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

The stage for the offline event was set up very large, and the backdrop was a movie poster for "Sparkling Love".

In front of the stage was a relatively high platform-like setup. The staff, dressed in uniform staff attire, maintained order in an orderly manner, their faces bearing professional smiles, yet their eyes betrayed their busyness.

"Here he comes! Director Mizuki is out!"

A small commotion arose in the crowd with a cheer.

Director Mizuki walked onto the stage today wearing a gray suit and a gentle smile on his face.

As the director of "Sparkling Love," he is also a well-known romance film director in the Japanese entertainment industry, having directed many hit works.

However, aside from the gasps of surprise, the director's appearance did not cause much of a stir, given the popularity of Yu Genkawa and Mai Sakurajima.

After a while, the lights on both sides of the stage suddenly turned on, and the soft white light focused on the stage entrance. The music on site also instantly switched to the theme song of "Shining Love".

Summer Glow.

As the song written by Yu Genkawa flowed gently, the cheers from the audience instantly reached their peak.

The next moment, the two lead actors walked out side by side.

Genkawa Yu was dressed in a black suit, his posture upright like a pine tree. Since it was a formal event, he wore light makeup, which made his features look even more delicate.

Perhaps it was his confidence that gave him a calm and gentle aura, making every step he took captivating.

Mai Sakurajima wore an elegant A-line dress. Although it was winter, the heating was on full blast, so there was no need to worry about being cold.

The girl's long hair was pulled back, revealing her slender neck and delicate collarbone. Her pretty face was adorned with exquisite makeup, her red lips were like fire, and her eyes were bright and lively.

The two walked side by side, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, a perfect match, instantly capturing everyone's attention.

"Hello everyone, I am Yu Genkawa, and I play the role of Ren Ichinose in 'Strobe Edge'."

Genkawa Yu's voice was deep and gentle, and cheers erupted from the audience once again. Fans waved their support signs and shouted his name wildly.

"Hello everyone, I'm Mai Sakurajima, and I play Nina in 'Strobe Edge'."

Their popularity goes without saying; their mere appearance was enough to elicit cheers from fans.

Director Mizuki looked at the two people standing side by side on the stage and a gratified smile appeared on his face. Directing is both art and business.

Moreover, this movie was invested in by Mai Sakurajima, and with the support of two hugely popular lead actors, the final box office is sure to be high.

Next comes the standard promotional phase.

Yu Genkawa and Mai Sakurajima had rehearsed this process many times, from the original intention of the film's creation and interesting stories during the filming process to their understanding of the characters. The two worked together perfectly without making a single mistake.

Next, the host asked a few more questions about the filming of the movie, which Yu Genkawa and Mai Sakurajima answered patiently one by one. The two would sometimes look at each other and smile, and sometimes add to each other's comments. The atmosphere on set remained high throughout.

CP fans are overjoyed! Seeing the perfect collaboration between Yuu Genkawa and Mai Sakurajima up close, even just a glance between them, is enough to make everyone cheer nonstop.

After the regular promotional activities concluded, it was time for the most crucial part of today's event—interviews with lucky audience members.

The staff had already randomly selected ten lucky audience members from the fans at the scene to go on stage and ask questions to Yu Genkawa and Mai Sakurajima, allowing them to interact with their idols up close.

The first few lucky audience members asked some fairly basic questions.

For example, questions like "Will Genkawa-san and Sakurajima-san collaborate again in the future?", "Which scene in the movie do you like the most?", and "Did you encounter any difficulties during filming?"

Faced with these questions, Yu Genkawa and Mai Sakurajima patiently answered them one by one with sincerity, making the fans in the audience extremely envious.

Just then, the staff announced the name of the next lucky audience member.

"Next, please welcome our next lucky audience member, Haruka Uehara from Tokyo!"

As the staff member finished speaking, a girl wearing a light pink coat walked out from the crowd.

She looked to be around twenty years old, her eyes filled with excitement and nervousness.

She was the person arranged by Mai Sakurajima, and a loyal fan of the [Minamoto Sakura] CP. She often posts content about the two of them on social media, and her stance is very clear. It was Mai Sakurajima's decision to have her raise the "appropriate" question.

Uehara Haruka walked to the center of the stage, bowed deeply to Genkawa Yu and Sakurajima Mai, her voice choked with emotion.

"Genkawa-san, Sakurajima-san, I'm so happy to see you both!"

Mai Sakurajima looked at her with a gentle smile and spoke softly.

"Thank you for your appreciation, Uehara-san. We are very happy to have your support."

Genkawa Yuya nodded slightly at her.

Uehara Haruka took a deep breath, trying to calm her excitement and nervousness. She picked up the microphone handed to her by a staff member, and her next question was thunderous.

"Sakurajima-san and Genkawa-san, when you filmed a romantic movie together and had to act in intimate scenes with each other every day, did you develop feelings for your co-stars?"

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy scene instantly quieted down, followed by an even greater commotion.

The media reporters present were immediately intrigued and raised their cameras to point at Yuu Genkawa and Mai Sakurajima.

This is such a great question!

