Chapter 1100

Flowers bloom on two branches, each expressing a different side.

Naoki Nagayama was busy filming "Ghost" here, while Akina, at this time in the afternoon, was also preparing to head to Fuji TV.

"Beep beep...."

The car at the entrance honked its horn. When the butler saw it, he opened the gate, letting the car come to the gravel ground outside the main entrance. Masako Ueda got out of the car and quickly came to the living room.

"Akina-chan, your exclusive manager is here to pick you up!"

Masako Ueda was already the exclusive manager that Akina Nakamori had specifically requested!

"Okay, Masako-chan, wait a moment~" Akina Nakamori responded with a smile, "I'll say goodbye to Hua-chan again...."

Akina handed the baby to Mari Nonaka, who had been taking care of her, explaining that she might be back very late today:

"Mari-san, Naoki-san will be back earlier than me tonight, but before that, I'll leave it to you, Mari-san...."

"Yes, I will definitely take good care of her." Mari Nonaka nodded, "Akina-san, go out with peace of mind!"

"Hmm...."

Akina kissed the baby on the forehead again, then went to change into her going-out clothes.

After all, Mrs. Mari Nonaka was a professional infant nanny who had been taking care of the baby since she was born, so she had nothing to worry about~

After getting into the Burning Productions car, Akina asked about business matters:

"Did you bring the song-promoting outfit?"

"Yes, the white-based cherry blossom patterned kimono, and the silver bob wig are all in the trunk." Masako Ueda nodded, "You can change after we get to the TV station."

"That's good.." Akina nodded, "Today is just a rehearsal, and the official recording will be in a week..... Are there any interview arrangements in between?"

"There is a process for filming behind-the-scenes footage, but it's all Fuji TV internal staff."

"That's good...."

There weren't many vehicles in the afternoon, and amidst such relaxed communication, the car soon arrived at the Fuji TV building.

After coming from the parking lot to the inside of the building, the originally relaxed state was broken instantly.

"Akina-san!" "It's Akina Nakamori!" "Long time no see...." "Is Akina here to record a program?" "....."

Akina hadn't officially come to the TV station for almost a year, but everyone inside the station, whether they knew her or not, greeted Akina enthusiastically, as if everyone were dear friends who hadn't seen each other for decades......

As expected, after one's status rises, all one sees are enthusiastic smiling faces!

Facing these "friends" in the entertainment industry, Akina naturally put on a business smile and responded warmly to each one.

It wasn't until she arrived at the lounge and saw Yukiko Okada, who was also a Burning Productions artist, that her attitude began to become enthusiastic:

"Yukiko-chan!"

"Akina-chan!"

Friends who hadn't seen each other for a while began to talk eagerly.

"You've been busy lately, right?"

"Yes... the various music festivals at the end of the year, and the Record Awards...."

Yukiko Okada's popularity could now be said to be on par with Akina's, but Akina had retired for almost a year, while she was currently climbing upward,

"And I have to prepare new songs.... anyway, I'm incredibly busy...."

"Fortunately, the national tour is already over." Akina Nakamori comforted her, as she also had experience, "Otherwise, you'd have to work three shifts at the end of the year."

"Akina-chan has been filming a movie lately, that must be very hard too, right?"

"......"

Akina looked at her friend's concerned eyes. She originally wanted to say it wasn't hard, but after all, both sides were complaining about their hardships just now. Wouldn't saying that be a bit smug?

"It is indeed very tiring..... plus now I have to record 'Night Hit'...." Akina shifted the topic without a trace, "Which song is Yukiko-chan performing today?"

"It's that record from before!"

Yukiko Okada immediately shared her previously popular song, and then talked about the style of the album she was preparing.

Since transferring to Burning Productions, she had gotten rid of the mental PUA from the previous president and started focusing on her career, becoming confident.

As expected of a top student who bet against her family, must score in the top three in the grade, and then still wanted to be an artist!

Just as the two were talking, the door to the lounge was suddenly knocked on.....

"Akina-san... Yukiko-chan....."

The person who came in was actually the Fuji TV Production Department Manager, Kazuki Takano!

"Manager Takano!"

Yukiko Okada had met Manager Kazuki Takano a few times, but it was only a relationship of polite greetings; she had never thought that Manager Takano would come to see her.

The fact was exactly so; Kazuki Takano was actually here to see Akina Nakamori, and Yukiko Okada was just an incidental bonus.

"Takano-san...."

Akina also stood up to welcome him. Kazuki Takano had attended the full-month banquet when Xia Hua was one month old, so they were considered acquaintances.

"Are you here to record the year-end version of 'Night Hit' today, right?"

"Yes, today is just a rehearsal...."

