A Beautiful Model In My Class Comes To The Coffee Shop Where I Work Part-time Only When I'm On Shift - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Jealousy?

“Listen, Juntaro.”

As soon as she took her seat, Shizuku began speaking in high spirits. While my response was already determined, Shizuku seemed eager to share, starting without waiting for an answer.

“Today’s shoot went really well. The staff praised me a lot, and even the director, who’s usually reserved, said, ‘Great performance’.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

I had heard Shizuku talk about the director before. Despite being a bit standoffish, he was precise with his instructions and highly skilled. Being praised by someone like him must have been quite an achievement.

“Maybe it’s thanks to Reiko-san’s diligent guidance…! And lately, other cast members have been staying behind to help me too.”

“You’re being valued…”

“It’s really heartening. But, you know, sometimes we clash because everyone is so passionate about their performances.”

“It’s natural for opinions to clash when everyone is passionate about their acting.”

Shizuku explained that each actor had their own strong opinions, and it was challenging to sift through them and incorporate what was necessary into her performance.

“…Does the actor playing your buddy also give you guidance?”

“Huh…? Oh, you mean Tatsukawa-san?”

—What am I saying?

Shizuku tilted her head, perhaps not expecting such a question from me. Despite breaking out into a cold sweat, I couldn’t retract the question now.

“Ah, Tatsukawa-san tends to lean towards my side. He’s the type who transitioned from modeling to acting, and he’s relatively new to acting. So, he’s always guiding me.”

“Oh… I see…”

“But recently, there’s been a bit of a problem.”
“A problem?”

“Yeah… There’s this baseless rumor going around that Tatsukawa-san has his eye on me.”

My chest tightened painfully. Why couldn’t I control my emotions properly? I couldn’t even understand my own thoughts anymore.

“…This is just between us,”

Shizuku said in a hushed tone.

“Tatsukawa-san has a fiancée.”

“—Huh?”

The words that came out were different from what I had been thinking, and I doubted my ears.

“They’re apparently going to announce it soon, so there hasn’t been any official secrecy… But she’s really beautiful. When she came to the set once, I thought she was another actress, not just a regular person.”

“…Is that so?”

“Tatsukawa-san is always so affectionate towards her. One of the senior actors even started causing a scene out of jealousy—something wrong?”

“Huh?”

I found myself completely drained of energy.

The frustration in my chest had vanished.

Listening to the conversation just now, I seemed to have let out a sigh of relief.

“Did you… believe the rumor that Tatsukawa-san was after me? Were you… jealous, thinking I might be taken away?”

“…Yeah, maybe I did.”

“—Huh?”

Despite being the one to ask, Shizuku widened her eyes in surprise.

“Uh, I-I mean… I didn’t expect you to agree…”
“I see…”

An awkward atmosphere began to settle in.

But this time, my heartache had a different meaning. However, unlike before, this discomfort wasn’t painful.

“By the way! The drama recording is almost over, right?”

“Yeah…”

Shizuku changing the subject was a relief.

The tension from earlier felt unbearable.

“Will you be able to relax for a while?”

“…I wonder. My manager says there are quite a few new offers coming in.”

“That’s good news… right?”

“Of course… Well, it’s not modeling work, though.”

“Are there more acting jobs?”

Shizuku nodded.

Originally a highly popular model, Shizuku had begun taking her acting career seriously, steadily improving her skills while still excelling in modeling. People in the industry would likely hear about this kind of thing quickly. If I were a producer, I would definitely consider casting Shizuku.

“It’s good news, but I’m honestly torn. It’s tough, and I don’t know if I can handle being an actress in the future…”

“…Do you want to give it a try?”

“Well, yeah. It’s hard, but I can see my acting improving, and it’s enjoyable. I feel a sense of accomplishment. And the agency seems to be leaning towards taking more acting offers nowadays.”

“It must be tough to turn down offers, huh?”

Shizuku nodded again.

“But… I feel like I’ve got a glimpse of my goal. Right now, I’m just afraid to take the step towards it.”

I widened my eyes slightly.

Seeing my reaction, Shizuku scratched her cheek bashfully.

“Without any conviction, I’ve been floating around… But now, I feel like I’ve found a strong, straight path.”

“So… uh…”

“…?”

Shizuku suddenly stumbled over her words, and I tilted my head in confusion.

“When the recording for this drama ends… I want to spend a day out with you, Juntaro… What do you think?”