Chapter 180

The warm sunlight woke up Naoki Nagayama, who was sleeping soundly in his room.

After more than half a month of cold mornings, suddenly enjoying the warm sunlight was a very unique experience.

The alcohol from last night had long been metabolized by his young body. After washing up, it was another spirited day.

In the Millennium Hotel's restaurant, Naoki Nagayama ordered fried eggs, grilled sausages, bacon, milk, and croissants—a standard Western breakfast. While eating at the table, he remembered the promise from last night.

On a sudden impulse, he said he would take Akina to Disneyland after her work was finished... This meant that he had to stay in Los Angeles for another 10-plus days!

How was he going to pass the time? Could it be that he would spend a week sunbathing on the beaches of Los Angeles?

Eh? It seems that's not impossible~

In another hotel's restaurant, Nobuo Fumioka was also eating breakfast, while on the other side, Yuzo Shimada was saying something with a pale complexion.

"Fumioka-san, it's not that I didn't stop him, but the three of us couldn't outdrink him alone!"

"Is that guy a heavy drinker? Cocktails, brandy, red wine, beer—everything was served, and in the end, we were the ones who collapsed first..."

The other two cameramen, who also looked very unwell, sat nearby, nodding in agreement with lingering fear. They had been forcibly woken up by Nobuo Fumioka early this morning and were also just recovering from a hangover, having no appetite at all, only ordering a glass of milk to sip slowly.

Nobuo Fumioka took a bite of his fried egg: "Regardless, it's Shimada-san's fault! When encountering such a situation, you should have taken more decisive measures to completely separate the two."

Yuzo Shimada nodded repeatedly, but in his heart, he was complaining: "What more decisive measures? Find a dump truck to finish that guy off..."

Nobuo Fumioka was also silently thinking about how to separate the two—intimidation? Kidnapping? An accident?

He was so lost in thought that he actually muttered it out loud: "Where would one find a dump truck in America..."

Coming back to his senses, he found Yuzo Shimada looking at him in astonishment, as if he had discovered something incredible.

After a brief silence, Nobuo Fumioka managed to pull out a difficult smile: "Shimada-kun, you didn't hear anything, did you?"

"Hai! The breakfast here is quite good~"

Yuzo Shimada answered immediately and then buried his face in the breakfast he couldn't eat, pretending to be eating with great relish. The other two were even more so, like ostriches.

This man is a bit dangerous!

"Sumimasen, I woke up late... Minna-san, why didn't you call me this morning?"

A vibrant Akina Nakamori came downstairs. Today she had changed into a wine-red shirt and jeans, which was eye-catching while adding a mature temperament.

After seeing the few people in the restaurant, she also took some breakfast with a plate.

Nobuo Fumioka wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin: "I was thinking of communicating some filming matters with Shimada-kun and the others, so I called them down early."

Looking at Akina, who had a good appetite, he shifted the topic without a trace: "Akina-chan, you're recording today, how is your state? Are you nervous?"

"Daijobu!" Akina said vaguely with bread in her mouth, then hurriedly drank a sip of milk to wash it down, "No problem at all, I feel like I'm in a great state today!"

Yesterday she was still a bit timid, but today she felt very confident. Seeing Akina's high spirits, Nobuo Fumioka felt a little suspicious in his heart, feeling that something was a bit different!

Kuso! Could it be because of that guy?

Nobuo Fumioka used his fork to pick up the remaining fried egg, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed fiercely.

The release of the film in Japan was proceeding according to plan. In the first week of its premiere, the box office reached 150 million, which was only half of the first-week box office of the previous "Paranormal Activity."

However, that horror film relied on the Halloween timing and viral marketing to make a big profit despite the mediocre quality of the film.

And this exquisitely produced comedy, relying on its absurd plot and dense comedic points, had already established a good reputation in the hearts of Japanese audiences. It is believed that the subsequent box office will maintain an upward trend, and the final box office is very likely to exceed that of the previous horror film.

Therefore, neither Ito Shuichi Ito nor Kadokawa Pictures was too worried about the film's box office. At this time, what Ito Shuichi Ito was worried about was another matter.

"Naoki-san, didn't you say you would be back today? Why are you suddenly staying for a longer period?"

"Because the weather in Los Angeles is just too good, I want to enjoy the feeling of sunshine and beaches in advance..."

Naoki Nagayama didn't care how perfunctory this reason sounded; he couldn't say it was to go to Disneyland with an undebuted idol.

