Chapter 1053: I just feel like things are getting more and more interesting!!

"

Kimi ga suki da to sakibitai (I want to shout I love you)

Yuuki de fumidasou (Let's take the first step with courage)

"

Nagayama Naoki listened to the singing from the broadcast and felt the singer's vitality, as well as a little bit of careful thought.

After summer arrived, lively and enthusiastic songs like "I Want to Shout I Love You" gathered heat again, and with the big sales of Kudo Shizuka's summer best-of album, this song was sung again~

Using a song written by Tree Friend bigwig Nagayama Naoki to participate in Tree Friend's audition... were they thinking that the reviewer would definitely give Nagayama Naoki some face?!

"Humph humph... didn't expect the final reviewer to be me myself, right!"

Nagayama Naoki's mouth curled up, very disdainful of this kind of careful thought,

"I'll let you pass!"

Then he put this DEMO tape into the basket of approved reviews beside him, and randomly picked out another one from the alternative tapes and put it into the player.

Several tapes in a row were just average singing voices, and he always felt they were a level lower than before...

"Did the working group get it wrong? Why did the quality drop? I'll go talk to them later!"

Nagayama Naoki changed to another tape and pressed the play button:

"

Tsurai toraburu no mukou kara naite (When you dive into a sad predicament)

Denwa okureta toki (When you call me crying)

Watashi, anata ni koi tawa (I say this to you)

Jibun o tsuyoku motanakya dame (You must be strong)

"

A good singer, even if singing a cappella, would make people feel relaxed and happy. It seems there is research saying that this type of talented singer has some kind of resonance between the chest cavity and the voice, just like a human speaker.

Nagayama Naoki heard this famous vaporwave song "Cathy" and was immediately attracted by the singing voice in it.

The young voice had less of the world-weary laziness of the original singer, Hitomi Tohyama, but had more clarity. The soft and bright voice was like a vibrant mountain spring flowing...

"This kind of voice..." Nagayama Naoki felt a bit familiar but didn't seem to have any impression, "Very amazing!"

Taking out the tape and looking at it, the name written on it was Kamachi Sachiko from Kanagawa...

"So it's Izumi-nee-san..."

After subconsciously saying this sentence, he suddenly discovered that at his current age, he seemed to be older than Sakai Izumi... Thinking of this, Nagayama Naoki laughed,

"So it's Izumi-imouto... no wonder I didn't recognize it..."

Sakai Izumi at this age hadn't reached adulthood yet and didn't have the mature and warm voice of later days!

Satisfied, he put this DEMO into the approved basket. Nagayama Naoki even felt that being able to pick this contestant for this "Voice of Neon" had already achieved his goal.

After several hours of song review, the basket of tapes to be reviewed was finally empty.

Nagayama Naoki counted the number of DEMOs that passed the review and found there were already more than forty, so he stopped and dialed the phone of the "Voice of Neon" working group.

Before long, producer Fujiwara Kazuhisa walked into the office.

"Naoki-san, you looking for me?"

"Yes." Nagayama Naoki invited Fujiwara Kazuhisa to sit down, then handed the basket of reviewed tapes to him, "Fujiwara-san, these are the contestants I think are OK so far..."

"Hai!"

Fujiwara Kazuhisa took it and looked; there were dozens of tape records in the basket...

"'Voice of Neon' will start recording in about a week, so these should be enough as contestants for the first phase." Nagayama Naoki said to Fujiwara Kazuhisa, "You can contact the contestants themselves now, and also invite their families to come..."

According to the rules of the "Voice of Neon" program, they were to record the expressions and thoughts of the contestants' friends and relatives when they went on stage to sing.

"I understand." Fujiwara Kazuhisa nodded, but still raised a question, "However, Naoki-san, the working group is still receiving DEMOs constantly... do we not need to listen to the ones after this?"

"No, among the tapes after this, if you find good contestants, just select them directly..."

Nagayama Naoki's final review this time was just to ensure the quality of the first phase of "Voice of Neon." Now that most of the contestants had been selected, the rest wouldn't have much impact on the overall situation, so it was better to delegate the power to the working group directly.

"In short, it's fine as long as the final number of contestants doesn't exceed 60..."

