Tokyo Bubble Life

Chapter 1507 (1516): I really want to be the Pirate King!!

When Tomoyasu Toda drove Naoki Nagayama to the port in his Toyota Century, he saw a pure white sailing yacht quietly moored in the shimmering bay.

The sunlight shimmered on the seawater, reflecting off the yacht and making it appear as if the entire vessel was glowing.

"Is this the Emperor's Ship?!"

Just as Toda Tomoyasu was sighing, Matsuo Muneo came out of the dock management office and headed straight for Nagayama Naoki:

"Naoki-san, you've finally arrived!"

Naoki Nagayama responded with a smile:

"Has Matsuo-kun been here for a long time?"

"Hi, I arrived this morning!"

While helping him take the luggage, Matsuo Muneo explained eagerly,

"We checked the crew, supplies, and other aspects to ensure everything was properly prepared!"

"Oh, and the DVDs of the nominated films have all been put into the storage cabinet in the TV room, and the playback equipment over there has also been set up!"

Okay~

Naoki Nagayama nodded in satisfaction and followed Muneo Matsuo toward the yacht.

"Where are the other judges? Have they arrived yet?"

"Five have already arrived. Four more are on their way. We should be able to depart before noon."

"Okay~"

Soon the group arrived at the yacht. After going up to the deck, the captain and several crew members came over.

Matsuo Muneo also introduced the topic at the appropriate time:

"Naoki-san, this is Captain Shinohara Tetsuya, and the rest of the crew."

Given the size of this yacht, it was equipped with a captain, first mate, engineer, cook, and medic, exactly five people.

"Hello, Mr. Nagayama!"

Tetsuya Shinohara clearly recognized Naoki Nagayama, and bowed respectfully in greeting.

"I am Captain Tetsuya Shinohara. It's my pleasure to serve you!"

"Hello, hello. I'll leave this journey in Captain Shinohara's care."

After greeting the crew members, Matsuo Muneo led Nagayama Naoki to the master bedroom. Upon entering, he found it to be no different from a suite in a luxury hotel, and Nagayama Naoki was quite satisfied.

Upon arriving at the common lounge, Naoki Nagayama finally met the members of the jury, including the famous Japanese director Nagisa Oshima, director Kon Ichikawa, and several other producers and screenwriters.

Since the Tokyo International Film Festival is an international event hosted by Japan, nearly half of the jury this year consisted of Japanese people, while the rest were well-known filmmakers and directors from Europe and the United States.

"Director Oshima, Director Ichikawa. Greetings after a long time."

Naoki Nagayama stood out from the crowd; he was so young!

Nagisa Oshima, born in 1932, is over 50 years old, and Kon Ichikawa is over 70! The other judges are also all elderly veterans!

The judges naturally greeted Naoki Nagayama one after another; none of them dared to underestimate this young man!

In terms of honors, he is an international director who has won both the Palme d'Or and an Oscar. In terms of box office revenue, one of his films may surpass the box office of many directors' entire careers. In terms of money and power, he is the owner of the Shuyou Group, and he even spearheaded the organization of the Tokyo International Film Festival.

No matter how you look at it, this person seems to have stepped out of a history book, a remarkable figure who will stir up a storm!

"Indeed, one should become famous as early as possible!"

Nagisa Oshima looked at the young and promising Naoki Nagayama and sighed.

Seeing Naoki-san makes me feel like I've wasted my youth.

Nagisa Oshima was a young and outstanding talent who became a prominent figure in college. He was the chairman of the Kyoto University Student Union and spearheaded the "Emperor Incident" student movement, which aimed to bring the Emperor down to earth.

After joining Shochiku, he was promoted to director in just a few years. His first film was hailed as a standard-bearer of the Shochiku New Wave. After that, he was unstoppable, winning the Blue Ribbon Award for Best New Director, establishing Creation Society as an independent director, and finally winning the Kinema Junpo Award at the age of 50.

By all accounts, he fits the mold of a prodigy, but he ran into Naoki Nagayama, who fits the mold of an overpowered protagonist.

"Haha, Oshima-san's experience is truly legendary, I admire him very much!"

Naoki Nagayama smiled and said,

"I hope to learn from you during this time."

Haha~ I definitely will when I have time.

"."

The group chatted and got to know each other. After all the other judges had boarded the ship, Captain Tetsuya Shinohara asked for permission to set sail.

In the common lounge, Naoki Nagayama clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention:

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's relax on our first day. Food and drinks will be available on deck, and there are also beverages on board."

"There are also fishing gear and some recreational facilities on the stern leisure deck."

"Let's treat today as a vacation, and resume the film review process tomorrow!"

Upon hearing Naoki Nagayama's words, the judges naturally clapped in agreement and cheered.

