So many geniuses in anime! What's wrong with me joining?

Amazing, amazing, he applauded in his heart.

Can anyone really control themselves and not look into her eyes? Anyone who can control themselves must be a god.

Could her charm be because of this? Sakurakoji Talent thought to himself.

"So, what's the situation now?"

He scanned the surroundings, where staff members were busy everywhere. He wasn't a professional and couldn't tell what stage they were at.

"We just finished lunch, and everyone is preparing for the afternoon's work."

"We're shooting an outdoor scene for a new MV. Once everything is ready, we can start filming immediately."

"To save money, we're working with another team today. The morning was for their crew, and we're the first ones in the afternoon."

"Thanks to this, we also got free boxed lunches from the crew! Did you have lunch, Mr. Sakurakoji? If not, I can go get you one. I think there are still some left."

"No, thank you, I ate before I came," Sakurakoji Talent refused, his gaze drifting to the space beside Hoshino Ai's seat, where a clean plastic container was placed on the ground.

Sakurakoji Talent guessed that this was the bento box ordered by the crew, and there wasn't a single speck of food residue left on it.

With Sakurakoji Talent's excellent eyesight, which didn't even require glasses, he couldn't find a single grain of rice on it.

"Is there anything Ms. Hoshino doesn't like to eat?" he asked casually.

"No! If I had to say, I don't really like plain white rice, because it always makes me worried there might be sand or glass or something hard inside."

Sakurakoji Talent's eyes couldn't help but freeze. He secretly withdrew his gaze and looked at Hoshino Ai again.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Hoshino Ai tilted her head cutely, noticing his gaze.

"Nothing, I'm just eager to see your performance."

"Ehh~ Don't put pressure on me! My acting is very ordinary, you know? The President even asked me if I wanted to go for some advanced training after a while."

"Then I'm even more excited. I don't watch performances that aren't fun or embarrassing."

"Ugh! You're still so mean, Mr. Sakurakoji." Hoshino Ai puffed out her cheeks, looking resentful.

"Hahaha."

"..."

Sakurakoji Talent's scolding didn't last long. Hoshino Ai's sunny smile returned, and she continued chatting with him, frequently expressing amazement at the novel things Sakurakoji Talent mentioned... Perhaps her personality wouldn't allow her to be down for too long.

Chatting with Sakurakoji Talent made Hoshino Ai feel relaxed for the first time in a long time. During this period, she had been enduring rigorous training every day while also being reprimanded by various directors for her poor acting and singing skills. She was almost depressed.

Image: "Support and Vote for Me", Location: "Images/1755661292-100446961-113668877.jpg"

Volume 1: The Butterfly-Attracting Daily Life : Chapter 19: My Money Doesn't Discriminate

Just as Hoshino Ai hadn't noticed the passage of time and wanted to continue immersing herself in this comfortable atmosphere, a voice interrupted their conversation.

"Ai! Filming is about to start!"

A man with yellow hair and sunglasses waved from a distance, shouting.

"Ah! It's time! Mr. Sakurakoji, I'm heading over now!"

"Okay, good luck!"

"Roger that! I'll do my best!" Hoshino Ai gave a winking OK sign.

"If you don't perform well, I'll be filming it from the side and send it to your phone."

"M-you're saying mean things again!"

However, after his interruption, Hoshino Ai's originally nervous mood had also eased considerably. With a smile, she said goodbye and ran towards the camera.

Watching her energetic back leave, Sakurakoji Talent felt the progress within him increase again, and he smiled.

In just half a day today, he had increased his progress by about one ten-thousandth! If the denominator were one hundred thousand, that would be a full hundred points of progress!

At this rate, why would his great cause not flourish!

"Heh, heh heh heh..." Sakurakoji Talent lowered his head, his body shaking, and let out a sinister laugh from the side of his mouth, causing the passing crew members to shy away in fear.

After calming down, he began to reflect on his actions during this period. Had he become too complacent?

Although this was fine, it still felt a bit slow. He couldn't afford to stop meeting more people.

But this sort of thing required fate; it wasn't like he could directly use his money power, tie people up, throw them in front of him, and then violently slap their faces with banknotes until they cried and begged to become his best friends.

This kind of thing... wasn't entirely impossible, was it?

He shook his head vigorously, driving the strange thought out of his mind, and Sakurakoji Talent's sanity returned to normal.

No, no, he couldn't do such crooked things... Even if he had to, he should wait until the very last resort.

He hoped these people wouldn't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Otherwise, his money wouldn't discriminate!

An evil glint appeared in his eyes, and Sakurakoji Talent prayed for a bright tomorrow.

"Speak! You are doing this willingly!"

After the prayer, he softly uttered "Amen," and Sakurakoji Talent, leaving behind the scorching radiance that the Virgin Mary projected from heaven, walked towards the direction Hoshino Ai had left. Not far away, he found a shady spot, stopped, and quietly waited for the filming to begin.

Shortly after, everything was ready, and the filming officially commenced.

Several girls in uniform, under direction, took turns showcasing dances they had rehearsed countless times for the camera. Their soaring movements shimmered under the sunlight, the vitality of youth seemingly imprinted on the viewer's heart as their slender, powerful limbs traced elegant arcs through the air.

