Tokyo Bubble Life

Chapters 1575 and 1584: Is Naoki-san going to eat me?!

The entire month of January revolved around Tokyo's passing, but February finally brought a renewed vitality to the city.

Residents' lives are gradually returning to normal, shopping malls and shops in commercial areas have started promotions, and entertainment venues have all reopened.

However, what was most surprising was that Japan's economic situation gave a different response at this time, with the Nikkei index breaking through 30000 points!

Stock market investors jokingly say, "This is the good fortune the new emperor has brought to Japan!"

I just don't know how long this good luck will last~

After spending many days in seclusion at Yamazakura-in, Naoki Nagayama finally arrived at the Tree Friends Building.

"Naoki-san~" "Good morning, Naoki-san!" "."

The greetings were still warm and welcoming. The receptionists, Hoshino and Suzuki Kouka, seemed particularly happy to see Nagayama Naoki after so long.

"Naoki-san has finally arrived! We all thought Naoki-san had forgotten about Kiyomi!"

"I will never forget Hoshino-chan and Yukika-chan!"

Naoki Nagayama waved his hand, smiled, said something, and then asked,

"Is Otomo-san here?"

"Hi, Otomo-san, I've been in the office the whole time."

"Hmm~"

Upon arriving at his office on the top floor, Yoshimura Otomo sighed helplessly:

"Naoki-san, you can't just leave the company to me all by yourself! Now that Shuichi-san is gone too, I can't manage on my own!"

"Ha~ Just drink less wine and women!"

Naoki Nagayama smiled and sat down on the sofa, expertly taking out his friend's treasured tea leaves and beginning to brew tea.

"Besides, aren't there still young men like Lord Zhengxiao and Lord Masamin who are already capable of handling things on their own? Let's give them some authority!"

"Such fine cattle and horses should be squeezed dry!"

"Exploiting employees"

Upon hearing this, Yoshimura Otomo shook his head, got up, and went to the sofa.

"Sometimes I don't know whether you're an evil capitalist or an enlightened boss, Naoki-san."

"Haha, it actually depends on whether you give the cattle and horses enough fodder after you've squeezed them dry!"

Naoki Nagayama spoke casually, but he understood perfectly well that as long as you give enough, working people won't see it as exploitation; it's about building a career!

Those bosses who expect oxen and horses to run but don't feed them are the real heartless ones.

Moreover, Masataka Komori and Masatoshi Inada are already middle managers. Giving them more authority and resources is what they truly want. To them, a boss who clings to power and refuses to let go is the real oppressor.

"Otomo-san, you're not young anymore. Just focus on the core tasks. Delegate the rest to the next generation!"

"They're still too young."

Yoshimura Otomo shook his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

After all, he came from the bottom with nothing, so he didn't have much core competitiveness. It's normal for him to be wary of the younger generation who could replace him.

Seeing this, Naoki Nagayama didn't try to persuade him further. After all, there were plenty of people in Japan who could still control their companies even in their eighties or nineties. Besides, he had Naoki's overall direction in mind.

After drinking a few sips of tea and chatting about trivial matters, Fangcun's friend asked curiously:

"Naoki-san came out of Yamazakura-in today because of Fukuyama Masaharu's song, right?"

"almost"

Naoki Nagayama nodded. He insisted on personally handling the recording of his own songs—a habit he'd maintained for many years. He didn't want his most famous songs to lose their original flavor due to others' work.

Besides visiting the company, my main purpose in coming here was to record the song.

The recording studio mastermind is about to make a comeback!

"And there's one more thing!"

Naoki Nagayama continued,

"We need to strengthen security for tree enthusiasts; it would be best to establish a security company. I expect things to get quite chaotic in Japan in the next couple of years."

"It's chaotic? Should we build a security company?"

Yoshimura Otomo was speechless.

"Naoki-san, last year you said you wanted to build a special effects company, then at the end of the year you wanted to build a website company, and now you want to build a security company. Aren't you running too many companies?!"

"Haha, that seems true~"

Naoki Nagayama was somewhat embarrassed by his sudden inspiration, but he still spoke up.

