Chapter 20

I woke up and turned off the alarm clock—ten minutes before it was set to ring. I’ve always been a quick riser, so I usually wake up before the alarm goes off.

Sunlight streamed in through the gap in the curtains, and when I opened the window, the sky outside was perfectly clear without a single cloud.

Summer vacation starts today.

For child actors, summer vacation is peak season. My schedule is completely packed with drama shoots and various other work commitments.

I’ve got work today, too.

Feeling a little depressed at the thought, I unzipped the back of the big teddy bear plushie by my pillow and pulled out my bankbooks. There were five of them, each filled with nine-digit balances. It’s scary to keep all my savings in one place, so I spread them across multiple banks.

Money makes the world go round. With enough of it, you can buy anything—dreams, hopes, even people’s lives. If you have money, you don’t have to work yourself to death.

Just staring at the bankbooks and grinning gave me the motivation to get through another day.

Alright, I’ll keep working hard for a few more years—just enough so I can quit and live the NEET life in peace.

…Or so I thought, but my resolve crumbled completely right after breakfast.

"I’m gonna marry Papa!"

"Eh? Shouldn’t you say you’ll marry your big sis instead?"

After finishing my daily routine—treadmill, stretches, breakfast, and a big mug of milk—I was enjoying a bit of bonding time with my little brother Kazuki when he suddenly dropped this bomb on me.

"Because you don’t play with me much, Onee-chan, but Papa always plays with me when he’s off work!"

"H-heh… But you know, Kazu-kun, two guys can’t get married."

"Really? Then I’ll marry Mama instead!"

"…Oof."

Somehow, without even noticing, I’d fallen to the very bottom of my little brother’s family-favorability ranking. It’s not like I actually want him to marry me or anything, but you know… it’s the kind of thing an older sister wants to hear, right? Like how dads love it when their daughters say, “When I grow up, I’ll marry Papa.”

"Today I’m going to the park with Papa, but you’ve got work, right, Onee-chan?"

"Mm… yeah, but maybe I should take the day off today…"

Oh, right. It’s Saturday. I’ve been working so much that I’ve lost all sense of what day it is. Come to think of it, it’s been years since I last spent a weekend playing with Kazuki, let alone went on a family outing. I’m starting to think… maybe I’m a terrible daughter.

Turns out there really are things money can’t buy. Memories with family? Priceless.

"Alright, I’m quitting being a child actor. Today, I’m going out with everyone!"

"No, you’re not. I don’t care if you quit, but don’t cause trouble for everyone else."

"Eeeeh…"

"Shinozaki-san should be here to pick you up any minute now. Are you even ready yet?"

As Mom scolded me, the doorbell rang with a sharp ding-dong. Shinozaki-san must’ve arrived downstairs at the building entrance. Mom went to answer, and soon enough they’d be coming up to the apartment.

I’d already gotten dressed and packed my things last night, so once Mom finished talking with Shinozaki-san, I’d be able to leave right away.

"Nanami, are you getting tired of being a child actor?"

"Mm… not exactly, but I realized we haven’t gone out together as a family much since I started acting."

Dad spoke up while holding his cup of coffee, newspaper spread out in front of him. I answered while sitting Kazuki on my lap.

"Yeah, we used to go out a lot, but lately, not so much."

"I was thinking… maybe I’ve been a bit of an ungrateful daughter."

"That’s not true. I know how hard you’re working, Nanami. Parents are supposed to support their kids when they want to pursue something."

"Mm, but it’s not like I actually wanted to become a child actor."

"Oh? Really?"

"I saw on TV that child actors make good money, and I thought it’d make life easier in the future. So, yeah… it’s more of a means to an end."

When I said that, Dad set his coffee cup down on the table, his expression suddenly turning serious.

"Even if that’s why you started, your reasons can change along the way. I think you’re well-suited to acting, Nanami. You seem… full of life when you’re doing it."

He smiled gently as he said that and gave my head a rough rub. I’d spent time setting my hair this morning, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to mind.

Then I heard Mom calling from the entrance, meaning her conversation with Shinozaki-san was over. I set Kazuki down, stood up, slung my bag over my shoulder, and as I was about to leave,

"Remember, Nanami. You only get one life. Think carefully and live without regrets."

Dad’s words carried a weight to them. That’s what it means to be the head of the family, I guess.

In my previous life, regret was all I had. After landing a job at a soul-crushing company, I was too busy just surviving to even think about what I truly wanted.

But this time is different. This is my second chance, and I’ve vowed to reflect on my past life and make enough money so I can live comfortably without working.

I really hope I won’t have to go through a third one.

"Dad, do you have any regrets?"

"Plenty… but right now, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been."

He said that with a warm smile while holding Kazuki in his arms. He really did look happy. I remembered how I used to get carried like that too, back when I was little.

…But me? I don’t think I’ll ever have that kind of “ordinary happiness.” I don’t feel like falling in love with a guy, and I’ve long since lost the spark to fall for girls, too.

That’s why I decided to earn as much as I can as a child actor—for the sake of living an easy, comfortable life on my own.

Child acting… I guess I’ve never actually thought about whether I like acting or not.

"I’m off. I love you, Papa."

I said that and headed toward the front door.

…For now, I guess I should try being a little more filial.

The other night, I caught Dad watching the Blu-ray of Ore no Na wa after he’d finished editing it alone at midnight. He was crying. At first, I thought they were tears of emotion, but no—it was frustration.

I’d never once told him “I love you, Papa” in private before. If I didn’t have memories of my previous life, maybe I could’ve said it as innocently as Kazuki does. I can say it when I’m acting, sure, but saying it straight in real life… that’s a different story.

I greeted Shinozaki-san at the entrance, slipped on my shoes, and just as I was about to leave the house—Dad’s roar echoed behind me.

