They all pushed me!

After all, the gimmick of Ryo Kitagawa playing a gigolo role for the first time alone is enough to lure quite a number of people into going to the cinema.

Among the few makeup photos released by the team in the early stage, Beichuan Liang's number of reposts and likes stood out, providing considerable popularity and traffic during the film's promotion stage.

He clinked glasses with Nakayama Masaya with a smile. When Koreeda Hirokazu walked around Kitagawa Ryo, he found that the other person was holding a fruity sparkling water in his hand. Then he slapped his head and remembered that the other person was just a minor under the age of seventeen.

“I hope we can have the opportunity to cooperate again next time.”

But after a short pause, Koreeda Hirokazu immediately put on a smile again and handed the cup over. Amid the light sound of the cups colliding with each other, Kitagawa Ryo also smiled and nodded:

"I hope so too."

Because there were other main creative staff members who needed to be taken care of one by one, Hirokazu Koreeda did not stay with Kitagawa Ryo for too long. After saying some words of praise and encouragement, he went to the other side.

"It's not tasty at all..."

As soon as Hirokazu Koreeda left, Kana Arima, who was sitting next to Ryo Kitagawa, stuck out her tongue and pointed at the ginger ale in front of her.

"If you don't like it, don't drink it. Drink this instead. It's grape-flavored and sweet."

Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Ryo, who was flipping the grilled meat in front of him with tongs, pushed his cup in front of Arima Kana, motioning her to pour some and try it to see if she liked it.

So, Arima Kana took small sips of Kitagawa Ryo's drink while watching Kitagawa Ryo put the grilled food that she was interested in into her bowl.

"After this play is over, what are your plans, Ryo-senpai?"

Hearing the question from Arima Kana, Beichuan Ryo paused for a moment, thought for a while and then replied:

"After that, there will be the performance of Oedipus Rex. After Oedipus Rex is over, I should take a break for a while and give myself a vacation."

Most actors in the entertainment industry will choose to take a break after filming a long movie or TV series. On the one hand, it can relieve physical and mental fatigue. On the other hand, it can also be used to recharge themselves, read a book at home, or go out for a trip.

"Kana should be the same. After Shoplifters is over, the company won't give you any important work for a short time, so take a good rest first."

After saying this, Beichuan Liangya stuffed a piece of barbecue into his mouth and chewed it slowly.

"……I see."

Feeling as if she hadn't said enough, Arimakana sighed heavily.

For her, she would rather stay in the crew with Beichuan Liang every day than go back to face her messy home.

As if seeing what Arima Gana was thinking, Beichuan Liang also added with a smile:

"Of course, if Kana wants, you can always come to the LALALAI Troupe to find me. I should be there during this period of time."

"Ah."

Sure enough, Arimagana's expression immediately relaxed. She lowered her head, as if she felt the store was a little hot, and reached out to take the small pendant from her collar.

She looked up at the profile of Beichuan Liang beside her and unconsciously grasped it in her palm.

Then, he tightened his grip little by little.

Chapter 67: Keep it in your heart or hold it in your hand?

Among the many urban legends in Japan, there is one that during graduation season, a girl asks the boy she likes for the second button from the top of his school uniform to express her love.

It is said that this is because the second button from the top is closest to the heart. If you can get it, it means that you have already held the heart of the person you like in your hands. It can be regarded as an alternative way of confession.

But in fact, as more and more schools in Japan have set their school uniforms to suit-type styles in recent years, this tradition has begun to die out rapidly among the younger generation.

Kitagawa Ryo, who has worn an ordinary high school boy uniform and appeared on a dating show, knows the reason for this phenomenon very well, because the second button of a suit jacket from the top is usually on the lower abdomen.

From "Catch the heart of the person you like" to "Catch the stomach of the person you like", I always feel that the style of the story has suddenly changed from campus youth love to the daily necessities of life, so it is natural for most students to abandon this tradition.

But for Kitagawa Rumi, this gradually disappearing urban legend provided her with inspiration.

“Phew—done!”

Putting down the scissors in her hand, Kitagawa Rumi, who had been busy in front of the small mirror in her room for half a day, let out a long sigh. After placing the pendant in her hand on her chest and comparing it briefly, she put it around her neck with satisfaction.

This is the Sphinx pendant that her brother gave her two days ago. Although the various gifts that Kitagawa Rumi has received from her brother since she was a child can easily fill up her two large wardrobes, perhaps because this is a unique gift that was given in front of Hoshino Ai and she returned it with a kiss in front of her, Kitagawa Rumi attaches more importance to and loves it.

So after getting inspiration from the urban legend of the second button, Kitagawa Rumi fully utilized her hands-on ability and trimmed the rope to just the right length.

Kitagawa Rumi slightly pulled open her collar and saw the cute little pendant dangling on her chest.

