Chapter 840

At the same time, Namita Erika was simultaneously embracing Asuka and Nanase.

"Ohoohoohoo, you can even left-and-right hug like this, how exaggerated!"

"Ohegougou, you can even see a shuraba like this, how exaggerated!"

Namita Uncle laughed like a pervert, making both Asuka and Nanase on either side feel uncomfortable.

Asuka had been recording with her phone, the camera aimed at Minami and Mai's direction, and she added a narration: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the scene of the Metropolitan Police Department Special Mission Division victory banquet, now it's 'Round One', Section Chief Uesugi versus Section Leader Shirakawa. Section Chief Uesugi temporarily occupies the defensive advantage with seated advantage and low-heel advantage, while Section Leader Shirakawa occupies the offensive advantage with height advantage and heel advantage. Both sides have ample stamina, and it looks like they won't be decided in a short time..."

Asuka is the only girl who can get along with both the Ooku Mai faction and the Ooku Minami faction, she's awesome now, base attack power +125%.

Namita Erika saw that the tense string between Minami and Mai was finally loosened by "song request", she loudly said: "I'm going to sing! Who's coming with me?" Then she grabbed Nanase with one hand and Asuka with the other, walking toward the karaoke screen.

"Come on, come on, Nanase-chan, Asuka-chan, come request a song!" Her voice was so loud the whole room shook.

Yamada Nanase was pulled forward by her, her steps suddenly quickened by a few steps, almost stepping on her own skirt hem. Saito Asuka was embraced on the other side, muttering "Erika-senpai, be gentle", but her mouth corner had an uncontrollable smile.

Asuka first requested a song "The Meaning of Goodbye", then requested another song "Riichi-chuu" and "Hair Dryer", the girl's singing level isn't professional, but she has a very childlike voice and charm.

Everyone clapped desperately, even idol-born Moriya Akane couldn't help but sigh, saying Asuka's level and looks could be a next-generation ACE in their group.

The future is yours!

After singing, everyone clapped, Yamada Nanase looked enviously at Asuka who dared to show herself.

How nice, Asuka-chan, so radiant, so brave...

Someone like her is truly upright... someone like me, a widow of ill omen, only deserves to be in the back row... only deserves to be bait... only deserves to sit in the corner as an emotionless liker and resonance machine.

Yamada Nanase felt a bit inferior, a bit envious, and cutely let herself hide a bit further.

Next up was Namita Erika, the girl went up and requested a Finnish folk song "Sweeping Green Onion Song", she not only sang, but also danced!

How nice, Erika-chan, you can play piano and even studied abroad...

Yamada Nanase kept clapping: "Good."

"What good is good? Nana-chan!! You're good good good again!" Asuka rudely interrupted Yamada Nanase's official-style praise.

"Huh?" Yamada Nanase was startled, immediately shrinking her head like a pigeon, weakly looking at Asuka.

"What kind of little cookie are you?" Asuka very domineeringly squatted down, hands braced on her knees, face lifted looking at Yamada Nanase's eyes, like a proud little bird waiting for humans to pet it but it absolutely won't admit it's waiting.

"Hey, Nana-chan!"

Yamada Nanase felt uncomfortable being looked at, unconsciously stepped back one step, her back hit the sofa armrest.

"You're gonna hide again?" Saito Asuka's tone was relentless, but her mouth corner had a slight upward arc with a smile: "Are you a corner creature? Every gathering you dive into the corner, do you think you don't deserve to sit in the middle?"

Yamada Nanase shook her head, voice as small as a mosquito: "No... I just..."

"Want to be a little cookie?" Asuka poked her bird head over, saying coquettishly.

Little cookie means little resonance, and the essence of resonance is "I also have the same feeling", little resonance emphasizes weak, unnoticeable going-with-the-flow agreement, very fitting for Yamada Nanase's thought.

Saito Asuka stood up, hands on hips, looking down at her like a fur-fried little cat, "Just think you're not good enough? Just think you sitting here is already great luck? Just think no one wants to hear you speak so you might as well not speak?" Yamada Nanase's eye sockets reddened.

Saito Asuka sighed, squatted down, grabbed Yamada Nanase's hands, fingers interlocking in her finger gaps.

"Yamada Nanase, listen well. You lived alone in that house for over ten days, being bait for a group of serial killers. You opened the door, let that woman into the genkan, you stood there talking to her, your hands were trembling but you didn't retreat a single step. You did what no one else in this house could do. You. Yamada Nanase."

