Another failure. She clenched the script in her hand so hard her knuckles went white. Worse yet, she knew the producer had a "better candidate" in mindher cousin, Sakurajima Mai. Even though Mai quit show business two years ago, the industry hadn't forgotten that dazzling teen actress.
Exiting the building, the summer sun's glare stung her eyes. Nodoka pulled out her phone, hesitated a moment, then sent her mother a short message:
"Didn't pass the audition."
Those five words felt like they drained all her courage. She could imagine her mother's reactiondisappointment, anger, a cold "I knew it." The phone vibrated almost instantly. Her mother's name glowed on the display.
Nodoka inhaled, bracing herself, and answered:
"How come? What went wrong this time?"
Her mother's voice cut sharp as a knife. Nodoka wanted to hold the phone away.
"They said I wasn'tquite right for the role"
"'Not suitable'?"
Her mother gave a sarcastic laugh.
"Mai was never 'unsuitable' for any part. At sixteen, she could handle anything. Do you realize how much I've spent on your acting coaches?"
Hearing Sakurajima Mai's name, Nodoka bit her lip until she tasted blood.
"I did my best, Mom."
Her voice trembled. She had done her utmost, never slacking in training, but it always ended the same.
"Come straight home. We need to talk."
The call ended abruptly, leaving only the drone of the disconnected line.
""
Nodoka felt empty. She knew precisely what awaited her at home: her mother's usual tirade, scolding her for failing again. She dreaded how it would carve more wounds into her spirit.
Nodoka stared at her reflection in the train window: golden hair, features resembling Sakurajima Mai, but missing that innate brilliance Mai possessed. Although not biological sisters, they looked alike. But Nodoka knew it was only superficial. Mai was a genuine acting prodigyno matter the role, she excelled. Meanwhile, she felt like she could never catch her "big sister's" shadow.
.
She opened the door, greeted by a strong coffee aroma. Her mother sat on the living room couch, an open album in front of her. Nodoka recognized it as the scrapbook of Mai's press clippings. Her mother had diligently compiled every article and photo of Mai over the years.
Her mother glanced at Nodoka, her smeared makeup making her frown.
"Go wash your face, unless you want someone to see you all sloppy like that."
A stab of pain lanced through Nodoka's heart. She pressed her lips tight.
"Okay."
She rushed to the bathroom, rinsing away the blotched makeup and revealing the obvious signs she'd cried. The red puffiness wouldn't go away so easily.
Nodoka perched nervously on the sofa's edge, fingers twisting together. On the coffee table lay footage of her last audition. A label read "Comparative Reference: Mai's Performance at 16." Her mother's cold stare weighed on her. After a few beats of that chilling silence, her mother finally broke it:
"Do you know why this audition was so crucial for you?"
Her mother's gaze was razor-sharp.
"BBecause it's an important role?"
Nodoka could only guess.
"No. Because it's the same type of role that catapulted Mai to stardom!"
Her mother raised her voice:
"If you got this part, people would start comparing you two as equals, instead of always thinking of you as the cousin who's not as good as Mai!"
Nodoka felt a sharp pain in her chest. She knew her mother's motive: shaping her into someone who could matchno, surpassSakurajima Mai, turning her into "Mai."
~~~
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Chapter 616: Comparison Kills...
"I've been trying my hardest, Mom."
Toyohama Nodoka's voice quavered, laced with a deep sense of grievance.
"But I can't be Maishe and I are different people"
"Different?" Her mother suddenly flipped open the album.
"Look at this!"
She turned to another page, pointing at two photos placed side by side.
One showed Sakurajima Mai at fifteen, having just received a newcomer's award.
The other was a promotional shot of Toyohama Nodoka at the same age.
"Same camera angle, same expression, even your hairstyles are identical!"
"The audience can't even tell who's who!"
Staring at the pictures, Nodoka felt a twisting ache in her stomach. That was her mother's carefully orchestrated "Copy Plan"having her dress, style her hair like Mai, and audition for similar roles.
No matter how much she imitated, the verdict was always the same:
(She has potential, but lacks Sakurajima Mai's natural spark.)
"Why didn't they pick you this time?" her mother asked in a tense, low voice.
"I I don't know"
Nodoka choked up on that single sentence.
"This is the second time this month."
Her mother's voice went cold.
"Have you been preparing seriously? Mai at your age has already starred in two dramas."
"I have prepared! I practice every day until late!"
