Chapter 257

The commotion outside also drew Otomo Yoshimura out of the office.

He squeezed into the middle of the circle and, seeing Shuichi Itō and Naoki Nagayama, who was writing on the desk with intense concentration, asked curiously:

"Shuichi-san, what's going on? What is Naoki-san doing?"

Shuichi Itō seemed unable to believe it either, and the words tumbled out slowly, one by one:

"Just now, right here, Naoki-san, he composed songs, two of them!"

Otomo Yoshimura didn't react for a moment; hadn't they only been out for less than five minutes?

Naoki Nagayama had composed two songs?

What kind of joke are you playing? Even plagiarizing wouldn't be this fast!

The staff at Tree Friend Films witnessed a scene that could be called a major event today: one of their big bosses, the exceptionally handsome, exceptionally wealthy, and exceptionally young Naoki Nagayama,

In the open-plan office, under the gaze of everyone, had finished composing two songs in a mere ten minutes!

Everyone had known before that Naoki Nagayama was a genius creator, but today, he let everyone in the company see his talent; it was no longer a concept of genius, it was simply on another dimension!

Writing the final stroke in his notebook, the music in his ears faded away, and Naoki Nagayama let out a sigh of relief; he had finally solved part of it.

But the plot of "Love Generation" still weighed on his mind, making his head feel heavy.

Looking up and seeing the sea of people surrounding him, Naoki Nagayama was startled.

"Uh, why is everyone crowding around?"

Otomo Yoshimura had been shocked too, but at this moment, he exerted his authority as the General Manager: "Ahem, everyone disperse, go back to work."

The employees dispersed while whispering to each other.

Now only the three bosses remained, along with Masataka Komori and Riko Hayano, whose seat was still being occupied by Naoki Nagayama.

Shuichi Itō asked nervously: "Naoki-san, what happened just now? You looked like you were about to faint."

"Ah, I suddenly had an inspiration and overused my brain a little."

Making up a random excuse, Naoki Nagayama was in a hurry to get home because his head still felt heavy, and it seemed the music for the theme song was being stirred up again.

And a screenplay for a TV drama couldn't be written in a short time.

"Shuichi-san, Otomo-san, while the inspiration hasn't faded yet, I need to rush home immediately."

Without waiting for their reply, Naoki Nagayama grabbed Eitaro, who had just burrowed to his side, and hurriedly prepared to leave.

"Masataka-kun, I'll talk to you about the preview screening later~"

"Wait, Naoki-san..."

Shuichi Itō still wanted to ask something, but Otomo Yoshimura held him back.

"Shuichi-san, let Naoki go back first. For creators like them, once inspiration strikes, the anxiety is something others cannot understand!"

"But composing two songs at once is too exaggerated!" Shuichi Itō looked at the songs already formed in the notebook; one could tell the quality of the music just from the lyrics.

Otomo Yoshimura, meanwhile, was looking at the titles of the two songs:

"'Drops of Dreams' and 'A Happy Ending'? Plus the previously mentioned 'When Cherry Blossoms Dance' and 'Unrequited Love,' that's already four songs!"

Shuichi Itō was a bit confused: "Four songs?"

"Ah, Naoki-san's little music library~ there must be even more!" Otomo Yoshimura was in a great mood, as if he saw the agency's future top idols.

Only then did Shuichi Itō realize there were so many backup songs: "Then why did Junko-san look for external songwriters last time?"

"Naoki-san said it's an agency business; we can't rely solely on him. We need diversification to be more stable, for long-term development and so on." Otomo Yoshimura rubbed his face. "Actually, I think Naoki-san just hadn't found the right people."

"These musicians seem to have a kind of persistence about their own works; having to meet the 'right person' is more troublesome than dating!"

As the two talked, they went off-topic and started complaining about Naoki Nagayama, making Masataka Komori and Riko Hayano nearby very awkward—they wanted to listen but were afraid of being held accountable later.

"By the way, this notebook..." Otomo Yoshimura suddenly saw the original manuscript notebook Naoki Nagayama had forgotten to take.

Riko Hayano subconsciously cried out when she heard this: "It's mine!"

This was the original manuscript for two future famous songs!

In her eyes, Naoki Nagayama was already destined to become a famous musician; this notebook, which recorded the creation of two songs at once, would have such great commemorative significance!

