My Tokyo Celebrity Girlfriend Is Love-Struck, What Should I Do? - Chapter 32

Film Festival Competition Section

The morning shoot consisted of relatively simple scenes, including one of the few shots featuring Amemiya Nao and Kimura together.

After wrapping up the shoot, Kimura dismissed the crew members, while he headed to the photography department to transfer the day’s footage onto a USB drive. 

Then, in a hurry, he made his way to Koike Yui’s office.

Before leaving, he couldn’t resist asking Koike Koichi for information.

“Koike-kouhai, did your sister mention anything specific about why she called me today?”

“I haven’t heard anything at all,” Koike Koichi, glancing away from his phone, replied cluelessly.

“…” Kimura sighed softly. “Well, I’ll find out once I get there.”

“Hey! Kimura-sempai!”

Suddenly, Koike Koichi shouted.

Kimura halted in his steps.

Koike Koichi approached quickly, holding his phone.

“Senpai, is this movie originally the one Asuka-senpai was supposed to star in?”

Hearing this, Kimura took the phone.

It was the latest trending topic on T-site.

【Director Tanimoto Gozo’s new film “Daytime Gourmet” is scheduled to be released two months later, along with the movie’s theme song sung by Komatsu Haruki and Mukoyama Sae.】

“Daytime Gourmet,” Mukoyama Sae…

Looking at the two familiar names appearing on the screen, Kimura furrowed his brows slightly.

He didn’t have a favorable impression of Mukoyama Sae. Since the comments under Asuka’s T-site photo last time, Asuka had shared a lot with him about the complex relationships among the artists under Galaxy Agency.

After listening to it all, Kimura could only say one thing: the intrigues in the entertainment industry were no less than those in a palace.

As for the movie “Daytime Gourmet,” it had some investment from the Galaxy Agency. That was why many characters in the film were played by artists under the agency.

Regarding Galaxy Agency…

Kimura didn’t have any good feelings towards it.

“That’s the movie,” Kimura said indifferently.

“Yabai, it seems like this movie is not worth watching.”

Koike Koichi nodded and took back his phone.

“Huh?”

“If it’s not Asuka-senpai playing this role, I absolutely won’t watch it!” Koike’s gaze was firm. “I’m a devoted fan of Asuka-senpai, and I won’t watch a movie that replaces her.”

“Koike-kouhai, you…” Kimura fell into a slight silence.

“What’s wrong, Senpai?”

“Your download of the movie theme song was successful…”

“Huh? So fast.”

Koike Koichi looked down in panic, quickly sliding his finger on the screen. “Kimura-senpai, it’s not like that… Senpai!”

Kimura, carrying his backpack, turned and left the photography department.

……

“Yui-nee, I’m here.”

After receiving a response, Kimura pushed open the office door and walked in.

Little did Koike Yui notice the naturally changed way Kimura addressed her. 

She just felt that Kimura and her brother Koike Koichi were getting along day by day, so calling her that way seemed fine. Anyway, there was no one else around.

“Hayata-kun, has the shooting been progressing smoothly recently?”

Koike Yui turned around, and the familiar aura of pressure enveloped her in an instant.

Kimura shifted his gaze, his hand rubbing his neck.

“With Koichi-kouhai’s help, the shooting progress has been very smooth… Of course, it’s also because of Yui-nee’s guidance and the perfectly modified script that the shooting has been so smooth.”

Facing Kimura’s flattery, Koike Yui remained completely unmoved.

Sometimes…

Koike Yui really wondered what this young man from the countryside had learned in Tokyo.

His words were always so smooth.

But then she thought, Kimura had been working diligently part-time outside of school. 

Perhaps dealing with various people from all walks of life had transformed this young man into what he was.

A wave of sympathy surged in Koike Yui’s heart.

At least it’s not a bad thing.

“Stop!” Koike Yui interrupted Kimura’s rainbow fart.

She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a stack of slightly thick papers.

The cover was labeled “Director Kimura Hayata’s Graduation Work.”

Koike Yui opened the file, glanced at the content, and then looked up at Kimura, who was smiling “innocently.”

“Hayata-kun, it says here… the role of Wataya Izumi is played by Amemiya Nao? Is it that female artist, Amemiya Nao?”

“Yes.”

“Eh?!”

Koike Yui was somewhat surprised. If the previous Asuka was acquainted due to being in the same class at the same university, maybe they were friends privately.

But what about this Amemiya Nao?

This kind of female artist, while not very famous in Tokyo, was still relatively well-known. 

Regardless of how you thought about it, the appearance fee wouldn’t be something this young man in front of her could afford, right?

“How did you manage to get her to participate, Hayata-kun? The appearance fee isn’t a small amount, is it?” Koike Yui asked, frowning.

“Amemiya Nao is a close friend of Asuka, so she was asked to join the cast,” Kimura answered truthfully.

“And the fee?”

“It’s paid according to the minimum hourly wage in Tokyo. Since there aren’t many scenes, taking on the responsibility… there’s absolutely no problem.”

“I see…”

Watching Kimura’s straightforward response, Koike Yui nodded without further questioning.

This wasn’t the main point of her conversation with Kimura this time. Just now, she was merely following the usual practice of inquiring about the progress of the student’s graduation work.

Koike Yui placed the file in her hand on the desk.

“Don’t forget the submission deadline for your graduation work. You must submit the complete work by the end of the month, not just the initial draft.”

“Got it.” Kimura responded.

“Also… it’s about the follow-up to the evaluation of your work.” Koike Yui paused slightly, “I heard from Koichi that you also plan to participate in the competition unit of the T-Station Film Festival?”

“Yeah.”

Ever since learning about the T-Station Film Festival’s competition unit in Koike Yui’s office last time, the opportunity to receive investment for being selected made Kimura very excited.

After four years in this world, he knew that this might be a chance.

In Japan, only gaining the favor of capital had the possibility of success. Otherwise, in the end, it would just be a futile effort.

Upon receiving Kimura’s affirmative answer, Koike Yui began to talk about it.

“For the T-Station Film Festival’s competition units, Hayata-kun can only participate in the Newcomer Competition Unit. The requirements for the work are similar to short films, with a time limit of less than sixty minutes. In other words, your graduation work from Kiyomi Art University meets the requirements and can be directly submitted for the Newcomer Competition Unit.”

“However, not all submissions can participate in the competition units. After submitting, the works will be evaluated by professional film critics, and only those films that pass the evaluation can officially join the competition units and undergo public voting.”

Koike Yui meticulously explained the rules and conditions of the T-Station Film Festival’s competition to Kimura.

Kimura listened attentively, knowing that Koike Yui was providing him with special guidance.

Towards the end, Koike Yui took out a ticket from the drawer of her desk and handed it to Kimura.

“This is a ticket for a recent offline screening of microfilms held by T-Station in Shibuya, Tokyo. There will be on-site critiques by the film critics responsible for the T-Station Film Festival. Hayata-kun can go and learn about their standards, which will be helpful for participating in the competition units later.”

Holding the slightly cool ticket in his hand, Kimura was momentarily stunned.

“Yui-nee, this ticket…”

“Don’t overthink it. The tickets are provided by T-Station for Kiyomi Art University. Besides this one, I’ve already given a few others to students from the Film Directing Department who want to participate in the competition units.”

Kimura awkwardly scratched his head.

“Keep the ticket well; it’s said to be quite rare,” Koike Yui advised.

“Yes.”