139: The Great Hokkaido Battle

Shuya is already in place.

His demeanor has changed drastically.

Shuya was not wearing traditional samurai attire, but rather a modified outfit that conformed to modern aesthetics.

His samurai uniform was white with ice-blue snow patterns. Overall, it looked calm, cool, and elegant.

With makeup on, Shuya's eyes became slightly narrower and sharper.

His face was expressionless, his lips seemed to be smiling but not smiling, his features were as handsome as an immortal, and his long hair flowed as if it might be carried away by the wind at any moment.

A face of divine beauty, an aura of divine grace.

If looks are 80% natural and 20% makeup, then charisma is purely a matter of acting skills.

He had long since thoroughly studied Ikeda Ichinosuke's personality.

Shuya, dressed in a thin samurai outfit, practiced martial arts under a withered tree.

He used the real sword, First Snow.

After his painstaking practice, the Northland New Snow Thousand-Fold Style) was presented in an even more magnificent form.

Sword dance is different from sword moves; it's a balance between lethality and artistry. Northland New Snow Thousand-Fold Style has its own unique sword dance, which is derived from normal sword techniques.

It wasn't very lethal, but it was undeniably cool.

Mai -chan was already captivated even without acting.

Shuya's sword dance was perfect and elegant, especially the final flick of his blade which stirred up the snow on the ground and the falling snow in the sky. The snow followed the blade's dance like a long dragon, as dreamlike and enchanting.

When he sheathed his sword, everyone was stunned and didn't react.

"Crack... Crack! Perfect!"

After a long silence, Horiuchi Susumu called out.

Everyone spontaneously burst into applause.

Shuya and handsome face melted like the First Snow, revealing a smile.

He nodded to everyone, then walked over to Horiuchi Susumu to look at the scene they had just filmed.

If there are any problems, we'll try again.

It's perfect, there's no need to change it.

Aoki Shin, standing nearby, excitedly said:

"Excellent! I knew I hadn't misjudged you! Shu-chan, keep this up! You're going to be a huge hit, an absolute sensation!"

"Thanks."

"Great, let's continue right away!"

Horiuchi Susumu also suppressed his excitement.

"Wait, can I offer a suggestion?"

Shuya the Way.

"What?"

He laughed and said, "We've been filming for so many days without a break, how about we take half a day off today?"

"Have a holiday?"

Horiuchi Susumu taken aback. He thought to himself, "Filming Morning Drama is this hard, how can there be a holiday?"

But Aoki Shin laughed and said, "Alright, let's take half a day off. It's a rare treat to be in Asahikawa, and none of us have done any sightseeing yet, so let's all go out and have some fun today."

Seeing that Aoki Shin Horiuchi Susumu didn't understand, Mai Shin subtly pointed to the child stars, including Mai-chan.

They were all exhausted and on edge.

Horiuchi Susumu understood. "Yes, that's true. It's good to take a break once in a while."

He already understood what Shuya meant.

Horiuchi Susumu realized he had been too hasty.

This was his first time taking on the important task of filming Morning Drama, so he was a bit too hasty.

Adult actors can keep up with his pace, but children can't, even though Mai- chan has trained her body specifically for this.

Human beings have their limits.

Only someone as extraordinary as Shuya could remain unaffected.

Shuya and Mai spent their breaks together, and Shuya had long noticed that Mai was sneaking yawns from time to time, and that her acting skills had also declined somewhat.

But she still forced herself to stay strong.

Very dedicated.

But it's unnecessary.

It would be even worse if you got sick because of this.

Since she didn't want to talk about it, Shuya took the blame; he still had that much friendship with her.

This should have been Mai's mother's job, but she probably didn't want to leave the director and producer with a bad impression of her daughter being spoiled, so she wanted her daughter to be patient.

Or perhaps... she guessed Shuya say the same thing, so she was waiting?

That's probably the truth.

Shuya didn't turn around, but his Power of Will sensed a faint smile playing on Mai's mother's lips...

