I live my life in Tokyo

Yu Kashima spoke in a deep voice. Both his facial features and body shape looked like a high school boy. If his voice was lowered a little, there would be almost no sense of incongruity.

"Because of my appearance, I was thinking of competing for the male role during the audition." Kashima Yu smiled, and her smile was particularly cool and handsome, attracting the attention of many girls sitting around her, "I didn't expect to become the No. 1 male role."

"The performance just now was very interesting, Sakakibara-kun. I really like your improvisation. As a fellow artist and actor under STARS, please give me your guidance in the future."

After introducing Kashima Yu, Sakurajima Mai immediately turned her attention to Higuchi Madoka.

"This is Higuchi. I usually call her Madoka in private." Sakurajima Mai seems to have a good relationship with Higuchi Madoka, and her words are quite friendly. "Higuchi-san is my junior. She was originally in the idol department of STARS, but recently she has been seeking transformation, so she came to the acting department."

Higuchi Yuanxiang nodded and smiled. The smile was so shallow that it was almost invisible if you didn't look closely. "Hey, thanks to Mai-senpai for his help."

"Please give me your guidance, Sakakibara-kun."

After saying hello, Sakakibara Kaede breathed a sigh of relief. He had never thought that there would be so many young people of his age filming a TV series. This noisy scene reminded him of a classroom rather than a film crew.

Are these people all actors?

"Well, are you surprised now?"

"Well, I admit that I did underestimate this industry before."

Sakakibara Kaede lowered her voice and spoke softly, whether it was Kashima Yu, Higuchi Madoka, or Sakurajima Mai, their eyes were as bright as mirrors, and their goals were stored in them.

Not to mention them, all the actors present were like this. They enthusiastically discussed the shooting techniques, style changes and eye contact.

Since he had made up his mind to enter the acting industry, he started from scratch and learned it seriously, just like he had learned other skills in the outsourcing company.

"Oh? Are you serious now?"

"How did you tell?"

"Your eyes." Sakurajima Mai leaned back and stretched her soft body. "There is fire in your eyes."

Sakakibara Kaede was slightly startled and shook her head, "Sakurajima-san is very sensitive to gazes."

"Isn't that the wrong name?"

Sakurajima Mai gave a dark smile, "It should be Sakura·jima·senpai, right?"

Kaede Sakakibara forgot that outside the crew he was indeed one year older than the girl and was her senior, but within the crew he was a real new actor and had no status at all.

"Sakakibara-kun, can you please call me Sakurajima-senpai?"

"——Okay, is everyone almost here?"

Director Aoyama came to the center of the dance room with a microphone, which invisibly helped Sakakibara Kaede out of the predicament. The latter breathed a sigh of relief. He felt that even if he had just called her "senior", Sakurajima Mai would still say that she couldn't hear clearly and asked him to call her again.

“Tsk…”

Sakakibara Kaede pretended not to hear Mai Sakurajima's murmurs and looked at Director Aoyama seriously.

"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Aoyama Hiroshi, and I'm in charge of the overall work of this shoot. I'm sure many of you know the person next to me. He's Yuji Nakagawa, the assistant director of this project."

"There are a total of 34 people here, all of whom are members of the STARS family, including a few regular actors and most of whom are trainee actors. From now on, you will all be colleagues in the same crew, so you can socialize with each other, but there must be a limit." Director Qingshan glanced at the manuscript in his hand and continued, "The daily life of our high school students is divided into 13 episodes, each episode is about 40 to 50 minutes long, and the total production period is 13 weeks."

"You will be divided into three classes: Class A, Class C, and Class B where the male and female protagonists will be. Class B will naturally have the most people and roles, while the other two classes will have less."

The young actors present had not received their own scripts yet. When they heard this, they stretched their necks and rushed to look at Qingshan Yang, hoping that they could be assigned to Class B where the protagonists were. Even if they were assigned to a minor role with no lines and no name, at least they could show their faces on the screen. What if their performance was wonderful and became popular?

