The script had undergone major changes, and the biggest shift for the character of "Hao Hao's Mom" was her transformation from the classic "tough on the outside, soft inside" archetype to "soft on the outside, tough inside." But this wasn't the kind of "soft outside, tough inside" where she's all smiles until she snaps and starts yelling. No, it was more like, "I don't care about anything else, but for what matters most, I'll calmly and gently eliminate any obstacle in my way."
She had to be gentle, but with a hint of madness—a deep, calculated craziness hidden beneath that gentleness. Yet, this madness couldn't scare the audience; it had to feel like an extension of her softness.
In short, it needed to embody the Japanese aesthetic of mono no aware—the bittersweet beauty of fleeting things, something deeply cherished in Japanese culture.
It was a fine line to walk. Too much, and she'd seem unhinged; too little, and it wouldn't hit the mark.
Tetsu Fuyukawa felt a twinge of worry, but as the performance on stage unfolded, his eyes lit up.
Asuka Tsukitake was sharp—really sharp—when it came to reading emotions. She clearly picked up on the script's intent from just a few lines. From the moment Mrs. Nogi burst in, yelling, Asuka's expression and tone never once showed anger.
Nor did she jump straight to resolve. Instead, her performance gradually shifted from timid and flustered to unyielding determination, following the dialogue's progression.
It was a high-level emotional transition!
It was like listening to a song. Few tracks start with the climax; they build the mood through the verses, layer by layer, until the chorus hits that soaring high note. The challenge is knowing how to build it and where the peak should land.
That takes real skill, and Asuka Tsukitake nailed it with precision.
"I'm sorry, but Sakurako has decided to say goodbye to the past," she delivered her final line.
As she gave a slight bow to Mrs. Nogi on stage, her eyes radiating unwavering resolve, the audition hall fell silent for a moment.
"This woman's acting is incredible!" someone whispered.
"They struck gold! With skills like that, she could hit it big in the entertainment industry with just a bit of backing!" another added.
"This actress is so good, their game might actually be a hit."
The audition hall wasn't just filled with Hikari Bird Studio's team—there were also members of the outsourced camera crew, murmuring excitedly about Asuka's performance, their voices full of praise.
Tetsu was just as thrilled, clapping with a grin. "Fantastic performance, Ms. Tsukitake. Do you have an agent?"
"No, I just saw your recruitment post and decided to give it a shot," Asuka replied.
As she slipped out of character, Asuka reverted to her cool, detached demeanor—like a haughty racehorse. She removed a cute butterfly hairpin, letting her sleek, princess-cut hair fall, and spoke in a flat tone.
Honestly, that attitude was a bit rude in a Japanese workplace setting. The others in the room stole glances at Tetsu, who, despite not having worked with them long, was clearly a strong-willed leader.
But Tetsu just nodded. "Alright then. Nogi, take her to the contract department and sign her at S-tier standards. That's it for today, everyone. Great work."
His reaction caught the room off guard, but Tetsu didn't care about the odd looks. Sure, he could be tough, but he wasn't aggressively confrontational unless he sensed malice or a threat. Normally, he preferred a chill, harmonious vibe.
Asuka was the last audition of the day. Tetsu gave a slight bow to the team, gathered his files, and headed back to his office.
Instead of going home, he hunched over his computer, tweaking the script for Surrounded by Beauties.
No choice—thanks to the Third Department's declaration of war on the Fourth, his section chief position was on shaky ground.
That role wasn't just about securing funding for Fate; he also refused to lose to Kazuma Studio, especially after they publicly called him out, saying, "You're the weak link, and we're coming for you."
But with Tetsu staying late to revise the script, Sayoko and the others were in a bit of a bind. They couldn't really help with the script, so sticking around felt pointless, but leaving seemed wrong too. Tetsu, having been a regular employee himself once, used a water break as an excuse to laugh and shoo them all home.
Not just Mrs. Nogi and Kawaguchi—Sayoko left too, since Himawari Izumi had gotten into a fight with her relatives and needed a place to crash for the night.
"Six female roles, and we've locked in two. That leaves Xiao Lu, Yun Si Li, Huixing Shen, and Ziyan Zheng," Tetsu muttered.
"Yun Si Li… we could tweak her story to make her stand out more than in the original, but she's mostly there to fill the 'cool older sister' niche for Leqing Lin's market. Her ceiling's not high. Maybe have Mariri Shiraishi try for it tomorrow."
