Talking Seiyuu Shop (Kimiko)

[Hikari Oka]

Another day, another promotional event for the latest series that you provided a voice for.  Actually it hadn't been all that recently that Hikari had been asked to appear at an event of any sort so it was more of a feeling of being a little beleaguered.  Probably because she had been staying busy despite not having any public promotions for this latest voice work.  There had been some meetings with studio reps about some scripts for new films which had just been optioned; she'd said no to all but one, though the remaining script was merely a 'maybe' right now.  Then interspersed between the meetings were some radio show appearances to talk about voice acting in general without focusing on any one particular character or series.  Still further she'd just sat in her makeshift studio at home to record a few covers of songs to release on the net, just to prove that 'yes, I can still sing'.  Editing the tracks had kept her up later than she'd intended and today she'd had to get up early to make the event on time.  All of this meant that she felt kind of pressed for time despite arriving an hour early for the event, which had ended up involving a bit of singing for the fans before sitting on a panel and answering their questions.

Yet despite all that pressure she leaned back in the chair provided for her comfortably, debating whether or not she should take a sip of the drink she'd snuck in with her.  Her fans had been great, and some of them would almost certainly see her leaving the event hall's exit later.  Without them she'd probably have to get a real job that wasn't nearly half as fun as this one she had now.  At the same time just one sip out of that one can she'd picked up at a Family Mart wouldn't hurt right?  The canned beverage was in a plastic bag inside of the not-quite-purse she'd brought along with her.  So tempting, even though she didn't want to look intoxicated in front of her fans.  Ultimately she relented and wondered what else she could do besides giving in to the drink's siren call. That was when she recalled that one of her coworkers was still around, a fellow voice actress on the show - Kimiko!  With a grin she stood up and walked over to where the other seiyuu was, eager to maybe have a chat.  They didn't really get to talk as much as she'd like after all.

"Hey Kimiko-san!  Kind of a wild panel, eh?" she greeted the other woman, hoping that didn't sound too lame, "So have they asked you to sing for the next appearance?  I overheard one of the assistants talking about them trying to get us all dressed up in cosplay or something for it."

[Kimiko Hasegawa]

stop there and let me correct it ,
i wanna live a life from a new perspective

Kimiko's day started out the same way that it usually did. She woke up, got dressed, and drove to the agency only to find out that she had to do even more promotion for a series that she had provided a voice for. It wasn't anything new. While she would prefer being informed of promotional events ahead of time, Kimiko wasn't as popular as the female idols - mostly due to the fact that she wasn't in the public eye nearly as much as the idols were. It actually kind of annoyed her a little bit. Of course, she'd never criticize them to their face - it's more like verbal ranting to her friends who got used to her attitude a long time ago. Of course, the majority - okay, it's more like all - of them were also boys and her criticisms had always been mainly geared toward the female idols...well, more like always (although she did have a strange liking for Afternoon Delight).

Speaking of friends, Kimiko realized that she hadn't seen most of them for around five years. She's talked to Mitsu, of course, but that was about it when it came to her six best friends from middle school. She's always communicating with her best friend through text messages so it wasn't like she was completely out of touch with them but their group was still somewhat estranged from one another. It wasn't a fact that she was particularly fond of but she had learned to deal with it. Perhaps she could call them up and organize a reunion sometime in the future...if none of their phone numbers changed, of course.

Kimiko snapped herself out of her thoughts of a reunion with her best friends as she walked into the event hall. Fans had already started gathering in spite of the fact that she had been more than an hour early for the event. She prided herself on being punctual, after all. Besides, arriving early usually means that the panel can start on time - which consequently means that stars can actually leave when they're scheduled to leave.

