Chapter 200: The mamasans of Roppongi are not that shallow!

Someone once evaluated the most prosperous commercial districts in Tokyo:

Shibuya, filled with pop culture, is called the "Street of High School Students"; Shinjuku, lined with nightclubs, is called the "Street of Youth"; Ginza, where the wealthy and famous mingle, is called the "Street of Adults"; and Roppongi, adjacent to the embassy district and full of foreign culture, is called the "Street of Exotic Flair."

Naoki Nagayama and his two companions stood before this Western-style building, watching the kimono-clad beauties at the front desk in the lobby on the first floor screen the guests about to enter one by one.

Even when they occasionally encountered tourists who didn't know the rules, they would softly and politely explain that this was a members-only club—*ichigen-san okotowari*—and would not receive guests visiting for the first time, then courteously see them out.

"Honored guests, do you have a reservation?" the kimono-clad beauty asked, looking at Naoki Nagayama and his two companions.

Otomo Yoshimura answered with the poise of a veteran: "Yes, we received an invitation from President Kadokawa and are meeting here."

Upon hearing this, the kimono-clad beauty beamed: "So it is Department Head Yoshimura, Director Yin Tang, and Mr. Nagayama. Welcome to Lotus Club. I am the head hostess for today, Naon Fukushima. Please follow me this way; Mr. Kadokawa has already arrived."

She then led the group toward the third floor with small, quick steps.

That's amazing. As a receptionist, she actually remembered the names and titles of all the guests with reservations! But why did she call me "Mr. Nagayama"? Could it be because I'm a creator?

Naoki Nagayama mentally gave a thumbs-up while taking in the club's luxurious decor.

Although this was his first time at this club, it already gave him a strangely familiar feeling.

Haruki Kadokawa was sitting in a booth by the window, looking out at the night view of the Roppongi streets.

He was telling a joke to a mamasan, occasionally bursting into laughter.

Naon Fukushima was clearly very familiar with Haruki Kadokawa: "Mr. Haruki, your guests have arrived."

"Ah, arigato, Naon-san~" Haruki Kadokawa stood up enthusiastically when he saw Naoki Nagayama and the others.

He greeted the acquaintance first: "Yoshimura-san, long time no see. Has everything been going smoothly?"

"Yes, Haruki-san, thanks to you, everything is going well."

Haruki Kadokawa then turned to Shuichi Yin Tang: "This must be Director Yin Tang. I've heard so much about you!"

"Yes, I have always heard of President Kadokawa's great name, and today I finally have the honor of meeting you."

"And this must be Naoki Nagayama. I've seen you on television; you're even more handsome in person!"

Haruki Kadokawa was a middle-aged man who maintained himself very well; even in his forties, he still possessed the dashing air of a playboy. He joked in a very down-to-earth manner with the young and handsome Naoki Nagayama.

He turned his head to the mamasan beside him and said: "Miho-san, today is Naoki-kun's first time at Lotus. With such a handsome guest, who will keep him company? The young ladies of the club will be fighting over him!"

Mamasan Miho Yasuda covered her mouth and laughed, tapping Haruki Kadokawa on the arm: "What are you saying, Haruki-san? Although Naoki-san is very handsome, the girls in our shop are not such shallow people~"

Naoki Nagayama stood to the side, finding it somewhat amusing. Haruki Kadokawa's joke instantly dissolved the awkward atmosphere between the strangers.

"Kadokawa-san is too kind. I am just an ordinary person."

After sitting down, Haruki Kadokawa said: "I originally wanted to invite everyone to a club in Ginza, but the atmosphere there is more suitable for business. If we are celebrating, Roppongi is the place to be."

"Have you had dinner? The sashimi and sushi here are quite good."

While they were talking, Naon Fukushima had already led four young ladies over. They all looked to be in their twenties, some cute, some mature.

"Honored guests, have a pleasant time."

The young ladies quickly sat down beside the guests. The young lady sitting next to Naoki Nagayama was named Kaoru Furukawa. Seeing the handsome Naoki Nagayama, she naturally rushed to his side first, nearly knocking over another young lady.

Haruki Kadokawa watched this scene and said with a smile to Mamasan Miho Yasuda: "Haha, look, I told you they would fight over him."

At the Burning agency,

Akina Nakamori and the Akina promotional team were reviewing the schedule for the next week or so. Akira Terabayashi also attended the meeting.

"Akina-chan, you will officially debut next week!" Akira Terabayashi said solemnly to Akina Nakamori while holding a schedule. "After working so hard for so long, this day is finally here!"

