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

TBS Akasaka Studio.

The third day of filming for "Human Crossroads".

After two days of reading together, the group had developed a certain understanding and began filming according to the schedule.

Thanks to Sakamoto Yu's incredible singing skills last time, and the little incident in the stairwell, he and Nakamori Akina gradually became acquainted.

The two would occasionally exchange acting tips, and Sakamoto Yu's insightful and unique perspectives greatly changed Nakamori Akina's opinion of him.

When Sakamoto arrived at the studio, the morning's filming had already officially begun.

The studio space was much more spacious than he had expected. Under the gray steel-framed roof, two main sets were built back to back, separated by a narrow passageway, each occupying a corner of the studio.

One scene depicts the apartment shared by Akina Nakamori and Satomi Kobayashi, while the other shows the bank office area where she and Yu Sakamoto work.

His scenes were scheduled after noon; the mornings were filled with scenes between Akina Nakamori, Yoichi Miura, and Satomi Kobayashi.

Seeing that it was still not his turn, Sakamoto Yu waited in the rest area.

Watanabe didn't come along; she had just signed several new actors and was taking them to auditions. At this moment, only Hitomi Ono accompanied Sakamoto.

Sakamoto Yu arrived at the makeup area to wait, and changed into his costume while waiting for his makeup to be done.

Nao Sato, a makeup artist nearing thirty, walked over with makeup brushes and greeted Yu Sakamoto with a smile.

"Sakamoto-san, please have a seat today."

As she spoke, she opened her makeup case, revealing a neat array of cosmetics, including various brushes, powder compacts, and lipsticks.

Nao Sato leaned closer to Yu Sakamoto, scrutinizing his face closely, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:

Wow, Sakamoto-san, your skin is amazing!

"Your skin is as smooth as a baby's, with no visible pores. How do you maintain it?"

Sakamoto Yu was looking at himself in the mirror when he heard Sato Nao's words. He paused for a moment, then gave a polite smile.

"I usually just wash my face with water and eat a light diet."

"Really?"

Sato Nao's eyes widened as she lightly swept a highlighter brush across Sakamoto Yu's nose. "Your skin is amazing! You're just naturally blessed with great skin!"

I don't even have the heart to put too much makeup on you; it feels like a waste.

As she spoke, she put down the highlight brush and picked up the shadow brush.

"How about I add some shading to slightly accentuate your features?"

Looking at himself in the mirror, Sakamoto Yu frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"Ms. Sato, do I think the current makeup has too much dimension?"

The character I play is a very warm and approachable person. Wouldn't a strong sense of three-dimensionality make the character seem distant?

Could we use a more natural transition to highlight his approachability?

Sakamoto Yu's features are already three-dimensional, and the shadows would accentuate his "aggressiveness," which doesn't match the character's tone.

Sato Nao's hand, holding the shadow brush, froze in mid-air. She turned to look at Sakamoto Yu, a flicker of surprise in her eyes before replaced by an approving smile.

"Oh? Sakamoto-san, your understanding of the character is spot on!" She thought for a moment, looked at her reflection in the mirror, and agreed after a brief examination.

Indeed, this character needs to have an approachable feel; too much three-dimensionality would actually weaken that feeling.

"Let's adjust it a bit, use a lighter shade, and add some color to the apples of your cheeks. This will make it look more natural and approachable."

Sakamoto Yuu smiled with relief after hearing Sato Nao's words:

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

Nao Sato smiled and nodded, then picked up a makeup brush and began to carefully apply makeup to Yu Sakamoto.

Her movements were gentle and her technique skillful. While applying makeup, she chatted with Sakamoto Yu, asking him about his understanding and thoughts on the character, and Sakamoto Yu answered her questions earnestly.

Hitomi Ono watched from the side, a look of admiration on her face.

This was the first time she had ever discovered that Sakamoto Yu possessed such knowledge.

After a while, Sato Nao put down her makeup brush and looked at Sakamoto Yu in the mirror with satisfaction:

"Alright, Sakamoto-sensei, what do you think?"

Sakamoto Yu turned his head and looked at himself in the mirror. His makeup was very natural, the transition of the shadows was very soft, and there was a faint blush on his apple cheeks. He looked both handsome and approachable, which perfectly matched his expectations for the role.

He smiled and said to Nao Sato, "Very good, Ms. Sato, thank you!"

Nao Sato smiled and waved her hand: "You're welcome. Sakamoto-san, you have a good foundation, you look good no matter what makeup you wear."

"Then please take a rest."

After saying that, she picked up her makeup case and turned to go to another dressing table.

Sakamoto Yu looked down at the script, while Ono Hitomi stood beside him with a notebook, organizing the schedule.

About half an hour later, the production assistant came over and informed Sakamoto Yu that filming was about to begin.

Sakamoto Yu quickly got up and followed the production assistant to the film set.

He saw Yoichi Miura and Jiro Ikuno talking about something, while Akina Nakamori and Satomi Kobayashi stood to the side discussing the plot with their scripts.

Sensing someone entering the film set, they stopped talking and looked over.

Despite having seen him several times before, they were still momentarily stunned when they saw Sakamoto Yu again.

A white shirt, a suit jacket, and trousers—the outfit of a bank employee—looked exceptionally striking on Sakamoto Yu.

He was wearing a pair of black-framed glasses without lenses.

She exudes a mature and intellectual aura.

When Ikuno Jiro saw Sakamoto Yu's image, he was taken aback, and Miura Yoichi, who was standing next to him, also looked over.

The two men reacted differently to the image of Sakamoto Yu.

Jiro Ikuno glanced at Akina Nakamori and then at Yu Sakamoto. Without needing to overthink it, one could see the subtle yet undeniable chemistry between the two characters when they were together.

When Yoichi Miura saw Sakamoto Yu's image, he frowned slightly but did not say anything on the spot. He greeted the director and walked out of the set alone.

When Sakamoto saw Miura Yoichi approaching, he gave him a humble smile, and the other man nodded, his face expressionless.

Akina Nakamori went to change into a costume, tied her hair up, and wore a white shirt with a red vest and matching red skirt, making her look much more capable.

In the first scene, Akina Nakamori is targeted by her middle-aged female boss, and Yu Sakamoto appears to comfort her.

Nakamori sat behind his desk, his back straight, his eyes looking straight ahead, but his gaze occasionally fell on Sakamoto Yu.

Jiro Ikuno walked over and briefly explained the play.

Sakamoto Yu and Nakamori Akina nodded to indicate that there was no problem. Ikuno Jiro said a word of encouragement and then walked behind the monitor.

It's clear that Jiro Ikuno is a gentle director, the kind who actively provides psychological support and guidance for performances.