Chapter 173: Surprise, motherf***er~

Strange ceiling...

Naoki Nagayama opened his eyes and remembered that he was in New York now.

Pulling open the curtains and opening the window, the cold wind blew away the little sleepiness directly.

The writer exchange activity is the day after tomorrow, which means Naoki Nagayama has a whole day today to stroll around New York.

After leisurely finishing breakfast in the Palm Court, Naoki Nagayama, wearing a high-collar sweater and cotton pants, and a khaki trench coat on the outside, went out with a camera.

Seeing the scene of the 80s from previous photos, it is a feeling of full saturation and bright colors, just like the live broadcast of later days, artificially adding a layer of beauty filter to the 80s.

New York in early March 1982 is cold and gray.

The men on the street wear thick gray suits or leather jackets, and the women are also thick coats and furs. The well-dressed and elegant in TV dramas basically do not exist on the real street, or perhaps Naoki Nagayama came at the wrong time?

Central Park, across the street from the New York Plaza Hotel, is naturally the first stop.

It seems that it rained again last night. The snow in Central Park melted slightly. The morning sun shot from the horizon, reflecting fine light on the wet surface of the park. The frozen branches are like crystal art pieces shining at this time.

Naoki Nagayama walked slowly through the park road, lifting his camera from time to time to shoot. The severe cold weather made the homeless people who should have stayed near the park disappear. Occasionally, people who came to enjoy the winter snow scenery could be seen in the park, and you could also see mounted police passing by slowly from the road.

"Naoki-san, are you sure you want to be alone?"

Kuniharu Morikawa of Shogakukan originally planned to assign a translator and tour guide to Naoki Nagayama, but Naoki Nagayama refused.

"I heard that the United States is very chaotic now, and New York is full of gang accidents."

Naoki Nagayama smiled: "Kuniharu-san, I know, happy America, shooting every day~"

"Don't worry, this time I am just playing in the prosperous Manhattan area, and I won't go to places like Brooklyn."

Kuniharu Morikawa was still a little worried: "Even so, what if you encounter danger if you go alone?"

Naoki Nagayama smiled confidently: "Daijoubu, Kuniharu-san, in fact, I have been working out, and I have also taken free fighting courses to film 'Attack the Gas Station', ordinary little hooligans can't get close to me."

Actually, when filming, after experiencing the melee of dozens of Yakuza, Naoki Nagayama's actual combat ability has improved.

What's more, relying on his experience of coming and going in New York in his previous life,

What problems can there be? It's not a child~

Naoki Nagayama toured happily. After crossing Central Park, he arrived at the Museum of the City of New York, and then went to the famous Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Asian skin color, young appearance, high-end clothing, holding a camera that doesn't look cheap, and there are no other people around, such people are "walking wallets" in the eyes of some people.

"Yo, Hank." The hooligan who had nothing to do and squatted in the leeward place of a building to bask in the sun poked his companion with his elbow, "Look at that guy over there."

"That Asian kid?" The black man named Hank wore a worn leather jacket with a cigarette in his hand, "Looks like a tourist."

"He is alone." Another thin and tall man leaning against the wall also took a look, "And tm is very rich, shit, that camera looks like it can be exchanged for a week of happy time."

"Pete, let us teach him, New York is not a place where yellowmonkey can run wild." The first hooligan to speak put on his hood, put his hands in his pockets and walked over.

According to reason, the hooligans in this era will not be arrogant enough to rob on the street in broad daylight, at least it is at night or in a quiet place, similar to places like subway stations, but who told Naoki Nagayama to look young, and he is an Asian tourist, and he is alone.

The three-person black group followed behind you, of course, it is easy to find, and they didn't intend to hide, several people looked at Naoki Nagayama fiercely, and approached step by step.

Anyway, even if tourists call the police, it doesn't matter, they are just here to see the scenery.

"wtf? Is New York so chaotic?"

Naoki Nagayama sensed malice. This is Manhattan, the most lively and prosperous place.

Although he didn't worry much, in order to avoid trouble, Naoki Nagayama still accelerated his pace and walked towards the place with many people.

The place with the most people in Manhattan is the Times Square, known as the "Crossroads of the World". In later blockbusters, you can see this place, and in the 80s, the prosperous shopping malls and theaters here were already famous.

However, it is winter now... Even here, there are not many pedestrians, only the huge Coca-Cola sign hangs in the cold wind.

"The three guys behind look like they have decided on me~"

Looking at the three black hooligans who were following with his peripheral vision, Naoki Nagayama was a little worried. The police wouldn't care about this situation.