"Ah, yes, yes.... The program team is also very grateful that Akina-chan could choose 'Night Hit' this time....."

"Not at all.... The 'Night Hit' program team has also taken very good care of me in the past..."

"Akina has been filming 'Ghost' lately, right? Taking time out temporarily, will it cause trouble for the filming tasks?"

"I'm fine, there's no part for me in today's filming..... It's Naoki-san and Nana-chan...."

"That's good, that's good.... Is Naoki-san doing well lately?"

"Yes~"

After chatting about flavorless pleasantries for a while, Kazuki Takano also hesitantly stated the real reason for coming to visit Akina today:

"I heard that Naoki-san has negotiated another cooperation with TV Tokyo~"

"Ah......" Akina seemed to hear the subtext, her mouth slightly open, "Is that so?"

"Hasn't Akina-chan heard?" Kazuki Takano said, "They say the broadcast rights for the animation adapted from 'Slam Dunk' were sold to TV Tokyo....."

There are no secrets in the entertainment industry, let alone between TV stations...... There are only five TV stations in Japan, the circle is very small, everyone is an acquaintance, and any news naturally spreads very quickly.

Not to mention that it was related to Tree Friends. The joke that Director Sakai said privately when drinking with subordinates, "A short film actually cost us 1 billion," was on the surface a complaint, but inside it was boasting...... and it had spread throughout the TV stations.

Kazuki Takano, the head of the production bureau of Fuji TV, felt very uncomfortable hearing it. Naoki Nagayama was clearly a shareholder of Fuji TV! They had also cooperated very well in the past!

Why is everything now leaning toward other TV stations?!

What's going on? Are the flowers at home not as fragrant as the wild flowers outside?!

So, taking the opportunity to visit Akina Nakamori, Kazuki Takano slightly had the idea of whispering in his ear~

"This.... it's animation~" Akina said a bit embarrassedly, "Naoki-san might have thought that TV Tokyo is more suitable for broadcasting animation...."

"This is completely prejudice!" Kazuki Takano's tone was a bit excited, "The animation ratings of our Fuji TV are also very high! It is also a very important program type! There are also many teenagers looking forward to good animation!"

"Ah.... this....." Akina didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"It's not that I'm saying, Akina-chan, sometimes you have to persuade your man...... Fuji TV is the direct line! How can all these good things be given to other TV stations?"

Kazuki Takano complained like Xianglin's wife,

"Is it possible that Fuji TV can't afford it? We are not short of money!"

"......." Akina laughed awkwardly, "Indeed.... indeed Fuji TV is not short of money~"

Seeing that what he wanted to say had already been said, Kazuki Takano then left a few sincere words, similar to "We are family," "Fuji TV values Naoki-san very much," and "I hope we can cooperate well in the future."

"Haha, I accidentally said so much.... Akina-chan, you need to prepare for the performance, right? I won't disturb you anymore~"

Kazuki Takano then said goodbye and left~

After the door to the lounge closed, Yukiko Okada, who had been careful and quiet all this time, finally relaxed......

"Akina-chan..... Manager Kazuki Takano, was he actually here to build a relationship?!"

"I think so.... said a lot of things that didn't matter....."

It was also Akina's first time encountering this situation. She felt as if Kazuki Takano found it inconvenient to act spoiled directly to Naoki Nagayama, so he had to take a detour through her to say soft words?

"Never seen Manager Takano look so down-to-earth...."

Yukiko Okada sighed. When she saw Kazuki Takano before, it seemed like he always had a high-and-mighty feeling.

In fact, with Kazuki Takano's status as the manager of the Fuji TV Production Department, he wouldn't bend down to visit any star in person.

Because there was no internet in this era, in the eyes of large media outlets like TV stations that were almost monopolistic, the entire entertainment industry was relying on them for food, and artists were just cattle and horses with better performance, or even lower....

Even big stars were just the top sales of the business department, and executives would at most be close and kind in attitude..... It was impossible to hold the top sales up to the sky like small companies in later generations.

After all, in Japan, TV stations can really directly turn a newcomer into another big star!

Speaking of which, stars in the entertainment industry are also very pitiful. Although they are infinitely glorious on the surface, in the eyes of the real big shots behind the scenes, they are just commodities~

But Akina Nakamori is naturally different. On one hand, she is a shareholder of Burning Productions, which is part of the capital.

On the other hand, she is Naoki Nagayama's wife, which is the chairman's wife of a cooperative company with equal status, so it is naturally worth the executives to curry favor~

"Just here to probe the wind~"

Akina sighed. After becoming the chairman's wife, these things also increased. But fortunately, she had basically been at home raising her baby during the year of her marriage, and no one had come to the door yet.

