A Sound Beating from Society

She didn't notice her brother's expression and came over to chat with Shuya about how IS had become popular.

They were just extras, but being able to get involved in this popular work is still a pretty impressive resume.

Shuya was indifferent to this; he had participated in too many famous works, and this level was not worth mentioning.

But since Chitose was a beautiful girl, he patiently chatted with her for a few minutes.

Then we went to prepare the content for the live broadcast.

There's nothing noteworthy about the process of releasing them; it's mainly about publicity, and nothing truly remarkable.

Some viewers were fans of the pairing and hoped that Shuya and Hyakka would have Hyakka moments, but with three assistants present, the atmosphere just wasn't right.

And so the live broadcast ended without much entertainment value.

The number of viewers was even lower than the previous episode, which was something they were prepared for. Last time, many people came just to watch the excitement, thinking it would be very interesting.

When they found it wasn't as fun as they had imagined, they naturally stopped coming back for that episode.

Most of the passersby had left, and those still paying attention were basically the target users.

... In any case, it's good that the release went smoothly.

Shuya, Hyakka, and the others said goodbye and left.

She was very tired today and had no interest in going shopping with Shuya. After Shuya took her home, he went home and played video games.

Time flies by.

In the following days, Shuya went to participate in the idol's rehearsal, appeared on a program to promote the album, and finally the day for on-site filming arrived.

The IDOL production team rehearsed on set yesterday, and filming officially begins today.

In the second episode of IDOL, the male protagonist Asakawa Jun, was moved by the street performance of a female idol group in the previous episode. Coupled with his feelings for his childhood friend Akiha Rin, he made a decision.

That means he would become an idol himself, hoping to stand on the same level as Akiha Rin and then confess his feelings to her.

After making this decision, he told his classmates that he wanted to become an idol. Everyone was surprised, but because he was very popular, they all encouraged him and offered suggestions.

Some people gathered information from various agencies and analyzed it at length, some summarized the experiences of each idol and popularized who is the most famous now, and some girls helped Asakawa Jun with his makeup, gave him advice on clothing matching, and tidied up his appearance.

Regardless, you need to be good-looking to become an idol.

With everyone's combined efforts, Asakawa Jun was completely transformed into a handsome man... well, mainly because he was naturally good-looking.

Shuya felt that this kind of plot, where the whole class works together to achieve a certain goal, was very old-fashioned, but he had to admit that it was classic and the actual effect was quite touching.

The story is now about halfway through, and it's time for a break.

We've had quite a few takes, and it's already afternoon.

Anyway, we definitely won't be able to finish filming today.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Mai was completely observing, Shuya to Shuya, who was slacking off the whole time.

"Ugh."

Shuya replied in a very authoritative tone, took the hot tea she offered, and drank it.

She said, "... So much free time."

"Yes."

They sat idly on one side of the corridor.

Mai had no screen time in this episode, Shuya only had screen time in the latter half.

Therefore, they are genuinely bored.

Shuya was sitting in the classroom for a while, so bored he was practically growing cobwebs.

He held his teacup, casually glancing at the other people nearby.

The film set was bustling with activity today.

There are more than 20 students in the main character's class. Today, many extras came, including a few minor actors with some scenes.

These people stayed on the other side with Amami Seiji, and none of them came over to talk to Shuya and Mai.

Aside from the initial greeting, they were all hesitant to disturb Shuya.

His seniority and fame created a barrier to contact between the two parties.

Shuya was happy to have some peace and quiet, as was Mai.

The two drank tea and chatted while waiting for the filming to begin.

Shuya asked, "I heard you've started training in singing and dancing?"

"Yes... it's been a long time since I've used it, so I'm a bit rusty."

Mai replied.

Shuya nodded. "That's right, you've been slacking off for quite a while now."

Mai had been attending training classes before her break, but she stopped going afterward to focus on catching up on her studies.

Now that her grades have improved, her other skills have inevitably declined.

However, Mai confidently replied, "No problem, I'll recover quickly. Besides, it's just one song, it's not difficult."

