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

Kudo Shizuka hugged her knees, her eyes slightly red, staring blankly at the steps beneath her feet.

"You can leave now."

Her voice was a little hoarse.

Sakamoto Yu sighed softly and took a step forward.

"We were just rehearsing..."

Hearing footsteps, Shizuka Kudo shrank back and hugged herself even tighter.

"I'm not angry that you acted opposite her; I know it's your job."

"I'm not jealous." Her voice trailed off with a slight nasal tone.

Sakamoto Yu paused, then walked over and sat down beside her.

She was slender, and even the outline of her elbows was clearly visible.

He reached through her arms and grasped her cold hands.

Kudo Shizuka tried to pull her wrist away gently, but the space was too narrow and she couldn't shake him off at all. In the end, she could only let him hold her hand.

"Are you scared?"

Sakamoto Yu's voice wasn't loud, just enough for her to hear.

Kudo's shoulders tensed abruptly.

She was right.

She turned her head, suddenly looked up at him, and felt a lump in her throat.

She clenched the fabric tightly with her fingers, her voice strained:

"Yes! I'm scared."

"I'm afraid that you'll be surrounded by people like Miho Nakayama in the future!"

I'm afraid that as you become more and more famous, I won't even have the right to stand next to you!

She couldn't continue.

The sound suddenly stopped.

Tears finally fell.

Each pearl looks like a broken string.

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

The sound became softer and muffled.

"What you promised..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, and the last few words were almost inaudible.

Sakamoto Yu didn't say anything.

The stairwell was so quiet that you could hear her breathing, once, twice, with a nasal tone.

Kudo Shizuka lowered her head and waited.

What followed was a very somber remark.

"Have you made enough of a scene?"

Kudo Shizuka froze, her eyes fixed on Sakamoto Yu, her moist lips parted.

"Sakamoto...?"

She saw that Sakamoto Yu's brows were furrowed.

The hands that were holding each other suddenly let go.

Kudo Shizuka's breath hitched, her pupils trembled, and she tried to say something, but her mind went completely blank.

The little hand twitched slightly the moment Sakamoto Yu loosened his grip, instinctively wanting to hold on.

"You ran away without a word, and I followed right after you."

Now that everyone's here, what do you want me to do?

The tone of a statement of fact made Kudo's face turn pale.

Tears clung to my eyelashes, but I dared not let them fall.

Sakamoto looked at her, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Do you think you're the only one worried?

He said it very softly, but his voice trembled slightly.

He closed his eyes briefly.

When he opened his eyes again, the seriousness was gone, replaced by a look of weariness.

Like a string stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

Just for a fleeting moment.

Then he stopped immediately.

Kudo had never seen him like this before.

She suddenly remembered that public opinion.

At the time, I just watched from afar, thinking, "He should be alright, right? Isn't it all over now?"

Now she suddenly realized—Sakamoto Yu had never mentioned this to her.

Not a single word.

Kudo Shizuka subconsciously leaned forward, reaching out to touch him, but was too afraid to do so.

"Sakamoto-kun, don't scare me..." Her voice unconsciously carried a hint of a sob.

Sakamoto Yu shook his head slightly, exhaled, and stepped back a little.

"You said you'd wait until I came of age, and I've been waiting, but your outburst today makes me feel like my waiting has been meaningless."

"I promised you, I remember."

"And you?"

Kudo Shizuka's expression froze.

Sakamoto didn't say anything more, turned his face away, and refused to look at her again.

Kudo Shizuka opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word.

The toes curled up nervously.

She subconsciously lowered her head and stared at the ground.

She was silent for a few seconds. Then she took a small step forward, as if testing the waters.

Sakamoto didn't back down. She took another step, stood in front of him, head bowed, her forehead almost touching his chest.

Then she reached out her hand, her fingers slowly sliding into his palm.

She finally spoke, her voice very soft: "...I thought you had forgotten."

Sakamoto didn't speak, nor did she clench her fist; she simply let her fingers remain there.

Kudo's tears fell, and she sniffed.

Suddenly, the hand that was resting there was gently enveloped.

She suddenly looked up at Sakamoto Yu's face, her expression still calm, but her features softened.

She couldn't hold back any longer and with a soft "Mmm..." she crashed into his arms, as if trying to meld herself into him, curling up into a ball, her shoulders heaving.

Sakamoto Yu lowered his head, and only then did his tense face dare to relax. He let out a soft sigh of relief.

