text; un:✨🕵️GOLDEN WEEK SPECIAL RELEASE

[paperpusher]

Happy Golden Week, everyone! Natori Shuuichi here, hoping everyone is doing well-- especially our new faces! Please let us know if we can help you adjust.

I'm excited to announce that my new movie Fiance of the Funeral Procession, the second film in the Sparkling Detective Akeboshi Koutarou series, is now available in theaters! It's a historical mystery involving a beautiful woman and her beautiful fiance and the dark secrets that they keep. Each film in the series stars a new case with only the detective as the recurring character, so you don't have to have seen the first one! It would mean a lot to me if you could support my coworkers by watching the film.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy ✨

[What Natori didn't make clear is that he is playing Akeboshi Koutarou, though that becomes obvious to anyone who know what he looks like as soon as they come across a movie poster. Shockingly, this is canonically a good movie. A summary of the plot is available here! Feel free to have characters already seen posters/seen the movie if you'd like.]

Comments

text; un: UEHARA, like a day or so later

[metafictions]

I don’t usually care for Japanese movies, but I caught a showing last night to support you. And… that was really fantastic! The mystery itself was so engaging, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

You had an excellent performance, Natori-san. Congratulations on the release, I hope Tenko-hime can bring us all more of your films soon. ✨

[well… he's got one new fan, at least.]

[paperpusher]

Thank you, Kamui-san ✨ I appreciate you giving it a try even if it's outside your normal movie tastes! I'll be sure to tell you if any others come in.

What sort of movies do you normally watch?

[metafictions]

I like foreign films a little more, but when it comes to Japanese media, I actually watch a lot of detective serials. So... in the end, it did wind up being exactly the type of film I'd enjoy. I was really surprised.

[Is it a little too on the nose to love detective stuff when you are also a detective? Oh well, who can deny a good mystery.]

Do you always play a detective? Or do you do different genres often? [Because he honestly thought this was going to be a romance for the first half of the film.]

[paperpusher]

Do you? I hope I didn't compare too badly to the ones you normally watch!

No, this series is my first time doing mysteries, but it's been surprisingly popular. They've been greenlighting the sequels very quickly, and I was studying the script for the third movie before I arrived here. I'm normally cast in straight romance dramas.

[So like. Kamui's instincts are good.]

1/2

[metafictions]

[Oh.... romance... that certainly explains the sparkling....]

[metafictions]

Not at all! You did a great job. I mean it.

That sounds like a lot of work, especially for a new job. But you seem to be branching out successfully. Maybe you'll be in an action movie doing your own stunts next.

[which feels a little generous, but... weirdly, Kamui can imagine it?]

[paperpusher]

Haha, that's very kind of you to say! I don't know if it would even occur to my agency to try marketing me as an action hero. I don't really fit the type, you know? But it's certainly nice to branch out a bit. At least it's a little reassurance for when I age out of the standard romance hero age range, right?

[metafictions]

You know, I actually forgot to consider that. In Hollywood there’s so many older actors who are still cast as romantic leads well past their 20s. It must be tough.

What about your other career? Don’t you also work with youkai ayakashi?

[paperpusher]

Haha, I think with my reputation as it currently is, I wouldn't get cast in those more mature roles. I guess you'd say I get typecasted... But hopefully Detective Akeboshi can be a pivot point!

[Not that Natori is putting any eggs in that basket. He's sure his career will be over by the time he has to worry about his looks and marketability as a romance star; even if the ayakashi don't close that door for him with any scarring, he's certainly not going to get cast once he loses his leg.]

Haha, I do, but there's not much overlap at all. I'm sure you noticed it, right? The lizard appearing in some of the scenes?

[Specifically, the lizard appearing on Natori's face and hands in some of the scenes.]

[metafictions]

I'll hope for it for you, too. You're definitely talented... it's possible you'll be surprised.

[And yes, he did spot that lizard: though, with no characters reacting to it (and no way to gauge the audience's reactions in a dark theater) it wasn't so easy to figure out if it was there on purpose or not.]

Yes. Is that mark related to your abilities in some way? [Or even some kind of curse? After meeting Matoba-- and Matoba's regular visitor, so to speak-- the other day he wonders.]

