Overloaded With Attributes Chapter 78

The Tour... and What Followed! 

We were escorted by Rokujou-san to a building that was much smaller than I had imagined.

"I mean, it's a TV station, so I was expecting... ...you know, that 'We've got money to burn!' look. A gaudy, tacky, glass-and-chrome monstrosity."

"Kukuk... what an oddly specific image. We're not lacking for money, of course, but this is a workplace for people who love 'the craft of making things.' We don't waste money on needless flair. We do, however, invest everything into our video production."

...What? That's completely different from the TV stations... the media... that I know.

Apparently, all the other stations—all the key Kanto bureaus—were concentrated in this area. As a joint venture, they even had a massive open set behind the building, like a movie studio backlot.

...What? That's completely different...(etc.)

The bigwigs must have been notified that "the Boss (Ayaka-san)" was coming for an inspection. In front of the building, dozens of employees were lined up in perfect formation. When we got out of the car, they bowed as one. Yeah... the joy of being greeted by a horde of pretty ladies was completely overwhelmed by the sheer pressure of all those women in suits.

Was she the station's representative? One of them, a plain woman with wavy, short hair, stepped forward and began to speak.

"It's a pleasure to meet you! I am Ashina Natsuko, from NTD Music! I was contacted by Nakatsukasa-sama that Kashiwagi Yuugiri-sama would be making a TV appearance—"

...She wasn't station personnel; she was my management.

"Natsuko, Yuugiri-san is only here for a 'tour' today. He will not be appearing." Don't give me that "Eh? Really? Then why am I even here?" look.

"Wait, Ashina-san, do you know Shouko-san?"

"Yes, we're... 'more than strangers, less than acquaintances'."

"Hey! We've been friends since middle school! And I'm the one who handled that insane last-minute request for Kashiwagi-sama!"

"And your salary... went up, didn't it?"

"Thank you! I can practically see my executive chair from here!"

Ashina-san was super hyper, a total "industry person." She bounced along at the front—well, the station staff were the ones actually giving the tour. First was the news, then the morning and midday info shows.

...Ah. The MC and the panelists on the dais saw us and froze. We pretended like nothing happened and quietly slipped out of the studio.

"That was definitely a broadcast accident, wasn't it?!"

"It's fine. That wasn't one of my shows." That doesn't make it okay! Deciding that "live TV was a bad idea," they next showed us a drama filming. It was a scene... where an actress and an actress playing a male role... were discussing friendship.

"This is so fake..."

"Yuugiri-san, you're not watching this at home, so please refrain from careless..." I'd muttered it aloud.

"It's a work of fiction between two women. What did you expect?" The entire film crew, who had overheard, slumped in dejection. Just like before, we tried to slip away, but...

"...If you're going to say that, you can at least show us how it's done, can't you?" An actress, with a very... nice... smile, blocked our path. Hmph... Fine. Anytime, anywhere, I'll take on any challenge—

"Ah, sorry, my agency won't allow it." Denied! The actress just... stared at me, eyes blank. She clearly hadn't expected that.

"Tch. Don't try that cute face on me, it won't work!"

"I'm not doing anything! And what do you mean, 'NG'?! You can't just insult us and then walk away! And what agency?! ...Wait... you're a man, and you're an actor?!"

"Not an actor. A singer."

"A SINGER?! Of all the things to say, a SINGER?! Let me tell you something! There is only ONE male singer in this world! My idol and my future husband, YOU-sama!"

"Not gonna be your husband. But hi, I'm YOU, AKA Yuugiri. Anyway, we're leaving." I gave a sharp little wave and tried to leave, but she blocked me again. What is with this woman? Is this some new sport I don't know about?

"Hmph, fufu, fufufu... As if I'd be fooled by such non—Wait... Two eyes, one nose, one mouth, two ears... It's not an exaggeration to say your face... is identical to YOU-sama's?"

"By that metric, 99.9999% of the world is an identical person!"

"Wait right there! I'll confirm the truth on the Doll Channel—"

"What the hell is the Doll Channel?"

"TiaRan... RanRanRan? That's the one!"

—Three minutes later.

"My DEEPEST apologies! I was only interested in YOU-sama's voice and his songs! I never... cognitively registered... his face as an image!"

"You're not actually sorry at all, are you?" (And if that were true, you should've recognized my speaking voice.)

"Um, so... Am I to understand that YOU-sama is here today to pick me up?"

"Not even close. And if you keep messing around, you'll hold up filming."

"It's fine! As of today, I am retiring to get married! ...Retiring from... actress-ing?"

"Do whatever you want. ...So, Director-san, that... was a real interaction between a man and a woman. Wasn't that helpful?" I could practically hear her thoughts—"No man talks to a woman that casually..."—but I ignored it. While the very strange actress was prostrating on the floor, we finally made our escape.

"Wow, celebrities. Such strong personalities, so intense—" I stopped mid-sentence and looked at the women around me: Shizuka, Atena, Kazura, Ayaka, and Shouko.

"...Um, what exactly is that look supposed to mean?"

"...Nothing?"

Yeah... never mind celebrities. The women around me are plenty intense enough.

Translator Notes : Well finally finish translating this web novel till the latest chapter, now i have to clean up the blog a little bit

<<PREV | TOC | NEXT>>