Chapter 129: A Matter of Luxury

With high schools entering their summer break, the audition for the radio drama adaptation of "Crying Out Love in the Center of the World," a project joint-ventured by Ye Zhao and Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, officially closed its submission period a few days ago.

A total of over 2,600 audition tapes were received from the Kanto region, slightly exceeding the initial estimate of 2,500. All in all, the results met the expectations of both parties.

Ye Zhao did not involve himself in the preliminary selection process at all. He had his staff send all 2,600-plus tapes directly to the voice acting troupe affiliated with Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, where professionals handled the screening. His role was clearly defined: he only needed to show his face when the final round of interviews arrived.

Since this was merely a test run, Ye Zhao didn't pay much mind to it, choosing instead to pour his energy into the film. With his decision to play the role of Hiroki Kikuchi, the main cast for the film was finally settled, and the start date for the group training was set for July 26th—six days after the high schools began their summer vacation.

At sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen years old, these boys and girls were at an age full of curiosity and longing for stardom. When the students at Saitama Prefectural Omiya Chuo High School learned that a production crew was coming to their school, they signed up enthusiastically to serve as club extras.

The actors were assigned to clubs based on their roles in the film. Miho Kanno, who played the head of the brass band, joined the wind ensemble, while Mai Hosho and Kotomi Kyono—who played the badminton club members Kasumi Higashihara and Mika Miyabe, respectively—began their training alongside the students.

Incidentally, aside from Mai Hosho playing Kasumi, the girl playing Mika also had a connection to her: her name was Kotomi Kyono. The two had previously appeared together in the movie "Great Loss," and later co-starred in the drama "GTO," where Mai Hosho played Ume Maruhashi and Kotomi Kyono played Sawako Tsukamoto.

It wasn't Ye Zhao who decided on Kotomi Kyono for the role of Mika, but Yukihiko Tsutsumi. On the afternoon he visited the school in Saitama for a location scout, Tsutsumi and the NTV acting coach were so taken with Kyono, who had come to audition for the role of Sana, that they convinced her on the spot to re-audition for the role of Mika.

When Ye Zhao found out later, he didn't have any particular reaction and simply accepted Tsutsumi’s decision. Thus, today was the first time he had actually met her.

Still just a young girl, Kotomi Kyono possessed a very harmless aura, reminiscent of a little rabbit. Although in the film her character, Mika, idolized Kasumi (played by Mai Hosho) and could never catch up to her in badminton prowess, in reality, Kyono’s badminton skills were far superior to Hosho’s.

Consequently, during the training, it was actually Kyono who ended up coaching Hosho.

Compared to those two, Miho Kanno had a much harder time. She had absolutely no idea how to play the saxophone and didn't even know how to hold it correctly. While there was no requirement for her to be a master, she at least needed to learn the basics so that when the camera zoomed in, no one would immediately notice she didn't know what she was doing.

During a break in the training, Ye Zhao sat in the gymnasium bleachers, watching Hosho and Kyono sparring below. The two girls were locked in an intense match, seemingly forgetting they were at a training camp, enjoying themselves as they sweated it out just like ordinary club students.

Watching the scene, Ye Zhao couldn't help but mutter to himself, "The smiles of young girls... they really are the best."

He knew what every girl present would look like once their youth had faded, and it was precisely because of this that he felt it was an immense luxury to be able to travel to their prime and see them in their most beautiful state with his own eyes.

Just then, Yuki Kamimura approached with a mobile phone. "Ye Zhao-san, it’s a call for you from Fukuyama-san."

Ye Zhao took the phone. "Fukuyama-san?"

"Ye-kun, how have you been lately?" Masaharu Fukuyama’s irreverent voice came through the receiver.

"Doing quite well. If I have any worries, it’s just that I’m afraid I’ll get fat from having too good of an appetite," Ye Zhao said with a laugh. Since their collaborative single, the two had not drifted apart as Hitoshi Matsumoto had joked on television; instead, they had kept in touch.

"That tone sounds a bit arrogant, doesn't it?" Fukuyama drew out his words, delivering a playful jab: "In that case, you’ve probably found a girlfriend, too? I’ve been looking forward to a double date with you."

"…Fukuyama-san," Ye Zhao’s lips twitched. "If you keep saying such hurtful things, the Titanic of our friendship is bound to hit an iceberg sooner or later."

"Hahahaha," Fukuyama burst into laughter.

After the laughter subsided, he finally got to the point. "By the way, how is your movie coming along?"

"We’re currently in Saitama for the training camp. The main actors, as well as the student extras we brought in from the area, are all diligently fulfilling their roles. Even I am being pushed around by the members of the basketball team."

"Still, to have such a long training camp, you really are living in luxury."

"It’s not just for training; all the preliminary prep work and some location shooting will be done in this month. Time and money are precious and scarce resources for a film crew; we can't afford to be too reckless." Ye Zhao stood up from his seat and began to walk outside.

"However, if we’re talking about luxury, there is one thing that is truly luxurious: the actresses in this film are all beautiful girls. Every now and then, I look at them and think, 'This really is something else.'"

"Beautiful girls, you say?" Fukuyama seemed intrigued. "I really want to go see them."

Ye Zhao gave a sly smile. "Be careful, or I might pass that comment on to Ms. Uchida word for word."

"What are you thinking?" Fukuyama retorted righteously. "I just want to go take some pictures."

"True, you do have a keen interest in photography, Fukuyama-san." Ye Zhao didn't dwell on it. "Personally, I’d be happy to have you come visit, but there are ordinary students helping out at the school right now. If a top-tier idol and ladies' man like you suddenly showed up, it might cause a riot."

Fukuyama sounded smug. "I’ll graciously accept that compliment."

"…I wasn't complimenting you," Ye Zhao muttered. "Actually, I had thought about whether to release a photo book recording the entire filming process. Since so many beautiful girls are gathered together, I really wanted to collect their smiles."

"While it’s a suggestion that tempts me as well, how would you resolve the issue of portrait rights? The actors belong to different agencies; coordinating that would be a massive undertaking," Fukuyama noted calmly.

Ye Zhao nodded. "I know, Fukuyama-san, which is why it’s just a thought." He sighed. "It’s a real shame. Otherwise, I’d love to ask Kishin Shinoyama to come help with the photography. When it comes to capturing young girls, he’s truly the best."

"You’re quite the connoisseur, aren't you?" Fukuyama teased.

"I’m just stating the facts." Having seen the photos he took of Rie Miyazawa and Mai Hosho, Shinoyama’s status in Ye Zhao’s mind had soared.