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

Kato Megumi's reply was as quick and clear as ever.

“Mr. Genkawa, the filming schedule for next Monday daytime is expected to finish by the morning, which is theoretically feasible. However, we need to communicate with the director in advance to confirm the final wrap-up time and allow for commuting time to the theater.”

"I think we still need to coordinate this with the director in advance so that we can make arrangements as soon as possible. Do you need me to help you communicate with him?"

"No, I'll talk to the director myself tomorrow. Thank you, Kato."

After thinking it over, Yuan Chuanyu felt that as the lead actor, it would be more appropriate to communicate with Director Aoyama in person about matters involving adjustments to his personal schedule.

During the short break at noon the next day, he politely approached the director to discuss whether it was possible to ensure that filming would wrap up on time the following Monday morning so that he could rush back to Tokyo to watch a stage play co-starring with an important friend.

As the director of "Love Is a Required Course in Life," Aoyama Akihiro had a clear understanding of the interpersonal relationships around Genkawa Yu. He had his answer in mind and quickly agreed.

However, just as his conversation with the director was coming to an end, a tall and slender figure happened to pass by the door of the director's dressing room.

Mai Sakurajima was about to go to the director to confirm the details of a shot from that afternoon when she unexpectedly overheard the scattered conversation coming from inside the door.

"A friend's stage play?"

"Yes."

"Haha, go ahead then, I'll try to finish as quickly as possible."

"Thank you, director."

Although she only overheard a few words, the words "stage play" were enough for her to make a judgment.

Now that the dating reality show is over, their relationship should be getting better and better, right?

Mai Sakurajima touched her hair, her steps pausing almost imperceptibly.

"Hey, Sakurajima-san? What are you doing here?"

Just then, Genkawa Yu pushed open the door and immediately saw Sakurajima Mai standing outside.

"I was just passing by."

She replied coldly.

"Just passing by?"

Mai Sakurajima glanced at Yu Genkawa again, then turned and left without saying anything more.

"?"

Genkawa Yu stared at the girl's departing figure with a puzzled expression, not understanding what had happened.

He recalled what Yamazaki Haruto had mentioned during their last conversation: a girl's thoughts are like the sky by the sea; sunshine and rain come without any warning.

"It's really hard to understand..."

The young male lead scratched his head and then sighed.

Volume 1 The Shining Morning Star: Chapter 88 The Audience That Never Came (Two-in-One 5K)

The filming of "Alice in the Land of the Dying" in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, has entered its most intense and crucial stage.

In order to fulfill his promise to Akane Kurokawa and ensure that he could attend her stage play premiere on Monday night, Yu Genkawa had to adjust his originally relatively relaxed schedule for the subsequent scenes.

This means that several challenging action scenes that might have previously required more meticulous work must be filmed on Monday morning.

On Monday morning, before the sky was fully bright, the air was still filled with the chill of the approaching dawn.

Yuanchuan You woke up early and was already in the hotel's small gym before seven o'clock.

Knowing the intensity and danger of today's action scenes, he dared not slack off in the slightest. He started warming up early in the morning, stretching all the muscles and joints of his body in an attempt to get his body into the best condition.

To Yuan Chuanyu's surprise, he wasn't the only one in the gym. On another treadmill not far away, a slender figure was running at a steady pace, moving rhythmically with the machine's conveyor belt.

It's Mai Sakurajima.

She wore a well-fitting light green tracksuit, and neatly tied her usually smooth and flowing long hair into a high ponytail, which swayed lightly behind her head with the rhythm of running, revealing her beautiful swan neck and smooth forehead.

A few strands of hair, damp with sweat, clung to her slightly flushed cheeks, adding a touch of vibrant energy to her usual elegant demeanor.

After the two looked at each other, Mai Sakurajima turned her head to the side, her gaze lingering on him for a brief moment, and a habitual smile seemed to appear on her lips as she greeted him.

But for some reason, the smiley face didn't appear in the end. She just nodded very slightly and then turned her attention back to the treadmill display screen in front of her to continue her morning exercise.

