I live my life in Tokyo

He overheard two sentences of the conversation between Nanakusa's agent and Mr. Amai, and heard the words Tokyo Dome and Yokohama Arena. If nothing unexpected happened, he should choose one of the two.

"Oh, so we can be neighbors in the future." Asakura Toru smiled with the corners of his mouth curled up.

"Almost. But whether I will continue to settle down and buy a house in Bunkyo-ku in the future is still unknown."

"Ah...want to run away?"

Higuchi Madoka watched the interaction between the boy and his childhood sweetheart and continued doing her homework.

The room soon became quiet again. After a while, Sakakibara Kaede looked out the window and saw that the rain had subsided a lot. He picked up his parasol and walked quickly to the entrance. Two girls who had already changed their shoes were standing in front of the door.

"Let me see you off."

There was no objection. Asakura Toru looked at Higuchi Madoka as if nothing had happened. She knew that Higuchi usually sternly refused boys' requests to see her off, but today seemed to be an exception?

When the two girls were sent to their doorsteps, luckily their mothers had already returned home. They thanked Sakakibara Kaede for accompanying them all the way and stuffed them with snacks they had made themselves, so that he left with empty hands and came back with a food bag in each hand.

For Kaede Sakakibara, the night is not over yet. He quickly finished his Tokyo University homework in the living room, checked it again and again to make sure it was correct, and then went to the second floor.

The weather in mid-September was already a little chilly. In such weather, one couldn't happily enjoy an air-conditioned room at 19 degrees while drinking an iced drink, unless Sakakibara Kaede wanted to lie down again.

The central heating continued to blow out warm air. Kaede Sakakibara sat in front of the desktop, his hands constantly typing on the keyboard. He still had some outsourced work to complete.

Silent all night.

The next day, the boy was full of energy again. While rinsing his mouth, he found the email that Kei Iida had sent him a long time ago, so he clicked on it to check.

"The audition will be at 3pm at Toei Headquarters in Ginza. I will pick you up personally."

Seeing the words "picked up personally by the agent", Sakakibara Kaede just curled her lips. Perhaps as an artist's agent, he wanted to enjoy some snacks in the Toei lounge?

At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, a private car arrived at the door of Sakakibara Kaede's house in advance. Chizuru Ichinose was also with them. Sakakibara Kaede was dressed lightly. Compared to Chizuru Ichinose who changed into the most eye-catching and fashionable clothes, he was still wearing a white T-shirt and black trousers, with a denim jacket on the outside, and was dressed very casually.

Chizuru Ichinose's eyes lit up, and her face blushed as she looked at Sakakibara-senpai who was sitting next to her and looking out the window. She wanted to exclaim that Sakakibara-senpai looked handsome no matter what he wore, but after looking at the occasion, she temporarily retracted the idea.

This was not the first time that Kaede Sakakibara had come to Toei headquarters. As time goes by, he naturally asked questions to the staff present, and when he saw a few familiar faces, he went up to them and started a conversation.

Kei Iida's role ended here, he couldn't get in, Chizuru Ichinose kept hiding behind Kaede Sakakibara, she looked at the actresses talking and laughing one by one, but her eyes were flashing with determination and substance, like a hungry wolf snatching food, such emotions made Chizuru Ichinose very nervous.

"Arnold... Senior Sakakibara is different from them, ah, I mean his eyes." She quietly looked at the profile of Sakakibara Kaede, staring into his blue eyes, as if she was about to be sucked in.

His eyes were calm, without any fear-inducing emotion.

"One's heart cannot be hidden behind his eyes. Just like this audition, everyone was full of confidence and believed that they could definitely get the role. Everyone else present was a competitor, even if they were colleagues or friends from the same agency."

"Such emotions are normal. This just proves their desire for the role, or that they want to show their value as an actor. There are thousands of reasons, but the determination in their eyes is the same."

"As for me."