Nodoka lifted her head, tears trembling on the brink of her eyes, her voice shaking with pent-up frustration.
"But the director said my acting lacked soul"
"Lacked soul?" Her mother let out a scornful laugh, ignoring her daughter's sorrow and vulnerabilityher gaze held only stern disapproval.
When Sakurajima Mai withdrew from show business, her mother's attention had shifted entirely to Nodoka. More precisely, to nitpicking Nodoka in hopes she would replace Mai.
In her mother's grand design, Toyohama Nodoka could seize this opportunity to take Mai's place.
"Mai has never been told she 'lacked soul.' Do you know why?"
"Because she has talent. And she's willing to give everything for it."
Every phrase drips with comparisons to Sakurajima Maithe quintessential "child from another family."
Hearing this made Nodoka feel like a giant weight pressed against her chest, crushing her breath.
It always ended the same: Mai this, Mai that, how flawless Mai was.
Where did that leave Nodoka? What did her own efforts amount to?
Her face contorted with pain as she gripped her hands into tight fists.
"I heard that although Mai quit show business and returned to school, she's still near the top of her class," her mother continued, voice turning uncommonly softan inflection reserved for discussions of Mai. Probably she couldn't help wishing Sakurajima Mai were her own daughter.
"With her scores, getting into Todai (Tokyo University) would be a cinch. Even if she never acted again, she'd do well anywhere."
The light in Nodoka's eyes dimmed. How she longed for her mother to talk that way about herjust once. But apparently she could never earn such approval, even though she was the mother's actual daughter.
"Nodoka, are you even listening to me?"
Seeing Nodoka spacing out, her mother's tone abruptly rose.
"You're always like thisdistracted! Mai never would"
Tears overflowed from Nodoka's eyes.
"I'm not Mai! I'll never be her! Why can't you accept the real me?"
Her mother's expression stiffened, then turned icier.
"The real you? What about the real Toyohama Nodoka is worth being proud of?"
"Grades: mediocre. Acting: average. You can't even memorize the simplest dance steps."
"If not for the fact you look like Mai, do you think any agency would have signed you?"
"Enough!"
Nodoka abruptly rose to her feet. The chair scraped the floor with a jarring squeak.
"I'm not my sister! I can never be what she is!"
She screamed through her tears, finally letting loose all she'd repressed.
Her mother looked briefly surprised, then anger replaced it:
"What's with that attitude? I just want you to be as excellent as your sisterI'm doing this for your own good! What's so wrong with that?"
Those words only made Nodoka cry harder, tears pouring in large drops that splashed onto the floor. A wave of dizziness swept her; her mother's accusations jabbed at her like countless needles.
"Wrong is that I'm not her! No matter how hard I try, you'll always see me as second to her!"
She whirled and fled upstairs, stumbling into her room and slamming the door shut behind her, cutting off her mother's shouts.
She flung herself onto the bed.
"Uuuuu"
Burying her face in the pillow, tears soaked the fabric.
Just then, her phone screen lit up. She blinked through her tearsit was a message from her manager:
(Nodoka, that show has decided on the role. They chose Satou-san. The director said your acting still felt too stiffmaybe next time.)
"Next time, next time it's always 'next time'"
She despairingly tossed her phone aside, curling into a ball. Her room was plastered with Sakurajima Mai's posters and award photos"inspirational decorations" her mother insisted on. But those smiling faces now only suffocated her.
She stood before the full-length mirror. This face, somewhat resembling Mai's, is never quite as flawless. She was shorter by a few centimeters, her posture less graceful.
"Ifif I could become Sakurajima Mai"
Then she wouldn't have to live in her shadow, wouldn't have to hear comparisons about how "amazing" her sister was. She wouldn't keep failing to meet an impossible standard.
"I wish I could be you, Sis"
Nodoka pressed her fingertips to the cool mirror, gazing at her reflection in a daze.
Outside, night sank deeper. Exhausted and crying, Nodoka curled up on her bed, eyes drifting shut. In that final moment before sleep overtook her, a burning wish dominated her thoughts:
To become Sakurajima Mai.
Become that beloved, envied genius girl.
Become the daughter her mother could finally be proud of!
~~~
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Chapter 617: Laios Party!
[Ding! Couronne Dola has joined the Chat Group!]
[Ding! Marcille Donato has joined the Chat Group!]
"Hmm?"
