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

Asakura Toru looked at his smiling face in the photo and thought, "This is good enough."

At least in this moment, she was happy.

Bathroom in a luxury apartment in Tokyo.

Akane Kurokawa sat on the toilet seat, staring curiously at the pregnancy test in her hand, her eyes unblinking.

The bathroom light was a soft, warm yellow, illuminating her fair and beautiful face.

She was only wearing a simple white nightgown, her hair was messily draped over her shoulders, and she looked somewhat listless.

After a while, the pregnancy test showed a single line.

She is not pregnant.

Akane Kurokawa stared at the thin plastic rod for a long time, as if trying to see through it.

Then, she slowly exhaled and looked in the mirror, finding her face very red.

"Seriously, what am I doing?"

Kurokawa Akane couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and annoyed. Ever since her father told her to get married to Minagawa Yu as soon as possible and have a grandson for them to take care of, the girl's mind had suddenly been occupied by this obsessive thought.

During this time, Yuu Minakawa was very gentle with her, and Akane Kurokawa also tried to reciprocate her boyfriend's love more actively.

So... sometimes I just don't use that thing.

As a couple living together, Akane Kurokawa naturally longed to walk down the aisle with Yu Minakawa, and once married, she could be with Yu Minakawa forever.

"But...getting pregnant doesn't seem to be that simple..."

Akane Kurokawa patted her face, sighed, and decided to abandon this somewhat strange idea for now.

The idea of ​​not officially announcing their relationship was something they both agreed on, since they were both in the prime of their careers, and Akane Kurokawa actually hoped to continue being active on stage.

Just then, the faint sound of fireworks exploding could be heard in the distance.

Akane Kurokawa stood up, walked to the window, and opened the blinds.

The apartment is located on a high floor, so the view is excellent.

From her vantage point, she could see the night sky over the Tamagawa River illuminated by various lights, with fireworks blooming one after another, transforming the entire Tokyo night sky into a dreamlike spectacle.

Very beautiful.

"A fireworks festival?"

Akane Kurokawa thought for a moment and realized that the promotional period for "Love Like a Bouquet" should be in August. As the female lead of the film, she could go on promotional trips with her boyfriend, Yu Genkawa, who played the male lead.

Perhaps, let the public get used to how they are around him first.

A smile appeared on Kurokawa Akane's face.

Kato Megumi sat at her desk piled high with documents, her pen scribbling rapidly across the schedule.

As Yu Minakawa's artist assistant, the job was busy and tedious, but she always did it in an orderly manner.

Just then, the sky outside the window was illuminated by fireworks, and the red and green lights shone through the glass, casting ever-changing shadows on the documents.

Kato Megumi stopped writing and looked up.

In the Star Engine office, some of her other colleagues had already left work, but she was still there.

Because of the complicated schedule following the completion of filming for "Sparkling Love," Yuu Genkawa had to think and handle things more carefully.

We readjusted the connections between each task to ensure seamless integration of every step.

After a while, Kato Megumi stood up, walked to the window, crossed her arms, and quietly looked at the flowers in the night sky.

"So beautiful."

She spoke softly, as if she were talking to the fireworks, or perhaps to herself.

Then she turned back to her desk, picked up her pen again, and continued working.

The glow of fireworks flickered behind her, like a magnificent background music for this solitary night.

Along the Tama River.

The fireworks display has entered its final stage.

Hundreds of points of light rose into the air simultaneously, weaving a huge and magnificent picture in the sky.

Gold, silver, red, blue, green, and other colors intertwined, and the continuous explosions shook the air.

Mai Sakurajima leaned against Yu Genkawa's chest, they held hands, and looked up at the feast of light.

"It's almost over," Mai Sakurajima said softly.

"Ah."

Genkawa Yu responded, gently stroking the back of her hand with his fingers.

The final, celebratory fireworks display went off into the sky.

It was an exceptionally large point of light, rising extremely slowly, as if gathering all its strength.

When it reached its highest point, it did not explode immediately, but paused for a moment.

Then, it burst into bloom.

It wasn't a single color, but a rainbow of colors.

Everyone held their breath.

The firework lasted for a full ten seconds before gradually dimming and disappearing.

As the last glimmer of light disappeared into the darkness, the night sky seemed even deeper than before.

After a brief silence, applause and cheers erupted from every corner of the riverbank.

