I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Don't be afraid, after all, this is proof of our bond..."

Tenkuji Yu used one hand to press down on Natsukawa Masaki's hand, slowly sliding the knife down until a small slit appeared on her wrist.

He seemed completely oblivious to pain, gazing intently into Natsukawa Masaki's eyes as if savoring the pleasure of giving to her and quenching her thirst.

It wasn't until a splash of crimson appeared in her vision that Natsukawa Masuzu snapped out of her frozen state. Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, and she suddenly slammed her head forward.

boom!

Holy crap!

Tenkuji Yuu leaned back involuntarily, and as the grip loosened, the knife fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"W-what are you doing all of a sudden...?"

With a hint of disbelief, he slowly lowered his gaze, baring his teeth as he looked at the girl in front of him.

The moment the acting ended, the chilling atmosphere vanished completely like an illusion, and the temperature, which had been shrouded in a strange and distorted aura, gradually rose. The sunlight seemed to only now remember to shine through the window, illuminating his angry, wide-open, and star-like eyes.

Natsukawa Masaki also covered her head, seemingly taking some time to recover from her dizziness. After taking a few deep breaths, she grabbed his wrist tightly and pulled it to her chest.

Upon turning it over, she couldn't see the red mark that had just made her gasp for breath and her heart stop.

"...What's going on?"

"Didn't I say I was going to show you my acting skills?" Yuu Tenkuji said irritably. Although his head didn't hurt, being suddenly bumped like that would annoy anyone.

Natsukawa Masaki shook his head, his icy fingertips stroking his intact wrist repeatedly, as if confirming whether the temperature and gentle feel were real.

"You can fool your body with acting skills? Unless you used 'Crazy Diamond' to heal yourself the instant the wound appeared, or used 'Crimson King' to skip the time of injury, otherwise... just now, I really did feel the sensation of something being cut open..."

As she spoke, her already pale face turned completely bloodless, her voice trembled at the end, and even her breathing felt like she was going to vomit.

"But thankfully, you're not hurt... It's good that you're not hurt..."

She murmured to herself, her panic and vulnerability even more pronounced than when she was lying in bed with a cold and he had stayed.

"..."

Seeing her unusually undisguised expression, Tenkuji Yu fell into a brief silence.

Like a child who gets a wooden sword and brandishes it in front of others to show off, eventually injuring someone, in order to show off perfect acting skills, Tenkuji Yu didn't consider Natsukawa Masuzu's feelings and mood, and directly dragged her to act out a scene of a mentally ill boyfriend. This was undoubtedly his oversight and problem.

After being jolted awake by a blow to the head, Yuu Tenkuji was already reflecting on her actions.

He may have many more shortcomings like these, but he can only improve them as quickly as possible when he discovers them and try his best not to repeat them.

And he also learned something else—

Natsukawa Masaki might value him even more than he imagined.

"Sorry, it's so cold." Taking her small hand, Tenkuji Yu patted the soft back of her hand, her tone unconsciously becoming more soothing and gentle. "Everything just now was an act, so don't worry. With Ripple, a mere kitchen knife can't hurt me at all."

"Don't think you can fool me with JOJO references! I may like JOJO, but I'm not some mindless meme kid who just spams references!"

Natsukawa Masaki glared at him sharply, then pouted and turned her face away, muttering pitifully, "Do you know how much psychological trauma this will cause me? It's one thing to be such a good actor, but you also have to make me experience how it feels to hurt...you. What if I'm too scared to hold a knife in the future?"

"You didn't need to hold a knife in the first place, and you can't even cook..."

"Hmm?" Zhenliang's eyes sharpened.

Tenkuji Yu immediately changed his tune: "I know, it was my fault. You can punish me however you want when we get back, I swear I won't make you worry again."

"Fine, then I'll reluctantly accept your apology." Natsukawa Masaki hummed twice, a faint blush returning to her cheeks. Her mood seemed to have finally calmed down, and her attitude was no longer so uneasy.

"When we get back, you have to make me a ton of porridge! At least enough for three days!"

"Okay~ I'll come over every day and make you a pot, is that alright?"

Tenkuji Yu rolled his eyes helplessly, but for some reason, seeing her satisfied smile, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up, and a strange emotion began to ferment in his heart.

Temporarily setting aside her lingering fear, Natsukawa Masaki looked at Mizuhara Chizuru with a serious expression, and coughed twice to cover her embarrassment.

