Day 186

[from Vanishing Point]

Mizuki watched the sun slowly sink below the horizon, its golden glow reflected in the shimmering waters of the river before her. A gentle breeze played at her shoulder-length emerald hair, and at the hem of her dress. She turned to the tall, spiky-haired man standing with her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she said.

"It sure is," he agreed. "But not as beautiful as you."

Mizuki blushed and smiled, just as a heavy gust of wind blew her fringe over her face, obscuring it. She shook her head, sweeping her hair back into place, and the man chuckled. Mizuki herself couldn't help grinning a little.

"Mizuki," said the man suddenly, "I want you to be my girlfriend."

Mizuki seemed taken aback by the sudden suggestion. She took a step back, blushing harder. "Ehh?!"

"Well?" said the man. "How about it?"

Mizuki clasped her hands to her chest and looked away, clearly flustered. "This is… so sudden…" she said.

"Mizuki!"

Startled, Mizuki turned round to see Shinji, her plucky childhood friend, racing down the riverbank towards her, and her confusion intensified. "Huh? Shinji?"

Shinji stopped just short of Mizuki and the other man, resting his hands on his knees for a moment to catch his breath. "I'm sorry, just… give me a minute…" he said, raising a hand. The two others waited patiently, and after a moment or two, Shinji finally straightened up and addressed Mizuki with a nervous but determined expression. "Don't do it, Mizuki!" he said. "Don't become his boyfriend! Be mine instead!"

This confession shocked Mizuki even more than the first one, and she reeled back, her face turning as red as the sunset. "Ehh?!!"

Shinji nervously held out a box of chocolates, his own face swiftly reddening. "Mizuki… please accept my feelings!"

The taller man sneered at the newcomer. "Hah!" he said. "Like she'd ever pick a wimp like you over someone like me!"

Shinji held his ground. "I may be a wimp," he said, "but I've known Mizuki for far longer than you, and I know she'll choose me!"

"Oh yeah?" said the other man, amused. "Well, I guess we'll find out, won't we?" He turned to his shell-shocked beloved. "Come on, Mizuki, who's it gonna be? Me, or this pipsqueak?"

Mizuki looked from one man to the other and then back again, In addition to her shock and embarrassment from the sudden confessions, she now felt highly flustered by the pressure. "Uhh… uhh…"

"Aaand… cut!" The sharp voice of the director brought the fake scene to a close. "Alright, that's a wrap. Great job, everybody!"

The moment the director's voice rang out, the embarrassment faded entirely from Mizuki's face, replaced with a triumphant grin. "Yes!" she exclaimed, pumping her fist. "Nailed it!"

"Well, I guess that's Season 2 all wrapped up," said Shinji, or rather, the actor who'd been playing him. "Now all that's left is to celebrate."

"Leave that to me!" said Mizuki. Stepping off the fake riverbank, which was nothing more than a studio set, she started to address the various staff gathered around. "Alright, listen up, everyone! Now that we've finished filming Season 2, it's time for our big end-of-filming celebration party!" Amidst cheers from the crowd, she continued: "We're gonna need pizzas, beer, a barbecue, plenty of meat to go on it, some chocolates - some more chocolates, that is," she added, as she took the box of chocolates from her co-star's hands. "We'll need yakisoba - lotsa yakisoba - and I'll have someone from Kyūrei bring us over a whole bunch of sugar-free cola! Being their spokesperson has its perks! Oh, and if any of you want anything else, go ahead and order that too! Everything's on me!"

"Wow, really!" exclaimed one of the cameramen. "You're so generous, Mizuki!"

"I'll order the pizzas!" said the boom operator, pulling out his phone.

"Shouldn't you have organized this before now?" asked Shinji's actor. Mizuki's only response was a carefree shrug. "And are you sure you're alright paying for everything?"

"Please, I'm a billionaire!" said Mizuki. [AUTHOR NOTE: That's in yen] "If I can't splash out, who can?"

"Well, I'm gonna go get the beers in," said the other actor. "You'll pay me back, right?"

"Of course!" said Mizuki. "I said I'd pay for everything, didn't I?"

"You did, and I'm gonna hold you to that," said the other actor. "Alright, later."

As her co-star waved briefly and then headed off, Mizuki turned her attention to the heart-shaped box in her hands. "In the meantime," she said, "I've got a date with this delicious box of chocolates!"

"Uhh, Mizuki… we're gonna need that prop again when we start shooting Season 3," said Shinji's actor, as Mizuki walked off with the box.

"The chocolates will have gone off by then," said Mizuki, undoing the ribbon, "and it'll be a waste." She opened the box, tossing the lid and the ribbon aside, and took out a chocolate. "Besides, we can always just buy another box-" She popped the first chocolate into her mouth, then carried on talking through her mouthful. "-or we could just re-use the empty box. It's not like the audience are gonna know there's no chocolates in it."

"Then you'll probably be needing the lid…" said Shinji's actor.

***

A short time later, the party was starting to come together. Tables were being laid out throughout the studio, with various food and drink spread out across them. A banner reading "SEASON TWO FILMING IS OVER" had been hung over the entrance. Mizuki was perched on the edge of one of the tables, eagerly scoffing the box of chocolates, much to the chagrin of a passing assistant.

"Miss Sato? What are you doing?" the assistant exclaimed.

"Eating chocolate," said Mizuki nonchalantly, before popping another chocolate into her mouth as though the assistant was not there.

"You can't eat that whole box by yourself!" said the assistant, staring in horror at the half-empty box. "It's not healthy! You'll get fat!"

"Screw you I can't eat the whole box by myself," mumbled Mizuki through a mouthful of chocolate.

"Miss Sato," the assistant began, "I insist that-"

But Mizuki had had enough of her dietary habits being criticized. She swallowed her mouthful, and suddenly her eyes began to glow an eerie white, her pupils and irises vanishing entirely. "No," she said, her voice mysteriously layered. "I insist that you quit bugging me and do something useful, like bringing me that plate of yakisoba I already asked for."

As Mizuki spoke, the assistant's eyes glazed over, her expression turning blank and her posture relaxing. When she spoke again, it was in a robotic, monotone voice, devoid of any trace of emotion. "Yes Miss Sato," she said. "Right away Miss Sato. I apologize for the inconvenience Miss Sato."

The assistant bent forwards in a mechanical bow, then walked off. Mizuki's eyes returned back to normal, and for a moment she watched the assistant go, confused as to what had just happened, before letting out a weary sigh. "I just did the thing again, didn't I…" she muttered.