I live my life in Tokyo

Higuchi Madoka just watched.

She frowned.

Then, the girl stepped forward and said, "Sakakibara-san is not an idol, so he should be very good at expressing himself, right?"

This sentence is full of self-mockery and hedgehog-like thorns. One can only say that it is worthy of Higuchi Madoka. Only she can say such elegant words.

"Yeah, that's right."

Mai Sakurajima's eyes moved around Higuchi Madoka, and she said with a smile.

"Thank you."

Sakakibara Kaede naturally knew that Higuchi Madoka had a kind heart beneath her cold appearance, so she immediately nodded and thanked her.

Uehara Yo watched from the side with tears in his eyes, muttering: "I am a handsome golden-haired guy, I am a handsome golden-haired guy."

Takeda Hiroshi coughed and said, "What's the matter? We are all acquaintances, so don't we all talk like this?"

"This... can this be the same?" Uehara Yao sighed. He also wanted the actresses to care about him. Isn't there any actress who cares about how he survived being mistaken for a gangster for so many years?

The atmosphere was a bit strange, and the boy frowned, but he couldn't tell what was strange. Fortunately, the leader of the agency, Qingshan Yang, appeared at this time, clapped his hands and attracted everyone's attention.

More than a hundred people were dispatched from the STARS agency alone, and many of them were actors from the same class. Several actresses who were chatting skillfully with Chizuru Ichinose were students from the same class as her. They had just graduated, so entering such a work environment could not be considered an audition. What mattered more was to get a feel for the job and gain some experience.

"Um... ahem, I'll call out the names. When everyone is here, we'll enter in order of the agency." Qingshan Yang coughed, took out the tablet he carried with him, and pushed his glasses. His unshaven beard was incompatible with his suit and tie, which made many actors who were familiar with him laugh. What kind of gangster uncle is this?

Uehara Yo's eyes were moist, he seemed to have found his home.

If Sakakibara Kaede knew what his friend was thinking, he would probably pour cold water on him. After shaving, Aoyama Hiroshi was still a handsome and energetic young man, but he looked decadent now. It's not that he was born decadent.

"Yuan Xiang-chan, does he still come for tutoring every day?"

"Oh, I haven't missed any classes."

"So hardworking! Was this really done by senior Sakakibara?" Sakakijima Mai looked up and down at Kaede Sakakibara suspiciously. Higuchi Madoka's lips curled up slightly when she heard that.

Sakakibara Feng glanced at the two girls coldly, "You have learned too little and don't know what it means to be a role model. Do you understand what a teacher is?"

Sakurajima Mai snorted twice, took Higuchi Yuuka's hand and went to report to the front. Sakakibara Kaede shook her head. Her originally slightly nervous mood was messed up by this nonsensical conversation, and she did calm down a lot.

He stepped forward, heard his name from Qingshan Yang, and raised his hand.

After counting the number of people, the group followed other firms and lined up outside the exhibition hall. People who didn’t know would have thought that an exhibition was being held today.

"I came to this venue last year. If you want to go to the toilet, I can recommend you a few nearby places." Uehara Yao waved his hand and said.

"last year?"

"At the anime convention, I bought a lot of things and followed a lot of artists and cosplayers on Twitter."

Seeing this, Sakakibara Kaede and Takeda Hiroshi immediately turned their backs and clicked on Uehara Yō's personal homepage, clicked into the follow list, and followed the one whose profile picture caught their eye.

Seeing that he and Uehara Yao had a lot of common interests, the boy couldn't help but nodded. It is a very enjoyable thing to have friends with the same hobbies and interests. Uehara has a bright future and they are like-minded people.

A screen was also set up inside the exhibition hall to distinguish the rooms. At least this audition was very different from the boy's previous ones.

The first few times we sat in a lounge with sofas, TV and snacks.

but now. . .

Sakakibara Kaede looked around and saw that the entire venue was filled with tables and chairs, as if it were a conference. There was a bottle of water on each seat, showing the professionalism of the staff.

"It's too exaggerated." Uehara Yao exclaimed.

Isn't it? This is just like an offline party of Star Citizen. Sakakibara watched the actors sit down one after another after confirming their seats, with their postures straight, and felt uneasy.

He initially thought it would be on the scale of an offline gathering of giant mushroom lovers, but reality dealt him a series of peas.

"Forget it, sit down first."

Uehara Yao comforted himself and pulled over a chair and sat down.

Sakurajima Mai and Higuchi Madoka each pulled a chair and sat next to Sakakibara Kaede, looking like two door gods.

While people were still entering the venue, Sakakibara Kaede lowered her voice and asked, "Sakurajima-senpai, Higuchi-san, what roles are you going to audition for this time?"

Higuchi Madoka did not speak. It was Sakurajima Mai who spoke first. She thought carefully and said, "Whether it is a positive role or a villain role, I want my character to convey a will, a thought, and a determination... Of course, such a character should be Kamen Rider."

"Well, I'd be satisfied if I could become Kamen Rider's junior, or be the first female character to know his true identity."

Higuchi Madoka nodded and said, "If there is a role that silently contributes to others, I would like to try it."