[paperpusher]

No, not at all. Or rather, if it is, it's only because my abilities allow me to see it. [Not that he has any way of knowing that-- it very well could be attracted to his spiritual or life energy, or could be tied to his abilities in some way he hasn't determined yet. But he gave up on fretting over those what-ifs a long time ago.]

It's just an ayakashi that happens to live on my body. It shows up in my films sometimes, but it's rare for anyone else to notice. Or I guess if people notice, I don't hear about it! It makes me think that there's not much overlap between people who can see ayakashi and people who watch my romance dramas, or else I'd hear about it a lot more. Not back home, anyway. The rules are a little different here.

[metafictions]

It lives on you? This may not be a question for here, but its presence isn't harming you, is it?

[If the answer is yes— and it’s bad— it’ll probably be bad to air that out on the network: better to give Natori some way out of explaining just in case.]

That’s a good point. If I hadn’t seen it more than once I’d have chalked it up to a smudge on the screen. I think this time, though, people around me noticed: perhaps it’s because we’re all technically in their realm that it’s visible?

[paperpusher]

Haha, it seems like it's just a freeloader, not anything else. ["Seems" because he has no way of knowing; if they were in person, where he could control the tone of his voice and see the reaction, he might have said "it hasn't killed me yet." He's mostly made his peace with not knowing.] But you're right. We're in the ayakashi realm, so even humans without any abilities can see them here. Which is too bad for them, if you think about it! They likely wouldn't be made to work here if they couldn't see anything around them.

[metafictions]

We should be congratulating your freeloader... sounds like it's their big debut.

[Here's hoping the thing really is harmless, for Natori's sake.]

Minus those who've got a sense for them, of course. Although I suppose this also means that you're a little bit out of work on that front, too. On ayakishi [see, he remembered that time!] home turf, an exorcist is a little out of his element, isn't he?

[paperpusher]

Haha, maybe as far as the majority of the audience is concerned, but it's been sneaking into shots since my first drama. It really ruins the suspension of disbelief sometimes!

[Lizard-induced continuity errors :( anyway, he'll probably lose his left leg in the future. It's fine.

Anyway, look at Kamui using the right words and everything!!]

You could say that again! I can't say I expected my film career to be more successful here than my exorcist work, but life is full of surprises. At least my leader doesn't seem to mind.

[metafictions]

If you were ever in disguise, it might ruin that surprise too. Imagine if your appearance were supposed to be a surprise, only for your lizard to suddenly appear...

[a hard knock life for all the exorcist-actors out there....]

How did that even work, by the way? Did she just let you know she'd acquired your film from your original world?

[sort of alarming, that the heads of clans have so much freedom while they're here waiting to fulfill their contracts and go home.]

[paperpusher]

Haha, exactly! It's why I tend to cover my face and hands if I'm trying to be stealthy in the exorcist community.

[And just like that, Kamui gets to know the real reason he walks around with a paper bag over his head when attending festivals like the Night Parade.]

Something like that. [Natori flashing back to his moment of dissociation of watching his movie alone with Tenkohime in her private theater goes here.] Kamui-san, can I ask if your leader has returned anything to you yet? I'm curious about how they arrange it.

[metafictions]

[surely you can do better than a paper bag natori......

There's a lot more questions he wants to ask about exorcists-- particularly after meeting some other exorcist with a cursed eye, maybe Natori's heard of him or something?-- but he'll shelf that one for now, as he's thinking back to his own private meeting with Toraguma.]

Yes, actually. Nothing physical, though-- Toraguma called me in for a meeting and told me a portion of my abilities would be coming back to me. As soon as I left, my senses came back in part. As if he'd somehow just flipped a switch on them, or something.

[paperpusher]

I see. It was something similar for me as well-- Tenkohime called me in, mentioned something about my abilities, and I found I could use them again. I wouldn't have been able to say when they came back, though-- it's not the sort of thing I would immediately notice without trying it out myself, and I didn't have any reason to be trying before. So from your perspective, it happened in the meeting itself?

[metafictions]

That’s right. For me, they’re something in the background of my day to day life: when I say a sense, I mean a sense. But it’s different now… Less specific.

[also, he switches to a direct text to Natori’s phone for discretion…]

You mentioned a while ago that you suspected the clan leaders had control over our abilities. I think you were right, Natori-san.