Chapter 1211

In the evening, because Akina had to work, Naoki Nagayama returned early. With at least one of the parents accompanying her, little Xia Hua wouldn't feel lonely or afraid.

However, seeing the happy way the little one was harassing and bullying Miao Taro on the carpet, Naoki Nagayama felt that perhaps his daughter wasn't such a fragile child...

At this moment, the big orange cat's tail was bitten, and it raised its front paws to give a claw, but after seeing little Xia Hua, it hesitated and finally just patted her lightly.

Then it looked up at Naoki Nagayama on the side, meowed twice, and signaled with a helpless look:

"Aren't you going to discipline your little cub?! If you don't discipline her... watch out, I..."

Ying Taro on the side was full of envy, wishing he could replace Miao Taro's position, but unfortunately, his body was too large, his tail hurt when he hit people, and it wasn't convenient for the little master to play with...

Miao Taro's threat received no reply because Naoki Nagayama was answering the phone~

"Hmm, I see..." Naoki Nagayama said to the phone, "I might not have time tomorrow, how about signing it a bit later in the evening?"

"What, send it directly to Shanying Yuan?"

"That would really be troubling Kuniharu-san..."

The person calling was Kuniharu Morikawa from Shogakukan. The publishing contract for "Full House" was already prepared, and he could go sign it at any time.

Since Naoki Nagayama didn't have time, he planned to send it directly to Shanying Yuan in the evening.

After hanging up the phone, Naoki Nagayama saw his daughter standing in front of him curiously, staring at the phone in his hand without blinking.

Naoki Nagayama didn't use the phone much at home. Come to think of it, this was the first time he had answered the phone while alone with Xia Hua.

"What's wrong? Does Hua-chan want to make a call too?"

Naoki Nagayama smiled and handed the receiver, which was about the same size as Xia Hua's head, to her.

"Then let's try... say Moxi Moxi..."

Little Xia Hua took the receiver without any fear, held it to her ear with both hands with some effort, just like her father had just done:

"..." "Momo-xi..."

"Ha~"

Seeing this cute appearance, Naoki Nagayama wished he could take a picture with his phone and post it to his social circle... He understood now why so many parents liked to show off their babies~

After playing with little Xia Hua for a while, seeing that the time was about right, he hugged little Xia Hua and turned on the TV.

The TV screen was playing a TBS program, which was "The Best Ten" that Akina was participating in today.

"Mom will appear on TV in a while~" Naoki Nagayama said to little Xia Hua in his arms, "We won't go to the scene today, let's watch Mom dance at home, okay?"

"Okay~"

Xia Hua, who could already understand many words, nodded, which made Naoki Nagayama very gratified.

Following the performances of one idol singer after another who were lower on the charts, Akina finally appeared at the end.

The little one, who was originally a bit sleepy, was a bit unfamiliar at first when she saw Akina wearing stage costumes and heavy makeup, but perhaps she recognized the voice and suddenly became excited.

She pointed at the person on the TV screen and looked up happily to share with Naoki Nagayama:

"Mom... Mom is there!"

"Hmm, on TV."

Naoki Nagayama nodded and hugged the little one closer to the TV.

"Soon, Mom is going to dance!"

Little Xia Hua's hand was about to reach the screen. Seeing the music start, Akina, wearing Hermes silk scarf clothing, began to dance. The cheerful rhythm made Xia Hua shake her head, and she seemed very happy.

After the program ended, the little one looked at Naoki Nagayama and asked:

"Mom... return?"

"Mom will be back in the evening, Hua-chan go to sleep first, and you'll see her when you open your eyes again~"

The next morning, the firm biological clock woke Naoki Nagayama up on time.

Turning his head to look, Akina's fair, bare face was tilted towards him, but there was a small body sandwiched between them, and little Xia Hua was sleeping soundly.

Xia Hua, who could already sleep through the night, really made things a lot easier.

Without disturbing Akina, who had returned very late yesterday, Naoki Nagayama got up quietly and made a Chinese-style breakfast for himself for the first time in a long while.

When the aroma of food filled the kitchen, Akina came down holding her sleepy daughter:

"Naoki-san, why didn't you call me?"

"Anyway, there's nothing to do today, Akina can sleep a little longer..."

"But I have to go to the training class today to learn English!"

Akina placed little Xia Hua in a specific seat and then made milk powder for her.

"I plan to let Hua-chan listen too..."

"Eh... Hua-chan?"

Naoki Nagayama asked subconsciously.

"What is Hua-chan going to do? She can't understand."

"Language ability needs to be cultivated from a young age!" Akina said. "When she grows up, she will be able to speak fluent foreign languages!"

