Located in the middle floors of a newly built commercial building in Minato Ward, Tokyo, the logo of [Sakura no Umi Agency] glowed with an elegant luster under the lights.
The interior decoration of the entire agency was dominated by minimalist white and natural wood colors, embellished with pale pink cherry blossom elements symbolizing the agency's name. It reflected professionalism without losing a unique feminine softness.
Although some details were not yet perfected, an efficient and vibrant working atmosphere could already be seen.
Inside the President's office, Sakurajima Mai was conducting another long and intense meeting with her mother, Sakurajima Sachiko—who was also the co-operator of this agency—and several core team members hired at high salaries.
A large number of documents and various storyboard sketches were spread out on the table. The core discussion of this meeting was the first major film project pushed by Sakurajima Mai after becoming independent from her previous agency—the film adaptation of Strobe Edge.
This meant a great deal to her, and every step had to be done earnestly.
"The original manga author, Imai-sensei, has basically no objections to the third draft of the script," a young female assistant wearing black-framed glasses and looking very capable reported. "The relevant plot points have been optimized. If we were to start filming, there would be no problems."
Another gentleman responsible for production and financing tapped his fingers on the budget sheet and spoke in a steady tone.
"Director Mizuki has also confirmed his intention to cooperate again. He is very enthusiastic about this project and believes it is a story that can excavate a depth different from previous pure love genres. The biggest problem currently is still the final allocation of investment shares."
"Although our [Sakura no Umi Agency] is willing to bear the main investment share, this also implies huge risk. Additionally, several other joint investors still hope to have more say in product placement and final editing rights..."
Sakurajima Mai was wearing a cream-colored skirt suit with an extremely sharp cut today, outlining the lines of her well-proportioned and graceful figure.
The girl's long black hair was meticulously pinned behind her head, secured with a simple clip, revealing a smooth forehead and a slender neck. She appeared both professional and full of charm.
She listened focusedly to every report, her slender fingers unconsciously twirling an exquisite fountain pen. Occasionally, she lowered her head to quickly record key points in the notebook before her.
The transition from the identity of an actor to that of an agency manager required a process.
In the process of preparing for Strobe Edge, Sakurajima Mai found that she was constantly improving.
She was no longer that top actress who only needed to focus on interpreting roles while a massive agency escorted her in all other matters. Instead, she was a decision-maker who needed to take full responsibility for the future of herself and the entire team.
"We can concede at most twenty percent of the investment share. This aspect must be determined clearly."
Sakurajima Mai had announced the news long ago. Since she would be joining this project as the female lead, advertisers and investors immediately came flocking due to her fame.
If the investment amount were divided, the final profits would generate a massive amount of wrangling. Therefore, letting [Sakura no Umi Agency] take the lead was the best outcome.
"Understood."
After the meeting ended, Sakurajima Sachiko also left, choosing to leave the break time to her daughter.
Sakurajima Mai rubbed her temples, and Michiya Gōshin's face appeared in her mind again.
She knew that the other party was currently on the set of We Made a Beautiful Bouquet, acting out another story with Kurokawa Akane about how love blooms brilliantly like a bouquet and then quietly withers.
A subtle emotion surged in her heart, mixing longing, a faint sense of competitiveness, and a trace of anxiety that even she didn't want to delve into too deeply.
"Phew~"
After letting out a long sigh, Sakurajima Mai drank the remaining cold coffee in her cup in one gulp.
She picked up her pen, drew a circle forcefully beside the item for the Strobe Edge male lead candidate, and then clearly wrote down a name—Michiya Gōshin.
I am Sakurajima Mai!
No matter what it is, I must do it the best. Whether it is my acting career or the lover I choose, I will absolutely not lose to anyone.
Harmony Plus Music Classroom.
Under Kato Megumi's efficient and thorough arrangement, Michiya Gōshin smoothly began his first formal small-group music theory lesson.
As an artist assistant, she fully considered Michiya Gōshin's increasingly high popularity and the need for privacy due to his artist identity. Therefore, she specifically chose a small-group course with strictly controlled numbers. Usually, a class had only three to four people, aiming to provide a more focused and safe learning environment.
