Chapter 23 I also want the blessing of having multiple wives.
Ah, um, this, this...
The president's eyes darted around, and a blush of embarrassment appeared on his face as he was caught red-handed. He scratched his face to cover it up.
Hey, after all, she was his muse.
So, isn't it perfectly normal for me to often draw inspiration from Nekono-kun?
Well, it's not surprising that the female lead's character design is somewhat similar to Nekono-san... right?
Yes, there's nothing strange about that.
The president quickly convinced himself, but just as he was about to appear more composed, he met Nekono Ikuya's ambiguous gaze, and all his previous mental preparation failed, making him feel guilty again.
Okay, okay, the president admits it's not just a little bit similar, it's extremely similar.
The female lead's image is practically a carbon copy of Nekono-san, just as the male lead's image is a depiction of Furuya-san. The female lead's image is essentially a gender-swapped version of Nekono-san.
Of course, this only captures one aspect of Nekono-san, a corner of her complex soul. After all, it would be too much to fully portray Nekono-san with just one script.
At least the president admitted that he couldn't do it, but actually capturing just one aspect was enough. He firmly believed that the heroine he was writing would be dazzling, and who wouldn't love someone who was clever, cunning, mysterious and unpredictable?
"Ahem," the president stammered, "the female lead's image does indeed incorporate many of your traits."
He made up his mind and simply admitted it.
Surrender! Raise the white flag and surrender!!!
However, the president didn't intend to completely give up; no matter how much he struggled, he would still put up a symbolic struggle. He decided that when in doubt, one should resort to boasting.
The club president began showering Nekono Ikuya with praise: "Ah, after all, Nekono-kun..."
Blah blah blah, blah blah, omitting five hundred words of praise without repetition. It must be said, he truly deserves his reputation as the club's top writer, script master, and the man who, despite never performing on stage, is universally acclaimed to lead the acting club—his vocabulary is truly abundant.
Nekono Ikuya automatically switched to filtering mode, treating all the sugar-coated bullets raining down on her as beautiful nonsense, and began to think for herself.
Nekono Ikuya narrowed his eyes; he knew it!
The characters in this script are so similar to those of the male and female leads that it's impossible for Nekono Ikuya to pretend not to notice.
"What's going on, President?" Nekono Ikumi squinted at the president of the performing arts club.
I only know that you used to like to draw inspiration from the people around you, especially me, and that the male and female protagonists in your previous works would incorporate a few elements of mine and contain some of my shadow. Not much, just a little.
But I didn't expect you to not even bother acting this time?
Now, Ikuya Nekono somewhat understands the shock that the president's "collision between Furuya's image and Nekono's concept" brought to the president.
Nekono Ikuya guessed that the president's mind was probably completely clouded by the 'inspiration' brought about by this shock, and he couldn't think of any other ideas at all.
To be honest, when Ikuya Nekono browsed through the script and figured out the character settings of the male and female leads, even Ikuya Nekono couldn't help but be stunned.
His first reaction was—
Nekono Ikuya pondered, "Actually, when I saw the details of the script you gave me, I thought you were finally going to try something different this time and invite me to play the female lead! Turns out that's not the case."
For some reason, upon closer examination, Nekono Ikuya's tone sounded somewhat disappointed.
While it's possible that Nekono Ikuya might not agree to such a far-fetched invitation from the company president to play the lead role, she felt disappointed upon learning that the president had no such intention.
What an interesting development! Why is the editor-in-chief so limited in his thinking? Literary creators should dare to think of anything and not be confined by their limited perspectives!
Think about it: occasionally dressing up as another gender, then revealing it at a crucial moment, and enjoying everyone's shocked and bewildered expressions—isn't that an essential part of the experience for many cross-dressing masters?
Nekono Ikuya gradually became eager to try.
The president didn't react for a moment, and was still reciting his inner monologue like a machine gun: "...Phew, so it's reasonable to refer to Nekono-san as the model for the versatile and charming female lead!"
After all, Nekono-kun is just that popular!
After his brain slowly processed what Nekono Ikuya had said, he was speechless.
"!!!" Wait, is that even possible?!
The door to a new world has been opened!
The president's cosmic cat head underwent a transformation, his thoughts instantly broadened, and he felt as if he had made a huge mistake.
Yeah, why didn't he think of such a great idea before? Regardless of whether Nekono-kun agrees or not, it won't hurt to ask him!
Oh? You're actually planning to go along with it and extend an invitation? Nekono Ikuya glanced sideways. "President, it seems I overestimated your integrity."
The president's eyes suddenly lit up, and he was about to speak when Nekono Ikuya seized the opportunity and decisively stopped him!
The timing was so precise that it's hard to believe Nekono Ikuya didn't anticipate the president's move.
A mischievous glint flashed in Nekono Ikuya's eyes as she said leisurely, "Well, even if you, President, were to beg me to be the female lead, I still wouldn't agree."
"..." The president, his words caught in his throat, nearly choked on his breath and let out a long, disappointed utterance, "Eh—"
How could this happen!
Although his brain was temporarily tempted by this seemingly attractive offer, the president regained his senses and knew what he should do now.
That is—
Furuya hasn't agreed to join the acting club yet. He really doesn't want to give up on this script that has sparked his inspiration and that he loves so much. The male lead's unique look is also difficult for most people to pull off successfully...
As a last resort, we can only ask the all-powerful Nekono-kun to take on the male lead role and save the day.
Go and invite the Wild Cat Buddha.jpg
Thankfully, the performance club has Nekono-kun! The club president was relieved, which was also the reason why he dared to stubbornly insist on this difficult script.
