Hoshino Ai was discharged from the hospital and immediately rushed to the set to begin her work on White Album 2. She was cast as the second female lead, Touma Kazusa. This time, the drama was being produced as a feature film for a theatrical release.
A male lead had also been secured—the actor who had once played Kamen Rider Den-O, a handsome man with immense fame in the entertainment world. However, during the filming process, intimate physical contact was inevitable, and this was something Ryunosuke absolutely could not tolerate.
Ryunosuke suggested to the director that they use a stunt double, even for scenes as simple as holding hands. To put it simply, he would not allow his girlfriend to have any intimate contact with a strange man. Even a hand on the arm was strictly forbidden.
Gotanda began to suspect that this man had come only to cause chaos. How could one film a movie without physical contact? If it were a kissing scene, a double might be understandable. But using a double just for holding hands? That was crossing a line!
Ryunosuke made it clear there was no room for negotiation. If Gotanda didn't agree, he would withdraw the script for White Album 2. Gotanda exploded in frustration.
"You're someone who doesn't understand the first thing about directing! Don't just go throwing orders around; you're only making things harder!"
Ryunosuke, instantly offended, rolled up his sleeves. "Heh! You're saying I can't direct?!"
He pointed at himself as if he had something to prove. He promptly hijacked Gotanda's job and stepped into the director's chair.
He began adjusting the camera positions. At that moment, they were shooting a scene where the male and female leads were supposed to hold hands to formalize their relationship. Ryunosuke used a specialized technique to prove his worth.
Under Gotanda's previous direction, the camera would have simply taken a head-on shot as they held hands, and that would be that. Ryunosuke, however, took a different approach.
The camera captured the silhouettes of their backs, maintaining a distance of about 20 cm between them. This gave the impression that they were incredibly close, yet simultaneously felt worlds apart. It was a specific framing technique used to highlight the internal turmoil between the two characters.
Ryunosuke suddenly yelled "Cut!" marking the end of that sequence, then immediately swapped the leads with Chizuru's stunt double to complete the next step.
The camera began rolling again. This time, the frame focused solely on their hands. The feeling of wanting to reach out but hesitating, pulling a hand back, and then reaching out again was captured beautifully. This kind of emotional storytelling was a world-class directing technique.
Gotanda didn't dare interrupt again. He realized that the man before him actually possessed real talent. At the very least, in terms of conveying raw emotion to the audience, he knew he couldn't compete. Many other directors wouldn't have been able to, either.
Once finished, Ryunosuke handed the camera back to Gotanda as a demonstration of how it should be done. He also gave tips on how to use doubles for kissing scenes without the audience ever noticing. Gotanda, however, was still struggling to grasp it and insisted on a live demonstration. After all, some things couldn't be learned just by listening; they had to be observed.
Ryunosuke was forced to demonstrate how to film a kissing scene with a double while still highlighting deep, resonant emotion. A kiss didn't require lips actually touching to convey feeling. The surge of emotion was what mattered—making the audience feel as if they were part of the scene.
As the male and female leads leaned in for the kiss, Ryunosuke swapped in the double. He tilted the camera down, focusing precisely on the area from the jaw to the neck, while keeping the actual contact out of frame. Audiences don't always need to see the physical act; they want the emotional payoff. By leaving it to the imagination, the viewers become even more invested.
The idea that something unseen or unobtained makes the audience's hearts ache with curiosity—that was the art of directing. It was a technique that understood the nuances of the human heart. As the saying goes, a man understands a man best.
Why do you think the series To Love-Ru is so famous? It's because of the "holy light" that appears at critical moments, triggering the wild imaginations of men, rather than showing everything explicitly!
Ryunosuke was on fire! He was giving Gotanda a masterclass in top-tier directing.
Gotanda could only stand there, jaw agape. He realized one thing: Akasaka Ryunosuke was a directing genius.
After the day's filming concluded, Gotanda practically clung to Ryunosuke's leg, declaring he wanted to become his apprentice!
Disgusted, Ryunosuke told him to let go, but Gotanda insisted he wouldn't move until he was accepted. Eventually, Ryunosuke was forced to accept the 47-year-old man as his disciple.
Gotanda showed his respect by giving up his director's chair to his new master. Ryunosuke took it gladly; he needed to be the one supervising to ensure Chizuru wasn't taken advantage of or touched unnecessarily.
But while Chizuru was safe, Ai was "touched" quite a bit—even if it was just holding hands or a hand on her shoulder. Her two children, however, were clearly not okay with it. They were teetering on the edge of "darkness."
Ryunosuke glanced at Aqua and Ruby standing to the side; a dark, shadowy star seemed to emanate from their eyes, and their mouths never stopped muttering words like "just drop dead" at the lead actor. He was genuinely worried they might snap and mince the poor guy.
As the day's shoot wrapped up, Ryunosuke began to think. Since this drama was to be a 13-episode television series, if one episode aired per week, it would take 13 weeks or about 91 days—roughly three months.
But Ryunosuke had less than a month left. He had to set everything up for Chizuru within that short window. At the very least, he had to ensure no one would dare bully her. His best bet was to find an "insider" or a powerful backer for her.
But who? Ai was about to be swept up in her Dome concert preparations, so she likely wouldn't have the time to watch over Chizuru. He needed another path.
Ryunosuke suddenly remembered that Hasebe Haruka's mother was supposedly a big star. Couldn't he make Haruka's mother Chizuru's protector?
Without a moment's delay, Ryunosuke dialed Sakayanagi Arisu's father once again.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
In the Principal's Office, Advanced Nurturing High School.
Narumori saw his future son-in-law calling again. He picked up with a hint of impatience. "What is it this time?"
On the other end, Ryunosuke spoke with a slightly apologetic tone. "Father-in-law, I'm sorry to bother you again. I need your help to get in touch with Hasebe Haruka from Class 2-C so she can take this call."
Narumori went silent, his lip twitching.
"Another woman? Kid, you aren't actually cheating on Arisu, are you?" He asked suspiciously.
Ryunosuke felt cold sweat bead on his forehead. Feeling guilty, he wiped it away with a handkerchief and insisted that wasn't the case.
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