Chapter 226: The fireworks at Jingu Gaien really are better than anywhere else

Once Tsuruko arrived, she naturally took Tsubakiya Nana running all over the place at Sanying-in. Although she was immediately grabbed and forced to pet the dog, Eitaro was also very excited at this time, running back and forth behind the two little girls like a total lapdog...

Meanwhile, Naoki Nagayama was taking inventory of the things Tsuruko had brought. Sure enough, besides the dried scallops packed in ice that were bound to be there, there was also sushi made by his mother herself. It really was a lot of trouble for her.

In fact, the older one gets, the fewer ways parents have to show their care.

Candies and toys in childhood, pocket money and books in adolescence, living allowances in youth... If one becomes independent early and is someone who can earn money, then besides the occasional pleasantries, all that's left for parents is to make some food from time to time.

Oh, and later on, when raising children, they might still need their parents' help...

"Tsuruko, let's have the sushi Akina Mama made for lunch today!" Naoki Nagayama said to Tsuruko, who was studying the record player in the living room. "There's also some seafood that spoils easily."

Upon hearing this, Tsuruko came running over, scuffing her feet: "Eh~~~ Aren't we going out for a big meal?"

The last few times she came to Tokyo, this older brother would always take her to high-end restaurants for a big meal. Was he really trying to brush off his little sister with ordinary sushi this time?

Sure enough, love fades, doesn't it?

"It's so hot today, if we don't eat these soon, they'll spoil!" Naoki Nagayama looked at the dried scallops that were still emitting a chill. "Besides, it's not suitable for me to go out to a restaurant for a meal in broad daylight right now..."

"Oh~~~ I remember now, Nii-chan is a scandal celebrity now!" Tsuruko Nagayama suddenly remembered, and then curiously looked out toward the wall. "Are there any paparazzi sneaking photos near Nii-chan's place?"

"Eh? Will there be reporters sneaking photos?" Tsubakiya Nana felt very uneasy upon hearing this. "Will they take pictures of me and Tsuruko-chan too? Will we end up in the newspapers?"

"No, very few people know where I live... Besides, you two aren't public figures. If the newspapers expose you, they'll be punished!" Naoki Nagayama didn't say much more. "Tsuruko, hurry and help me cook this seafood! Nana-chan, you can go watch TV for a while~"

"Tch... You're actually making your little sister who came from afar cook? Nii-chan, do you know this is child labor abuse!"

Tsuruko said with a pout, but she still walked into the kitchen and obediently put on an apron. As for Tsubakiya Nana, she naturally wouldn't go watch TV alone, so she also joined the cooking army.

The fragrance of food gradually drifted out of Sanying-in. With fresh and abundant ingredients, and Naoki Nagayama as the head chef, the three of them made a very decent seafood soup and a sea fish dish.

While eating, both Tsuruko and Nana were very surprised.

"Nii-chan, is your cooking actually this good?"

"When you cook for yourself a lot, you naturally train yourself to have good culinary skills." Naoki Nagayama picked up a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth, feeling the familiar taste. "It really is the taste Akina Mama makes."

"What taste?" Tsuruko picked up a piece. "I don't feel anything? It's just regular sushi."

"That's because you eat it every day... After you go to university and leave home, maybe you'll be able to taste it." Naoki Nagayama thought for a moment and then asked, "Tsuruko-chan, and Nana-chan, you both plan to take exams to come to Tokyo in the future, right?"

Tsubakiya Nana wrinkled her little face. "Although I really want to take exams to come to Tokyo, if it's Tokyo Metropolitan University... the deviation value gap is too big. It's even harder if I want to take exams for private universities..."

Ah... speaking of this, Naoki Nagayama had nothing to say. After all, his only academic qualification in Japan was high school... Tsuruko Nagayama, however, was full of confidence. "Daijoubu, Nana-chan. There's still a year left. During this time, if you hold the determination that you must pass and study desperately, you will definitely be able to pass!"

Naoki Nagayama and Tsubakiya Nana drank soup together. Sure enough, do these top students all think that one can learn well as long as one works hard...

"Tsuruko, you wash the dishes later!"

"Eh?!

Why?" ⊙△⊙?

"Because I'm the head chef! Nana-chan is the guest!"

"Ugh..." (╯-╰), although Tsuruko was still a bit unconvinced, there was nothing she could do, so she could only acquiesce.

The living room in the afternoon became a place for three idle people to watch TV together.

"Nii-chan, it's not easy to come to Tokyo, are we just going to huddle in the room watching TV..." Tsuruko said very dejectedly. "Can't we watch these kinds of TV programs back home..."

"I don't want to either, but Tsuruko... look at the sun outside..." Naoki Nagayama pointed to the ground in the courtyard that was being scorched until it smoked. "Do you really want to go out now?"

