【OSHI NO KO】 (【推しの子】)

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OSHI NO KO

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This village only has one guesthouse.

You should check in first and then explore the place.

The Beginning

You were amazing, Aqua!

Your acting was so creepy and good! You're a natural!

That's the review you give your kid?

Hey, I was praising you.

You're so amazing!

I have no doubt you could be the greatest actor ever!

This is Aqua's emotional acting.

Having lost the person most dear to him,

Touki is overcome with rage and grief.

He's doing amazing. But...

Why does he look so pitiful?

So pained?

That's right. Suffer more.

Did you see the light in Kana Arima?

Did you think you'd found someone who understood you in Akane Kurokawa?

Was acting fun for you?

Did you want to forget it all

and fall in love, enjoy your youth, and live a happy life?

I'll never let you.

Until you find the guy who killed Ai, chop him to pieces, grind him to a pulp,

make him suffer in both body and soul,

and put him through a hell even worse than death,

you have no right to another life!

What do you mean, "you"?

Don't give me that.

You're me.

My past self who, tormented by his inability,

still burns with regret.

You're frustrated.

You're sad.

And you'd do anything to hear Ai's voice just one more time.

I'm going to use those emotions.

This battle is over!

Tend to the wounded!

It's too late.

She's lost too much blood.

Princess Saya isn't going to make it.

Don't give up.

This is a wound-transferring scabbard.

It has the power of a ruler—the ability to transfer one's own wounds to their troops.

But she used that power to transfer her companions' wounds to herself instead.

She even took my wounds as she died.

I can't believe she'd show a foe such mercy.

My injuries are gone, too.

Wait, did she plan to put an end to the fighting this way all along?

That's just how she is.

And that's why we followed her.

Sheesh.

This scabbard is actually meant...

...to be used this way!

I had these self-serving fantasies over and over again,

hoping for a fairytale miracle to magically make everything all right.

What if I'd been able to save Ai back then?

Ai...?

Ai!

Ai!

What's up, Aqua? You're being awfully clingy.

It'll take more than that to kill me!

How many times have I wished for it?

For that dream that could never come true.

That was, like, out of this world!

I couldn't believe it was actually you, Akane!

Yeah.

You're the same old Kurokawa now,

but you were a totally different person up on stage.

Can I start calling you Kurokawa-san from today?

Whoo, genius!

Our genius actor!

Stop it!

It mostly just made me realize all over again how far I still have to go.

The real geniuses are people like Himekawa-san... and Kana Arima.

Huh?

What's wrong?

Your acting was good!

But I want to be better...

You were plenty great!

Right?

Tokyo Blade

Man, I'm beat!

I just wanna go home, take off my socks, and flop in a heap on the floor!

I haven't felt this drained in ages.

And I've gotta keep this up for another whole month?!

It's gonna be hell even trying to match what I did today!

I hate to break it to you when you're so tired,

but we're shooting a YouTube video in the office after this.

Blergh.

You really are an actor actor, huh, Senpai?

I don't know much about plays and stuff,

but you're actually an incredible actor, aren't you?

Where's all this coming from now?

You've been an acting genius all your life, right?

Heh, you got that right.

I...

I'm no genius.

One look at the real deal makes it clear.

I'm just desperately trying to keep up.

It's pretty easy to do whatever you want on stage and pretend you're the best.

Everyone understands showy acting.

What's truly difficult is...

There was something special to Akane Kurokawa in that moment.

She wasn't just acting as Princess Saya.

She was also possessed by something else.

Technique I could never hope to match,

immense aura,

and something...

that broke all the shackles on Aqua's acting.

Being able to do that off the cuff is real talent.

Gah, it drives me up the wall!

I'll show her who's boss before this show's run is over!

I heard all about it, Kin-chan.

You switched up the stage directions at the last minute?

I know you like letting your cast have their way,

but you can't be putting your crew on the spot like that.

Can you blame me?

Himekawa was filming a movie, Kamoshida had another play going on,

and Mita had two ongoing TV series during rehearsal.

There was never a right time to iron out all the details.

What's more, we had a bunch of teenagers in the cast this time.

Many made great strides during rehearsals.

Heck, some even transformed during the actual show.

Like Arima-kun?

I'll admit I wasn't expecting much from her,

but the thing about young actors is you never know when they'll flip that switch.

Perhaps her idol work gave her a new perspective on acting,

or maybe she just got herself a new boyfriend.

I've been thinking.

This is an industry filled with attractive people.

What is it that makes some stand out from the rest?

What do you think?

It's the confidence in their looks.

You know how members of famous idol groups or winners of beauty pageants

tend to seem even hotter than they actually are?

In the same vein,

some have the confidence to make you believe the lie

that they're more attractive than everybody else.

I call that "star power."

And she had that in spades back there.

If Kana Arima is the real deal...

Quit it with that creepy laugh.

Oh, come on. I just had an interesting idea, is all.

Who did you consider most promising, Kin-chan?

Well...

I'd thought Kurokawa was the finished article, for better or for worse.

But her acting in the climax took an intriguing turn.

That might be just what she needed to take that next step up.

Mhm.

Besides her, I'm personally intrigued by...

Raida-san.

The publishing company people want to talk to you.

Well, have 'em wait a bit.

This is my favorite time of all.

I just love watching the audience leave all happy and satisfied.

It tells me that we put on a great show.