"…So, um, I was hoping I could get a little time off during summer break."

"Nanami, you’re the one who said, ‘I don’t need any days off, just pack my schedule,’ which is why it’s completely full right now."

"…Right. Figures."

Since my studies come first, my jobs are usually crammed into weekends, meaning I almost never get days off outside of long vacations. But summer break is peak season for child actors.

Because I can’t take full-time jobs during the school year, I figured I should make as much as possible now while I can.

Yeah… I kinda brought this on myself.

Right now, I’m driving with Shinozaki-san to today’s drama shoot. The location is an abandoned middle school on the outskirts, far from the city center. The rest of the cast and staff are taking the production bus, but since I have Shinozaki-san, we’re heading there directly.

"But if we adjust the schedule, we can squeeze in one day off a week."

"Really!?"

"You’re already overworked as it is, so I can make it work. You’d prefer weekends, right?"

"Yes! I’d love to go out with my family."

Even though it’s summer break for me, Dad still has work. Adults only really get time off during Obon holidays.

"Alright then. I’ll make sure you get at least one day off next weekend."

"Yesss! I love you, Shinozaki-san!"

The moment I said that, the car swerved. Looks like Shinozaki-san messed up steering and nearly rammed us into the median wall on the highway.

"Whoa, hey! That’s dangerous!"

"That’s because you suddenly said something weird!"

After seeing Dad cry the other night, I figured it was important to express gratitude and affection more often, so I thought I’d try saying it to Shinozaki-san, too…

"Okay, then I won’t say it anymore."

"…It’s fine if you say it, just not while I’m driving."

"I’m not saying it."

For some reason, she kept sneaking glances at me anyway, but seriously—could you please just keep your eyes on the road?

When we arrived at the middle school that served as today’s filming location, the production bus had already gotten there, and preparations were well underway. Staff members were rushing around, busy setting everything up.

"Good morning, everyone!"

"Morning, Nana-chan!"

I greeted the director and crew discussing the day’s schedule, then stepped into the classroom serving as our waiting room, where Yamada, Akagi-kun, and Mayu-chan were already there.

"Good morning, Onee-sama!"

"Ugh—! Morning, Mayu-chan."

Mayu-chan came charging straight at me, so I crouched slightly to catch her. Dodging would only make things messier and escalate her “skinship,” so taking the hit head-on was always the safest way to minimize the damage. As she hugged me tightly, her cheeks flushed, and she leaned in to sniff along my neck.

"M-Mayuu-chan, how about we don’t wrinkle the uniforms by hugging like that?"

"Okay, Onee-sama."

Since today’s shoot has us playing middle schoolers, we’ve been given matching uniforms. Wrinkles would be a problem, so I gently warned her, and thankfully she let go without fuss. When it comes to work, she stays professional, so I really wish she’d be this obedient all the time.

"Morning, Nana-chan."

"Good morning, Nana-san!"

"Morning. Let’s do our best today."

Yamada greeted me with an exhausted voice, while Akagi-kun, in contrast, was bursting with energy. The difference between them was striking—but Yamada, in particular, looked more worn out than usual.

"Yamada-kun, are you okay? You look tired already."

"Yeah, I was harvesting edamame for a location shoot yesterday, so I’m a bit sore."

Yamada smiled tiredly as he said that—his expression screamed “farmer mode.”

"Ah, was that for that usual variety show project of yours?"

"Yeah. And I have to harvest the eggplants soon too, so things are hectic right now."

Yamada regularly appears as a semi-regular on a show called Can We Grow the Ultimate Vegetables? He works alongside a group of “farming idols,” and whenever we meet on set, he always talks passionately about vegetables.

During our first meeting, Yamada casually mentioned he wanted to try dairy farming someday. I warned him about how grueling dairy work actually was, and for some reason, he took that as a sign to induct me into his imaginary “farming comrades club.”

Back in my previous life, some relatives nearby ran a dairy farm, so I helped out often as a kid. Dairy farming is no joke. You’re dealing with living creatures, so there are no real days off. If you want to take a break, you have to hire helpers through the agricultural cooperative—but that’s expensive, so most farmers only do it a few times a year at most.

Mornings start painfully early, and nights run pretty late too. Midday is the only downtime. If you bought all your animal feed outright, you’d go bankrupt instantly. Farmers grow their own corn for feed, crush it with machines, and store it in silos. On top of that, they coordinate with nearby rice farmers to buy straw bales cheaply—meaning you either rent equipment from the cooperative or buy it yourself to roll the straw.

Basically, good relationships with your neighbors are essential.

Even if you run things carefully, spikes in oil prices can suddenly raise feed costs, putting farmers deep in debt. Back during the BSE outbreak, some farmers were even forced to quit entirely.

So yeah, dairy isn’t easy. I explained all this to Yamada… and for some reason, his eyes started sparkling. Then he smiled like it was a confession scene and said, "Why don’t we start farming together?"

…It sounded exactly like a farmer’s marriage proposal.

Apparently, within COLORFUL, no one else is interested in agriculture, so Yamada’s the only one participating in farming projects. Makes sense—kids born and raised in the city aren’t exactly dying to get their hands dirty. Honestly, even people from rural areas avoid it; fewer successors means an aging workforce, which is becoming a real issue.

"I want COLORFUL to become the future of Japanese agriculture!"

Yamada declared it passionately, wearing the pure, innocent smile of someone his age… but absolutely nothing he just said was idol-like.

"Uh-huh, that’s amazing. Anyway, rehearsal time?"

Today’s about filming the drama, not saving the future of Japanese agriculture.

Still, when you think about it… we sing, we dance, we can play in a band, act in dramas, host variety shows, and apparently even handle farming, construction, and carpentry.

…What even is an idol anymore?