Tokyo Sound

Since the only threat to her, a hot-blooded young man from Hokkaido, was not there, the sofa corner, which was a must-have for the introverted family, was naturally and smoothly occupied by Sakura Ayane.

The girl nestled quietly in the corner, struggling over her few lines in her mind.

The leading actress is standing not far in front. With such a heavy responsibility on her shoulders, she is naturally not as idle as a supporting role. She has to speak for most of the episode and rarely has time to sit down, rest or drink water.

Sakura Ayane occasionally looked up at the senior who was slightly shorter than her. The petite and cute back gave people a sense of stability and reliability. The person's performance was quite stable, sometimes calm, sometimes angry, and sometimes playful. The use of sound technology and the grasp of the role were quite mature. Not to mention small mistakes such as screws getting stuck and clothes making noises, even when acting with real industry masters, she did not seem to be nervous or inferior.

There are always some people of the same age around us. They are almost the same age, have eaten the same meals, and walked the same roads, but it seems that they have secretly used a modifier to lock the date and time, and study and improve madly behind people's backs. The results and skills they have mastered can leave you far behind, leaving others to pout and doubt themselves.

Sakura Ayane now has some small emotions, mixed with jealousy, envy, and shame...

Looking back.

When she was in kindergarten, Sakura was known for her resolute and reckless personality. Her bloody and cold cat claws frightened many naughty children and she was elected as the leader of Sunflower Class 1. Later, when she was promoted to elementary school, before she fainted from playing crazy and lost her reputation, she became a double-flowered red stick in the third grade of Donggang Elementary School with her passion and endless snacks and candies. Although she became a marginal person in junior high and high school and was submissive, she also received a lot of training in the troupe and acquired many proud skills.

At least not just anyone on the school playground can flip sideways as flexibly as she does without any pressure, right?

Later, he transferred from the drama troupe to a training school, where he focused on voice acting courses. He was so outstanding that he was interviewed by a magazine.

In other words, Sakura is a person who has been more or less superior to his peers since childhood and has a slight sense of pride in his heart.

But when you meet the real "other people's children" or "colleagues from other companies", these are not so impressive.

Sakura had already looked it up privately.

When she was in the first grade of elementary school and performed "Young and Dangerous 2: Who Will Be the Flower on the Basketball Court" with the class next door [Note: It is from the "Young and Dangerous" series of movies], this person had already made his debut with his innocent smile and starred in film and television dramas. After she retired from the world in middle school and stopped caring about the world, this person had met Ultraman several times. When she was sentimental and didn't like the spotlight on the stage and talked to her teacher about her troubles in life, this person had seen and heard a lot at the age of 14 and resolutely changed his career. When she stumbled into the industry, this person had already starred in a popular animation series and was not missed in radio promotion activities. When she was worried about going to school in advance, she had heard reliable information from somewhere that this person was not weak in academic ability, at least he was in the upper middle class, and his English was not bad. They were born in the same year, but this person was nearly half a year younger than her.

Unfortunately...we were completely crushed.

This year, I was 17, on the recording studio, huddled in a corner like a minion.

Sakura Ayane sighed quietly.

I felt that I was not worthy of the main role of this work, so I persuaded my agent to give up. I originally thought that a voice actor like Yoko from the same company would take over the role, but I never thought that it would be a girl who was about half a year younger than me.

In comparison, I seem so weak that I still care about it.

Time passed quickly, the first half was finished, and it was also time for lunch. Sakura Ayane put the script in her pocket and thought about where to have lunch.

Yoshino beef rice? A chain ramen shop? A great value all-you-can-eat barbecue for one person?

…No matter which one it is, it is a place where an average Japanese girl would not go to eat alone.

If this were a game, then every time she went there, her character attributes would show "Femininity -50". In the past, she would definitely not be bothered and would have gone to eat the juicy pork bone noodles with her hair tossed.

As a human being, being happy is the most important thing.

However, now, she was a little conflicted, especially when she realized that her feminine power was almost declining.

You can no longer do whatever you want, you need to grow up, be elegant, and become an adult who can read people's expressions and is mature and steady!

So Sakura Ayane thought seriously for a few seconds, if it were her mother, what would she do now?

But I didn't have enough knowledge, I could only draw a hamster by copying a cat, and I couldn't figure it out. Finally, I decided to just go to the convenience store and buy pineapple bread and banana milk.

Just put this worry aside for now and leave it to your future self.

