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

People watch variety shows in their spare time to relieve stress. They don't like pretentious guests. Even very famous actors have to try their best to show their interesting side on the show.

These are the rules of variety shows.

After washing up, Yuan Chuanyu changed into a simple white T-shirt and gray sweatpants and went into the kitchen.

With the refrigerator fully stocked, he skillfully began preparing a simple breakfast: toasting two slices of whole-wheat bread in a toaster, frying two sunny-side-up eggs, slicing a few avocados, and pouring two glasses of fresh orange juice.

The coffee machine emitted a deep, pleasant hum, and the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans gradually filled the air.

Akane Kurokawa woke up when the rich aroma of coffee wafted into the bedroom.

She rubbed her eyes, sat up while still wrapped in the blanket, her long, dark blue hair draped messily over her shoulders.

After a while, the girl got out of bed and walked to the bedroom door. Leaning against the door frame, she watched Yuan Chuan You's busy figure in the morning light.

"Good morning, Yu-kun." Her voice was still a little hoarse, with a soft quality that came from just waking up.

Yuan Chuan You turned around at the sound and saw her wearing a silk slip dress. His eyes softened instantly.

"Good morning, Akane. Breakfast will be ready soon. Go wash up first."

Akane Kurokawa nodded and turned to walk towards the bathroom.

The warm water completely woke her up. She took a deep breath, knowing that today's work was very important.

This was the first major battle in the promotional period for "Love Like a Bouquet," and it was also the first time she and Yu Genkawa appeared on such an important national variety show as the "leading couple."

She not only had to cooperate with the program's effects, but also had to showcase the personality of the actress named [Kurokawa Akane].

At 9:00 a.m. sharp, Kazuya Nakahara, Yu Genkawa's manager, and Akane Kurokawa's manager, Sasaki, arrived at the apartment building on time.

Because Akane Kurokawa's contract had been transferred to Star Engine, Yu Genkawa assigned her a new manager, Sasaki, a woman in her thirties with excellent abilities.

The two rode in a private black van toward the Nippon Television (NTV) headquarters in Minato Ward.

Kazuya Nakahara went over today's schedule and precautions one last time, while Yuu Genkawa leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window at the rapidly receding city streetscape.

As the vehicle smoothly entered the underground parking lot of the NTV headquarters building, program crew members were already waiting there.

The group used a special passage to avoid potential media and fans waiting in the wings, and went directly to the private meeting room of the "Human Observation" program located on a high floor of the building.

The conference room was more spacious than I had imagined, with a huge oval conference table in the center and several LCD screens on the walls, displaying the iconic logo of Human Observation and a summary of today's proceedings.

When Genkawa Yu arrived, there were already quite a few people in the conference room.

Besides the core director and screenwriter of "Human Observation," there are also two hosts responsible for on-site commentary and control today—Ryuichi Kosugi and Kei Yoshida from the popular comedy duo "Black Mayonnaise."

Known for their sharp wit and excellent teamwork, "Black Mayonnaise" is one of the most rapidly rising variety show hosts in recent years.

Ryuichi Kosugi is slightly chubby, has a friendly smile, and is good at playing dumb and warming up the atmosphere. Keiichi Yoshida is relatively thin, wears glasses, and is known for his sharp tongue and accurate witty remarks.

When the two saw Yu Minakawa and Akane Kurokawa walk in, they immediately stood up from their seats, their faces beaming with warm yet measured smiles.

"Oh dear, look who's here!"

Ryuichi Kosugi spoke first, his voice loud and clear, with the exaggerated tone typical of a variety show personality, but his eyes showed genuine welcome, "Minamoto-kun! Kurokawa-san! Welcome, welcome! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to come!"

Yoshida Kei pushed up his glasses and replied, his tone slightly teasing.

"You two are truly dazzling. The recording hasn't even started yet, and the lights in this conference room seem to have brightened up several degrees because of you."

Genkawa Yu and Kurokawa Akane quickly bowed in return.

Genkawa Yu smiled and said, "Little Sugi-san, Yoshida-san, please take good care of me today."

Akane Kurokawa said gently, "I am very happy to participate in 'Human Observation,' please take care of me."

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone took their seats.

The program's director, a middle-aged man named Kawashima, wearing black-rimmed glasses, cleared his throat and began today's meeting.

"First of all, thank you again to Genkawa-kun and Kurokawa-san for taking the time to participate in the recording of our 'Human Observation' program."

Director Kawashima's opening remarks were concise and powerful: "The purpose of our program, as you both probably know, is to observe people's most instinctive reactions in specific situations through the setting of 'hidden cameras,' thereby uncovering interesting interactions and unexpected laughs between people, and of course, sometimes touching tearful moments."

He gestured to his assistant to distribute two simple proposals to Yu Genkawa and Akane Kurokawa.

"The two segments we designed for you today both revolve around the keywords of 'surprise' and 'interaction'."

"On the one hand, we certainly hope to create a funny and entertaining program effect. On the other hand, we also hope to move the audience through the natural performances of the two in the situation."

Yuu Minakawa and Akane Kurokawa looked down at the proposal in their hands.

The description on the paper was more concise than expected, only outlining the general situation, clearly in order to retain the greatest sense of improvisation and authenticity.

Director Kawashima began to explain in detail: "First, let's talk about Genkawa-kun."

"The scenario we chose is... a science preparation classroom in an ordinary high school, and the time is set after school and before club activities begin, when students will come to the classroom one after another to prepare for experiments."

He paused, observing Genkawa Yu's reaction, before continuing.