Of course, since Kimiko had come earlier than some of her colleagues, she had decided to think about reunion ideas. Perhaps they could meet up at a karaoke bar? She knew that Mitsu was part of Super Rangers. She wasn't really sure about what the other five might think of that idea, though. She had never actually heard most of them sing. In fact, she didn't even know that Mitsu could sing until she saw him perform with Super Rangers. It had actually been a bit shocking, to be honest. She even contemplated dragging him to her apartment and interrogating him - but she knew how the media might take it and resisted the urge. Instead, she had called him later that day and forced him to come over to her place so she could interrogate him in private - without anyone knowing about it, of course. Okay, so he would know - but that guy had a way of knowing everything...which kind of scared her.

Kimiko was, once again, brought out of her mental rambling when someone called her name. She recalled the older woman saying something about singing at the next appearance and something about the panel being wild...at least, that's what she thought she might have heard the woman say. Kimiko nodded at her as she said, "Hi, Oka-senpai! Yes, this panel is definitely a bit wilder than the last one I came to." It was the truth, too. While some of the panels she had been to had been wild, none of them had reached this level. The hall seemed to be almost full and there was still about an hour before the event would actually start. She pursed her lips and continued to speak to the older woman, "They actually did ask me to sing for the next appearance. Where did you hear about the cosplay thing, though?" She wouldn't necessarily be surprised about the cosplay, of course. If they were asking her to sing, they would know she'd only do it if a role required it so it would make sense, to her, that the cast of the series were asked to cosplay as well.

you come along because i love your face ,
and i'll admire your expensive taste
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tagged Hikari Oka words 709 notes i'll find a better template later...too lazy right now. status unfinished template nixxy of CAUTION 2.0

[Hikari Oka]

Really the slightly older seiyuu felt bad that she didn't actually know that much about her fellow voice actress.  Granted there hadn't really been that much time to get to know each other since they'd started working on the same show.  So far as Hikari could recall this was the first time they'd worked together, and public events were only just starting to pick up for it.  Still she had at least seen the pink haired woman in the studio a few times and hadn't done much more than say hello.  Now that they had both arrived early for the event she fully intended to correct that oversight.  This would also be a good chance to see if Kimiko had picked up on any rumors about what their bosses wanted them to do next.  Rumors that somehow, some way Hikari hadn't overheard herself in the course of doing all her myriad jobs.

"Hey, you can call me by my first name at least, Kimiko-san.  I'm not that much older than you after all," she replied with a wink to show she really didn't care about her age being known.

Not a lot of things bothered the ex-Afternoon Delight idol, not even the idea of having to cosplay as her character for an upcoming event.  It was only when you had a producer or publicist who was getting really pushy about you having to do something a certain way for that event that got on her nerves.  There were different ways of doing things, and for her it was always 'the Hikari Way' that was best.  Taking things at her own pace, not being rushed or imposed with a bunch of rules.  Her idol handlers had really hated her moods when she'd felt stifled by the tons of rules placed on her.  Nowadays she could pretty much do what she wanted on her downtime provided it wasn't too crazy.  She could even date!  Not that there were any prospects at all, or that the media wouldn't latch onto them as he potential spouse.  At times she wondered if Kimiko had that kind of media attention, though she had to assume that the younger woman did have at least a fraction of it.

"Oh, you know, I heard it from an intern who heard it from the production manager.  Second hand but I'm thinking that's probably why they were taking my measurements again last week.. doesn't make any sense otherwise.  Though I really wonder if maybe the real reason they did that wasn't just to find out if my three sizes got any bigger.  The moment that kind of news gets out you just know that the tabloids are going to suggest I have an eating problem," Hikari remarked with a shrug, taking a seat near Kimiko, "I'll probably look kind of silly in the cosplay. I mean, my girl's a high school student and I'm not sure how a seifuku is going to suit me. Singing's not a problem at all of course."

"So did they give you any details about the singing?  Like solo or a duet?" she prodded, then switched gears a little, "Anyway, how're things going in the world of Hasegawa Kimiko?"

[Kimiko Hasegawa]

stop there and let me correct it ,
i wanna live a life from a new perspective

Kimiko blushed as she responded to the older seiyuu, "Sorry, Hikari-senpai."