Sakakibara Kaede nodded. Not only had the subject matter changed, but the characters they wanted to shoot had also undergone a drastic change. At least in this black-and-white special effects drama, all the actors liked to be on the side of justice. Even if they couldn't become Kamen Rider, becoming a partner of the symbol of justice was also a good choice.

Naturally, everyone has different tastes. Uehara Yo has completely turned evil and wants to turn into a villain and give his righteous friends a blow.

"By the way, what about Sakakibara-senpai's band album?" Sakakijima Mai leaned over to Sakakibara Kaede and asked in a low voice, "If Sakakibara-senpai is selected to start filming, he may have to travel all over Japan. Didn't Sakakibara-senpai say that he would release his second album in mid-November?"

"Hiss." The boy took a deep breath. He had obviously forgotten this. In the past, special effects dramas used huge scenes and locations. He was used to shooting small fresh TV dramas and movies. He was used to shooting in Tokyo in the morning and leaving with his bags in the evening.

Special effects dramas are different. They may have to be filmed in two locations in Tokyo and Osaka in a week, which means he needs to pack his luggage and go on a spontaneous filming trip.

"Sakurajima-san is a good reminder, but of course I have to be selected successfully." Sakakibara Kaede coughed and said under the smiling gaze of Sakurajima Mai, "Just in case, I will finish the recording in advance."

"That's more like it. What's the name of Sakakibara-senpai's new album?"

"I haven't thought about this yet. I'll have to discuss it with Nishikino-san and Miura-san when the time comes."

The two of them lowered their voices because most of the actors who came for the audition had already taken their seats. The noise in the venue, which was originally as lively as a free market, gradually became quieter, and everyone began to whisper to each other in a low voice.

While they were talking, a group of people entered the meeting room with documents in their hands.

The actors spontaneously stood up and greeted each other, which was a sign of respect and greeting to Toei's producer and production team.

Sakakibara Kaede cleared his throat and stopped talking. Instead, he took a sip of water to moisten his dry lips.

"Eh--"

After the production team sat down one by one, the person sitting in the middle tried to see if the microphone was working. Hearing his voice being clearly transmitted, he covered his mouth and coughed twice.

The venue suddenly became quiet, and all the actors looked at the production team with the most ardent gaze, hoping that they could notice their determined eyes and know their devout hearts - these were just psychological comfort.

"Hey... I'm Hidenori Ishida, one of the directors of the Kamen Rider production team. Before I talk about the audition content, I would like to welcome everyone to participate in this audition. I believe that everyone came here with a love for special effects dramas."

The person who was speaking looked older. If I had to describe him accurately, he might be a middle-aged man close to an elderly person, around 50 years old. In Toei, the production team and the industry, he was respected as a stonemason.

The stonemason stood up and began to introduce the members of the production team one by one. His serious attitude towards this project made the actors in the audience gradually put away their smiles and put on poker faces.

Sitting in the front row were the director, screenwriters, producers, and dozens of other people in total.

"The auditions will be conducted in batches, starting with the lead actor. The same person may not audition for more than three roles." Shijiang knew that the actors were limited to more than one role, so he spoke very broadly, "First, we need to reveal part of the plot of this project... Mr. Arakawa..."

He handed the microphone to a middle-aged man with gray hair, who took the microphone and nodded and thanked him, "Hello everyone, I am Toshihisa Arakawa, the screenwriter of this project, Kamen Rider."

After introducing himself and the plot that could be revealed so far in a very eloquent manner, Mr. Arakawa continued.

"Well, in the 50-episode plot, there are a lot of daily life elements, which is also an innovation in special effects dramas... The protagonist this time is not the so-called ideal male protagonist. He will also be confused and hurt. Most importantly, he is also an ordinary person."

Sakakibara Feng listened very carefully. He took out the prepared paper and pen from his pocket and began to take crooked notes.

Mai Sakurajima watched the boy's actions and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

He was not the only one. All the actors who wanted to audition for the leading role were busy writing. These were the key points of the role revealed by the screenwriter. With these hints, the audition would be much easier.

At least the direction is not wrong.

The so-called glamorous and ideal male protagonist has become increasingly mediocre in recent periods, and the same is true for the protagonists created by Mr. Arakawa. This has nothing to do with the evolution of the theme of the novel, but has to do with the market.

It is still the same reason that I have mentioned over and over again, and it makes people feel involved.

Yu Kashima scratched her head and felt that she should audition for a female role.

And a character like Kamen Rider, a hero like this, can be embarrassed, but he can never be pretty.

Sakakibara Kaede breathed a sigh of relief. He had obviously thought of a similar problem as Kashima Yu, but fortunately his acting range was relatively wide, and the time it took him to get into a special role was getting less and less.

At the same time, he also learned a fact.

Kamen Rider occupies about 50 episodes, but each episode is about minutes long, which is the length of a first-level anime.

This is different from his previous TV series, which were each episode lasting forty minutes or more. TV series can detail and exaggerate character relationships and facial close-ups, but special effects dramas are different. In order to capture the hearts of the audience, all the wonderful clips must be integrated into more than twenty minutes, which will be a huge workload.

