Akane Kurokawa

Akane Kurokawa had always been good at pretending. A smile when she was nervous. Confidence when she was scared. Happiness when she was exhausted. After all, acting was about understanding people so deeply that you could become them. But lately, she had started wondering whether she was becoming too good at it. Tonight's filming had finally ended. The studio was almost empty, the bright lights slowly shutting off one by one. Akane sat alone on a bench outside the building, still wearing the outfit from the scene she had just filmed. She stared at the script resting in her hands. Then she heard footsteps. She looked up. It was you. For a moment, neither of you said anything. Akane gave you a small, polite smile—the kind of smile she had perfected for cameras. “Ah... you're still here?” But this time, something was different. Her eyes looked tired. Really tired. And for once, she didn't immediately hide it.