They all pushed me!

"This time, let's not compete."

Then, she turned her head and asked Kurokawa Akane softly:

"The character that Akane wants this time is 'Sachiko', right?"

Faced with Arima Kana's sudden question, Kurokawa Akane was slightly stunned, then nodded and said "hmm".

"Exactly what I thought."

After receiving a positive answer from the other party, Arima Kana turned back, holding her chin with her right hand, playing with the tip of her hair that hung down to her earlobe, while showing an indifferent look:

"Anyway, 'Pest' is a story with two female protagonists, and when I read the script, I liked the role of Xia Zi more. In this case, there is no need for an audition competition."

Although Magana said this, Kitagawa Ryo, who always understood the other party, immediately understood what the other party meant.

Even if it was just a fake performance, it would be easy to irritate Akane Kurokawa, who had just suffered such a family change, to play someone else's daughter in the play and call out the name "Dad" over and over again. It was also out of consideration for Akane Kurokawa's feelings that Kana Arima took the initiative to take over the role of daughter Natsuko at this time.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo himself glanced at Arima Kana in a puzzled manner. It was obvious that the other party always appeared to be never disguised and never concealed anything when communicating with him, but every time he got along with Kurokawa Akane, he showed an inexplicable awkwardness, which was a bit tsundere.

"What does the director think?"

After Arima Kana finished speaking, she directly asked Gotanda Yasushi.

"I think it's okay. I have no problem with you two."

Upon hearing this, Yasushi Gotanda immediately agreed with both hands. He had worked with Kana Arima many times and was a devout fan of Kana before Akane Kurokawa appeared. Seeing that Kana Arima took the initiative to express her desire to play the role of Natsuko, he had no intention of objecting at all.

"What about Chi Yin? Do you think it's okay?"

"……Can."

Kurokawa Akane didn't seem to expect things to turn out like this. He just felt that the emotions that had been brewing were all hit on the soft pillow. It took him a while to react:

“I’m looking forward to Kana’s role as Natsuko.”

"Yeah, I also really want to see Akane's Sachiko soon."

After Kurokawa Akane nodded in agreement, Arima Kana, who seemed to be in a good mood, also spoke in a lighter tone, even causing Akane next to him to look at him sideways.

People's circumstances are always contrasted. Thinking about how her good friend sitting next to her had fallen into the predicament of a single-parent family earlier than her, and even her mother had left her, yet she had always maintained an optimistic and positive attitude, Kurokawa Akane felt that her uncomfortable mood was smoothed out a little. Her originally rigid mind moved, and she understood the good intentions of the other party's move. She moved closer and whispered thank you in her ear.

Beichuan Ryo, who had been paying attention to the two people's behavior, naturally noticed this detail. Seeing that his two closest juniors could take the initiative to reach out to comfort and support when one of them had problems, the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose a little. He didn't even care that Magana had not yet consulted his opinion as an audition judge.

But the next second, Beichuan Liang's smile froze there.

Because Magana suddenly cast her gaze in his direction, she deliberately acted cute and dragged out her tone, supported her face with both hands, smiled and whispered in a soft and sticky voice:

"Ryo-senpai, there shouldn't be any problem, right? Um - I'm Natsuko, PA, PA?"

"...If I remember correctly, our relationship in the drama was pretty bad, so I'd better stop using such nicknames."

"Oh, that's boring."

Maganaiton stretched out his hands as if he was bored, and lay down on the table without any grace.

"Now that we've made the decision, let's call it a day."

After clapping and announcing the adjournment of the meeting, Kitagawa Ryo was too lazy to pay attention to Gotanda Yasushi who was muttering that the meeting time was not as long as the commute time. After thinking for a while, he added:

"Well, Chiyin stay for a while."

Arima Kana has always been a girl who knows her limits and knows just the right distance when it comes to relationships. Although she was a little concerned about the fact that Kitagawa Ryo left Kurokawa Akane alone, she didn't ask any more questions. She simply packed up and left the room with Gotanda Yasushi, closing the door quietly.

There were only two people left in the room. But when Beichuan Liang turned his gaze back and met the bright eyes of the girl who had been sitting there, he felt that he couldn't say a word of what he had just thought of. In the end, he could only squeeze out a dry greeting from his throat:

"How is your mother doing lately?"

I didn't expect that in the end, the result would still be roundabout.

But Kurokawa Akane still thought seriously and answered his question in a serious manner:

"It's not a big problem. If I have to describe it, it's probably that my mother has transferred the love she had for my father to me."

"Ah."

