I really just want to grind for entries related to crossover anime/manga.

Looking at the unwavering light in her friend's eyes, Higuchi Madoka sighed softly to herself.

However, the girl still reached out her always slightly cool hand and gently grasped Asakura Toru's fingers. Her tone returned to its usual calm and indifference, but her words conveyed an undeniable warmth.

"Since this is the path you chose after careful consideration..."

She tightened her fingers, gripping her hands tightly, as if trying to transfer all her support and belief through their clasped palms.

"Then I will always be with you, no matter what happens in the future, we will face it together."

The two girls held hands tightly in the slightly noisy rest area.

They are childhood sweethearts who have been together since they were toddlers. They practiced together, sweated and cried together, debuted together with dreams, and supported each other in the cruel and tempting entertainment industry, stumbling and falling to where they are today. Together, they have experienced countless joys and pressures that are not for outsiders to know.

This friendship, forged in a complex environment, is stronger than gold and serves as the warmest support for each other during their wandering lives.

Asakura Toru looked at Higuchi Enka's calm face and smiled slightly.

Her journey to pursue her dreams may have only just begun, and the future is full of uncertainties.

But at least, in this moment.

She was absolutely certain that she was not alone.

Volume 2 Tokyo Love Story: Chapter 65 Is it going to be another case of fake love turning real? (2-in-1 6k)

On a May morning, sunlight filters through the lush foliage of the private school, casting dappled shadows on the clean cement road.

Today marks the official start of filming for the movie "Sparkling Love," and the entire campus has been temporarily given a new life.

Yu Genkawa, accompanied by Megumi Kato, arrived at the film set very early.

The black luxury van silently glided into the secluded back gate area of ​​the campus, perfectly avoiding the media and overly enthusiastic fans who might come running.

His casual outfit today was a simple black baseball jacket, with the white baseball cap pulled low over his shoulders, and a black face mask that covered most of his face.

Even so, the moment he opened the car door, his figure still attracted the attention of the staff who had already arrived nearby, like a magnet.

Several young female staff members even subconsciously stopped what they were doing, exchanging excited yet restrained glances.

In order to recreate the authentic and vivid campus atmosphere as much as possible, the production team of "Shining Love" not only rented this beautiful campus, but also recruited a large number of teenagers from the school and other nearby schools as background extras through open recruitment.

These young men and women were experiencing the mystique of the film industry up close for the first time in their lives, and their faces were filled with irrepressible curiosity.

Wearing the same school uniforms or knee-length skirts as the lead actors, they gathered in the designated rest area under the direction of the assistant director. Everyone was like a bird placed in a new environment, talking in hushed tones with a mixture of trepidation and excitement.

Meanwhile, their eyes couldn't help but frequently drift towards the lead actors' rest area and the entrance passage.

When Genkawa Yu removed his mask and hat, revealing his handsome face that had recently been frequently appearing in the headlines of major media outlets, followed by Kato Megumi, he immediately caught a dense and curious gaze as the two walked through the passage.

"Ok?"

Genkawa Yu hesitated for a moment, but Kato Megumi answered immediately.

"Those are all student extras hired by the film crew. I heard that more than half of them are students from this school."

"I see."

Genkawa Yu nodded. He was already used to being stared at in all sorts of situations, but at this moment, he could clearly discern a mixture of excitement and unease in those gazes.

These kids are probably mostly just curious.

He then stopped walking towards the lounge, showing no displeasure at being disturbed or any aloofness. Instead, he naturally raised his head, his gaze precisely fixed on the group of young faces gathered there, a gentle smile playing on his lips, and he nodded in that direction.

Hello.

In an instant, the already restless area was aroused by an even more obvious disturbance.

The high school girls instinctively covered their mouths with their hands, their eyes wide open, and blushes quickly rose on their cheeks. They gripped each other's arms tightly, so excited they almost jumped up.

Although the boys tried hard to maintain a cool image with their hands in their pockets, their sparkling eyes and slightly upturned lips betrayed their inner excitement.

After all, since his debut, Yu Genkawa's works have mostly been aimed at young people, and teenagers or young adults in their twenties are the main force of his fans.

"Wow! It's Genkawa-san, he's looking at us!"

"He smiled, he smiled at me, oh my god, so gentle!"

"He's a hundred times more handsome than on TV! He feels so approachable."

"Wow, her face is so small...my goodness."

"Such a good actor, and such a nice person, he's the perfect man."

This simple smile and nod acted like the most effective rapport agent, instantly winning Yuan Chuanyu a considerable amount of genuine goodwill and support from this large group of young extras.

"Mr. Genkawa, excuse me."

A young on-set assistant wearing a short-sleeved shirt with the film crew's logo jogged over, speaking respectfully.

"Director Mizuki's team is almost ready. The first scene is scheduled to start in half an hour. Please go to the rest area to make your final preparations."

Genkawa Yu withdrew his gaze and responded gently to his assistant.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

Upon reaching the rest area, Genkawa Yu picked up the script and glanced at it. Then, he heard a familiar sound of footsteps beside him.

He almost instinctively raised his head and looked toward the source of the sound.

It's Mai Sakurajima.

She had changed into the same dark blue school uniform dress as the extras, but with a noticeably higher quality, and was walking gracefully toward the main actors' rest area.

In order to resemble the cheerful and lively girl-next-door image of the character Kinoshita Ninako as closely as possible in terms of appearance, Mai Sakurajima made a selfless act before the film officially began shooting.

She cut off her waist-length hair, which she had cherished for many years.

At this moment, Mai Sakurajima sported a neat and tidy head of short hair that just reached her shoulders. The ends of her hair were styled to curl slightly inward, perfectly framing her delicate face, which was only the size of a palm. This allowed her graceful swan neck and clear collarbone lines to be perfectly displayed, adding to her girlish cleverness.

