to Kyoto.
Based on their previous research, those places had an abundance of historical sites, temples and shrines, not to mention great mountains covered with lush forests.
Hence, they were scheduled to spend at least a couple of months in that area, shooting every scene that required such a particular environment.
After their last encounter, Asakura hadn’t seen Sato and neither did he talk to him over the phone. The loss of contact was making Asakura’s disposition become worse with each passing day, until it became obvious to the naked eye that something was wrong.
This dangerous state of affairs finally reached its peak two weeks after Sato’s departure for Nara city.
Asakura was finding himself once again in a very foul mood. His disposition was so bad that he could hardly get any work done. With his mind engaged in dark thoughts, he walked around the company, nitpicking at almost everyone and everything he saw. He scolded and even threatened, striking fear into the hearts of the unsuspecting employees.
The chilling aura surrounding his person soon became almost palpable. During the morning meeting, he kept glaring at everyone, making his subordinates feel a suffocating pressure. They didn’t dare to utter a single word, and thus ended up in stutters and mumbles most of the time.
Let alone speaking, they couldn’t even breathe properly! It was as if all the oxygen in the room had been sucked away by Asakura’s terrifying presence.
Things went on in this manner for almost half a day, until his secretary finally had enough.
Ever since the meeting that morning people kept coming to him, asking what was wrong with the usually calm and agreeable Director Asakura Ryuu. They simply couldn’t recognize this person who was wearing their boss’s face, as he paced around with sharp killing intent in his eyes.
Feeling both worried about his superior, as well as fed up with everyone badgering him about the details, secretary Tachibana Kotarou, made the perilous decision of approaching the angry dragon.
This might very well be a suicide mission. However, as a thirty-year-old working adult, Tachibana took it upon himself to save the rest of the office from imminent danger.
For that purpose, he accosted his boss while bringing him several documents to sign.
“Asakura-san, would you please go home for the day?” Tachibana requested bluntly.
Indeed, secretary Tachibana was a man of few words. He especially didn’t like going around in circles. This was one of the reasons why Asakura gave Tachinaba this position and entrusted him with his work when he was away.
Hearing this rather off-the-wall request, Asakura merely arched an eyebrow and placed his pen down.
“Since when does a subordinate banish his boss home?”
“Since the boss is going around the office scaring everybody out of their wits. How are they supposed to work with you glaring at them?”
“What does my glaring have to do with their working abilities?”
“You keep sending out menacing vibes wherever you’re looking at. Working for a grumpy boss is like working for a bloody tyrant.” Tachibana retorted without batting an eye.
“So, first you shoo me home, and now you’re even calling me a tyrant?” Asakura sighed.
In all rights, he should have been angered by this rude bluntness. However, instead of feeling upset, he was rather amused to see the usually quiet Tachibana try so hard to persuade him of something.
“Would you consider leaving the office for the day?” Tachibana reiterated. “There should be nothing urgent happening. Everything will be covered and you can return in the morning feeling refreshed.”
“You really want me gone that badly, huh?”
“It’s for the good of the people.” The secretary stated solemnly.
Hearing this, Asakura couldn’t help but chuckle. It was clear that Tachibana had managed to thaw his boss’s icy cold attitude by several degrees.
Without causing further trouble, Asakura eventually heeded his secretary’s advice and left the office.
However, he had no intention of going straight home. Having nothing else to do, he suddenly thought of someone he could pester. Maybe that would take his mind off of what was actually bothering him.
A/N: Hmmm, who could possibly provide Asakura with enough entertainment in order to take his mind off of things 
It most definitely the boss of the editing place. I’m horrible with names.. Kyota?
Thanks for the chapter <3
Ooh you were close enough. It’s Kota ^_~ But their names are too similar so even I had moments when I mistook one for the other 😅
<333
Hmm, I already can think of someone but I forgot his name xD
Thank you for the chapter 💜
It most probably is that person xD
💜💜💜