I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Yukina, you really misunderstood that matter..."

Yui Yuigahama was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and nervously recited her lines: "W-What misunderstanding! I left the club so as not to disturb your intimate moment, why are you still bothering me!"

Since it was the first rehearsal, it was more important to perform the whole thing than to perform it perfectly; so even though the cameraman frowned slightly and couldn't stand the stiff acting, she didn't call "cut" and focused the camera on the changes in the two actors' expressions.

In comparison, the senior actor's acting skills are simply professional... Did he really never have a child star?

"There is only one reason, and it's a very simple answer."

Tenkuji Yu swallowed hard, slowly raised his head, straightened his chest, and looked directly at her.

At this moment, he was able to smile, as if he had made the decision to risk everything, his tone as gentle as a spring breeze in April:

"Touma is just my good friend, but the one I like... is Setsuna."

As per the script, Yui Yuigahama took two steps back and looked at him in disbelief.

Then, he stammered, "But... I only consider Haruki a good friend."

"???" Yuu Tenkuji was completely confused. "Then why did you quit the club because you were jealous?"

"Y-because you stole my best friend, Touma-chan! It's all your fault! My quitting the club is all your fault, Haruki!"

"Huh?! No, no... you're not jealous of me, you're jealous of Touma?!"

"Of course! Only I can stay by Touma's side in this world, she belongs to me! If I didn't want to put Touma in an awkward position, who would give her to you!"

Yui Yuigahama declared this.

Equally shocked was Touma, who was hiding behind a pile of junk.

With the deliberately created sound of kicking tables and chairs, the camera shifts to Yukino Yukinoshita, who is standing in the shadows with a deliberately shocked expression.

"Snow cabbage..."

"Touma!" Yui Yuigahama's expression changed instantly, and she ran over happily, hugging her arm tightly.

"It's so good that the misunderstanding is cleared up. Let's go home together! Let's forget about that strange man!"

"Wait a minute, isn't this a little strange..."

"That's just how girls' friendships are, there's nothing strange about it~"

The two girls walked away from the camera in a close manner, and Iroha Isshiki slowly and steadily focused the camera on Yuu Tenkuji's expression, gradually zooming in on his handsome face.

His acting did not disappoint. Despite it being the most boring monologue, he made the audience focus on the changes in his eyes and expressions, as if they could read a 500-word essay. It was complex and vivid, making people applaud.

Seemingly after a period of astonishment, confusion, loss, and helplessness, he finally sighed, shifted his gaze to the rain scene outside the window, and seemed to be enveloped by a melancholy, cold color scheme, his eyes as pitiful as a puppy caught in the rain.

"Why did it turn out like this...?"

"The rain this winter is so cold."

After hearing him recite the last line, Iroha Isshiki took a few seconds to compose herself before shouting loudly:

"Card!"

The atmosphere, which had been controlled by acting, instantly regained its freedom.

With her expression returning to normal, Yuu Tenkuji walked towards the camera, her brows furrowing thoughtfully.

"I accidentally went over the allotted time by double, I still didn't manage the time well... Should I cut and revise it or just extend it?"

The other two also came back from the doorway, but instead of checking the video that had just been recorded like Tenkuji Yu, they stared at him with subtle and complicated looks, as if they had something to say.

"What's wrong?"

Without taking her eyes off the screen, Yuu Tenkuji asked without looking up.

Yukino Yukinoshita spoke first: "I won't even mention this script that's been completely altered, since we only acted in it after agreeing to it... Tenkuji-kun, is this what you call friendship?"

"Isn't friendship between girls wonderful? Why make it so bitter and resentful?"

Yuu Tenkuji fast-forwarded, looking at the 'Stiff Yukinoshita' that appeared on the screen, and said indifferently: "Being able to attract attention is a victory, not to mention that this perfectly fits the story outline you gave, which is much better than your original romantic fairy tale that was popular more than ten years ago... Well, before worrying about such trivial matters that have already been settled, why not think about how to improve your own acting skills?"

Yukino Yukinoshita's expression instantly froze, her killing intent spreading, and she stared at Yuu Tenkuji with a chilling aura.