When Michiya Gōshin pushed open the door to the soundproofed classroom according to the instructions, he found two students who had arrived earlier already sitting inside.
Out of respect for the class and consideration for his own comfort, he took off his mask and hat inside the classroom.
In the next moment, the instant his clear face was exposed to the light of the classroom, the two female students who had originally been whispering about something seemed to have their mute buttons pressed immediately. Their conversation came to an abrupt halt.
Two pairs of eyes with exquisite eye makeup focused on him in unison.
These two girls both looked very young, about seventeen or eighteen years old, and were in the starting or rising phase of their performing careers.
Their appearances were fair, belonging to the type that would be very conspicuous in a crowd. Moreover, their dress and attire revealed a sense of fashion unique to actors who hadn't officially debuted or members of small idol groups.
One of them had soft, dark brown long wavy hair, the tips swaying gently with the movement of her turning head. The other had obedient black shoulder-length short hair, the ends curling inward, appearing very fresh.
"Um, is... is it Michiya Gōshin-san?"
The girl with the long wavy hair on the left was slightly bolder, so she immediately stood up to greet him.
The black short-haired girl beside her had a slightly more reserved reaction. She subconsciously tidied her bangs and collar, which weren't messy to begin with, quickly. Her gaze lingered on Michiya Gōshin's well-defined face for several seconds before shifting away somewhat embarrassedly, as if realizing her rudeness.
"Yes, hello."
Michiya Gōshin was already accustomed to this situation. His face maintained a polite yet distant smile as he nodded slightly toward the two girls, considering it a greeting.
He chose a seat slightly further away from them to sit down. Then, he placed the brand-new teaching materials prepared by Kato Megumi on the desktop, putting on a posture of preparing to listen to the class attentively without distractions, having no intention of further communication.
In this way, his calm propriety and that invisible sense of boundaries acted like a barrier. Although the two young idols were inwardly excited and full of curiosity and the impulse to strike up a conversation, they were too embarrassed to rashly come forward and disturb him.
After all, everyone had to try hard to read the room; this was the consensus of working adults.
However, during the short waiting time before class, Michiya Gōshin could clearly feel those two gaze from the rear side that could not be ignored, as well as some whispering.
To this, Michiya Gōshin chose to block it out completely.
A while later, the instruction began. The person who walked in was a female teacher in her thirties wearing thin-rimmed glasses, with a gentle temperament that revealed a professional capability.
Because it was an introduction to music theory, the content of the course started from the most basic cognition of the staff, the duration of various notes and rests, and the correspondence between pitch names and solfège syllables.
Michiya Gōshin listened seriously to the female teacher's clear and patient explanation, carefully recording key points in his blank staff notebook. Occasionally, under the teacher's encouragement and guidance, he would try to press down on the central position on the electric piano keyboard somewhat unskillfully, identifying what standard pitch was.
[Production Queue 1: Arrangement Mastery (Green)]
[Experience: 12/100]
[Experience: 13/100]
[Experience: 14/100]
The time for the two small-group lessons, fifty minutes each, passed quickly amidst focused learning.
When the dismissal bell rang softly, Michiya Gōshin felt as if a brand-new set of rules and logic had been stuffed into his brain. Although there was still some confusion between various knowledge points and he hadn't fully digested them, at least he already had the most preliminary understanding of the language of music.
Almost precisely at the moment class ended, the classroom door was knocked gently and then pushed open from the outside.
Kato Megumi's figure stood quietly at the doorway; her appearance was always extremely precise.
"Michiya-san, the course is over."
The girl's voice was steady and soft. Her gaze swept over the situation inside the classroom quickly and meticulously, staying for an extremely brief instant on those two small idols who were secretly looking at Michiya Gōshin, her eyes without any ripples.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sensei. Thank you very much for your guidance today."
Michiya Gōshin stood up and bowed politely to the female teacher to express his thanks, his attitude humble.
After walking out of the classroom, another figure also walked over. It was precisely Asakura Toru. She seemed to have also just finished her group's advanced course, a faint smile on her face.
"Michiya-kun, how was your class?"
"Not bad, much more interesting than imagined."