Another cold wind blew, Naoki Nagayama shrank his neck. Not liking to wear hats and scarves is a bad habit. The sky was a bit cloudy, and the street was a bit dim.

Although there is no one in the square, the entertainment and shopping centers are not closed. Naoki Nagayama walked directly into a high-end clothing store. Before entering, he looked at the three hooligans, indicating that he had found them, hoping they would know the difficulties and retreat.

"Tate, that bitch even looked at me!" The thin and tall Pete obviously broke his head by taking drugs, and was about to rush up to grab Naoki Nagayama, "That bitch dared to look at me!"

"wait, Pete, that shop can't be entered." The guy named Tate is the leader of the three, "He is warning us, he found us~"

"Why? That bitch is provoking us!"

Hank, who was silent among the three, said: "There are security guards."

In this era, high-end shopping malls pay great attention to black people who are not well-dressed, and the security guards are armed.

"shit! Don't believe he won't come out!" Pete kicked the snow violently.

Naoki Nagayama didn't come here specifically to avoid the three-person gang. On the one hand, he wanted to buy a hat and a scarf. On the other hand, he also wanted to pick whether there were clothes that could be brought to his mother and Tsuruko.

If he picks it himself, it is estimated that it is not very suitable, but high-end clothing stores will always have professional sales.

The shop is large, but there are not many guests. A security guard stands behind the counter at the door. As soon as he enters the door, a beautiful blonde young lady walks over.

"Sir, I am the clerk of this shop, Lily. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Aesthetics sometimes do not distinguish between races. Seeing a handsome oriental gentleman, Lily grabbed the conversation before several other clerks.

"Thanks, my English name is William," Naoki Nagayama smiled, "I need a hat and scarf that can keep out the cold, and I also want to buy a gift for my mother and sister. Trouble you to help me pick it out~"

Hearing this tone that doesn't ask about the price at all, Lily's smile is even brighter. This must be a big order!

Lily led Naoki Nagayama to the VIP area on the second floor very diligently, and served coffee. 【

Lily very attentively led Naoki Nagayama to the VIP area on the second floor and even served him coffee.

"Mr. William, I will go help you pick out a hat and scarf first. Do you have any special requirements?"

"Cool tones will do."

"Very well, please wait a moment~"

The heating in the shop was turned up high. Naoki Nagayama took off his trench coat and set it aside. Through the second-floor window, he saw three black guys waiting at the corner next to the shop, constantly rubbing their hands and stomping their feet.

"Haha, you guys have a long wait ahead~"

Lily picked out items downstairs for a while before coming up with a small clothing rack, on which hung four or five hats and different types of scarves.

"Mr. William, these are hats and scarves matched to the outfit you are wearing. Would you like to see if any are suitable?"

As she spoke, she went to push over a full-length mirror, continuously introducing the pros and cons of the products during the process, and chatting about why he came to New York and so on.

Naoki Nagayama tried on gray, black, brown, and dark blue hats. Without agonizing over it, he directly chose a narrow-brimmed gray bowler hat and, following Lily's recommendation, chose a blue and white patterned scarf.

"William, this blue and white scarf fits a writer's temperament very well."

Looking at the effect in the mirror, the bright touch of the scarf neutralized the overall cool color tone, making it look youthful and energetic without being too eye-catching.

"Lily, it looks very good. I'll take your word for it!"

"Next, I need to choose for my mother. She..." Naoki Nagayama described the age and height of his mother, Nanako, and Tsuruko, as well as the style they usually liked.

But at this moment, Lily advised:

"William, if it were a female customer buying clothes for a female relative, I would suggest buying clothes because most know each other's preferences and characteristics. But for Mr. William, I would suggest buying some accessories for matching, such as silk scarves, belts, bags, and the like."

"Oh? Wouldn't you guys not be able to make money that way?"

"Thinking for the customer is the most important thing."

Lily revealed a kind of sincere smile; this must be the confidence that only a century-old shop possesses.

To thank Lily for her sincerity, Naoki Nagayama still picked out a few more silk scarves to take with him.

Anyway, he could give them to many people when he went back~

When Naoki Nagayama paid, he put on the hat and scarf directly, asked the shop to wrap the silk scarves, and incidentally, along with the camera, helped deliver them to the New York Plaza Hotel.

The few items bought in this high-end clothing store were actually more expensive than the camera, so he naturally didn't worry about anything. He also took an umbrella from the shop, which was originally there for the convenience of customers.

