Scene 100

* Volume
* Magazine

**Scene 100. Road Show** is the one hundredth chapter of the *Act-Age* manga series.

## Summary

Outside a showing of Death Island, Sumiji Kuroyama tells Chiyoko Momoshiro that he intends to win an indisputable victory over Kei Yonagi's team in the double cast. Determined to show a brilliant performance beyond any criticism Sumiji attempts to rally Chiyoko but the young super star can only think on how she has spent her time trying to project a false image of whatever the audience wanted to see. Comparing herself to Kei, Chiyoko says that a fake flower like herself couldn't compete with a real one like Kei.

Araya Myojin tells her she has been acting quite emotional recently but Yuki Hiiragi tells him to keep quiet as it was not the time for such words. As he walks in for the showing Sumiji says that the child has finally begun to do age appropriate sulking and that it was the adults' time to correct her. Yukiji Tezuka is exasperated by Sumiji's actions and comments to Arisa Hoshi how the young director was as irresponsible as ever and hands Chiyoko her ticket for the movie. As they walk in Arisa notes with reserved disappointment that Chiyoko seems to have forgotten everything she had taught her and that there was still something she had yet to see.

Everyone takes their seats and Yukiji continues to be agitated at Sumiji but looks on in concern at Chiyoko, noticing that the young girl seems very lost. Araya says how as a stage player he finds watching movies more exciting than watching a play and then turns to Chiyoko, saying that this will be the first time he will be seeing her work. Sen Wakatsuki is puzzled at why they are watching a movie when they should be practicing for their performance. The movie begins and everyone watches with rapt attention, Yuki notes how the movie looks like exquisite and the high budget for it is easy to tell. Chiyoko stares on blankly at the spectacle, neglecting her own performance and only being able to focus on Kei.

Thinking back to Akira Hoshi's words to her about how a performer can really bare themselves on stage, Chiyoko clenches her fist asking her memory of Akira what would happen if she bared herself but wasn't good enough. Beginning to leave, Chiyoko passes Araya who deftly grabs by the wrist and pulls her down saying she is blocking his view, stopping the girl in her tracks. He tells her that she is like a doll with perfectly calculated expressions that didn't fit the mood or heart of the story, saying that was her fault for taking her acting method to such an extreme and receiving so much adulation for it.

Recalling Arisa's words about still having things to see, Chiyoko turns back and observes the audience as they watch the final scene of the film. Once it concludes Sumiji is asked how this was supposed to be a rehearsal but the director simply looks to Arisa and asks her what she thought of the performance. Arisa responds that it was perfect with the exception of the ending, hearing this Sumiji turns to Yukiji and taunts him by asking if he'd heard Arisa speak poorly of his film. Yukiji calls Sumiji a jerk in his mind as Araya suddenly slurps his drink and interjects by saying that Arisa Hoshi doesn't understand. Continuing, he says that for a brief moment Chiyoko's mask like expression was broken and showed real emotion, which made the tedium of the rest of the movie worth it as Yukiji looks on in befuddlement at these comments towards his movie.

Arisa retorts and tells Araya that the opposite is true, saying that Chiyoko's gift is the supernatural beauty she exudes and Yukiji excelled at drawing it out, which is why Stars Agency called upon his services for movies for the young star often. Continuing to bear all of this quietly Yukiji merely stares bemused as Arisa continues and says that if a director slips up and allows such emotion to shine through for Chiyoko then they wouldn't be hired again, going on to say that this movie is where Kei's rise began. Yuki wishes to herself that the directors and Arisa would work all of it our more privately away from the two Yonagi siblings who are both still transfixed at their sister's performance in the movie.

Sumiji responds and says that despite all the negative publicity Death Island had received prior to it's release due to casting decisions, compromising the script to show off Stars' celebrities, mediocre cinematography and inconsistent acting, it had still sold well. Asking them why this was so, Sumiji turns around to Arisa who bites back at him by asking if he has finally become interested in commercial success despite having always shunned it in the past due to his films never having any, to which Sumiji angrily calls her a witch and asks if she wants to pick a fight. Standing up, Arisa says it sold because of Chiyoko's performance and the novelty of seeing her mask melt away but scoffs at it and says that if she continued to do that then fans would quickly tire of her. The gears slowly turn in Chiyoko's mind and click into place as Sumiji says they would recreate that moment intentionally, revealing that this was why he had invited the two biggest experts on the "Angel". Saying that they had plenty of time and talent to crush their competition and only needed Chiyoko to pull an all nighter and work very hard.

## Characters in This Chapter

* Sumiji Kuroyama
* Chiyoko Momoshiro
* Arisa Hoshi
* Yukiji Tezuka
* Araya Myojin
* Yuki Hiiragi
* Rui Yonagi
* Rei Yonagi
* Sen Wakatsuki
* Eiji Yamadera
* Ken Watado