Chapter 1209

In the exclusive banquet hall of the Tokyo Prince Hotel, the completion disclosure event for 'Departures' was about to be held.

This disclosure event attracted the attention of the entire Tokyo media circle. All reporters, big and small, wanted to come to the scene for interviews. Those tabloids that hadn't received invitations even came to the Shuyou Building in person to request them...

Due to Naoki Nagayama's huge fame today, as well as Momoe Yamaguchi's topicality, of course... Tomokazu Miura also deserved some credit.

In short, due to their influence, the completion disclosure event for 'Departures' almost became another carnival for the entertainment industry, and even TV stations sent people to broadcast it live.

To ensure the venue was large enough to accommodate everyone, Shuyou's Publicity Department had to book the Tokyo Prince Hotel.

On the day of the disclosure event, reporters from all walks of life began to gather at the entrance of the Prince Hotel very early.

Waiting time is always boring. Yusuke Kosaka, a gold-medal reporter for the Tokyo Sports Newspaper, was chatting with his partner, cameraman Ranto Ishizaki.

"When is the disclosure event?"

"9:30 in the morning."

"Then why did we come at 8 o'clock?"

"Of course, for the last good spot! Location is very important!"

Speaking of this, Yusuke Kosaka became excited and began to repeat his glorious deeds that he had repeated hundreds of times,

"Back in the day, I found a spot at the entrance, which allowed me to catch up with the car... That's how I got the solid information about Naoki Nagayama and Akina Nakamori's relationship, and was able to announce it to the public for the first time!"

"This scoop forged my name as a gold-medal reporter, Yusuke Kosaka!"

"..."

Cameraman Ranto Ishizaki remained silent. Over the years, this guy had said this countless times! It was just a coincidence that he caught up with Naoki Nagayama's car~

Besides, I was there too, and I was the one who took the image data!

Not wanting to continue rehashing old news with an old friend, Ranto Ishizaki turned to look at the end of the road, as if a car could appear at any time:

"But what are we going to interview today... Naoki Nagayama and Momoe Yamaguchi are indeed very topical, but now both of them have families, so we can't gossip, right? At most, we can only ask about the movie and work..."

"What do you mean we can't gossip?! The gossip after marriage is the most explosive!!"

Yusuke Kosaka hated that he couldn't live up to expectations,

"Look, this is why I'm a gold-medal reporter and you're just a cameraman!"

"Let me tell you a piece of inside information: Naoki Nagayama was once a loyal fan of Momoe Yamaguchi, and he even once tried to commit suicide out of sadness because Momoe Yamaguchi retired!"

"Uh... wasn't this debunked... No media dared to report it."

"What debunked?! Everyone was just afraid of Shuyou's influence!"

Once such inside information came out, it was naturally suppressed by Shuyou immediately...

Otomo Yoshimura threatened directly: Dare to report this pure slander? Do you believe that from now on you won't be able to report on the news hot spots of several top artists under my Shuyou?!

Only then was the inside information suppressed~

"I actually have a guess!" Yusuke Kosaka said mysteriously, "Naoki Nagayama was hurt by love at the time, which stimulated his potential. Afterward, he worked hard to create music, film movies, and establish Shuyou..."

"Until today, everything he has done is to make the goddess who once retired return to the stage!!! He might even be thinking of flying together..."

"..."

What kind of cool novel plot is this...

Ranto Ishizaki was helpless:

"Momoe Yamaguchi has a husband! In 'Departures', they are still playing a couple!"

"What do you know? This is the strange hobby of rich people, something like 'seeing it before the husband'..."

"Yusuke Kosaka, is this your fetish?!!"

"You're talking nonsense..."

Just as the two were talking nonsense to each other, a Rolls-Royce Silver Spur slowly drove from afar.

"It's a stretched Silver Spur!" "Naoki Nagayama's car..." "He's here, he's here..." "..."

