Chapter 1162

Inside the top-floor office of the Tree Friends building.

Kijima Kyo curled himself tightly into the sofa and even covered his gold watch with his sleeve, wanting to make his presence even lower.

Because he found that Naoki Nagayama was very scary today!

Today was still an audition day, but it was the audition for the female lead. Early in the morning, Kijima Kyo brought the files to Naoki Nagayama's office, wanting Naoki Nagayama to be prepared.

But after entering the door and putting the files on the desk, he found that Naoki Nagayama today felt a bit crazy...

"Kijima-kun... just put the things there, wait for me a moment..."

Naoki Nagayama adjusted his tone and made a righteous look toward the window:

"I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew!"

"But I never took it! You know why?"

Naoki Nagayama took a deep breath, as if to suck all the air into his chest, and then shouted in a tone that was almost a yell:

"It was too damn hard!!!"

"Cough, cough, cough~"

After saying this line, Naoki Nagayama cleared his throat and felt refreshed.

"Sure enough, saying classic lines is so satisfying!"

"......"

Kijima Kyo remained silent, his figure shrinking another circle.

It's over, it's over, Naoki-san is going crazy!

Just at this moment, the office door was knocked open, and Ito Shuichi Ito, who was a bit confused, also walked in:

"Naoki-san, what happened? Why do I feel like I heard a wail?"

Kijima Kyo hurriedly cast a look for help. It is a wail, it is the wail from the depths of my heart, Kijima Kyo!

"Ah... I was practicing lines!"

Naoki Nagayama explained a little. Anyway, there were only three executives on the top floor, and in such a large office, even if he wanted to sing karaoke in it, no one would care!

Last night, when dancing with Akina, he recalled the film "Scent of a Woman." However, with a beauty by his side in reality, he naturally didn't go to the study to work overtime to write the script, so it led to him dreaming about dancing with a beauty or spouting nonsense at a hearing...

By today, he still wanted to immerse himself in the plot from time to time~

"I thought of some classic lines last night, they felt so great, so I wanted to practice them..."

"....."

Ito Shuichi Ito cast a look of "what a weirdo," but still chose to believe his explanation.

"What kind of classic lines?"

"Na~"

Naoki Nagayama handed the script to Ito Shuichi Ito and then asked:

"Ito Shuichi-san, have you ever seen a film where a character's monologue exceeds 7 minutes?"

"A character's monologue? Exceeds 7 minutes? Pure narration doesn't count, right..."

Ito Shuichi Ito responded while looking and being surprised.

"That would be too difficult. It requires very high acting skills and character arc from the actor... I haven't seen one..."

"Mm, it's indeed too difficult!"

In a 90-minute film, the audience has to watch one person on the big screen for nearly a tenth of the time...

It is a great test for the script, the actor, the director, and even the audience themselves.

Recalling the scenes of "Scent of a Woman," Naoki Nagayama also marveled at the profound acting skills of Best Actor Al Pacino... He is indeed worthy of the name!

Ito Shuichi Ito on this side also finished reading the script:

"Naoki-san... why does it feel like these lines have a theatrical feel..."

"Hahaha, there is a bit, right... Theatrical lines are very catchy when spoken!"

"Then is the script ready?" Ito Shuichi Ito asked with a smile. He thought Naoki Nagayama had created another script and wanted to intercept it. "This time, you must let me enjoy it first..."

And Kijima Kyo, who had been silent, also instantly perked up:

"If possible, I would also like to enjoy it together..."

"?"

Ito Shuichi Ito raised his eyes and pressured Kijima Kyo with his gaze. Dare to compete with the big boss?

"!"

But at this moment, Kijima Kyo absolutely could not give up. He looked at Naoki Nagayama, who had the decision-making power, with sincere eyes, advancing by retreating...

"Naoki-san, can I?"

"......" Naoki Nagayama waved his hand. "Alright, alright, I haven't written it yet... It's just some inspiration!"

"...... Oh...." X2

"Then let me be the first to see it when it's written~"

"......"

