I live my life in Tokyo

"I think he's a good candidate." Mr. Arakawa closed his notebook and straightened his short silver hair. "I've watched a few clips of reality shows filmed by Sakakibara-kun. What I admire about him is that he has never been pretentious in reality shows, or played a different version of himself. There's a popular saying nowadays called 'packaging a persona'. In my opinion, Sakakibara-kun doesn't need that. His personal charm can make fans like him naturally."

"I'm getting off topic. I think Sakakibara-kun is a good choice, at least for our project. What do you think, Mr. Ishida?"

"I really like his eyes... He gives me the feeling of a boy next door. The protagonist of our Kuuga is an adventurer who has graduated from college and traveled around the world. Sakakibara-kun has a very mature look. I think that at least in terms of the character and personality structure, Sakakibara-kun meets all of our expectations."

"As for personality, don't you think that the words that Sakakibara-kun said in the reality show, those encouraging words, the lyrics that hope everyone can shine like the stars, are very similar to the words spoken by our protagonist?"

Mr. Arakawa pressed the pen, and he discovered the source of the sense of incongruity he had felt before. Yes, after listening to what Mr. Ishida said, he felt that the personality of this actor was indeed very similar to the protagonist he created this time.

The five-minute break was over, and Kiyoshi Takenaka bowed to the two teachers and walked into the audition room.

"That young man is really good. Go get Sakakibara Kaede's activity records up to her debut as well as the crew's evaluations. I want to take a closer look." The stonemason instructed the staff member nearby, who bowed and left quickly.

A folder similar to a resume was soon presented to the two teachers, which contained detailed information about the TV series and movies that Sakakibara Kaede had participated in, as well as some comments from the crew.

"Oh? Taiga drama, I have some impression of this. I remember that in the Taiga drama of the Warring States period, which was famous for its fighting scenes, Sakakibara-kun actually played a minor role and was praised as a master of swordsmanship with great skills."

"So... even if he wears armor, he should be able to move and fight freely, right?"

"That should be correct. The one who gave the review was action director Miyamoto-sensei. I remember he was one of the presidents of the All Japan Kendo Federation."

The production team members sitting behind the two teachers secretly heard their conversation and suddenly felt a toothache. They thought that the actor Sakakibara who was auditioning was quite good and might really be able to meet their expectations.

"Cough cough."

The stonemason closed the information in his hand and began to listen to the answers of the current auditioning actors. Although he thought Sakakibara Kaede was good, this was not a reason for him not to give other actors a chance.

The same goes for Mr. Arakawa. He will not neglect one thing for the other, although in his heart, Sakakibara Kaede is already an extremely outstanding actor.

The two of them kept silent about Sakakibara Kaede's performance during the ten-person audition yesterday.

Because even experts would give a thumbs up and say it's awesome when seeing such a performance.

Chapter 8 The hero is each of us

After leaving the interrogation room, Sakakibara Kaede returned to the sofa in the rest area, where he could still hear the other actors talking. After the audition, they still wanted to compete with each other, or perhaps simple comparison could give them psychological comfort and make them feel more at ease.

People's understandings are different. Sakakibara Kaede found a vacant seat that was neither too far nor too close to the group of actors and sat down. He opened a pack of pocky and put it in his mouth.

Oh, and he didn't even pay attention to what flavor he got, which was a stupid mistake.

Sakakibara Kaede was not as calm as he looked. He was chewing the strawberry flavored pocky in his mouth. He had originally planned to choose chocolate flavored one.

He could hear the endless chattering sounds in his ears, which he thought was excellent background music.

At least listening to the actors competing and praising each other made him realize that he was not the only one who was nervous.

Taking advantage of the break before lunch started, Kaede Sakakibara walked out of the hall and came to the main entrance of Toei. He stood in front of the vending machine used for reception, thinking over and over again about what drinks to buy.

"I recommend barley tea. It can quench your thirst and nourish your throat. It's a good choice for actors and singers."

"——Mr. Arakawa?"

The boy stayed for a moment and gave up his seat. He did not recognize the editor-in-chief who was talking loudly in the hall yesterday because he was too far away from him.

"So you buy it?"

"purchase."

Kaede Sakakibara pressed the button for barley tea, and waited for a while in seclusion. After the machine vibrated, a bottle of drink fell out.

He unscrewed the lid and took a sip. It tasted a little bitter at first, but gradually the taste turned into a light and mellow one.

"It tastes good."

Toshihisa Arakawa also bought barley tea. He observed the boy's expression and said with some complacency.

"I won't suffer any loss if I listen to the old man's advice. Thank you Mr. Arakawa for your recommendation. I will take good care of my voice."

"Yeah, if you yell too much, it will leave a bad impression on the Internet in the future."

"Yes."

After a brief silence, Group 1017459498 Arakawa Toshihisa asked, "Are you confident about this audition, Sakakibara?"