Kitagawa Ryo himself didn't know what he was agreeing to. At this moment when the atmosphere returned to silence, he suddenly remembered a scene in the script of "Pest" he had just read. Facing Sachiko who ran away from home and knocked on his door on a rainy night, the male protagonist Ogata Satoshi he played also thought of a lot of things that he could and should say in an instant, but he still couldn't say anything, because at that moment, he just felt that no matter what kind of greetings, concerns, comforts, accusations, or persuasion, they could not save her.

What Arima Kane needs is his affirmation and recognition, but what about Kurokawa Akane? Or, what about Kurokawa Akane now?

"Would you like to practice this scene with me?"

As Beichuan Ryo said this, he turned to a page in the script in front of him. The content of the play was actually not important anymore. He chose this chapter only because it was a hearty crying scene.

Kurokawa Akane came forward and took a quick look at the contents of the script, then nodded, and then sat there quietly and docilely until Kitagawa Ryo walked up to her, carefully lifted her bangs with his fingers, and placed his palm half-closed and half-closed on her forehead.

Then, she raised her face on her own initiative, allowing Beichuan Liang's right hand, who had no time to react, to stroke her forehead, across her eyebrows, nose bridge, and corners of her mouth. The next moment, Beichuan Liang felt the warm wetness, and his touch seemed to have become a mechanism that activated and gently wiped away her tears.

Rather than being an acting skill, it is more like an emotional indulgence that takes advantage of the situation.

After Kurokawa Akane had regained control of her emotions and left Beichuan Ryo's chest, she spoke in a low voice with a heavy nasal tone and faint sobbing:

"Just now, Sachiko was just crying."

"Indeed, it's just a training for Chiyin to practice his experiential acting skills."

Kitagawa Ryoya responded quite cooperatively.

"...In the future, if I feel that I still need training in this area, will Senior Liang agree?"

"Of course, I'm always welcome."

"Thank you for your care and concern, Ryo-senpai - I will also work hard on this shoot."

After getting Beichuan Liang's promise, Kurokawa Akane also sniffed hard, took the tissue on the table and wiped his face, then took two more and handed them to Beichuan Liang, pointing to his equally messy chest:

"I'm really sorry. I was probably...too immersed in the role just now."

-------------------------------------

Unlike the filming of "Tomorrow, Mom and Dad Are Not Here", after struggling to get out of the triple dilemma of no script, undecided actors and lack of funds, Yasushi Gotanda began to widely send audition invitations to actors in the industry, and at the same time used the connections he had accumulated in the past to actively look for and contact partners, sponsors and broadcasters.

It is estimated that once all this is completed, the official start of filming will have to be postponed to early May. After all, Kitagawa Ryo had an early completed script in his hands, and the agency's team made up almost the entire cast. Naturally, the progress in all aspects would be much faster than that of Gotanda Yasushi who acted alone. If Kitagawa Ryo had not introduced the producer Kaburagi Katsuya, who was familiar with the industry, he even suspected that Gotanda Yasushi would not be able to complete it until the second half of the year.

In a sense, this can be considered a disguised form of the scholar's three-year failed rebellion.

However, these have nothing to do with Kitagawa Ryo now. It is the familiar mid-April again. He had booked his trip in advance and left Japan on April 11th with love to participate in a two-week wedding anniversary trip.

"By the way, has Director Gotanda's new drama officially started filming?

One day in mid-April, Ryo Kitagawa, who was having breakfast with his wife in their house in London, had just picked up the heart-shaped fried egg, a staple dish in their breakfast, and before he put it in his mouth, he heard his wife's question.

"Well, it'll start almost immediately when I get back."

Beichuan Liang put the whole fried egg into his mouth and chewed it, then said miserably:

"When you're out having fun, don't think about work. These two weeks with my love are the most relaxing and happiest for me in a year."

"I just saw the relevant news this morning and asked casually."

Beichuan Ai pouted, but was obviously quite pleased with her husband's words. She forked half of the fried egg on her plate and handed it over:

"Here, I'll make it up to you."

After eating the fried egg that Ai brought to his mouth, seeing that Ai had taken the initiative to bring it up, Beichuan Liang also took the opportunity to take up the topic:

"Ai should know that this play is about a teacher-student romance, right?"

"Well, after all, it's not uncommon for TV dramas to cause a stir on the Internet before they're even aired because of the subject matter. Although there have been other TV dramas on the subject of teacher-student love in the past, they were generally high school students and teachers, and there were even college students. The public's acceptance of them was actually higher."

At this point, Beichuan Ai also shook her head helplessly:

"As soon as you officially announced the cast, with the two names of 'Akaon Kurokawa' and 'Kana Arima' at the front, no matter who is the student in the teacher-student romance, they would subconsciously think that they are too young, unless Kana and Akane are asked to play high school students."