Although Yuu Genkawa had already witnessed her revolutionary new look a few days ago when the costume fitting photos were taken, seeing Mai Sakurajima walking towards him in her standard school uniform at this moment, the overwhelming sense of novelty and immersion in the role still brought him a considerable psychological impact.

When she had long, flowing hair, she exuded an aura of elegance and top-tier actress, like a flower on a distant, unattainable mountain.

At this moment, with her short hair, she seemed to have instantly shed that dazzling yet slightly aloof aura, and her whole demeanor became gentle and approachable, more like a real high school girl existing in every corner of the campus.

Of course, her outstanding beauty and unique charm were not diminished by the change in hairstyle. On the contrary, in this "back to basics" state, she exuded a different kind of charm.

Good morning, Genkawa-kun.

Mai Sakurajima walked to the empty chair opposite him and sat down, placing the script and thermos in her hand on the small table next to her. Her voice sounded calm and even, but it conveyed a subtle sense of closeness.

Although there are still unresolved issues, just as Genkawa Yu paid more attention to Sakurajima Mai when he saw her in her school uniform, Sakurajima Mai also felt a different kind of emotion when she saw Genkawa Yu in his school uniform.

Attraction is one of the most important factors in the birth of love.

Good morning, Mai-san.

Genkawa Yu quickly suppressed his inner turmoil and returned a polite and restrained smile.

How did you feel about today's performance?

"Yes, the lines and basic movement have been checked repeatedly, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Mai Sakurajima nodded, reached for her script, and opened it, her eyes falling on the dense annotations.

"I'd like to think about a few of the emotional shifts more."

"Let's discuss it together then."

Both of them wanted to forget their previous "unresolved issues" in a tacit way. When they both focused their attention on the performance, many things became more natural and easier to achieve.

“I think that when Ninako was secretly observing Ren on the train, her feelings shouldn’t be simply interpreted as one-sided infatuation or nervousness.”

Mai Sakurajima pointed intently at the line marked "[Ninako peeping]" on the script with her slender fingertips.

"It should be more of a complex psychology that progresses layer by layer. First, there is surprise and joy, then there is self-consciousness and a sense of distance, and finally there is anticipation and nervousness of wanting to be noticed by the other person. These three emotions need to be shown layer by layer. Only in this way can a better performance be achieved."

Genkawa Yu listened intently, his eyes revealing approval and appreciation.

"【Lotus】Here too, he seems completely immersed in the world of books, indifferent to his surroundings."

"But in reality, with his keen observation skills, it's impossible that he was completely unaware of the gazes falling on him. He was just used to being the center of attention, so he chose to ignore them. It was a habitual indifference out of self-protection."

Genkawa paused for a moment, then continued.

"When he accidentally stepped on the ornament, his first reaction was probably an instinctive thought of 'trouble' and 'bad luck,' but when he looked down and saw a panicked girl from the same school, his politeness, which was rooted in his good upbringing, was triggered."

"That's right, after all, [Lotus] is a gentle boy."

They talked back and forth, discussing various performance details of the two main characters in their first encounter, and reached a very perfect consensus.

Then, it was time for the official filming.

The first series of shots aims to depict the starkly different campus lives of the two main characters.

Director Ryuichi Mizuki sat behind the monitor, his eyes sharp as an eagle, not missing a single detail in the footage.

The camera first follows Kinoshita Ninako and her two best friends as they walk and chat along the path behind the teaching building, which is surrounded by lush trees.

Mai Sakurajima perfectly captured the innocent, cheerful, and lively girlish charm of Ninako, who harbored the most beautiful dreams of budding love.

She and her friends laughed and joked naturally, sharing the latest funny stories circulating in the class, their silvery laughter echoing under the shade of the trees.

When a friend inadvertently steers the conversation towards the sensitive and alluring realm of "love," her gaze involuntarily drifts into the distance, and a subtle blush, tinged with shyness, quietly appears on her face, as if she is cherishing a sweet secret that she dares not easily reveal.

Immediately afterwards, the camera switched smoothly to capture the scene of Ichinose Ren and his friends walking side by side into the main entrance of the school building.

Yuzuru Genkawa perfectly portrayed the aloofness and indifference unique to the top student, [Lotus], through his precise body language and expressive eyes.

He didn't show much emotion on his face, his steps were steady and regular. As his friends around him enthusiastically discussed the latest games or the arrangements for weekend club activities, he would only occasionally give a very brief reply, with a hint of fatigue in his eyes.

After all, in addition to her studies, [Lotus] also has part-time jobs to keep her busy, so she exudes a maturity and composure beyond her years.

The next scene is the highlight: the first encounter between the two main characters on a tram, filmed in a meticulously constructed 1:1 replica of a tram carriage set.

The production team applied for complete filming permits from the relevant Tokyo train stations according to the proper procedures to ensure that every step was legal and compliant. During filming, the train was of course stationary, and the realistic sense of movement was created later by using CG effects to composite the city scenery passing by outside the window.

Dozens of extras dressed in various costumes and a few featured actors with a few lines, under the direction of the assistant director on site, either sat or stood, cleverly creating the subtle atmosphere of crowding yet maintaining distance between people unique to trams during the morning rush hour.

Genkawa Yu stood near the train door, with his back to most of the crowd, his body slightly adjusting its center of gravity as he imagined the tram swaying.

He held a simple paperback in his hands, his eyes lowered as he focused intently on the words on the pages. His long, thick eyelashes cast small shadows under his eyelids, as if all the noise around him was irrelevant, creating a tranquil world of his own.