"Next we will hand out the final list of roles. You have all passed the first round of auditions, but there are also scores for auditions. This is the rule for this class division. Does anyone have any objections?"

No one spoke, and several actors who wanted to challenge Sakakibara Kaede before did not speak either. Uehara had already sparred with him and had seen the result. They believed that their acting skills could not compare to Sakakibara Kaede, so naturally they had no objection to him airborne male No. 3.

Sakakibara Kaede thanked him in a low voice and took the character setting book handed to her by Assistant Director Nakagawa.

The character's personality can be seen from the short scene played before.

As expected, Kitahara Hiroshi's main feature is that he is taciturn, has dark circles under his eyes, and often studies alone in the library with old headphones on. In school, only his childhood sweetheart Nishida Orange talks to him. In the middle of the plot, he becomes friends with the male lead and the second male lead.

His dream is to become a doctor, because Kitahara Hiroshi's mother has been suffering from illness for many years and is very weak. He wants to become a doctor to cure his mother.

For a character like this, the highlight is the transformation of his personality. With the care of his childhood sweetheart and friends, the process of the taciturn boy gradually opening up his heart is fascinating - this is also the shining point of the character of Hiroshi Kitahara.

"Eh? You don't have many lines..."

Flipping through thick manuscripts, Mai Sakurajima complained to Kaede Sakakibara in a low voice, "Look, I said, 'Hiro-chan, Hiro-chan, the sun is shining brightly at noon today, let's go to the rooftop to eat.'"

"Just reply me three words, no need."

"There's nothing we can do about it. This is Kitahara Hiroshi, and the personality is there." Sakakibara Kaede flipped through the character settings as if she was flipping through her own youth.

Kaede Sakakibara likes the character of Hiroshi Kitahara because he sees a miniature of his own past in this character.

Study, study, and study again. I don't mind being called a nerd. I study late into the night in the library, listen to vocabulary with headphones in the dormitory in the early morning, and fiddle with the adjustment and recording values ​​in the laboratory at dawn.

Just like the words in the movie about the girl we chased together during those years, this world will be a little different because of me.

When I was in college, I dreamed of being able to show my talents and make a difference in the future. Do you still remember that dream? Is it still shining?

"What are you looking at, Sakakibara-kun?"

Sakakibara Kaede hid the memories in her eyes, breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, "Considering the character settings, the time it takes to get used to it may be shorter than I thought."

"Call me Sakurajima-senpai."

"...Gu, Sakurajima-senpai."

Chapter 11: There are many good horses, but few good horse trainers.

“The filming took place in Tokyo and Chiba, with the highlight being the academy.”

Aoyama looked around and added, "This time our STARS Artist Agency is collaborating with Tokyo Private Toyosaki Gakuen. We will borrow their classroom for the filming."

"Well... let me make it clear in advance that we are STARS, shining new stars. On the set, we are in working condition and must devote 200% of our enthusiasm. I believe you don't want to affect your future career, so be careful about your words and actions."

He turned to the fledgling trainee actors and said, "I won't interfere with your private lives after the filming is over, but you must remember your identities. Actors must not have any stains on them. You should change your career as soon as possible before things become irreversible."

"The official filming will begin next Monday. The working hours are written in the notes. There will be a bus pick-up service at STARS at 8 o'clock every morning. You can also go to the private Fengzhizaki Academy on your own. The filming will officially start at 9 o'clock."

"We high school students adopt a system of filming and broadcasting at the same time, which means that the work of the week ends faster and we have more time to rest."

"Do you have any other questions?"

Everyone nodded at the same time. Qingshan Yang nodded slightly when he saw this. "The next step is free time. Everyone in the class should get to know each other. The second male and second female lead should come to me to rehearse their lines first."

They clapped their hands to signal the end of the dance, and everyone relaxed their shoulders. Some people stretched themselves, bowed to Aoyama Hiroshi and Nakagawa Yuji, and left the dance studio with their companions. Others stayed in the dance studio, sitting in a circle and discussing quietly.