Black lines appeared on Otomo Yoshimura's forehead: "The notebook is yours, of course, but the original manuscript still needs to be kept confidential for now!"

"Do I have to tear it out?" Riko Hayano looked reluctant, and there was even mist in her eyes, which gave Otomo Yoshimura a headache.

"Forget it, no need to tear it out." Since so many people had seen the creation process, the necessity for secrecy wasn't that great. "Keep the notebook with me for now, and I'll return it to you after Naoki-san applies for the copyright~"

Riko Hayano was happy when she heard this: "Hai, please keep it safe. This is a very important notebook to me! (I must get it back!)"

Naoki Nagayama sprinted all the way, and after arriving at Sanyingyuan, he ran to the piano room without even taking off his shoes, leaving Eitaro, who had been by his side, barely able to keep up.

By the time he had written out the plot for "Love Generation," it was already dark.

"Finally finished!"

Naoki Nagayama rubbed his sore hands, feeling his mind clear; it seemed the pressure brought by his memories had been transferred to the manuscript paper.

"Looks like I should carry manuscript paper with me from now on; you never know when I might remember something else."

At this moment, his stomach actually growled; he hadn't even eaten lunch, and it was already night... For a young man in his 20s, that was a bit excessive.

He looked at Eitaro, who was lying on the carpet, grinning foolishly at him.

He patted the dog's big head: "Eitaro, you're hungry too, right?"

"Let's go, eat some dog food to tide you over first; I'll make you something delicious tonight!"

Taking pork ribs and other stored food from the refrigerator, Naoki Nagayama quickly prepared three dishes and a soup, also preparing a portion of braised pork ribs for Eitaro, and then ate heartily!

Sure enough, when you're hungry, you have to eat meat!

The popularity of "Girl A" hadn't dissipated yet, and Akina Nakamori had brought another song, "Second Love."

Although the record hadn't been officially released yet, she had already started singing this song on various programs.

"If it's the second time for love, I'll improve a little."

"I want to convey a message of love."

The beautiful melody, moving lyrics, and Akina's sweet voice instantly spread this song among the listeners.

Akina Nakamori's return from a rebellious to a sweet image also made fans obsessed; was Akina rebellious or sweet? Such debates continued among the fan groups, further increasing the idol's popularity.

After dinner, Naoki Nagayama was watching the Night Golden Hits stage on the sofa.

Seeing Akina Nakamori smiling constantly on the program and accurately finding the camera angles during her performance to show her best side,

"Akina-chan is really becoming more like an experienced, mature idol~" He saw her rosy complexion and that her baby fat seemed to have grown back a little. "Her recent work should be fine too~"

At this time, the staff of Akina's promotion department were having a meeting, and this time they had called Akina over as well.

Nobuo Tomioka spoke first: "Minna-san, the acceptance of 'Second Love' among fans is very good. We have already conducted a survey in Akina's support group, and most fans think this Akina is even cuter!"

Akina Nakamori smiled shyly when she heard this.

Seeing that everyone already knew the situation with the song, Nobuo Tomioka continued: "In the period leading up to the end of the year, this song will be the focus of our promotion. The record will be released at the end of October. During this period, whether it's announcements or offline activities, this will be Akina-chan's main song."

Yuzo Shimada said at this time: "Then when we participate in the FNS Music Festival at the end of the year, should we push this one, or 'Girl A'?"

"This..."

The FNS Music Festival could be said to be one of the most important programs at the end of the year. Winning an award on this program would undoubtedly bring huge traffic to both the singer and the song itself. Nobuo Tomioka was also a bit uncertain; he looked at Akira Terabayashi in the main seat.

And Akina Nakamori was whispering to herself at this time: "Second Love, Second Love, Second Love."

Akira Terabayashi didn't give a final choice, but gave an ambiguous answer: "Wait until the song is released."

This meant waiting to see how the song performed upon release.

However, it was already mid-October. Even if it was released at the end of the month, it would only be for a month at most, and the sales would obviously not compare to "Girl A." It would probably depend on the ranking of the two songs on the charts.

After the meeting, Nobuo Tomioka found Akina Nakamori.

"Akina-chan, I'm counting on you for this period!"