Genkawa Yuya simply nodded in response. He didn't think much of it, but he could still sense that Sakurajima Mai seemed a bit quieter than usual today.

He figured the other person was probably trying to focus on the upcoming filming.

Little did people know that Mai Sakurajima's inner world was far from as calm as she appeared on the surface.

Ever since she overheard Yuu Genkawa's conversation with the director and learned that he had specially adjusted his schedule for the premiere of a stage play for a "very important friend," a subtle yet undeniable sense of unease immediately arose in her heart.

She knew that Kurokawa Akane and Genkawa Yu had a good relationship in private, which could be seen from the way he gave her the gift last time; the glint in his eyes was very obvious.

That was a very clear affection; it wasn't hard to guess.

Even so, Mai Sakurajima remained close to Yu Genkawa. She admired his abilities and enjoyed spending time with him, but a certain indescribable sense of loss and inexplicable concern made her subconsciously restrain her usual initiative and closeness.

This subtle low pressure continued onto the film set.

While waiting for the lighting and camera position adjustments, Mai Sakurajima subconsciously turned towards Yu Genkawa several times, her lips slightly parted, as if she wanted to chat casually as usual. In the end, she just picked up her water bottle and drank silently, without saying anything.

Although Yuu Genkawa vaguely sensed that Mai Sakurajima seemed a little different today, the intense filming schedule and the upcoming high-intensity action scenes occupied most of his mind, leaving him no time to carefully examine these subtle changes.

The highlight of the morning, unsurprisingly, was the intense chase scene set on the roof of an abandoned bus.

The plot requires Mai Sakurajima, who plays Yuzuha Usagi, to demonstrate superhuman physical strength and agility in order to escape the desperate pursuit of thugs. She needs to skillfully leap onto the roof of a large abandoned bus and complete a series of high-speed running, sudden stops, turns, and dodges on the uneven and violently shaking metal roof.

Meanwhile, Yu Genkawa plays Ryohei Arisu, who anxiously follows her on the ground, trying to find an opportunity to meet her, his eyes filled with worry and helplessness.

Despite the thick safety airbags laid out on site, the vehicle roof receiving professional anti-slip treatment, and multiple safety personnel on standby, the actual filming risk was still far greater than that of indoor dialogue scenes.

The bus itself is not a fixed structure. The violent running of people on the roof will cause the whole vehicle to sway slightly. The metal plates underfoot make a heart-stopping "clanging" sound when stepped on. In addition, the actors need to perform a realistic escape effect, which poses a great challenge to their mental and physical qualities.

For safety reasons, Director Aoyama asked one last serious question before filming began.

"Sakurajima-san, the running and jumping in this scene are indeed quite extensive, and the environment on the roof of the car is very complex. To ensure everything goes smoothly, I suggest that some of the more difficult running and dangerous shots be performed by a professional stunt double. What do you think?"

"Anyway, the same effect can be achieved in post-production through editing and clever camera tricks, and the audience will never be able to tell the difference."

The staff on site thought so too. After all, Mai Sakurajima is now a top-tier female celebrity. Given her influence and the importance her agency places on her safety, the other party would most likely agree to this safe and professional solution.

However, Mai Sakurajima's reaction surprised everyone.

Without any hesitation, she looked directly at Director Aoyama with clear and firm eyes, shook her head, and said, “I am very grateful for the director and the crew’s kindness, but I feel that I don’t need a stunt double. One of the most touching core charms of the character [Yuzuha Usagi] is her perseverance and strength. I want to experience and complete this process myself. Only in this way can I most realistically capture the character’s most instinctive reactions and emotional expressions in extreme environments. This is my creative principle.”

"Please rest assured, director, I will concentrate 100% of my attention to ensure my safety."

Mai Sakurajima's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable resolve. Her attitude earned the sincere admiration of the staff on site, while Yu Genkawa, watching from the side, also admired the strength within her delicate frame.

Ten minutes later, filming officially began.

Several cameras were positioned at the top of the bus from different angles. The director shouted "Action!" and Mai Sakurajima instantly got into character.