Carrying a small brown linen backpack, the girl walked out of the recording studio alone and crossed the corridor.

"Sakura-san."

Suddenly someone called her and the girl turned around in surprise. She saw a girl of her age with a bun looking at her, waving and greeting her with a friendly smile on her face.

"What's the matter?" Sakura Ayane was a little surprised.

"Are you going to eat?" asked Rina Hidaka.

"Yeah." Sakura Ayane nodded slightly.

"Excuse me, can I come with you? I don't come here often, and I don't know which good restaurants there are." Hidaka Rina asked with her hands clasped together, "So can you form a team and take me with you?"

"…I'm a stranger here too, so I don't know much either." Sakura Ayane scratched her hair awkwardly, "I was planning to go to the convenience store and buy something."

"Is that so? Then I'd better keep it simple. Let's go shopping together." Hidaka Rina suggested with a smile.

"Okay." Sakura Ayane nodded. It's just a small matter.

After getting the promise, the colleague of the same age came over at a trot, not too far from her, keeping a moderate social distance. The two chatted about some common topics while going downstairs, such as weather, clothing matching, zodiac signs and blood types.

When she arrived at the nearest convenience store, Sakura Ayane was very goal-oriented and directly took pineapple bread and banana milk as planned. The whole shopping process took no more than 10 seconds.

"Have you finished choosing?" Hidaka Rina was still looking, and when she saw that she was about to pay the bill, she was stunned.

"Yes."

"We have fresh bento boxes here. Would you like to take a look? This curry chicken nuggets looks delicious." Hidaka Rina took a few steps.

"Pineapple buns are delicious, quick and economical. Bento boxes are a bit troublesome, and you have to clean up." Sakura Ayane shook her head.

"But there's a special limited edition with cantaloupe over there. The daily sales are limited, and there's still some left. Don't you want to try it?"

"As for bread, it's all the same anyway. It's not like it will suddenly taste any better." Sakura Ayane said honestly.

"Not necessarily. Look, there's a special supply from Le Sucre Coeur here." Hidaka Rina seemed to have discovered something unexpected, and exclaimed while leaning against the glass cabinet, "Bread in Kansai is booming, and the competition is as fierce as in the Warring States Period. This shop is one of the best, and is known as the most delicious in Kansai. This stick-shaped bun has a wonderful texture between biscuits and bread, and it's filled with nuts and honey, and it tastes amazing."

Sakura Ayane walked over to take a look and scratched her head, "The color is so dark, not as good as my pineapple bun, it feels like it's burnt."

"YakultmirumiruS's yogurt is rich in vitamins E, B6, B12, folic acid and other nutrients. I drink it often and I highly recommend it." Hidaka Rina walked a few more steps and said, "And the packaging is so pretty."

Sakura Ayane walked over to take another look and scratched her head, "It's a bit too young, and compared to all kinds of new flavors, I still prefer the classic original ones."

"How about some seasoning? This salad dressing is very good. What flavor do you want? I'll get it for you." Hidaka Rina did not give up.

"Just pick one. I'm fine with any of them." Sakura Ayane nodded in a Buddhist manner, like a ruthless approval machine.

The young colleague couldn't help feeling a little strange at this moment.

Although the communication was still rare, she vaguely felt that she was not shopping with a young girl, but as if she was shopping with the core of a sports club, a steely-jock guy who was not good at dealing with people.

When it came time to pay, Sakura Ayane generously paid for the entire thing. Her father often said that when dealing with people, one should not be too stingy and haggle over every little thing. Someone also said that money is nothing but an external thing, and hiding it will not produce any children, so you should spend it when you earn it.

Hidaka Rina originally wanted to politely say that it was not necessary, but seeing the other party's enthusiastic attitude, she did not insist, but accepted the friendship with gratitude.

The two of them went back together, found a seat in the rest area outside the recording studio, and started sitting down to eat.

During the meal, Hidaka Rina insisted on sharing the most delicious bread she bought in Kansai, and tore off a piece to let Sakura-san take the first bite. Sakura-san, who was wearing sports jeans, had no choice but to obey. Halfway through the meal, she habitually wanted to cross her legs, but met the sparkling eyes of her dining companion, and immediately restrained herself as soon as she had the intention to move, and then looked at the other person's cute posture of swallowing in small sips. She felt that the scene was a bit deserted, so she thought for a long time, and finally said: "Hidaka-senpai, take a closer look...it's really cute."

puff.

What a straight man's crude way to start a conversation.