Nobuo Tomioka had already guaranteed the success of this song, and he was actually under a lot of pressure at this time. If her debut song hadn't been an instant hit, and if this song failed too, his position in the team would be snatched away by Yuzo Shimada.

"Hai, I will work hard!" Akina responded with a smile. "Nobuo-san, don't worry, the live feedback for this song is also very good, and it was composed by Naoki-san, so I have a lot of confidence!"

Nobuo Tomioka nodded. "Naoki-san's songs are indeed trustworthy!" Then he seemed to think of something: "Speaking of which, this song was Naoki-san's debut gift to Akina-san. It's been a song from a long time ago, even though it's only being sung and prepared for release now."

"Hai, that's right~"

"Haha, after the Ginza Music Festival, the newspapers even said he gave the next song to Akina-chan~"

"That was just a coincidence. It caused trouble for Naoki-san, I'm really sorry..." Akina remembered the night they went out for hot pot together. Although her cold got worse afterward, she was really happy that night.

Nobuo Tomioka said with a smile: "That's true, just a coincidence. Who knows what Naoki-san's next song will be~"

Akina was still reminiscing about that night's experience and replied without thinking: "Naoki-san's next song is 'Silent Love.' The name is a bit like 'Second Love'~"

"Ah, so it's 'Silent Love.' It really is a bit similar."

Akina remembered the ethereal melody of the demo tape. She would take it out to listen whenever she had free time: "However, the style of the song is completely different. 'Silent Love' is a symphony; there are very few vocals and lyrics, and it sounds a bit sad."

"Souka, is that so~" Nobuo Tomioka agreed instinctively, but suddenly realized: "Akina-chan, have you already heard Naoki-san's new song?"

"Hai, it's said to be the soundtrack for a movie. Naoki-san's next movie is about to be released too," Akina Nakamori said without any defenses, which gave Nobuo Tomioka a shock.

She even knew about unreleased songs in advance and had heard them? She even knew about the latest movie being released?

Since when did their Akina-chan become so close to Naoki Nagayama?!!

Do they even share what they've been doing lately?

Clearly, there was no space for them to be alone together after her debut?!

Nobuo Tomioka, not knowing what else to say, hurriedly brushed it off and let Akina Nakamori go back to work.

Then he quickly found the manager, Kenji Hatanaka, and asked urgently:

"Kenji-san, has Akina-chan been in contact with Naoki Nagayama lately?"

"Uh, I don't think so. They only met once at the Ginza Music Festival." Kenji Hatanaka recalled the situation that day. "Maybe they chatted for a while in the middle, but that's normal socializing, right?"

Kenji Hatanaka couldn't stop them from chatting for a couple of sentences when they met at an event, and he had no reason to, but what Nobuo Tomioka was worried about was naturally not this.

"I mean private gatherings or something like that."

"That shouldn't be. Akina-chan is so busy. Except when she's sick, she basically gets home in the middle of the night. There's no time to go out at all!" Kenji Hatanaka said confidently. It's impossible to go out when you're sick!

Nobuo Tomioka's mind was full of doubts. Then why would Akina know?

"In any case, Kenji-san, you must keep a close eye on Akina-chan!" Nobuo Tomioka said to the manager. "This guy Naoki Nagayama is a very cunning person, and he always likes to follow Akina-chan. He might even run into her when she goes to Los Angeles!"

"... A stalker?" Black lines appeared on Kenji Hatanaka's forehead. Is there really such a person?

And he even followed her abroad...

Nobuo Tomioka said with a bitter smile: "I don't know either. It was clearly a random trip, and in different directions, but they just ran into each other. It feels like a fated connection!"

Kenji Hatanaka had nothing to say. Japanese people are relatively superstitious; the title of eight million gods didn't come from nowhere. Once something involves fate, the aftermath is hard to say.

"Nobuo-san, should we go to a temple to remove the bad luck?"

"Hmm, let's see if there are any temple activities at the end of the year and drag Akina-chan there!"

After saying this, Nobuo Tomioka was still worried.

No, this situation must be notified to Section Chief Terabayashi.

Their idol must be watched closely!

Yesterday someone said that splitting into two chapters was pretending to be diligent, so today I'll update an extra chapter to show my attitude! I am very diligent!

(End of chapter)