"Not much actually. The actors who auditioned this time are all seniors who have been in the industry for several years. They have sufficient experience and understanding of the roles. In comparison, I have not even debuted for a year yet, so I still have a lot to learn."

"Sakakibara-kun, don't you want to be a hero?"

When Sakakibara Kaede heard this question, he looked out the window and smiled back, "I think, to a certain extent, I am already a hero. No, I should say, all of us are heroes."

“Reality and society are like villains, then we ourselves are heroes.”

Arakawa nodded, "It's an interesting idea."

"I don't think I can be a hero who commands the support of everyone."

"Oh? Are you talking about the kind of heroes in the popular light novels nowadays?"

Sakakibara looked at Arakawa in surprise, and the latter smiled and said, "My daughter is interested in these things, so as a screenwriter, I naturally have to understand the preferences of young people today."

"...yes."

"I don't have that kind of personality. Compared to the bright and noble protagonists described in novels, I am still a little far behind."

He does not yearn for such a hero, nor does he think he can become such a hero. He is not very fanatical about superheroes like Iron Man and Thor. Among many heroes, he has more favorable impression on Spider-Man.

If he hadn't been bitten by that spider, maybe he wouldn't be super, but he would still be a hero.

People can see their own shadow in him. He is also growing up. He needs to learn and find a job. He also has a girl he likes and things he wants. He also desires recognition from others.

He would have a headache about cars and houses.

His daily life is no different from others, except that he has powers that ordinary people don’t have. . . With great power comes great responsibility.

He is not perfect, he will cry, he also has moments of helplessness and failures that follow. He is an ordinary person, trapped by life and constrained by reality.

Because he is each and every one of us.

With this thought in mind, Sakakibara Kaede smiled back. Perhaps only people like this can be called heroes. . . Each of us is a hero in our lives.

The boy has a clear understanding of himself. He is a very lazy person. If he travels to another world, he might try to start a harem as the brothers in the quagmire said. Then the rest of his life will be just eating and sleeping at home.

How can he act if he has no desire?

Perhaps his only destiny is to continue his wandering life in that other world.

"I think that Sakakibara-kun has underestimated himself a bit." Arakawa Toshihisa was slightly surprised, but he hid the emotions on his face very well and comforted him with a smile.

This was the first time he realized Sakakibara Kaede's true thoughts.

In response to Mr. Arakawa's comfort, Sakakibara Kaede thanked him again and again. The question and answer session between the two lasted less than a few rounds and ended hastily. Arakawa Toshihisa got the answer, but he didn't know whether this was what he wanted or what the production team wanted. He nodded to Sakakibara Kaede kindly and slowly left with the barley tea.

Only then did Sakakibara Kaede notice his age, and a sigh of gratitude filled his heart. It was a kind of luck that such a senior screenwriter with so much life experience actually stopped and talked to him.

There is also a big problem for the production team, they need to rent a venue.

It was not a problem when the early scenes were not shot in busy cities, but as the plot deepened, it was necessary to use public roads for chase scenes and fighting scenes. However, this is a common topic for Toei, and as long as an application is made, it will be approved.

In addition, there are a large number of extras who are in great demand in special effects dramas.

Kaede Sakakibara didn't want to go back to the lounge to listen to other actors' loud discussions and affect her mentality for the time being. So, sitting outside the door and enjoying the cool breeze was also a good choice.

Time always passes so quickly when no one is disturbing it. Sakakibara Kaede paid for a short lunch at a nearby cafe out of his own pocket. The melodious jazz music gradually warmed up his mood.

Instead of paying attention to the results of the audition, the boy focused his attention on the upcoming album.

The number of likes on the official Twitter account has exceeded six figures, and there are hundreds of comments.

The small number of comments is not surprising. Unlike the large number of enthusiastic netizens in the past, Japanese people rarely leave comments under dynamics. It is not known whether this is to keep a distance or out of politeness.

A group of people in the lounge had already left. Sakakibara Kaede took a look and found that most of them had already left. The remaining people looked nervous and there was not even any chance to laugh and chat.

This is... already starting to phase out.

The average age of the actors has also increased a lot. Sakakibara Kaede saw many senior predecessors who have debuted for four or five years. Their temperament is more mature, and compared with the drive and immaturity of young actors, their acting skills are more sophisticated.

This is an element needed in a special effects drama.

We need young people, but we also need some adults. This is the balance.

He saw Sakurajima Mai and Higuchi Madoka, but did not see Ichinose Chizuru.

Sakurajima Mai greeted him with her lips, walked up quickly and whispered, "Ichinose-san didn't make it through the second round of auditions..."

The boy was not surprised by the result. For Chizuru Ichinose, it was already a great achievement for her to pass the first round of auditions. The second round of auditions was even more cruel, so it was normal for her to be eliminated.

"Where's Ichinose-san?"

"She left first. It seems that Iida-san came to pick her up."

"Iida-san is here? You didn't even say hello to me..."

"Maybe it's because I don't want to affect your audition."