After getting rid of everyone, Naoki Nagayama breathed a sigh of relief. After all, they would be on the ship for half a month, so everyone's mood had to be kept in check!

"Naoki-san, I'm going fishing too!"

The sudden sound of Matsuo Muneo's voice from behind startled Naoki Nagayama.

"Matsuo-kun, what are you doing here?"

"??"

Matsuo Muneo paused for a moment, then said somewhat aggrievedly,

"Naoki-san, this is the boat I rented. I have to come along to ensure the safe completion of this journey!"

"Besides, I've been here the whole time."

"."

Naoki Nagayama was slightly embarrassed and could only laugh it off.

"Haha, have Matsuo-kun and Kijima Kyō learned some special techniques? I didn't even notice!"

"Huh? Really?!"

Matsuo Muneo suddenly became delighted, and his expression became beaming.

"Speaking of which, I did work with Kijima-san during that period, so I probably learned something without realizing it!"

In fact, all the directors who witnessed Kijima Kyō's prowess wanted to learn his abilities. Putting aside everything else, these abilities would be absolutely fantastic for tailing and spying.

"Snapped!"

Naoki Nagayama snapped Matsuo Muneo out of his reverie with a karate chop.

"Matsuo-kun, your expression is so lewd!!"

"I'll go and reflect on my actions right now!"

After seeing Matsuo Muneo off, Naoki Nagayama went to the deck to enjoy the sea breeze.

The sky was clear and the air was crisp. The azure sky merged with the sea in the distance, and only the fluffy white clouds could remind us which side was sky and which side was ocean.

The white sails were already unfurled, and the sails, billowing in the wind, blended seamlessly with the white hull below, seemingly forming a white cloud.

Okay, now it's really hard to tell which side is the sea and which side is the sky!

Naoki Nagayama stood on the deck, feeling the sea sway beneath his feet, and watching Tokyo Port recede into the distance, a sense of melancholy rising within him.

"No wonder people say that going to sea is a symbol of freedom~"

"I suddenly really want to be the Pirate King!"

The report released by TreeFriend Capital was like a stone thrown into the neon-lit media landscape, and the ripples it has created are only just beginning.

What do you mean by saying the neon bubble is only a matter of time before it bursts?!

Senator Shunsuke Ichikawa slammed the newspaper on his desk and began hurling insults.

"That's utter nonsense, a complete clown spewing filth."

Having just published an article in the newspaper stating that "it is better to invest in finance and real estate than to build a nation on culture," he felt that Shuyou Capital was completely going against him.

"With Japan's economy so good, his friend Naoki Nagayama is just worrying unnecessarily!!"

"This is a conspiracy! This is absolutely a conspiracy!!"

"It's Shuichi Itō's faction trying to use this to get the 'culture-based nation' proposal passed!!"

"."

At that moment, his assistant, Shigeyuki Fukunaga, entered the office and handed over a stack of documents:

"Congressman Ichikawa. The complete version of this report."

"??"

Ichikawa Shunsuke exclaimed in surprise,

"They actually got it right away?"

"Hey, I heard that now you can get the full report just by calling Asahi Shimbun, Shuyou Capital, or any investment institution that partners with Shuyou!"

Even Shigeyuki Fukunaga found it hard to believe.

"They've completely gone public!"

You should know that such an economic analysis report would cost a fortune to produce, yet Tree Friends Capital just released it?!

"They're serious!!"

"A conspiracy!! There must be a conspiracy!!"

Ichikawa Shunsuke's expression turned serious. After thinking for a moment, he picked up the phone and started dialing.

He wants to find his allies and get them to start a major discussion! To really heat up this topic!

"Is this an 'economic boom' or an 'economic bubble'? Let's expose the true colors of Tree Friends!"

Given the current economic climate, almost all Japanese people are optimistic about their country's future. In the eyes of most, surpassing Britain and even the United States is a foreseeable future!

National self-confidence is at its peak!

Even Shunsuke Ichikawa genuinely believed that the Japanese economy would continue to rise and that the Nikkei index would never fall!

In this respect, the future Dongda University is very good at preparing the public for the worst. The A-share market is never fixed and no one can know for sure; things are unpredictable, and there is never a perpetual bear market or bull market.

"Alright, let the Japanese start discussing it!"

Ichikawa Shunsuke hung up the phone and said to his assistant, Fukunaga Shigeyuki,

“All publicly listed companies in Japan will criticize this report!”

"."

Fukunaga Shigeyuki listened and nodded silently.

However, he secretly put the report away. He still had some funds in the account of Shuyou Capital, so he had to study it carefully!

In an office building in Ginza, Kanai Shuka hurriedly ran to Nakai Genta's office.

"Yuan Tai Sang is the phone number for Tibet Province."

Kanai Hiroka said, panting.

"On Line 2."

"Hi!"