"Thank you." Hidaka Rina was a little embarrassed. "I think you are the same... By the way, how old is Sakura this year?"

"I'm just a few months older than you." Sakura Ayane shook her hair without thinking.

"Huh? Do you know my birthday?" Hidaka Rina was stunned.

"No, uh, I guess, it should be, right?" Sakura Ayane coughed twice.

"What a surprise! I originally thought that you might be the shy and quiet type, and I was worried that if I approached you for a conversation, I'd get a polite rejection. I didn't expect you to be so lively." Hidaka Rina smiled.

"Well, why do you feel that way?" Sakura Ayane seemed a little distressed.

"When everyone was introducing themselves earlier, you seemed very shy."

"That was because I was not used to such a formal occasion. I am a very easy-going person."

"Sakura-san, this shouldn't be the first time you've included it, right?" Hidaka Rina asked again.

"I debuted last year, but there were relatively few people at the scene, and there weren't many seniors around," said Sakura Ayane.

"You mean 'Firefly Forest'?" Hidaka Rina gave a precise answer.

"Yes, yes! Do you know?" Sakura didn't expect that the other party knew it so clearly, and she was a little excited.

"I was lucky enough to be recommended and I took tutoring classes." Hidaka Rina nodded with a smile, "It's really a meaningful work. I was still immersed in the aftermath of sadness for several hours after watching it. Sakura-san, your performance is obviously great. There's no need to be nervous. Of course, this is also human nature. I used to be like you, very nervous, and worried about making mistakes."

"...I did make mistakes, and they were low-level ones." Sakura Ayane stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. "Nowadays, Hidaka-senpai is very outstanding. I feel that he is a bit beyond the scope of my study."

"Oh, don't use honorifics in private, we are obviously the same age." Hidaka Rina encouraged, "No one can achieve success overnight. As long as you put in the time, you will gain something. Another point is that you have to be a little thick-skinned at work so as not to fall into a dead end easily."

As the two sides chatted, they happily exchanged food.

It’s still early and we can chat for a long time.

Sakura rarely felt that it was actually very easy to get along and talk with someone she wasn't very familiar with.

Chapter 104 Women's Talk

The air is filled with the aroma of baking, which the Foodie Research Institute calls the Maillard reaction.

It really deserves to be called the most delicious bread in Kansai by Hidaka Rina. Sakura Ayane can smell the fragrance of bread in the hands of the person opposite her. She can even see the beautiful scene of the chef in white kitchen uniform making bread - the butter melts, the flour blooms, the cream spreads, the egg white is fluffy, and the sticky egg yolk rolls with the powdered sugar.

The public rest area was filled with the warmth and aroma of food, and my colleagues who were eating slowly were also very cute and pleasing to the eye. Apart from anything else, the wholesale pineapple bun in my hand was becoming less and less fragrant.

The floor was clean after being mopped and washed, and the brown wood floor reflected the soft light.

Sakura Ayane carefully picked up the crumbs that fell on the chair. She raised her head again and looked at her senior classmate who was chewing with his mouth slightly puffed up like a hamster.

"It may be a little presumptuous, but Hidaka-san... Hidaka-san, can I ask about your experience in getting the leading role in this work?" Holding the half-eaten pineapple bun in both hands, Sakura Ayane hesitated for a moment, but finally asked.

"Experience?" Hidaka Rina bit her yogurt straw and looked a little confused. "Are you referring to the audition process?"

"Well, there are also some situations that led to my final acceptance." Sakura Ayane smiled stiffly and said a little embarrassedly, "Because I also auditioned for the female lead, but as you can see, I failed, so I wanted to ask you for some successful experience."

"It's too polite to ask for it. It's not a big deal. Well, at the beginning, I got the notice from my agent normally."

Hidaka Rina paused for a moment and then spoke in a light tone.

"Actually, I usually read the original work quickly in advance, read the discussions of fans, and build a rough foundation for the character in my mind. But because this is an original project, I don't have those references, and time is tight, so I can only find a successful example from my previous work experience that fits as closely as possible, and make some modifications to set a direction. After that, I reported to the designated location. It took about an hour in total, and I made some temporary adjustments during the process. In fact, I just followed the instructions and explored the style required by the production team. There's nothing special."

"...Oh." Sakura Ayane nodded thoughtfully.

"Do you feel it's dull, uneventful and uninteresting?" Hidaka Rina asked with a smile.

"No, no." Sakura Ayane waved her hands quickly.