Sakurajima Mai said softly, "If... I mean if, we both passed the audition at the same time, would we have nearly half a year to film together?"

"There are more than just the two of us."

"Oh?" Sakurajima Mai had a somewhat jealous expression. She looked at the calm Sakakibara Kaede, whose eyes were looking at the production team in the distance.

"Sakakibara-senpai, are you talking about Yuanxiang-chan?"

"It would be great if Higuchi-san could pass the audition." Sakakibara continued, "Higuchi-san and we have acted opposite each other many times before, and we know each other well. This will save us a lot of time getting into the role."

Mai Sakurajima pouted and sighed as she looked at senior Sakakibara, who was only thinking about work.

"I hope we can all pass the second round of auditions." Noticing the sigh of the girl next to him, Sakakibara Kaede comforted her.

Sakurajima Mai hummed, and although the reason for her sigh was not this, she still appreciated the boy's blessing.

She had long known that the boy beside her felt a sense of not belonging to Tokyo. That sense of not belonging was like drawing a wall in front of everyone. He could get close to it, but he could never get close.

She could clearly sense this sense of distance.

Mai Sakurajima wanted to ask Madoka Higuchi what the seniors they had tutoring looked like.

The number of people was decreasing, and the atmosphere was becoming more and more tense. Many actors showed expressions of incredible regret when they left the stage. The kind of unwillingness and distortion that could be directly described in words made them hang their heads and leave quickly.

It is difficult for people to stand on the moral high ground and accuse them of leaving without saying goodbye and being impolite. Under such circumstances, they just want to leave this audition venue that no longer belongs to them as soon as possible and digest the bitterness alone.

Sakakibara Kaede blinked his eyes. Normally, he would stay behind on his own initiative, hoping to hear the production crew or the director calling his name. He would be keen to learn no matter if it was guidance or teaching of acting skills, but now he was looking forward to it and did not want to hear his own name.

"——Thus far, those who have stayed are all partners who will share the joys and sorrows in the next six months. I hope everyone can get to know each other. As for the final position of the actors, we will inform each actor individually."

The staff ended the registration and only a dozen people were left in the lounge. Several older actors sighed, laughed hoarsely and pounded each other's shoulders.

Higuchi Madoka reunited with Sakakijima Mai and Sakakibara Kaede. She looked at Sakakibara Kaede, who was obviously relieved, and her purple eyes looked directly into the boy's blue eyes, "Sakakibara-san, congratulations."

Sakakibara Feng was stunned for a moment, and finally came to his senses after a moment, "It seems... you didn't hear my name?"

"I don't think I heard Sakakibara-senpai's name either." Sakurajima Mai said with her hands covering her mouth with a smile.

Sakakibara Kaede breathed a sigh of relief. "What? If you didn't hear it, then it's safe. I thought I subconsciously didn't want to hear it so I hypnotized myself."

"Congratulations, Sakakibara-senpai... for getting the lead role?"

"Ah, it's too early. I'm not sure." Sakakibara shrugged. "Although I only auditioned for a leading role, the production team may think there are other roles that are more suitable for me. You never know."

"Well, at least the three of us will have a lot of time together in the future." Sakurajima Mai narrowed her eyes and smiled.

Higuchi Yuanxiang opened her mouth slightly. The girl felt that this sentence was a bit ambiguous. She frowned slightly and blinked at Sakurajima Mai. Sakurajima Mai looked at her puzzledly for a moment, then seemed to have thought of something, and stuck out her tongue with a slightly blushing face.

Higuchi Madoka was almost overwhelmed by this senior, but it seemed that Sakakibara Kaede did not hear the ambiguity in the words. She sat on the sofa and drank barley tea with a sense of relief.

Sakurajima Mai and Higuchi Madoka did not go anywhere else. Although they looked relaxed, they were under a lot of pressure in their hearts. They sat on the left and right of Sakakibara Kaede and relaxed their bodies.

After resting for less than five minutes, Sakakibara Kaede said, "Let's go say hello to the other senior actors."

In Japan, senior-senior relationships are very important, whether it's in a school club or on a film crew. However, the crews the boy had filmed in the past few times were all actors of similar age to him, and the brotherly attitude between them did not force them to address each other as senior or junior.

There are also juniors like Chizuru Ichinose who pay attention to etiquette and always call Kaede Sakakibara "senior", but boys rarely call Chizuru Ichinose "junior" - this is exactly the same as the science macho Koichiro Yuuki.

"Well, this is a necessary step." Sakurajima Mai hummed, and she stretched out her hand to Higuchi Madoka, "Madoka-chan, come with me."

"it is good."

Sakakibara Kaede saw the two women walking towards the group of older actresses and began to introduce themselves. She nodded and greeted several older male actors who were gathered together.

"Hello, my name is Sakakibara Kaede, and I'm an actress from S.T.A.R.S. Compared to you seniors, I've only been in the industry for less than a year, so please give me your guidance."

Chapter 9?