1. The Lala Lai Theater Company is said
to feature only top-class actors.Copy !req
2. And Akane Kurokawa is their young star performer.Copy !req
3. She thoroughly prepares for her roles, displaying
deep consideration and insight into the parts she's given.Copy !req
4. With a natural feel for it,
she acts out those roles to perfection.Copy !req
5. Though it seems her personality isn't
suited for shining on reality shows,Copy !req
6. as an actress, she can only be called a genius.Copy !req
7. A-Akane?Copy !req
8. What's the matter, Aqua?Copy !req
9. You look like you saw a ghost.Copy !req
10. No...Copy !req
11. Akane!Copy !req
12. Welcome back!Copy !req
13. Sorry to have kept you all waiting!Copy !req
14. You can say that again! We missed you!Copy !req
15. Let's have a good time, okay?Copy !req
16. Yeah!Copy !req
17. It's good to see you're looking well...Copy !req
18. but are you really okay now?Copy !req
19. Huh? What do you mean?Copy !req
20. What do I mean? Well, you know...Copy !req
21. Oh right, I did get flamed big time!Copy !req
22. I feel like I really messed up,
but that kinda thing happens all the time!Copy !req
23. You seem different somehow, Akane.Copy !req
24. Do you hate the new me, Yuki?Copy !req
25. Nuh-uh.Copy !req
26. Aqua, let's hang out today.Copy !req
27. 'Kay.Copy !req
28. In an instant, she drew them in.Copy !req
29. The cast...Copy !req
30. The staff...Copy !req
31. Even the cameramen.Copy !req
32. She had a strange magnetism
that kept their eyes fastened on her.Copy !req
33. A charisma just like Ai's...Copy !req
34. was also exhibited by Akane.Copy !req
35. I heard about that video, you know.Copy !req
36. Apparently, you stayed up all night
for several days to make it.Copy !req
37. It made me so happy.Copy !req
38. Thanks, Aqua.Copy !req
39. Sure.Copy !req
40. I already knew that Akane was acting strange,
but Aqu-tan is too, don't you think?Copy !req
41. Hm?Copy !req
42. Let's find out.Copy !req
43. Hey, Aqu-tan, grab that pouch for me!Copy !req
44. I'm thinking about something - do it yourself.Copy !req
45. It won't take you long. Just get it for her.Copy !req
46. 'Kay.Copy !req
47. Here.Copy !req
48. See?! It's like he'll only listen to Akane!Copy !req
49. That seriously is his type, huh?Copy !req
50. Akane totally nailed the role.Copy !req
51. It's not like that.Copy !req
52. Well, well, you like her, don't you?Copy !req
53. You like the new Akane, huh?Copy !req
54. Knock it off.Copy !req
55. See! See! See!Copy !req
56. Hmm?Copy !req
57. Like I said...Copy !req
58. seriously, stop.Copy !req
59. Wait, that reaction...Copy !req
60. You're dead serious.Copy !req
61. What're you gonna do, Akane?!Copy !req
62. He's seriously serious about you?!Copy !req
63. What'll you do?! Well?!Copy !req
64. Wh-what should I do...?Copy !req
65. Oh! She's back to the same old Akane!Copy !req
66. So, if he shows he's serious about you,
will you return his feelings?!Copy !req
67. Could you see you two dating for real?!Copy !req
68. If I had to say one way or the other...Copy !req
69. Yes.Copy !req
70. In that case, you'll have to stay on the offensive like that,
even if it's behind the scenes!Copy !req
71. For real?!Copy !req
72. For real?!Copy !req
73. This is getting interesting!Copy !req
74. This is dull.Copy !req
75. I'm sick of the show.Copy !req
76. I'm done watching it.Copy !req
77. In the first place, the whole concept
of watching other people's love livesCopy !req
78. from the comfort of your home is in bad taste.Copy !req
79. Like, "Who should pair off with who?"Copy !req
80. What's with that? Are you a racehorse owner?
Trying to breed a horse that can win the Kikuka-sho?Copy !req
81. Oh, good grief. I'm through with that show.Copy !req
82. I don't want to see Aqua's face, either.Copy !req
