The Audition

The Audition is the fourth chapter of Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE.

Story
Maiko informs Tsubasa that she has been cast as the titular character of the upcoming television series "Sneeze Detective Maho", about an ace detective who changes personality every time she sneezes. The show is being directed by Director Kuen Tarachino and will also star Eleonora and Yashiro, with Itsuki being assigned to a background role. When they arrive at Daiba Studio for recording, however, Tsubasa's amateur acting skills irritate Kuen, who forces her to stay afterwards to instruct her on how to act.

As Itsuki and Eleonora are practicing their lines at Uzume Lesson Studio, Tsubasa contacts them and reveals that the studio has been attacked by Mirages, with Kuen being possessed. The party heads into Illusory Studio, where they quickly run into Kuen, who forces Tsubasa to continue training despite the circumstances. After contending with a group of Biomonsters he summons, the party chases him down to another room. There, he reveals that he has kidnapped Ayaha to use as a hostage for a negotiation scene. Eleonora, however, declares that Tsubasa can't properly perform this scene yet, and they head to Fortuna Entertainment to find something that can help.

Back at the office, Tsubasa finds a picture of herself and Ayaha from before the Mass Disappearance, and she reflects on how much her sister meant to her. Eleonora explains that she needs to be able to understand the motivations of the characters on the show, as the one holding the hostage had lost his family and was seeking revenge. This helps Tsubasa with her acting, and she is able to impress Kuen with her role as Maho. However, he then reveals that "Ayaha" was actually a Mirage, forcing the party to defeat the List of Enemy Mirages in Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE before giving chase once more.

Finally, Kuen has Tsubasa perform one last scene: a kiss between Maho and her lover, who ends up being portrayed by Itsuki. They manage to pull it off (though Kuen stops them from actually kissing), and Kuen is finally satisfied. However, he suddenly decides to include an additional scene where Maho confronts the true mastermind of the show's events, portrayed by Yashiro. Suddenly, the Mirage possessing Kuen begins speaking through him, wanting Tsubasa's Performa. Refusing to allow this, Kuen rejects the Mirage, revealed to be Excellus, allowing Itsuki and Chrom to separate them. Excellus teams up with Yashiro to defeat the heroes, but ultimately fails.

Afterwards, Yashiro reveals that he fought Itsuki to test their strength, before leaving. Back in the real world, Kuen's memories are foggy from his possession, though he seems to remember training Tsubasa, and expects her to do better. A few weeks later, the show's preview is aired to positive reviews. Yashiro arrives at the office, revealing that he has signed up to Fortuna Entertainment, having been impressed by Itsuki's improved strength.