"I'm in Tokyo, and this is some kind of movie star comeback system?!"

Hearing Sakamoto Yu agree, Kudo Shizuka gently curled the corners of her lips.

She put down her cutlery, turned around, and took out three folders from her bag.

"This is an audition I asked my agent to arrange. It's tomorrow at 3 PM, two sessions in a row."

She first handed Sakamoto Yu two documents and explained:

"Both of them are foreground actors and have no lines."

Sakamoto Yu thanked him, took the book, and opened it, but didn't rush to read it.

He gestured with his chin:

"What about the other one?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Shizuka Kudo's face, but she still spoke softly:

"This might not be suitable for you."

"This is a supporting role audition for a gangster-themed film. It has lines and a plot, which is a bit beyond your acting skills."

Kudo Shizuka carefully observed Sakamoto Yu's expression, her gaze meeting briefly before looking away.

Won't saying this hurt him?

Upon hearing this, Sakamoto Yu realized something and felt a chill run down his spine.

His unruly and skilled acting is just right, isn't it?

"Can I take a look?"

Kudo Shizuka thought to herself, "I knew it," and didn't refuse. As she handed it over, she paused for a few seconds before suddenly speaking:

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Improvement in acting skills takes time."

Sakamoto Yu nodded and quickly glanced at the script.

This is a TV series about a gangster, with a typical chivalrous style.

Title: Dangerous Detective

The Japanese television station plans to broadcast the program at 9 PM on Tuesday.

The male supporting character plays a young leader of a violent gang who later becomes a police informant.

There are several key conflict scenes and emotional outburst scenes.

Kudo Shizuka gently grasped Sakamoto Yu's forearm and softly advised:

"Sakamoto-kun, this role is still too much of a stretch for you."

"Moreover, it airs during prime time, making the competition extremely fierce..."

Sakamoto Yu nodded in agreement; the acting skills required for this role were indeed far beyond Sakamoto Yu's current level.

However, that was in the past.

For him now, this is the script that best suits him.

Sakamoto Yu closed the script, his gaze meeting that of the girl.

"Don't worry, I won't overestimate my abilities."

He gently patted the girl's hand.

"Kudo-san, I need to ask you for a favor. I don't have a manager right now, could you...?"

"03-9876-xxxx"

Sakamoto Yu only said the beginning, but Shizuka already guessed what he was thinking.

Simply state your pager number.

Her long, narrow eyes gazed at him quietly.

"come on!"

"Thanks."

Sakamoto Yu's eyes paused, as if something had gently touched his heart.

His lips moved, but he didn't know what to say.

After a few seconds of silence, he raised his hand and affectionately ruffled Shizuka Kudo's hair.

He held up the script in his hand and waved it at her.

"This is very important to me."

Kudo felt the warmth of Sakamoto Yu's palm, and his ears turned slightly red, but his body did not resist.

"We agreed to go shopping this weekend."

"certainly."

"Well... I'll head back now." She parted her lips slightly, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Picking up his schoolbag, before leaving, he turned around and made a fist gesture towards Sakamoto Yu, as if to cheer him on.

Sakamoto Yu smirked and clenched his fist as well.

Afterwards, Shizuka Kudo left satisfied.

Just then, a familiar ringtone echoed in Sakamoto Yu's mind.

"bite--"

[Mission: Re-establish contact with Shizuka Kudo (Completed)]

[Reward: Mastery of acting skills for rebellious or unruly characters.]

Before Sakamoto Yu could even feel happy, a sudden realization dawned on him.

Like a fleeting glimpse, the profound and mysterious knowledge is deeply imprinted on the soul.

Quickly tidy up the ingredients on the cutting board.

Immediately afterwards, he rushed to the restroom.

Looking in the mirror, Sakamoto Yu composed himself.

He rubbed his face, relaxing his muscles.

Thinking about the theories in the textbook.

He first devised a scenario for himself, and then gave the purpose and context.

A short while later, he smiled in the mirror.

His gaze began to lose focus.

A tender, gentle smile appeared on her face.

But the result was like a robot learning facial expressions, a whole uncanny valley effect, which almost startled me.

And this is the result of his learning over the past two months.

"Now, let's see if this so-called reward is real or fake."

He composed himself again.

This time, he cleared his mind, and soon a vague emotion welled up in his heart.

The person in the mirror didn't show much change in expression.

However, his entire demeanor underwent a dramatic change.

Sakamoto Yu's eyes were lowered, his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his lips were flat.

His facial features became taut, giving the impression that he was deep in thought.

The next second, he slightly raised the corner of his eye and curled his lips into a contemptuous smile.

With just a simple glance, he instantly revealed a ruthless aura.

As if possessed by Tom Hardy, his cold and arrogant aura was overwhelming, even surprising Sakamoto Yu himself.