"Yuigahama-san, don't stop me! I'm going to teach this foul-mouthed man a lesson right now!"

"Xiaoxue, I didn't stop you..." Yui Yuigahama replied softly, "And when it comes to being outspoken, you seem to be just as outspoken..."

"..."

Yukino Yukinoshita fell silent, closed her eyes tightly, took a deep breath as if forcing herself to calm down, and then silently walked to where she had put her schoolbag, took out the revised script, and began to reread it expressionlessly.

Yui Yuigahama then turned to look at Yuu Tenkuji and asked, puzzled, "Yuu, why don't you use your real name when you act? Wouldn't that make it more immersive?"

Is it really an actor's commitment to create a character out of thin air and act in it?

Those three names were also a bit strange. Why did they feel like they weren't chosen on the spot, but rather characters from existing works? Yui Yuigahama was also puzzled by the fact that Yukino didn't use the similarly named "Yukina," and she couldn't understand what he was thinking.

"It's not that we can't use them, it's just that using these names would increase the intensity of the masterpieces. But it seems like we're doing something unnecessary."

After watching the minute-long video, Tenkuji Yu sighed and shook his head, handing the camera back to Isshiki Hajime, who was watching alongside him and whose shampoo smelled wonderful. He then glanced at Yukinoshita and Yuihama.

"Now try acting using your real names to see if that increases your immersion... But before that, I'll give you a brief critique of your abysmal acting skills. Any questions?"

"N-nothing..."

Like a scolded child, Yui Yuigahama subconsciously shrank her neck and scratched her cheek with a silly grin.

"After all, it's my first time acting, and I don't have much experience... Don't worry, I will unconditionally follow the director's instructions and do my best to make the film a success!"

"Very good." Yuu Tenkuji nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Yukino Yukinoshita to confirm, "What about you? You won't be hurt by my superb acting skills and won't want me to teach you, will you?"

"Don't make me repeat myself." She looked up from the script, a hint of displeasure in her calm eyes. "I'll prioritize what's best for me. Even if I'm unwilling, I'll try my best to listen to your advice... provided it's actually helpful for acting."

"It's almost dark, so I don't have time to tease you now. Don't worry." Yuu Tenkuji spread his hands, saying frankly what made Yukino Yukinoshita frown.

"I'm very skilled at teaching people to act. I can guarantee you'll see results within ten minutes. Just listen to me and everything will be fine."

Yukino Yukinoshita rolled her eyes slightly: "So, the question is, why are you so skilled at this?"

"Ah, I know that!"

Before Yuu Tenkuji could answer, Yui Yuigahama raised her hand and answered with a hint of nostalgia, "It seems like it was during summer vacation, Yuu almost appeared on a TV show. Because his acting was so good, he was even called 'teacher' by active actors!"

"I remember her name was Ichinose-san, right? She was incredibly beautiful..."

At this point, Isshiki Iroha, who was adjusting the camera nearby, immediately chimed in, asking with interest, "Ichinose? What's your full name? Is it a stage name or your real name? What shows has she been on? Maybe I know her~"

"Uh, um, I don't know..."

Yukino Yukinoshita sized up Yuu Tenkuji, still unconvinced: "Teach active actors to act? You're that good?"

"I haven't even used my full strength yet. You'll know once you try it yourself."

Yuu Tenkuji clapped his hands, bringing the topic back on track.

"Stop chatting, we don't have much time, let's get straight to the acting training!"

……

that's it.

The lights in the Service Department were turned off around 6 p.m., just before the school was about to close and kick people out.

In the deep, dark rainy night, led by Yuu Tenkuji, a group of people walked out of the school gate with umbrellas.

Chapter Ninety-Eight: And so, they gazed at the same night sky (5,000 words)

"Listen carefully, excessive shame is a hindrance to acting. It's okay to be shy offstage, but onstage you must transform all shame into a powerful desire to perform. The more ashamed you are, the more you must perform. When you feel like you're about to have a personality split, that's when you've mastered acting..."

On the way to the station, Yuu Tenkuji continued to tirelessly share his experience.