While paying, Lily sent over a slip of paper with a phone number written on it and even gave him a wink:

"Mr. William, if you have any other questions, you can call me~"

American girls are truly enthusiastic~

After exiting the shop, snowflakes began to fall on the street.

He glanced at the three thugs staying in the sheltered corner; they hadn't reacted yet.

Naoki Nagayama strode toward the other side, and those three guys only slowly followed.

"Still not giving up? You really have perseverance~"

Seeing that it was almost noon, from morning until now, the distance he had walked was not short. Naoki Nagayama found another high-end restaurant on the street...

"Shit, that son of a bitch!"

Pete was trembling all over, his eyes red, looking as if he couldn't control himself. He wasn't cold; he was a junkie having withdrawal symptoms.

Hank said from the side: "Tate, Pete, that cunning rabbit has already left the camera at the clothing store."

The meaning was that there was no need to continue following.

The thug leader Tate was also suppressing his anger at this time: "Damn guy, he must have a lot of money on him! Even if he doesn't have money, we have to teach him a lesson for daring to provoke us!"

Naoki Nagayama was sitting by the window and could directly see the figures of the three guys shivering in the cold wind.

However, they still didn't dare to barge into the high-end restaurant.

Naoki Nagayama enjoyed the warm French beef stew and borscht while glancing out the window a few times. This wasn't him trying to provoke them; it was just that the waiter had led him to this seat.

However, happiness is indeed something that comes from comparison; the food in his mouth tasted even more delicious.

After finishing his meal, Naoki Nagayama sat in his seat digesting and thinking. These guys seemed determined to follow him, but after observing for so long, he didn't feel like any of them were carrying guns.

Could it be that they were really just poor and desperate lowlifes who thought he was easy to bully and wanted to extort money?

But this kind of simple stalking, before a robbery actually happens, the American police wouldn't pay attention to it, let alone when he was a foreigner.

He had to find a way to solve it once and for all!

Having made up his mind, Naoki Nagayama didn't hesitate too much, paid, and left the restaurant directly.

The light snow falling on the street slightly obscured the trio's line of sight. When they noticed, Naoki Nagayama was already walking quickly toward the other side.

"F**k, the damn guy is going to run!" Pete threw away the cigarette in his hand and ran to follow.

Running on a snow-covered street was not a good idea. Pete was already suffering from withdrawal, and without paying attention, he took a big fall on the street.

Watching Naoki Nagayama walk quickly to the intersection at the corner of the street, his body turned and he was already gone. Tate hurriedly shouted:

"Hank, forget about Pete, catch up first."

"Yeah, catch him first!" Pete on the ground was still relentless, "I'll catch up."

The two left Pete behind and ran quickly toward the street corner.

Who knew that just as they turned, a black umbrella struck Tate's leg, causing him to lose his balance and fall heavily to the ground;

while Hank on the other side felt a spray of white snowflakes coming at his face. He quickly raised his hands to protect his eyes, and then felt a heavy blow to his leg, causing him to fall to the ground as well;

the two were almost stunned by the fall. When they came to their senses, they saw this good-looking Asian man bending over, holding two spray paint cans toward them:

"Surprise, motherf**ker!!!"

Everything went black before their eyes, followed by blinding pain...

"~~F*k, f*k! %... %*..." The two thugs rolled on the ground, mouths full of profanity, in extreme pain.

Naoki Nagayama stood up quickly and said to the terrified black guy next to him who was carrying a bag and looked like he was doing spray painting:

"Run!"

By the time the two stopped at a corner, panting for breath, the black guy finally reacted:

"Why did I have to run?"

"They have one more person~" Naoki Nagayama caught his breath, "But they shouldn't be able to catch up."

There were still two guys to take care of.

"Then why did I have to run? This has nothing to do with me!" The black guy looked very unhappy; he still had a few cans of spray paint left there.

Naoki Nagayama could see that this guy actually didn't have a bad heart. "Hahaha, they won't listen to your explanation~"

"How about this, I'll pay you for your spray paint~"

"I don't want it!"

The black guy refused firmly, which was quite different from the personality of black people in his impression.

"Move!"

The black guy walked past Naoki Nagayama sullenly,

then suddenly saw the red brick wall next to the alley, as if he had suddenly found inspiration,

and took out the spray cans from his backpack to start graffitiing.

"This guy, interesting~"

------------------ Side note ------------------

Dreamt of Akina-chan last night, and I've been in a great mood all day today~ I've been addicted to "inhaling" Akina and haven't been in the mood to write, so it's a bit late~