Arc-1 Chapter-8: Who is Doi?

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    With everything in place, the shooting finally began.

First, Doi and Yukiho stood side by side and chatted.

    "I see, so that's why I've been called here! Well, I thought I was going to be thrown out to the Bering Sea to fish for crabs because I was screaming for a higher fee!"

　Doi gave a raging performance.

He was the one who was supposed to liven things up, just like we had discussed beforehand.

    "And now, I have a surprise for you!"

    "Oh! What's the surprise? By the way, my birthday is April 7th, which means it's the day after tomorrow!"

    This is the end of February.

The program airs on April 5th, so Doi considers today as April 5th.

I have to be careful not to accidentally leak the recording date during filming, I thought.

    "Unfortunately, it isn't a birthday present for Doi-san."

    Doi gave a briskly paced, "Yes, yes."

    "Then let me introduce you to someone. This is my boyfriend, Daikichi Yoshikawa!"

　Finally, it was my turn.

The staff signaled me, and I slowly approached Yukiho and Dio-san

One of the cameras catches me.

    "Nice to meet you, I'm Daikichi Yoshikawa."

    "Ooh, he looks as if he's bitten, is he okay!?"

    Doi-san's reaction was exaggerated.

Before I could say anything else, he continued.

    "I'm still amazed that you would invite an ordinary person on TV, Takamine-san! Your confession, which is said to be a legendary press conference, shows how unprecedented you are!"

    "It may come as a surprise to you, but I'm a selfish person."

    "Well, I suppose that's surprising! But that is for the best, I suppose!"

    Thanks to Doi-san's technique, the shooting went off without a hitch.

    Familiarity is a scary thing.

This thought occurred to me when the boat arrived at the deserted island.

I had already stopped being nervous.

The cameras were rolling on the boat as well, and we talked about many different things there.

We talked about everything from survival to my love life with Yukiho.

    "We'll stop the cameras for now."

    The shooting stopped before we got off the boat.

I checked with the staff about what to do after I went down.

    This show is all about realism.

No preparations had been made in advance to explore the deserted island.

In a normal program, they would put a frying pan on the beach under the pretense of being drifted ashore.

It's what the public calls "letting it happen," and what the industry calls "staging."

Naturally, there was no rehearsal. It was a completely haphazard performance.

    "In case of emergency, you can use this to contact us. Also, you can turn the action cameras on and off by pressing this switch. This part glows red when the camera is filming."

After receiving a detailed explanation, an action camera was attached to mine and Yukiho's chest.

The footage from this camera and the handheld camera that will be handed over later will be the key to the program.

    "Cameras are rolling!"

    The filming resumes.

    "We're finally here... on a deserted island!"

    Doi-san gets off the boat with a microphone in his hand and starts talking.

I was impressed by the way he spoke as if he had just arrived.

We must have been briefed for an hour when we got here.

    "Let's go, Daikichi-kun!"

    "Yes!"

    Yukiho and I tried to go down at the same pace as usual.

Don't act, was the instruction from above.

Apparently, spending time as usual is what they are looking for.

    "Take your time and watch your footing."

　I went down first, and reached out my right hand toward Yukiho.

She held my hand as she carefully made her way down the boat.

    "Look at this unassuming gentleman! Is this the technique that won the heart of Takamine Yukiho!"

　Doi-san is barking at the top of his lungs.

Professional announcers are really awesome.

 "Now, from here on, we will split into two groups! Yoshikawa and Takamine, please go and explore the uninhabited islands!"

    "What are you going to do, Doi-san?"

   Yukiho reads the lines on the screen.

    "I'll be going home now!"

    "We've only just arrived! You're skipping out!"

    Yukiho and Doi-san follow a scripted exchange.

I couldn't act, so I just watched with a goofy smile on my face.

    "Well then, good luck to you both!"

    Doi-san gets on the boat and leaves.

His work is now finished.

    "Press here to turn the camera on and off. In case of emergency, please use your emergency cell phone."

    The director hands the handheld camera to Yukiho.

All the while, the cameras kept rolling.

Although it was in the form of an explanation to Yukiho, it was actually aimed at the audience.

    "I'm off then."

　Following what I said, Yukiho also said, "I'm going too!" and bowed her head.

With the staff watching over us, we headed for the forest in front of us.

We were both carrying backpacks full of tools.

　None of the staff followed us.

It seemed that we were the only ones going into the forest, as we had been told beforehand.

Even though I knew that, I was surprised.

    "What should we do first?"

    Yukiho asked me as we walked through the forest.

She pointed her handheld camera at me.

    "We need to secure food, clothing and shelter for now, but first we need to explore the area."

    "All right!"

    Silently wandering through the forest.

Yukiho didn't open her mouth either, so only silence flowed.

(Even Yukiho is nervous, right?)

    I remembered our conversation at school.

It doesn't look like it, but she's got a racing heartbeat too.

It might not be a good idea to go on like this.

    "Should I give you some kind of explanation or something?"

　I stopped in my tracks.

    "I'd appreciate it if you could, but what do you have in mind?"

    "I got just the thing."

    I crouched down on the spot and pointed to the plant in front of me.

    "Do you know what this is?"

    "Hmm, no I have no idea!"

    "It's called saffron."

    "What a delicious sounding name!"

    "No way. It's poisonous. If you accidentally eat it, you could die."

    "Really!?"

    "There have been fatal incidents in Japan."

    "How could such a dangerous plant be on this island?"

　Yukiho's face twisted in anxiety.