From 4 PM after school until now at 6 PM, nearly two hours is simply not enough time for him to train two beginners into extras, at most just drama club members—not to mention that they also have to squeeze in time for rehearsals and filming. To be able to do this much already shows that he has fully demonstrated his powerful, perfect acting skills.

Although it could have been better, given the time constraints, this one-minute-plus PV was already their best effort, so it can only be described as barely satisfactory.

Anyway, there's always post-production work to be done when we get back. With expert-level editing skills plus his own experience and wisdom, he's really looking forward to seeing how much he can transform this work.

"Like I told you before, the most important thing for new actors is to immerse themselves in the role, to imagine how they would react if they were in that position, and to imagine how they would feel after being subjected to that kind of thing..."

"So if your girlfriend gets stolen, you feel the same way you would feel, like the cold rain in winter?"

Seemingly unable to bear his incessant chatter ever since he left the special building, as if he were treating them all like idiots, Yukino Yukinoshita interrupted him.

She could originally listen to advice quietly, and thanks to him, she could indeed feel her acting skills slowly improving... But his condescending and arrogant attitude was really unbearable for her.

Yes, just like the impatient expressions on the faces of the committee members when I lectured them without any thought for my words.

Holding a light blue folding umbrella, Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her head and reflected for a few seconds before continuing to criticize Yuu Tenkuji:

"Is mastering acting skills the same as having a split personality? There is such a theory, but can you actually do it yourself? Professional screen actors regularly see psychologists. If you can't do that, please don't boast about how good your acting is."

“At least I’m better than you. Do you want me to imitate the awful performances you made the last few times?” Not to be outdone, Yuu Tenkuji said with a smile.

Yukino Yukinoshita decisively stopped speaking, her dark blue eyes shifting away from his face, reflecting the rain outside the umbrella, the car lights flashing across her vision in the haze.

Thanks to this guy as well, she has learned how to advance and retreat in communication.

Blindly offering opinions will ultimately lead to nothing but self-satisfaction. In fact, when dealing with difficult individuals, it may result in being rendered speechless and suffering a blow to one's self-esteem.

There's really no need to be so stubborn.

Unfortunately, she had two such people around her—but although one of them was accomplished in many ways, he wasn't as strong as her sister, which made her feel a sense of despair that she could never catch up with him.

It felt as if a hand was pushing me from behind, whispering confidently: 'He's impressive, but you're no less so. Just take a few more steps and you'll be standing next to him.'

Thus, progress became clearly visible, and one could no longer merely look up to towering mountains; all one's efforts gained distinct meaning.

"...So what?"

For some reason, her thoughts drifted to this, and Yukino Yukinoshita slightly tightened her grip on the umbrella handle, murmuring softly as if she were about to reject something.

Yuu Tenkuji, with her sharp ears, heard this and instinctively continued the previous topic, replying, "Still being stubborn? Let me tell you, don't think that just because you've filmed the PV you're done. The main feature isn't something you can just handle with this level of effort."

“If you think you can just do it casually, then I don’t care, after all, that was my original plan… But if you want to pursue quality and have it officially ‘perform’ at the cultural festival, you have to start adjusting your mindset and studying performance techniques now. Simply put, you have to treat yourself as an actor and do your best to do this job.”

"I know, you don't need to tell me." Yukino Yukinoshita sighed softly, seemingly helpless with him. "I always feel like you get especially serious and enthusiastic when it comes to things related to acting. Did you really never have a child star before?"

Iroha Isshiki, who was following behind and wading through the puddles, immediately lit up her eyes and pricked up her ears to eavesdrop.

"Of course not, it's just that I had a job before that had extremely high requirements for acting skills." Yuu Tenkuji didn't say much, and then turned to Yui Yuigahama on the other side and said, "Yui, you too, although you have improved faster than Yukinoshita, there are still many areas that need improvement in body language and the emotions in your dialogue."

Hearing this, although she felt a little resentful at being outdone, Yukino Yukinoshita really had to admit that Yui Yuigahama's performance during the PV recording was indeed much better than hers.