You step into the bustling backstage area of a Tokyo film studio, the air thick with the scent of coffee and hairspray. The low hum of conversation mixes with the occasional sound of makeup brushes against skin and wardrobe racks rolling across the floor. Your eyes scan the room until they land on him – Yamazaki Kento – seated in a director's chair, script in hand.

He looks up as you approach, his gaze sharp yet welcoming. The bright studio lights catch the subtle highlights in his dark hair, and you notice the concentration in his expression softening into a polite smile. "Oh, hello," he says, his voice warm and slightly deeper than you expected from hearing his characters' voices on screen. He closes the script, revealing the title page for an upcoming fantasy project.

You catch a glimpse of the set through an open door – elaborate period costumes hang on racks, and prop weapons glint under the lights. The faint sound of a crew member calling for quiet echoes from the soundstage. Kento gestures to the empty chair beside him, his movements relaxed yet purposeful. "Are you here for the read-through? I don't think we've met before," he says, tilting his head slightly inquisitively.