83. Bye-bye. Farewell.Copy !req
84. Mom.Copy !req
85. In my early childhood,
I spent a few years together with Ai,Copy !req
86. but I feel like I wasn't able to truly learn
a single thing about her in the end.Copy !req
87. I wasn't able to understand anything about her.Copy !req
88. Where did the lies end...Copy !req
89. and where did the truths begin?Copy !req
90. What exactly is Ai to me?Copy !req
91. Am I her fan? Is she a mother to me?Copy !req
92. Or...Copy !req
93. I'd been really hot on Yuki-Yuki...Copy !req
94. but lately Aqu-Aka is crushing it, right?!Copy !req
95. Since Akane came back, she seems more stylish.
Isn't she super cute?!Copy !req
96. What strength she showed together
with Aqua in overcoming that stir...Copy !req
97. She's really turning her attention to him. It's adorable!Copy !req
98. It's almost the final episode, huh?Copy !req
99. I wish it'd go on longer. I mean, it finally got interesting!Copy !req
100. Last season, the couple kissed at the end!Copy !req
101. Wow, crazy! The anticipation's killing me!Copy !req
102. Arima.Copy !req
103. Kana Arima.Copy !req
104. Hey, wanna skip school and hang out with me today?Copy !req
105. Yeah!Copy !req
106. Simply unbelievable!Copy !req
107. Cutting class to go have fun -
talk about being delinquents!Copy !req
108. I can't believe it! We're the worst! The absolute worst!Copy !req
109. If it bothers you so much, wanna back out?Copy !req
110. That's not what I'm saying.Copy !req
111. It's just that you look deep in thought,
so I felt I had to look out for you as your senpai.Copy !req
112. I have the heart of an angel, you know.Copy !req
113. So, where're we headed?Copy !req
114. Tokyo Disney?Copy !req
115. Tokyo Tower?Copy !req
116. You've got some guts to suggest such
exciting places while skipping school.Copy !req
117. Well, if we're in our uniforms while cutting class,
we'll attract attention, right?!Copy !req
118. Besides, heading home to change would waste time!Copy !req
119. There're lots of people in school uniforms
at those places, so I thought it'd be perfect!Copy !req
120. That's not really what I had in mind.Copy !req
121. You really are an odd one.Copy !req
122. You think so?Copy !req
123. I sure do!Copy !req
124. When I think about what a young guy and girl would do
after escaping from the prison known as school,Copy !req
125. leisurely playing catch in the park
is not what comes to mind!Copy !req
126. And you even went and bought
a ball and baseball gloves!Copy !req
127. Super weird!Copy !req
128. Just throw the ball.Copy !req
129. You know, I've never played baseball be-Copy !req
130. Ah, sorry!Copy !req
131. It's okay.Copy !req
132. I'm so bad at this - shouldn't you have invited
someone who knows what they're doing?Copy !req
133. Like Ruby...Copy !req
134. What kind of brother would
make his little sister cut class?Copy !req
135. There's that gross sister complex.Copy !req
136. Then, what about someone from Love Now?Copy !req
137. You guys get along well, right?Copy !req
138. Well, we don't get along poorly...Copy !req
139. But, it's just a job,Copy !req
140. or rather, we're not super close.Copy !req
141. Oh, I see.Copy !req
142. We lie and are always calculating our next move,Copy !req
143. so I don't have many people around with whom
I can have an idle chat free from ulterior motives.Copy !req
144. But, I don't have to care about all that with you.Copy !req
145. Hey, care a bit!Copy !req
146. Well, that said...Copy !req
147. I guess being chosen by you
for that role doesn't feel so bad.Copy !req
148. Love Now is wrapping up filming soon, right?Copy !req
149. Yeah.Copy !req
150. Yuki's the most popular, isn't she?Copy !req
151. Well, it does seem like
Akane Kurokawa is doing well lately.Copy !req
152. Level with me, who're you going for?Copy !req