"..." "Isn't this too early?"

"What's early about this? In 6 years she'll be in elementary school, in 12 years she'll be in Komaba Junior High, in 15 years she can go to Keika Girls' High School, and in 18 years she'll have to take the entrance exam for Waseda University! Can't relax at all!"

Akina, who was clearly a poor student, was very attentive to her daughter's studies, as if she had already planned the direct path to Waseda University!

"..."

Naoki Nagayama's eyes met little Xia Hua's ignorant eyes, and he seemed to see a prompt board floating behind the little one, with "6852 days until the college entrance exam!" written on it.

However, facing the ambitious Akina at this time, Naoki Nagayama didn't pour cold water on her directly, but looked at Xia Hua and said:

"Eh... Hua-chan, Ganbatte!"

"Ah?" Little Xia Hua shuddered all over and woke up from the morning sleepiness!

Anyway, when the daughter grows up, she will know if she is material for studying, and it's not like she has to take this hard path of being a scholar.

Even if she doesn't study, he can support her:

"Hua-chan, come eat the wontons Dad made!"

This morning, Naoki Xia Hua ate wontons blown cool by her father for the first time, and the light fresh and meaty taste made her like it very much~

In the Shuyou building, the editing of "Departures" was as smooth as flowing water, even giving the participating Shu Mudao a feeling of being so happy that he forgot to return home.

After all, being able to watch an excellent work slowly take shape in his own hands is definitely what an editor likes most.

What's more, there was absolutely none of the hardship and distress when he was editing "Ginza Tiger", only listening to Naoki Nagayama's instructions, and the smoothness of success.

At noon, Tomohiko Sugiyama from the publicity department came to find Naoki Nagayama:

"Naoki-san, the heat of the previous completion press has passed. Although the recent warm-up publicity is very successful, it lacks more realistic materials..."

"So... you want publicity materials?"

"Hai, please select a portion of the edited materials for us to use in publicity."

Tomohiko Sugiyama nodded.

"Also, may I ask when the teaser trailer will be completed?"

Naoki Nagayama thought for a while:

"The trailer is quite fast, Shu Mudao and I will just edit one in the next two days... As for publicity materials, we can use some behind-the-scenes for now..."

Naoki Nagayama found a film reel labeled "Behind-the-scenes" from the materials:

"Everything inside can be used... but it's better to do it in batches..."

"Hai!" After Tomohiko Sugiyama accepted it with great satisfaction, he continued to ask, "Naoki-san, 'Kinema Junpo' wants to interview you, what do you think?"

"'Kinema Junpo'? Interview me?"

"Hai... it seems they saw the previous reports and became interested in the Oscar-aiming statement."

Tomohiko Sugiyama explained.

"So they contacted us, hoping to do a special interview, wanting to imitate 'Time' magazine and feature Naoki-san as the Movie Person of the Year..."

"Oh? Movie Person of the Year?!"

Naoki Nagayama touched his chin, which had no stubble, feeling a bit curious.

He had been on magazine covers before, but that was because he was handsome and was actually a fashion model... This time it was because of his influence in the film industry.

And... it seemed there was nothing major besides editing during this period...

"Alright, let's set a time..."

"Hai, then I'll go handle it!"

After Tomohiko Sugiyama left, Shu Mudao sighed with some envy:

"Naoki-san is actually going to do an exclusive interview with 'Kinema Junpo'... I wonder when I'll be able to be on a magazine cover!"

"..." "Shu-kun, don't be discouraged, as long as you polish your Rolex until it shines, others will definitely notice!"

Taking advantage of the lunch break, Naoki Nagayama took a walk to the anime department.

"Naoki-san..." "Naoki-san, you're here!" "Naoki-san?" "..."

The artists on the fifth floor now all knew Naoki Nagayama, and they were very enthusiastic when greeting him, completely lacking the introversion of manga workers.

"Hmm, everyone continue to rest, I'm just here to take a look..."

The leader said he was just taking a look, how could it be just taking a look?!

Before long, Gosho Aoyama and Yoshihiro Togashi walked over:

"Naoki-san, do you have any instructions? Or is there something wrong with 'Slam Dunk'?"

"No, no, really just here to take a look."

Naoki Nagayama was invited into their office by the two, and looking at the rows of "Dragon Ball" manga on the office bookshelf, Naoki Nagayama randomly pulled one out to read.

"Sure enough, manga like 'Dragon Ball' is very interesting! The hot-blooded adventure of teenagers..."

He glanced at the two who were a bit reserved, and an idea sprang up in his heart.

"Gosho-kun... Togashi-lao... little brother!"