"However, security is indeed a concern. Otomo-san, haven't you heard? Someone has launched a terrorist attack on the Prime Minister's official residence!"

".Forehead."

He had naturally heard about it, and Itō Shuichi was also full of surprise when he told the story.

However, Yoshimura Otomo never felt that this had anything to do with their need to strengthen security. They weren't a political group!

"We're just an entertainment company, we shouldn't encounter this kind of situation!"

That's not necessarily true.

In previous years, Sumitomo Realty and Sumitomo Bank were attacked by extremist groups. Naoki Nagayama dared not gamble on whether those groups would go mad, knowing that Sumitomo is now a major financial backer of the ruling party!

Why are Japanese chaebols so low-key? Because Japanese people are really prone to extremism. If they were too high-profile, someone might actually try to assassinate them!

"I predict that by this year or next, the consequences of the bubble bursting will become fully apparent, and social conflicts will be even more severe than they are now."

"In short, the company has strengthened its security team. Mr. Otomo, your private residence also needs to be kept confidential."

Seeing Naoki Nagayama's earnest blessing, Ohtomo Yoshimura nodded:

"Okay, I'll make sure to arrange things better."

"Um"

Naoki Nagayama nodded, then sighed.

"Actually, if it weren't for all the things happening in Japan, I would have even considered going abroad for a while in the last two years."

He knew that in the year or two following the bursting of the bubble, the social atmosphere in Japan was far from good.

"Naoki-san isn't that exaggerated, is he?"

"Ha, just kidding, just kidding."

In the end, Naoki Nagayama shook his head and rejected the idea. At such a crucial juncture, if he were not there, the interests of his friends might not be protected.

Yoshimura Daitomo quickly took a sip of hot tea to calm his nerves, then thought of something:

"By the way, Naoki-san, after Mitsuko Miyazawa was arrested, the prosecution process has already begun!"

"Is the interrogation over?"

Naoki Nagayama asked,

"How are the others involved?"

"Yamato Kishimoto of Sony and the president of another agency have been released."

Yoshimura Daitomo shook his head.

"There was absolutely no evidence against Miyazawa Mitsuko. The two people denied it outright, and they had good lawyers, so there was no good way to deal with them. In the end, the group crime was not established, and Miyazawa Mitsuko alone could be the defendant."

“Our legal director inquired and found out that if we go through the legal process, he would probably be sentenced to about 3 years in prison.”

Naoki Nagayama wasn't too surprised by the result.

Neither Yamato Kishimoto nor another president of Sony are fools; they wouldn't leave any evidence behind. However, people in the industry now know the truth: being taken away in public is certainly a very undignified thing.

The two will likely disappear from the industry for quite some time.

"Three years it is then. Hopefully, Mitsuko Miyazawa can turn over a new leaf."

Naoki Nagayama accepted the result, then, as if remembering something, asked,

"How did Rie Miyazawa react to this?"

"I heard from Masamin that Rie-chan was very sad. But I guess we can only accept it."

Yoshimura Hirotomo's eyes sharpened.

"Naoki-san, should we put Rie-chan on hiatus from now on?"

"Ha, never mind. I'm not at the point where I can't tolerate an underage artist."

Naoki Nagayama laughed.

"That child is quite pitiful. As long as he doesn't continue to cause trouble, let's just treat him with a normal attitude!"

"Hmm~"

What is she doing now?

"They must be filming a TV series."

Filming for "I'm Sorry, I Love You" has finally resumed at the filming location in Daejeon-gu after a year!

"Everyone~"

Director Tomonoyuki Nishimoto gathered the cast and crew members, clapping his hands in front of them to attract their attention.

"Due to the Lunar New Year holiday and the restrictions imposed following the Emperor's passing, our filming was delayed by more than a week."

"However, starting today, we'll be back in filming mode!"

"I hope everyone can cheer up!!"

Hi! XN

The crew members responded in unison, busily preparing for the next scene's filming.

The director gathered the lead actors together and began explaining what they would be filming that day.

"The filming of the drama 'Sorry, I Love You' is already more than halfway complete."