Saito Asuka stared into her eyes, word by word: "So stop hiding in the corner. Stand up, go request a song, sing well or not doesn't matter, what matters is making everyone see you."

"Stand up, Nana-chan! justdoit!" Little bird waved her tiny fists.

This is how I got Sōsetsu!

Believe me, fang!

The sweet bird of old is gone, since being with Uesugi and feeling my position stabilized, now there's only the dark bird! No more pretending!

No pretending to be a little cookie!

Yamada Nanase's eye sockets reddened, she bit her lip, desperately holding back the two tears already welling at her eye corners. She stood from the sofa, gripped her skirt hem, walked a few steps toward the karaoke screen, then stopped, turned back to look at Saito Asuka.

"Yes, just like that!" Saito Asuka raised her thumb at her, eyes smiling into two crescents, "Go conquer the world! Take down Shirakawa Mai! Take down Uesugi Minami! Take down Ikeda Erena! You are the new queen!"

Yamada Nanase was made to laugh "puchi" by her words, tears squeezed out in her laughter, sliding down her cheeks. She randomly wiped her face with the back of her hand, took a deep breath, picked up the microphone, stood before the screen, and requested a song "Want to Detour Home". She sang poorly, pitch wavered, breath broke off, high notes wouldn't go up, low notes wouldn't go down.

But her voice had something that wasn't skill, it was truth. An unadorned, undefended warmth welling straight from the heart, that warmth pierced through pitch deviation and breath insufficiency, hitting some corner of everyone in the room.

Widowed, isolated, dare not speak, dare not show up, wanting to be a transparent person, not knowing what the future holds.

But even such me, such a coward, also wants to take the first step toward a new world.

Really possible?

Yamada Nanase doesn't know, but she's trying, at least willing to come out as bait and want better treatment.

She really tried hard.

When she sang the last line, her voice lowered, almost inaudible.

Music ended, she opened her eyes, found the room silent for a moment, then applause surged from all directions.

Saito Asuka's applause was the loudest, she clapped hard until her palms turned red.

Ikeda Erena leaned against the wall, arms crossed, not clapping, but her mouth corner had a "not bad" arc.

Namita Erika stood beside the screen, holding another microphone, smiling at Nanase, her eyes shining.

Shirakawa Mai turned her head to glance at Yamada Nanase, her gaze held no encouragement, no appreciation, not even any extra emotion, just a glance.

Mai senpai could feel Nanase's emotion, this song had no skill, all feeling.

She suddenly felt if she debuted as an idol with Nanase, maybe they could form a double ACE Shirohaku!

Uesugi Sōsetsu couldn't help but clap.

She made this room warmer, and completely broke the dragon-tiger struggle between Minami ojō-sama and Mai senpai.

Nana-chan, I represent the ancestors of our Yonezawa Uesugi family thank you, fang!

During the continued investigation of the serial murder case, in mid-November, the relaxation of "Hand of God" had already reached halfway through season two. The final episode of season one, Fuji Seal Building Night, viewership reached 41%, among which a blurred segment featuring Hironaka Mariko's personal appearance, a half-true half-false paranormal legend, instantly boosted viewership to 48%.

President Kameyama fulfilled his promise, he personally went naked swimming in a rooftop swimming pool that all German netizens are very familiar with, to celebrate.

Other TV stations scolded Kameyama old dog face, no longer caring.

However, in their hearts, other TV staff were mentally cursing, saying, "Not to mention 48%, even reaching 28%—our president can not only swim naked, but also eat shit! He can even stuff a cactus up his asshole!"

You should know that the highest viewership rating for other TV dramas this year was only 19%!

However, when 《Hand of God》 aired its second season, a problem arose.

That is, Uesugi Muneyuki, because he had to solve cases, didn't have so much time to film, so the filming of 《Hand of God》's two seasons was cut from the originally planned 22 episodes down to 18 episodes. Thus, Kameyama President came up with things like 《Compilation Edition》, 《Highlight Reel》, 《Information Edition》, and 《Two Episodes Combined into One Super Big SP》—mixing runtime, and was cursed half to death by the outside world.

The second season kicked off with a 31% viewership rating, clearly inferior to the first season.

However, cutting episodes also has its benefits: the content is obviously tighter, the plot more exciting and full of twists and turns, and it can better focus on the moments when Uesugi Muneyuki appears.

By the time it reached halfway, the viewership rating had already stabilized again above 40%.