The word "lao zei" (old thief) almost popped out, Naoki Nagayama hurriedly bit his tongue to change it.

"Ahem... I'm just chatting casually~"

"Now that 'Slam Dunk' is on the right track, it only needs one editor-in-chief to maintain it... Do you two have any thoughts of starting another manga to try?"

His focus was mainly on Yoshihiro Togashi. Gosho Aoyama could forget it; he only studied how to commit murder in a locked room, which didn't fit the kingly manga of hot-blooded adventure.

As for "Detective Conan", let's wait until before the national tournament of "Slam Dunk"! Anyway, the death-god elementary school student in this manga wouldn't age for decades!

"New manga?"

Gosho Aoyama and Yoshihiro Togashi were both a bit surprised and looked at each other.

"Does Naoki-san have any new ideas?"

Ideas, of course, he had. The three major migrant manga hadn't come out yet. Any one of them could be updated until the new century.

However, there was an original author who made him feel the pain of being a eunuch...

"I don't have any for the time being..." Naoki Nagayama looked at Yoshihiro Togashi. "Little brother Togashi, I heard you like watching hot-blooded manga! Do you have any good ideas?"

"Eh..."

Yoshihiro Togashi was a bit strange, but he really liked kingly hot-blooded manga.

"If you ask me all of a sudden, it seems like I don't have any... but at the beginning of the year, I drew a few manga stories about ghosts on a whim..."

"Ghosts?" In Japan, it means ghosts.

Naoki Nagayama immediately thought of "YuYu Hakusho"... although it wasn't "Hunter x Hunter" which he hoped for most, it was also a very classic manga.

"Haha, since there is a direction, then try it! Go to 'Weekly Shonen Sunday' to test the water!"

"This..."

Yoshihiro Togashi was a bit embarrassed. This wasn't Naoki Nagayama's work.

"'Weekly Shonen Sunday' isn't something you can just get on..."

"Daijobu, I can let Shogakukan give you more tilt..." Naoki Nagayama said. "I'm about to publish a novel recently, and my relationship with Shogakukan is very good now!"

"..."

Although he usually hated people with connections, when this person with connections was himself... it was really fragrant!

"Hai, I will start perfecting this story from now on!"

Yoshihiro Togashi was in high spirits. As a manga artist, who wouldn't want to draw a manga that belonged entirely to themselves!

"Hmm... but one thing!"

Naoki Nagayama urged.

"Once you start serialization, you can't give up halfway... If you become a eunuch halfway, it will destroy my reputation..."

When he said this, Naoki Nagayama's tone dropped.

"Then I might let you taste what it feels like to have nothing down there!"

"..." "Absolutely not!"

Looking at his boss's expression, a drop of cold sweat dripped from Yoshihiro Togashi's forehead... Naoki-san is joking, right!

He must be joking, right?!

However, in Yoshihiro Togashi's mind, the rumors that the old employees of Shuyou said that Naoki Nagayama had underworld background and liked to cut off people's little fingers and bury them under cherry blossom trees... such urban legend-like rumors were talked about with relish by the old employees.

His heart was instantly terrified!

"No matter what, absolutely cannot become a eunuch!"

Naoki Nagayama, who came out of the "Slam Dunk" working group, was in a very happy mood. This time he had truly cut off Yoshihiro Togashi's future of dragging his feet and taking breaks, right?!

With a good mood, he came to the area of Studio Ghibli...

"Naoki-san?" Hayao Miyazaki stood up immediately after seeing Naoki Nagayama.

"Miyazaki-kun, I'm just here to take a look..." Naoki Nagayama smiled. "How is the production of 'My Neighbor Totoro'? Is it going smoothly?"

"Ah! Hai!"

Hayao Miyazaki nodded hurriedly.

"Everything is currently being produced step by step, the artists we hired are all working seriously... The production process is also very smooth."

"There is absolutely no problem completing the film as expected!"

"That's good!"

Naoki Nagayama was very satisfied and went to take a look at the completed drawings with Hayao Miyazaki. They were almost filling the entire storage cabinet!

It is said that when "My Neighbor Totoro" is completely finished, the manuscript paper for the entire film might be able to fill a storage room!

This is the difficulty of making animated films entirely by hand in the old days~

"When it's released at the end of the year, I'll take my daughter to see the movie!"

"Hai, it will definitely satisfy Naoki-san!"

After encouraging the two manga groups, Naoki Nagayama returned to the editing room with satisfaction and continued the editing work of "Departures".

At the same time, outside the Shuyou building, some voices of opposition that Naoki Nagayama hadn't noticed were slowly rising among the members of the Diet...