In Japanese society, which emphasizes low-key, Naoki Nagayama's stretched Rolls-Royce Silver Spur was already very prominent. Media reporters knew at a glance that the organizer of 'Departures' had arrived.

Sure enough, two high-end Mercedes-Benz cars followed closely behind... This was also a feature of Shuyou; high-end business cars were all Mercedes...

When passing the entrance of the Prince Hotel, Naoki Nagayama rolled down the window and waved to the reporters outside, causing a commotion...

In the car behind, Momoe Yamaguchi and Tomokazu Miura also rolled down the windows, making the atmosphere even more enthusiastic.

With this lineup, those who didn't know would think it was the Prime Minister or someone~

"Naoki-san... our crew members will come at noon. Should there be fewer reporters by then?"

Kijima Xu, who came with Naoki Nagayama, asked. The wrap-up banquet was arranged after the completion disclosure event, and the banquet hall was also just right for eating.

"There will still be some media who have a good relationship with us left..."

Naoki Nagayama said,

"After all, the wrap-up banquet is also good reporting material, we must give our friends more scoops."

"Is that so..."

In that case, Kijima Xu was worried that everyone wouldn't have a good time at the wrap-up banquet.

"It's fine... the rest are all friends, just treat them as our companions... they won't report anything negative!"

"Hmm."

With the arrival of the organizers, the reporters gathered outside were soon invited into the banquet hall.

In the main seat of the large banquet hall, the stage for the press conference had already been set up. The background, flowers, posters, and banners were all there, and the venue was decorated very luxuriously.

The reporters who came in also began to arrange themselves in a semi-elliptical shape in front of the main stage.

Long microphones, jib cameras, and tripod cameras were all installed in place under the direction of the staff.

By the time it was 9:30, the banquet hall became noisy, and more than half of the banquet hall was full of people...

"Knock knock..."

The host patted the microphone twice with his hand, partly to test the sound and partly to attract everyone's attention,

"Minna-san, quiet... please be quiet..."

So, the reporters from all walks of life gradually quieted down and focused their attention on the host.

"Next, Shuyou Film, 'Departures' completion disclosure event is about to begin... Before that, I will repeat the interview rules to everyone again..."

The host reiterated rules similar to "interview in order," "one question at a time," "no loud noise," "those who disrupt the scene will be asked to leave," etc.

And then, after asking the staff, it officially began.

"Minna-san... the time is almost up."

The host had a smile on his face,

"Our completion disclosure event today officially begins... Next, let's welcome the creative team of 'Departures'!"

Following his words, Naoki Nagayama walked out from a small door on the side of the main stage first, followed by Tomokazu Miura, Momoe Yamaguchi, and other lead actors.

The sound of shutters and flashlights enveloped them instantly. The reporters present also applauded enthusiastically, each of them looking like star chasers...

"Naoki-san~" The host saw that everyone was seated and didn't delay, starting the process directly, "Seeing media friends after a long time, what are your thoughts?"

"Ah..."

Naoki Nagayama picked up the microphone and looked at the reporters,

"Feeling... it seems like it hasn't been long since the production disclosure event for 'Departures'... and we're meeting everyone again!"

"Hahaha~" "It really hasn't been long, less than three months?" "Can only say Director Naoki films too fast..." "..."

As soon as Naoki Nagayama's words came out, the reporters present laughed. Speaking of which, it seemed like the news of Momoe Yamaguchi's return was just yesterday!

"However, after such a long period of filming, the filming work for 'Departures' has come to an end, and next is the important editing work!"

"That means there is still a lot of work to do!"

The host echoed, then looked at the Miura couple next to him,

"Mr. Miura... Ms. Momoe, what are your thoughts on participating in Naoki Nagayama's movie this time?"

Tomokazu Miura spoke first:

"Naoki-san's movie filming work is very efficient... faster than any movie I've filmed before... this is my biggest thought!"

When Momoe Yamaguchi took the microphone, the sound of shutters clearly sped up:

"Everyone knows... I haven't filmed a movie for a long time... so I was a bit fearful before filming."

