My girlfriend is Saiki Kusunoki

Will Naoto-sensei just give me a perfunctory answer? If so, that would be terrible.

If I had known this earlier, I would have let Mr. Zhiren handle more of the tasks when we were making the investment.

Meanwhile, Kashima Yu, who had already arrived at the film set, looked around at the scene with a look of utter curiosity. He was just like a country bumpkin who had just arrived in a big city.

"Wow, I never expected this. Is this a real film crew? They look amazing. The academy's drama club is nowhere near their level."

Looking at the actors around him, each one of whom was a well-known figure in the industry, Kashima Yu felt extremely excited. Such a scene could only be encountered during auditions.

Kashima Yu was originally the next president of the school's drama club. Although she hadn't graduated from her third year and the position of president hadn't become vacant, everyone already believed that she could become the president of the drama club.

He has an extremely strong interest and passion for acting.

He was known as "Prince" at the academy.

The reason he came here this time was because he heard that the "Parasyte" crew was recruiting actors. With the arrangement and advice of a senior, Kashima Yu came to the crew to train properly.

Although Kashima knew that she probably wouldn't be able to become a qualified actor, she still decided to come because she wanted to become one.

As Kashima Yu looked around, he suddenly seemed to spot a familiar figure in a corner, intently memorizing his lines. Upon seeing the acquaintance, Kashima quickly went over to greet him.

"Ms. Nakano! What a coincidence, so you're here for an audition too."

"Mr. Kashima? You're here too..."

"Haha, what a coincidence! So you were coming too. I wish we had come together earlier."

"That's right."

Ichika smiled as she watched the enthusiastic Kashima tour. She never expected that the person she met on the train was also there to audition for a role in the film.

But is it really okay for the other party to be so enthusiastic? And isn't all of this a bit too coincidental?

Thinking about this, Ichika began to worry that this person might have ulterior motives.

"Mr. Kashima, what role are you here to apply for? Could it be... the male lead?"

"No, no, no, male lead? How could that be? Besides, I'm a girl."

"Huh? Hey hey hey hey hey!!!!"

Ichika's exclamation immediately drew the attention of everyone around her. The others looked at Ichika with confusion, wondering what had made her shout so loudly.

"Mr. Kashima, you...you said you're a girl? Please don't make jokes like that."

"But I really am a girl. If you don't believe me, look."

When Kashima saw that Ichika didn't believe her, she even took out her student ID.

When Ichika saw the large "female" sign for gender, she was completely dumbfounded.

With such a handsome face and such a tall stature, he would be outstanding even among men, and yet you tell her that Kashima is actually a girl?

"How could this be?"

Ichika, somewhat skeptical, tugged at Kashima's face and found that Kashima's face really was somewhat androgynous. If she were a woman, it wouldn't be unacceptable, but why did Ichika think she was a man?

Ichika looked closely at Kashima, and then, seemingly understanding something, she looked at Kashima's chest.

"Ouch, it hurts! Ms. Nakano, let go!"

At this moment, Kashima, whose face was being pulled by Ichika, quickly begged for mercy. But then, he noticed that Ichika was looking at him with pity.

"Kashima, you've suffered so much these past years."

"Ugh?"

Ichika said that this was the first time in all her years that she had seen a girl with such a flat chest. Even elementary school students would be better than this. As a woman, how sad this is.

And this was indeed the case at school.

Most people, unaware of her identity, would mistake her for a boy, and in the drama club, she consistently played male roles.

That is why he earned the title of "Prince of the Academy".

In a sense, this is also a kind of tragedy.

"By the way, Ms. Nakano, I've wanted to ask you for a long time, are you perhaps... Ms. Nakano Ichika?"

"Yes, I am Nakano Ichika."

"It really is you! I saw your last movie in the theater. You're really amazing!"

"Not at all, I'm just a newcomer, far from being a big star."

Ichika was overjoyed to find that someone had recognized her.

It seems my recent efforts have not been in vain.

After graduating from high school, Ichika's acting career took off, and she is now a well-known actress in the film industry.

"Miss Ichika, you don't need to say that. Actually, I also want to become an excellent actress like you!"

Looking at the excited Kashima, Ichika couldn't help but give an awkward smile.

With a figure like Kashima's, can she really be a good "actress"?

But then again, if Kashima really is a girl, then wouldn't that mean all the previous guesses were wrong? How embarrassing!