Then, she pressed the pendant inward through her clothes, and it lay quietly against her chest, as if listening to her every heartbeat.

Perhaps because she thought of something, Kitagawa Rumi's little face inexplicably turned red with shyness.

She kicked off her slippers and fell backwards on the big bed in her room. She then rolled over slowly, picked up the orange bear doll at the head of the bed, clamped it between her legs, and buried her whole face in its soft, furry body.

"Oooooh... I'm going to die."

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"γγ α π ρα δ' τη."

Akane Kurokawa lay on her bed, raised the pendant hanging around her neck towards the incandescent light in the room, and awkwardly followed the standard pronunciation from the translation software on the mobile phone placed beside her, reciting the Greek sentence like a spell.

This was a small gift that Kitagawa Ryo gave her yesterday, wishing her that she would finally overcome her character weaknesses a few months after her audition and dare to recite her lines on the stage in front of other actors.

Although I know that this is one of the peripheral products sold by the LALALAI Theater during the next performance of "Oedipus Rex" and is not a unique boutique, the gift-giving thing has never depended on the quality of the gift, but on the person who gives the gift.

Just like Kitagawa Rumi didn't know that no matter whether she gave Kitagawa Ryo a thousand paper cranes or a simple "Happy Birthday, Brother", it would not affect her position in the other's heart, and she could take the initiative and make thousands of wishes unscrupulously on Kitagawa Ryo's birthday.

For Akane Kurokawa, this was the first time she received a gift from Ryo Kitagawa since she joined the LALALAI troupe.

"If you make a false oath, disaster is imminent..."

Kurokawa Akane naturally didn't know that Kitagawa Ryo gave her this pendant because it was the last one he had. She herself was more inclined to believe that this was a warning from Kitagawa Ryo as a senior to her.

Don't make promises or oaths casually. Make sure to complete the things you promised, otherwise you will be punished in the future.

In the child psychology that Akane Kurokawa read during this period, she read the story of Sisyphus. This king in Greek mythology broke his promise to the god of death, so he was sentenced to push a huge rock to the top of a mountain, watch it roll down, and then push it up again, falling into this endless labor.

"This should be Senior Liang's wish for me to prove myself with actions rather than promises or words."

Akane Kurokawa turned over, lay on her side, placed the pendant in front of her eyes, and stroked the words on its surface with two fingers.

"It seems that we need to be more serious."

Muttering this softly, Akane Kurokawa wrapped the pendant with both hands and then released it.

She was not a child who would make verbal promises and swear words casually, but that didn't mean she had never done such a thing.

Before and after the audition for "Shoplifters", even though she was reluctant to look back on the taste of her first failure, Kurokawa Akane would not deny that she had secretly vowed countless times in her heart that she would beat the kid named Kana Arima, who was the same age as her.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have pulled Kitagawa Ryo's sleeve and said to him, "I'm going to audition," which was out of character at that time.

Although the final result was a complete failure.

The official movie trailer of "Shoplifters" has released the first trailer on the Internet, and Kurokawa Akane has naturally seen it.

Just in the few minutes of the trailer, the acting skills displayed by Arimaka is beyond her ability at this stage.

It was inevitable failure.

"If you make a vow without thinking, you will be in trouble. Once you make a vow, you must fulfill it."

Akane Kurokawa held the pendant in the palm of her right hand and pursed her lips to cheer herself up.

She must win back this battle from Arima Kana in the next audition as an honest actress.

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My mother likes the popular Kana Arima.

Although Magana was suddenly confused and at a loss when she first realized this fact, she has now become skilled in looking at and dealing with her mother's paranoia from another perspective.

What my mother likes is the famous me, which means that the famous me is apparently a child that my mother likes.

And this kind of child is often treated a little bit willful and spoiled.

As the trailer for "Shoplifters" brought a surge in attention, the mother, who was busy showing off to her friends and family, agreed without hesitation when she heard her daughter's request to attend acting training at the LALALAI Theater. She even suggested that she get closer to Kitagawa Ryo and see if she could get a role in a big-budget movie or TV series.

Overall, although she was in a gloomy mood when she was perfunctorily dealing with her mother, as soon as she walked out of the house and was exposed to the bright sunshine, Arima Kana squinted her eyes in relaxation.

According to the weather forecast, today is a long-awaited sunny day, so Magana specially brought a white sun hat when traveling, which can block the ultraviolet rays and partially conceal his appearance.

After asking her agent Shoko Mida to take her to the door of the LALALAI Theater Building, Kana Arima also reached out a hand to hold her hat and got out of the car carefully.

Arimakana naturally didn't know that when she was still a fetus, she was carried in her mother's belly to watch the premiere of "Youth Taboo Game" here.

For Arimagana herself, this is her first time attending the LALALAI troupe.