Kimiko wasn't really too surprised that the older woman had asked her to use her first name instead of her family name. The age difference wasn't really all that large, after all. If she was correct, they were only five years apart. By addressing her with her last name, Kimiko might have unintentionally made the other woman feel older than she actually was. Of course, she couldn't be too sure since the two of them weren't exactly close.

It was no fault of their own, though. Although their schedules weren't nearly as busy as those of idols, they still had a lot going on in their lives. The fact that Kimiko was trying to get back in touch with her old gang from middle school probably didn't help matters all that much.

As Hikari spoke about how she heard about the cosplay at the next event, Kimiko thought about what she had probably been missing out on since she had left her old friends when they convinced her to audition with Simple Apple. She sighed in response, "I probably wouldn't have too much of a problem wearing a seifuku. It hasn't been that long that I've been out of high school, after all." It was true, too. There had been many occasions where Kimiko had, in fact, been confused for a high school student. Of course, considering the fact that it had only been about two years since her high school graduation, it was to be expected.

She pouted as she answered the singing question, "No, they didn't give me much to go on, actually. They just told me that they wanted me to sing at the next appearance and that was it. I saw them talking to that Hayato guy from SUPER✩RANGERS so I think that it might be a duet, though. I don't know the guy all that well but I suppose I could ask my friend who basically sees him on a daily basis since he's their soloist and Hayato's supposedly the leader." She paused for a moment before she sighed and continued, "I don't even know why they were talking to him, really. I don't think he provided any voice for this series...but I don't know everyone we work with so I wouldn't really know." She suspected that Hikari might know more about that than she did. The older woman had a way of finding out about almost everything right after - if not when it happens.

Kimiko couldn't hold back her grin at the older woman's final question, though. She happily answered her senpai, "Things are going well. I think I'm going to try to meet up with some of my old friends in a few weeks. It's been years since I've seen them and I'm interested in learning about what they're all doing now. The hard part will be getting a hold of them." Kimiko stopped talking so she could get a chance to catch her breath before she asked her senpai the same question, "And how are things going for you, Hikari-senpai?"

you come along because i love your face ,
and i'll admire your expensive taste
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tagged Hikari Oka words 521 notes not as long as the last one, but here you go status unfinished template nixxy of CAUTION 2.0

[Hikari Oka]

Being called Hikari-senpai wasn't exactly a huge improvement over Oka-senpai, but it would do for now.  It really reminded her of those days a few years ago where she'd been front and center as a popular idol singer in the most popular group.  Some of the younger girls had pretty much seen her as a surrogate big sister, or at least maybe on the same level as a senior in a working environment.  At least one of them had called her Hikari-senpai so Kimiko using the term wasn't terrible.  Though it did recall memories that Hikari was kind of uncertain how to feel about.  Being an idol had been a lot of fun sometimes and had made her friends with the other girls in her group.  On the other hand there were so many demands on your time, expectations on your behavior that were forced by the unwritten rules of the game.  Comparing herself now with idol Hikari she knew which one she preferred almost immediately.  Maybe she could get to the point with this coworker that the pink haired woman would just call her Hikari-san or something.  For now senpai would do nicely.

Kimiko was pretty lucky that she wasn't far removed from being a high school student since that would make the promotional cosplay look a little more authentic.  She wasn't worried about her own looks much of course.  Her appearance was young and beautiful but she certainly didn't quite look like a high schooler anymore.  It wouldn't help matters that her teenage self had been so well known that fans would instantly be able to pinpoint why she didn't look right in a seifuku anymore.  So long as she could still sing just as well and stay in character that would probably be an easily forgiven shortcoming.  As usual Hikari was comfortable enough with changing gears that the cosplay element was quickly forgone in favor of talking about the performance itself.