"... Sigh... Naoki-san, the promotion for the film is basically over, and the first-week box office is already out."

Ito Shuichi Ito's implication was that Naoki Nagayama didn't need to worry about having to participate in offline promotional activities after returning.

"Aha? Is it over? That's a pity; I didn't contribute much..." Naoki Nagayama said with a guilty conscience.

On the other side, Ito Shuichi Ito, listening to the insincere words on the receiver, felt his eyelid twitch uncontrollably: "Naoki-san, please don't say any more..."

"Hahaha, alright then. In any case, Ito Shuichi-san has done a great job~ Otomo-san has also worked hard~" Naoki Nagayama laughed it off.

"Speaking of which, Otomo-san was saying the other day that when Naoki-san returns, we need to consider the issue of Junko Ito's second song..."

"Please spare me~ I really don't have any new songs. Human inspiration is limited!"

Thanks to the interlude in the film, Junko Ito's debut song broke into the top ten of the Oricon chart. Although it was only for one week, it was already a very good result for a newcomer. Tomoaki Yoshimura was anxious to add some effort, hoping to make Junko Ito a popular idol.

Naoki Nagayama leaned against the phone in the hotel lobby, looking helpless. It was impossible to support a top-tier idol by relying solely on himself to provide songs. Tomoaki Yoshimura was being impatient.

"Ito Shuichi-san, it's better to let Otomo-san invite more songs from composers. If possible, it's best to reach a cooperation with a record company. After all, our agency doesn't have better song resources yet."

"Alright, I will convey this to Otomo-san. But Naoki-san, please come back early. Some things here still need you to decide—the choice for the next film, the direction of the company's future development..."

"Alright, alright, Ito Shuichi-san, let's talk about these when I get back. International long-distance calls are still very expensive, so let's stop chatting for now~" Seeing that a long lecture was about to start, Naoki Nagayama ended the call.

Ito Shuichi Ito sighed as he listened to the dial tone on the receiver.

Other people's presidents were running around non-stop, discussing business all over the world, wishing that the company's films would be explosive one after another and that the agency's idols' records would sell out one after another.

Yet their president was so "Buddhist," entrusting everything to himself and Tomoaki Yoshimura.

Although it felt good to be trusted like this, and it felt even better not to have a superior pointing fingers, with Naoki Nagayama not behind him, he always felt a lack of confidence.

Actually, Naoki Nagayama wasn't lying; the sunshine in Los Angeles was indeed very good.

Especially on Santa Monica Beach in the early morning, the gentle morning sun wasn't dazzling, shining on his face warmly and comfortably. The slightly cool sea breeze blowing on his body was very refreshing and pleasant.

There weren't many people in the morning, which allowed Naoki Nagayama to enjoy the blue seascape to his heart's content alone. Waves of sea water surged in, washing away the footprints just left behind, and adding new ones to the beach.

Occasionally, he could see seabirds foraging on the beach, retreating rapidly when the waves surged, and quickly searching for small fish and shrimp brought up when the waves receded.

When he was tired of walking, he would rent a beach lounge chair at a shop by the beach, buy some fruit drinks and magazines, find a sheltered and warm corner, and lie down to enjoy the leisurely time.

Covering his face with a magazine on the lounge chair, it seemed like he had only dozed off for a moment, but half a day had already passed.

"This is truly too decadent (comfortable)..."

Naoki Nagayama condemned himself in his heart, then found a nearby seafood restaurant and enjoyed a delicious lobster feast.

The afternoon sun was a bit intense, and without sunscreen, it was easy to get sunburned, so he didn't stay on the beach anymore.

He still had to stay for half a month; he couldn't just be idle all day. Naoki Nagayama wandered on the beach for half a day and saw a shop that specifically provided diving services.

Eh? Diving seems quite interesting, and the training time for diving seems to be very short. Why not get a diving certificate?

Other actors seem to be able to get a diver's certificate just by acting in a movie; it shouldn't be difficult for me to learn it specifically~

Naoki Nagayama experienced the diving service of this shop. He tried it once in shallower water, and after dressing properly, the coach accompanied him to dive down.

For someone diving for the first time, the first thing they feel is—silence.

Unlike swimming, a diver can't even hear the sound of water splashes. It seems the whole world is isolated by thick water. He couldn't speak and could only hear the gurgling sound of the respirator.

