Tokyo's bubble economy: From literary giants to great entertainers

The anxiety that comes with aging can only be truly felt by people who have actually reached that age.

Honami Suzuki, who usually sleeps very well, had insomnia last night. But it wasn't just the headache about the age gap between the two of them; there was also... the embarrassment of getting up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat, hiding in the bathroom, and secretly scrubbing her wet panties under the running water.

At the age of thirty, it was the first time in many years that she had such intimate contact with a man.

Fueled by the alcohol, the intimacy the two shared on the lawn and sofa the previous night lingered in her mind all night.

Although these dreams were fragmented after she woke up, she could still vaguely recall those blush-inducing, audacious fantasies from her dreams that made her cheeks burn.

In those dreams, Shuichi Kanbara was in a terrible state.

And so...

The next day, early in the morning.

"Isn't your interview today right next to Horikoshi? Wait for me, let's go out together."

With a messy head and a toothbrush stuffed in his mouth, Shuichi Kanbara poked his head out of the bathroom, his voice muffled.

In the entryway, Honami Suzuki, wearing a fitted pencil skirt, was leaning against the shoe cabinet, hooking her high heels onto the shelf. "Um... the interview location has been changed! Besides, how old are you? You should learn to go to school by yourself!"

Her tone was fierce, but interestingly, this time she didn't glare at her fiercely like before. After speaking, she quickly threw the keys into her bag, swayed her slender waist, and hurriedly left with a hint of barely perceptible panic.

"...What's wrong with this woman?"

Shuichi Kanbara brushed his teeth, raising an eyebrow in a strange way.

He had no idea how miserable he had been in the other person's dream last night.

but...

"It's time to buy another car in a while."

Japan's subway system is very convenient, but the last subway train runs until midnight. As a director, his need for transportation will only increase in the future, whether he's moving equipment or traveling around late at night.

Just then, the door was suddenly opened again, and Honami Suzuki poked half her body out, trying to appear calm on her small face, but her tone carried a hint of awkward arrogance.

"Oh...right! I might be at your film set around noon, if you're free...just remember to wait for me for lunch! That's all! I'm off!"

The door was hurriedly closed again.

"Could she be under too much work pressure lately...?"

After being hit twice in a row, Shuichi Kanbara was a little dazed, but the time to meet with Rie Miyazawa was fast approaching.

Without giving it any further thought, he glanced at the clock on the wall, turned around and went back to the bathroom to rinse his mouth and wash his face. Then, he grabbed some hair wax from the pile of bottles and jars on the sink, casually combed his black hair back to create a few textures, and then changed into the casual suit that Honami Suzuki had given him.

To be honest, he's not the type to like dressing up; a more casual lifestyle makes him more comfortable. But as the saying goes, "a young man's words are unreliable."

Today I'm auditioning actors, and if things go smoothly, filming might even start this afternoon. Appearing mature and reliable in this kind of situation will reassure the people working below.

After washing up and getting ready, Shuichi Kambara put on his shoes and went out.

He walked through the familiar alleyways and past the community park from the previous night. Just as he reached the opposite side of the street from the upscale apartment building where Rie Miyazawa lived, he saw a beautiful young woman with outstanding temperament standing under the traffic lights.

A delicate white shirt, with a bow at the collar. The April breeze, carrying cherry blossoms, gently swept through the streets, also softly swaying the girl's dark blue pleated skirt.

Many pedestrians and students waiting at the traffic light frequently glanced at her, secretly observing the girl who seemed to have stepped out of a comic book.

However, amidst the hustle and bustle, she seemed to be protected by her own barrier, completely unaware of the gazes of others. Her clear eyes, slightly vacant, simply gazed quietly at the end of the street.

As the traffic light turned from red to green, she looked up at the other side of the road and saw Shuichi Kambara waving slightly in greeting. A lively smile finally bloomed on her delicate face.

Perhaps it was just girlish shyness, but she quickly suppressed her overly expressive face. However, she still unconsciously quickened her pace when crossing the road.

"Ohayo, Shuichi-san~"

She reached out and pressed down her bangs, walked closer and bowed slightly. Shuichi Kanbara smiled and nodded, "Oh my, thank you for waiting."

"No, I just came down too. Oh right, this is the script, thank you, Shuichi-san."

Rie Miyazawa took a small notebook out of her bag and handed it to her.

This is the script for the first episode of "From Today, It's My Turn!!", along with the character design and main storyline for Kyoko Hayakawa, which Shuichi Kambara lent her yesterday.

Normally, these things are only shown to the actors after everything is finalized, and Rie Miyazawa hasn't even signed an acting contract yet, but it's obvious that she's getting preferential treatment as an insider.

Glancing at the slightly frayed little notebook, Shuichi Kanbara put it into his briefcase and chuckled as he walked toward the subway entrance, "You've been reading this all night? I thought you were drunk and went straight to sleep when you got home."

Rie Miyazawa followed beside her, saying, "I felt very dizzy when I got home, but I didn't expect to wake up again in the middle of the night. I couldn't sleep, so I took it out and kept watching it."

Speaking of which, Shuichi-san's scriptwriting skills are truly impressive. I only intended to watch for a short while last night, but I ended up not being able to stop watching.

She tilted her head back, her words brimming with barely suppressed excitement and admiration. Unbeknownst to her, the look in Shinbara Hideaki's eyes also held a hint of wistfulness.

Rie Miyazawa only graduated from junior high school, and because she debuted at the age of 11, she didn't actually attend school much in her second and third years of junior high. This means that she didn't really have any systematic training in related professional knowledge.

Even so, she can still understand many scripts that even college students majoring in related fields cannot understand.

It's important to understand that a screenplay is not a novel. It doesn't have a story timeline, character descriptions, or even dialogue.

To put it simply, they are a series of textual snapshots.

Therefore, to understand a drama directly from the script, one needs an extremely strong ability to fill in the gaps and to resonate with emotions—not only to fill in the meaning the screenwriter wants to express, but also to feel the emotions of the characters through those fragmented scenes.

This is extremely difficult, but Rie Miyazawa is able to do it.

"No wonder she was a movie queen who became famous in Japan at the age of 15 in her previous life."

Shuichi Kambara clicked his tongue in surprise, but as he entered the crowded subway entrance, he saw many high school students in school uniforms around him. He seemed to remember something, and while swiping his card on the machine, he said, "Rie, have you ever thought about going to high school?"

"Huh?"

Rie Miyazawa paused as she swiped her card, then looked up at him in disbelief.

It wasn't until the old woman behind her reminded her that she bowed and apologized. After swiping her card, she quickly followed, her eyes filled with caution and anticipation, and she even stammered nervously as she spoke.

"Shu...Shuichi-san, what do you mean...?"

"Why are you using honorifics with me again?"

As Shuichi Kanbara stepped onto the descending escalator, he smiled and said, "Although you are very talented in acting, I believe you will definitely become a huge star. But you only live once, and you shouldn't fill your life with work, especially at your age."

I heard from my mother-in-law that you seemed to really want to go back to school. So, how about it? Do you want to go to high school? There's an old Chinese saying—"Sharpening your axe won't delay your work." After graduating from high school, and then receiving training at a top art university, your future career in the entertainment industry will be much smoother.