"Wow, I never knew that Kimiko-san was so well connected!  Connections to not one but two members of SUPER✩RANGERS!  I commend you for your networking," Hikari teased before continuing, "I've honestly never seen anyone who looks like they're a member of that group, but there's probably a good explanation.  You're one of the main characters on the show with me, so they probably wanted to pick one of us to do this particular performance.  Since you're working out of Simple Apple, I'm going to guess that it's a cross-promotional deal to serve fans of our series and of their music.  An intern did mention that SUPER✩RANGERS might be coming int o help record next season's ending theme so it's probably to help promote the connection in advance."

She gave a shrug to show that she was just making a guess. She'd been around the entertainment business for over a decade so she knew a few things about how it operated.  Male idol groups weren't her exact area of expertise but it couldn't be all that different from what she'd experienced for six years. The fan base was different but the basic goals were still the same, therefore the rules were probably pretty similar too. Thinking about it any more than that would likely make her want to drink the beer anyway so she was glad to have Kimiko's news to distract her. Hikari grinned at the excitement with which her fellow seiyuu talked of trying to reconnect with old friends. When you were really excited about something it showed how much you cared about that thing, and this meant a lot to Kimiko.  She didn't really keep track of people from her past very well, since many of the idols she'd worked with were married and busy now. Or they had a career of their own to follow. Nobody from school could be counted as a close friend either, since she'd spent most of those years devoted to her idol career.

"Good for you. I hope you're able to get a hold of them all so that you can do some serious catching up," Hikari remarked cheerfully, then smirked as she answered, "Me? Well, just the usual busy, busy, busy Hikari.  I had to meet with some studio representatives about scripts and most of them were absolutely terrible. One they offered was OK, so I didn't say no to it.. but I don't know how I feel about a sci-fi film right now.  Also recording a few songs every once and a while for my fans on the net.. and it's just kind of time-consuming since I don't work with an agency or a manager. Everything I've been doing has been 100% Oka Hikari! I'm my own manager, agent and everything else right now. It's just an experiment but it's really nice to not have to work with so many rules about how you're supposed to act. Like now I can date if I want to, because my fans don't need to.. um... anyway, it's going okay but busy."

Hikari pulled the tempting can of beer out of her bag and showed it to her coworker, "I brought this for later, since after all the stuff this week I think I might need it."

[Kimiko Hasegawa]

stop there and let me correct it ,
i wanna live a life from a new perspective

Kimiko held herself back from correcting the older woman. She didn't know two members of SUPER✩RANGERS. It was only one of them that she was connected with. However, if Hikari-senpai was going to assume she knew more than that - then she wasn't going to correct her. She pouted as she replied, "Just so you know, I knew Mitsu long before he became Mito - the soloist of SUPER✩RANGERS. Hayato, or Hayama - whatever you want to call him, just happened to be there when I found out about it." Kimiko threw her head back as she thought about what Hikari said in regards to a possible cross-promotion. She sighed when she realized that the older woman was correct. "You're probably right about that. I'd prefer singing with Mi-chan but they're probably getting Hayato to do it since he's more well-known."

Part of Kimiko hoped that her senpai didn't notice the nickname but she doubted that would be the case. It wasn't like it mattered all that much anyway. She had already told the other woman that she had known him before SUPER✩RANGERS even started.

Kimiko looked down at her hands as she spoke to the older woman, "It would be really great if the seven of us could get together again. They were always my biggest fans and had believed in me from the very beginning - and I barely believed in myself back then. I know that it's different now but it would still be nice to see how everyone is doing. If I'm lucky, I'll see Mi-chan around at the agency but I haven't been so lucky with the others."

Kimi, of course, had no idea how the reunion would come together or how everyone would interact once they saw each other again. It had been around five years since they saw each other last. They may know the sound of each other's voices and they'll recognize Mi-chan and possibly herself on sight but she couldn't tell if the same would apply the other way around. She wouldn't know until the reunion actually happened - if it ever did happen.