"Yuanchuan, your task is to hide in the large locker on one side of the classroom beforehand. We have installed a miniature camera and microphone on the inside of the locker door. Your timing... is when a student opens the locker door to look for something, and you suddenly appear from inside."

"Of course, we also conducted a background check on this student; he's a fan of yours, Genkawa-kun."

Upon hearing this proposal, several suppressed chuckles rippled through the meeting room, clearly members of the production team imagining the scene.

Ryuichi Kosugi grinned, "Wow, Genkawa-kun suddenly pops out of the closet and faces a high school girl... Just imagining the girl's expression makes me excited!"

Yoshida adjusted his glasses and remarked, "But Genkawa-kun, hiding in the closet is hard work, and you have to stay quiet so you don't get discovered too early."

Genkawa Yu listened attentively, a thoughtful expression on his face. He then nodded, a hint of interest appearing in his eyes.

"I understand. Do I need to do anything specific?"

"Feel free to improvise!"

Director Kawashima snapped his fingers. "All we need is for you to appear. All your interactions with that female student afterward will be the most valuable material. Of course, it would be even more perfect if Genkawa could say something interesting on the spot."

"I understand."

Genkawa Yu nodded, his brain already simulating possible scenarios and coping strategies.

"Next up is Kurokawa-san's part."

Director Kawashima turned his attention to Akane Kurokawa, saying, "This segment requires Genkawa-kun and Kurokawa-san to work together. The setting is a typical family restaurant."

“We will arrange for a prankster, an ordinary middle-aged man, to have a family dinner with his wife and two daughters who are in middle school.”

Akane Kurokawa listened intently.

"This uncle would receive a pre-arranged phone call during the meal, the content of which was roughly: 'An important friend is passing by and wants to get together.'"

"However, after..."

Director Kawashima's tone carried a hint of mischievous laughter, "Genkawa-kun and Kurokawa-san, you two will make your entrance as unexpected visitors!"

Ryuichi Kosugi immediately chimed in, "The key to this reaction is the expressions of the uncle's wife and daughters, right? That will definitely be the biggest highlight of this episode!"

Yoshida Keiya laughed, "Hahaha, if my friends were Genkawa-kun and Kurokawa-san, my wife would be very surprised too."

Director Kawashima nodded and said, "The characters are just good friends. The more natural the interaction, the better. They can talk about everyday topics. The key is to observe how the uncle's family will cope with the fact that their husband and father have surreal celebrity friends in this unexpected situation. This is a very interesting project."

Akane Kurokawa was processing this setting, her brows furrowing slightly as she pondered.

"I see, so we need to pretend to be that uncle's friend, right?"

"Yes."

Director Kawashima praised, "This is a small test of your on-the-spot adaptability and improvisation skills, but I believe that with your professionalism, you will have no problem at all."

After explaining the setup of the two stages, Director Kawashima added some technical details.

The meeting lasted about an hour, allowing Yu Minakawa and Akane Kurokawa to basically understand the tasks and expectations for today's program.

Although the final comedic effect cannot be fully predicted, this uncertainty itself is precisely the charm of "Human Observation".

After the meeting, the production team needed time to finalize the set setup and equipment testing.

Yu Minakawa and Akane Kurokawa were taken to an adjacent lounge to wait and prepare.

About half an hour later, the production team's AD informed us that the first segment was ready and we could head to the venue.

Because the main focus of the program is students, the production team chose a private high school in Tokyo with a moderate academic performance as the filming location.

In order not to disrupt the school's normal teaching order, the production team communicated fully with the school and obtained permission. The participating students also signed relevant performance consent forms.

Yu Minakawa and Akane Kurokawa arrived at the school discreetly in separate vehicles provided by the production crew.

Akane Kurokawa, as a "non-participating guest," was taken directly to the "backstage monitoring center," which was temporarily set up in an empty classroom at the school.

The room was filled with various monitoring screens and communication equipment, and director Kawashima, the main screenwriter, and technical staff were all in place.

The room was dimly lit, with only the light from the screen flickering, creating a tense yet expectant atmosphere.

Akane Kurokawa sat down in a corner seat, her gaze immediately drawn to the largest monitor screen in the center.

The screen displayed a live feed of the science preparation classroom.

The classroom looked very simple, with long rows of lab tables and a row of tall lockers against the wall.

"Kurokawa-san, please watch from here. Genkawa-kun will be entering the designated position shortly," a female AD said softly to her, handing her an earphone from which she could hear the live recording.

Akane Kurokawa put on her headphones and immediately heard the subtle ambient sounds in the classroom. Her heart skipped a beat, and her eyes were glued to the screen.

Meanwhile, under the guidance of the program staff, Genkawa Yu quietly arrived at the back door of the science preparation classroom.

“Genkawa-kun, it’s this cabinet.”

A scene director wearing a baseball cap lowered his voice and pointed to a half-open locker on the inside.

The interior of the cabinet was actually more spacious than he had imagined, but for tall and long-legged Yuu Minakawa, he still had to duck to get through.

"There are cameras and microphones installed inside. This is the switch; you can turn it on yourself once you're inside. This is a one-way earpiece; we will use this to give you instructions. Please keep quiet once you're inside and wait for our signal. The target female student will enter the classroom in about ten minutes."

"it is good."

Genkawa Yu listened carefully and nodded.

He stretched his arms and legs, then bent down and crawled into the locker without hesitation.

The cabinet door was gently closed behind him by the staff, but not locked, leaving a barely noticeable gap for ventilation.

The cabinet was cramped and dimly lit, with only a few faint rays of light filtering in through the cracks in the door.