"That's good... Phew."

Shuya nodded, then thought of the advice he had given to Aoki Shin.

Mai was tricked by him.

He had heard from Aoki Shin that he would rent a large venue to film Mai's performance, and that a huge number of people would shout "Koi!" to cheer her on.

Shuya couldn't help but feel sorry for her when he thought of that spectacular scene.

That's so pitiful (laughs).

"You bastard, why are you laughing so happily..."

Mai was speechless when she saw his bright smile.

A few days later, she reluctantly accepted the situation, but still felt ashamed.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Shuya is always strangely cheerful.

Mai was unwilling to be tricked and thought about how to retaliate.

But Shuya was shameless, and she couldn't think of a way to retaliate, so she could only endure it.

After a short break, filming resumed.

Shuya went back to being a background character.

As the plot unfolds, Asakawa Jun and his classmates discuss how to pass the interviews at various agencies.

Then came a performance similar to manzai (Japanese stand-up comedy), where the students vied to give Asakawa Jun advice, each one more bizarre than the last, which was quite amusing.

This is where Shuya's scene begins.

While they were having a lively discussion, Shuya packed his things and left.

No one noticed him except for Asakawa Jun, but Asakawa Jun was also busy and could only wave to him.

Shuya didn't stop, he just glanced at him sideways, and then walked out of the classroom.

His unconventional posture, coupled with a close-up shot specifically designed for him, immediately highlighted his uniqueness.

After leaving, Shuya tossed his satchel to the scholar-official and then sat down next to Mai.

Welcome back.

"I'm back."

The two exchanged a few words and then silently watched the filming taking place in the classroom.

After filming the first episode, the male lead's acting skills improved. He was no longer as nervous as he was when he first appeared on screen, and he was able to showcase the results of his previous training. All the hard work he had put in so far had finally paid off.

The most obvious sign is that Horiuchi Susumu called "ng" less often.

Aoki Shin, who had been watching from the sidelines, was fairly satisfied with the male lead's performance.

He relaxed and stopped focusing so intently on the filming.

Aoki Shin then remembered something and walked over to Shuya and Mai: "Shu-chan, you've worked hard."

"No, no, it's nothing."

"I'll be leaving the rest to you too. Mai- chan as well."

"It's no trouble at all."

Mai replied politely.

She didn't like the relationship, but since it was work, she accepted it and wouldn't show it.

Section 654, Chapter 610: The Blows from Society

"Oh, right, Mai- chan."

Aoki Shin stated the purpose of his visit. "Do you have any requirements regarding the backup dancers?"

Why do you ask that?

Mai found it strange; these things shouldn't have anything to do with her.

"No, well..."

Aoki Shin asked, "Isn't your sister a member of an idol group? If you'd like, I can ask them to be your backup dancers."

"..."

Mai couldn't give a response for a moment; she hadn't expected Aoki Shin to ask her that question.

Shuya was also taken aback.

It's been so long since I've heard of Mai- chan's sister...

"I think her name is Toyohama Nodoka?"

Shuya remembered.

"... How did you know?"

Mai became alert, her eyes narrowing.

"What the hell? I've known this for ages!"

Shuya spat out his drink. "Is he the kind of person who would lay a hand on someone else's sister?!" (Yukino:?)

... If he had that intention, he wouldn't still not have seen her sister.

"Mr. Aoki, how did you know that Kaori is my sister? I don't recall telling anyone, and she shouldn't have told anyone either."

"A lot of people know about this."

Aoki Shin scratched his head.

There are really no secrets in the industry, especially among big shots like him.

"And when I received the materials, their agency specifically noted that..."

"Good heavens, I'm speechless."

Shuya laughed out loud; they would do anything to ride the wave of popularity.

However, playing the family card isn't exactly something to be ashamed of.

This tactic was so effective that Aoki Shin came specifically to ask about it.

Shuya asked, "Uncle Aoki, have you met Mai- chan's sister? Why do you want to choose them?"