I live my life in Tokyo

Sakakibara Kaede admitted it openly. It was not something that could not be admitted. People always yearn for beautiful things. In novels, there is such a perfect world, and everyone has had the idea of ​​​​throwing themselves into it and making a name for themselves in the world.

So he understood why the theme of harem in another world was so popular. Reality was already too tiring, and emptying his mind and putting himself in the shoes of the protagonist to adventure in another world and start a harem was called a rest.

Thinking of this, Sakakibara Kaede sighed. He understood that it was simply impossible to adapt a harem anime in another world into a live-action version.

Not to mention the gorgeous female protagonists, the selection of male protagonists is very strict - because if he is too handsome, the audience will not feel involved; if he is too ugly, the audience will also not feel involved.

It is indeed extremely difficult.

"Sakakibara-senpai, why are you sighing for no reason?"

"Nothing, just thinking about something uncomfortable."

The two of them sat on seats next to the bookcase, facing each other, with several popular light novels they had just bought in front of them.

The themes are all about campus, youth, and romance - these are the current hot topics they selected based on the novels written by Kasumigaoka Utaha, and they read them to learn from her.

"I always feel like I can't write an interesting plot." Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed, holding her face to complain about her troubles, "The editor said that my emotional part was too bland, as bland as boiled water."

"What about the daily life part?"

“I write about everyday life centered around emotions.”

Kasumigaoka Utaha said honestly.

No wonder it’s hard to write.

Sakakibara Kaede nodded. If it is a romance novel, then the plot will mostly follow the same pattern, and similar trivial things that happen in daily life can be seen in every book.

For example, during the school festival, the man and woman quickly become closer while preparing for the school festival.

For example, during the school trip, under the fiery red maple leaves in Kyoto, the two people's eyes were always fixed on each other.

Plots like this are common in light novels.

"I'm just stating my personal opinion. Kasumigaoka-san can choose to listen or not." Sakakibara Kaede crossed her fingers, casually opened a light novel and said slowly.

“Writing about the daily life of youth requires some experience. Without experience, the words written will always lack something, especially the daily life.”

"In ordinary daily life, some things always seem precious." Sakakibara Kaede smiled lightly, looking at the bright sun outside the window, "Maybe it's friendship, or maybe it's a bond, the most important thing is what you want to write."

“What was your original intention in writing this book?”

The boy pointed to his heart.

"I write books for myself. I want to write words that satisfy and move myself." Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled and said firmly.

Sakakibara Kaede chuckled and changed to a more comfortable sitting position. "I think our daily youth life is not just about romance."

Kasumigaoka Utaha held her chin in her hand and thought for a moment, then nodded, "Sakakibara-senpai, can you tell me in detail?"

"Life is a bottle of seasoning, sweet, sour, bitter and spicy. In a novel, you only need to write about the sweet side. This is the choice of most light Japanese novels."

"It's too sweet, it's a bit choking."

The girl frowned slightly and hummed, "Sakakibara-senpai, do you mean to add some bitterness?"

"That's an option, but I won't do that. I'll add some boiled water to neutralize the sweetness." Sakakibara cleared his throat. "The hero in the novel is also a real person. His life is not just about love, there are other things, such as exams, family, and travel. With these things, the hero's personality will be more substantial."

The girl shook her long black silk legs. She took out a laptop from her backpack, put it on the table and started typing rapidly. It seemed that she had gotten some inspiration.

After typing a few lines, she looked up at Sakakibara Kaede again.

"Sakakibara-senpai, the editor told me before that if I want the book's emotional line to be more complicated, I need to add a second female protagonist."

"The second female protagonist? Stock trading?" Sakakibara Kaede was stunned. The stock trading technique is very common in light novels or comics. In popular light novels or comics, voting is usually used to decide who will be the final winner among the many female protagonists.

"If it is simply used to advance the plot, the existence of the second heroine is indeed necessary. I think the advice given by Kasumigaoka-san's editor is worth listening to. Usually, the two heroines interact with the hero in many ways and show their different charms. This is a normal way of expression in light novels."

The girl hummed softly, "It's like changing a girl to focus on writing each volume, right?"

"Yes."

"But the final decision is in your hands. I think the novel written by Kasumigaoka-san will be very interesting, and he will definitely use very delicate writing to outline each female character."