Sakakibara Kaede paused, as if thinking about how to organize his words.

"I personally want this role too. After all, everyone wants to be a hero. But compared to my personal fighting spirit, I respect the decision of the production team more. They will not add or subtract points based on our eyes. After all, acting skills determine everything."

"This is equivalent to setting up a psychological expectation." Sakakibara smiled slightly, "If the production team chooses me, it means that I have reached their expected level and achieved success. If I fail the audition, I won't have such a big psychological gap that I will collapse."

"Ichinose-san, did you see anyone crying at the audition yesterday?"

Chizuru Ichinose bit her lower lip and nodded, "Yes, I started wiping away tears as soon as I walked out of the audition site, and I also felt that my acting skills could not impress the judges."

"Give me another example. Have you ever applied for a job, Ichinose-san?"

"Well... there are many people competing for part-time jobs."

"What I want to say is that you should set a psychological bottom line in advance and tell yourself that you may not succeed this time. The world does not revolve around you. It is best to let go of your mentality. There is a desire to win or lose, but don't let it affect your mood too much."

Sakakibara Kaede pointed out the experience of his predecessor, which was a personal experience for him. After all, he had experienced auditions of all sizes before, and it was common for him to not get a role.

Ichinose Chizuru lowered her head and thought for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Sakakibara-senpai."

"Well, go and line up quickly. I also need to prepare. Good luck in the audition." Sakakibara Kaede pointed at Sakurajima Mai who was standing not far away and waving at them, and said to Higuchi Madoka and the others.

"Yes!" Ichinose Chizuru ran a few steps away, turned around and said with a bright smile, "Sakakibara-senpai, do your best in the audition too!"

The boy nodded, and followed the second round of auditions for the male lead. There were not many people in the team, only about ten. He stood aside, listening to the actors in front of him discussing their past resumes, trying to outdo others in the works they had filmed, so as to build up their own self-confidence and influence their opponents.

This doesn't seem to be a means, it's just ordinary competition.

The second round of auditions was conducted individually, and Sakakibara Kaede followed in the middle of the line while looking at her phone.

The memo was filled with Ken Sano's instructions.

Chapter 7 I Can't Be a Hero

Sakakibara Kaede pushed the door open and looked around the audition room.

There is a table and two chairs. The cushions on the chairs look very soft. They are not folding chairs or light chairs provided for staff to take a temporary rest. At least they look more luxurious.

It's just that this chair doesn't match the simple table.

Apart from the simple furniture, there is a mirror on the wall. When Sakakibara Feng saw this, he couldn't help but wonder, this couldn't be a police interrogation room, this mirror looked fishy, ​​it was a one-way mirror in the interrogation room.

However, Sakakibara Kaede still didn't complain. Seeing that the interrogator had not arrived yet, he sat on the chair and his butt did feel comfortable.

Regarding this point, he felt that the treatment for the interview was not bad. At home, he sat on an ergonomic gaming chair, and he could lean back and start playing handheld games anytime and anywhere. Although this chair now does not have that kind of effect, it can indeed make people relax and maintain their condition.

He sat in the interrogation room for less than two minutes before another door opened a crack. Sakakibara Kaede looked up and suddenly grinned.

"Director Takenaka...ah, should I call you Mr. Takenaka now?"

The person who came to audition him was his old acquaintance, Director Kiyoshi Takenaka, who was the director of Will-O'-the-Ghost in Midsummer.

The latter couldn't help but chuckle as well. He sat down opposite the boy without any hesitation and said, "Just follow the old way in the crew and call me Takenaka-san, Sakakibara-kun."

"Yes."

Kiyoshi Takenaka glanced at the good-looking face of Kaede Sakakibara and couldn't help laughing. He knew best what kind of personality the young man in front of him had. It seemed to him that Kaede Sakakibara was fully prepared for this audition interview.