After finally brushing the two off, Naoki Nagayama walked out of the office, came to the audition room, and began to prepare for today's audition.

As before, the candidates naturally arrived at Tree Friends early.

But this time, in the waiting room on the second floor, they were all actresses.

Originally, if women were in the same room, it would definitely be noisy... This time, there was no feeling of five hundred ducks. This time, everyone was a competitor, and there was nothing to say; even acquaintances just nodded to each other~

Yet, in the eyes of each actor, thousands of thoughts were hidden!

Their eyes looked toward a few of the actresses: one was Kanako Higuchi, and the other was Mieko Harada... These two had both worked with Naoki Nagayama and had both been rumored to be in scandals with him.

I didn't expect them to come to audition with everyone this time~

"Please perform the scene on the script... Kijima-kun, you play the male lead..."

After Ito Shuichi Ito handed the script to the actress, he immediately started to make things difficult for Kijima Kyo. Who told you to dare to compete with me just now?!

"....."

Kijima Kyo was speechless, but in this room, besides him, there were Naoki Nagayama and Ito Shuichi Ito... both were superiors... so he could only play the supporting role for the actress~

After a segment of performance, Naoki Nagayama nodded in thanks:

"Arigato, let's stop here for today... The performance was excellent... We will notify you if there is news later..."

"Thank you, Director Nagayama..."

The actress seemed to want to increase her chances and even winked at Naoki Nagayama:

"I'm very much looking forward to working with Director Nagayama~ I will work very, very hard! I will do my best to meet all the director's requirements!"

"......"

Naoki Nagayama was slightly silent... What does "do my best" mean? Everyone is an adult, those who understand, understand~

"Cough, cough, ganbatte!"

After the actress went out, he sighed... In this entertainment industry, boys are still too dangerous!

"Naoki-san..." Ito Shuichi Ito said with a smile, "The actress just now has potential~"

In the arena of fame and fortune that is the entertainment industry, the winners are those who are ruthless to themselves! Either rely on talent, or work hard, or fight desperately, or... be willing to sacrifice...

"Yes, she should be able to get ahead in the future!"

"Next!"

The next one to walk in was the familiar Mieko Harada!

"Naoki-san, Ito Shuichi-san... Kijima-san... Good morning..."

Having worked with Tree Friends many times, Mieko Harada was quite familiar with the directors! So she was still very relaxed after coming in~

"Kanako-san..." Naoki Nagayama greeted with a smile. "Sashiburi... How have you been lately?"

"Hai, thanks to you, everything is very good..."

Since playing Satomi in "Tokyo Love Story," Kanako Higuchi's resources had risen again, reaching the level of a second-tier actress, and she had received many announcements and collaborations... However, she accepted very few.

If she wanted to continue to improve her status, she could only do it through films... And now she also had the confidence to choose.

After a few pleasantries, Naoki Nagayama handed the script to Kanako Higuchi...

"Come, this is today's script. Kijima-kun will act with you..."

"Hai!"

Naoki Nagayama was actually quite optimistic about Kanako Higuchi because she was a typical virtuous wife and good mother. Her appearance was a gentle and atmospheric round face, her features were soft and non-aggressive, and she was very beautiful... She looked like the type of girl next door.

After Kanako Higuchi looked at the short lines, she signaled that she was ready.

"Action!"

It was Ito Shuichi Ito who called it.

The segment auditioned today was the scene where the male lead is discovered by his wife to be working as a mortician, leading to her misunderstanding and even wanting to leave.

Kanako Higuchi and Kijima Kyo sat on both sides of the table. Kanako Higuchi looked at Kijima Kyo with an angry and uncomprehending expression:

"How can you do that kind of work? Don't you feel ashamed?!"

"Why should I feel ashamed? Because I have to touch corpses?"

Kanako Higuchi shook her head helplessly, as if she were helpless and uncomprehending of her husband's choice.

"I just hope you find a normal job!"

"What do you mean by normal?"

Kanako Higuchi looked at her originally gentle husband in disbelief, only to hear him say,

"Everyone will eventually die... I will, and you will too..."