Kimiko's eyes widened in response to Hikari's little monologue about being on her own. She shivered as she spoke to the other girl, "I think I might die if I had to do everything by myself. I could probably be my own manager but I definitely couldn't be my own agent...not yet, anyway. As for the dating thing, I think that's part of the reason why I never wanted to actually be an idol. It just seems so restrictive. I would hate being told that I can't fall in love because being single is why some people like me."

Kimiko thought about what she had just said for a second. Perhaps that could be part of her reason for being so judgmental of idols? Maybe, just maybe, the young woman subconsciously thought that they were being subservient by simply agreeing with not having love lives because, being the hopeless romantic that she is, Kimiko thought everyone deserved the chance to fall in love. Moreover, at least when they were in public, idols pretty much had to be role models. It was like they weren't really allowed to mess up. Kimiko knew that none of them were actually like that - well, she knew the boys weren't like that - but they were still expected to not mess up when their fans could actually see them. It made her a bit angry.

Kimiko was snapped out of her thoughts when her coworker showed her a can of beer that she took out of her bag. She sighed, "I think I can understand why you feel like you'd need it." While Kimiko wasn't much of a drinker, she could see why the older woman might need a drink every now and then. If she was doing everything by herself, Kimiko would probably feel like she needed one as well.

you come along because i love your face ,
and i'll admire your expensive taste
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

tagged Hikari Oka words 657 notes stupid writer's block status unfinished template nixxy of CAUTION 2.0

[Hikari Oka]

Ever observant it, Hikari did notice he nickname that the younger woman gave to one of the members of SUPER✩RANGERS when discussing how she knew them and the likely cross-promotion.  Having noticed it she figured there wasn't any reason to let on that she had noticed it.  Just as Kimiko had been thinking, she recalled the pink haired seiyuu mentioning that she'd known the guy before he'd made it big.  Being several years ago by the other woman's own recollection that must've been something like junior high school.  When you were that age it really didn't matter as much what you called your friends, they were just nicknames.  Her only further thought about it was that the two must've been kind of close friends for that to be a nickname between them.  She did also muse on what 'Mi-chan' might've called Kimiko at that time.  Must've been a pretty cute group of friends, pretty close. 

"Seven of you?  You're really blessed with friends, that's for sure!  I can really tell these guys mean a lot to you, Kimiko-san," Hikari responded, grinning as an idea struck her, "So I don't know if it'll help, but I'm ready to offer you my assistance in tracking them all down.  The one in SUPER✩RANGERS is pretty easy to find but there must be some others who aren't as famous.  And you know how I am about overhearing things.  If you want I'll see what I can do to track some of the others' information down for you.  Just give me some names, maybe basic descriptions if you can.  You don't even need to give it to me now, but later when you've had time to think about them."

It was something nice she could do for her coworker, and who wouldn't want to see the woman happily reunited with these friends.  Someone with no heart was who.  Luckily Hikari wasn't that kind of woman; in fact she was kind of sappy about romance when it did come around and to a lesser extent friendship.  This might also let her get to know the other voice actress better.  Since that had been the whole point of striking up this conversation she was happy to make the offer.  In reality she wasn't at all sure how she'd be able to help find these long lost friends of Kimiko's but might as well try.  Maybe someone who knew someone would know something about one or two of them.  Not like she had a lot of people knocking on her own door for things other than business or appreciation of her work.

"Oh, if you think being your own boss would make you need a drink, try being an idol!  I mean not to be disrespectful to it since I got my start there, my career there, but.. yeah, it's pretty restrictive.  When you stop to wonder about why you're not allowed to date and it gets really weird.  The male fan base can't have a girl who's found love, that's bad for their imaginations and bad for the company's pocketbook.  And then they think it'll turn away the girl fans because you're being a bad role model.  Did they ever stop to think that maybe we should be encouraging younger people to date a little more?  That this kind of role model might be part of why we have too many elderly people and not enough babies?" Hikari began to tirade against the problems she'd had with being an idol herself, "Besides that, you always have someone controlling your schedule pretty tightly.  There are just some days that you want to sleep in a bit, or just wear something more comfortable.. but don't even get me started about my managers."