Besides the relief and relaxation, there was something else.

When he felt a cool sensation on his chest, Sakamoto Yu gently patted Kudo's back.

"Alright, let's go back."

Kudo Shizuka sobbed as she raised her tear-streaked face.

"You're not angry anymore?"

Sakamoto Yu pursed his lips and glanced away. "I'm not angry at all."

Seeing Sakamoto Yu's expression, Kudo Shizuka relaxed a bit. If he could put on that expression, he must be alright.

She reached out and gripped Sakamoto Yu's hand tightly. "Okay, let's go."

Sakamoto Yu stood up with force, his hand on Kudo's waist.

Kudo was practically hanging on his body, and Sakamoto had to weigh himself down with every step he took.

"You've gotten heavier." Sakamoto Yu carried him halfway to the top of the stairs.

"I'm lying, I didn't." Kudo Shizuka saw the light shining through the crack in the stairwell door and reluctantly came down.

Sakamoto Yu looked at her with annoyance, while Kudo turned his head away, but their bodies remained very close.

"Alright, it's time to open the door," Sakamoto Yu reminded them.

Kudo then pursed his lips and took a small step to the side.

Pushing open the door, Sakamoto Yu looked around but saw no one. He put his hands behind his back and waved.

The two walked one after the other.

Speechless all the way.

When they returned to the lounge, only Kumiko Goto was left in the room.

She held a fork and ate the cake bit by bit.

Hearing the door open, he trembled in fright and turned to see Sakamoto Yu and Kudo.

He quickly shielded the cake with his body and said with a smile:

"Are you all alright?"

Kudo Shizuka blushed slightly, lowered her head without saying a word, and walked over to the sofa to sit down.

Sakamoto Yu rolled his eyes at Goto and pointed to the corner of his mouth.

Kumiko Goto smacked her lips, saw the white cream, and gave a dry laugh.

"Hehe, we've been found out."

Sakamoto Yu glanced around the room and casually asked, "Is Nakayama-san gone?"

Goto nodded, leaned forward, opened her small mouth slightly, and whispered:

"She left without saying a word, looking somewhat unwilling."

Kudo listened quietly to the side, his gaze fixed on Sakamoto Yu's face, as still as a doll.

Sakamoto nodded nonchalantly, then looked at Kudo:

"Let me see you out."

Kudo gave a soft "hmm".

Goto glanced at Kudo, then immediately stood up and said:

"I'll deliver it."

"Her tear stains haven't completely dried yet; if you see her out, people will misunderstand."

Upon hearing this, Kudo shuddered and quickly stood up, walking towards the dressing table to look in the mirror.

It's swollen as expected.

She rubbed her eyelids, trying to reduce the swelling.

Seeing this, Sakamoto Yu had no choice but to agree.

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you."

Goto waved his hand, indicating that he was welcome.

Before leaving, Shizuka Kudo took out her bag, took out the hand warmers, and neatly placed them in the most conspicuous place on the table.

Each hand warmer has a large photo of "Huanghun Miaomiao" on it.

"Won't this be misunderstood?" Sakamoto Yu picked up one and looked at it.

"Can't you just say you're my fan?"

Kudo glanced at him.

"Let's go." She moved closer to Sakamoto Yu, nestled beside him, and looked up to say.

"Okay, I'll page you when I get back."

Then, Goto led her out of the room.

Looking at the empty lounge, Sakamoto Yu let out a long, meaningless groan and slumped onto the sofa.

After calming down, the images of several girls kept appearing in my mind.

Kudo, Sawaguchi, Nakayama, and that songstress Nakamori whom I only met once.

He rubbed his temples and looked up at a dent in the ceiling.

After a while, he suddenly remembered something.

He silently called out to the system and opened the task list to check it out.

[Task: Complete three acting coaching sessions (2/3)]

[Reward: Increased on-screen couple status]

"That scene we just did counts as one rehearsal..."

"I'll count the last time I talked to Goto about acting as well."

"I'm one more time away, but I don't know if I can do it again."

Sakamoto Yu shifted into a more comfortable position. "Who should we look for this time? How about we go find Sawaguchi?"

But at that moment, a "bb" sound interrupted him.

I pulled out my pager; it had a familiar number on it.

"Watanabe? What does she want with me?"

"Could it be an audition for 'Takeda Shingen'?"

Upon realizing this, he quickly got up and left the lounge.