He had interviewed several actors before. As soon as they entered the room, they began to talk incessantly about their filming experiences and acting experiences, showing their advantages on their faces for him to choose, which made Takenaka Kiyoshi feel a little bored.

There are many excellent actors, and he has seen many of them. Toei has used even more actors, and these actors have the capital to be proud of themselves. However, after listening to so many of them, Kiyoshi Takenaka always feels that their experiences are similar.

Although he thought so in his heart, the final decision on casting belonged to the entire production team, not him alone. His job was just to ask questions and then write down his feelings and thoughts in a notebook.

Naturally, there were other members of the production team watching behind the one-way mirror.

He turned his head to look at the one-way mirror. There were many roles that needed to be decided in the second round of auditions today, and the production team was very busy. Different numbers of people were stationed in different audition groups, but what they valued most was the casting of the leading actors. Not only was Shijiang there, but the editor-in-chief, Mr. Arakawa, was also watching.

"Hey, Sakakibara-kun, as an opening statement, please introduce the works you have shot yourself."

"Hello, my name is Sakakibara Kaede, from STARS Agency. I've been in the industry for almost a year. When I first debuted, I starred in the film Our Daily Life as a High School Student. In this year's summer season, I participated in the filming of Toei's project Will-O'-the-Ghost in the Midsummer. I didn't have any filming assignments in the autumn season."

"Don't be so modest, Sakakibara-kun. You have participated in dozens of TV dramas, including your minor roles."

Takenaka Kiyoshi continued, "Of course, I also watched the reality show that Sakakibara-kun participated in, Dream Apartment, which can also be regarded as my experience as an actor."

"Yes."

Behind the one-way mirror, the stonemason chuckled softly, "It seems that Takenaka really likes this young man."

Mr. Arakawa continued, "You can't hide your admiration for someone. At least it reminds us elders. Mr. Ishida, I wonder if you have seen Mr. Sakakibara's works."

The stonemason looked at the young man who handled the situation with ease. He was silent for a moment and then nodded. "I have seen it and I have an impression of it. Since this young man has not participated in many works, each one has had a profound impact on him."

"My daughter really likes watching Dream Apartment and watches it every week."

“My daughter is pretty much the same.”

The two middle-aged men in their fifties smiled at each other and continued to focus their attention on the young man.

"Can Sakakibara-kun ride a motorcycle?" Takenaka Kiyoshi asked seriously, holding his chin with both hands. This question was very important, so he had to ask it in a serious manner.

"Yes, here is my motorcycle license."

Sakakibara took out his driver's license from his wallet and showed a photo on his phone. It was a graduation certificate from a motorcycle driving school, with a commendation for outstanding students.

Takenaka Kiyoshi breathed a sigh of relief. This problem had previously stumped the two actors who had never taken a driving test. After all, these days, young actors all rely on their agent's private car to get to and from work. At worst, there is the convenient and well-developed subway.

However, Kamen Rider is a work that has been popular since the past, and in such a plot, it is very necessary for the protagonist to be able to ride a motorcycle.

"Hey, what kind of hero do you want to be, Sakakibara-kun?"

Takenaka Kiyoshi slowed down his speech. This question made many actors ponder for a while. He gave the same prompt as in the previous interview: "Or to put it more bluntly, if Sakakibara-kun has power, how does Sakakibara-kun plan to use such power?"

The boy had thought about how to answer this question before.

In other words, ever since he first learned about the Kamen Rider project, this question has been lingering in his mind.

What kind of person do you want to be?

If you were a hero.

It's like traveling to another world and possessing unparalleled power, able to easily destroy the devil. What would you do with this power?

He had looked through the academy templates in the shitty porn forums in the past, and all the answers he saw were about being in a different world and having a harem!

If you are a man, you must have a harem. This is the ultimate ideal of men, or it can be said that it is the reproductive instinct of human beings.

At that time, he did give a thumbs up to the ideal of having a harem, but he was also thinking about this issue.