Her eyes sharpened and became alert, like a nimble wild cheetah. She took a running start, jumped, and braced herself with her hands. The whole movement was completed in one smooth and precise motion, and she leaped onto the nearly two-meter-high roof of the car.

She began running along the route pre-planned by the action directors of the crew. After an initial tentative pace, her steps quickly became steady and rapid, and she kept her center of gravity extremely low, perfectly demonstrating [Yuzuha Usagi]'s decisiveness, calmness, and superhuman physical abilities.

Yuan Chuanyu closely followed her from below the car, looking up and keeping a close eye on her figure. Because he had mastered the "long-distance running expert" skill, such running was almost a burden for him, so he could concentrate on preparing for the next action or reciting his lines.

The first few takes went relatively smoothly. Although there were occasional minor issues or areas that needed adjustment, they were all within a manageable range.

Director Aoyama glanced at the image in the viewfinder and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, accidents always seem to happen at the most unexpected moments.

Disaster struck suddenly while filming a scene that required Mai Sakurajima to accelerate at full speed from the middle of the car roof to the rear, and then make a sudden stop and turn around to observe the enemy situation at the edge!

Perhaps it was due to physical fatigue from shooting multiple takes in a row, or perhaps it was because he happened to step on a metal plate seam that had slightly warped due to wind and sun exposure.

As Mai Sakurajima sprinted, she pushed her speed to the maximum, bracing herself against the roof of the car with her right foot to lean forward and complete that beautiful sudden stop and turn. Just then, the tiny friction between the sole of her right shoe and the anti-slip layer suddenly failed!

One slip!

Although seemingly insignificant, it can be a fatal slip!

The girl's right foot suddenly swung outward, and all the kinetic energy and balance she had accumulated were completely shattered in an instant. She was thrown out of control towards the outside of the car roof, far away from the best protection area of ​​the airbag!

"what--!"

"careful!"

"Sakurajima-san!!!"

Almost simultaneously, several terrified screams erupted from the scene, and everyone's heart stopped at that moment.

Because all of this happened so fast, so fast that no one could react at all, and it was as if Mai Sakurajima was about to fall straight down from the edge of the car roof, which was several meters high, in an extremely twisted and dangerous position!

Just when everyone was in despair and had closed their eyes, a figure moved.

It was Yuu Genkawa, who was completely focused and whose gaze never left Mai Sakurajima.

His brain didn't even have time to process the "danger" signal; all his actions were purely instinctive. Genkawa Yu's body suddenly surged forward with astonishing explosive power.

In that tiny moment when Sakurajima Mai's body completely lost its balance and was about to fall, Genkawa Yu rushed directly to the predicted landing area under the car.

Without the slightest hesitation, he opened his arms and pounced.

Genkawa Yu wasn't trying to catch her; that would have been nearly impossible and could have caused Sakurajima Mai further injury.

He chose to use his entire body as a final buffer, suddenly pulling Sakurajima Mai, who was falling like a kite with a broken string, into his arms. At the same time, he desperately twisted his body with the strength of his core, trying to use his back and shoulders to bear most of the impact and to separate the girl in his arms from the cold, hard ground as much as possible.

"Bang--!!!"

A heavy, heart-pounding thud slammed into the eardrums of everyone present!

The two of them crashed heavily to the floor like birds that had been shot down.

Because Yuu Genkawa absorbed more than 90% of the impact force, at the moment of impact, he felt a tearing pain in his right shoulder, followed by a clear cracking sound in his left arm.

The immense shock surged up his spine and slammed into the back of his head.

The world before my eyes spun around in an instant, gradually being swallowed by boundless darkness.

Just before his consciousness was completely swallowed by darkness, he vaguely felt that the girl in his arms had not been directly hit because of his protection. A strong sense of security overcame the excruciating pain, his tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and his willpower that he had been holding on for the moment dissipated.

Before he closed his eyes, he seemed to hear Mai Sakurajima's trembling and sobbing cries.

"Genkawa-kun! How are you?"

Then, a short-haired figure that he knew all too well broke through the chaotic crowd and rushed towards him like a madman.