She had to surpass her.

After a steadying breath, Nozomi checked her phone, nearly eight-thirty. She scrambled into the bathroom, she still had a second-tier training class.

Later, in the lecture hall, the difference was immediate. The instructor’s words sank in, she felt the character settle into her bones like a second skin. The fog of confusion lifted, her pen flew across the notebook.

Yuri, sitting beside her, kept sneaking glances. Nozomi radiated energy, focused, almost electric.

When class ended, a cluster of classmates waved from the doorway, the usual invite for weekend fun. Nozomi began packing up. "We can swap notes tomorrow if you’re busy—"

"Wait," Nozomi said, catching her arm. She walked to the group, spoke briefly, and the students left with disappointed shrugs. Yuri caught fragments. "You’re busier than we are... Never saw you study like this before..."

Nozomi bowed at forty-five degrees, then returned.

"Ready, Yuri."

Yuri hesitated. "You sure you’re okay?"

Nozomi’s smile was bright enough to light the hallway. "If you want something, you have to give something up. Trying to have it all is just greedy."

***

"Nozomi, I feel like there’s no point in me being here anymore."

"Huh?"

Nozomi Sakura, sitting in the corner of the empty classroom, blinked at the girl in front of her.

Her almond-shaped eyes widened, she grabbed the other girl’s arm. "What’s wrong? Why would you say something like that all of a sudden, Yuri?"

Realizing how it had sounded, Yuri shook her head. "I didn’t mean it like that... I mean, you don’t need me to study well anymore. I don’t think I can help you with anything now."

Nozomi’s progress had caught her off guard.

In just two weeks the former slacker who couldn’t even focus had caught up, her test answers and scene analyses were now on par with Yuri’s own. That couldn’t have come from classes alone, Nozomi must have been working after hours. Which meant Yuri’s supervision was no longer necessary.

"Huh? That’s not true."

Nozomi scratched the back of her head. "I’m already used to studying, drilling, and talking things through with you. If it has any ’meaning’, it’s mostly psychological. If the person who’s willing to grind alongside me suddenly disappeared, I’d be lost for a while."

Yuri opened her mouth, then gave a small, rare smile. "Then from now on, Nozomi, you don’t have to pay me for tutoring."

Yuri’s face was usually frozen, seeing her smile left Nozomi stunned for a second. Then a voice inside her shouted:

No more payments!

Free!

That’s another hundred thousand yen saved every month, closer to clearing my debt!

Outwardly, though, she looked embarrassed. "Are you sure? Your help really means a lot to me."

"Positive."

Yuri shook her head, clearly done with the topic. She voiced the question that had been bothering her: "Have you had some kind of breakthrough lately? Your improvement is huge."

"Breakthrough?" Nozomi hesitated. "Not really. I’ve just... watched more films lately and practiced basic actor drills. I understand the material better now."

She stopped short of mentioning the special training classes, not from distrust, but because admitting them would feel like erasing her own effort, as if Yuri might think, Oh, so it was all thanks to the course. Besides, a small vanity wanted praise, lots of it.

Instead, Yuri frowned. "Are you seriously planning to become an actress?"

"Yes."

Yuri studied her in silence. With that face and figure, Nozomi already looked the part. Still, she warned, "Think it through. Throwing yourself into this path might not be as smooth as you imagine."

"What do you mean?"

"Nozomi, what do you think matters most for an actor?"

"Looks? Talent?"

"Neither."

Yuri’s voice was flat but firm. "Opportunity. Without a platform, even the best talent has nowhere to shine. and someone like you would fight tooth and nail for a five-second extra role. Only after you land a role can you start talking about dreams."

Nozomi’s mind drifted to what Alan had told her, and a warm feeling blossomed in her chest.

Writing scripts just for me, huh...

You sly guy...

For a moment she forgot to question whether he could actually write a good script. He must have foreseen exactly what Yuri was saying—known that without a performance background she could be pushed aside—so he’d started learning screenwriting himself.

The joy showed in her smile. She was about to speak when her phone buzzed twice on the desk.

It was Akari Hojo. Nozomi made up an excuse to send Yuri away, then opened the message.

"Long time no chat. How did that thing go the other day, Nozomi?"

She finally caved, huh? Feeling victorious, Nozomi’s eyes flushed red like autumn maples. Though Hojo couldn’t see her, she answered with her most sincere smile. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"You mean about Alan’s first love? Yeah, nothing happened. She’s not at our school anymore."

It wasn’t a lie, yet reading those words, Hojo’s face darkened.

This pea-brained peacock...

Alan and Nino definitely did something, otherwise she’d be gloating. If they’d been innocent, Nino would have rushed to rub it in. Instead she was acting like a child who’d stolen candy and was pretending to be mute.

A bad premonition stirred in Hojo’s gut. Nino had probably gotten what she wanted, that was why she’d stopped replying. Hojo had let them meet partly to see how far Alan would go for Nino, confident he wouldn’t outright agree with Nozomi in the picture. But it seemed she’d underestimated him.

Stupid peacock.

Hojo cursed Nino again, too tired to keep up the charade. In the agency lounge she took a steadying breath, then opened Alan’s chat and typed:

[Sorry, Alan...]

In his living room, Alan had just set the freshly-unlocked LV2 script on the table and was about to call a director when the cryptic apology popped up.

He frowned, about to send a question mark, when another message arrived.

[I heard about the kendo club from Nozomi. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told Nino about your relationship.]

He scowled harder. You heard it from Nozomi? When? She’d shown him their almost-empty chat logs. So when exactly had Nozomi told her?

Eyes narrowing, Alan shelved the question for now and replied:

[Got it. Anything else?]

[Did she cause any trouble?]

[Not really. She made a request, I agreed.]

[A request? Was it excessive? This is my fault, I can help fix it...]

[I promised to marry her.]