Episode 198: '#NeneSecretMeetingPhotoExhibition' — An AV Actress Interviews Kyoto University Students for Part-Time Jobs (Part 2)

Why have Kyoto university students work part-time?

September 14, 2025, 10:00 AM. Day 1 of the '#NeneSecretMeetingPhotoExhibition' part-time job interviews. As I wrote in the previous episode, the location is Kaiho-ji Temple in Kyoto, the venue for the photo exhibition. The head priest, Mr. Araki, kindly provided the space.

The first interviewee.
A fourth-year female student from a certain university in Kyoto. I could feel her nervousness. It was a strange feeling. Ten years ago, I was on her side of the table. To think that I would become an AV actress and end up interviewing students. I hadn't predicted that even in the slightest.
Still, I'm happy that the first person to interview for an AV actress Nene Yoshitaka's photo exhibition job was a woman. Honestly, I thought only male students would apply. I even anticipated the possibility of zero applicants. But when we opened the lid, there were over 200 applicants. The proportion of female applicants was 40%.
The future is bright.
I felt that somehow. No, it's not that things were dark before, but I felt they were going to get even brighter. That's what I felt.
"Why did you apply for this part-time job?"
The president of Eightman, sitting next to me, asked.
"I'm interested in shrines and temples. I'd never heard of a photo exhibition at a temple, so I was curious about what it would be like and applied."
Head Priest Araki of Kaiho-ji, thank you so much for letting us hold this unprecedented photo exhibition.

After the first interview ended and I was taking a breather, the president said,
"You handle the rest of the interviews. I have various meetings for the photo exhibition. I'll listen to the flow of the interview conversations while I do other things."
I was shocked. To think that after becoming an AV actress, I would end up interviewing university students alone. I hadn't predicted that even in the slightest.

The second person was a male student. On his resume questionnaire, he wrote '34 years old, graduate student.' But he looked like he was in his 20s no matter how you looked at him.
"What are you researching in graduate school?"
When I asked, he looked puzzled.
"I'm still a third-year undergraduate student."
Oh boy. Trouble right away.
It seems that when I was compiling his resume, I had copy-pasted someone else's academic background.
"Things like that happen often. I'm just not lucky."
He said weakly. Please don't say such sad things. This is completely my mistake. I'm sorry.
At the end of the interview, he asked a good question: 'Why are you recruiting university students for part-time jobs?' I'm sure the readers were wondering about that too.

January 2025, when we were still considering whether or not to hold the '#NeneSecretMeetingPhotoExhibition'. The president of Eightman had an opportunity to talk with Gentosha editor Kosuke Minowa, and asked him, 'How can we make the Kyoto photo exhibition exciting?' Minowa-san said this:
"It would be good to involve cultural figures."
Speaking of Kyoto, it's a city of culture. His suggestion was that because the venue is a temple in Kyoto, it has a high affinity with cultural figures. From there, the conversation expanded in various ways.
"Should we have Naoki Hyakuta come here too?"
"Seiji Chihara, who came to the 'Naked Swan Exhibition' in May, is a monk, so wouldn't he be good?"
"How about Professor Yamanaka from Kyoto University?"
"Then, how about Obokata-san from the STAP cell incident?"
"Eh, in that case, I'd prefer someone like DJ Soda (Jiji Kasai's remark)."
Ultimately, we landed on the conclusion: 'Speaking of Kyoto, it's a city of students. That's it, let's call in university students!'

The student who said, 'I'm not lucky.' You have luck just by coming up with a good question. Thank you.

Let's have a judoka be a bodyguard

The third interviewee, a fourth-year law student, a large male student. It seems he is in the judo club at university. He has that quiet feeling typical of a judo club member. But his eyes are round and a little cute.
"Being a fourth-year student, has your employment already been decided?"
His face, which had been expressionless, wavered with emotion.
"I was supposed to get a job, but I ended up repeating a year."
He smiled bashfully, but also a little anxiously. I must have been looking at him with a smile.
It's okay, you don't have to rush to get a job. Even if you job hunt desperately and join a company with great enthusiasm, you might end up becoming an AV actress.