Michiya Gōshin smiled, shaking the notebook in his hand which already had several pages of notes. "At least now I know how to read sheet music."
"It seems Michiya-kun has already started to get used to it," Asakura Toru glanced at Kato Megumi beside him and continued, "Do you want to come to class together in the future? Once Michiya-kun's course enters the advanced part, maybe we can even take classes together."
Michiya Gōshin looked at the expression on Asakura Toru's face, nodded, and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Mm, if the filming schedule is suitable and there are no conflicts, that's fine."
"Mm."
Asakura Toru looked somewhat happy; she was also looking forward to learning together with Michiya Gōshin here.
In the nanny van returning to the We Made a Beautiful Bouquet set, the atmosphere inside the carriage appeared even quieter than when they came.
Michiya Gōshin leaned back relaxedly against the comfortable rear seat backrest, closing his eyes to rest his mind. In his brain, he was still savoring the music theory knowledge he had just learned like playing a movie. About ten minutes later, he suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze landed on the profile of Kato Megumi, who was sitting beside him and checking the schedule against the tablet screen.
"Kato."
He called out, his voice appearing exceptionally clear in the quiet carriage.
"Do you have any instructions, Michiya-san?"
Kato Megumi turned her face almost the instant his voice fell. Her expression was professional and calm, her voice remaining soft.
"No special instructions."
Michiya Gōshin's tone was milder than during usual small talk, and it appeared very gentle.
"I just wanted to chat casually with you. Since we started working together, I feel you have almost no personal time belonging to yourself?"
"Following me to sets every day, running to various announcements, handling trivial matters. Even on nominal days off, your phone has to stay on twenty-four hours a day, ready to stand by."
They had been working together for several months now. Michiya Gōshin reviewed it in his mind only to realize that Kato Megumi had given almost all her time to him.
His gaze fell on that face of the other party which, although having almost no change in expression, was difficult to conceal its delicateness.
"With such a high-intensity work rhythm day after day, do you feel it's too hard? Or rather... has it made you, Kato, lose a lot of the joys of life that ordinary people should possess?"
This question was obviously somewhat out of Kato Megumi's expectations.
She fell silent for a few seconds, seeming to carefully weigh her wording, before slowly answering with that characteristic soft voice of hers.
"This is where my duty lies, Michiya-san. I don't feel it is hard; on the contrary, it is very fulfilling."
Kato Megumi paused, looking seriously at Michiya Gōshin's face. "Moreover, being able to witness with my own eyes and participate in Michiya-san's step-by-step growth and career, I believe this is a very meaningful and valuable thing."
Her answer sounded impeccable, full of professional spirit.
"Hehe... Of course, I am not questioning your professional ability or dedication."
Michiya Gōshin shook his head slightly, his eyes carrying a trace of gentle concern. "I just feel that you, Kato, seem to be pushing yourself too tight, like a clockwork keeping running endlessly. Don't you need to take a vacation occasionally and relax completely?"
"Anyway, my work recently is all filming movies. Giving you a few days off is no problem. You can go gather with friends, Kato, go shopping, or develop some hobbies outside of work or something."
As soon as these words came out, those eyes of Kato Megumi, which were always calm and waveless, seemed to flicker extremely subtly, but they soon returned to the calm state of an ancient well.
Her answer remained crisp and neat, even carrying a meaning of near obstinacy.
"At the current stage, I do not need extra vacations. I believe that ensuring Michiya-san's work proceeds smoothly is my highest priority thing at this stage. This is also my personal hobby."
"..."
Regarding her attitude, Michiya Gōshin was somewhat at a loss for words for a moment.
Kato Megumi's reliability, efficiency, and absolute dedication were beyond doubt; she was an indispensable right-hand woman in his career.
But sometimes, this overly thorough, almost unreserved dedication made him feel an inexplicable pressure instead, as if he invisibly owed a lot and didn't know how to repay it.
The carriage fell into a subtle atmosphere of silence. However, Kato Megumi herself seemed to not feel this subtlety at all, or perhaps she didn't think there was any problem with this.
The girl turned her head back again, her attention returning to the screen of the tablet, and began to meticulously confirm the details of the afternoon shooting schedule, as if that brief conversation just now had never happened.
