Chapter 261: Otomo-san, you just sold me out like that?

As dinner approached, the phone at Mountain Cherry Garden rang.

"So, Otomo-san, you just sold me out like that?"

Listening to the slightly slurred tone on the other end, Naoki Nagayama felt quite helpless. "Because Xiu-san was too busy, you sold me out all by myself?"

Hiromi Otomo had already slept for a while in the afternoon, and by evening, he was somewhat sober.

Thinking of how he had patted his chest and promised his good brother Sugiura Tai-tai during dinner, he now had no choice but to swallow his pride and beg Naoki Nagayama:

"Naoki-san, there was no other way! That guy Sugiura Tai-tai kept pushing drinks on me, one after another, and he spoke so nicely—in that situation, I just couldn't hold my ground!"

Naoki Nagayama felt black lines appear on his forehead. "Otomo-san, don't use such misleading phrasing. If someone who doesn't know the situation heard that, they might think you and Sugiura Tai-tai had some sort of relationship beyond friendship!"

"Omae! Baka ka?" Hiromi Otomo let out a string of colorful language, but since it involved his personal reputation, he quickly explained, "I meant that I had drunk a lot of alcohol at the time, my head was a bit muddled, and Sugiura Tai-tai was being so ingratiating that I..."

"The more you say, the more misleading it sounds, Otomo-san!" Naoki Nagayama intentionally interrupted, refusing to let him finish.

To think he had actually promised someone else the secret to increasing viewership ratings at a drinking party without authorization. What secret could I possibly have? The essence of the plot for *Tales of the Unusual* had already been filmed in advance! What else is there to break through?

"Naoki-san! Don't joke around." Hiromi Otomo realized this was intentional on Naoki Nagayama's part. "I just wasn't careful and made a promise at the drinking table. As expected, those guys at the production bureau—their hearts are all black!"

For a middle-aged man who had been struggling, having someone who used to be the target of his flattery suddenly come to flatter him was more satisfying than anything else! Naturally, his guard had been down at the drinking table.

Since things had reached this point, Naoki Nagayama didn't say much more. "Sigh, since you've already promised someone, there's no helping it. I'll go talk to him tomorrow."

After all, he was one of his own people; what else could he do?

"Hai, then I'll go set a time with him right now!" Hiromi Otomo's mood improved instantly. "Is tomorrow morning okay?"

"In the morning, I have to interview candidates for the tea house manager. Let's make it the afternoon," Naoki Nagayama said. "I'll come find you at the studio."

"Hai, then let's meet in the afternoon!"

After hanging up, Naoki Nagayama looked at Eitaro, who was panting to the side.

"Forget it, I'll just wing it when the time comes. Come on, Eitaro, let's make dinner!"

"Woof!"

The autumn morning light, cold yet carrying a hint of comfort,

Caused the white frost on the grass leaves in the street corners to slowly turn into jade dew,

And awakened Tokyo, which had been silent for the night.

Amidst wisps of cooking smoke, Chiyoda began to show signs of life,

And even the secluded Mountain Cherry Garden began to show vitality due to Eitaro's morning movements.

As everyone knows, as the temperature drops, a powerful adhesive forms between the bed and the quilt, firmly sealing those who want to get up in the morning onto the bed.

Three alarm clocks had already rung for the last time, and Naoki Nagayama was so annoyed that he covered his face with the quilt, unwilling to get up.

What's wrong with sleeping in? Sleeping in is *force majeure*!

However, after raising a dog and teaching it the habit of waking up early, you know that sleeping in is an impossible thing.

After a burst of footsteps, Naoki Nagayama felt a weight of several dozen pounds suddenly press onto the quilt!

An adult Labrador usually weighs around 30kg; this weight was not easy to bear.

"Alright, alright, I'm up!"

After much difficulty pushing Eitaro away, Naoki Nagayama officially began his new day.

He had an interview today, but that wasn't until 10 o'clock. Naoki Nagayama followed his usual rhythm, first taking Eitaro for a morning run.

Moving along the familiar road, occasionally looking at the red leaves in the roadside park, he arrived at the small Qingshan shop without realizing it, subconsciously slowing his pace.

A beautiful figure wearing an orange sweater happened to walk out of the shop door.

"Naoki-san, good morning~"

"Ah, Chikako-chan, good morning!" It turned out to be Chikako Qingshan. "Why are you at the shop so early today? Where is Old Man Qingshan?"

Chikako Qingshan moved the few pots of chrysanthemums she had kept in the shop overnight for warmth back to the small flower bed at the entrance.

