I Really Don’t Want a Girlfriend Anymore

Yuu finally agreed.

It had nothing to do with Kouhei, the hard drive resources he'd lose, or even the woman named Ichinose Chizuru.

He had simply called Sora:

{Met a show crew on the street. How should I handle it?}

After briefly explaining the situation, Yuu turned to Kouhei and asked, "Which channel will this air on? When's the broadcast?"

After getting the answer and relaying it to Sora, he immediately received her reply: {It's fine to come home late. Act well, I'll record the show.}

That was why Yuu was now holding grilled skewers and a script.

A qualified siscon would guide his little sister in big matters and spoil her in small ones.

"No denying it, I'm pretty interested myself…"

Perhaps due to his Acting (Expert Level) skill, despite being watched by cameras and surrounded by strangers, Yuu felt no nervousness. There was even a burning desire to perform stirring in his heart, wanting to show this crew—and even the TV audience—who the real actor was.

Suppressing that restlessness, he flipped through the script, checking what role he'd play with the woman.

His eyes scanned the lines of dialogue and notes, but his brows furrowed deeper.

"This…"

Noticing the reluctance on his face, Kouhei quickly stepped in to reassure him:

"Don't worry, if you're afraid of being recognized, we'll blur your face when the show airs. You just need to show your voice and movements!"

"…Like a voice actor?"

"Exactly, exactly, it's fine if the acting's not great! Just do it however you want, but try to make your movements and voice bigger—it's for the show's effect… Please understand!"

Kouhei said this sincerely, but there was no genuine hope for cooperation—just empty talk.

Yuu silently sneered, knowing what was really on the man's mind: You ordinary people are lucky enough to get on TV. What more do you want? Who cares if you're awkward or embarrassed? Just act. If you don't cooperate, we'll replace you!

For them, shows like this were meant to highlight the celebrities. If it was pre-arranged, that was another matter, but a college girl or high schooler picked off the street—how good could their acting be?

It was just for comedic effect. The more awkward and embarrassed they were, the more entertaining the clips the crew could capture.

"Alright." Yuu nodded half-heartedly to show he understood, then picked up the script again.

Kouhei suddenly remembered something.

"Tenkuji-san, do you need someone to explain the script or the flow of the performance?"

Normally, to prevent civilians from misunderstanding the script or recording process, they'd send someone to explain and give proper warnings to avoid ruining the show's effect.

But Yuu's calm and relaxed demeanor made Kouhei unconsciously think: this wasn't a street but a studio, and Yuu wasn't a random passerby but a seasoned actor, so he forgot to give the usual warnings.

Without looking up, Yuu flatly declined, "Doesn't seem necessary. Thanks for the offer."

His eyes quickly scanned the lines of dialogue, his lips muttering, his serious aura making him unapproachable.

Perhaps because the night breeze hadn't yet blown by the river, Kouhei unconsciously wiped his sweat.

After hesitating nearby, though it felt rude to disturb someone focused on the script, he couldn't help but ask:

"T-Tenkuji-san, have you, like Ichinose-san, had any acting experience?"

"Ichinose-san?"

Frowning, Yuu glanced at the college girl also engrossed in her script, then shifted his gaze back to Kouhei's face.

"Is Ichinose-san an actress?"

"She said no, just that she took some classes at an acting school."

"I see." After asking casually, Yuu answered promptly, "Sorry, I don't have any formal acting experience or training."

He just had a cheat.

"I understand."

Hearing this, Kouhei sighed in relief.

The show was a duel between actors and civilians. If all four were actors, the audience would complain.

But maybe this could be turned into a show effect?

An unprecedented coincidence—an amateur acting genius, completely unscripted, making even popular actors bow in tears…

This could go viral!

Thinking this, Kouhei apologized to Yuu, then returned to the camera crew to prepare.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

About ten minutes later.

The entire crew began operations. With the man and woman as the focus, they quickly set up microphones, cameras, crew movements, the director, and other positions.

Street filming wasn't as complex as studio work, but small details mattered—a good show required perfection in every detail.

Before recording started, the crew even let Yuu and Chizuru introduce themselves and discuss how they'd act.

Holding the script, Yuu nodded politely to her.

"Here's to working together."

"…Here's to working together."

Perhaps because she was being filmed, the college girl seemed a bit nervous, her pretty face slightly tense.

Realizing her tone was too stiff, she gave an awkward smile and a resigned, bitter chuckle:

"Sorry, I'm a bit nervous."

"It's fine. I'm actually pretty nervous too, just good at hiding it," Yuu lied without a shred of guilt, then asked curiously:

"Didn't Ichinose-san already have acting experience? Still nervous in front of cameras?"

"Haha, that was just some classes at acting school, nothing much."

Chizuru smiled self-deprecatingly, raising her slender, fair fingers, their tips visibly trembling. "Forget acting in films or dramas—being on a variety show for less than three minutes makes my whole body shake."

"It's alright. Morikawa-san said we don't need to worry about how good our acting is, and it's fine to go off-script," Yuu shrugged. "It's all for the show's effect."

"Yeah…"

Chizuru sighed softly, pursing her lips, her expression turning serious.

Yuu could sense that she wanted to act well in this scene, not for comedy or to create any effect—Chizuru wanted to stun them with her performance.

Was this an actor's pride?

Yuu couldn't help but laugh.

The world was full of coincidences. To make the crew drop their condescending attitude and gasp in shock, muttering how terrifying this person was… he shared that goal.

Most importantly, for a task from his sister, Yuu always gave his all, holding nothing back.

After checking the system panel, he smiled at Chizuru:

"Let's do this together and show your best acting."

Chizuru, holding her chest and taking a deep breath, looked at Yuu in surprise upon hearing this.

"…Alright, let's do our best together!"

Nodding firmly, the corners of her lips unconsciously softened. As if to distract herself, Chizuru curiously observed Yuu.

"Tenkuji-kun, are you really nervous? Your movements in front of the camera seem so practiced, with a relaxed yet ready-to-fight aura."

She knew from the crew that Yuu, her acting partner, was just a random passerby, at best good-looking.

Not an actor, with no acting experience whatsoever.

So after observing closely, Chizuru felt something odd—was he just unusually bold?

"Hm… Alright."

Yuu thought for a moment. To help her keep up later, he'd better let her know in advance.

Stepping closer, he deliberately lowered his voice to a volume only Chizuru could hear:

"I was lying about being nervous. Though I don't have formal acting experience, I was born with decent acting ability. Hard to say what level, but acting for a variety show is no problem at all."

"Eh? What does that mean…"

Like hearing news of the prime minister retiring due to illness, Chizuru's lips parted slightly, staring at the guy in front of her in shock.

"You'll see soon enough," Yuu smiled, returning to his original position. "Ichinose-san, don't overthink before acting. Get into character quickly."

"…"

Silently, Chizuru stared at him with an odd look for a moment, then nodded with a complex expression, took a deep breath, and returned to her script.

The street-meeting performance was about to begin.