Maybe he could become an ordinary adventurer, maybe he could enter the center of the kingdom and control the government, maybe... he could become a powerful shadow warrior.

There are indeed many ideas, but the boy currently has only one answer.

“I want to be a hero among ordinary people.”

"I don't want any special treatment, nor do I want to be praised by thousands of people. I am just an ordinary person who lives in the city. But if anything dangerous happens around me, I will protect everyone without mercy."

"It doesn't matter, I will take action."

Sakakibara Kaede said: "There is a very interesting setting in the novel, why do you swing the sword? Some people swing the sword to kill, some people swing the sword for honor, then I will choose to swing the sword to protect."

"I want to protect the people around me, and I also want to protect those who are in crisis and whom I have never met."

Behind the one-way mirror, the stonemason and Mr. Arakawa hummed at the same time, and the latter nodded, "Such an idea is really dazzling, the determination to protect everything."

Mason agreed, "The answer is very close to ours, but an actor previously gave a similar answer, wanting to protect everyone."

Mr. Arakawa disagreed with this and asked.

"Well, Mr. Ishida, do you know the difference between the words protect and guard?"

"do not know."

"Guarding means guarding and protecting, not allowing any danger to harm the other party. There are emotions involved, such as love, family, and friendship. Protection is a matter of responsibility, just like a superhuman with omniscience and omnipotence, who can turn any dangerous scene into a safe place. This is called protecting all mankind."

As expected of Mr. Arakawa, he explained the difference between the two words clearly. The stonemason followed his words and said, "So, the word 'guard' represents a relatively close relationship between people, while 'protect' has a bit of a sense of being out of touch with the world."

"exactly."

After hearing the two's explanation, the rest of the production team members nodded and uttered harmonious exclamations.

"If you were asked to choose between being an ordinary person and a hero, which one would you want to be?"

"Well... an ordinary person." Sakakibara Feng smiled, "I am just an ordinary person now. I am fighting in an ordinary way. I want to use my power to change and influence more young people, so that they will not hesitate to move forward."

"Excuse me, I forgot that Sakakibara-kun has formed a band and is about to release an album, right?"

"Yes, at the end of September."

The question-and-answer session ended with a brisk ring tone. Takenaka Kiyoshi put down his notebook filled with notes and smiled at Sakakibara Kaede. "Sakakibara-kun, why don't you take a rest in the lounge area? We will decide on the final candidate for the leading role this afternoon."

"Yes, thank you for your patience, Takenaka-san."

Sakakibara Kaede smiled relaxedly and closed the door before leaving.

Kiyoshi Takenaka glanced at the schedule and saw that the next interview would start in five minutes. He quickly walked to the rest area behind the one-way mirror and greeted the people in the production team.

"Takenaka."

"exist."

Hearing that it was the stonemason who called his name, Takenaka Kiyoshi immediately cheered up and responded. He quickly walked to the stonemason and Mr. Arakawa, "Teacher Ishida, do you have any advice for me?"

"How much do you know about this young man, no, Sakakibara Kaede?"

The stonemason glanced at Mr. Arakawa, who had a blank look in his eyes, and asked softly.

Kiyoshi Takenaka was shocked. During the five minutes of rest after he finished the interview, the two teachers never expressed their curiosity about the actor to him. Could it be that Kaede Sakakibara's performance attracted their attention?

Thinking of this, a gentle smile appeared on Takenaka Kiyoshi's face, and he said respectfully, "Yes, Mr. Ishida, you also know that in this summer's movie "Willow Spirits in Midsummer", which I was responsible for filming, Kaede Sakakibara was one of the leading actors."

"Sakakibara Kaede performed well in the crew. He was hardworking and never complained about being tired. He also got along very well with other actors. He had a precise grasp of his acting skills and never made the mistake of reshooting a scene multiple times. As long as he was given more than ten minutes to get into the role, he could perfectly present the role."

"Hmm...what do you think, Mr. Arakawa?"