Episode 31: The Prime Minister is Appearing!
Saeki Director, tormented by regret, decided to brace himself—as the saying goes, “in for a penny, in for a pound”—and listen seriously to Kazuma’s story.
Kazuma, noticing that Saeki Director’s eyes had changed from their earlier bewildered state, released the director’s mouth, which he had been covering with one hand.
“Pfft. Continuing from before, do you have some kind of plan for getting the Prime Minister to appear?”
“Heh heh heh. I’m glad you asked. Actually, as a result of my great success in the Academy Battle Tournament, I was scouted by the National Defense Force, and at the same time, I was able to make contact with the Prime Minister. We exchanged contact information then.”
In truth, Kazuma had come up with a plausible reason to hide the fact that he was the Crimson Knight.
Hearing Kazuma’s explanation, Saeki Director recalled his performance in the Academy Battle Tournament and became convinced that there was likely no lie in what he said.
Indeed, without knowing the truth, Kazuma’s explanation was convincing, and most people would likely believe it.
This time, it had turned out exactly as Kazuma had hoped.
“I see. Certainly, seeing your performance in the Academy Battle Tournament, I can understand the National Defense Force moving to scout you, and the Prime Minister himself coming out. But, is it really possible to have a personal connection like that?”
“Apparently, it’s to prevent [talented individuals] from flowing out to other countries. It’s what you call ‘adult circumstances,’ I suppose.”
“So that’s it. I get that the country is desperate…”
Powerful Gifted are often poached by other countries with exceptional offers.
This tendency is particularly strong in Japan, and many Japanese have been snatched away overseas.
However, Japan currently possesses the world’s strongest fighting force, the Crimson Knight, and has an overwhelming lead over other countries.
Still, because they possess the extraordinary power of the Crimson Knight, some have begun to disregard other Gifted, so a decline in overall strength in the future is conceivable.
“So, if I call and ask him, the Prime Minister will cry tears of joy and agree to appear.”
“No, surely that’s not possible, is it? I mean, he’s the Prime Minister, right? He’s an incredibly busy person, so he wouldn’t have time to appear in a Sunday morning tokusatsu drama.”
“Now, now, please believe me. I’m just going to make a call, so please wait a moment.”
Although he couldn’t quite believe it, Saeki Director decided to trust Kazuma, thinking that if it were possible, he wanted to make the production a good one.
Besides, even if the Prime Minister didn’t appear, they already had enough actors.
In that case, there was nothing to particularly worry about, Saeki Director thought, as he watched Kazuma, who had started making a call, with a vacant gaze.
A short distance away from Saeki Director, Kazuma called Ema.
An electronic tone sounded, and he connected with Ema on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“Hello, it’s me, me, me! You know who?”
“I don’t think ‘it’s me’ scams are very popular these days, are they?”
“I think you could have played along a little, you know.”
“Kazuma-kun. Unlike you, I am a very busy person. If possible, I’d like you to get to the point quickly…”
“I’m busy too, you know!”
A loud sigh reached Kazuma’s ears as they bickered over something trivial.
It seemed Ema had let out a deep sigh on the other end of the line.
“I see. So?”
“Ema-san. Let’s have you appear in a Sunday morning tokusatsu drama!”
“…As I just said, I am a very busy person, you know.”
“Then, I’ll defect to America! With my family!”
Though it was a light joke, for Ema, it was a situation that was no laughing matter.
If the Crimson Knight were to leave Japan now, the country would undoubtedly falter.
It might not go as far as national collapse, but it would at least suffer a major blow.
“Kazuma-kun. Even as a joke, that’s not funny…”
“I’m serious, you know…”
Ema pressed his temples as if struck by a terrible headache.
Normally, he would want to yell at him, but Ema held his head in his hands, worried that if he upset Kazuma and he actually defected, it would be a disaster.
Kazuma was usually an obedient and straightforward boy, but his flaw was that he occasionally went wild like this.
It was possible to control him skillfully, but Ema predicted that Kazuma probably wouldn’t budge on this matter, even out of stubbornness.
“Do I absolutely have to appear?”
“I’d really like you to~”
“…I’ll check my schedule.”
“Thaaanks! Let’s talk about the details later~!”
