Tokyo: My Best Actor Gear List

Chapter 85 Backstage Lunch Boxes

Chapter 85 Backstage Lunch Boxes

The air in the employee break area was filled with the mixed smell of disinfectant and leftover food.

This is the back of a glamorous five-star hotel; there are no crystal chandeliers, only exposed pipes and slightly mottled walls.

Kitahara Shin sat next to the shelf where spare linens were piled up, holding a staff bento box containing only pickled vegetables and fried fish pieces.

He had just taken a bite of the slightly hardened rice when he felt the fire door next to him being pushed open a crack.

A head peeked in furtively.

It's Nanako Matsushima.

She hadn't changed out of the clothes she wore at the press conference, and her makeup was exquisite, but now her beautiful face was filled with conflict and a sense of impending doom.

"Mae————Sato-san."

She cautiously called out the fake name, then slipped in like a thief, closing the door tightly behind her.

"Sir, what can I do for you?"

Kitahara Shin swallowed the food in his mouth, somewhat surprised, and quickly got up.

He had seen her earlier, but he hadn't expected her to come looking for him directly.

Why is this girl not enjoying a buffet in the banquet hall, but instead coming to this place full of cooking fumes?

So, did she recognize him?

Is my disguise really that bad?

Nanako walked up to him, stared at the shabby lunchbox in his hand, and her eyes instantly reddened.

She took a deep breath, as if she had made a great decision, and suddenly pulled an envelope from her small bag, handing it to Kitahara Shin with both hands.

"Give!"

"What is it?" Kitahara Shin asked, completely bewildered.

"money."

Nanako's voice trembled slightly, "There's 200,000 yen in here, which I saved up from shooting for a magazine recently. It's not much, but—but at least it'll be enough for you to have a hot meal instead of hiding here eating this cold fish."

She became increasingly anxious as she spoke, tears welling in her eyes. "Senior, there's nothing shameful about going bankrupt! The news says many people go through this. As long as you're still alive, you can always make a comeback. Take this money for emergencies, don't rush to pay it back. I—I can still take swimsuit orders!"

Kitahara Shin was stunned.

He looked at the thick envelope, then at the girl in front of him whose nose was red with excitement.

It turns out they mistook him for a victim of the bubble economy.

She even planned to take on the swimsuit gig she hated most, just to help him.

"puff."

Kitahara Shin couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What are you laughing at! I'm very serious!" Nanako exclaimed impatiently.

"I've just realized how innocent you are."

Kitahara Shin put down his chopsticks, pointed to the "Sato" name tag on his chest, and said, "I'm not bankrupt, and I don't owe any high-interest loans. This is director Itami Juzo's new film, and I'm experiencing life here."

"what?"

Nanako's tears still clung to her eyelashes, and she froze. "Experience life—?"

"Yes. How can you convincingly portray a concierge if you don't actually spend two months serving tea and water?"

Kitahara Shin shook his head helplessly. "Your brain, have you been reading too many gossip magazines?"

"I----"

Nanako's face instantly turned bright red, the redness spreading all the way to the roots of her neck.

She hurriedly stuffed the envelope back into her bag, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

What a shame!

There's a limit to being delusional!

"Since you're here, please have a seat."

Kitahara Shin patted the pile of linens next to him. "Have you eaten?"

"without----"

I was so preoccupied with imagining my senior's tragic experiences that I lost all appetite.

"Perfect timing, I got an extra one. I was planning to have it as a late-night snack."

Kitahara Shin took another unopened bento box from the side and handed it to her, saying, "If you don't mind, just make do with this."

.

Nanako took the still-warm box and obediently sat down next to him.

The two sat side by side in the narrow aisle, their backs against an iron rack piled high with bed sheets.

Nanako opened the lid and picked up a piece of fried fish.

Actually, the taste is very ordinary, even a bit greasy.

But she secretly glanced at Kitahara Shin beside her.

He was still wearing that uniform, sitting on the ground, eating cheap food, but his expression was just as calm as it had been that day in Itami Juzo's mansion.

In the modeling world, Nanako has seen too many so-called "celebrities" who become arrogant and haughty just because they have a little fame.

Those male models who are about her age, after getting a few gigs, seem to want to have brand logos printed on their faces, bossing around staff as if they're afraid people won't know they're celebrities.

But Kitahara Shin is different.

He is a true rising star, the "Kanji" who drives women all over Japan crazy.

But he can come down from the clouds, sit in this musty place, and quietly finish every grain of rice.

This powerful core shines brighter than any designer suit.

"senior."

"Um?"

"You're amazing," Nanako exclaimed sincerely.

"You think you're so great just because you eat a boxed lunch?"

Kitahara Shin gave her an amused look, tidied up the empty box, and said, "Are you finished eating? If you are, come with me."

"Where to?"

"Didn't I teach you how to judge people last time? Talking without doing is useless. Today I'll show you a live demonstration."