Yu Kashima and Enka Higuchi stood up and greeted Mai Sakurajima and Kaede Sakakibara. Judging from their expressions, they were probably also going to rehearse their lines.

Kaede Sakakibara took out a copy of the notes for each person from the manuscript and was amazed at the densely packed instructions on it.

"This is the first time I've seen so many requests, Sakakibara-kun."

Mai Sakurajima saw Kaede Sakakibara reading through the documents line by line, and raised her lip, "I think anyone with a little common sense doesn't need these instructions."

"Could it be that... Junior, are you the kind of unscrupulous actor who relies on his good looks to seduce female students on the set? It turns out that what Teacher Jing said is right, all men are pigs."

Sakakibara Kaede's face was filled with black lines, Hiratsuka Shizuka was spreading rumors.

"No, I want to keep doing this for a few more years." Sakakibara Feng glanced at Mai Sakurajima who was reading a manuscript beside her, "It turns out that Senior Sakurajima can also praise people honestly."

"Ah, are you so narcissistic? I was just being polite, but I didn't expect you to take it seriously?"

Sakurajima Mai joked softly, and Sakakibara Kaede's expression gradually became natural. He had already understood the character of this fellow traveler very well. To be teased, one has to rely on his thick skin, and his thick skin is invincible.

He felt someone patting his shoulder, and when he looked sideways he saw it was Uehara, who had a gangster-like look. The latter gave him a friendly smile and pointed at the manuscript.

"Please give me your guidance, Sakakibara-kun. We are going to play against each other again."

Sakakibara Kaede's script was very thick, and he didn't notice the existence of his rival. Seeing this, Uehara shouted angrily, "KORA Kitahara! Did you buy the bread I ordered you to buy? Where are the drinks? I wanted Coca-Cola, but you bought me Pepsi. What do you mean? Do you want a beating?"

Uehara spread his hands, "Obviously, school bullying."

"Haha." Sakakibara Kaede laughed as he looked at Uehara's deliberately ferocious face. It must be said that he now really has a bit of the class leader and big brother vibe.

"I'm looking forward to watching your performance then!"

After hitting Sakakibara Kaede's shoulder again, Uehara left with a stern face. As he left, he called kora a few times to his companions, and it was obvious that he was quite skilled at it.

"Come with me."

Sakurajima Mai put on the small bag she was carrying, stood up and motioned for Sakakibara Kaede to go with her. She seemed to be in some gray mood and was not in a good mood.

The latter was confused, but still said hello to the two directors and walked out of the dance studio.

"What's wrong?"

"It's dinner time."

"!"

The lounge on the fifth floor gradually became crowded. The girls, wearing colorful dance dresses and with light sweat on their heads, chatted while eating the buffet provided by the agency.

An area of ​​the lounge is divided into a restaurant, and the tables are filled with a wide variety of food that is delicious and tasty.

"So generous?"

"Didn't Mr. Aoyama say that STARS is not short of money, but of people."

Kaede Sakakibara filled her plate with food while Mai Sakurajima rolled her eyes, and sat down with her in a corner.

If he had known that STARS provided three meals, he would not have hesitated for so long. I have to say, this steak is really delicious.

Mai Sakurajima was no longer surprised by the starving appearance of Kaede Sakakibara. Her only worry now was that Kaede Sakakibara would eat her own portion while eating. She would pick up a piece of lettuce with a fork and put it in her mouth. She moved her red lips slightly as she chewed the fresh taste.

Compared to Sakakibara Kaede who eats both meat and vegetables, Sakurajima Mai eats very little. Apart from a plate of salad, she only has a few small pieces of chicken breast. She eats very healthily.

Noticing Sakakibara Kaede's probing gaze, Sakurajima Mai protected her plate, "What's wrong?"

"No... I think you eat very little."

"As an actor, maintaining a good figure is the most important thing."