Nishimoto Tomoyuki addressed the lead actors,

"Although the release will be delayed due to self-restraint, the previously filmed works have already been reviewed by the television station and there are no problems!"

"We'll now begin filming the second half of the story. There will be more and more sad scenes, so everyone be prepared to film crying scenes."

"Especially Rie-chan."

At this point, Nishimoto Tomonyuki looked at Miyazawa Rie; the crying scene was focused on the female lead.

"Are you alright?"

"Hi"

Rie Miyazawa nodded obediently.

She had been troubled and sleepless lately because of her mother's situation, and looked rather haggard. But this state, combined with Rie Miyazawa's delicate features, surprisingly evoked a sense of pity and vulnerability.

This perfectly matches the state of mind of the female lead in "Sorry, I Love You"!

Nishimoto Tomoyuki couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Sure enough, some people are just born to be fed by God!"

"Okay~ But crying scenes shouldn't be overdone, otherwise it will affect the actor's performance!"

After calming Miyazawa Rie down a bit, Nishimoto Tomoyuki looked at Takenouchi Yutaka and Kimura Takuya.

"You need to rehearse more, and try to get it right in one take when you're on camera, okay?"

"Hi!" X2

The two male characters nodded naturally.

The director announced the end of the filming, and the actors went to prepare. At that moment, Takenouchi Yutaka secretly approached Nishimoto Tomoyuki:

"Director, what's the situation with what happened before?"

Yutaka Takenouchi, having uncovered Fukuyama Masaharu's secrets along the way, was naturally even more concerned.

"Oh? Haven't you heard?"

Nishimoto Hanyuki unexpectedly said,

"This kind of news should spread very quickly in the entertainment industry, right?"

"I heard that Yamato Kishimoto of Sony was arrested, and Hirokichi Osato, the president of Amuse, is also in a bad situation."

"Yes, they were both taken in by the police to assist with the investigation!"

Nishimoto Tomoyuki did not hide this from her.

"They are the ones who are trying to smear Naoki-san behind the scenes, creating a media storm to poach his fans!"

"The main culprit, Mitsuko Miyazawa, has been arrested, but there's no evidence against the other two! So they've been released!"

"That"

Takenouchi Yutaka looked back to make sure Miyazawa Rie wasn't there before asking.

"Rie-chan, she..."

"It has nothing to do with Rie-chan!"

Nishimoto Banyuki quickly interrupted his train of thought.

"It's purely because her biological mother is greedy; they've been estranged for a long time."

"Oh, I see. I understand now."

Takenouchi Yutaka nodded silently; his mother had learned another new word in biology!

"Okay, just focus on filming! Don't overthink it~"

"Hi!"

Shin-Okachicho, the new sound studio under the umbrella of Shuyu.

When Masaharu Fukuyama arrived, he was slightly nervous because he knew that Naoki Nagayama would be there to help him record a record today!

Although it wasn't his first time entering a recording studio with Naoki Nagayama, he still felt a deep sense of awe towards him.

"Onodera-san."

Masaharu Fukuyama greeted the person in charge of the recording studio.

"Naoki-san hasn't arrived yet, has he?"

"no!"

Onodera Kokoro answered from the lobby, then looked at Fukuyama Masaharu.

"Ah, Fukuyama-kun is all alone today!"

"Hi"

"Hahaha, then Mr. Fukuyama, you'd better watch out!"

Onodera smiled crookedly,

"Last time you came with Akina-san and Izumi-chan, so you didn't get to see the full extent of Naoki-san's 'Recording Studio Demon King'"

"This time, it's different!"

"Gurgle."

Masaharu Fukuyama swallowed hard, forcing a smile.

"Hahaha, how different could it be? Naoki-san, are you going to eat me?"

"Hmm~~ Maybe~"

I don't know when it started, but Onodera Kokoro began to really enjoy promoting Naoki Nagayama's story to the singers who came to record the show. It's like she's creating an urban legend!

Seeing the singers' surprised and flustered expressions gives him a great sense of satisfaction.