Unlike the Kurokawa family's policy of training Kurokawa Akane in an orderly manner, Ms. Arima never thought of enrolling her daughter in any acting training classes. Almost as soon as she could remember, she pushed her daughter onto the stage of the entertainment industry as a child actor.

Fortunately, Magana herself was extremely talented. Despite growing up wildly without any guidance, she gradually acquired the skills called acting and managed to survive in this circle with difficulty. Only then did she wait for the appearance of Kitagawa Ryo.

After approaching the reception hall on the first floor of the rather spacious building, Arima Kana subconsciously squeezed the pendant in her palm.

After the filming of "Shoplifters", Kana Arima moved the wearing position of the Sphinx pendant from the neck to the wrist, which made it more convenient for her to hold the pendant, which was like a talisman to her, in her palm anytime and anywhere.

"Hello, this is Kana Arima, I'm her manager, Shoko Mita, and Kitagawa-san said he made an appointment for us in advance."

After communicating briefly with the front desk clerk in charge of reception, Shoko Mita nodded to Kana Arima, indicating that she should go in alone and he would come back to pick her up in the evening.

Although Arimaka is on vacation now without work, as her agent, she has no way to take a vacation with her. Especially now that Arimaka has finished filming "Shoplifters" and her schedule is free, all kinds of offers are flying all over her desk like snowflakes.

"I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Sister Xiangzi."

Before Oeda Shoko turned around and left, Arima Kana thanked her sincerely.

"It's okay...Kana, please go in quickly."

Shoko Mida still likes the artist she is bringing up very much. Although her mother taught her about the dangers of society, there is nothing wrong with Kana Arima herself. She has basically none of the bad habits that child stars in the circle often have. He is usually very close to her and respects her. No wonder there are rumors in the company that this child is like the second Kitagawa Ryo.

After saying goodbye to her agent Shoko Mita, Kana Arima trotted towards the practice room on the second floor as the front desk staff had mentioned. Soon, only a small figure gradually moved away was left behind.

In the practice room on the second floor, Kitagawa Ryo was giving morning lessons to the serious-looking Kurokawa Akane.

"Regarding the seven powers and four senses of performance, we have already learned all of the seven powers in previous lessons, and Qian has mastered them very well, so from today on, I will explain the four senses to Qian."

"The first and most important of the four senses is the sense of reality."

Beichuan Liang explained to Kurokawa Akane in detail from the simplest to the most complex:

"What is reality? In real life, reality is something that really exists and people know for sure. On stage, reality is something that does not exist in reality but may happen."

"Just like in the last scene of Oedipus Rex, what matters is not whether Oedipus King blinded himself with a real gold pin or a plastic stage prop, but whether the actor's inner feelings in this scene are sincere, correct and real."

Akane Kurokawa nodded thoughtfully. She knew very well that she failed the audition because she lacked this sense of reality in her performance and became distorted when playing the role of the little girl who was locked on the balcony by her parents.

The audience may not have seen the child Sheng locked on the balcony and abused by his mother in real life, but they can definitely see that the other party would never be the same as Kurokawa Akane showed, so distortion occurred.

After giving a few easy-to-understand examples of performances that Kurokawa Akane had seen with her own eyes, Kitagawa Ryo paused and prepared to drink some water and take a break.

Just then someone handed me a bottle of mineral water.

"Thank you."

Thinking that it must be a colleague in the troupe, Kitagawa Ryo took it and after drinking two sips, he suddenly remembered that he was now giving one-on-one lessons to Kurokawa Akane in a separate practice room, so there was no such thing as a colleague.

Akane Kurokawa, who had been looking down to take notes, had her pupils slightly shrunken and revealed an expression of disbelief.

"You are……"

However, Kitagawa Ryo's heart immediately returned to his stomach, because Magana came out from behind him and sat upright opposite him, next to Kurokawa Akane, putting his hat aside and smiling slightly:

"Because what Senior Liang said just now was so engaging and exciting, I couldn't interrupt him."

"It's Kana who's here."

Kitagawa Ryo quickly calmed down. He first nodded at Arima Kana, then suddenly remembered that she and Kurokawa Akane seemed to have never met each other, so he smiled and introduced the two of them.

"This is my junior at the agency, Ari Magana."

"This is my junior from the LALALAI Theater Company, Akane Kurokawa."

Arima Kana reached out her hand to Kurokawa Akane beside her with a normal look:

"Hello, I'm Arimakane."

"…Hello, I'm Akane Kurokawa."

As they nodded to each other, Arima Kana keenly noticed that the other person's eyes swept across her neck, as if looking for something.

Not finding the familiar gadget, Akane Kurokawa breathed a sigh of relief.

But she immediately saw the thing tied around the other person's wrist, which was faintly visible under his sleeve.

Like a little squirrel that appeared from nowhere, Kurokawa Akane looked away and puffed up her cheeks angrily.

Chapter 4: No one understands reality better than me (5k)