Maybe I will go to different places in a week.

Sakakibara Kaede silently said to himself that if he passed the audition and was selected, he would have to be prepared to shoot continuously until January or February next year... Will he approve the leave note submitted to Dean Kimura?

"Hey, the full name of this project is Kamen Rider Kuuga."

The microphone returned to the stonemason's hand. He concluded with this sentence and then said, "Next, please ask all actors to go to the audition locations of the leading actors in turn. We will first use the group audition scene. After eliminating a group of people, we will let the actors have individual auditions."

The production team's meaning was very simple. Since there were so many people, it would be better to cut the Gordian knot and eliminate a group of people first through the process of natural selection. They adopted the same group audition as the one for Will-O'-the-Ghost-in-the-Summer.

I don’t know how many people will be in the group this time. If they are lucky, several or even all members of the group may be selected - just like what happened to Kaede Sakakibara last time. If they are unlucky, the whole group may be eliminated.

But this time, everyone is a competitor.

Sakakibara Kaede took a deep breath and stood up with the two women beside her.

"We are going to audition for the female lead." Sakurajima Mai held Higuchi Madoka's hand and stood aside to prevent them from being separated by the crowd. The two of them looked at Sakakibara Kaede, and the former said, "Sakakibara-senpai, come on!"

"Yeah, so do you."

Higuchi Madoka opened her mouth and looked at the back of the boy who caught up with the main group, but she still didn't say the most important words. This time, was it for the so-called face, or to hide her own existence and go with the flow with other ordinary actors?

"Yuanxiang-chan, blessings will only work if you say them out loud." Sakurajima Mai said with a smile, pulling her hand and rushing towards Kashima Yu.

When Higuchi Madoka was pulled like this by someone other than her childhood sweetheart, she felt a little strange and resistant at first, but after a while, she just let it go naturally.

It seemed that she had also let other people pull her hand like this, and more than once.

I even cried in his arms, although it was only for the needs of the plot.

That is an unfamiliar smell of shower gel. After all, everyone uses different ones. Next time I go to the supermarket, I'll find out which brand he uses.

Kaede Sakakibara looked back and saw that several familiar friends had already lined up at the end of the line. He took a deep breath, took out the notebook in his arms, and did some last-minute cramming.

Chapter 3 This is what I learned in Hawaii

Actors who wanted to audition for the lead role left the giant conference room and walked down the corridor into another open venue.

As mentioned before, this is an exhibition hall and has hosted events similar to anime exhibitions, so the venue provided for actors to audition is naturally very large.

Further inside were walls and gates, and Sakakibara Kaede couldn't help but take a look.

That should be where the audition takes place.

"Hey, the audition for the leading actor is about to begin. The groups will be divided into ten people and will be drawn by lot." The staff in charge of the audition said in a businesslike tone, holding a tablet computer. "The audition content will be announced after the groups are divided and you enter the audition location. After the audition, please leave here quietly and go to the main conference room to rest for a while."

"Actors who want to audition for other roles can go directly to other exhibition rooms for audition attempts after the audition for the main role is over. There will be snacks and fruits prepared by Toei in the main conference room later. If you have any questions, please ask the nearest staff member."

"After all the roles in the first round of auditions are finished, the actors can leave on their own. The results of whether they are eligible for the second round of auditions will be sent by email tonight."

"Eh - let's get started..." After the staff member finished explaining all the formalities and saw that the actors had no problem, he looked at the tablet in his hand and called out their names.

The actors whose names were called in the first round had a visible mixture of excitement and anxiety on their faces. You know, usually the first batch of audition actors usually leave the deepest impression on the judges - whether good or bad.

Sakakibara Kaede was not called by name in the first round, so he breathed a sigh of relief and grinned at Uehara Yo and Takeda Hiroshi beside him.

“It feels so professional.”

Uehara Yo sighed.

The boy nodded in agreement. This audition could be considered a pinnacle both in terms of scale and arrangement.

The huge venue and the huge number of staff, not to mention the production team, the number of actors auditioning alone is equal to the number of tourists visiting the exhibition hall.

"Ten people auditioning...what kind of rivalry will be staged?" Uehara Yao said to himself, stroking his chin.

Indeed, this is a good question. The will-o'-the-wisp in midsummer asked them to imitate high school students who were chased by a murderous ghost into a dead end in a western-style mansion with no way to escape, and to act out their terrified expressions and dialogues.

So what will Kamen Rider Kuuga's audition be like?

Sakakibara Kaede imagined that this was an audition for the leading role. Wouldn't the audition be like throwing a belt to everyone and then having a ring match in a space?

Whoever can fight to the end will be the real Kamen Rider.

Wait, is this raising a Gu?

Sakakibara Feng was speechless when he thought of this, and quickly shook his head to get rid of this outrageous idea.

The one who survives to the end is the Kamen Rider. What kind of audition method is this that was thought up by a genius?

The whispering lasted less than ten minutes before the first batch of auditioned actors walked out of the door one by one. It could be seen that some of them looked a little distraught, while the facial expressions of the others did not show any positive emotions.