"Sorry, I was a bit out of line just now. As you said, Ayou's acting skills are so good that even I can't tell the difference between reality and fiction. It's understandable that you would regard him as a senior."

"Well, I'm glad you believe me..."

Rubbing the goosebumps on her arms, Mizuhara Chizuru seemed to wake from a dream and couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly twice.

Even though the temperature had warmed up, her mind was still replaying the terrifying performance that had so firmly controlled her mind and exuded a chilling aura, and her eyes couldn't help but become a little dazed.

—This is not a joke, not an illusion; it is truly stronger than before and more deeply rooted in people's hearts.

He can even take his acting skills to the next level... Just what level of monster is this guy?

This is beyond the level of being a good actor. People like this should go into the entertainment industry, win a bunch of awards, and prove their abilities!

"...But that's great."

Muttering with relief, Mizuhara Chizuru slowly clenched her fists, gripping them tightly on her knees, her dazed gaze gradually hardening.

If she were to seek advice from this person... or from Yuu Tenkuji, she might actually be able to make a breakthrough, until no obstacle could stop her from becoming a famous actress.

—That's right, the future where that dream can be realized is just around the corner!

"So, can I get to the important matter now?"

With her gaze fixed on Yuu Tenkuji, Mizuhara Chizuru's expression suddenly turned serious. She decisively steered the conversation back on track, straightening her back slightly and exuding a rather imposing aura.

Seeing this, Natsukawa Masuzu obediently shrank to the inside of the seat, and before the food was served, she took out her phone to look at the latest news, giving the two of them space to talk.

Yuu Tenkuji met her light brown eyes, his hands clasped under his chin, listening calmly to her request.

Chapter 81 Call Me Big Sister! (Two Chapters Combined)

As the sun gradually sank in the west, the pale gray sky turned into deep black.

Natsukawa Masaki propped her head up with her hand, watching the two people talking earnestly with a bored expression.

Well... it was surprisingly boring.

There wasn't a trace of the ambiguity she was so wary of, nor any flirting; it was simply a discussion about 'acting skills,' where one person was earnestly teaching and the other was earnestly listening.

So it seems like it wouldn't matter if I didn't come, right? Although that's something I wouldn't know unless I came...

My gaze shifted from Tenkuji Yu's lips to Mizuhara Chizuru's profile.

Natsukawa Masaki's gaze became slightly serious. He frowned and carefully scanned her outfit from top to bottom.

Her hairstyle was simple and unpretentious, her clothes were soft, natural and appropriate, and her makeup, though only the most basic, highlighted a dignified aura.

This outfit exudes femininity and maturity, yet the earrings and bracelet add a touch of youthful cuteness and vitality, preventing it from appearing pretentious or old-fashioned.

—Compared to the adults she had met in social settings, the female college student's style of dress was clearly more in line with Natsukawa Masaki's taste.

She is unassuming and low-key, yet naturally exudes her own charm. Not to mention herself, I really hope that those always flamboyant ladies and young ladies can learn from her.

"This is what an 'adult' should be like..."

With a thoughtful expression on her face and inwardly mocking certain people, Natsukawa Masuzu completely forgot that her gaze was still fixed on Mizuhara Chizuru's face. This caused Chizuru's previously oblivious expression to finally begin to change, her lips twitching slightly, and she occasionally glanced at Natsukawa Masuzu with hesitant eyes.

"Just pretend she doesn't exist. That guy is pretty abnormal 70% of the time."

Tenkuji Yu tapped the table with her finger, her lips opening and closing almost imperceptibly, her voice as thin as a thread, so that even though Natsukawa Masuzu was right next to her, her words did not reach her ears.

Chizuru Mizuhara blinked, then looked back at him with a subtle expression and said, "That's quite a harsh way to put it... Is it this abnormal side of her that you like?"

Although she also lowered her voice to say this, without Tenkuji Yu's ability, Natsukawa Masuzu, who was standing right next to her, did not miss the words even though she was in a daze.

Natsukawa Masuzu's brow twitched slightly, but she acted as if she hadn't heard anything, continuing to maintain her current posture and expression, quietly waiting for Tenkuji Yu's response.

"Maybe so. I wouldn't be used to her being too normal."

Yuu Tenkuji sighed helplessly, ignoring the girl beside him who was clearly beaming with joy, and continued to explain the acting knowledge brought about by his perfect "acting skills" in his own words.