"It's really hard on you, Kato."
Michiya Gōshin suddenly spoke.
"Michiya-san doesn't need to mind me. I will always... be by your side to help you."
Kato Megumi didn't turn her head.
"...Okay."
Toward evening, Michiya Gōshin returned to his apartment carrying a sense of exhaustion from the inside out. He first took a comfortable hot bath to wash away the weariness, then wore comfortable loungewear and brewed himself a cup of hot tea. Just as he was preparing to pick up the story of The Wind Rises to ponder the subsequent plot again, the mobile phone placed on the coffee table rang opportunely.
He picked it up to look; the caller was [Sakurajima Mai].
Pressing the answer button and bringing the phone close to his ear, a familiar voice immediately came from the other side.
"Good evening, Gōshin-kun. I didn't disturb your rest, right?"
"No, I just got home not long ago. Rather, Mai-san, you... sound like you're very tired? Are the agency's matters very tricky?"
Michiya Gōshin asked with concern. He knew that Sakurajima Mai and her mother had been busy with the work of the newly established agency recently.
"Mm, it's indeed been a bit of a constant rotation recently. The agency just started up, various matters are complicated, and adding the project Strobe Edge, there are too many aspects to coordinate."
Sakurajima Mai sighed lightly on the other end of the phone, but soon her tone became spirited and powerful.
"However, all the efforts haven't been in vain. The project's preliminary preparations are finally basically nailed down! The major investors have been negotiated with. Our [Sakura no Umi Agency] will be the controlling party, and Director Mizuki has also formally signed the contract to direct."
"That is really great, Mai-san. Congratulations on taking such a solid step!"
Michiya Gōshin felt happy for her from the bottom of his heart, his voice carrying sincere congratulations. He could imagine how much painstaking effort she had paid into this.
"So..."
Sakurajima Mai's voice quietly injected a trace of imperceptible solemnity and deeply hidden anticipation. She paused slightly, as if accumulating strength, and then spoke clearly and formally.
"Gōshin-kun, I now formally issue an invitation to you in the capacity of the President of [Sakura no Umi Agency] and the investor of the movie Strobe Edge—Mr. Michiya Gōshin, may I ask if you are willing to star as the male lead of this movie of ours?"
Although he had expected it in his heart long ago, hearing Sakurajima Mai issue an invitation to him with such a formal tone carrying a brand-new identity, Michiya Gōshin's mood was truly very complex.
A while later, he sighed, not failing the other party's expectations. After all, this was a matter he had already promised.
"It is my honor, Mai-san. As long as the schedule is suitable, I am very happy to accept your invitation. I look forward to cooperating with you and Director Mizuki."
The other end of the phone fell into a brief silence, followed by Sakurajima Mai's light laughter, relieved and unable to hide her joy. That laughter was like wind blowing across harp strings, pleasant to the ear.
"Good. Regarding the schedule, you can rest completely assured, Gōshin-kun. I will have the production department prioritize coordinating with your time arrangements to adjust the shooting plan."
The two then happily chatted for a few more sentences about some preliminary concepts of the movie, understanding of the characters, and future possibilities of cooperation.
Just as this call was about to end and after they had bid each other goodnight, Sakurajima Mai seemed to suddenly remember something. She used a tone that sounded as casual as possible, but if one listened carefully, one could capture a trace of seemingly absent probing.
"Speaking of which, time really flies. Flipping through the calendar, I realized it's almost February 14th."
Holding the phone, Michiya Gōshin was first slightly stunned upon hearing this, then reacted, responding naturally.
"Yes, unknowingly... it's almost Valentine's Day."
Sakurajima Mai on the other end of the phone seemed to only give a soft "Mm," and then added.
"Please... look forward to my chocolate properly!"
After saying this sentence, Sakurajima Mai hung up the phone rapidly.
"..."
Michiya Gōshin slowly put down the phone, stood up, and paced to the floor-to-ceiling window of the apartment, gazing thoughtfully at the dazzling night view of Tokyo outside the window.
February 14th, Valentine's Day.
Hope everything goes smoothly.
________________________________________
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