The question from fans about whether top on-screen couples might develop romantic feelings for each other is undoubtedly the biggest highlight of the day and the topic most likely to spark heated discussions.

The fans in the audience were even more excited, eager to know how the two main members of [Yuan Ying] would respond.

Director Mizuki, who was standing on the side of the stage, and other staff members present all had their smiles vanish instantly, and they all frowned.

This is actually a very difficult question to answer.

Answering "yes" could easily trigger a public opinion storm, be sensationalized by the media, and affect the two's acting careers.

However, directly answering "no" would disappoint the CP fans and might even lead to questions about whether the chemistry between the two is a deliberate performance, affecting the film's reputation and popularity.

After all, this is a romance movie, so it wouldn't be appropriate if the two characters didn't have any chemistry.

Director Mizuki subconsciously glanced at Yuu Genkawa and Mai Sakurajima, secretly praying that the two would give a good answer.

Seeing the commotion, Uehara Haruka knew she had completed Sakurajima Mai's mission, so she paused, picked up the microphone again, and added her own message.

"Let me add one more thing: the kind of attraction I'm asking about isn't the kind between friends, but rather attraction between a man and a woman."

"Could you please answer this? I really want to know!"

This statement once again brought the atmosphere to a climax.

All eyes turned to Yuu Genkawa and Mai Sakurajima, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Mai Sakurajima still wore a gentle smile on her face, without the slightest panic. She slowly picked up the microphone and first smiled gently at Haruka Uehara in the audience.

Then, she turned to look at Genkawa Yu beside her and gave him a reassuring look.

The next moment, Mai Sakurajima slowly opened her mouth, her voice gentle and clear, which spread throughout the entire venue through the microphone.

"Thank you very much for your question, Uehara-san. It was a very sincere and interesting question."

"Actually, regarding this question, I'd like to share a little trick I learned when I was learning acting."

She paused, her smile growing even gentler.

"When I first started taking acting classes, my teacher taught me that if you want to play a role well, if you want to truly get into character, and if you want the audience to believe that you are that character, what should you do?"

"It's actually very simple. The teacher said... If you want to play a female lead who falls in love with the male lead well, and if you want the audience to feel that love, you must work harder to 'fall in love with the other person'."

She paused deliberately, her gaze slowly sweeping across the crowd below the stage, taking in the anticipation and curiosity on the faces of her fans.

"Of course, the 'love' here needs to be in quotes. It's not romantic love in the true sense, but rather the emotions that actors invest in in order to portray a character well. It's an immersive way of performing."

"Therefore, in order to improve the quality of the movie 'Strobe Edge,' and to allow the audience to feel Nina's love for Ichinose Ren, I naturally had to try my best to 'fall in love' with her..."

As she spoke, she deliberately drew out her words, turned her gaze to Genkawa Yu beside her, and smiled.

"It's the character Ichinose Ren played by Genkawa-san."

"As for the feelings you mentioned, I've known Genkawa-san for a long time, so of course I have feelings for him."

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene erupted in cheers again, with fans buzzing with discussion.

"What does it mean?"

"Could it be...?"

The cheers from the fans were deafening once again, and the media reporters went on a photo-taking spree to capture this exciting moment.

They knew that this statement would definitely become tomorrow's headline news.

Sakurajima Mai looked at the reaction on the scene and smiled with satisfaction. She did not continue to speak, nor did she say whether she had romantic feelings for Genkawa Yu.

Instead, she gently handed the microphone to Yuu Minakawa beside her, as if to say, "It's your turn."

Genkawa Yu took the microphone and understood how he should end things.

"I think Sakurajima-san makes a lot of sense."

"As an actor, if you want to present a good work and make the audience feel the emotions of the character, getting into character is the most basic skill."

He paused, then continued.

"So when filming 'Sparkling Love,' in order to play the role of Ichinose Ren well and to interpret his love for Nina, I also tried my best to 'fall in love' with the character played by Sakurajima-san during the filming process."

At this point, he looked at Uehara Haruka, his tone questioning.

Are you satisfied with this answer?

Uehara Haruka nodded vigorously upon hearing their answers.

"Satisfied! I'm extremely satisfied! Thank you both for your answers!"

The fans of the [Yuan Ying] CP below the stage erupted in cheers once again.

Meanwhile, the director, Mizuki, and the other staff members on the side of the stage finally relaxed their brows and breathed a sigh of relief.

The two's responses not only defused the awkward situation without causing unnecessary trouble, but also satisfied the expectations of the CP fans and even increased the movie's popularity, making it a win-win situation.

After that "sensitive" question, the subsequent questions became much milder, and no more such topical questions appeared.

The offline event was a resounding success, but the online buzz was in an uproar.

The sensitive question, along with the responses from Yu Minakawa and Mai Sakurajima, was captured on video by the media present and posted on social media, instantly sparking heated discussions across the internet.

On Twitter, related hashtags surged to the top of the trending list, dominating the top spots.

#Mai Sakurajima's Techniques for Getting into Character#

#Sakurajima Mai admits to having feelings for Genkawa Yu#

#Falling in love with your co-star?#

Fans of the [Yuan Ying] pairing were extremely excited, and the comments section was flooded with messages.