"Forget it, Yukiko-chan, let's continue talking about the performance. Which one are you?"

"In the middle.... How about Akina-chan?"

"I'm scheduled for the finale session..."

At night, Naoki Nagayama returned from the set after dinner.

Akina had to record until very late today and naturally didn't come back, so he would take care of Xia Hua tonight.

"Hua-chan, Daddy is back~"

Picking up little Xia Hua from the crib, Naoki Nagayama fell into the mentality of a daughter slave,

"Did you miss Daddy? Shall Daddy take you for a stroll in the courtyard?"

Mari Nonaka, who was taking care of her on the side, shook her head:

"Naoki-san, she was already taken out in the afternoon..... It's almost dark now, the baby's eyes haven't developed well yet, she can't see clearly!"

"Ah.... is that so~"

Naoki Nagayama could only hold Xia Hua in a cradle hold and sit down on the sofa,

"Then let's watch TV with Daddy!"

"Ah~~ ah~~" Little Xia Hua made unintelligible baby sounds, seemingly interacting with Naoki Nagayama.

"Come, Hua-chan, say pa~pa....."

But Xia Hua didn't give him any face at all, not even looking at her daddy anymore~

Naoki Nagayama, holding the baby, began to try to let the baby learn to call him daddy again. He and Akina made a bet on whether the child would call daddy or mommy first, and the bet was on who would buy Xia Hua's toys in the future~

However, girls seem to be closer to their fathers when they are young, and seem to be closer to their mothers after puberty..... It seems to be the exact opposite of boys! What should I do~

"Naoki-san, the baby won't be able to talk until she's about a year old!"

Mari Nonaka took a small piece of clothing for Xia Hua,

"It's going to be cool at night, let's put on another layer~"

"Haha, I'm just practicing in advance. By the time she can talk, the first word will definitely be Daddy!"

"....."

Mari Nonaka smiled. She and Akina were teasing Xia Hua to call Mommy every day in private. Naoki-san, you have no chance!

Just as Naoki Nagayama was lying on the sofa, teasing the baby on his stomach, the landline next to him suddenly rang!

"Ding-a-ling~"

The sudden sound made Xia Hua shiver, but because she was beside her father, she didn't cry.... just curiously looked up~

She could actually lift her head!

"Moshi moshi, this is Shanying Yuan."

Naoki Nagayama didn't get up, reaching out and picking up the phone directly.

"Moshi moshi, this is Naoya Sakata..." The voice of Naoya Sakata from the Honma Design Office came from the phone, "Is this Naoki-san?"

"Yes..... it's me...... but, Sakata-san, you should be on Jurassic Island, right?"

Naoki Nagayama naturally knew about the uninhabited island being built in the Seto Inland Sea. The initial design draft had been determined some time ago, and they had already taken the construction team to the site.

"Yes, I'm calling from the island...."

"Did something happen?"

"Ah, yes!" Naoya Sakata nodded, "Naoki-san, while we were constructing on the island, we discovered several hot spring eyes!"

"Hot spring?"

"Yes, it turns out this island was originally formed by an underwater volcanic eruption. I didn't expect there to be hot springs underneath...."

"Uh....." Naoki Nagayama said unexpectedly, "If there are hot springs, does that mean there is magma underneath?..... Will it erupt?"

"No, no, no, the researchers have surveyed it. This island was formed thousands of years ago, and even the crater has no shape anymore. It won't erupt."

Naoya Sakata said directly. He had invited volcanic scholars to survey it, and he only called after confirming it was fine,

"The hot spring is just groundwater from who knows how many thousands of meters underground being heated..... It's about the same as the hot springs in Hakone....."

"That's good...."

Naoki Nagayama nodded. With so many hot springs in Japan, he had no reason to worry about a volcanic eruption,

"Is Sakata-san calling just to tell me this?"

"Yes.... because there are several hot spring eyes, I wanted to ask Naoki-san if you want to build a hot spring inn here?!"

"Oh? Is the temperature very high?"

"It's over 30 degrees even in winter now, which is very good.... If we dig a little deeper, it might be even higher...."

"Hmm..." Naoki Nagayama nodded, "Then let's build one. We can also soak in the hot spring when we go to the island later..."

"Ha, I knew Naoki-san would agree."

Naoya Sakata's tone was a bit excited,

"Then after I determine all the hot spring eyes, I will draw the design and show it to Naoki-san!"

"Yes, sorry to trouble you~"

After hanging up the phone, Naoki Nagayama said to the ignorant Xia Hua:

"Hua-chan, do you want to soak in the hot spring? Call papa once, and when you grow up, I'll take you to soak in the hot spring~~~"

(End of chapter)