Outside, night had fallen, and most of NTsoft's building was dark, with only a few lit rooms scattered across the floors.
At the floor-to-ceiling window, Tetsu's mind raced, his fingers flying across the keyboard, words reflecting off his glasses.
Yun Si Li was one of the six main female leads, and while Tetsu had patched up her story, her character had a flaw. Or, more accurately, her archetype overlapped with Hao Hao's Mom, Leqing Lin.
Both were tagged as "mature women," but Yun Si Li's sub-tag, "career woman," had a smaller audience than Leqing's "gentle housewife."
With a smaller market, Yun Si Li couldn't compete with Hao Hao's Mom under equal acting and looks, nor was she likely to become a breakout star.
Tetsu saw the issue but didn't change it. The "career woman" audience might be smaller than the "gentle housewife" one, but it was still a hot sub-tag within the mature woman archetype—just not as hot.
Put simply, Yun Si Li was a patch, designed to cover the "career woman" niche that Leqing's "gentle housewife" couldn't reach in the broader "cool older sister" category.
Giving up that audience wasn't an option, so with irreconcilable character conflicts, the only solution was to compensate through the story.
At night, thoughts flow more freely.
The more he thought, the faster he typed.
Time slipped by, and when Tetsu got up for more water, he noticed the neon signs of Tokyo's skyscrapers glowing brightly outside the window.
"Tokyo at night sure is dazzling," he said, sipping his goji berry water and stretching. He pulled his boss's chair back to keep working, but just then, the office door clicked and slowly swung open.
"Still grinding this late, Section Chief Fuyukawa? So diligent," a sultry voice teased.
"Department Head Miyano? What brings you here?" Tetsu asked, caught off guard.
In his slightly stunned gaze, the stunning Mitei Miyano appeared at the door.
She wore a tight white blouse that strained against her ample chest, threatening to pop the buttons. Below, her slightly soft waist led to a leather pencil skirt hugging her shapely hips, and her curvy, toned legs were wrapped in delicate garter stockings.
Pure sex appeal.
Unlike Sayoko's soft, submissive allure, Mitei radiated a commanding, almost predatory vibe—like a cold, glamorous blue rose or a luxurious yet dangerous leopardess.
She swayed her hips, her heels clicking as she approached the desk, her thigh brushing the edge and forming a tantalizing curve.
"Isn't it normal for a boss to check on her subordinate?" Mitei said with a dangerous smile, a flicker of excited madness in her fox-like eyes, tempered by restraint.
A late-night office with just the two of them?
A female boss "checking in" on her male subordinate under these circumstances? Something felt off.
Tetsu forced a smile. "Thanks for the concern, boss."
"Just… words of thanks?" Mitei purred.
As she spoke, she slid her hip onto the edge of the desk, the leather skirt scraping against it with a sharp, provocative sound. Her stockinged leg crossed slightly, her pointed heel dangling near Tetsu's calf, swaying teasingly. She leaned forward, her chest swaying, her eyes—flushed with barely contained excitement—locking onto his.
"It's just us here, Section Chief Fuyukawa. Don't you have anything… private to report to me?"
What the—?! Is she hitting on me?!
Sure, there was that time she'd teased, "If you lose, you'll have to kiss my toes," but this? In a deserted office at night? Tetsu's breath quickened.
Damn it, always teasing me like I'm some eunuch! If I've got the guts, I'll have this gorgeous boss on maternity leave!
His right hand twitched, tempted to grab her leg, but just as it moved—
-200.
A red "emotion value decrease" floated above Mitei's head.
Her emotions dropped?!
Tetsu froze, his mind racing. Then it clicked.
She's an S-type—and the kind who gets bored without a challenge.
With that realization, Tetsu reined in his impulses and met her playful, fox-like gaze. "Of course I've got work to report."
"Oh?" Mitei raised an eyebrow.
-200.
She thinks I'm too easy, Tetsu noted, catching the flicker of disdain in her eyes. Without missing a beat, he plopped a thick stack of papers next to her curvy thigh. "Our studio's prep work is nearly done. We're set to start filming next week."
"?"
-500!
+1500!
Huge numbers flashed above Mitei's head. She frowned briefly, then relaxed, but the excitement and desire for conquest in her fox-like eyes grew sharper, buried even deeper.
"Is that so? You're quite the dedicated employee, Section Chief Fuyukawa," she said, glancing at the papers. "Hmm? 'The career woman audience isn't as big as the gentle housewife one'?"
+2000!