"Yes! Thank you all for your hard work!" Little Akina said with a solemn face, "I will do my absolute best!"

Akira Terabayashi comforted her: "Akina-chan, don't be too nervous. Our Akina promotional team will always be by your side!"

He then looked at the schedule. There were arrangements for basically every day in the first half of May, some with very long distances between them.

And this was only a tentative arrangement; the possibility of temporary additions later could not be ruled out.

"Akina-chan, get some good rest this weekend. Once May starts, your rest time will be greatly reduced!"

Akina Nakamori had already mentally prepared herself for this, so she naturally wouldn't say anything else: "Yes, I know!"

After the meeting, Akina Nakamori chatted for a while with Nobuo Tomioka, the easiest person to talk to on the team.

"Akina-chan, do you have any thoughts on your stage outfits for later?"

"Are they not finished yet?" Akina was a little surprised. "Will there be enough time?"

"Daijoubu, there are already a few alternative versions. Akina can try them on next week." Nobuo Tomioka stood up from his seat and took Akina Nakamori to the design department.

He picked up some drafts from the design desk: "These designs are the styles for later. Akina-chan, do you have any opinions?"

Little Akina looked at them seriously: "These stage outfits seem to lean toward an American style?"

"I suppose so..." Nobuo Tomioka looked at the stack of magazines on the design desk. "Is the recent trend American style?"

Akina Nakamori also followed Nobuo Tomioka's lead and picked up some magazines.

"Eh? Is this Naoki-san?!" There was surprise in little Akina's voice. "Naoki-san has become a magazine cover model!"

She had been busy with work these past few days and had no time to look at fashion magazines, so this was the first time she had seen it.

Nobuo Tomioka heard that name again, and his heart tightened.

"Nani nani, let me see!"

The handsome man on the cover of *Popeye* was wearing a blue-gray suit, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. Even within the constraints of the suit and tie, he couldn't hide his youthful vitality and passion.

Seeing the bright look in Akina Nakamori's eyes as she looked at the magazine, his heart tightened again. He had to cut off Akina-chan's thoughts!

"Ah, he really is handsome!" Nobuo Tomioka praised pretentiously. "A Naoki-san like this must have young girls fighting over him!"

"..." Little Akina's cheeks puffed up.

"Not to mention he's a movie star now. Besides female stars in the entertainment industry, there are also female fans and such..." Nobuo Tomioka added fuel to the fire, speaking ill of him.

"Naoki-san is not that kind of person!" Little Akina couldn't help but retort.

Nobuo Tomioka felt certain in his heart; he had finally waited for this: "That's hard to say. He already admitted on television that he changes his mind easily. I heard he had a scandal with Kanako Higuchi, who he filmed a movie with..."

Akina Nakamori didn't speak anymore. Her little face was a bit angry, as if something she liked had been dirtied by someone.

"How can Nobuo-san be like a gossiping old lady!"

Watching Akina Nakamori's indignant back, Nobuo Tomioka silently said in his heart: "Akina-chan, I'm doing this for your own good!"

He saw the magazine in his hand again, that hateful handsome face.

Nobuo Tomioka threw the magazine onto the table fiercely.

Eating delicious sashimi and sushi, drinking cocktails, and listening to Haruki Kadokawa tell some flirtatious jokes, occasionally making the whole booth burst into laughter.

It had to be said that Haruki Kadokawa was a slick operator. Whether it was his old friend Otomo Yoshimura, the up-and-coming director, or the young newcomer, he could chat with them all.

Plus, with the beautiful young ladies bringing up topics just right on the side, even someone like Naoki Nagayama, who didn't like to talk much, opened up a little.

Haruki Kadokawa had just heard from Otomo Yoshimura that Tree Friend Films was already preparing its next movie: "Naoki-san, has the script for the next movie been finished?"

Naoki Nagayama swallowed a grape: "Yes, because it's a true story, the script wasn't too much trouble. It's the story of Hachiko."

"Haha, as expected of Naoki-san, who has published novels." Haruki Kadokawa clearly knew this story too. "That story, it's a very creative idea. How is the movie preparation going? Does Kadokawa need to invest a little?"

His businessman nature exploded; seeing a good project, he wanted to invest in it. "Ah, I almost forgot, the dividends from the previous movie just came down. You aren't short of money, hahaha."

Otomo Yoshimura still expressed his gratitude: "Thank you for your kindness, Haruki-san. The distribution will still have to rely on Kadokawa."

"That, of course, is no problem!"

"Did Naoki-san really write a novel?" Kaoru Furukawa blinked her big eyes and asked curiously.