153. I see it as just a job, so it's not like that for me.Copy !req
154. But, you at least have a type, right?
Like, a thing for younger girls or a thing for older girls!Copy !req
155. Don't ask me tough questions.Copy !req
156. Lately, I've become keenly aware...Copy !req
157. that people's thinking is greatly influenced
by their physical development.Copy !req
158. When I was a baby, it was hard to make
firm memories due to infantile amnesia,Copy !req
159. and during puberty - one's second growth period -
I strongly felt a heightened wariness of those around me.Copy !req
160. As I grow, my mind increasingly suits
my body and environment.Copy !req
161. The boundary between "me" and
"Aqua Hoshino" is steadily vanishing.Copy !req
162. There's something I've been thinking,
but I was too scared to ask...Copy !req
163. Could it be that you...Copy !req
164. have delusions of grandeur?Copy !req
165. Hurry up and grow outta it.Copy !req
166. It's cringey.Copy !req
167. In short, I'm a high schooler, too.Copy !req
168. I view girls around my age as potential love interests.Copy !req
169. Well, there's no doubt I prefer them
to be a bit above me in age.Copy !req
170. So, you like older girls?Copy !req
171. Oh?Copy !req
172. Hmm?Copy !req
173. Ooh?Copy !req
174. Throw the ball already.Copy !req
175. Oh!Copy !req
176. Oh...Copy !req
177. Hmm...Copy !req
178. Ooh...Copy !req
179. What is it?Copy !req
180. Nothing!Copy !req
181. Whoa, nice throw.Copy !req
182. It was?Copy !req
183. You really don't have any experience?Copy !req
184. That's right.Copy !req
185. Doing it with you is my first time. My very first time.Copy !req
186. Maybe I'll aim to be an idol who
throws ceremonial first pitches.Copy !req
187. Sure enough, my feelings toward
Akane Kurokawa aren't of that nature.Copy !req
188. I owe Arima my gratitude.Copy !req
189. I've sorted out my feelings.Copy !req
190. I'm simply seeing the ghost of
Ai Hoshino in Akane Kurokawa.Copy !req
191. Filming is just about to wrap up.Copy !req
192. I'm sad for it to end.Copy !req
193. When I put on a character in just the way you advised
me to, I gained popularity... You really helped me out.Copy !req
194. Thanks.Copy !req
195. Your acting as Ai... Er, the way you got into character...Copy !req
196. It was like I was in a dream,
as if I was seeing the real deal.Copy !req
197. How'd you manage it?Copy !req
198. Well, uh, it wasn't all that impressive...Copy !req
199. I do read books on profiling and stuff, though. I just did
a bunch of research and interpreted her in my own way.Copy !req
200. Plus, I fleshed out her background
with my own assumptions.Copy !req
201. Your own assumptions?Copy !req
202. Yeah. For example...Copy !req
203. that Ai actually had a child in secret.Copy !req
204. If I do that, it allows me to achieve coherence
between her various emotionsCopy !req
205. and understand the reasons behind
her many inexplicable actions.Copy !req
206. What was she thinking and what
kind of personality did she have?Copy !req
207. The answers come into view like a mathematical puzzle!Copy !req
208. How good of a grasp do you
have on Ai's thought patterns?Copy !req
209. From the way she lived her life
to what kind of guys she was into,Copy !req
210. I think I have it pretty much figured out.Copy !req
211. The entertainment industry is
a place where talent gathers.Copy !req
212. As for what Ai Hoshino, that freewheeling epitome of
talent, was feeling and what she hoped to do,Copy !req
213. I still hadn't been able to understand in the slightest.Copy !req
214. I dare say that the talent known as Akane KurokawaCopy !req
215. understands Ai far more deeply than I do -
despite the years I spent with her -Copy !req
216. and is imitating her behavior perfectly.Copy !req
217. We have a purely working relationship.Copy !req