After he left, the president, who was having a meeting about venue setup, and Furumura-san from 'tokyoarts gallery Co., Ltd.', who is in charge of venue operations, returned from the Kaiho-ji garden.
"Wouldn't that kid be good as Nene Yoshitaka's bodyguard?"
The president said.
The student might be shy around Nene Yoshitaka, but he's the right person for the job.
"He even bowed when he left the temple," Furumura-san said.
To have a great personality, be good at both studies and sports, and yet have the playfulness to repeat a year... He's a tricky person who tickles maternal instincts.

The fourth person. A second-year male graduate student in the law department. Reading his resume questionnaire, there was something that caught my attention. His answer to the question, 'What is the most moving thing you have ever experienced?' was this:
"When I read Natsume Soseki's 'Kokoro'."
What did a man in his early 20s find moving about 'Kokoro'? I wonder if the humanities brain is indeed more sensitive. By the way, I don't remember the content of 'Kokoro' at all. I don't even remember if I read it or not.
"What part of 'Kokoro' did you find moving?"
I asked him, as he cast a gaze from behind his glasses like he was looking at an exam paper. He wants to be a lawyer in the future.
"The latter half of that book is a suicide note from 'Sensei' to 'Watakushi' (I), and I was surprised because I was in a similar situation."
When he was in junior high school, his Japanese teacher introduced him to 'Kokoro'. However, the teacher died when he became a university student. He happened to re-read 'Kokoro'. He felt that 'Kokoro' itself was a suicide note from his Japanese teacher, and it gave him the chills.
"Your heart was shaken. Just like 'Kokoro' (Heart)."
The pupils behind his glasses didn't move a muscle. I could feel him searching for the optimal answer at high speed. While looking at those eyes, I sincerely regretted why I had added such a boring remark. Just like 'Kokoro'.
"That's right."
After a short pause, he lightly brushed aside the smooth bangs on his forehead and gave a soft smile. Surely this young man will become a lawyer with a heart who abandons no one. Just like 'Kokoro'.

I want to be an African researcher, but I'm worried if I can make a living doing that

The last male student to come for an interview was a second-year graduate student. He won a robot contest in high school and is now researching the history of Ghana, Africa, in a laboratory. Just from this information, I can imagine that he is a person who can pursue what he 'likes'.
"I went to Ghana just two weeks ago!"
He says with sparkling eyes.
"That's why I have no money, and I applied for this part-time job!"
That honesty is even more dazzling.
"What was the trigger for researching Ghana?"
I asked. He had an opportunity to research one African country for an independent study project in high school, and since then he started researching Ghana. Is there a high school that does such independent study projects? I'm surprised by that. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't even study Japanese history in high school. Since I was in the science track, it wasn't a required subject, and it wasn't needed for the center exam. That's just an excuse, though.
"In the future, I want to be an African researcher. But if I want to make a living from that, I have to become a professor. However, there are few places to teach about Africa, so it's difficult to become a professor..."
His eyes, which had been sparkling until a moment ago, clouded over a little. The common sense of future status and making a living casts a shadow of anxiety on his feet as he tries to forge ahead with his dream. I understand this state of mind well.
He must be serious and has worked hard at his studies. Such people find it hard to be foolish. Reason, hardened by common sense, acts as a brake, and they cannot break through their own limits. Even though they know that the one who becomes a fool wins. My enemy is myself. My rival is not a serious and smart honor student, but a wild and foolish problem child. But even though I know all that, I am frustrated with myself for not being able to break through the wall.
I might have projected myself onto him a little too much.
However, talking to him, I thought he was someone who could break through himself. He might still be anxious about the future right now. But at the point where he can clearly state his dream, 'I want to be an African researcher,' I feel he is steadily moving forward. And surely he is a person who can keep from losing sight of what he 'likes'. He looked very happy and shone when he talked about robots and Africa.
In the future, I want him to publish a paper like 'The origin of robots is Africa ~ Ghanaians were taught by space' and win the Nobel Prize. No, I want him to create a new award that surpasses that by himself.

The first day of interviews ended at 8:00 PM.
University students are Japan's treasure.
I felt it firsthand.