The dating show continued. The first episode was about two hours long, and after the initial gathering at the villa and the segment with the two-choice questions, the main event was next.
The first day's Heartbeat Message segment.
In front of the sofa where the four commentators were seated, the screen had just finished playing the discussion segment for the 'choice between two options'.
The host, Sato Kenta, held his script and deliberately slowed his speech, keeping the audience in suspense. 'Next up is the most important part of our first episode: the Heartbeat Message segment.'
On screen, the four commentators were all momentarily stunned when Director Aoyama announced the rules for the Heartbeat Message.
'Now, for the rules of the first day's 'Heartbeat Message'! You may each use a dedicated phone to send a message to one person of the opposite gender, but there's a condition—you must have at least one answer in common from the two choices you just made.'
'Remember, each person can only send one message.'
'You can only reply after receiving a message, and you also have the freedom to not reply at all.'
The actor Kitagawa Akira pushed up his glasses, his fingertips tapping the table lightly. 'This rule is quite interesting. Did everyone manage to remember each member's choices?'
'I did. They're right here.'
As the host, Sato Kenta immediately wheeled out a whiteboard, which clearly listed the answers of all six members.
The group stared at the board and began their analysis.
The actress Suzuki Nana glanced at Michiya Gōshin on the screen, her tone certain. 'Michiya-sensei's answers overlap with all three of the girls. He's the most likely one to receive a message, isn't he?'
Music producer Takahashi Ryosuke thought for a moment. 'Michiya-sensei is certainly the center of attention, but maybe the girls will send messages to others, too. Look, Kumano-kun and MEM-cho-san were chatting quite a bit earlier.'
But screenwriter Honda Saori shook her head. 'You can't really tell anything from just chatting. I have a feeling this message segment might really surprise the audience.'
'I have that feeling too. Since none of the cast members are non-celebrities this time, they might have more factors to consider,' Kitagawa Akira said with a smile, intrigued by what would happen next.
'Exactly. Let's keep watching.'
Sato Kenta pressed play, and the paused show resumed.
On screen, the girls had already composed their messages. When the notification sound chimed at exactly eight o'clock, the commentators grew a little tense, their eyes glued to the screen.
The next moment, Michiya Gōshin, on camera, suddenly reached for his pocket, realizing his phone was vibrating.
'Hm?'
The blond young man glanced at his screen, and the received messages instantly popped up.
'Whoa!'
Once they saw what happened, the studio where the commentators were instantly descended into chaos.
'Three messages! It's really three messages!'
Sato Kenta shot up from his seat in excitement. 'Michiya-sensei has just become the first male guest in dating show history to receive messages from all the female participants right at the start! This will definitely become a classic, iconic scene!'
'That's incredible!' The actress Suzuki Nana's small, rosy lips parted in disbelief, her face a mask of astonishment.
'Michiya-sensei... is certainly very charming.'
Screenwriter Honda Saori was also a fan of Love Letter, so she wasn't as emotional as the other female commentator. She simply jotted something down in her notes, a thoughtful glint in her eyes.
Takahashi Ryosuke and the adjacent Kitagawa Akira exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.
'Michiya-sensei is as popular as expected, getting three messages at once. Kitagawa-san, what do you think?'
'Of course I'm envious. I'd love to be that popular too.'
Kitagawa Akira, who had just turned thirty this year, had starred in many dramas and films and enjoyed considerable popularity and prestige, so he spoke with great poise.
While the commentators shared their thoughts, the real-time bullet comments exploded as well.
'This plot is more exciting than a novel!'
'Michiya-sensei is in trouble now. With three messages, how is he going to reply? Hahaha!'
'I like all three girls. I'm so jealous!'
Meanwhile, in an apartment somewhere in Tokyo, Natsukawa Yuki was frantically switching between the two fan groups.
In the main 'We Who Fiercely Love Yū-kun' group, she posted a sticker of Michiya Gōshin's surprised face after receiving the three messages, which was immediately drowned in a flood of 'hahahaha' from the other members.
'Yū-kun is so popular! Three messages!'
'I thought even one would be enough, but it turned out to be a huge haul!'
'Yuki! Make more stickers of Yū-kun's surprised face! I'm going to keep promoting!'
She replied with a smile, 'Coming right up,' and switched to the 'YūAka Ship Group' chat, where the discussion was just as intense.
'Of course Kurokawa-san would send one to Yū-kun. No surprises there.'
'Asakura-san and MEM-cho-san sent messages too, but they don't have the co-star bond from 49 with Yū-kun. Kurokawa-san still has the lead!'
'How will Yū-kun reply? I'm so excited!'
Natsukawa Yuki couldn't resist sending a sticker, then posted a screenshot of the studio commentators' analysis.
'One of the commentators just said that because Kurokawa-san and Yū-kun co-starred, they already have a high degree of intimacy. The YūAka ship is a sure thing!'
Replies of 'Exactly!' and 'Waiting for the next part!' immediately flooded the group. Some even offered to forward the screenshot to other platforms to attract more attention for YūAka.
Watching the lively activity in both groups, Natsukawa Yuki's heart was full of excitement.
Her mind was now filled with a sense of shared pride, thinking, 'The Yū-kun I love is so popular!'
--------------------
At a commercial shoot somewhere in Tokyo, Sakurajima Mai was sitting in front of a makeup mirror. While removing her makeup, she played the dating show on a tablet propped up beside her.
Although she wasn't filming any projects at the moment, she was still a very busy person. The girl had specifically carved out time to watch this episode.
On screen, Michiya Gōshin was staring at his phone, a little dazed. The contents of the three messages were displayed on the side of the screen.
'All three girls sent him one?'
When this scene appeared, Sakurajima Mai couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
She remembered teasing Michiya Gōshin over the phone, asking if he was enjoying being surrounded by girls. She hadn't expected it to come true so quickly.
'Are you really... not there for romance?'
On the screen were three girls, each with her own distinct charm: the cool and graceful actress, the lively and cute internet blogger, and the short-haired, 'transparent-type' beautiful idol.
'I hope you weren't lying to me.'
Sakurajima Mai let out a soft sigh. She hadn't seen Michiya Gōshin for a while, and the girl found a bizarre sense of loneliness creeping into her heart.
She had never been like this before.
--------------------
The sound of keyboard typing mingled with the background audio of the dating show.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had her hair loosely tied back, her left hand flying across her laptop keyboard. The screen showed a chapter draft for her new novel, while her right hand would occasionally glance at the tablet playing the dating show next to her.
On the screen was the blond young man, waiting for a message with a blank expression.
'With Michiya-sensei's popularity, he should receive at least one message, right?'
Her fingertips unconsciously slowed their typing as she looked up at the show on the screen.
A moment later, Michiya Gōshin on screen opened three consecutive messages, his calm expression turning to one of surprise.
'Three?'
Kasumigaoka Utaha wasn't surprised. Instead, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. She truly hadn't expected the show to create such an iconic scene in its very first episode.
When they had discussed writing, she had only found Michiya Gōshin's grasp of 'emotional details' to be astounding. She hadn't realized that in real life, he could make three female guests fall for him at the same time.
To her, this unexpected message storm not only made the dating show more interesting but also added a new layer of genuine, intriguing charm to the man who had once resonated with her on the subject of writing.
'Let's see just how you'll choose in the end, Michiya-sensei.'
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