She recovered from the outburst enough to smile a little and apologize, "Sorry for that, I get kind of wound up sometimes.  It just makes it worse when there are fans who keep telling me they want me to be the manager for Afternoon Delight.  I don't think they realize what would happen if that occurred."

Then she pulled an old receipt from Family Mart out, flipped it over and wrote some numbers and an email address on it.  This she slid over to Kimiko, "Anyway here's my contact information, in case you want to talk after this or take me up on that networking offer."

[Kimiko Hasegawa]

stop there and let me correct it ,
i wanna live a life from a new perspective

Her eyes widened at the older woman's offer, "Really? You would do that?! That would be amazing." Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Well, you're right about Mi-chan being easier to contact than the others since we're with the same agency. The others though...you'd be right about them being not as well known. Saito-kun didn't tell anyone what he was doing. My best friend told me he wanted to be a police officer - but I tried to convince him to at least take classes first, so I have no idea what he's doing. Another is a journalism student at Todai and then the last one is a model. I forget what the last of them decided to do, though...when we were younger, he had interest in being a teacher...I'm not so sure about now, though." Kimiko knew that she had rambled for a bit there but she was too giddy about the older woman's offer to really care. She knew that she needed all the help that she could get if there was any hope of this reunion actually happening. She pursed her lips and continued, "Most of them might get mad if I give you names. You already know about Mi-chan, so I don't need to tell you that one. His real name is Toshio Mitsu, though, if you're curious. The Saito-kun I referred to earlier is Saito Reiichi who I sometimes refer to as Rei-chan, although I'd never say it to his face...he's already pretty well-known simply because of who his family is. The other four are pretty private people though. I could tell you the model's name, but he has enough fangirls as it is...even if most of them are prepubescent schoolgirls." Afterwards, she grinned and added on to her little monologue, "I can describe all of them for you, though. One of them is really tan - a ganguro, basically - with dark blue hair. Another is rather pale with light blue hair that some might consider teal. Another one is a megane with green hair and is rather tall. He sometimes likes to bandage his hands...I think it's a habit he developed during middle school. Mi-chan has blond but you already know that. Saito-kun has bright red hair and hetero-chromatic eyes. The last one is really tall - taller than all of the others - and his has purple hair."

Kimiko realized that she might have been rambling and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry! I was just so excited about your offer to help me get in touch with them that I just couldn't stop talking once I got started."

Noticing that the older seiyuu had her own outburst, Kimiko quickly shut herself up and listened. It seemed that the older woman was just as critical of the idol scene as she was. When it looked like the older woman was done with her outburst, she giggled in response, "I can't disagree with you there. Why can't idol managers understand that it's possible for someone to date and still set a good example for young people? I can understand managers not allowing the younger idols to date - but I think that, at 16, some of them are mature enough to be able to separate their professional and private lives. Why does it have to be so black-and-white?" When her senpai apologized for the outburst, Kimiko responded, "No need to be sorry. I went into my own outburst about my old friends, after all."

The older woman had then pulled out a slip of paper that Kimiko suspected might have been an old receipt when she saw the printed text that was on it when the older woman flipped it over to write on. When it was slid over to her, Kimiko picked it up and replied, "Thanks for this, Hikari-senpai."

you come along because i love your face ,
and i'll admire your expensive taste
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tagged Hikari Oka words 636 notes i couldn't put all the names since not all of them have apps that are in progress. status unfinished template nixxy of CAUTION 2.0

[Hikari Oka]

As soon as Kimiko excitedly started talking about her long-lost friends Hikari did kind of wonder what she'd gotten herself into.  She hadn't really put much thought into how she might even find these people who were younger than herself.  There was no real telling how they might react to a woman in her mid-20s, let alone a fairly well known former idol, just showing up or calling them out of the blue.  Most of the details weren't all that useful either but instead vague descriptions but she imagined that couldn't be helped much.  After all it had only been several years since they'd all met each other.  The one thing she did notice was that all of Kimiko's old friends were in fact boys, which kind of seemed strange.  Who was she to say what was normal for a teenage girl though? Hikari, who'd spent her teenage years as an idol singer who didn't actually have much time for friends outside her fellow idols.  For now she committed the relevant information on the mysterious friends to memory so that she could know where to start.