Fujiwara Kazuhisa also understood Nagayama Naoki's meaning and hurriedly guaranteed:

"Hai, I will keep a good watch!"

"That's fine then... Fujiwara-san, go get busy~" Nagayama Naoki stood up and stretched, "My work for today is done, it's really tiring... prepare, prepare, time to go back!"

"......"

Tiring after listening to songs for a few hours?!

Fujiwara Kazuhisa was silent for a long time, and finally succumbed to the human relationships of the workplace,

"Naoki-san, you've worked hard, please take care on your way..."

"Mm..."

After Fujiwara Kazuhisa left, Nagayama Naoki took a few books and paced to the editing room downstairs to check on the few people who were editing "Tiger of Ginza."

Knocking open the door of the editing room, several somewhat disheveled figures appeared before his eyes...

Wrinkled clothes, casual hairstyles, messy stubble, plus pale cheeks, dark circles full of "immortal energy," and full ashtrays—this image made Nagayama Naoki inexplicably nostalgic.

This was exactly what he looked like after working 007 day and night as a programmer in his previous life, except for the plaid shirt, it was exactly the same!

"Masataka-kun, Kijima-kun..." Nagayama Naoki greeted, "How many days have you not gone back?!"

Komori Masataka and Kijima Shizhi turned their heads, and only after seeing it was Nagayama Naoki did they perk up and stand up, while others like Matsuo Munao and Nishimoto Tomoyuki also hurriedly tidied up their appearance.

"Naoki-san, you're here!"

"Although working hard is a good thing." Nagayama Naoki patted Kijima Shizhi on the shoulder, feeling he seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight, "But health is the most important thing!"

"Go back and rest well, then come back to work overtime..."

Even a donkey on a production team shouldn't be treated without care!

"Daijoubu!"

Kijima Shizhi's body was a bit weak, but his spirit was very excited,

"Naoki-san, in two more days we can finish editing!"

"Ha? So fast?"

Nagayama Naoki calculated silently. How long had it been... filming finished in early July, and now... ah, it was actually almost the end of July...

During this period, preparing for "Voice of Neon" and opening the milk tea shop actually made time slip away unknowingly.

Time passed so fast!

"Yes, Naoki-san!" Komori Masataka also echoed on the side, "Now we're just missing the ending, and some Easter eggs..."

"What Easter eggs?" Nagayama Naoki also became curious.

"Didn't we film a segment of Tree Friend Capital before... in the office building..."

"Mm... what about it?"

"In that office, there's a group photo of Tree Friend Capital employees... and Naoki-san's photo is among them! We put that photo in the Easter egg..."

"......"

Ah... Tree Friend Capital had a team-building event at the end of last year, and they booked the most expensive seaside hotel in Tokyo Bay... and took a group photo at the end...

"What's wrong?" Komori Masataka saw Nagayama Naoki pause, "Does Naoki-san think this Easter egg is inappropriate?"

"Not really..."

Nagayama Naoki shook his head,

"Just put the Easter egg in..."

Anyway, he was the investor of this movie, at most everyone would just smile knowingly~

"By the way... in a few days, 'Tiger of Ginza' will have a press conference for the completion of editing, and then a preview... Naoki-san, will you be attending?"

"I won't attend~" Nagayama Naoki said, "Otherwise, the media will chase me and ask about things... and there will be much less attention on the movie itself."

"That's true..." Kijima Shizhi nodded, "Naoki-san is a topic person wherever he goes!"

"......"

A few people talked about movie matters again, and the sharp-eyed Matsuo Munao saw the book tucked under Nagayama Naoki's arm, feeling curious:

"Naoki-san, what are you holding?"

"Ah..." Nagayama Naoki only then remembered and hurriedly distributed the novels to the four people, "This is a novel I'm going to publish later, a trial print version, giving it to everyone as a souvenir..."

Nagayama Naoki brought more than a dozen copies from home to the company, preparing to give them to friends like Aritomo Yoshimura, and since Komori Masataka and the others had also worked very hard this month, he would give them as consolation gifts~

"Oh?" "A novel?" "Naoki-san's?"

Komori Masataka and the others all took them, their faces filled with curiosity and excitement. This was a trial print version that hadn't been sold yet.