218. Once the show is over, I suspect
we won't see each other anymore.Copy !req
219. But...Copy !req
220. I can use Akane Kurokawa.Copy !req
221. I can't just let her go now.Copy !req
222. Aw...Copy !req
223. This is seriously the worst.Copy !req
224. Drop dead, you big jerk.Copy !req
225. Filming has wrapped on
My Love with a Star Begins Now!Copy !req
226. Good work, everyone!Copy !req
227. Well, looking back on it, it was over in a flash.Copy !req
228. We went through a lot, but it was really fun.Copy !req
229. If you feel that way, Akane, the rest of us can't complain!Copy !req
230. So...Copy !req
231. Can we get the scoop?Copy !req
232. That kiss at the end! Are you two gonna date for real?!Copy !req
233. How'll it turn out?!Copy !req
234. I don't know.Copy !req
235. With the way the show was unfolding,
doing that made sense...Copy !req
236. but I have a job and stuff, so the idea of a love life...Copy !req
237. C'mon, even for entertainers it's only natural to have
a boyfriend or two once you hit high school age!Copy !req
238. Yuki, you run through one boyfriend
after another, don't you?Copy !req
239. Is that the impression I give off?Copy !req
240. The real honest truth is that I've put my job above
all else and never even had a boyfriend up till now.Copy !req
241. Get out!Copy !req
242. It's true, apparently.Copy !req
243. I heard as much from someone in
her performing arts department.Copy !req
244. I didn't expect you to be so chaste.Copy !req
245. But there are lots of models and such like that.Copy !req
246. Even for idols and actresses, I don't think the percent
with boyfriends is different than for typical girls.Copy !req
247. Naturally, at agencies that ban dating as a selling point,
the ratio seems to be lower, though.Copy !req
248. And occasionally those relationships get exposed.Copy !req
249. In that sense, a good thing about dating on the showCopy !req
250. is that you don't need to worry
about it becoming a scandal!Copy !req
251. But still...Copy !req
252. Yeah, that's right. We'd like you
to use the show to your benefit.Copy !req
253. The show's staff won't get involved from here on out.Copy !req
254. Whether the couple keeps dating or
breaks up is entirely up to them.Copy !req
255. There are several pairs that kept
on dating and eventually got married.Copy !req
256. And there are others who just call themselves a couple
for a few months for the sake of appearances.Copy !req
257. Really think it over and decide for yourself.Copy !req
258. In this industry,Copy !req
259. there are lots of rotten grown-ups who just exploit
the talent of you guys and then toss you aside.Copy !req
260. There are sweet temptations aplenty,Copy !req
261. but those who easily get caught up in
the atmosphere invariably end up in one place: hell.Copy !req
262. Well, that's some advice from another bad adult.Copy !req
263. Speaking of which, where'd the bad kid go?Copy !req
264. Love Now has been well received.Copy !req
265. It would seem my judgment in
selecting you wasn't wrong, no?Copy !req
266. I wonder.Copy !req
267. Besides, it appears the storm of online criticism
is what got the show attention.Copy !req
268. I heard you're the one who
patched up the situation afterwards.Copy !req
269. However, that video...
caused a bit of trouble for the higher-ups.Copy !req
270. It's an ironclad rule in the industry not
to leak raw footage to the public.Copy !req
271. So they were like, "What in the world is this?"Copy !req
272. Though you were a cast member,
you nevertheless broke a taboo.Copy !req
273. There was even talk of seeking damages
from Strawberry Productions.Copy !req
274. But, that didn't happen.Copy !req
275. Right?Copy !req
276. Cast members being able to
upload candid photos and videosCopy !req