"Take all my money, immediately film the third season, immediately film the third season tooth sound!!!" This is the reaction of Japanese netizens. And Korea's BC Television has already come to discuss acquisition; they are willing to pour in huge funds, but demand full Koreanization—for example, Shirakawa Mai in the drama must be renamed Baek Seon-eui, Uesugi Muneyuki must be renamed Kim Jeong-seol, Miyawaki Sakura must be renamed Han Chae-sakura, all Japanese text in scenes must be completely replaced with Korean, and outdoor scenes must also be changed to Seoul and the Korean National Police Agency, including every Japanese scene needing to be cut out and replaced with Korean via Photoshop. Both sides are still negotiating.

Today, Soundstage Four is filming a major scene from the tenth episode, the grand finale of the second season.

Shirakawa Mai, playing the female police chief, confronts the serial killer Saijo Yasue in an abandoned warehouse, while Uesugi Muneyuki, playing the forensic pathologist, waits outside for the identification results, providing her with key physical evidence information through the earpiece.

After the director shouted "Cut!", Shirakawa Mai walked out of the warehouse set, her black high heels striking the concrete floor with a crisp sound. The dark blue female police uniform she wore in the drama had not yet been taken off—one meticulously tailored suit jacket, a tight narrow skirt just reaching above the knees, beneath which was a pair of straight calves wrapped in ultra-thin black silk, and on her feet, a pair of black pointed-toe slim-heel high heels, with heels at least six centimeters high—not police equipment, but the audience doesn't care, because viewership ratings say it all.

"Senior, can you come over for a moment?" Uesugi Muneyuki arrived late today; at this moment, he happened to be resting on the set.

His voice was not loud, but everyone in the soundstage perked up their ears.

On the filming set of 《Hand of God》, any conversation between Shirakawa Mai and Uesugi Muneyuki could become tomorrow's entertainment headline. "What's the matter?" Mai Xuejie placed her fashion magazine beside the chair and stood up.

Uesugi Muneyuki tilted his head and gave Mai Xuejie a look.

Want some? Mai Xuejie smiled warmly.

I want to ask you something!

Okay, come on, let the storm rain down on my chest! Chest!

He and she walked together toward the private restroom deep inside the soundstage.

The restroom wasn't large—a sofa, a coffee table, a makeup mirror with lighting, a clothes rack, on which hung Shirakawa Mai's next outfit to change into for the outdoor investigation.

"I have a question for you." His voice was lower than usual, low enough that only the two of them could hear.

Shirakawa Mai leaned against the edge of the makeup table, arms crossed over her chest.

Mai Xuejie had already taken off the police uniform jacket from the drama, wearing only that white shirt and tight dark blue narrow skirt, the top two buttons of the shirt undone, revealing her collarbone and a small patch of fair chest, her pair of long, tender white silk-stockinged legs glowing with delicate luster under the light, the texture of the black silk appearing especially soft under the soundstage's warm yellow lighting, one silk-stockinged delicate foot lightly lifted, the ultra-thin sheer black silk wrapping and the toe painted with purple nail polish teasing the shoe tip, black slim-heel high heels, the shoe surface bearing a thin metal chain decoration, the chain flashing under the light.

She looked at him, the corner of her mouth bearing a smile that said, "I knew you'd eventually ask."

"Regarding Yusuke Godai and Shouichi Tsugawa in our Special Mission Division." Uesugi Muneyuki spoke those two names: "Those two guys can transform!" Mai Xuejie's smile didn't change, but she tilted her head slightly—so slight that if Uesugi Muneyuki's eyes weren't better than most people's, he wouldn't have noticed.

"Uh-huh?" she said, her tone light as if commenting on something trivial: "So?"

Uesugi Muneyuki's eyelid twitched once.

"You know?"

"Yeah, I told you? GENERATI0N-3 Project." Mai Xuejie said this term, her tone flat as if delivering a weather report: "A special project within the Public Security Police. Not just Godai and Tsugawa, but others too."

Uesugi Muneyuki looked at her, silent for two seconds.

"You never told me! You just said a term!"

"You didn't ask." Mai Xuejie blinked, that blink so slow each stage was clearly visible—upper eyelid lowering, upper and lower eyelids meeting, then opening again—three frames, each frame carrying a kind of innocent, righteous, infuriatingly beautiful quality. Uesugi Muneyuki took a deep, forceful breath.

That wasn't an ordinary deep breath—it was squeezed from the deepest part of the chest cavity, carrying anger, helplessness, and the complex emotion of "How did I end up with this senior?"

Afterward, he completely exploded.

"Hmm~hmm~hmm~ah ah ah!"

The room echoed with beast-like howls, even audible outside on the set.

Holy shit, this intense?!