Nakai Genta put down his newspaper and nodded to indicate that he understood.

He then took a sip of water, straightened his clothes, and calmly pressed the answer button.

"Nakai-san"

The voice of Masaki Tsuchida, Director of the Banking Bureau of the Ministry of Finance, came through the microphone.

"You've really given me a lot of trouble!"

"Hahaha, Director Tsuchida, are you kidding me! I don't understand at all!"

Nakai Wonta smiled and said,

"We only sent a copy of the research report to our key clients. Who knew they would actually publish it!"

"Oh dear, this report cost a lot of money to produce, and now the whole of Japan knows about it. Other clients are calling to inquire, so we had no choice but to send a copy to them all."

On the phone, Nakai Genta kept complaining, saying that they would naturally leave no trace of the truth in such matters!

Otherwise, you might be accused of manipulating stock prices or something similar if you're not careful.

"OK OK!"

Masaki Tsuchida clearly had no intention of arguing with Genta Nakai.

"I've read your report. How should I put it, it does have some interesting points."

"However, such a report will definitely cause turmoil in the financial world."

Nakai Genta was not afraid at all:

"Director Tsuchida, this has nothing to do with us. Besides, it's about freedom of speech."

"Tch~~"

Tsuchida Masaki scoffed softly, but didn't press the matter further.

Kenta Nakai of Shuyou Capital is no longer just some random nobody; he's a financial tycoon with enormous influence.

Having been placed under house arrest in the United States and then rescued by the Chinese government, he now carries the aura of a "representative figure in the Japanese investment world," and is currently surrounded by a powerful interest group.

Furthermore, Shuyou wields immense influence in politics, finance, and the entertainment industry, making him someone who cannot be easily dealt with!

"Alright, I've made appointments with Satoshi Sumida from the Bank of Japan and Shunsuke Kishida from the Securities Bureau."

Masaki Tsuchida named many influential figures in the financial world.

Let's have a meeting together.

"Let's have a proper discussion of your 'bubble bursting' report."

Upon hearing this, Nakai Genta smiled and nodded:

"No problem! I'll be right there!"

"Um"

After hanging up the phone, Nakai Genta let out a sigh of relief.

The names he had just heard were all legends he had heard during his school days. For example, Kishida Shunsuke was a representative figure of the Kishida family, which was involved in the integration of politics and economics.

Compared to prime ministers who change every four years, these are the real behind-the-scenes bigwigs who have endured for a long time!

And now, he's going to join them to discuss the future of Japan's economy!

"That Naoki guy just knows how to push me into the spotlight!!"

At this moment, Nakai Genta couldn't help but think of Nagayama Naoki.

"What's he doing now? Looks like he's on a yacht looking at the sea!! Damn, I'm a little envious!"

"."

However, while he said that, he wouldn't actually give up his work and enjoy life!

The immense sense of accomplishment and honor he had always longed for was to work alongside those financial tycoons to change Japan's economy!

Thinking of his previous film, "Black Monday," Nakai Genta pressed the call button:

"Zhu Xiang-chan, have Takeda Tomoaki come to my office!"

This time, I'm going to bring Takeda Tomoaki with me, who's like a computer!

Whenever a financial tycoon points out a discrepancy in the data, he'll point to Tomoaki Takeda and claim that Takeda has an IQ of 160 and won a math competition.

In the entertainment industry, Johnny & Associates is an agency.

SMAP's manager, Masahiro Matsuzawa, arrived at the group's dormitory with great joy:

"Kimura! Kimura!! You've been chosen!!"

He called out to Takuya Kimura, who was resting.

"Get to Johnny's office right now!!"

Upon hearing this, Takuya Kimura's face turned pale. In broad daylight?! No way!

It's important to know that among Johnny's trainees these days, only those favored by Johnny Kitagawa have a chance to debut, and Takuya Kimura has already been confirmed as a member of the next batch of promising boy groups.

Matsuzawa Masahiro, unaware that there was anything amiss in his words, continued:

"Kimura, you've been chosen to star in 'I'm Sorry, I Love You'!!"

"???!!!"

Takuya Kimura then realized what was happening.

"What?!"

"Haha, isn't that amazing?! I never thought there was any chance~"

Matsuzawa Masahiro had a smile on his face.

"Alright, go on, we need to discuss scheduling and signing the contract."

It was supposed to be a discussion, but it was actually Johnny Kitagawa who made the decision directly. How could they possibly miss such a great opportunity?

"Ah-hai!"

Takuya Kimura nodded and slowly walked towards his office.

Actually, he was still a little confused. He had clearly mispronounced his lines during the audition!

As he walked out, another member of the dorm, Masahiro Nakai, looked on with obvious jealousy, even though the two of them had gone together that day!

Why did they only choose Takuya Kimura now? What's wrong with him?!

(End of this chapter)