Sakurakoji Talent's only thought about it was: It must be hot, right?

Although the outdoor air wasn't scorching, dancing and moving vigorously under the sun for extended periods didn't seem easy by any measure.

Even though they were familiar with the choreography, they had to repeatedly film in different locations to achieve better results. They also had to constantly change their positions to compare different visual effects.

Besides the dancing, there were also many close-up shots of each member, with some shots requiring ten to twenty takes.

Soon, the sun, which had been overhead, gradually began to set in the west, and several hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Sakurakoji Talent found a chair somewhere and sat down imposingly near the director and dance choreographer, arms crossed, with a solemn expression, as if brewing up some stern words.

Intimidated by his powerful aura and stunning appearance, no one dared to approach him to question or ask who he was, assuming he was a famous model or actor from somewhere.

Ignoring the curious gazes of many, Sakurakoji Talent secretly eavesdropped on the director's conversation.

"As expected, they're all inexperienced young girls. Their acting is really subpar; it takes them several tries just to get into character."

"I listened to the song too. Their singing is just mediocre. It'll be hard for them to get popular."

"Can't be helped. They're just underground idols with a bit of fame. That's the extent of their talent."

"Heh, if the market wasn't so bad recently, I wouldn't bother coming. These mass-produced little groups will disappear into obscurity before long."

"The only one worth looking at is the girl in the Center position, but she doesn't seem particularly outstanding either."

"That's strange. Even though she has nothing remarkable besides her looks, she always gives me a unique kind of appeal."

"Ah, I remember her name is Hoshino Ai, right? I saw her during an indoor performance last time. I always felt... her acting seemed a little better than last time?"

"Just a little better won't be enough to survive in this cruel industry! She'll be buried by the tides of time sooner or later."

"..."

Sakurakoji Talent listened and nodded frequently, his expression serious, as if he completely agreed with their opinions.

To be honest, even though Hoshino Ai was an acquaintance, from an objective standpoint, she currently had nothing special about her besides her looks.

He had seen countless professionals and seen top-tier performances until he was sick of them. It could be said that the current Hoshino Ai...

She had no foundation in dance, no acting skills, and her singing was only average. Placed among the countless idols and bands today, she wouldn't make even a ripple.

Her future looked grim, Sakurakoji Talent thought as he picked up a bubble tea the crew had ordered collectively and sipped the sugar through the straw.

With this little bit of grit, they want to open... Pfft, they want to become a national idol?

But this had nothing to do with him.

Although his goal was to deepen his relationship and strengthen his bonds with them, he had no intention of meddling in others' futures and careers. That would be too burdensome.

He waited quietly until everything was over, then grabbed a bottle of sparkling salted water, walked up to Hoshino Ai, and handed her the drink.

"Good work."

"Thank you! I was so thirsty!"

Hoshino Ai accepted it with surprise, her smile incredibly bright, seemingly not feeling tired at all.

But judging by the beads of sweat on her and her darkened clothes, Sakurakoji Talent guessed that the first thing she wanted to do was rush home, collapse onto the sofa, and lie there motionless.

After a few sips, Hoshino Ai recovered slightly and shook the bottled water in her hand, gesturing to the others nearby, "Do you guys want some?"

"No, thank you... By the way, Ai! Who is this? He's too handsome!"

"Is he your boyfriend? He's not your boyfriend, is he?"

"Could he be a famous model from the entertainment industry? Or a senior actor from somewhere?"

"Why did he come to give you water? What's your relationship with him?!"

"..."

The other members of B-Komachi, forgetting their own fatigue, grabbed Hoshino Ai's body and shook her back and forth, whispering questions to her for details.

"I'm going to get dizzy! Stop it, I can't take it!"

Hoshino Ai's eyes began to circle, and she quickly stopped her teammates from bombarding her.

"Stop talking, I'm about to cry."

"Ahaha..."

Seeing everyone's mood gradually dampen, Hoshino Ai could only offer an awkward chuckle on the side.

"Hey, Ai-chan, what exactly is your relationship?"

"Yeah! Stop brushing us off with those excuses! I need more explosive news!"

"Don't you already have your own answer?"

Once again surrounded by the group, Hoshino Ai held up her hands in front of her to refuse, but she couldn't resist their enthusiasm.

Women, for some reason, always get so excited when it comes to gossip.

Speaking of which, it had been a long time since she'd had such a close conversation with them since they first formed a group. She had Mr. Sakurakoji to thank for this.

"Even though you say that, he did say he's our fan. As idols, I don't think it's good to question the sincerity and motives of fans."

After much thought, Hoshino Ai could only come to this conclusion. Come to think of it, she hadn't had any really in-depth conversations with Mr. Sakurakoji. Every time she messaged him, it was always just her venting her frustrations, and then he would comfort her.

Does she really not know him very well?

With that thought, she cast her gaze towards Sakurakoji Talent, who was standing not far away, seemingly oblivious to their commotion and casually admiring the hillside scenery.

His figure was so mysterious and distant that she couldn't help but stare blankly.