It's wonderful to have a perfect actor who can easily handle any role and is willing to cooperate with the screenwriter to try out all sorts of new ideas.
Nekono-kun is a gem in the eyes of all screenwriters! She's a muse!! She's an apocalypse!!!
The president was moved to tears. As a screenwriter, it was so wonderful to have met Nekono-san.
Today is another day to admire wild cats!
The president, in a moment of excitement, bowed deeply: "Nekono-kun, only you can handle this unique and impactful contradictory character. Please be sure to take on the male lead role in this performance. This role is perfect for you!"
"It has to be Furuya-kun, right? I'm sure when you were writing this character, President, you weren't thinking of me at all, were you?"
Nekono Ikuya chuckled softly.
"It was an unexpected surprise. It's a combination of Nekono-san and Furuya-san, hehe." The club president looked embarrassed.
The president, eyes gleaming with anticipation, asked, "Then this role?"
Nekono Ikuya pondered, "The character is alright, quite challenging, and also very interesting."
The president was even more excited.
Nekono Ikuya hinted, "What if Furuya-kun agrees to join the drama club?"
Looking into Nekono Ikuya's eyes, the president suddenly had a flash of inspiration and understood what he hadn't meant to say:
"I'll revise it! I'll revise the script immediately! Furuya-kun can also act in it! You two will act together! Two lead roles!"
He would never admit that while he was stuck writing other scripts, he secretly slacked off and had already come up with a draft script with Furuya and Nekono as the two leads.
After all, he had wanted Furuya and Nekono to co-star in the film.
However, the president, now with a broader perspective, couldn't help but become even more ambitious.
Can't he have the happiness of both Furuya agreeing to join the acting club and act in a stage play, and Nekono agreeing to dress up as the female lead?
I also want the blessing of having two wives.jpg
...Forget it, the former is still far from certain, so let's not fantasize about it too much for now.
Nekono Ikuya, who couldn't read minds, nodded in satisfaction, thinking that the president was a promising young man who understood him very well.
The club president shook his head, clearing his mind of all the wonderful ideas, and focused on reality: "So, Nekono-kun agreed?"
Nekono Ikuya: "It's not impossible to agree."
The club president leaped excitedly, "Great! Nekono! I knew it—"
I knew our years-long friendship wasn't fake; Nekono really is my most reliable partner. Yay!
Nekono Ikuya slowly extended a finger and pressed it against the president's chest, then pushed him away with disdain: "Don't rush me, I have another condition."
The president patted his chest with an air of triumph, completely oblivious to Nekono Ikuya's expression:
"Don't worry, Nekono-kun. As long as you're in the show, just tell me what you want. Don't just ask for one thing, I'll agree to a hundred! Props? Costumes? Budget? I'll give you the brightest lighting!"
Nekono Ikumi's eyes lit up: "Really? You said it yourself, then I'll make a hundred demands!"
"Uh—" The president's face stiffened.
Oops, I accidentally said the wrong thing.
Where is the undo button? Where is the undo button? Damn it, why doesn't the real world have an undo button!
The president was filled with remorse, wishing he could bang his head against the ground. Why couldn't he control his loose tongue?
"Just kidding." Fortunately, heavenly music came at the crucial moment.
Nekono Ikumi smiled. "Actually, it's like this. My condition is very simple: I want you to persuade the head of the teaching department."
"Huh?" The club president was stunned. "What did you do to get the dean of students to settle things? Although he's our club's advisor, we haven't done anything that requires his intervention yet?"
Why is my first reaction to needing a mentor to clean up my mess? ...I really know myself.
Nekono Ikuya's eyes were serious: "President, you admit that the main character in this script is very different from the previous ones, right? And it's more challenging?"
The president nodded, seemingly puzzled.
Yes, that's right. What's wrong?
Nekono Ikuya said matter-of-factly, "So, as an outstanding member of the performance club, it's reasonable for me to do some necessary and immersive 'physical shaping' and 'image analysis' at school recently in order to deeply understand this character, right?"
The president stared blankly into his eyes.
He pondered Nekono Ikuya's words for a moment, but... he didn't quite understand them.
Then, taking into account Nekono Ikuya's personality and drawing upon my own sensitivity to language as a screenwriter, I savored this passage again.
This time he finally understood!
The president suddenly slapped his thigh, realizing, "Oh, I get it. You mean you want to immerse yourself in the role, get into performance mode beforehand, and maintain the character's attire in daily life, right?"
"Hey, why are you being so subtle?"
It took him a long time to understand; all he wanted was to dress like a 'blonde and dark-skinned' girl at school.
"No, experiencing a role is fine, but why do I need the head of the teaching department's approval?"
The club president was puzzled, "Don't you change your appearance every day and nobody cares?" Although it was absurd, they really didn't have this school rule.
Nekono Ikuya casually said, "This time is different, just tell me whether you agree or not."
Will it be the same this time? Before, it was just a change of appearance and eye color, but this time the skin color and hair color have to be changed too! I should inform the headmaster in advance, at least to give him some mental preparation.
“No problem, leave it to me. I’ll tell him you’re going to dedicate yourself to art, and I’ll keep at it until he agrees. If all else fails, I’ll make a scene and threaten to hang myself.”
That was obviously a joke; he figured a simple notification would be enough.
"I'll go find him right away." Although he still felt the request was a bit strange, the president readily agreed. It was a small matter, no big problem.
Objective achieved, done!
"Thanks then. I'll be going now. Leave the script with me, I'll read it carefully." Nekono Ikumi hummed a cheerful tune as she left.
Danger, reduced valley and zero danger.
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