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

Sakamoto Yu froze instantly, letting Watanabe grip his shoulders tightly, forgetting even to struggle.

His pupils contracted sharply, and he hadn't even realized what was happening before him.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, instead of the expected elation, I felt a sudden and overwhelming surprise.

He has planned this step by step, and he is well aware of his reputation on set and his current popularity.

This audition invitation was a pleasant surprise for him.

However, the smile on his lips never faded from beginning to end.

It's worth noting that "Takeda Shingen" was the next Taiga drama to follow "Dokuganryu Masamune," and it achieved an average viewership rating of 39.2%, just one step behind the former. It was also a phenomenal drama that caused a sensation at the time.

If he can land this role, he could very well establish himself in the entertainment industry with just this one project.

But then he thought about it again and instantly calmed down:

The audition is the real test; current popularity won't help at all.

The moment this thought crossed my mind, a sense of anxiety arose in my heart.

His desire was fiercely aroused.

It's like taking out a loan to buy an expensive luxury item; it looks glamorous on the surface, but only he knows that he doesn't deserve the opportunity at this moment.

This jumble of thoughts was quickly interrupted by Watanabe's actions.

She was still excited, gripping Sakamoto Yu's shoulders tightly with both hands, her voice full of urgency.

Sakamoto Yu gently patted her hand and whispered:

"Watanabe-san, calm down and tell me what happened?"

Watanabe then snapped out of his daze, quickly withdrew his hand, awkwardly straightened his clothes, and softened his tone:

"Producer Shiraishi just called and said he wants you to audition for the lead role in the latest Taiga drama, 'Takeda Shingen'."

"It seems they've finally put their investment in your current fame, the approval of the professors at the University of Tokyo, and your reputation on set to work."

"But I still have a drama series in hand, should I turn it down?" Sakamoto asked.

Watanabe shook his head. "It's just an audition. Preparations for a Taiga drama don't happen that quickly. Filming might not start until the summer. There's no rush. I'll help you negotiate later, provided you pass the audition."

After calming down, Watanabe wasn't actually very confident about whether Sakamoto Yu would pass the audition.

After all, this is the lead role, not a supporting role.

She even had a fleeting thought: could it be that the production team was simply fooled by this superficial popularity?

Sakamoto Yu also understands this principle. His popularity is just a result of his hype and comeback, which is a huge bubble that could burst at any time.

This cannot be considered true strength at all.

Moreover, his role in "One-Eyed Dragon Masamune" was already small, and once the series aired, viewers would easily be drawn to other characters.

"My immediate priority is to capitalize on this momentum and continue acting to maintain my public profile."

Sakamoto Yu murmured softly.

Seeing this scene, Watanabe once again felt the clarity emanating from Sakamoto Yu. Was this really a normal person?

First, there was a public outcry, then the tide turned, and then it went viral.

Now another Taiga drama script has appeared out of nowhere, and the male lead is auditioning.

In my memory, he always seemed so indifferent.

Watanabe took a deep look at Sakamoto Yu's profile and was deeply moved.

Could it be that all of this was within his expectations?

Shaking his head, Watanabe dismissed these strange thoughts.

If someone is really that powerful, why bother being an actor? They might as well go to a temple and become a fortune teller.

"Watanabe-san?"

Sakamoto Yu turned his head and saw Watanabe looking lost in thought. He waved his hand in front of her face.

"Huh?" Watanabe snapped out of his daze. "What did you just say?"

Sakamoto Yu let out a breath, not knowing why she had drifted off into thought. "I said, I need to keep acting and maintain this level of exposure."

"Oh, right! That's right."

Watanabe nodded in agreement. "I will continue to keep an eye out for suitable resources for you."

Seeing her like this, Sakamoto Yu frowned slightly. "Are you alright? Do you want to lie down on the sofa for a while...?"

Before he could finish speaking, the doorbell rang.

"Ding-dong."

The doorbell interrupted their conversation.

Watanabe turned and went to open the door, where a postal worker was standing.

After signing for it, the other party handed over a small cardboard box.

"What did you receive?"

Sakamoto Yu looked over curiously.

"A cardboard box." Watanabe handed over the cardboard box.

Sakamoto Yu took it with a puzzled look, and subconsciously put it to his ear to listen for any "tickling" sound.

After confirming that there was no movement, he gently shook the box again.

Judging from the sound and feel, there seems to be only one very small object inside.

Sakamoto glanced at Watanabe, then lowered his head and opened the box.

Watanabe was also watching from the sidelines.

He tore off the sealing tape, opened it, and found a brand-new pager lying quietly inside, with a note underneath it.

Sakamoto Yu picked up the note; it had a line of neat handwriting on it:

"I'm sorry, my rumors have caused you trouble."

The agent is keeping a close eye on things; please use this to contact them.

Next is a line of numbers, which should be the coded message for contact.

In the corner of the note, a signature sat quietly.

Yasuko Sawaguchi.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Watanabe made a sarcastic, mocking sound.

"Sawaguchi-san actually bought a pager just so he could contact you?"

"Sakamoto-san, are you really not involved with her at all?"

Sakamoto Yu reluctantly put the note back.

"I never told Sawaguchi where I lived; this is clearly a prank."

Watanabe didn't believe him at all. "Do you know how much a pager costs?"

Sakamoto Yu dismissed it, feigning composure, "It's not that expensive..."

"Two thousand yen? Who would use two thousand yen as a prank?"

Watanabe held up five fingers and waved them in front of Sakamoto Yu.

"Two thousand yen can buy five lunch sets."

Sakamoto Yu waved his hand, "Impossible, I haven't even given Sawaguchi-san my address, how could she mail it?"

"Stop pretending. I was able to get someone on set to find Sawaguchi's office address. Do you think it's that hard to find your place?"

"Why don't you try dialing it and see if it's real or not?"

Watanabe walked over, picked up the landline phone, and handed it to him.

Sakamoto Yu was forced to accept, glared at her, but didn't refuse, and dialed the number.

Hang up the phone and wait.

Sure enough, the landline rang a short while later.

Watanabe pursed his lips; this guy really knows how to attract girls.

She's a womanizer everywhere.

Just then, the phone rang.

Watanabe gave Sakamoto a look, signaling him to answer the phone quickly.

Sakamoto Yu sighed helplessly, reached for the microphone, and said softly, "Moshi moshi."

A soft female voice came from the other end of the phone: "Sakamoto-kun?"

Sakamoto Yu took a slight breath and replied calmly, "It's me."

"Great! You should have received the pager I sent, right?"

There was a hint of barely perceptible excitement in the other person's voice.

Sakamoto Yu responded with a faint "Mm".

"Um... I'm really sorry about the previous rumors; I'm sorry they dragged you into this."

The tone on the phone instantly turned guilty.

Sakamoto Yu paused for a moment, then slowly said:

"No, it doesn't really have much of an impact."

After saying that, the two fell silent.

"Can we meet?" Sawaguchi asked expectantly.

Sakamoto Yu did not answer immediately.

At that moment, Watanabe picked up his briefcase, waved at him, and signaled that he was leaving.

Then he reached to his ear and made a phone call gesture.

As the sound of the entryway door closing echoed, Sakamoto Yu finally spoke:

"Okay, just give me a location."