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

As soon as Miho Nakayama uttered those words, she herself was stunned.

She never expected that she would actually ask the question.

With a thin layer of moisture covering her eyes, she silently gazed at Sakamoto Valley, remaining silent for half a second.

A sudden wave of shame washed over me.

Just as she couldn't take it anymore and was about to turn and leave, Sakamoto Yu spoke softly:

"I think you are very serious and ambitious."

Miho Nakayama paused, and subconsciously uttered an "Eh."

The hand gripping the script suddenly tightened.

She was somewhat incredulous:

"Strong-willed?"

Sakamoto Yu nodded naturally.

He turned and gave Ono Hitomi a look, and Ono Hitomi reacted immediately, putting down the script and turning to leave.

But the way she kept turning back to look at me every few steps clearly showed that she really wanted to stay.

After his assistant walked away, Sakamoto Yu found a place to sit down.

Only then did he realize that Miho Nakayama was still standing there, staring blankly at him with an empty look in her eyes.

Sakamoto Yu sat quietly, undisturbed.

"You mean I'm very strong-willed?"

Miho Nakayama frowned, her lips unconsciously pursed.

Sakamoto Yu nodded slightly, picked up the water bottle, and took a sip.

"Idols always have an expiration date."

At twenty, you're adored; at thirty, you're asked, "Why aren't you married yet?"; at forty, you're practically forgotten.

His voice was soft and calm.

"Despite overwhelming public opinion, she was willing to break her perfect idol image and choose to transform her career."

"This kind of courage is rare."

Miho Nakayama stared intently at Yu Sakamoto's face, as if trying to discern whether he was lying.

"I also want to be someone who can decide how I live my life, without being controlled or constrained."

When Sakamoto Yu thought of Johnny's, a hint of restraint and disdain flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"I want to choose my own roles and decide which scripts I want to act in."

He paused for a moment, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"Just like you."

Miho Nakayama paused for a moment.

Sakamoto looked into her eyes, his tone earnest.

"You gave up being a national idol and endured the criticism from all over Japan to play an unwed mother."

"That's so cool."

When he said those two words, it wasn't just polite flattery; it was a heartfelt expression of emotion.

"I'm also very curious, Mr. Nakayama... what kind of person are you?"

Miho Nakayama felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, but more than that, she felt an inexplicable excitement.

This person was unlike anyone she had ever met.

He didn't compliment her on her looks, nor did he say "You're so brave." He seemed genuinely curious about her as a person.

I'm curious about her choice, and curious about her motives.

She tilted her head, revealing a rare hint of mischief "not belonging" to her, and deliberately asked in a relaxed tone:

"You see it now."

So, what kind of person do you think I am?

Sakamoto Yu watched her tilt her head.

Then, he deliberately imitated it.

He tilted his head, looking at her from the exact same angle with the exact same expression.

"Um……"

He drawled out his words.

"Just an... ordinary idol?"

Miho Nakayama was stunned.

Then she laughed.

It wasn't a polite smile; he was genuinely amused.

"you--"

"What's wrong?" Sakamoto Yu returned to his normal posture, looking completely innocent. "Did I say something wrong?"

Miho Nakayama glared at him, but the corners of her mouth were still turned up.

She suddenly realized that she hadn't laughed like that in a long time.

"You..."

After laughing, Miho Nakayama took the initiative to come to Yu Sakamoto's side, straightened her skirt, and sat down next to him.

She gave a soft snort, suppressed her laughter, and pretended to put on a stern face.

As I turned my head to look elsewhere, my peripheral vision was unconsciously drawn to something else.

After a long pause, her tone turned slightly cold, but she softly retorted:

"You're nothing special."

"I'm not an idol, I'm an actor."

After a moment of silence, she added:

"Hey, with such a huge public outcry, aren't you afraid?"

Unbeknownst to her, Miho Nakayama had forgotten the purpose of her visit.

Their relationship gradually took a different turn.

Upon hearing this, Sakamoto Yu shook his head slightly:

"What can fear solve? If I'm afraid of this little thing, I won't be able to walk the path I want to take."

Upon hearing this, Miho Nakayama's curiosity was piqued, and she tilted her head to ask:

"What road?"

Sakamoto Yu didn't answer, but glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

Then, he quietly moved to the side to create some distance.

Miho Nakayama looked puzzled.

Sakamoto Yu, like a student being watched by a teacher, raised his finger and pointed ahead.

"There's a weirdo watching you."

Miho Nakayama didn't follow Sakamoto Yu's train of thought and paused for a moment before following Sakamoto Yu's gaze.

Only then did he realize that his manager was looking at him with a slightly cold expression.

There was a wary look in his eyes.

It's like being wary of a big bad wolf abducting your little girl.

When Sakamoto Yu saw his manager looking over, he raised his hands, making a gesture that said, "I didn't do anything."

He shifted his body to one side further.

When Miho Nakayama saw her manager, she was still a little worried, but when she turned her head and saw Yu Sakamoto's expression, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She quickly covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter, but her shoulders kept shaking uncontrollably.

Only when she noticed her manager's increasingly grim expression did she quickly stop smiling, stand up, and prepare to leave.

Before leaving, she turned back and gave Sakamoto Yu a deep look before quickly walking back to her manager.

The agent started nagging and lecturing again, but she didn't listen to a word he said.

Afterwards, Sakamoto Yu and she filmed two more scenes.

The day's filming came to an end.

Director Endo had a very comfortable time filming, and with Yu Sakamoto on set, Miho Nakayama was in a fantastic state of mind.

Like Katsuji Nakamura and Kiyoshi Nishimura, actors like Yu Sakamoto are considered "treasures" by directors.

Anyone would be happy to work with an actor like that.

Sakamoto Yu rubbed his face, packed his things and left. He had let his assistant leave work early, and she quickly helped him pack his things before leaving herself.

She also works part-time as a clerk at an agency. Sakamoto Yu had previously asked her privately if her salary wasn't enough to cover her expenses.

She smiled shyly, "I want to earn more money while I'm young so I can support my younger siblings."

"It seems they're quite short on money." Sakamoto Yu shook his head and left the studio.

Actors, like ordinary people, also need to commute.

Sakamoto Yu stood at the intersection, waved, and flagged down a Toyota Crown taxi.

The car doors are controlled by the driver and open automatically.

"Hello, welcome aboard."

"Shinjuku's 1-chome."

"yes!"

...

On the other side, Miho Nakayama watched as Yu Sakamoto got into the car and left. She walked back to her manager and followed him into the van.

The agent kept talking, saying things like "keep your distance" and "be careful of public opinion."

She ignored it completely.

The words Sakamoto Yu had said to her kept replaying in her mind.

He said he was "ambitious" and she was "cool".

But am I really that good?

She suddenly felt a little irritable.

Not to him, but to myself.

"I'm also very curious, Mr. Nakayama, what kind of person are you?"

At that moment, she felt as if she had been seen through, which made her feel flustered, yet also inexplicably excited.

But now, looking back, she suddenly feels uncertain.

Am I really that good?

she does not know.

She only knew that she was able to perform well in those few scenes today entirely because of him.

Without him...

She clutched the hem of her skirt and awkwardly turned to look out the window.

Her own face was reflected in the car window.

That face... didn't seem as formidable as he described.

She turned her face away, not wanting to look anymore.

The agent noticed she seemed a bit down and asked with concern:

"Mulberry from Zhongshan?"

Zhongshan looked up and smiled:

"Yes."

Are you alright?

"It's alright, everything's fine."