She had only said this casually, but as soon as she said it, they both imagined in their minds what Kana Arima would look like now, wearing a high school uniform and acting as a high school student, and they laughed at the same time.

"Well... the story is set at the age of 14, in the second grade of junior high school."

"Now it can be confirmed that it is a crime..."

"No, actually I think this age range is quite suitable. Being young has its advantages. When it is actually broadcast, people won't think about sex."

Beichuan Liang shook his head and explained:

“Because of this, maybe it’s easier to capture the purest love.”

"Of course, I'm not saying that if you have sexual desire, it won't be pure."

"It's just that the TV series only records the story when they were fourteen years old."

"Isn't there a saying that before having sex with a girl, you have to have sex with her brain first? This drama only talks about the brain part."

Beichuan Ai also looked thoughtful when she heard this:

"Isn't that just foreplay?"

"...In a sense, this description of love is quite appropriate."

Chapter 4: My Ideal Dating Partner (5k)

Kitagawa Rumi's home in Tokyo.

The small white cat nimbly jumped to the top of the bookshelf in two steps, tilted its head in confusion, and saw another guest who had already made his home here.

With its tail lifted up, it circled around the other doll several times. Ying was still a little puzzled as to why this big orange bear-shaped doll appeared here. According to its impression, the other doll should appear at the head of the bed, allowing its owner No. 1 to manipulate it into various shapes and say all kinds of weird things.

"firefly--"

Hearing the familiar call, Ying no longer thought about such messy things. After meowing twice, she jumped lightly from the bookshelf and threw herself into the arms of Kitagawa Rumi who called her. She lazily let several hands that came towards her touch her and stroke her fur.

There's no way around it, this is what it's like to live under someone else's roof.

"Why is Hotaru leaving her here with Ruby now?"

MEM啾 has always felt that he and cats are compatible. While scratching the cat's jaw with a smile, he asked his friend with some curiosity.

"Why else? Of course it's because Ryo and Ai went out to celebrate their four-year wedding anniversary and I didn't have time to take care of her, so I left her with Ruby."

Samejima Abiko was addicted to the eye contact with the cat. After answering casually, she moved closer and stared at its round, firefly-colored eyes with interest. She held her chin and said:

“In fact, the cute style of the second dimension is sometimes based on cats, highlighting the proportion of the eyes among the facial features, and weakening the proportion of the nose and mouth.”

“No wonder I always feel that this cat has a delicate and pretty face.”

Kitagawa Rumi rubbed Hotaru's little head and boasted with a hint of pride:

"But our Ying is really very good-looking! When I asked her to appear in front of the camera for me before, many fans asked me to post more videos or photos to the section on cute pets' daily lives."

"really."

MEM nodded solemnly in agreement, but then sighed a little sadly:

"But I remember that Hotaru has been coming to Ruby's house for many years."

"Hmm - this seems to be the ninth or tenth year."

After hearing what Kitagawa Rumi said, Samejima Abiko also added:

"It feels like we have entered the twilight years of a cat."

"After Abizi said that, the topic suddenly became heavy..."

Just when MEM-chu and Samejima Abiko were feeling a little sad, Kitagawa Rumi was still quite optimistic and open-minded. She hugged Hotaru to her chest, and while putting her chin on its forehead affectionately, she smiled and said:

"It's actually not that bad. Even if Ying really dies in a few years, I've already thought of a way to keep her alive."

"My first reaction was to make a specimen..."

"What are you thinking about?"

Kitagawa Rumi pouted, as if she had thought of some future scene, and gently stroked the white cat's back, her voice unconsciously becoming a little softer:

"I've already thought about it. When my brother and I have a baby in a few years... well, let's name the child Ying."

"Uh, well, it's good."

MEM啾 was a little speechless and choked for a long time before she uttered a few interjections. Although she had been an insider for a long time, the values ​​she had developed over the past twenty years still made her a little dazed every time she heard such explosive remarks.

But she immediately came to her senses. After all, on some level, the fact that Kitagawa Rumi could say such words so frankly and easily in front of the two of them already meant that the other party had always regarded her and Samejima Abiko as the most trustworthy friends.

"Come to think of it, Akane probably doesn't know about Ruby and Ryo's situation yet, right?"

Thinking of Akane Kurokawa, the only one in the four-person circle who was not here at the moment, MEM啾 asked Kitagawa Rumi this question with something in mind.

"Xiao Qian? Of course she doesn't know. I feel it's too early to tell her now. After all, Xiao Qian is only fourteen this year."

As Kitagawa Rumi spoke, she subconsciously loosened her grip a little. As soon as she let go of the firefly a little, she saw it break free and jump down from the windowsill again.

"And something like that happened again recently."