The girl pursed her lips in a complicated tone after being praised. She sighed softly, "I really lost to you, Sakakibara-senpai. Is this how an actor understands the plot outline?"

She tilted her head slightly, as if the complexity that had just appeared on her face did not exist, and a mature smile appeared on her face.

Her bright face attracted the attention of the male students nearby. Sakakibara Kaede turned her gaze back to the book and began to enjoy the relaxing time of reading and drinking in the air-conditioned room.

"Thank you, Sakakibara-san."

The soft words passed by my ears like the noisy summer wind. The girl's face could not be seen as she lowered her head to read the light novel.

I want to write what I want to write, and the words that can move myself, Kasumigaoka-san is really amazing.

The boy muttered to himself.

"You're welcome. I'm your senior."

"Senior, you really know how to brag."

Without any irony in her complaints, Kasumigaoka Utaha chuckled and moved her hand to the keyboard. In a corner of this small bookstore was the place where the hero and the heroine had met before.

Thank you, Sakakibara-senpai.

The girl felt that it would be embarrassing to say the last sentence, so she didn't say it.

Chapter 25 Sisters

Mai Sakurajima lay on the bed. After a day's shooting, her whole body was in a state of powerless standby. Such fatigue reminded her of the breathless running in the forest during the last filming period.

Originally, she only needed to lie in bed for a while to recover her strength and then get up to cook dinner, but today, an intruder appeared in her room.

The girl glanced at the blonde girl who was leaning on the sofa with her legs curled up, hugging herself into a ball, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Xiao He, why are you here? What happened?"

The blonde girl's shoulders trembled slightly when she heard that. Her sister's voice was still so gentle and calm, as if the warm winter sun was shining on her body, making her both envious and yearning.

Toyohama Kazuka wiggled her toes like a disgruntled child - in fact, in Sakurajima Mai's eyes, she did seem to be disgruntled with someone.

"I had a fight with my mother and ran away."

"A train built by one person? I'd be worried."

Mai Sakurajima said softly.

"Ah."

Fengbin Hexiang bit his lower lip and pushed his head further down.

Mai Sakurajima felt helpless when she saw this. Facing her half-sister, she didn't know what this quarrel meant for a moment.

What's the quarrel about? Are you planning to escape for a few days?

With a lot of problems in her heart, Sakurajima Mai got up and stretched, leaving her tiredness on the bed. After getting up, she moved her feet, found her slippers, and walked towards the kitchen.

The homework that she reviewed last night was still spread out on the table. Mai Sakurajima went forward to put it away, opened the refrigerator, and took out the meat package that had already been thawed.

She doesn't have much interaction with her stepmother, and the amount of communication between her and her sister is neither too much nor too little, but Fengbin Hexiang likes being with her.

"How are your idol activities going lately?"

"...It was just like that. There were too many voices in the team, so I couldn't get an audition opportunity, and I couldn't get a chance to advance as a team."

Toyohama Kazuka whispered. She followed in the footsteps of Sakurajima Mai and now joined an idol group in an agency. The group has a total of seven members and is just starting out.

The more people there are in a team, the more difficult it is to manage, and the same is true for high school idols.

Idols with inconsistent goals and different original intentions have no common language and it is difficult for them to talk to each other.

Fengbin Hexiang sighed as she thought about it. She envied Muse so much. The kind of person who took action to save the school, had clear goals and dreams, and became famous step by step was exactly what she longed for.

Mai Sakurajima didn't know that her sister had such an idea. She soaked the vegetables in water. Seeing that Fengbin Kazuka was still curled up on the sofa in a daze, she took the TV remote control and turned on the TV.

After changing a few channels, Mai Sakurajima temporarily put down the remote control and began to think about what to cook tonight.

Hmm... With one more person, I'd better make hamburger meat. I still have to get used to cooking for other people.

Mai Sakurajima thought so. After the unified college entrance examination next year, she will move to Tokyo. Then she will be neighbors with her friends and she can show off her skills when they come to her home.

She had already heard Sakakibara Kaede brag about how delicious the Higuchi family’s food was... It was time for him to experience the Sakurajima family’s food.

Mai Sakurajima raised the kitchen knife high and chopped it downwards.

"What a handsome man!"