"Uh..." Forget it, Tsuruko conceded.

"Let's go out when the sun is a little lower~" Naoki Nagayama laid out the arrangements. "I'll take you to see a movie in the evening, and then go for a big meal!"

"After the big meal, we'll go see the Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival!"

Upon hearing this, Tsuruko Nagayama was finally satisfied. "Hai, arigato!"

While Naoki Nagayama was leisurely waiting for the afternoon, Akina Nakamori was called back to the Akina Promotion Department office by Akira Terabayashi.

"Section Chief Terabayashi, did something happen?"

Akina, who had just participated in an event, rushed into the office panting, only to find that Yuzo Shimada, the main producer of "Shoujo A," was also there.

"Akina-chan, there is one thing I think I still need to let you know." Akira Terabayashi signaled for Akina Nakamori to sit down, and then had Yuzo Shimada explain.

"Hai?"

"It's like this, Akina-chan. Regarding the new song 'Shoujo A,' it has still been banned by NHK." Yuzo Shimada explained the situation concisely. "There are no changes at other TV stations, but there will be a not-so-small reduction in exposure..."

"Eh? Didn't they say that President Hanami of Burning Productions had already negotiated with the people at NHK?" Akina Nakamori was very surprised. Generally speaking, this kind of ambiguity in lyrics shouldn't be such a big deal, right?

"I don't know the specific situation, but President Hanami was very angry when he came back." Akira Terabayashi revealed a little bit. "It probably wasn't settled."

At this time, Burning Productions was just a small-to-medium-sized agency. Although it had the support of a financial group behind it, when facing a TV station like NHK that had no commercial advertisements, if the connections weren't in place, there was no good way to handle it.

Akira Terabayashi continued: "It's a foregone conclusion that NHK won't let it be broadcast. Akina-chan, the starting point of 'Shoujo A' is slightly higher than 'Slow Motion.'

Next, if you want to make a comeback, you will need more promotional activities and appearances on other TV stations."

"Hai, I understand!" Determination flashed across Akina's little face.

It's just reducing rest, it's nothing. I can hold on! The stage performance must be even more perfect!

After chatting in the office for a while, Akina rushed to the next appointment. She greeted the newly arranged manager politely. The two weren't very familiar yet, but they would have to work together closely from now on.

Around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the Toyota Century that Naoki Nagayama bought finally came in handy.

He took Tsuruko and Nana and rushed to the movie theater to watch his own new movie, "Hachiko Monogatari."

"Nii-chan, why did you rent such a high-end car this time?" After getting in the car, Tsuruko was touching things everywhere. The last time it was a rented Toyota Crown, and this time she naturally assumed it was rented again. "Walking on the road, I always feel like we are some important figures."

Originally, this car was indeed favored by government officials.

"I bought it~"

"Eh? You bought a new car? Isn't that convertible still there?"

"That one can't carry many people, it's not very convenient." Naoki Nagayama drove the car. "Besides, if you drive this car, you don't have to worry about anyone bumping into you on the road..."

"Is it just because of this reason?"

"What else~"

Nana in the back seat started whispering to Tsuruko: "Tsuruko, is Naoki Nii-chan a real big tycoon now?"

"How would I know... Anyway, he doesn't look like he's short of money..."

It was still the Shochiku movie theater from the preview screening. After Naoki Nagayama parked the car and bought the tickets, he took the two of them inside.

"Hachiko Monogatari" was naturally very suitable for a re-watch. Even for Naoki Nagayama, the person who filmed it, he would have different realizations when watching it again.

As for Tsuruko and Nana, these two little girls, it went without saying. Before the movie was even over, they were already teary-eyed. Fortunately, Naoki Nagayama had prepared new handkerchiefs long ago.

"Nii-chan, why did you film such a movie!" Tsuruko accused him outside the theater. "Isn't the little doggy too pitiful!"

"That's right, that's right!" Tsubakiya Nana nodded repeatedly on the side.

"Tsuruko, the little dog in the movie lived a good life!" Naoki Nagayama said. "Hachiko passed away more than ten years ago."

"That's still not okay!"

The fuming Tsuruko wouldn't listen to any explanation at all. On the way back to Sanying-in, she didn't speak to Naoki Nagayama. It seemed that if he took people to see movies in the future, he shouldn't watch the tragedies directed by himself...

Not until they returned to Sanying-in did Tsuruko hug Eitaro, gently scratching the guy's itch. "Eitaro, if Nii-chan suddenly dies of an illness, will you also wait at the station forever?"

"Eitaro, don't worry, even if Nii-chan is gone, I will definitely adopt you well! I won't let you be so pitiful!"

Naoki Nagayama: "$*%^*^(_*_)*_*"

After the few of them washed up and changed into new clothes, and Naoki Nagayama took the two young girls to eat at a Western restaurant, he drove to Shinjuku Ward.

The Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival was held at the Jingu Stadium in Tokyo, lasting for one hour starting from 7:30 in the evening. Tonight, more than 10,000 fireworks would be launched here.

By the time Naoki Nagayama arrived, the crowd watching had already exceeded 100,000. The area near Meiji Jingu was densely packed with figures. Naoki Nagayama parked the car on the side of the street far away, and then took the two girls who had changed into yukatas and walked slowly toward the hotel he had booked.

At this time, it was naturally impossible to squeeze into the free venue at Jingu Gaien. You have to know that some people had already occupied seats at 7 or 8 in the morning, waiting for a whole day.

And for someone like Naoki Nagayama who arrived just before it started, it was absolutely impossible to find an empty space in the middle of the venue.

However, Naoki Nagayama naturally didn't worry. He had booked a high-end hotel room near Jingu Gaien two weeks in advance, when Tsuruko called last time. It had a balcony~

Near the fireworks festival, the hotels here were also very popular, even if the cost was 200,000 for one night.

However, this amount of money didn't count for much to Naoki Nagayama anymore...

The convenience of wealth was manifested exquisitely.

Even though it was already evening, the summer temperature was still very high. The river breeze that blew occasionally could at most be considered a comfort. The sweat that should be shed still couldn't be stopped.

"Tsuruko-chan, Nana-chan, aren't you hot wearing yukatas?" Naoki Nagayama said, wearing a loose T-shirt.

"Baka Nii-chan, are you a foreigner? This is a yukata!" Tsuruko rolled her eyes. "There's only one layer, and wearing sandals, it's still very cool!"

"Eh? Is that so?" Naoki Nagayama didn't know much about the classification. "It feels like it's very troublesome..."

"Hmph, boys are all like this." Tsuruko pulled Nana and walked in front, not wanting to pay attention to Naoki Nagayama anymore. It seemed that the mood from watching the movie earlier hadn't passed yet.

It seemed he could only use his trump card: "Do you want ice cream?"

"...... Yes......"

The main road wasn't crowded. Naoki Nagayama led the two young girls to the booked hotel and quickly reached his room on the 6th floor. The air conditioning had already been turned on. On the spacious balcony, there were several chairs and a small round table, and snacks and drinks had already been set out.

"Nii-chan! We can see very clearly!"

Tsuruko pulled Nana to the balcony and started to patrol. Naoki Nagayama also took a look. From the 6th floor, he could completely see the densely packed figures in the venue. The empty spaces further away were also occupied. There were families with picnic mats, eating while waiting for the fireworks festival to start.

Speaking of summer in Japan, the most unforgettable scenery is "fireworks."

Throughout July and August, from Nagasaki in southern Kyushu to Sapporo in Hokkaido, fireworks bloom brilliantly in the night sky of every city.

Following the first sound from Jingu Stadium, the Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival officially began.

One after another, huge fireworks soared into the sky and bloomed in the embrace of the night sky.

At the beginning, they were round, white fireworks, and then gradually turned into colorful round fireworks. The whole process was like upgrading step by step, blooming a brilliant moment in the night sky.

Next, they were completely different shapes. Some looked like daisies, some looked like roulette wheels, some were brilliant blue, some were dazzling orange-yellow, or enthusiastic red...

At the beginning, a small cluster of sparks dragging tails like fireflies rose suddenly. After reaching a certain height, only a "pop" sound was heard, and the entire firework bloomed into a riot of color in an instant, forming flowers that you could imagine or couldn't imagine.

There were also fireworks that would evolve into different themes according to different stages. For example, this time, they were different stars, orange-red sparks with swirls, Saturn with a ring of stars... so much so that the final exploding galaxy showed people the brilliance of the starry sky.

As the rhythm of the fireworks festival became faster and faster, it was impossible to distinguish what the fireworks looked like. One only knew that there was a colorful ocean in front of them.

In the sky of Jingu Gaien, there seemed to be countless colorful lights, clustered and splashed on a pure black scroll, depicting a brilliant and eye-catching summer fireworks scroll.

Watching fireworks at close range has one advantage, which is that the fireworks will appear very large. Each one occupies a large part of the sky, and the shock and beauty are doubled.

Every time a firework exploded, accompanied by white smoke, one could always hear the exclamation of the audience, and even the two young girls beside him were no exception.

"It's so beautiful~" Tsubakiya Nana looked at the sky with bright eyes, and the fireworks outside were reflected in her eyes with colorful colors.

"Yeah, it's better than the fireworks in Shizuoka."

Tsuruko also said on the side. After all, they are the fireworks of the capital. Besides, they are held near the Imperial Palace, so they must have gathered the top fireworks masters in the country.

But it was indeed very interesting!

....... ===== CHAPTER 227 =====