Behind the pillars on the side of the lobby.

This is a blind spot, where you can see the movement of the entire lobby but are not easily noticed by guests.

Kitahara Shin stood in the shadows with Nanako.

"Do you see that man sitting on the sofa in the rest area at three o'clock?"

Kitahara Shin lowered his voice.

Nanako followed the gaze.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a gray striped suit, holding a newspaper in his hand, with an untouched cup of coffee in front of him.

"I saw it."

"You have one minute to tell me what he does, why he's sitting here, and how he's feeling right now."

Nanako immediately perked up and squinted to observe carefully.

His suit was impeccably tailored, and his watch was gold; he looked like a wealthy man. He was reading a newspaper, probably waiting for someone or taking a break.

"Hmm—he must be a boss, waiting for a business partner to discuss a contract? He seems pretty relaxed, he keeps shaking his leg."

Nanako confidently gave her answer.

"That's completely wrong."

Kitahara Shin gave him a zero without hesitation.

"what?"

"First, although his suit is a designer brand, there's a very noticeable coffee stain on the cuff. He tried to cover it with a newspaper, but it was revealed when he turned the page just now. If he's here to discuss business, bringing such a stain is a big no-no."

"Secondly, he wasn't shaking his leg, he was stomping his feet. The frequency was very fast, which indicates that he was very agitated."

"Third, his eyes weren't on the newspaper at all; they kept glancing towards the restroom. But he didn't dare go in. Every time he was about to stand up, he would glance at the door and then sit back down."

Kitahara Shin adjusted his glasses, a glint of light flashing behind the lenses.

Conclusion: He wasn't waiting for someone; he was hiding from someone. Or rather, he was waiting for an opportunity that would allow him to leave gracefully.

His current predicament is that he urgently needs to clean the stains on his clothes or go to the restroom to tidy himself up, but he's afraid of running into acquaintances on his way there and having them see him in his disheveled state.

Nanako was stunned.

"You can tell that? How do you verify it?"

"verify?"

Kitahara Shin straightened the collar of his uniform, and that professional smile that belonged to "Sato" reappeared on his face.

"That's the advantage of the service industry; I can walk over there openly and honestly to verify my hypothesis."

"Watch."

After saying that, he walked out from behind the pillar.

Nanako held her breath and watched him walk straight toward the man.

Kitahara Shin didn't ask directly. Instead, he held a clean white napkin in his hand, casually walked by, and then stopped perfectly in front of the man, bowing slightly, his voice so soft that only the two of them could hear it.

"Sir, the VIP restroom over there is less crowded, and it's equipped with stain remover pens and dryers. If you'd like, I can take you through the side door, which won't take you through the main lobby."

The man, who had been pretending to read the newspaper, suddenly looked up, his eyes first filled with panic, then with immense gratitude, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

"There really is a side door?"

"Yes, please come with me."

Kitahara Shin turned to the side, cleverly using his body to block the view from the lobby entrance, creating a safe psychological barrier for the man.

The man quickly stood up, tucked the newspaper under his arm to cover his cuffs, and followed Kitahara Shin, walking briskly towards the corner passage.

Two minutes later, Kitahara Shin returned alone.

The man had successfully entered the secluded restroom. Before entering, he handed Kitahara Shin a business card, his face full of relief after being rescued.

"How is it?"

After Kitahara Shin returned to the pillar, he looked at Nanako, who had a blank expression on her face.

"Wow—that's amazing!"

Nanako muttered to herself.

The set of movements just now was smooth and fluid, without any unnecessary words, yet it precisely hit the customer's sore spot.

Most importantly, the sense of proportion was so well-handled that it solved the problem while maintaining the dignity of the guests.

"No one is exempt from service."

Kitahara Shin leaned against the wall, watching the crowds coming and going in the lobby. "If you can see through their 'respectable' exterior and see the weaknesses hidden beneath, you can play anyone well."

Nanako looked at the man beside her.

He was wearing the most ordinary waiter uniform, but at that moment, in her eyes, he was more dazzling than those supermodels standing under the spotlight.

"senior----"

"Um?

"Are they still hiring summer workers here?"

Nanako clenched her fists, her eyes sparkling. "I want to work here too! I want to learn from you how to read people!"

Kitahara Shin paused for a moment, then smiled.

"It's very tiring here. Standing in high heels all day will make your legs swollen."

"I'm not afraid!"

"Okay."

Kitahara Shin pointed in the direction of the human resources department, "The catering department happens to be short of food runners. If you can pass the interview, I don't mind taking on another apprentice."

"Mmm, I want to come."

Kitahara Shin glanced at her helplessly, at a loss with this girl. How could she be even more innocent than Rie?

"You should probably skip it. Don't you still have modeling shoots to do?"

"? — Oh, I think so."

"Alright, alright, I'll teach you next time. Go on over there."

"Okay, okay."

>