"No problem, Kimiko-san!  I'm glad to help out a fellow seiyuu, and it's not like I've got a whole lot going on anyway so it's really not a bother.  Hopefully we can pin down one or two of the others and they'll know how to contact the last few," Hikari offered thoughtfully as she ran through the details one last time in her head, "That would be the best solution I think.. but I'll do my best to see if anyone I know might know something.. or know someone that knows something.  There might be someone I work with who has a sibling at Todai, so that's a place to start.  Though I can't help but noticing that all these friends of yours sound like they're boys.  Is there a special one among them, Kimiko-san?  Any one that you like?  You can tell your senpai!"

She had a teasing look on her face, sounded like a middle school girl trying to eke out some juicy gossip.  Then she relented and winked before continuing, "You are so right about the dating thing though.  If a girl did make a mistake wouldn't it be a good example to her fans if she showed the right way to fix it?  Of course you don't want people taking advantage of your singers but they're young adults at the same time.  And honestly you can bet that some of us disregarded that rule against dating when we could.. heh heh heh.. boy was Morinaga-san mad when he found out I went to that movie with Kunio-kun.."

Her happy recollection was interrupted when she realized, "Wait, that was my last date.. kind of depressing isn't it?"

Hikari was reaching for her beer when a stage hand came in carrying a pair of cosplay outfits.. school uniforms by the looks of it. They were hung up behind the two seiyuu after which the likely unpaid intern excused themselves from the obviously private conversation. The older voice actress glanced back at the costumes, squinted as she scrutinized them and then let out a sigh.  Of course what she'd heard about cosplaying in the future had been wrong after all.  That was how things worked.

"Well, I think maybe they're going to want us to cosplay after all.  Maybe it's just to try them on.  But I am not terribly excited about it right now.. not after that last thought," Hikari thought aloud, then started reaching towards her can of beer again.  It was in hand, but she gave Kimiko a questioning look as if to ask permission to crack it open.

[Kimiko Hasegawa]

stop there and let me correct it ,
i wanna live a life from a new perspective

Kimiko shook her head in denial in response to the older woman's question about liking someone. "We're all just really close friends." Okay, so she wasn't telling the total truth but she didn't exactly want her senpai to know that she still liked the same guy after almost five years despite hardly ever seeing him. Most girls would have moved on after a shorter amount of time. Admitting that she still liked him wouldn't necessarily be embarrassing but it could be quite awkward. Then, she sighed as she explained why all of her closest friends were boys, "I met them all while I was the manager for my middle school basketball club...which I only did because my friend asked me to...it's why they're all boys. Also, most people liked to pretend that I didn't exist - except for them, of course, once we all got to know each other." She didn't really know why she was suddenly revealing all of this. All she knew was that she didn't want Hikari-senpai to misunderstand.

She pouted and crossed her arms as she responded to what Hikari-senpai said about idols and dating, "How are regular girls supposed to know what to do to fix their mistakes if their role models are never seen making mistakes? At a young age, girls ask themselves 'What would SHE do?' - but how are they supposed to know what their idol would do if they never see them make mistakes? It doesn't make any sense."

