Everyone's a Loli-Con

She was so stunned by the explosive news that she didn't know what to do.

"That's right. Shu-chan recommended you to us. I called back and told them about you, and the producer was interested too. We'd like to hold an audition now. If you're interested, you can come back to the TV station with us."

Shuya reminded her, "Mai-chan, you can ask your mother."

"Ah, oh, um... Huh?"

Mai-chan looked bewildered as she hurried back over and tugged at her mother's hand.

"What is it, Mai?"

"No, um... I don't really know what's going on either, but... could I go audition for the Morning Drama?"

Mai's mother: "???"

A little while later, everyone said goodbye to the sponsor and climbed into the director's large van, which was loaded with filming equipment.

"Shu-chan, thank you so much. I really... I don't know what to say."

Mai's mother spoke to Shuya with overwhelming enthusiasm.

She knew her daughter had met someone who could help her.

"It's nothing. It mostly depends on her."

Shuya was modest. He couldn't guarantee that Mai would be selected.

He didn't particularly like Mai's mother. She seemed too calculating.

But he wasn't going to snap at her. He merely answered a few of her comments with a professional smile, then turned to Horiuchi Susumu and asked helplessly, "So why do I have to come along too? I'm not the one auditioning."

"Hm? Didn't I tell you? Aoki and the higher-ups have already handpicked you for a role. We might as well talk about it while we're there."

Shuya: "..."

He looked over at his own mother and saw Hanazawa Sakura also staring blankly: "..."

Mai's mother shook her head. You really couldn't compare one person to another!

Her own daughter still had to audition, while Shuya had already been handpicked.

That was the entertainment industry for you... Popularity and connections really were the most important things.

Shuya was silent for a moment, then asked tentatively, "What if I said I wasn't interested?"

"Then... I'd probably..." Horiuchi Susumu said gravely. "Prostrate myself."

There it was again! Why were people in Japan so fond of prostrating themselves?

Shuya chuckled. "Fine, then. I'll take a look at the script first. I've actually been pretty busy lately. I have an anime to voice."

"No problem. We're not in a hurry either; we're still in the preparation stage." Horiuchi Susumu shook his head, then asked curiously, "I heard your father's company is about to go bankrupt again?"

Hanazawa Sakura coughed awkwardly.

"Yeah. That's why I'm going to bail him out," Shuya said.

"You really have it rough."

Horiuchi Susumu sighed along with him. As a director who was neither fully popular nor completely obscure and was often pushed around by the higher-ups, he understood how Shuya felt.

Shuya, however, was calm. "It's no big deal. I'm used to it. If I can help, I will."

"Shu-chan is so mature. I wish my son were as sensible as you."

Shuya gave Hanazawa Sakura a strange look. "I don't think many kids would want to be 'sensible' like me. Honestly, I don't even know how much of the money from this endorsement I'll get to keep..."

"Sonny, how about I leave you this much this time?"

Hanazawa Sakura held up five fingers.

"Five million?"

"Five hundred thousand..."

Shuya: "...Deal."

He agreed through gritted teeth and rubbed his forehead. "You're my mom, so what can I do? If anyone else tried to take my pocket money like this, I'd have already called a lawyer to deal with them."

"Shu-chan is the best."

Hanazawa Sakura planted a big kiss on Shuya.

Mai glanced at him discreetly, envy in her eyes.

It wasn't that she liked Hanazawa Sakura. She'd simply never had her mother treat her so gently. Her relationship with her mother wasn't as close as Shuya's was with Hanazawa Sakura.

Horiuchi Susumu smiled at Hanazawa Sakura. "Ms. Hanazawa, you really have a wonderful child."

"No, no. Don't let him fool you. He likes big—"

"Mother?"

Shuya stared at Hanazawa Sakura with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. She hurriedly swallowed the rest of her words and forced an awkward laugh to cover it up.

Shuya was sweating bullets too. Hanazawa Sakura had almost blurted out that he liked Rena.

Everyone else in the van was curious, but no one was rude enough to pry into someone else's secrets.

People like that generally didn't last long in the entertainment industry.

The rest of the trip passed in awkward small talk.

By the time they arrived at MHK headquarters, someone was already waiting for them.

Horiuchi Susumu asked in surprise, "Producer, why are you out here waiting?"

Aoki Shin smiled. "It's been ages since I last saw Shu-chan, so I came out early to see him. I'm not doing anything right now, anyway."

"Uncle Aoki, do you really like me that much... as a little boy?"

"Oh ho ho! You're just as sharp-tongued as ever! It's reassuring."

Aoki Shin was another man in his thirties. He wasn't too tall or too short, had a slight potbelly, and seemed like an easygoing person.

Shuya knew him well too.

"Come on, give me a hug!"