"Today is the weekend! Did you forget, Naoki-san?"

The young girl turned her head and smiled. Unlike Akina, who had a cute baby fat, Chikako Qingshan's youthful, oval face had clear lines and soft, distinct contours, already possessing some of the mature charm she would have in the future.

"Grandpa is sleeping in at home, so he let me come over to move these chrysanthemums out~"

Naoki Nagayama laughed. "Haha, sleeping in at home himself and letting his granddaughter run errands—this old man really..."

"Have you had breakfast, Naoki-san?" Chikako touched Eitaro's head; the silly head was still very popular with young girls. "What about Eitaro?"

"Not yet, I'll make it after I run back," Naoki Nagayama said. "By the way, Chikako-chan, a movie I directed is about to be released. You can go watch it if you have time~"

"Eh? Naoki-san's movie is being released so soon?" Chikako Qingshan remembered that it was only a few weeks ago that Naoki Nagayama mentioned filming a movie.

"Haha, it's a low-budget one, titled *A Scene at the Sea*. I'll send you some tickets tonight~"

He hadn't expected to run into Chikako in the morning, so he didn't bring any free movie tickets, though there were naturally plenty of such complimentary tickets.

"Hai, then thank you very much, Naoki-san!"

After chatting with the young girl for a few sentences, Naoki Nagayama continued his run; otherwise, his body would cool down~

When he returned to Mountain Cherry Garden, the porridge he had been simmering was almost ready.

There was no traditional miso soup or saury; although he could accept eating white rice in the morning, when cooking for himself, he preferred Chinese-style breakfasts like porridge, noodles, dumplings, or wontons.

Naturally, Eitaro would also have a meal mixed with dog food.

He had serious business today. After finishing breakfast and cleaning the kitchen, Naoki Nagayama left Eitaro at Mountain Cherry Garden and drove to the tea house in Ginza.

Every time he saw this three-story ancient-style building, with its carved beams and painted rafters, green roof, and upturned eaves, Naoki Nagayama felt a slight sense of shock.

Surrounded by high-rise buildings of steel and iron, "Sanmei Residence" displayed a unique temperament.

Using the key to open the main door, the empty hall appeared very quiet. The tea house utensils were naturally prepared, and various types of tea leaves were already stored in the small warehouse. Everything was just waiting for the tea house to open!

Naoki Nagayama boiled a pot of water, found a cup, opened a bag of tea leaves, brewed a cup of hot tea for himself, and then sat behind the counter, watching the street, which was beginning to bustle with people, through the front door.

Sipping tea while watching the pedestrians outside—sharing the same space, yet the hustle and bustle belonged to them, while the leisure belonged to himself~

The simple wooden partition separated the street outside and the tea house into two worlds. Naoki Nagayama had to applaud the design by the little angel Honma.

Ten minutes later, he saw a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes walk over from outside. Seeing the appearance of Sanmei Residence, he was clearly a bit hesitant, but still walked into the shop door.

"Sumimasen, young man, may I ask if this is Sanmei Residence tea house?" After the middle-aged man greeted him, he asked Naoki Nagayama at the front desk.

"That's right, isn't it written on the plaque~" Naoki Nagayama nodded lazily and took another sip of hot tea, looking like an old man.

"Ano, my name is Katsuo Yasui, and I made an appointment with the owner of this tea house to come for an interview." Katsuo Yasui looked at the young man at the front desk, feeling it was a bit unreliable, and stated the purpose of his visit.

"Ah, so it's you. Since you're here, wait a moment over there; there should be one more person."

The appointment was for 10 o'clock. Naoki Nagayama looked at the clock on the counter; it was only 9:30, early enough. "If you don't mind, have a cup of tea~"

Bringing the person to a tea table in the hall, Naoki Nagayama directly put tea leaves into a new tea cup and brewed a cup of tea for Katsuo Yasui with hot water.

Katsuo Yasui's eye twitched, and he screamed wildly in his heart:

"This is the best Gyokuro tea! And with such fine sandalwood tea utensils and cups, he's just using hot water to brew it? It's simply too wasteful! Does the staff of this tea house not even know this?"

Naoki Nagayama didn't have any concept of this; the tea utensils and tea leaves here were actually sourced from the small Qingshan shop. He had asked Old Man Qingshan to use top-quality products, and in the end, he had spent tens of millions of yen, becoming a big customer of the small Qingshan shop without realizing it!

Katsuo Yasui looked at the steaming tea cup, feeling a bit conflicted.

He had been in the tea house business for a long time, but he was just a wage earner; he didn't have the capital to drink Gyokuro every day. Occasionally, as a shop benefit, he would savor it carefully; he had never drunk it like this...