Never mind, it's not a big deal.

He disliked Mai's mother from the start, and he knew she was that kind of person.

This little thing won't affect Shuya's mood.

Aoki Shin quickly announced that the day would be a day off, which pleased the scholars.

Adults can handle it, but that doesn't mean they don't want to rest.

Shuya approached Mai- chan and said, "Mai- chan, do you want to rest or go sightseeing? I'm planning to visit the zoo."

"Um..."

She thought for a moment and said, "I'll go to the zoo with you. It would be a waste to come all the way to Asahikawa and not go to the zoo."

"Okay, let's go then."

When Shuya mentioned it to Mai's mother, she agreed.

How could someone as snobbish as her possibly offend Shuya?

But Shuya knew that once Mai- chan became popular through the Morning Drama, he might see another side of her.

I definitely won't let Shuya take Mai- chan away so easily.

Chapter 154, Section 139: The Battle of Hokkaido

When Shuya and Mai went out together, Ishiyama Kenichi and teased him, "Are you two going on a date?"

Shuya smiled without saying a word, and Mai- chan also just smiled.

Ishiyama Kenichi said it casually and didn't take it seriously.

Shuya and Mai boarded the bus at Asahikawa bus stop and headed to the zoo.

Asahikawa Zoo was known as the northernmost zoo in Japan and used to be very famous.

However, in 1994, a series of animal deaths occurred, bringing the park to the brink of closure. But it is said that thanks to the efforts of the park management, things have recently started to improve.

After arriving at the station, Shuya and Mai- chan got off the train.

Shuya took a few steps and looked at Mai- chan, who was clinging tightly to his arm, and said, "Speaking of which, why are you sticking so close to me? It's making it hard for me to walk like this."

Not only now, but she was already sticking Shuya in the car just now.

"You're so stingy. You're so warm and cozy; it won't hurt for me to enjoy it a little."

"So you were just after my body."

"What? You're lucky to have a beautiful girl like me sticking close to you!"

"First, you're just a young girl; second, what enjoyment can I get from wearing all that?"

"..."

Mai -chan simply stopped talking and clung to Shuya.

Shuya didn't really want to get rid of her. After complaining, he said, "Fine, considering how hard you've been working lately, I'll let you take advantage of me a little."

"It's really good to Shuya."

Mai- chan's presentation is contrived and authentic.

Shuya knew she was just being polite, but that didn't stop him from feeling pleased to be praised by a pretty girl.

It's instinct, there's no way around it.

Shuya was carried into the zoo by Mai- chan.

Children enter for free, so no tickets are required.

Upon entering, Mai- chan was quickly drawn to the adorable animals.

Her excited gaze made Shuya realize that she was still just a child.

He accompanied Mai- chan to see animals, and they even saw a polar bear.

This was the first time Shuya had ever seen this.

After playing all afternoon, they went to the park's restaurant for a bite to eat.

While eating, Mai- chan fell asleep on the table...

When she woke up, she found that her vision was swaying slightly.

The field of vision was also much higher than usual.

Moreover, even though it wasn't moving, the surrounding scenery was changing.

"Ah."

She quickly realized that Shuya was carrying her on his back.

She saw Shuya's profile.

"You're awake?"

"..."

Mai- chan didn't know how to answer for a moment.

In any case, the current situation is extremely awkward.

I fell asleep while hanging out with friends, and they even had to carry me back to the hotel...

I'm too ashamed to face anyone.

Mai- chan's face flushed slightly.

Shuya noticed her cheeks warming up and joked, "Don't worry about it, Miss. It's what a guard should do."

He made a joke about Asagami Miin and Ikeda Ichinosuke.

"Sorry, I might be a little too tired."

Mai- chan composed herself and honestly admitted her mistake. "It's because Shuya was thinking of me that I got to rest today. Thank you."

Shuya said, "It's okay, newcomers are always like this. Just bring it up when you need to rest, everyone will understand, you're still young after all."

"Um."