"Hello, Section Chief Fuyukawa, and esteemed teachers. I'm Asuka Tsukitake."
Though Asuka bowed politely, her voice carried that familiar cool edge. Tetsu Fuyukawa glanced up from her resume. "Ms. Tsukitake, welcome to Hikari Studio's audition. Time's tight, so let's get started. Kawaguchi, hand her the No. 3 script for Sakura Kagawa (Hao Hao's Mom)."
Despite their prior encounter, Fuyukawa kept things professional. Avoiding favoritism wasn't the issue—everyone in the room was part of his team. He just knew that with someone like Asuka, less talk was better. Let her wonder.
Of course, that only worked if she was already intrigued by him.
Sure enough, seeing Fuyukawa switch gears without even glancing at her resume, Asuka's brow twitched slightly.
-50.
+100.
The numbers flickered above her head, hinting at a subtle emotional ripple.
Fuyukawa didn't dwell on her reaction. His mind was on whether the "Hao Hao's Mom" role suited her, and if not, what other role might.
It wasn't about playing favorites. Asuka's appearance and physique were undeniably exceptional—she was the kind of stunning beauty who'd turn heads in a crowded room. At 5'9" with a striking figure, she stood out not just in Japan, where the average woman's height is 5'2", but even in Western standards.
With such an impressive look, as long as her acting wasn't painfully awkward, she'd draw a huge audience.
"Her age, figure, and aura would actually suit Zheng Ziyan better, but Japanese male audiences right now lean toward older women... I wonder if she can pull it off."
The "Hao Hao's Mom" role was tagged as sensual and young wife. These traits had broad appeal and huge potential, but unlocking that potential required an actress with both strong looks and acting chops, plus a fitting aura to carry the character.
The issue? Asuka was only 26, with no marital history on her resume, and her cool demeanor didn't quite match the "young wife" vibe. Yet her physical attributes screamed sensual—outshining even Marly Shiraishi by a wide margin.
In Fuyukawa's mind, she was the best fit for Hao Hao's Mom, second only to Sayoko. "Too bad Sayoko shakes her head like a rattle at the mention of acting, or I wouldn't be in this bind."
As he mulled it over, Asuka finished reviewing the No. 3 script for Hao Hao's Mom.
The audition script was distinct from the game's actual plot but tailored to test specific skills. The scene involved the female lead cooking in an apron at home, sharing a warm moment with the male lead when her ex-husband barges in. In the end, she firmly chooses the male lead.
It was a short scene with minimal dialogue, designed to gauge acting ability and presence—qualities that could be assessed in just a few moments.
"Ready?" Fuyukawa asked, looking at the stage.
Asuka took a deep breath, closed her eyes for two seconds, then opened them. She adjusted her stance subtly, and under the approving nods of Fuyukawa and the cameramen, her expression softened. She tucked her sharp, princess-cut hair behind her ear with a hairpin. "Ready."
"Alright. Nogi, Sayoko, go run the scene with her."
Fuyukawa sat up straighter, a glint of excitement in his eyes.
As the saying goes, amateurs watch the spectacle, but pros see the craft. Asuka's subtle shifts in posture and expression—down to the simple act of tucking her hair—transformed her entire aura. If she'd been a cool, almost otherworldly beauty before, now she radiated a restrained, gentle warmth.
"She's a genius. She instinctively knows how to control her presence. No wonder she went from rookie to award-winning model in just months!"
Presence wasn't some mystical quality or just acting aloof. It was a blend of hairstyle, figure, clothing, expressions, and movements. Change any one element, and the vibe shifts. Most people fumble when trying to adjust their look—think of those disastrous haircuts blamed on "stupid stylists." But Asuka clearly knew exactly how to tweak her appearance to achieve the desired effect.
That was pure talent for an actress.
Fuyukawa's excitement grew.
Soon, with his signal, Aunt Nogi, playing the drunken ex-husband, "barged in." Seeing Asuka and Sayoko's cozy kitchen scene, she immediately lost it, launching into a tirade.
Honestly, Nogi's acting was terrible—obviously staged and overdone. But it was clear she was the dominant type at home; her bellowing had real force, startling Sayoko.
Fuyukawa didn't care about Nogi's performance. His eyes were locked on Asuka, filled with anticipation.
"Soft on the outside, tough on the inside—can she pull it off?"
In the original story, Hao Hao's Mom was a fiery, sensual young wife, tough on the outside but soft within. That worked fine for the original's audience, but Japanese and Chinese tastes didn't fully align. For instance, the "yasashii" (kind, gentle) male lead was mocked by readers but loved in Japan. Localization wasn't just about translating names—it required major plot tweaks.
Fuyukawa's version of Hao Hao's Mom shifted from a bold, sensual hot mom to a seemingly timid but inwardly resilient gentle wife.
Yes, he'd licensed Surrounded by Beauties, but the original game's plot wasn't stellar. He treated it as a reference, analyzing why it succeeded, what emotional needs it met, and which story beats resonated with players. The system's dataset was his biggest asset, packed with the game's production process, staff notes, summaries, and tons of player feedback.
Research, reflect, execute, summarize, adjust.
His heavily revised Surrounded by Beauties kept only three core elements: the interactive live-action format, the lighthearted "being pursued" romance plot, and the target audience of people who "want love but fear getting hurt or find it too exhausting." Everything else had been gutted and rebuilt.