Chapter 154: Kashima, You Should Be the Male Lead

"It's unbelievable that so many people came to audition this time. Even Kimura-sensei and Sato-sensei came to audition. Oh no, I'm starting to get nervous."

"Yeah, our crew has never had so many celebrities come before. Maybe they came because of ONE?"

"It's possible, after all, we posted online that ONE would be coming here to watch auditions."

Seeing so many big-name celebrities coming to audition, the two of them could be described as having a happy problem.

On the one hand, there are so many excellent actors to choose from; on the other hand, the pressure on them is increasing because the people who come are too high-profile.

This isn't some kind of live-action adaptation of a comic book; it's even more outrageous than those big-budget movies.

"Don't be nervous. The more famous the person who comes, the more carefully we need to observe them. Don't be misled by their fame. We are looking for actors who are suitable for the role, not those who are famous."

Director Hongmu and screenwriter Quanmu stared blankly at Naoto, unsure of what to say.

It's important to understand that many production teams would rather not fit the role or even change the script than not use a famous actor, just to cast that person. This is because a famous actor can greatly enhance the quality of a production, and a large group of fans of these stars will buy tickets to see the movie even if it's not good, just for the sake of that star.

And all of this comes from box office revenue.

"Isn't Parasyte famous enough already? Do we need to keep riding on the coattails of those celebrities?"

Then, Naoto's next words left the two of them stunned.

Yes, Parasyte is generating a lot of discussion online right now. Just based on ONE's fame alone, this work is already quite popular.

Given the current situation, unless it's a nationally renowned actor, the impact on them is indeed not high. It's more like these people are trying to ride on their popularity.

"As for box office, a large number of die-hard fans will indeed boost the box office, but if this makes a movie less enjoyable, then it's not worth it. Japan's real box office is overseas, where there are no so-called die-hard fans."

Naoto's words enlightened the two of them; it seemed that Naoto had indeed thought everything through before coming. He certainly didn't intend to be perfunctory.

Naoto's words made the two of them realize that any work must rely on genuine talent; relying on crooked methods will not yield good results.

"Alright, let's take a look at the next auditionee, Kashima Yu... Gender, female?!"

When Naoto saw this information, he felt a bit confused. Had he seen something strange?

Deer Island trip? Female? Am I seeing things?

"No, no, no, it should just be a coincidence of names. Wow, that's strange. I never thought a girl and a boy would have the same name."

Naoto thought about the boy he had seen on the train earlier, and his mind was completely filled with question marks.

Is the problem with him, or with the world? Why would a beautiful boy be female?

"Huh? This person who came to audition is just a student?"

"He doesn't have any previous works, so he's a newcomer?"

"I heard that he has participated in performances in the school's drama club and has also performed in other places, but this is his first time in a film."

At this moment, when the director and screenwriter saw this person, they looked down on him somewhat.

After all, compared to the big names they had worked with before, Kashima, this newcomer, really didn't interest either of them.

No, even before these two movies were made, these two people would not have used a complete newcomer.

Meanwhile, Kashima had already changed into women's clothes and entered the audition room.

It must be said that, apart from her chest being a little flatter, Kashima looks absolutely perfect in women's clothing.

That androgynous face, when paired with women's clothing, does indeed look like a beautiful young woman full of heroic spirit.

Although her chest was unfortunately quite flat.

Even though Yukino has always been known as "Hirano" by everyone at school, no one has ever seen anyone so flat.

"It really is her, Ah Nu."

Naoto's face twitched as he looked at Kashima, who was looking embarrassed.

And wasn't Kashima at that time the same?

She originally thought that meeting Nakano Ichika outside was already an incredible thing.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I came in for the audition, I saw a straight person again, how about that?

The two people who met on a tram both ended up meeting on the film set – what a coincidence!

Now, there's no need to guess who Naoto is.

Although Naoto hadn't told her his name before, the fact that he could sit next to the director and was so young meant that it couldn't possibly be anyone other than ONE.

While Naoto was sizing up Kashima, Kashima was also looking at Naoto.

According to one of his friends, ONE is currently the strongest manga artist among the younger generation in Japan, and is also his idol.

His work is of a very high standard, and he was only fortunate enough to see it once.

Although her friend had mentioned it a few times, she hadn't expected it to be so young. She looked exactly like her friend.

After the audition began, the director first asked Kashima to perform a short segment of the role he was auditioning for.

However, perhaps due to nervousness, or for some other reason, the three people present always felt that something was strange.