Dream Star

The two of them crossed the street, and Kasumi could see the building in sight used for the filming not too far from where they were . The staff had long gathered it seemed, and the last of the equipment was being set up .

Her brother sighed, "Well, I guess I am . "

Kasumi blinked, surprised . This is the first time he"s admitted it; usually, he is more bashful about these things . For some reason, her brother has this mentality . He won"t show kindness in front of other people . When Kasumi asked him about it before, her brother simply said it was so other people didn"t underestimate their family . As stupid as that reason sounded, Kasumi understood where he came from . As a member of an elite family, they can show no weakness; otherwise, it would bring shame to their household .

"Did you check up on them?" Kasumi decided to change the topic . While her brother is acting like this now, she didn"t want to push her luck and make him angry .

"Yeah . Right now they all seem legit, and they weren"t up to anything suspicious last night . From the moment of the greeting, they were perfectly normal . But, s.h.i.+chiro is still running the background check . Who knows what we will find? "

"I"m happy about this drama chance . But it feels too good to be true . Both our groups have the lead roles? In most scenarios, cases it would be only two-three people representing per group . Even then there"s more chance for it to be only one person," not only that, Lila and Kiryu are the lead . No matter how she looks at it, it"s suspicious . Though the two haven"t been informed yet since they are shooting their scenes later . Kasumi knew that their respective agencies have already accepted and that the cast list had been leaked out to the general public already .

"Whatever happens, we have to be on guard . But being too cautious won"t be good for us either . We rarely get to all-star in a drama together, even if it"s just another ruse . We can make use of it . "

Oh, her gaze softened, "That"s certainly true . "

Eijiro reaches over and lightly knocks her forehead, " Stay strong . Older sister . "

"What pressure," she murmured . Stay strong, huh? Whenever Kasumi closed her eyes, even for a moment . The image of Lila"s smiling face and the promise they made the day before she left would appear in her head . Lila, she really does want to make up with her friend soon . During her time in France, Kasumi realized exactly how much she relied on the girl before .

. . .

During her break, Kasumi catches a glimpse of a woman with pink wearing turquoise colored dress hunched over and peeking through one of the doors . Kasumi blinked . . . her sweatdropped . Of course, she walked over and tapped the person shoulders, "What are you doing acting like a suspicious person, Mother?"

"Gyaaahhh," her Mother screamed, "Kasumi?" Kasumi nodded, and the woman hugged her tightly . Mother pressed their cheeks together, "Yup, its Kasumi . My lovely daughter . "

"The flattery aside . . . Mother, when did you get back?" Kasumi had lied to her father earlier on because she knew exactly what he would say if he heard that Mother went somewhere .

"Just now . You see, I was escorting someone here . Do you remember my friend Siena?"

"Yori"s mother?!!"

"Yes . I ran into her abroad . She didn"t know about Suchan since the live broadcast is restricted to Asia . She was in the west when I ran into her . When she heard, she immediately wanted to come along with me . "

The mothers returned to j.a.pan, right when her own daughter just came back recently . Is that a sheer coincidence or not? Kasumi wonders if her own Mother knows about Yori being here, "So Siensan went to see her?"

" Yes, I"m sure right about now they"re having a lovely chat . "

" . . . . What about your Mother? Why didn"t you join them?" Surely her Mother would want to join in that conversation . At the start, Mother had been avoiding Sumire-san like the plague . But eventually, she started talking to her again; even then, Kasumi noticed something off, "You have things you want to discuss with her right?"

Her Mother"s eyes widened, "You really are my daughter . But that"s why you must also have an answer to your own question . "

. . .

When the director saw her Mother, he started acting strangely and then found them a quiet place to have their discussion . It was a small private room on the first floor of the building . The director even prepared food and beverages . Her sweat fell; it"s probably best not to ask what their relations.h.i.+p is or what her Mother did . "She threatened him at some point, didn"t she?" Kasumi had yet to adjust to the idea of her Mother belonging to the yakuza world . Look how beautiful she is, one would not a.s.sociate people with her Mother"s looks with the underground .

"Brother is doing okay . I heard Sumire-san spoke to him and since then he"s been oddly motivated," Kasumi said . It surprised her when she heard that from Ejiro . She didn"t think he would confide in her .

Mother did not seem surprised by this and nodded, "I see, of course, she intervened, honestly, as parents . Ran and I have probably never been good enough role models to you two . Do you have time to chat Kasumi-chan? I"ll tell you a story about my past . "

The past? Kasumi nodded .

"Previously, or rather . . . I have always been dodging the topic regarding my family, haven"t I?

Kasumi nodded, "Father . . . does the same . So I figured I wouldn"t ask . "

"That"s right . Although mine and your father"s circ.u.mstances differ, the emotions we felt were undoubtedly the same . Kasumi, you"re a smart girl, so I"m sure you"ve figured it out . But your father and I did not come from an average family . Far from ordinary, we came from bad backgrounds . Your father"s case was to do with the poverty and drought his village was going through - but that story is something I would wait until he"s ready to talk about . "

Drought . . . Just hearing that, she can imagine what sorts of problems he must have had, "And yourself Mother . . . was your situation . . . just as bad? You said your feelings were similar?" Kasumi questioned .

Mother nodded, "You see Kasumi, in this world as beautiful as it is . Some parents do not love their children . There are those who have them by mistake or obligation . I belonged to the first category," her eyes went wide, she was b.u.t.terfly horrified at the words her Mother just said to her . But her Mother smiled, "Don"t pull that face, your mother has always been the oddball during social gatherings . "

But she always thought that was because Mother was like a flower people can"t approach . . to think that Mother has such a past . Just that information alone is enough for her to understand that it must have been a harsh life .

"Don"t start tearing up before I"ve said anything," Mother reached over and wiped her tears away . The elderly woman"s hand was smooth as ever, "But well since your always so level headed, tears like this once in a while isn"t bad," but the only reason why she"s so level headed is because Mother is always crying .

"Despite how happy I am now, I"ve never forgotten it . The feeling of an empty stomach, the coldness, and the sound of the TV . A young mother . Although she never beat me, she often didn"t come home for days, except for occasionally coming back and giving me something to eat . Even then it wasn"t food for children . Never any water but plenty of alcohol beverages . Drugs instead of medication . That person approach was like I didn"t exist, and yet she didn"t disregard me completely . Whenever I was engrossed in watching TV, that woman would often make conversation with me . "

When she saw her Mother shaking, Kasumi placed her hands on the older woman"s shoulders . It really must be difficult to tell her all this . Kasumi is half tempted to stop her, but she doesn"t want to break mothers resolve .

"It did not matter to me what we spoke about as long as we spoke to each other, as long as we talked . Because when she asked me she was smiling . Those days to me are very vague now, so I don"t recall exactly what we spoke about . But I do remember that feeling of hunger and being abandoned . Then one day, that woman vanished . "

Kasumi"s eyes go wide, "What . . what happened to you?" she hesitated to ask . Kasumi already knew what Mother would say, what could a young girl that age do all by herself?