"Don't preach to me, please resign! I beg you!" Kanako Higuchi said. "I have never asked you for anything before..."

"This time, I beg you!" Kanako Higuchi's face showed a sorrowful and pleading expression. "Can you listen to me just once?"

"What if... it doesn't work..." Kijima Kyo cooperated with the performance.

"Are you going to do this for the rest of your life?" Kanako Higuchi said sadly, and then could only use leaving as the final means. "I'm going back to my parents' house, come pick me up after you resign!"

"Mika!"

Kijima Kyo reached out to pull Kanako Higuchi to try to keep her, and the emotions that had been suppressed until now finally erupted. Kanako Higuchi pushed Kijima Kyo's hand away as if she were having a stress reaction, and shouted with a crying voice:

"Don't touch me! You're dirty!!!"

"......"

"Clap, clap, clap, clap~"

Naoki Nagayama and Ito Shuichi Ito both applauded. Both were shocked by this excellent performance...

"Kanako-san... the performance was excellent!"

"The suppression at the beginning, the outburst at the end, layer upon layer of foreshadowing!"

"The expression is also just right... there were even tears in your eyes..."

Kanako Higuchi had already adjusted her emotions. Just now, as the performance went deep, she also seemed to have entered the role of the female lead...

"Arigato..."

Naoki Nagayama and Ito Shuichi Ito looked at each other. They didn't continue to ask Kanako Higuchi to perform, but talked about other things:

"Kanako-san, do you know anything about the mortician profession?"

"When the elders in the family passed away, I had a little contact with it. I feel it is a very solemn profession... I subconsciously didn't dare to understand it~"

"Haha, people are always wary of death~"

Next, they talked about views on death, understanding of major life events, and so on.

In the end, Naoki Nagayama didn't give a definite answer, just like before:

"Kanako-san, let's stop here for today... You performed very well... If there are results, we will notify you later..."

"Hai... Thank you for your hard work, Naoki-san..."

"Not at all... Thank you for your hard work, Kanako-san..."

After Kanako Higuchi left, Ito Shuichi Ito had a look of doubt on his face and asked:

"Naoki-san, Kanako-san should be the most suitable one so far, right?"

"Indeed... both her image and acting skills are up to standard, and we have worked together before..." Naoki Nagayama didn't know either, he just felt something was missing. "If there is no better one, then let's choose Kanako-san... Anyway, let's look at the auditions of the following actors first..."

"Alright~"

Ito Shuichi Ito didn't interfere with Naoki Nagayama's decision. Film casting is definitely hoping for actors who are 100% suitable for the role, but that situation is rare... Sometimes when the feeling is right, it's about right.

"Next..."

The next one to come was the long-unseen Mieko Harada...

A white building stands in Kunitachi City, Tokyo, using the same white outer wall to strictly block the scenery inside. There are only some small vents on the wall, like some kind of military base~

This is the new home of Tomokazu Miura and Momoe Yamaguchi, built only a year ago, worth over 100 million.

Building it like this is also a helpless move. After all, there are always fans or paparazzi who want to disturb Momoe Yamaguchi's life. To avoid being photographed, they can only build it like a bunker...

In fact, many stars' homes are like this, using walls to separate ill-intentioned gazes.

Like Naoki Nagayama's Shanyingyuan, a luxury manor that directly buys the surrounding buildings and rebuilds them, using bamboo forests and gardens as partitions, is simply too expensive...

The Shanyingyuan bungalow at the beginning cost more than 500 million, and buying the small building next to it and rebuilding it, the total price exceeded 1 billion... Tomokazu Miura's new home was built with a loan!

"Mother of the children..."

Tomokazu Miura hugged his eldest son and said to Momoe Yamaguchi, who was taking care of their second son,

"There should be no problem this time, the male lead role will likely be me!"

"Has Naoki-san already decided?" Momoe Yamaguchi asked suspiciously.

"He has already hinted clearly to me!" Tomokazu Miura said. "I have already asked the agency to help find a music teacher. I have to practice the cello during this time!"