Sakamoto Yu murmured to himself, "This is real acting."

He looked at his reflection in the mirror, as if he were about to make a move and throw a punch at his enemy.

He smiled.

The person in the mirror smiled too.

"Damn it..."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Sakamoto-san, is that you inside?"

The voice belonged to Kanchi Kudo, Shizuka's father.

Sakamoto Yu responded and opened the door.

The moment he saw Sakamoto Yu, his movements suddenly froze.

His hand remained in the position of opening the door, while his feet seemed to be nailed to the spot.

"Saka, Sakamoto-san?"

"Kudo-kun, do you need to use the restroom?"

Hearing the sound, Kudo Kanchi finally came to his senses.

His Adam's apple moved up and down.

It's as if I can see a gang leader in Kabukicho, surrounded by a group of henchmen.

The scene shows him wearing a black suit and a floral shirt, with his chest open, revealing a half-sleeve tattoo.

"What's wrong with you, Sakamoto-kun? Why are you making such a scary face?"

"Kudo Kanchi asked, his voice trembling."

Sakamoto Yu realized what was happening too late and quickly composed himself, returning to his usual demeanor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"I was practicing my acting just now, and I got so engrossed in it, hahaha."

Kanchi Kudo unconsciously echoed Inui's laughter:

"Oh, oh, I see..."

Sakamoto Yu stepped aside and moved away.

"Boom!"

After the door closed, Kudo Kanchi leaned against the sink with one hand and pressed the other against his chest.

My heart is still pounding with lingering fear.

Only then did he realize that there was a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"What the hell? That guy... scared me to death."

Outside the door, Sakamoto Yu, walking in the corridor, couldn't help but sigh.

"Is this all there is to being proficient? What about being skilled or having complete mastery?"

He rubbed his face, trying to suppress his excitement, but the more he suppressed it, the stronger his ambition became.

Thinking about tomorrow's audition, I can't help but feel excited.

...

The next day, on the fifth floor of Fuji Television.

Several meeting rooms had their doors open, and several film crews were conducting auditions at the same time.

The corridor was crowded with actors who came for auditions.

They gathered in small groups, each accompanied by their agent.

The passageway, which wasn't originally narrow, was so crowded that people were pressed against each other, making it difficult to even turn around, and the air felt stuffy.

The soapy smell of hairspray, the scent of alcohol, the perfume worn by the male and female actors, and the acrid smell of nicotine all mingled together in the sweltering air.

A dreadlock hairstyle, a Hawaiian shirt, a pompadour, and a black suit.

Occasionally, a few words of Kansai dialect or Kyushu accent drifted over as someone recited their lines.

At first glance, it exudes a strong Showa era feel.

As soon as Sakamoto Yu stepped into the passage, he felt several gazes falling on his face.

Most were just glanced at quickly, but a few were clearly impressed.

His face is just too eye-catching.

In the past, when he participated in the recruitment of supporting actors, he could pass the initial selection based on his appearance alone, but he was rejected every time because of his acting skills.

Sakamoto Yu was already used to this.

In a corner he wasn't looking at, a gaze fell upon him—it was his former manager, Masashi Nomura.

At this moment, Nomura was accompanied by a young idol who had just left Johnny & Associates.

These professionally trained idols are far more valuable than Sakamoto Yu.

It has a dedicated fan base and even two works.

It's still on the rise.

This time, Nomura brought him here to audition for the second male lead in an idol drama.

"Nomura-kun, why won't you let me try that?"

The young idol gestured with his chin toward the room with the audition sign for "Dangerous Detective" hanging on the wall.

Nomura followed his gaze, chuckled softly, and patted him on the shoulder:

"It's good that Miyamoto-kun is ambitious, but that role isn't suitable for you right now."

"After all, with your looks, you naturally want to make the most of your advantages."

Nomura offered words of advice, but inwardly shook his head, thinking that he was still young and impetuous.

Even with Johnny's training, it's still too early for him to be looking for prime-time scripts.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

Unexpectedly, he persisted.

However, he had seen this situation many times before.

In less than a week, after hitting a lot of walls, they will naturally come to terms with reality and soon become just another ordinary person.

Nomura didn't look any longer and looked away.

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

At this moment, Sakamoto Yu arrived at the registration desk.

Since he had no agent, he had to register himself.

After submitting my name, the staff handed me a script and a small number tag.

He calmly accepted it and thanked him.

I found a spot, quickly skimmed through the script, and started familiarizing myself with the lines and the character.

The surrounding noise, accents, and atmosphere were irrelevant to him.

He shut out the noise from the outside world and completely immersed himself in the role.

An unruly aura was gradually surging up from his very bones.

After an unknown amount of time, a voice pierced through the crowd:

"Number 23, Sakamoto Valley!"

His gaze slowly rose, and ambition surged within his dark eyes.