"However, during filming, the guidance given by Naoki-san was very precise, and the filming efficiency was very high... Naoki-san is truly a very amazing director! This is my biggest thought..."

After hearing the two's words, Naoki Nagayama picked up the microphone:

"Tomokazu-san, Momoe-san, if you keep praising me like this, the reporters will think I hired you as shills!"

These words made the reporters laugh again:

"Haha~" "Pfft..." "Yeah, yeah..." "..."

Next, the host also let other supporting actors speak, including the actor who played the veteran mortician, and the third lead in the same group, etc.

However, the reporters' main focus was still on the director and the two leads. Gradually, the topic returned to them.

"Next, enter the Q&A session..."

The host held a wireless microphone and began to pick reporters. The first one was naturally a reporter arranged in advance, asking some normal questions:

"Director Naoki, may I ask, when will the movie 'Departures' be released?!"

"Ah... about that... with my editing skills, I estimate it will take more than a month to edit."

Naoki Nagayama replied directly,

"So it should be released at the end of July. The specific time can only be determined after the preview event is held."

"End of July? I understand... Arigato!"

The microphone was transferred to the next reporter:

"Director Naoki... we heard that you want to use this 'Departures' to hit the Oscar awards, is it true?"

Hearing this, Naoki Nagayama was stunned for a moment, then nodded:

"Haha... a director who doesn't want to win an Oscar isn't a good director! I have a lot of confidence in this 'Departures'. If it can win an Oscar, that would naturally be the best!"

Many reporters had smiles on their faces, and the headlines in their hearts were already taken, just called "Naoki Nagayama aims for the Oscars, says he is full of confidence!" or "Naoki Nagayama says, if 'Departures' doesn't win an Oscar, he isn't a good director!"

The following reporters asked the entire creative team questions, and both Tomokazu Miura and Momoe Yamaguchi were asked questions... Until after the first ten or so questions, the following ones were not shills...

A reporter had been holding back for a long time. After getting the microphone, he pointed directly at Momoe Yamaguchi:

"Momoe-san... may I ask if you think the life of being a housewife at home is interesting, or is the life of filming movies after returning to the stage better?"

This reporter was malicious. No matter which one Momoe Yamaguchi answered, it would destroy her persona.

"Both of these are very interesting~"

The reporter was not satisfied:

"If you can only choose one?"

Perhaps because she had been with Naoki Nagayama for a long time, Momoe Yamaguchi's answer was a bit more domineering than before:

"How can I only choose one... family and work, I don't want to let go of either..."

"But this is like fish and bear's paw, you can't have both!"

Momoe Yamaguchi smiled and glanced at Naoki Nagayama:

"For such a long time, I have learned one thing from Director Naoki Nagayama... actually, fish and bear's paw can be had together... as long as you have enough... confidence!"

Actually, it's enough to have enough money! With money, you can hire a nanny for your children, and you can go home to see your children at any time... With money, you can save meaningless effort and focus on important things...

Just like Naoki Nagayama and his wife, Akina Nakamori and Naoki Nagayama's careers are flourishing, but their family is also very harmonious...

That reporter was still not satisfied, but the microphone had been taken away and given to the next questioner.

"Mr. Tomokazu Miura..." the new reporter asked, "Is there any difference between playing a couple in a movie and being at home?"

"... Of course there's a difference..."

Tomokazu Miura also made a joke,

"There aren't so many cameras at home! And not so many eyes watching..."

"Hahaha~" The reporter laughed, "Any other aspects?"

Hearing this question, Tomokazu Miura thought seriously:

"The family life in 'Departures', or rather the couple relationship, is very real and grounded... but in such ordinary daily life, it contains everything that moves people... Naoki-san dug out this kind of emotion!"

"I'm looking forward to the day this movie is released, I think everyone will be moved too!"

The sound of clapping rang out. Naoki Nagayama actually took the lead in applauding, and the reporters present had to applaud along.

