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

"Okay, click!"

Jiro Ikuno shouted to the film set.

A sudden commotion erupted on set as staff began to get busy.

When the assistant director saw Ikuno Jiro waving at him, he rushed over, bent down to listen to Ikuno Jiro's instructions, and nodded repeatedly.

After giving instructions to the assistant director, Jiro Ikuno, Yoichi Miura, the executive producer, and Miura's agent got up and walked out of the film set.

This scene was noticed by Sakamoto Yu. He stared at the backs of the group, feeling uneasy but helpless, completely unable to figure out their intentions.

Sakamoto Yu's expression turned serious. As usual, he bowed slightly to the staff around him, thanked them one by one, and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

The staff around them smiled and returned the greeting.

The atmosphere was harmonious.

As Akina Nakamori looked at the humble and polite man in front of her, she gradually lost in thought, recalling what he had just said, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

She really wanted to ask Sakamoto Yu why he said that.

However, Sakamoto Yu didn't give Nakamori Akina a chance to speak, and after thanking her, he walked out of the film set.

From the very beginning, Sakamoto noticed Nakamori Akina's gaze, but he didn't stop.

He needs to enter Nakamori's heart as a harmless friend, not as a pursuer.

Finding the right balance is crucial in this process.

He hadn't gone far from the film set when he spotted Hitomi Ono. She was holding a thermos and looked worried.

Sakamoto Yu frowned slightly and gave her a probing look.

"Sakamoto-san, I just saw the director walk out, and one of the people mentioned your name and said something about cutting scenes from your film."

Hitomi Ono gripped the thermos tightly in both hands, her brows furrowed with grievance and indignation.

Sakamoto Yu was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Just as I thought."

However, he wasn't too worried about being replaced. He trusted Watanabe's connections. Although she couldn't use her father's connections, her own network was quite extensive.

"Sakamoto-san, should we contact Watanabe-san?" Ono Hitomi asked with a worried expression.

"Okay," Sakamoto Yu replied. "You go to the lounge first, I'll make a phone call."

Hitomi Ono nodded silently.

Sakamoto walked toward the dressing room, where the only place with a telephone was.

...

Meanwhile, Jiro Ikuno and others arrived at the producer's office.

The producer sat behind his desk, and Jiro Ikuno pulled up a chair and sat down in the corner.

Yoichi Miura did not go in with them, as it was inappropriate for him to be present during the negotiations.

The room contained only Miura's manager, Jiro Ikuno, and the executive producer.

"Fukushima-san, I have no objection to your proposal, but there is one thing you must know: Sakamoto Yu is backed by high-ranking executives of our production company, so your plan will likely be difficult to implement."

The executive producer placed his hands on the table and solemnly explained the background of Sakamoto Yu.

Upon hearing this, Fukuda was momentarily taken aback. The guy's connections were that strong.

But he quickly suppressed his surprise.

As Miura's manager, it was his duty to fight for the interests of his own artist, and his demands were reasonable.

He reassured himself.

Fukuda took a deep breath, his brows furrowed, and his tone suddenly turned cold and hard:

"Is this how your company treats my artists?"

Just because she has a production company backing her up, does she think she can climb up by stepping on the male lead?

If we follow this rule, is there any point in continuing to make this show?

Why not just make that newcomer the lead?

The executive producer looked somewhat displeased. The other party's actions put him in a difficult position. Sakamoto Yu's scenes were all filmed normally. It was your artist who couldn't steal the spotlight and instead demanded that other people's scenes be cut. This was completely untenable.

Before the producer could even speak, Fukuda pressed further:

"My president has connections in the production company. Should I give him a call and tell him that you're so focused on promoting a supporting actor that you're even disregarding the male lead's billing and core rights?"

"Fukuda-san, it's just a small matter of how many shots you get, why make such a fuss?"

The producer's tone was tinged with annoyance. It was just a minor friction on set, but if it escalated to the point of involving higher-ups, it would inevitably lead to a lot of trouble.

But the filming schedule can't be delayed right now, and he just wants to quell the dispute as soon as possible so as not to slow down the crew's pace any further.

"Yes, as long as you agree to change the shots of Sakamoto Yu to long shots, while retaining only the basic narrative requirements, so as not to affect the male lead or disrupt the plot, we certainly won't make things difficult for you."

Fukuda smiled with a hint of confidence. "I'm also considering the overall production. That guy's character is just a tool in the end. I'm not asking to delete the character, just adjust the camera angles. I haven't cut any scenes, so he probably won't know."

"Furthermore, I have already communicated with screenwriter Masao Yajima, and he agrees with my proposal."

The producer pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Jiro Ikuno with an inquiring gaze.

After a brief moment of consideration and confirmation of feasibility, Jiro Ikuno nodded to the producer.

"Fine, I can meet your request, but this matter ends here."

When Fukuda heard the producer agree, his face lit up immediately. He stood up and bowed slightly to the two of them. "Of course, we only have this one small request."

"Alright, let's continue filming. Don't delay the schedule."

The producer waved his hand, Fukuda nodded, thanked him, and turned to leave the office. Ikuno Jiro also stood up, exchanged a glance with the producer, and then left as well.

Yoichi Miura stood in the hallway, waiting for his manager. When he saw the smile on his face when the manager came out, he immediately understood that the deal had been finalized.

"Is everything alright?" Yoichi Miura asked as he stepped forward.

"It's not a big deal, don't worry. That guy has switched to long shots, it won't affect you."

"That's good." Yoichi Miura breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since he saw Sakamoto Yu's appearance at the last script reading, he had been feeling uneasy.

Akina Nakamori and he didn't have a strong sense of being a couple to begin with; when you put their faces together, you can't see any romantic vibe at all.

He originally thought that Sakamoto Yu was just a pretty face with terrible acting skills, and was just an idol who performed by standing still.

Unexpectedly, Sakamoto Yu's delivery of lines during the reading session was far superior to those who could only stare blankly.

He is truly capable.

With such a perfect example before him, how could he possibly create a romantic pairing with Akina Nakamori?

"Alright, go back and focus on filming." Fukuda patted Yoichi Miura on the shoulder.

Miura Hiroshi nodded slightly, now he was full of confidence.

Just then, the director came out, and Yoichi Miura quickly greeted him and then went up to chat with him. The two walked to the film set together.