Aoki Shin affectionately picked Shuya up and spun him around. Shuya said with a look of disgust, "Could you not? I'm not into middle-aged men. Can't you get a beautiful older sister instead?"

"Haha, what are you talking about? If there's a beautiful older sister around, why would you get a turn? I'd have her first!"

Aoki Shin chuckled.

Shuya looked disdainful. "You? You think you're cuter than me?"

"Are you richer than me?"

"Okay! You win."

Shuya shrugged.

Aoki Shin smugly stroked his mustache.

Aoki Shin and Shuya were very close. Shuya could even be called his benefactor.

Two years ago, Aoki Shin ran into a major crisis when he became a Morning Drama producer for the first time.

As everyone knew, Japanese dramas were filmed and broadcast at the same time, rather than being completed in full before they aired.

That was where the problem lay.

A child star with a major role fell seriously ill and was completely unable to film.

The one who rescued Aoki Shin, who had been so panicked he was nearly ready to hang himself, was none other than Shu-chan, his senior.

It hadn't been a coincidence that Aoki Shin had turned to Shuya for help that year. Horiuchi Susumu had acted as their intermediary.

Before meeting Aoki Shin, Shuya had already gotten to know Horiuchi Susumu while filming an advertisement.

At the time, Shuya hadn't appeared in any television dramas, so Aoki Shin hadn't thought of him.

It wasn't until Horiuchi Susumu approached Shuya with the thought that it couldn't hurt to try.

Shuya hadn't refused, for the sake of the money. Besides, his first appearance on television would be in a Morning Drama, which would look good on his résumé.

Even if he was only an extra among extras, he would still appear in a few episodes.

Shuya's appearance not only saved Aoki Shin from hanging himself, but also helped a whole bunch of production staff, so he was popular with the people at MHK.

After that, he practically became their go-to child actor. They often called him in for cameo roles.

His popularity also rose quickly thanks to all those productions.

At present, Shuya was doing well in acting, voice work, modeling, and advertising.

If his spendthrift parents weren't holding him back, he wouldn't have to worry about money at all.

Only after finishing his conversation with Shuya did Aoki Shin smile and greet the others. He took one look at Mai-chan, and his eyes lit up. "This is the girl Shu-chan recommended? She has a great look!"

As soon as he said that, he hurriedly clarified, "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not a lolicon like Hirai. That was purely an evaluation from a producer's point of view."

Hirai Ryuji continued to suffer damage to his reputation.

Shuya felt rather bad for Uncle Hirai, but he really couldn't help wanting to laugh.

"Hello, Producer."

Mai greeted him with a bright smile.

Shuya could tell at a glance that it was a fake, professional smile, but he had to admit it was highly effective. Even Aoki Shin, who was used to seeing beautiful women, wavered for a moment.

There was no need to exaggerate. The average person in Japan was a lolicon.

"Enough staring. Let's go in and audition."

Shuya pushed Aoki Shin through the door.

"Huh? Oh, right. Let's go."

Aoki Shin led everyone to the conference room.

This was an impromptu audition, and Mai was the only one being considered, so they didn't use a special room. They just grabbed an available conference room.

Some people were already inside. The moment Shuya walked in, they gave him a warm welcome. They were all familiar faces.

Mai and her mother watched in surprise as Shuya blended in without the slightest awkwardness. They could only wonder who else Shuya didn't know.

The entertainment industry was both big and small. People regularly became famous, and new faces were always appearing, but the production staff behind the scenes didn't change as easily.

Especially the well-known production staff. There were only so many of them.

People like Aoki Shin and Horiuchi Susumu had managed to make a name for themselves.

Shuya's good relationships with them would be a great help in the future.

"So, what's this Morning Drama about?"

After greeting everyone one by one, Shuya finally got down to business.

"Have you ever heard of Ms. Asagami Miin?"

Aoki Shin grew serious. "This Morning Drama is about her life."

Shuya thought for a moment, then answered honestly, "I haven't."

"That's all right. It's normal for someone your age not to have heard of her, but Ms. Hanazawa should know who she is."

Hanazawa Sakura nodded. "She was a female literary giant who made a name for herself during the war. She published many outstanding pieces after the war as well. She was a famous antiwar writer, and even won the Berno Peace Prize and a literary award. She was a truly great writer from Japan."

"I see."

Shuya nodded. This was outside his area of knowledge.

Aoki Shin continued, "Ms. Asagami's life was legendary. When she was a child, America was invading Hokkaido in force. Hokkaido quickly fell, and the people fled toward Tokyo in droves. The residents had to dodge American soldiers amid the chaos of war, as well as retreating troops and bandits."

"Later in the war, they also had to avoid the battlefields where special forces sent by Great Hua, local troops, and American soldiers were fighting one another. The whole situation was a tangled mess."