277. to the show's official social media accounts
is written into the contract.Copy !req
278. Which is why I uploaded the video to an official social
media account. I did my job to the letter of the contract.Copy !req
279. You're a shrewd one, aren't you?Copy !req
280. Thanks.Copy !req
281. Furthermore, you honored your agreement
with me and did a fine job.Copy !req
282. I'll have to properly reward your efforts.Copy !req
283. How about we go out for some sushi next week?Copy !req
284. I'll give you some choice info about Ai.Copy !req
285. I'll keep my schedule open.Copy !req
286. Oh, Aqua!Copy !req
287. Come here for a sec!Copy !req
288. We won't let you slip away!Copy !req
289. It was so much fun!Copy !req
290. So, um, Aqua-kun...Copy !req
291. Where do we go from here?Copy !req
292. What do you mean?Copy !req
293. Ah...Copy !req
294. Well, seeing as the episode aired,
we need to stay boyfriend/girlfriend for the time being.Copy !req
295. Yeah, that much I get, but...Copy !req
296. In that case-Copy !req
297. So, well, uh...Copy !req
298. Is our relationship a work one?Copy !req
299. Or is it the real deal?Copy !req
300. Well, it's not exactly a work thing...Copy !req
301. You don't need to tip-toe around it.Copy !req
302. You don't see me as a girl -
a potential love interest - do you?Copy !req
303. Uh, well...Copy !req
304. I can tell that much, okay?Copy !req
305. You're right, the truth is I don't see you that way.Copy !req
306. I view this dating thing as just an extension of my work.Copy !req
307. That said...Copy !req
308. I'm very interested in you as an actress, Akane.Copy !req
309. That is no lie.Copy !req
310. I see...Copy !req
311. Well, I guess that's fine.Copy !req
312. After all, those words are the thing I'm happiest to hear.Copy !req
313. Well then, let's be boyfriend/girlfriend as part of our jobs.Copy !req
314. Besides, we've already got enough
real couples here with Yuki and her man.Copy !req
315. Huh?Copy !req
316. You haven't realized?Copy !req
317. Yuki and Nobu-kun started dating the other day.Copy !req
318. Seriously?Copy !req
319. But she turned him down during filming...Copy !req
320. She's a technician, isn't she?Copy !req
321. But, you know, I quite like that about Yuki.Copy !req
322. Yuki... has her very first boyfriend it seems.Copy !req
323. I guess you never can tell...Copy !req
324. Well, see you later!Copy !req
325. Good night!Copy !req
326. You're not taking a taxi, MEM?Copy !req
327. Nope, I live close enough to walk home.Copy !req
328. Come to think of it, this is basically your neighborhood.Copy !req
329. Well, many people in the industry live around here.Copy !req
330. I'm feeling a bit sad.Copy !req
331. I really liked being on set with everyone.Copy !req
332. That right?Copy !req
333. But, it seems you're not feeling all that sad?Copy !req
334. I mean, you are Akane's boyfriend now.Copy !req
335. It's nothing more than a work relationship.Copy !req
336. Well, I guess it's fine if that's how it is at the start.Copy !req
337. You guys might start dating for real in time.Copy !req
338. Not happening.Copy !req
339. So you say, but I saw you blush
when Akane was portraying Ai.Copy !req
340. Anyway, you sure know your stuff.
B Komachi was before your time, right?Copy !req
341. No, no! Everyone adores B Komachi, you see!Copy !req
342. This is just between us, okay?Copy !req
343. The truth is, originally I wanted to be an idol.Copy !req
344. But, I suffered some setbacks and gave up on it.Copy !req
345. I'm doing well as a YouTuber now, though!Copy !req
346. Hmm...Copy !req
347. Then, why not join our agency?Copy !req
348. Huh?Copy !req
349. The new B Komachi is currently
recruiting additional members.Copy !req
350. Me? In B Komachi?Copy !req
351. C'mon, quit joking like...Copy !req