"As for jobs, apart from those of travel show hosts and investigators in food documentaries, most are bland, boring and mechanical. The same goes for voice actors. Acting is not always as interesting as playing house when you were a kid. Sometimes it's just like reciting in class, reading a script and moving bricks. Also, failure is the norm in the audition stage. Many seniors will also be eliminated. Don't feel discouraged."

Hidaka Rina said with a broad mind.

"Although I started working in the industry a few years earlier than you, I only got the leading role a while ago by luck. In comparison, Sakura-san, who debuted as the protagonist of a movie, is the envy of others."

"Don't be so modest. Mine was really based on luck." Sakura Ayane was a little shy and embarrassed after being praised. "At that time, I felt that I would definitely not pass it. I doubted myself for dozens of minutes."

"But you must have tried very hard at that time, right?" Hidaka Rina asked again.

"Of course, I didn't study that hard at school. Even now I still remember the important lines." Sakura Ayane said deeply.

"It's better to cheer up and fight with all your strength than to regret not doing it. At least you can give yourself a regret-free explanation in the end." Hidaka Rina sighed with a mature look, "It's also very discouraging to have worked hard but to have it go to waste."

"I still don't have any achievements to show for myself." Sakura Ayane couldn't help but whisper, "I even feel confused sometimes... Unlike you, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but I always feel that Hidaka-san's back is so firm, with the kind of perseverance and decisiveness that clearly knows how to proceed with his life."

"What? I've failed many times and made a lot of jokes."

Hidaka Rina swallowed the bread in her mouth in a few bites, straightened her slender waist, and spoke in a serious tone.

"For example, when rehearsing a scene, the director just turned on the camera and the whole crew started working. Facing the interactions with other actors, my brain suddenly went blank and I forgot all the lines in an instant. For example, in the middle of a TV show, I got upset and almost had a broadcast accident, and was scolded backstage. For example, when I first switched from a small actor to a voice actor behind the scenes, I naively thought that pure voice acting was simple and definitely not as difficult as orthodox acting. As a result, I couldn't even pronounce it well and eliminate the sense of disharmony. I was scolded by others until I cried, and I used up all the tissues on the set..."

"But you are still so young." Sakura Ayane whispered, "We are the same age, and we haven't even started college yet. But you have already experienced all those difficulties in advance."

"Is Sakura-san very eager for good grades?" Hidaka Rina asked after a pause.

"Of course, everyone wants to have achievements that are worth showing off, right?"

"It's only natural. But you've obviously fallen into a vicious circle." Hidaka Rina pointed a finger at me with a serious look, like a wise and friendly teacher. "No one stipulates that you should achieve a certain level of success at a certain age, or even excessive success."

"How much of your motivation to move forward is spontaneous, and how much is imposed on you by the environment and others?"

The senior sat very properly at the same time as her. She seemed to have always been very well-behaved and behaved in a measured manner. But now there was some inexplicable sadness in her words. She let out a breath silently.

"A long time ago, when my mother took me to various crews and TV stations, I always met many outstanding people. Some of them had good singing voices, some were talented, some were handsome, and some were good at socializing. In short, they were able to get along in society and in the fame-seeking artist circle. Basically, they all had their own outstanding qualities. But even these people would find it difficult to move forward, like being stuck in the mud. Every step they took would throw away a circle of dirty mud."

“Everyone is working hard, everyone has talent, and everyone seems to be a microcosm of my future.”

Hidaka Rina's tone slowed down.

"Sometimes I can't sleep in the middle of the night because of fear. I'm scared. There are so many people like me, and there are countless people who can replace me. Can someone like me really compete with them, and can I really live up to my mother's expectations? When others praise me, they just think 'this little guy is so smart'. Once I lose the cover of age, I have nothing to show for myself."

"I was becoming more and more resistant to work tasks. I had no friends to talk to. The 'peers' around me were almost all 'competitors', not partners. Looking back, I was just a little thick-skinned and eager to show off, but others thought I was talented, so I was taught 'according to my aptitude'. But once the benefit of being precocious disappeared and the novelty wore off, I immediately suffered a lot of failures and could not move forward. I was constantly questioned and replaced. If I thought about it for too long at night, I would be frustrated and depressed in my bed. Maybe I will really achieve nothing in my life, and nothing will change in the days to come."

"What happened next?" Sakura Ayane asked cautiously.

“Then I escaped.”

Hidaka Rina showed a silly smile for the first time.