"'Jurassic Park'....... A dinosaur novel?"

"Did Naoki-san change his writing direction?"

"......"

Everyone discussed the content of Nagayama Naoki's new book, one word after another~

Later in the evening, Kamachi Sachiko, who had been busy all day, returned to the cramped temporary dormitory.

There were two other part-time models living together, making the already space-insufficient dormitory even more crowded, and even showering and doing laundry had to be done in turns.

"So tiring..."

Kamachi Sachiko, who had finished showering, lay on the tatami and felt her whole body relaxing, not even wanting to eat... Fortunately, it was summer, so there was no need to make the bed or anything.

Don't compare her to top models like Victoria's Secret; ordinary models were originally a very tiring profession, especially for a clothing model like her, who had to stand for several hours every day, pose hundreds of times, and change dozens or hundreds of sets of clothes...

The magazine company wouldn't treat you as a person at all. In their eyes, you were at most a clothes hanger that could move~

They had paid money, so naturally, they wanted to take the most photos in the shortest time~

After resting for a while, Kamachi Sachiko barely sat up. There were two things that had to be done every night: one was to call home, and one was to call her boyfriend...

However, there was naturally no phone installed in the dormitory, so she could only go out and find a phone booth.

"Moshi moshi, this is the Kamachi residence..."

A gentle voice came from the receiver, and Kamachi Sachiko even had the urge to cry when she heard it.

"Oka-san... it's me..."

"Sachiko!" The voice on the receiver also became happy, "Is work finished today? Did you eat dinner well?....."

"Mm... not long after returning... it's too hot, I don't have much appetite..."

The nagging daily inquiries were the most soothing to the heart, and Kamachi Sachiko felt her originally tired body and mind slowly relax.

After talking for a while, she heard some noisy sounds coming from the other side of the phone, as if her sister Minako was shouting "Let me talk," "Let me talk..." and so on, and then her mother handed the phone to Kamachi Minako.

"Onee-san!!! Big news!!!"

"......"

The sudden shouting from the receiver made Kamachi Sachiko have to move the phone away from her ear...

"Too loud! Minako... my ears are deaf!"

"Onee-san, good news! Good news!" Although she forced it down, Kamachi Sachiko still heard the full excitement, "Onee-san, we were selected!"

"？？ What?"

"That talent show! 'Voice of Neon'!!" Kamachi Minako said quickly, "A person from the program group called home this afternoon! Said your DEMO was selected to participate in the recording!"

"Mine?"

Kamachi Sachiko was a bit dazed. She had only sent the tape along because she couldn't resist Minako's request...

"Yeah, the uncle from the program group said to invite our whole family to Tokyo! Shoot together! And they can reimburse the accommodation expenses!"

Kamachi Minako was full of excitement and joy, speaking like a machine gun,

"The time is the weekend, Dad, Mom, and younger brother can all come together, we can meet in Tokyo soon!"

"......"

A series of words came out quickly from her sister's mouth, and the somewhat sharp voice and large amount of information made Kamachi Sachiko's brain unable to receive it for a while.

She couldn't even interrupt...

"Weekend? TV station recording?"

"Ah... Onee-san, hurry up and write down this number 025-X... remember to reply to the program group... they will explain it to you... don't forget to call back..."

By the time she hung up the phone in a daze and walked out of the phone booth, she only remembered that she had been selected by "Voice of Neon" and was about to go to the TV station to record the program.

Even the matter of talking to her boyfriend on the phone was temporarily forgotten~

The temperature at night became much more comfortable. Walking on the streets of Ikebukuro, the lights of the shops on both sides and the street lamps on both sides of the road were shining brightly, and the colorful neon lights were flashing with dazzling halos, showing Kamachi Sachiko the style of the city that never sleeps, but she had no heart to appreciate it.

When she passed by a shop, she discovered that a poster for "Voice of Neon" was posted on the glass door of the shop entrance...

And this shop was exactly that delicious milk tea shop...

Kamachi Sachiko subconsciously pushed open the glass door of Mixue Milk Tea, making the bell on the door frame make a crisp sound~

"Welcome~"

Tsuruko and Ishii Chunshui greeted at the same time.