"Thinking from the perspective of the character can certainly bring the character to life, but it cannot bring out the full charm of the character... If you have extra energy, you might as well think from the perspective of the director or the character design, and think about what you want the audience to see, what emotions and atmosphere you want to use to influence the audience. All the groundwork done before that is to 'amaze' the audience."

"If you want your acting to stand out, you can't be timid even if you overdo it... Adjustments come later. Only after you've exaggerated to the point of attracting the audience's attention do you have the right to consider toning down your performance..."

Perhaps it was his desire to teach, or perhaps it was the focused and determined look in the young woman's eyes.

Tenkuji Yuu taught with unexpected seriousness and detail, almost as if he told Mizuhara Chizuru everything in great detail, including the knowledge the system had given him and his own feelings and experiences during this period.

Of course, words have their limits, and it's hard to say how much she can absorb or utilize.

But that didn't stop Yuu from filling her with the idea of ​​'The Actor's Self-Cultivation ver. Yuu' and dumping out all of it at once.

Two hours passed slowly in a discussion atmosphere where outsiders were not allowed to interrupt.

He went through two rounds of coffee before finally drawing his conclusion, still somewhat unsatisfied.

"These are my final suggestions, Ms. Mizuhara... If you only want to impress everyone through the audition rather than through your acting skills, then everyone at the audition will become your opponent, and the competition will likely go beyond the scope of acting skills."

"But if your goal is to make everyone's eyes glued to your performance, to make every role you play the most dazzling one... then your only opponent is yourself. If your acting skills are lacking, then they are lacking. There are no other factors that you can complain about."

As if reading her mind, Tenkuji Yu leaned back in her chair and said with a smile, "Being ahead of one person is more relaxing than being ahead of dozens, isn't it?"

"..."

Mizuhara Chizuru remained silent for a while, then put down her notebook, tilted her head, and gave a wry smile: "I haven't even gotten to this part yet, and you've already guessed it... So, you're one of us in this circle too, aren't you?"

"It's just a guess. I've read a lot of similar online novels before, so those who know, know... I have no interest in getting involved in that mess." Yuu Tenkuji picked up his coffee cup, found it was empty, and put it back on the table.

Mizuhara Chizuru quickly called the waiter to order another drink, but Tenkuji Yu stopped her and only ordered a glass of warm water.

"Well, I won't ask about the details. I hope what I've said today will be helpful to you, and that I can see you on the big screen soon."

"Thank you, Tenkuji-san." Mizuhara Chizuru nodded sincerely and earnestly, her tone unconsciously carrying a hint of respect, as if she were addressing a mentor. "I will do my best. Even if I don't pass the audition, I will at least impress the directors with my acting skills!"

Yuu Tenkuji sipped warm water, soothing his slightly dry voice, before speaking: "But speaking of which, from what you said before, you quit your job renting a girlfriend?"

“Yes, my energy is limited.” Mizuhara Chizuru sighed and answered him frankly without any intention of hiding anything. “I have to go to university and an acting training school. I’m worried about auditions every day… Although renting a girlfriend allows me to hone my acting skills while earning money, human strength has its limits. I have to choose one thing to give up and focus on other things.”

The young woman, full of dreams but repeatedly hitting walls, smiled lightly with a mix of helplessness and nonchalance in the face of reality: "If I fail an audition one day and run out of savings, I'll probably go back and start over as a newcomer."

Faced with this self-deprecating remark, Tenkuji Yu simply shrugged and said calmly, "Your awareness is a valuable experience, regardless of whether you succeed or not."

"...Although I'd rather become an actress that my family can be proud of as soon as possible than gain experience."

Lowering her head slightly, Mizuhara Chizuru spoke softly, then casually raised a smile, her tone light and cheerful: "In short, thank you so much for today, Tenkuji-san! A single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study—that's probably what it feels like, isn't it?"

"Although I don't have anything to offer you right now, and you don't charge me for my lessons, I can't do anything except treat you to a meal... But if I ever have the chance to perform on stage, I hope you'll accept my first performance fee."

Tenkuji Yuu replied noncommittally, "We'll see when the time comes. It's quite interesting to surprise people; the reward is secondary to me."

Mizuhara Chizuru narrowed her eyes and chuckled like a cat: "Then from now on, I'll work hard to live up to 'Teacher's' teachings, shall I?"