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

"Moshi moshi, I am Sakamoto Yu."

Sakamoto Yu found a phone booth and called Watanabe.

"Is it about the audition for 'Takeda Shingen'?"

There was no immediate response from the other end; the noise was somewhat loud.

I could faintly hear Nakamori's songs.

"Sakamoto-san?" Watanabe's voice rose, and he spoke rapidly.

"Yes, can you hear me?" Sakamoto Yu frowned slightly.

"Sorry, it's a bit noisy on my end."

Watanabe's voice sounded muffled, as if he were covering the microphone with his hand.

"I just received a film offer."

Sakamoto Yu raised an eyebrow and quickly pressed for an answer:

"When?"

Watanabe answered simply: "This month."

Sakamoto Yu paused, straightened up, and switched hands to grip the microphone.

"What play is being filmed in such a rush?"

As soon as he said it, his eyes flickered slightly. "Could it be that someone saw I'm somewhat popular now and just handed me some random notebooks to take?"

"Don't tell me you agreed."

Watanabe's words were somewhat hesitant, "That's roughly the idea."

She quickly added:

"However, once you find out who you're partnering with, you might change your mind."

Watanabe's tone was confident.

"Who else can you invite? Akina Nakamori?"

Sakamoto Yu chuckled, rolled his eyes, shook his head helplessly, and leaned back against the glass wall.

"How did you know?" Watanabe was clearly taken aback, his tone pausing for a beat.

Sakamoto Yu's body stiffened.

"Huh?" He unconsciously let out a meaningless gasp.

He frowned, put down the microphone, blinked absentmindedly, and after a moment, brought the microphone back to his ear.

"No... Say it again, who am I acting with?"

"Akina Nakamori, didn't you already know?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sakamoto Yu heard someone calling Watanabe's name on the other end of the phone.

The next second, she added in rapid succession:

"You're on set right now, right? I'll come over now, we can talk when we meet."

Without waiting for his reply, Watanabe hung up the phone decisively, leaving only a busy tone on the receiver.

Sakamoto Yu held the microphone, listening blankly to the "beep beep" sound, before snapping out of his daze after half a second.

His eyes momentarily lost focus, and his mind raced.

He hung up the phone with a stiff hand, and it took him two tries to put the receiver down before he could finally hang it up properly.

He stood in the phone booth, like a motionless mannequin in a glass case.

He was jerked back to his senses by a soft knocking sound, and turned to look.

The film crew members were standing outside the door.

"Have you finished using it?"

"Ah... I've used it all up."

Sakamoto Yu suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind, simply opened the door, and walked out sideways.

He had just taken a step when he suddenly remembered something and reached out to block the door.

"Wait a minute, I left my pager inside. I'm sorry to bother you."

Sakamoto Yu thanked him and put the pager in his pocket.

He walked mechanically back to the film set.

His brow remained furrowed the entire way.

Me filming with Nakamori?

Sakamoto Yu gently shook his head.

After all, that's Akina Nakamori.

He's not a newcomer who just debuted, nor is he a second-tier idol.

Akina Nakamori is the most popular, top-tier, and unmatched star in all of Japan.

Last year, she won the Recording Awards for the third consecutive year and headlined the Kohaku Uta Gassen for the fifth time. The media even proclaimed the Nakamori Akina era.

As long as she nods, she gets to act alongside leading roles in big-budget productions with top-notch casts.

If the reason for borrowing cigarettes in the hallway last time was... this thought had barely surfaced when Sakamoto Yu rejected it outright.

How is that possible? That's just too ridiculous.

Sakamoto Yu lowered his eyes, with only one thought in his mind: either he had misheard, or he had mistaken the person.

I walked absentmindedly, and only when I glanced up casually did I realize that I had unknowingly walked back to the lounge.

I pushed open the door and went inside.

Goto nestled on the sofa, his legs bent and tucked in front of him, his heels gently rubbing against the sofa cushions.

The script lay sprawled on his lap, his toes tapping idly.

She only came to her senses when she heard the door open.

"Did she go back?" Sakamoto asked.

"Yes, I called a taxi." Goto nodded.

Sakamoto Yu wanted to lie down for a while, but seeing that she was occupying the center of the sofa, he had no choice but to pull over a chair and lean lazily against the back of the chair.

He had just cleared his mind when he glanced around and noticed that Goto had taken off his shoes and was curled up barefoot on the sofa.

Goto had been secretly watching Sakamoto Yu when he came in, and when he saw Sakamoto Yu's gaze fall down, he also glanced down at him.

Then, her eyes flickered strangely.

The next second, he suddenly curled the corners of his mouth, and a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes.

Her toes gently spread out, revealing her pink soles. Her rounded toes opened and closed as if greeting him.

Sakamoto Yu was taken aback, and his gaze moved upwards, meeting hers.

Kumiko Goto had a smirk on her lips and a mischievous glint in her eyes as she stared at him with a smug look that said, "I caught you red-handed."

But the moment their eyes met, she suddenly realized that her actions were too ambiguous. Her heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks flushed instantly.

The next second, her eyes widened in surprise, and her face turned even redder, the redness almost spreading to her neck.

Then Sakamoto Yu rolled his eyes, pinched his nose, instinctively shrank back, and deliberately waved his hand in front of him, looking very disgusted.

Kumiko Goto was so angry that her chest heaved and her cheeks puffed out like little balloons. She quickly pulled her foot back.

Kumiko Goto was both angry and embarrassed, her nose wrinkling as she hurriedly tried to explain:

"You're the one with smelly feet! My... my feet don't smell!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Sakamoto Yu moved his chair back even further.

Goto glared at him angrily, crossed his arms, then suddenly seemed to remember something, straightened his back, and said confidently:

"Kudo-san told me to keep an eye on you! We've already exchanged pagers, you're doomed! I'm going to tell her right now that you ran off to Nakayama-san's dressing room after filming—"

"I'm going to tell her that you two have taken your 'fake' relationship too far!"

Sakamoto Yu shrugged, his eyes narrowed, and opened his palm.

Seeing that he seemed completely unconcerned, Goto had no choice but to cross her arms, lean back on the sofa, and turn her eyes away from him.

Seeing Goto's expression, Sakamoto Yu simply stopped teasing her and asked directly:

"What are you still doing here? Go home after you finish your cake."

Goto's face clearly showed his displeasure, but he still answered stiffly:

"There are still a few things I don't understand that you taught me last time."

"Oh, I see." Sakamoto Yu nodded slightly, thinking to himself, "Perfect, let's see if I can do it again."

Silently say "system" to bring up the panel.

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

He then picked up his script and pulled his chair closer.

As Goto watched him move the chair, he inexplicably recalled what had just happened, and the blush that had finally faded suddenly returned.

Seeing Sakamoto Yu's serious expression, she had no choice but to suppress the slight itch in her heart, compose herself, and force herself to concentrate.

Sakamoto Yu carefully unfolded the script, selected a scene, and began to speak.

The crew filmed for eight hours today, with a one-hour break.

There are 20 minutes left.

Not long after, the doorknob of the lounge was turned, and Watanabe Mayumi walked in carrying a briefcase.

"Sakamoto-san..."

As soon as she entered the room, she saw Goto lounging on the sofa, his eyes fixed quietly on the man in front of him.

Sakamoto Yu held the script, meticulously pointing out each line of dialogue.