On the other side, Fengbin Hexiang glanced at the TV and was immediately attracted by the interesting variety show. Her mood gradually improved with the laughter of the artists.

The young man with black hair and blue eyes appeared briefly in her eyes. With just this quick glance, she immediately straightened up.

Mai Sakurajima looked at the TV and saw a certain Sakakibara actor and Chizuru Ichinose completing the crew's tasks. While the two were communicating, the artists were also laughing and joking with each other. She couldn't help but snort.

"It turned out to be him."

She said it lightly, with a hint of contempt and indifference in her words.

Fengbin Kazuka turned around and asked, "Sister, do you know this actor Sakakibara?"

"Of course I know him. He is my junior."

Mai Sakurajima curled her lips and listened to Kaede Sakakibara talking about the importance of role-playing. She started frying hamburger patties, muttering to herself.

Sakakibara Kaede had talked to her about the sense of substitution a long time ago. I remember she said it when she was putting herself into the role of Kitahara Hiroshi. It always felt like it happened a long time ago.

They have known each other for almost a year.

Mai Sakurajima looked at the burning red sky outside the window. If she waited for another three months, she and senior Sakakibara would have been friends for a year.

"Does sister have his contact information?"

On this side, Fengbin Hexiang still asked with some hopelessness.

Sakurajima Mai hummed, and seeing Toyohama Kazuka's expectant gaze, she asked back, "Kawazu, what you imagine is unrealistic."

"I'm not imagining that!" Fengbin Hexiang's face turned slightly red, like an angry kitten, "I just want to ask my sister if I can give him a call, contact him... or something like that."

Mai Sakurajima laughed, but she still didn't take any action.

Mr. Sakakibara is still recording a program at this moment, and he might be working with someone to cook dinner tonight. It would be inconvenient for him to answer the phone at this time, and it would cause trouble for him.

Sakurajima Mai would naturally not do such a thing.

She made a simple salad platter, and when Sakurajima Mai brought the food to the table, the camera on the TV was facing Sakakibara Kaede's room - there was him working hard.

Really, filming a reality show is already hard enough, how can you add more workload to yourself?

Mai Sakurajima swallowed her complaints with some juice and when she looked at the TV again, another girl appeared in front of the camera.

Fengbin Hexiang tsked her lips in satisfaction. She shook her head slightly, her golden shoulder-length hair swaying in the light. She looked at the food on the table and said with a smile, "Thank you, sister. It's so sumptuous!"

"Does your sister usually eat these?"

"Hmm... I don't usually cook hamburger meat." Sakurajima Mai poked her face with the tail of the chopsticks and said, "I sometimes only eat salad at night. In order to maintain my figure, won't your agent at the agency manage your diet and daily routine?"

"So that's why I hate idols." Fengbin Kazuka looked away and pouted.

The members of the group competed with each other in the audition, which made Toyohama Kazuka, who was originally passionate about the idol industry and wanted to catch up with Sakurajima Mai, feel a little unfamiliar.

She tried hard and struggled, but still wasn't chosen for the audition.

On the contrary, those who didn’t work as hard in the team succeeded in the audition. Although they still put on a smiling face and congratulated others on the surface, they still felt more or less disappointed and unfair in their hearts.

Sakurajima Mai looked at Toyohama Kazuka's face. She chewed her food and said softly, "Xiaohe, you can stay here today."

"Are you going to school or work tomorrow?"

Fengbin Hexiang bit her lower lip and tried to muster up the courage to say that she wanted to lie down at home and rely on her sister to support her, but in the end she succumbed to the pressure of reality and her inner heart.

"I'll go to work tomorrow. I'll take the tram in the morning."

Fengbin Hexiang muttered.

Sakurajima Mai nodded. Her relationship with the aunt was like that of strangers, neither good nor bad. Under such circumstances, it was difficult to handle household affairs.

What would Sakakibara-senpai do at this time?

The image of the young man couldn't help but appear in Sakurajima Mai's mind. How would he treat his half-sister?

You should persuade her with kind words, let her continue to live at home before she gets upset, and continue to enlighten her.

Mai Sakurajima knows this nice guy very well. The self-restraint and disgust hidden beneath her bright smile make her conscientiously maintain a distance between her friends and she thinks twice before making any move.