Roused by the commotion in the group chat, Rei Ao stirred from his tender milieu. Getting up, he slipped away from Mana, who woke at the same time. She merely shifted slightly in response to the movement below, then looked at him with sultry eyes.
"Darling, it appears there are new members in the chat."
"Yes, I saw."
Rei Ao didn't hasten to greet them. First, he brought the still-sleeping Shinomiya Ayase and Tsugumi into the subgroup.
[Ding! You have chosen to invite Tsugumi and Shinomiya Ayase to the Trade Chat Group's subgroup!]
Only then did he open the main chat to check the two newcomers' info. Just by looking at their names, he made some guesses:
[Name]: Couronne Dola
[Level]: 0
[Ability]: None
[Name]: Marcille Donato
[Level]: 13
[Ability]: "Half-Elf," "Black Magic," "Elven Magic"
[Possession]: "Magic Staff"
If his suspicions were correct, Couronne Dola might be from No Game No Life. And Marcille, who could use elven and black magic, might hail from Delicious in Dungeon (Dungeon Meshi) or a similar fantasy series. That was his hypothesis based on their names and basic stats, anyway.
He was about to post in the chat group when he noticed Mana quietly slipping downward. Softly nestling her hair aside, she whispered:
"Darling, just focus on your businessI'll help tidy things up."
With that, she sank lower.
" "
She called it "tidying," but really it was an irresistible seduction. Rei Ao did not protest. He simply enjoyed the lightning sensation and reached out to squeeze the "large pillow" beneath. Then he opened the chat:
Rei Ao: "@Couronne Dola, @Marcille, welcome to the Trade Chat Group."
Another World
A well-known labyrinth stood in this worlda living dungeon rumored to be the result of ancient magic civilization (or a powerful sorcerer).
It continually regenerated and reshaped itself. Not just a physical structure, it behaved like a magical creature: generating monsters, traps, and treasures to lure in adventurers.
Despite its lethal dangers, people poured in seeking the fabled "Golden Country" of an ancient kingdom said to lie deep inside.
Supposedly, it contained limitless wealth and the secret of eternal life, attracting countless explorersmany of whom perished or turned into monsters themselves.
The labyrinth teemed with all sorts of monsters, including mighty dragons. Ordinarily, adventurers wouldn't expect to meet such a fearsome beast in the shallower levels, but fate had other plans for one party, who found themselves face-to-face with a Fire Dragon!
"Run!"
Laios, clad in knightly armor, shouted. The sudden appearance of a Fire Dragon sent them into a frenzy.
Their team boasted varied talents: him as leader and warrior; a half-elf spellcaster named Marcille; a half dwarf thief, Chilchuck, skilled in disarming traps and locks; Laios's younger sister, Falin, versed in exorcism magic; a dwarven bow-fighter named Namari; and an eastern-style swordsman, the tall Shuro.
Yet even such a diverse group, after extended labyrinth exploration, had neither the reserves nor equipment to face a Fire Dragon.
"Rooaaar!!!"
The Fire Dragon, burning crimson, roared and spewed flames like a torrent of molten lava.
"Get down!"
Laios yelled. The party members dived or sought cover. Marcille attempted water-element magic to extinguish the flames and clear a pathbut the Fire Dragon lunged at the unguarded Falin. Marcille panicked.
"Falin!"
She tried casting again, even though her mana was nearly depleted and forcing a spell could badly injure her. Just then:
[Ding! Welcome to the Trade Chat Group!]
A blink of confusion broke her concentration. She watched helplessly as the Dragon's jaws closed around Falin.
"Falin!!!"
Laios's anguished roar echoed. Marcille's mind went blank.
"Retreat! Everyone, fall back!"
Chilchuck's shout reverberated in the corridor. He lobbed three smoke bombs, filling the tunnel with purple fog. Frozen in shock, Marcille felt someone yank her by the collar.
"My sister!"
Laios's sword clattered on the ground. He struggled to charge into the smoke, but Namari grabbed him:
"Roooaaar!!!"
Dragonfire dislodged stalactites from the ceiling, spearing the ground where they had just stood.
"Left corridor, thirty meters, then a fork!"
Chilchuck's voice sounded hoarse from inhaling smoke. Coughing and staggering, Marcille and the others fled, heat pursuing them like a living thing. Finally, they saw daylight at the labyrinth's exit. Marcille collapsed, chest burning with the taste of blood.