"I had a moment of inspiration, so I wrote a children's novel."

"A fairy tale?"

"No, it's just a realistic novel for children, called *Summer Garden*."

Another young lady was surprised: "Really? My relative's daughter is reading that book! Is it actually a novel written by Naoki-san?"

The group discussed the novel for a while, and the topic even drifted to the history of world literature. These young ladies really knew their stuff.

Shuichi Yin Tang added fuel to the fire from the side: "Naoki-san's creative talent is more than just this. He has also written many famous songs! He even wrote a song for Seiko Matsuda, *Cherry Blossom*."

"Eh?!" A young lady with a Seiko-style haircut made a surprised sound. "The author of that song is actually Naoki-san?"

What kind of guest is most popular in a club?

Besides the rich, it's the talented. If you meet someone who is both, you are already very lucky. If the guest is also very handsome, it's like hitting the jackpot.

Kaoru Furukawa, sitting beside him, looked at Naoki Nagayama's face, her eyes almost glowing.

Although the mamasans of high-end clubs generally don't go out, if Naoki Nagayama invited a young lady to spend a wonderful night together at this time, she would certainly not be refused.

Haruki Kadokawa watched this young man becoming the protagonist of the party, without feeling like his thunder was being stolen, but instead sighed: "Youth is good~"

Miho Yasuda beside him smiled and said: "Only after the precipitation of time can one have the temperament of Haruki-san."

"Hahaha, Miho-san is too good at talking~"

It's impossible to have only one round of drinks when playing in Roppongi. Having eaten well and drunk enough at Lotus Club, Haruki Kadokawa took the three of them to another famous nightclub in Roppongi.

Here, it was mainly about drinking, singing, dancing, and playing games.

Accompanied by young ladies who were also beautiful, even when Otomo Yoshimura was howling like a ghost, they could still say without changing their expression: "That was sung so well!"

What kind of professional spirit is this!

I don't know how many times they toasted in the name of celebrating the big hit of *The Gas Station Robbery*.

When Naoki Nagayama felt dizzy, Otomo Yoshimura was already red-faced but still had some consciousness, while Shuichi Yin Tang had completely blacked out.

Haruki Kadokawa, who had been through many battles, still had energy left, and said vaguely: "I said Naoki-san is a genius! Even drinking shows such talent!"

... Is this also called talent?

"Another cup! To the talented!"

Then he drank another cup with Naoki Nagayama.

"Naoki-san, I'll tell you a secret!"

"Eh? Is Haruki-san drunk?" Naoki Nagayama struggled to stay awake. If he found out some incredible secret about the Kadokawa Group, that would be bad. "Since it's a secret, then don't say it~"

"No, I want to say it!" For a drunk person, the more you don't let them do something, the more they must do it.

"Naoki-san, I'll tell you!" Haruki Kadokawa smiled vaguely and leaned over. The smell of alcohol made Naoki Nagayama frown.

"Talented people all have the character 'Tree' (ki) in their names! Like I'm called Haruki, you are Naoki, and there is also a famous director called Masaki..."

Huh? After all that, just this?

Naoki Nagayama was speechless.

But thinking back, it seems there are indeed many talented people with "Tree" in their names.

"Yes, Haruki-san, speaking of which, I also know a very talented writer named Haruki, Haruki Murakami!"

"Hontoni?!" Haruki Kadokawa sobered up for a moment, then raised his glass. "As expected, also a talented person! Let's toast to Haruki!"

After drinking this glass of wine, Haruki Kadokawa also started talking nonsense and completely lost consciousness.

Naoki Nagayama rinsed his head with ice water and said to the young lady beside him who was also a bit drunk: "Minasan, we are going back~"

And then he paid the bill himself... even though it was clearly said that Haruki Kadokawa was treating.

Haruki Kadokawa's driver had been waiting downstairs and drove a stretched Toyota.

Seeing Haruki Kadokawa, who was drunk and confused, the driver hurriedly got out of the car to help lift him in, then bowed respectfully and said goodbye.

Naoki Nagayama looked at the two other drunks and, with the help of the public relations young lady, hailed a taxi and began sending them home.

When sending Shuichi Yin Tang home, he saw his wife, Jia Yi Yin Tang, and daughter, Jia Yi, again; and when sending Otomo Yoshimura home, he saw his wife, Youxue Yoshimura, and his son, Jingxin Yoshimura, who was in middle school, for the first time.

By the time he returned to Shanying Yuan, it was already dawn. He didn't even comfort Eitaro properly. After a hurried wash, his eyes closed the moment his body touched the bed. ===== CHAPTER 201 =====