Mai Sakurajima replied, then looked out the window. She gazed at the Tokyo Tower in the distance, her indigo eyes filled with confusion and haziness.

"The acting industry is actually very unfair."

It seemed that the unchanging scenery outside the window made her fall into a state of contemplation, and she spoke softly.

"Senior, what is the meaning of an acting career?"

Hearing Sakakibara Kaede's question, Sakurajima Mai lowered her eyes. After thinking for a long time, a smile appeared on her face, "Maybe I like her."

"like?"

"You could say I am an actor who is so immature that I think I was born to act, or I like to experience the different flavors of other lives, enrich myself by tasting other people's lives, and thus progress and grow. But to put it bluntly, there is no reason to really like something, I just like it, and I also like the purity of liking to act."

Mai Sakurajima seemed to be lost in past memories, then she chuckled and turned her head away, "Sakakibara-san, what do you think of the performance?"

Sakakibara Kaede pretended to be deep and pointed at his stomach.

"Originally I just wanted to have a meal, who knew I could become the third male lead." Sakakibara Kaede raised his eyebrows and pretended to be pretentious, "Director Aoyama has a keen eye for talent. There are many good horses, but few good horse trainers. He is such a scary person."

Mai Sakurajima bit her lip lightly and looked at him like he was trash.

"If you really ask me, I don't have any feelings yet. But after that scene, I fell in love with Kitahara Hiroshi's character. He is a boy who can only study and nothing else. He doesn't know how to handle interpersonal relationships, is taciturn, and will remain silent when bullied. He is a transparent figure in the class... A boy like this will probably have no friends when he graduates from high school. In the end, he will only be alone in his three years of high school life, and he will have to walk the road to the future alone."

"Even a boy like this has dreams." Sakakibara Kaede held up her chin and looked out the window, with the corners of her mouth curled up, imitating Mai Sakurajima's way of looking up at the blue sky of Tokyo. The sky here is no different from that in Chiba, except for people. "He wants to be a doctor, he wants to cure diseases and save lives, and most importantly, he wants to save his mother. Reality did not crush this boy, he shouldered his own sky."

"Besides, he also has a childhood sweetheart who has always been by his side and urged him to move forward, Nishida Orange, who belongs to Kitahara Hiroshi. Nishida Orange filled the void in Kitahara Hiroshi's heart and gradually changed Kitahara Hiroshi in the following high school life."

Sakakibara Kaede spoke with emotion, took a sip of his drink and sighed, "...I also want to shine brighter than anyone else."

Mai Sakurajima looked at his face in surprise, "Ah, why is Sakakibara-san so sad?"

"I like this line." Sakakibara Kaede laughed and resumed the topic that had not been discussed yet.

"Sakurajima-senpai was in a bad mood after seeing Uehara-kun just now. What happened between the two of you?"

Sakakibara Kaede put down her chopsticks and looked gossipy, but was met with a ruthless cold stare from Sakurajima Mai.

"I didn't know him at all before filming this drama. I just lamented that actors like Uehara have been stereotyped. He may have to play the role of a school bully for the rest of his life. There is no possibility of transformation. This is not an acquired factor, but a natural one that cannot be changed."

The third male lead who was originally paired with Sakurajima Mai was a trainee actor who had just graduated. According to director Aoyama, his acting style has been completely finalized. This has nothing to do with his appearance, but rather a problem with him. If this type of actor does not change his acting style in a short period of time, then his acting career will be extremely short.

However, actors like Uehara are limited by their innate factors to maintaining a fixed way of performing. This type of actor can only play villains or clowns in movies, without the slightest possibility of transformation.

For example, Ho Ka-kui, the leader of the four villains in Hong Kong movies, has such a villain face that it is difficult for him to play the leading role in film and television.

"What are your plans for the afternoon, Sakakibara-san?"

“I’m going to visit the University of Tokyo.”

"Eh? Sakakibara-senpai is going to the University of Tokyo?"