People offered their sincerest praise to this visual feast.

The last fireworks festival of summer has officially come to an end.

Volume 3: I Am a Knight of the New Era - Chapter 1: A Person Who Wants to Become a Knight (Two Volumes Combined, 5k)

In August, the summer sun was still scorching.

Tokyo is like a giant steamer, with the sun relentlessly baking every street. The air is filled with the acrid smell of melting asphalt, mixed with car exhaust, creating a restless atmosphere unique to summer.

The Toei Building, located in Chuo Ward, was busier than usual today.

At the entrance of a large audition venue, young male artists lined up in a long queue. They wore neatly pressed shirts or stylish casual short-sleeved shirts, and their faces showed carefully practiced expressions, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

Today, the third round of auditions for "Kamen Rider Goku" is being held here.

As one of the most popular tokusatsu IPs in Japan, the "Kamen Rider" series has been around for more than half a century, but its popularity remains. Every Sunday morning at nine o'clock, it awakens the heroic dreams of countless people on television.

The "Extreme Fox" project has attracted much attention since the planning and preparation stage.

After all, Kamen Rider airs every Sunday morning at 9 AM, a prime time slot, and it can run for more than half a year. This means that as long as they participate, the actors will gain unprecedented exposure.

For any young male actor, this is an opportunity that could completely change his career.

Sato Masashi stood in the middle of the line, clutching his audition number tightly in his hand; he was number 47.

The number didn't sound very auspicious, but he forced himself not to care.

Sweat had soaked the underarm area of ​​his light blue short-sleeved shirt. Although the makeup artist had touched up his makeup before he left, the foundation was starting to flake off slightly in the nearly 38-degree heat.

He is 21 years old this year. He was originally a member of an idol group. The group debuted two years ago and released three singles. The results were mediocre. He has some fans, but not enough to support a nationwide tour.

The agency's assessment was: he has potential, but needs to break through, and the audition for "Kamen Rider Goku" was the "breakthrough" that the agency secured for him.

“Sato-kun, you have great physical attributes, long arms and legs, and a dance background, so you should be able to pick up action scenes quickly.”

When his agent, Mr. Yamada, learned about the audition, he said to him, "But that's not enough. You have to remember that everyone who comes to audition has good qualities. What you have to do is show what others don't have."

"Something that others don't have..."

Sato Masashi repeated the sentence in a low voice, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the script.

He only received the script three days before the audition; it was only five thin pages. The role he wanted to play was the main rider, [Ukiyo Eiju], and there were three scenes in total.

The first segment is a dialogue with the villain before the transformation, the second segment is a battle scene after the transformation (without props), and the third segment is a monologue on the rooftop after the rider's suit is removed.

Sato Masashi has read those five pages over and over again no less than a hundred times.

He practiced his expressions in front of the mirror in his apartment bathroom, practiced his movements in a nearby park, and even recited his lines on the subway. Two rounds of initial eliminations allowed him to stand out from nearly a thousand applicants and become one of the fifty people today.

Now, there are still fifteen minutes until the third round of auditions begins.

The line moved slowly forward, and finally it was his turn to enter the building. The sweltering heat outside was so intense that Sato Masaru couldn't help but shiver.

The receptionist verified his number and identity information, and handed him a sticker and a guide sheet.

"Please wait in the lobby on the first floor. When your number is called, go to the audition room on the second floor."

The lobby was more spacious than I had imagined, with a very modern decor. The walls were covered with posters of Toei's major works over the years, each one a screen classic, which constitute an important chapter in Japanese popular culture.

And today, a new chapter may begin here.

There were already about twenty actors sitting in the waiting area of ​​the hall. They were scattered around, some looking down at their scripts, others chatting quietly in small groups, but without exception, everyone was relieving their tension in their own way.

Sato Masashi found a corner seat and sat down. He looked around and his heart sank.

too strong.

Everyone present was an elite who, like him, had survived two rounds of elimination.

Among them are new generation actors with many years of performance experience, theater troupe members who have switched from stage plays to film and television, and idols like him who have transitioned to acting, but their groups are more famous.

Everyone was handsome and tall, and their eyes burned with a desire for opportunity.

Repressed.

This is Sato Masashi's most direct feeling.

The air seemed to freeze. Although the air conditioning was at a comfortable temperature, he had some difficulty breathing. That's how auditions are; even after many times, they can still feel suffocating.