Momoe Yamaguchi still had some doubts in her heart, but as a virtuous wife, she wouldn't hit her husband at this time.

She smiled and gave praise:

"The children's father is amazing!"

"That's for sure..."

Tomokazu Miura can be said to be firmly held by his wife. After hearing the praise, he was very happy and played with the children at home.

"This time it's Naoki-san's film, the appearance fee must be quite a lot! Even if most of it has to be given to the agency, it can pay off some of our loans!"

Japanese agencies can be said to be flesh-and-blood factories. Almost 90% of the money earned by actors is extracted, and only 10% is left for the actors... This is still considered according to the rules...

Like an agency like Johnny's, idols can only get a normal monthly salary, and there is no commission... They are proper screws!

"Loans, huh..."

After Tomokazu Miura took his son to the courtyard, Momoe Yamaguchi sighed.

A loan of over 100 million is already an unbearable weight for ordinary people, impossible to pay off in a lifetime!

Although Momoe Yamaguchi had a high income when she was an idol, in order to leave the entertainment industry, she paid a lot of liquidated damages, which was almost another way of "leaving with nothing"... And her husband also had a poor career for several years because of her...

So after building the house, the two's life was even a bit tight... It only got better in the last two years.

But the end of paying off the loan was still far away...

Shaking her head, Momoe Yamaguchi chatted with Tomokazu Miura about the plot of "Departures" this time.

"I haven't seen the specific script, but from the situation of chatting with Naoki-san, it tells the experience of a cellist who becomes a mortician halfway..."

Tomokazu Miura said,

"In the middle, he also experienced the misunderstanding of family and friends, etc... Finally, from the original disgust and resistance to finally understanding the importance of this profession..."

Momoe Yamaguchi nodded:

"It looks like a warm film."

"Yes..." Tomokazu Miura said. "I also asked Naoki-san why he didn't perform himself this time... Because the male and female leads are a couple, it would be perfect to bring Akina-chan along~"

"What did he say?" Momoe Yamaguchi also became curious.

"Naoki-san said he had such an idea."

Tomokazu Miura said,

"But he felt his acting skills were not enough... This time the male and female leads need to express delicate and profound emotions, which is a test of acting skills... He can direct, but when it comes to performing, he is still a bit short..."

Looking at her husband's somewhat proud look, Momoe Yamaguchi praised again:

"Tomokazu, your acting skills are very impressive! You will definitely be able to perform very well!"

"Haha... That's for sure!"

At home, Tomokazu Miura seemed a bit relaxed.

Momoe Yamaguchi continued to ask:

"What about Akina-chan... Akina-chan's acting skills have improved very quickly! The eye acting in 'Ghost' was very outstanding!"

"Ah... Akina-chan..."

Tomokazu Miura shook his head,

"I guess Naoki-san doesn't want Akina to act opposite other male actors... It seems there are intimate scenes..."

"......."

Naoki Nagayama doesn't want his wife to act in intimate scenes with other men... This is indeed easy to understand!

Momoe Yamaguchi looked at Tomokazu Miura... She also doesn't want her husband to be too intimate with other women!

It's not that she doesn't trust Tomokazu Miura, but during the filming period, handsome men and beautiful women spend most of their time together for several months, and there are intimate scenes... Anyone could potentially fail to control themselves!

Didn't she and Tomokazu Miura act together in several films in a row, which is how they sparked?

"If Tomokazu and I were to act together again... would it be better..."

This thought subconsciously appeared in Momoe Yamaguchi's mind, and she was even surprised by her own thought.

Because if Momoe Yamaguchi and Tomokazu Miura were to join forces to perform again, the hot topic storm it would bring would definitely break through the entertainment industry!

The siege of fans, the paparazzi would pounce again, and even the father who was finally sent away before might cause some trouble again!

Also, the agency that reached an agreement on retirement before would definitely not agree!

Thinking of this, Momoe Yamaguchi hurriedly shook her head,

"No, I finally left the entertainment industry, I must never go back!"

(End of chapter)