Kimiko saw her senpai reach for her can of beer once more. While she might not condone drinking, she didn't exactly want to prevent Hikari-senpai from drinking if that was her way of relieving her stress. She nodded as she spoke up again, "Maa...I cann see why you wouldn't be excited...I wouldn't be either." Kimiko then made a gesture toward Hikari's beer can to let the older woman know that she wouldn't mind it if she were to have a drink right then and there.

you come along because i love your face ,
and i'll admire your expensive taste
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tagged Hikari Oka words 335 notes so late...sorry status unfinished template nixxy of CAUTION 2.0

[Hikari Oka]

The younger woman was denying having someone special in that group of friends, and for all Hikari knew that was absolutley true.  Just because you were close friends with a lot of guys didn't mean for an instant that you liked any of them as more than that.  Hikari wasn't about to pass judgment like that, though she did find it odd how quickly the question had been answered to the negative.  She did have suspicions but without knowing more about these friends of Kimiko's she would just have to take the woman's word for it.  That was just as well since the topic of dating or romance wasn't something that she could boast all that much success about.  Though she wasn't all that worried about not having someone, contrary to what the rumor mill tended to say about her.  It was just an awkward subject when you had no experience in the field yet were pressing the issue with someone else.

"So these guys were the ones who made your school life a lot more enjoyable because they noticed your existence?  It must've been pretty rough before that.. well, maybe lonesome would be a better description.  All the same, I'm happy that you found some good friends when you were in school.  Me?  I didn't really get the time to make many who weren't also in Afternoon Delight, and I've lost touch with even a couple of those," Hikari responded, hoping to both clarify what the woman was saying as well as share her experience.  Then she frowned, "Wow that didn't sound very good did it?  I mean, I do have friends now but that's because I have a lot more freedom to do what I want and need to."

On the topic of idols and dating she added, grinning, "I won't say you're wrong, Kimiko-san.  Having idols be less perfect in the public image might be healthy for both them and for the girls who're looking up to them.  You can bet that if I was the manager for a group things would be run a lot differently.. girls would be allowed to make mistakes, and then I'd do my best to help them learn from them and fix the mistake correctly.  Let them be kind of regular girls while still being good examples to the people who follow them.  But the chances of me getting a gig like that are slim to none, I'm sure."

Hikari once again relented in actually taking a drink, leaving the can to rest in front of her instead.  She didn't really need a drink that bad when she wasn't too far removed from an appearance for her fans.  Much as she liked to relieve her stress with a bit to drink she knew full well that she couldn't hold it very well and would just end up looking bad.  That idol training was kicking in as she desired to present the best possible, positive, face to the public.  After all it was just a costume anyway, so in the end it really wasn't that different from what had brought her to fame in the first place.  Plus she could ad lib in this kind of performance, which would let her get away with a lot more than any idol concert.

"Not just now.  Maybe after the performance," she declared, then changed the topic, "How about this?  If you could do the voice for any kind of character you wanted, what would you do?"

[Kimiko Hasegawa]

YOU'RE MY FAVOURITE DRUG

Kimiko chuckled at the older woman's words. They had quite a bit of truth to them and she wasn't really sure how much she liked that. She sighed as she responded, "I can't really deny that I was lonely, can I? No matter what I tried people just didn't notice me. With my pink hair, I should be easily spotted, right? That didn't seem to be the case with me." She knew another boy with a similar problem and had actually fallen for him - not that the older woman really needed to know that. There was no reason that someone else needed to know who she liked during her middle school years. That would be all kinds of embarrassing - and that was the last thing that she needed. After all, there had been a reason that she went to a high school that already taught several actors and actresses rather than the high school that her friends had attended. She was sure that all of them, except for the one that she liked, knew about her crush on him - that wasn't something she needed as she build up her reputation in the entertainment business. She snorted as they got back onto the topic of idols, "I know you're a former idol, Hikari-senpai and I mean no offense with my next statement. I just don't think I like the idea of someone that seems to be able to to everything. The only reason I like SUPER☆RANGERS is because they at least know that they're better at dancing than everything else that they do...they're more humble, I suppose." Humility was a really big thing with her. KiNGS was the exception but Hikari didn't really need to know that she didn't hold the boys to the same standards now, did she?

LAIKA OF GS!

ooc; I apologize for how long this took me to post.