However, since it was already brewed, it would be a waste not to drink it.

He carefully leaned over and took a shallow sip:

"Ah~ so fragrant~"

After all, it was top-tier Gyokuro; brewing it simply naturally resulted in a fragrant aroma, not to mention that this way of drinking it had a more refreshing feeling.

Before he had waited long, he saw another middle-aged woman wearing a simple kimono arrive at the entrance.

Although in Japan, a kimono could be considered a type of daily wear, coming to an interview wearing a kimono made Naoki Nagayama interested.

"Shitsurei shimasu~" After the middle-aged woman saw Naoki Nagayama at the front desk, she also assumed he was a staff member of the tea house, just a bit too handsome. "Young man, my name is Chinatsu Sakakibara, and I made an appointment with the owner of the tea house to come for an interview for the tea house manager."

"Ah, that's perfect, everyone is here~" Naoki Nagayama pointed to Katsuo Yasui over there and said, "Ms. Sakakibara, please go sit over there first~ wait a moment~"

After both of them were seated, Naoki Nagayama also brewed a cup of tea for Chinatsu Sakakibara, which also made Chinatsu Sakakibara's eye twitch. She looked at Katsuo Yasui to the side, confirming that he had also discovered that this was top-tier Gyokuro tea.

"Too wasteful!" x2

After serving the tea, Naoki Nagayama didn't leave but sat down as well. The three of them sat at one tea table, like friends who had come specifically to drink tea.

Both Katsuo Yasui and Chinatsu Sakakibara were stunned.

"Since both of you have arrived, let's start the interview. By the way, I am the owner of this tea house—Naoki Nagayama."

"???!!!"

Hearing this suddenly, both of them had expressions of "Are you kidding me?" So young?

But within a breath, they calmed down and adjusted their sitting posture.

"Good morning, President Nagayama!" x2

Both of them handed over their employment files, but Naoki Nagayama only glanced at them and then said:

"Mr. Yasui, Ms. Sakakibara, since the Public Employment Security Office introduced both of you, I naturally approve of your past employment experience. Judging from your expressions just now, your understanding of the tea ceremony is far above mine."

"You are too kind..."

"I don't want to beat around the bush, let's be direct~" Naoki Nagayama directly explained the situation of opening this tea house. He didn't open the tea house to make money, but just wanted to have a place to drink tea with friends.

So there was no pressure for revenue, but there was also no incentive for profit sharing.

If they chose this tea house, they would likely only receive a fixed salary.

"I've explained everything, are you still willing to stay?"

"Hai, willing!" Unexpectedly, both of them were willing to stay.

Naoki Nagayama hadn't expected this point and scratched his cheek. "In that case, I have to choose one between the two of you~ Then, both of you, please talk about your strengths. Mr. Yasui, you go first~"

Katsuo Yasui thought for a moment and stated his greatest advantage: "President Nagayama, I have been in the tea industry for nearly 20 years. I understand tea from all over Japan very clearly, and I have contact information for tea from various places. I also have channels for famous foreign tea, and I can get top-quality tea at the lowest price!"

"That's not bad~"

Chinatsu Sakakibara then spoke unhurriedly: "As for the source of tea, as long as you have money, you can buy it~ President Nagayama, I have been in the tea house business for over ten years, from a server serving tea to a tea master. I am very skilled in various tea arts, and I also have experience in receiving guests..."

Perhaps it was this approachable "interview" that made both of them open up, and they actually started to undermine each other regarding the other's statement:

"That's just the skill of an employee. For a manager, one still needs richer experience in management and cost control."

"The management experience for a small tea house doesn't need to be much, not to mention that President Nagayama has already explained that the tea house is just for himself and his friends to have a place to drink tea, so the tea art is more important!"

"You still have to receive other guests normally! You can't keep losing money! If you don't know how to manage, the tea house will become a burden!"

"You..."

It looked like both of them were people with personalities. No wonder they left their previous companies in middle age.

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Naoki Nagayama interrupted the conversation: "Haha, both Mr. Yasui and Ms. Sakakibara have rich experience in tea house operation!"

Both of them looked at Naoki Nagayama, waiting for his final decision.

And Naoki Nagayama thought for a moment: "For tea house operation, one indeed needs a person with management experience, but one also cannot do without tea art..."

"How about this, I'll hire both of you!"

"Eh?!"

Both of their personalities were very strong; one as the main manager responsible for management and one as the deputy manager responsible for daily operation—it was just the right complement~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 262 =====