“Understood. Well then, excuse me.”
After hanging up with Kazuma, Ema let out a very, very deep sigh and entrusted the matter of the drama shoot to his secretary, Tsukimi.
Seeing Ema, with an extremely tired look on his face, entrusting her with the drama shoot, Tsukimi inwardly sensed that he was just a little bit pleased.
“That’s great, isn’t it? You get to become the hero you admire.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“It’s no use trying to hide it. It seems like you’re using Kazuma-kun’s selfishness as an excuse, but inwardly you’re happy, aren’t you?”
“That’s not true…”
“Please stop lying. You had a similar expression to when you sortied as Enma before.”
“Really?!”
“I was just testing you. But it seems I was right.”
“…Could you keep this a secret from Kazuma-kun?”
“Why is that? I’m sure he’d be delighted, you know?”
“There’s such a thing as maintaining appearances as an adult, isn’t there?”
“Ah. So that’s it. Understood. I’ll keep this a secret.”
“Thank you.”
If Kazuma found out, it would be all over.
He’d be dragged into things at every opportunity.
And Kazuma himself would do so gleefully, without any ill intent whatsoever.
Sometimes a break is necessary, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be frequently dragged along by Kazuma’s rampages.
For Ema, moderation was just right.
Meanwhile, Kazuma, having obtained Ema’s permission, returned to Saeki Director with a face as lively as a fish back in water.
From Saeki Director’s perspective, he looked like nothing less than a demon with its mouth twisted into a crescent moon.
He felt like running away from there immediately, but he squeezed his eyes shut, remembering that he was the one who had stirred up a hornet’s nest in the first place.
“Saeki Director~. Good news~.”
“…Really?”
“It’s not a lie. You’ll probably get a call soon, don’t you think?”
Immediately after Kazuma said that, Saeki Director’s phone rang.
Thinking ‘no way,’ Saeki Director checked his phone and saw it was from the company, then turned his face to Kazuma in surprise.
Kazuma, smiling brightly, urged him to answer the phone.
Timidly, Saeki Director answered the phone, and the president, sounding extremely flustered, was on the other end.
“Hello, Saeki-kun!”
“Is something wrong, President?”
“Something terrible has happened!”
“Could it be that the Prime Minister wants to appear?”
“Hm? How do you know that?”
Saeki Director, astonished that Kazuma’s earlier words were true, glanced at him.
There was only Kazuma, smiling just as before.
That smile was unsettling beyond words, but right now, explaining the situation to the president was more important.
“Actually, Satsuki Kazuma-kun is here on set right now…”
“Satsuki Kazuma-kun? Ah, yes, the boy who did so well in the Academy Battle Tournament. Come to think of it, was he visiting today?”
“Yes. And about this Kazuma-kun, it seems he’s acquainted with Prime Minister Saito…”
“You don’t mean Prime Minister Saito is appearing because of his request?”
“Exactly as you’ve guessed…”
“No, no, surely a mere student couldn’t possibly do something like that… No, wait? Could it be that the government has some kind of deal with Kazuma-kun…?”
“We wouldn’t know, but… probably.”
“Let’s not think too deeply about this matter.”
“A wise decision…”
“I’ll help with scheduling adjustments and such. I know this will be a lot of trouble for you, but I’m counting on you.”
“Understood.”
The call ended, the screen went black, and reflected on it was Saeki Director’s utterly exhausted face.
Saeki Director gave a dry smile, wondering when was the last time he’d gotten this tired from just a few minutes on the phone.
Nevertheless, while this matter was troublesome, it was also, at the same time, an incredibly crazy and interesting story.
After all, they were going to have the current Prime Minister appear.
A veteran actor or a Hollywood star would also have a big impact, but the Prime Minister was undoubtedly unprecedented.
It would definitely become a hot topic. That’s precisely why information control had to be thorough.
“Kazuma-kun. Regarding this matter—”
“Ah, please don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. And, I won’t let anyone else tell either.”
“Hm? I get the first part, but the second part is a bit unclear… Well, we’ll manage it on our end.”
There was an unsettling remark, but Saeki Director decided that if he worried about it any more, he might get a hole in his stomach, so he decided to focus on his own work.