"Ah..." Kamachi Sachiko didn't understand why she came in for a while, "Is the milk tea shop still open?"

Ishii Chunshui laughed:

"We are open until 9 o'clock!"

Opening at 10 am and operating until 9 pm was the current business hours of Mixue Milk Tea... because there were too few customers before 10 am, and young people's nightlife only started after work!

Of course, it was also because they had really earned a lot of money during this time!

"So that's how it is..."

"Then Customer-san, what would you like to drink?"

"Er..."

Looking at Kamachi Sachiko's somewhat dazed appearance, Tsuruko laughed:

"If you don't have any ideas, our shop recommends the signature Yangzhi Icy Dew... very suitable for girls' tastes..."

"Then... then let's have one~"

It happened to be dinner time, and there were no customers in the shop for the time being. Kamachi Sachiko sat down at a small table, looked around, and made small talk,

"Why are all the drinks in the shop ones I've never heard of?"

"Because they are all original!" Ishii Chunshui laughed, "In all of Tokyo, only our shop has them for now!"

"Original?"

"Yeah... like hand-shaken lemon tea, Yangzhi Icy Dew..." Ishii Chunshui pointed to the menu on the wall, "They are all milk tea drinks invented by the store manager..."

"Store manager?" Kamachi Sachiko's gaze looked at Tsuruko who was making milk tea.

"Ah, not her! Those two big guys are the same..." Ishii Chunshui shook her head, "Her name is Nagayama Tsuruko, she is a worker like me, my name is Ishii Chunshui..."

"......."

That little sister with such strong momentum wasn't the store manager... Then who was the store manager who had such talent and could invent so many milk tea varieties?!

Must be a foodie!

Seeing Ishii Chunshui looking at her after finishing speaking, Kamachi Sachiko reacted immediately:

"Ah, my name is Kamachi Sachiko, nice to meet you... please take care of me!"

"Haha, it's not the first time meeting!"

"Hai~"

Speaking of which, their ages should be about the same... but Ishii Chunshui couldn't help but laugh when she saw Kamachi Sachiko's somewhat introverted appearance... She looked like a very cold imperial sister, but she was unexpectedly cute.

"Is Kamachi-san in Tokyo for the first time?"

Tsuruko brought the Yangzhi Icy Dew and chatted while there was no one around.

"Hai, here for a summer job..."

"Oh? Actually came to Tokyo for a job?"

"Yes, working as a part-time model..."

Maybe it was because she had opened a shop and dealt with customers a lot, gaining experience, Tsuruko's eloquence was better now, and she was very good at chatting. Before long, she knew Kamachi Sachiko's basic information, where her home was, how old she was, which university she attended, etc.

But this was already the limit of ordinary friends. If she continued, it would definitely make people vigilant, so Tsuruko stopped.

And Kamachi Sachiko was tasting the sweetness of the milk tea, feeling very happy... At least in this strange city, she could be considered to have made two friends...

Thinking of the poster posted at the door, she asked:

"Nagayama-san, Ishii-san... are you very familiar with the 'Voice of Neon' event?"

"Eh? Should be considered very familiar!"

After all, it was a program planned by her own brother. Tsuruko also wanted to try it at the beginning, so she naturally inquired clearly.

But from the expression of her brother during the on-site review, her singing voice definitely had no chance!

Because of this point, Nagayama Tsuruko angrily punched her brother many times...

But fortunately, Chunshui-chan didn't pass the screening either...

"Kamachi-san, are you very interested too?"

"Hai... I was begged by my sister to sign up together before... just received news that I passed the screening and am going to participate in the recording of the program on-site..."

Kamachi Sachiko asked while drinking milk tea,

"Do you know what the situation of this 'Voice of Neon' is? What exactly are we going to record? What does that blind selection mean..."

"......."

Tsuruko and Ishii Chunshui looked at each other... The customer-san they randomly encountered was actually a contestant of "Voice of Neon" who had been selected?!

If that was the case, then Miss Kamachi Sachiko's singing voice must be very great, the kind that could be acknowledged by her brother!

I just feel like things are getting more and more interesting~ ===== CHAPTER 1054 =====