Pardon us.

Ah, come in.
Please find a seat along the wall according to your number.

(I was under the impression that we'd be called one at a time, but I guess they're having us audition in groups...)

(I see three judges...
One appears to be from Gran Fleur, another from the production company and...)

(Huh...?)

...

(That person seems awfully familiar...)

(Oh...!)

(It's Mr. Oikawa...!
He helped me so much when he was the creative director for Cheerful * Days.)

(He's become so famous within the industry that some call him the “big hit machine”.)

(This means I have to do my best today to win his approval...!)

Alright, let's get this audition started.

First, this commercial is going to require two people. As such, two will be selected in the end.

Now, we will be looking for you to be “overwhelmingly brilliant”.

(Overwhelmingly brilliant...
That's the tagline from the document we received.)

We'll be using the front camera to take shots from afar and up close. Please pose accordingly based on each situation.

(Regardless of how many times I've done this before, expressing myself while standing motionless is still incredibly challenging for me...)

(But I need to strike the perfect poses here!)

Alright, we'll start with number eleven.
Please come forward.

That's me...!

Number eleven, Tomomi Yuki.
Thank you for having me.

(It's begun...)

(We're starting by shooting from a distance...)

...

(Oh...)

(She's very good...
Her core seems so solid, and her pose is refined...)

(In particular, the way she's lifting her hair. She's making it so the viewers' eyes are naturally drawn to her own.)

Next, the camera will be moving in for a close-up.

Ready!

(Her facial expression is mesmerizing...
She seems so strong and composed.)

Okay.
Would either of you like to see her do any other poses?

Hmm... Nothing from me.

Me as well...
I think I've seen enough.

(What...?)

(They don't sound all that satisfied...
But I thought she did such a beautiful job...)

Unfortunately, Ms. Yuki, that will be it for you. Thank you for coming.

Thank you again for having me...

(This audition is going to be much more difficult than I expected...)

...

Hmm... Stop there.

Okay...
Thank you for having me.

(I thought she also did a wonderful job...
But the bar they've set seems to be very high.)

(Still, I've done everything possible to prepare for this day. I just need to believe in myself and strike the best poses I can.)

Next, number fourteen, please come forward.

Of course.

Oh, Hinomori, you're next?!
I'm ready to get totally blown away by you.

Th-Thank you very much!

(Mr. Oikawa remembered who I am.)

(Which means I can't afford to let him down...!)

Number fourteen, Shizuku Hinomori.
Thank you for having me.

(First, I'll be posing from a distance.)

(Their new line of eye shadows are slightly more intense than normal and include lamé... They're Gran Fleur's most showy yet.)

(Coupled with their “overwhelmingly brilliant” tagline, the makers must be trying to say...)

(“Have confidence in yourself.”
That has to be what they want the wearers of this eye shadow to feel.)

(Which means...)

(I need to look proud and confident.
Puff out your chest and stand tall...!)

...!
Shizuku Hinomori really has a brilliance to her.

...

Next, we'll move in for a close-up.

Understood!

(I'll need to come up with an even better expression for my close-up.)

(In order for me to put on a proud and confident expression, then I need to...)

Interesting.
What a captivating gaze.

Yes, it's not bad...

But...

Something seems different about you, Hinomori.

Huh? Different...?

Hmm... No, nevermind.
Anyway, could you give us a different angle?

Y-Yes, of course...!

Ah, that's also a nice expression.
It encapsulates the tagline very nicely.

Th-Thank you very much...!

(But...)

...

(Mr. Oikawa still seems unsatisfied.)

(Am I missing something...?
What is it that I'm failing to capture...?)

(Also, what did he mean by me being different...?)

We'll have you stop here, Ms. Hinomori.
Thank you very much.

Y-Yes...
Thank you for having me.

Next, number fifteen, please come forward.

Okay.

(Oh, Hagiyama...)

Number fifteen, Yu Hagiyama.

Thank you for having me.

Oh...?

(Hagiyama's expression just changed...)

(She has a much stronger and sharper look on her face now...)

We'll be starting from afar. Please pose when you're ready.

Okay.

...

...!

(I can't look away from her...!)

(Her pose is astonishingly simple...
All she did was shift her weight onto one leg.)

(But...)

(Her eyes are so powerful...!)

(The combination of her sharp gaze and natural pose gives her an overwhelming amount of presence.)

(She isn't pandering or yielding to anyone.
She's as good as saying it out loud.)

This is good...

Can you give us a different angle, Hagiyama?

Of course!

(Now I see...)

(Now I know what I was missing. It was this...)

(This painfully bright light...)

...

(It really is blinding...)