Under the buoyancy of the water, the body is liberated from the gravity on the shore, but the whole body is surrounded by water pressure. The deeper you go, the more you can feel the power slowly wrapping around you. And due to the resistance of the water, you can only move slowly, very clumsily.

As the body gradually adapts to the bottom of the water, the eyes can slowly see the wonderful scenery at the bottom of the water.

The sunlight through the seawater is blue in the eyes of others, but in the eyes of the diver, it is still transparent and colorless.

Under the irradiation of sunlight, the fine sand on the seabed presents a faint yellow color. Off-white or red corals and dark green algae are distributed on the reefs on the seabed, building "cities" of the undersea kingdom.

White sea anemones stretch out transparent tentacles, swaying with the waves of the sea, waiting for the colorful small fish or jellyfish in the city to be delivered to their door.

Occasionally, schools of fish will swim over your head, looking slow, but in fact, they will escape like lightning if you reach out and touch them.

70% of the Earth's area is ocean. The sport of diving allows people to get a glimpse of the beautiful scenery in this part of the uninhabited area.

Naoki Nagayama's first dive was only about 10 meters deep, but it had already allowed him to appreciate the charm of diving.

After going ashore, Luo Luo Bote, the coach who had just taken him down, asked:

"William, how do you feel about diving?"

"Luo Luo Bote, it feels great!" Naoki Nagayama continued, "I've decided to participate in the training. I want to learn this skill and properly appreciate the scenery of the seabed!"

"Hahaha, that's right. The vast ocean hides countless beautiful sceneries, and only a few people are lucky enough to encounter them."

Luo Luo Bote was very happy; he had found another like-minded person. Of course, making money was also one of the reasons he was happy.

At Warner Records at 111 North Hollywood Boulevard, Akina Nakamori was recording her first song, "Slow Motion."

Today's recording work was very smooth. The vibrant Akina was very motivated, adjusting again and again according to Nobuo Fumioka's requirements.

In the recording studio, Nobuo Fumioka was a very authoritative producer, but unexpectedly, he got along very well with Akina-san. During the recording process, he listened carefully to some of Akina's opinions, and the two of them put all their effort into completing the recording of this album.

"Akina-chan, it's almost recorded."

After listening to it again, Nobuo Fumioka felt that the recording effect was already quite good.

But Akina Nakamori came out to listen to it again: "Fumioka-san, I always feel like something is still missing."

Hearing this, Nobuo Fumioka listened to it a few more times and slowly felt that although the singing technique was perfect, the impact of love at first sight seemed to be still lacking a little.

"Akina-chan, it seems that the emotion is still lacking a little. Did Akina-chan have anyone she liked in school? A first love? Try to recall the time you saw your first love. Try singing with that kind of emotion?"

"In school, huh? It seems like when I was in the third grade of elementary school..." Speaking of first love, Akina was shy.

"Eh? Third grade?" Nobuo Fumioka was a little surprised, "I thought it would be in junior high school~"

"Hahaha, in junior high school, I was treated as a big sister." Speaking of the embarrassing things from junior high school, little Akina laughed~

Nobuo Fumioka also laughed out loud: "Is that so? Haha, then that's difficult~ Has Akina-chan ever encountered someone she had a crush on or someone who had a big impact at first sight?"

Akina Nakamori thought for a while, and suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she ran into the recording studio with a blushing face, "Fumioka-san, we can try one more time."

That kind of impact, hadn't she just experienced it last night?

"Deai wa slow motion (The encounter is in slow motion),"

"Karui memai sasou hodo ni (To the point of inducing a slight dizziness, making my cheeks flush slightly),"

"Deai wa slow motion (The encounter is in slow motion),"

"Hitomi no naka utsuru hito (The person reflected in my eyes)."

Nobuo Fumioka listened to this singing, and he really heard the feeling of first love from the singing.

"Akina-chan! Perfect!"

"Arigato~" After Akina came out of the recording studio, she fanned her face with her hand and thanked Nobuo Fumioka for his praise.

"Haha, who did Akina-chan think of?" While laughing, Nobuo Fumioka asked casually.

"Ano, this, I can't tell Fumioka-san~ Haha, I'm going to the restroom~" Akina refused with a smile and then ran away.

Nobuo Fumioka shook his head, focusing on the adjustment of the audio track.

"Wait!" He suddenly remembered something, "It wouldn't be that guy, would it!"