Just as the two were talking, Naoki Nagayama's Rolls-Royce arrived.

"Naoki-san!" x2

"Ah, Onodera-kun"

Naoki Nagayama greeted him with a smile.

"Fukuyama-kun has arrived too. Have you been waiting long?"

"No, no, I only arrived recently..."

Perhaps because of what Onodera Kokoro had just said, Fukuyama Masaharu tensed up completely.

"Okay, let's not waste any more time, let's go to the recording studio!"

"Hi!"

With all men present, the work speed increased significantly.

Upon arriving at the recording studio, Masaharu Fukuyama immediately began warming up, singing "Koi Fuka ni Nosete" (Love-Fūja ni Nosete) to the rhythm of the background music.

Since this song was something he had recalled a long time ago, Naoki Nagayama couldn't help but think of the memories associated with it.

He's a very young rock singer who sings with a carefree and spontaneous style, giving off a very romantic, almost dreamy vibe.

Unlike Masaharu Fukuyama in front of me, who looks like a good boy.

Even during warm-up, the rhythm of his singing was fine, but he just didn't have that bad boy-in-love feeling.

After the song ended, before Masaharu Fukuyama could even begin recording, he heard Naoki Nagayama's voice:

"Fukuyama-kun! You can't do this!!"

"!!"

Upon hearing this, Masaharu Fukuyama's heart skipped a beat!

What?! Naoki-san rejected me from the very beginning?!

In an instant, a flood of thoughts rushed through Masaharu Fukuyama's mind. He was completely stunned!

Onodera Kokoro's eyes lit up, and she immediately became excited:

"Here it comes! Naoki the Great Demon King has begun!!"

Naoki Nagayama, without overthinking things, continued:

"Fukuyama-kun, have you ever had a cold?"

"what!"

Fukuyama Masaharu nodded,

"Of course I've had a cold."

Naoki Nagayama crossed his arms:

"That feeling of mental fog, unsteady gait, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and loss of control is supposedly similar to the feeling of being infatuated. What do you think?!"

"Forehead"

When Masaharu Fukuyama recalled the time when he and Yukiko Okada had just fallen in love, he seemed to have been a little confused and even too reckless and impulsive, even kissing passionately in the street in a shopping district!

This led to them being photographed by paparazzi, directly exposing their relationship and causing a public uproar.

"They do seem somewhat similar."

"right!"

Naoki Nagayama nodded.

"So this song is called 'Koi Fuka ni Nosete' (Love-induced Wind Evil)."

"Hi~"

"Fukuyama-kun, you sang too formally! You were too tense. There was no casual feeling at all!"

"Forehead"

Masaharu Fukuyama scratched his face as he faced Naoki Nagayama; he dared not be casual about it.

Naoki Nagayama sighed:

"In the past, I would have just let you go out in a light shirt and catch a cold! That way you would have felt it."

"!!!"

No way! Masaharu Fukuyama's mouth is twitching. It's early February, the coldest time of year in Tokyo!! Going outside in the cold will probably land him in the hospital!!

Meanwhile, Onodera Kokoro's eyes lit up instantly!

"However, I am not some kind of demon after all."

Naoki Nagayama paused for a moment, sounding somewhat regretful.

"So let's try another method!!"

Onodera sighed in disappointment.

"??"

Masaharu Fukuyama breathed a sigh of relief.

"Naoki-san, what's the plan?"

"Stand upside down!"

Naoki Nagayama said,

"After standing upside down for a while and then recovering, your blood pressure in your head will drop, and you'll feel dizzy for a while, similar to having a cold!"

However, in healthy individuals, this usually only lasts a few minutes.

"Therefore, Mr. Fukuyama, you must start recording immediately after doing the handstand. It's best to get it right in one take, otherwise..."

Masaharu Fukuyama swallowed hard.

"Otherwise what will happen?"

Naoki Nagayama smiled.

"Otherwise, Fukuyama-kun, you'll be standing on your head until your eyes are bloodshot!!!"

"."

Onodera Kokoro's eyes lit up again!

I quickly grabbed the camera!

(End of this chapter)