In the subsequent interviews, some reporters also asked some tricky questions, such as "How is the relationship between the Nagayama couple and the Miura couple?", "Did Akina Nakamori come to visit the set?", "What is Naoki Nagayama's image in Momoe Yamaguchi's heart?", etc.

However, the few people on stage had seen a lot, and they just went with the flow, and no one dug deeper into the old stories of Naoki Nagayama and Momoe Yamaguchi~

Until the end, a reporter asked:

"Ms. Momoe Yamaguchi... after 'Departures', will you release a retirement declaration? Will you return to the singing stage?"

"..."

Momoe Yamaguchi paused, thinking about the busyness and satisfaction of this period, thinking about the paparazzi and fans who had disappeared near her home, and thinking about her husband's future career, she said slowly,

"No... I look forward to continuing to film the next movie!"

"Then will you return to the singing stage?!"

"That probably won't happen... In the future, I will develop more in the direction of an actor... As for singing, maybe I will occasionally release a record to thank those fans who have always supported me..."

"Arigato..."

The interview for the disclosure event ended, and most of the reporters present got the material they wanted. Some impatient ones had already rushed back to write their drafts.

And in the banquet hall of the Tokyo Prince Hotel, the wrap-up banquet was in full swing.

All members of the 'Departures' crew came, the tables in the banquet hall were almost full... and several media outlets that were on good terms with Shuyou were also taking photos.

Otomo Yoshimura and Ito Shuichi Ido, the two Shuyou executives, also arrived at the scene and spoke kindly to the employees.

When the dishes were served and the tempting aroma of food made people distracted, Naoki Nagayama knocked on his glass and stood up... The entire banquet hall began to quiet down.

Everyone was waiting for Naoki Nagayama to speak~

"Minna-san..." Naoki Nagayama walked to the middle of the banquet hall with a wine glass, "Thank you for your hard work during such a long filming period!"

"Today is the wrap-up banquet for 'Departures'... please everyone raise your glasses together!"

"Count to three... let's toast together!"

"1~2~3..." Naoki Nagayama took the lead in raising his glass and shouted, "Cheers!"

"Cheers!!" XN

The crew members shouted in unison and then drank the wine in their hands...

After this glass was finished, the next was naturally a more lively banquet. At this time, there was no distinction between big and small.

The crew members toasted each other, laughed and talked happily... After three rounds of drinks, when the atmosphere was at its peak, someone brought a microphone, invited a performance band, and began to sing on stage~

Momoe Yamaguchi also sang her famous song 'The Dancing Girl of Izu' under the encouragement of everyone.

"

Kawaii odoriko ozashiki meguri (The cute Izu dancing girl travels through this banquet)

Shamisen to taiko no shoji mado (The figure playing the shamisen and drum is reflected on the paper window)

"

The light and melodious melody, the lingering girl's heart, seemed to make people feel that the once youthful and beautiful Momoe Yamaguchi had returned.

After the song was finished, there was constant applause at the scene...

However, at this time, Momoe Yamaguchi, who had been drinking, seemed to be much more open than usual and handed the microphone directly to Naoki Nagayama:

"Naoki-san, you should sing one too!"

"Eh?" Naoki Nagayama declined, "I only know how to write, not how to sing! My wife sings very well... but she didn't come today~"

"Who says so?!" Ito Shuichi Ido dismantled him from the side, "Naoki-san sang very well at the wedding banquet!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Otomo Yoshimura also secretly encouraged, "Sing one, sing one..."

Soon, the sound of "Sing one, sing one" rang out in the banquet hall.

Naoki Nagayama walked to the middle with the microphone helplessly. Having drunk, he was a bit high and communicated with the band for a few sentences:

"There's really no way with you all..."

"Since that's the case, I'll dedicate 'Until the End of the World' to everyone!"

"

Daitokai ni boku wa mou hitori de (In the cold big city, I have been alone for too long)

Nagesuterareta akikan no you da (Like a discarded empty can)

"

(End of chapter)