Chapter 270: Spent over a million yen just on tea?!

November in Tokyo was unusually muggy; wearing only a thin jacket actually made one sweat, even though just a few days ago, one could have gone out in a trench coat.

The oppressive feeling of a storm about to break left the entire sky overcast, and even the wind barely stirred. The landscape's flowers and plants seemed to reveal a sense of lethargy, much like a drowsy summer afternoon.

However, the commercial districts in the city were as bustling as ever—or perhaps the rising temperature even spurred people's desire to consume, as the pedestrians coming and going seemed more vibrant than usual.

In the Sanmaiju teahouse in Ginza, Naoki Nagayama was drinking tea with Otomo Yoshimura. After a cup of hot tea went down, a thin layer of sweat emerged slightly on his forehead, but his whole person felt much more refreshed because of it.

"Naoki-san, opening this teahouse really is convenient~"

As Otomo Yoshimura drank his tea, he looked through the window at the pedestrians on Ginza Street. He felt that while others were in such a hurry, he was leisurely drinking tea, and for some reason, he felt a sense of being detached from the world.

"Yes, coming here to drink tea often makes me feel like my state of mind has improved a little~"

Hearing this, Otomo Yoshimura felt it sounded very high-class: "State of mind, huh! It really does feel like something is a bit different~"

Naoki Nagayama took another sip: "That's right. Coming here to drink tea often, I've discovered that I'm no longer moved by money!"

"Eh? Why?"

"Otomo-san, the cup of tea you just drank is worth 50,000 yen!" Naoki Nagayama watched Otomo Yoshimura finish the tea in his cup and, just as he was about to refill it, said it simply.

Hearing this, the hand holding the teapot shook, and the tea almost spilled out.

"50,000? A cup?"

He looked at the small teapot in his hand, which held about 5 or 6 cups worth, and said, "Naoki-san, this pot of tea actually costs 300,000 yen! What kind of tea is this?"

"It's top-grade Gyokuro, Otomo-san~"

Otomo Yoshimura carefully filled the teacup and asked again: "With tea this expensive, isn't it marked on the price list?"

"If asked specifically, the manager and the tea master will inform them of the price." Naoki Nagayama took another sip. "However, Otomo-san, people who come here to consume generally don't ask about the price."

Indeed, on Ginza Street, in such an obviously antique-style teahouse, ordinary people, just by looking at the green flying eaves and the roof, should know that those are colors they cannot afford to consume...

Therefore, Naoki Nagayama had Katsuo Yasui only stock top-grade tea leaves when purchasing, and for everything else, he used tea leaves from their own Shimizu Tea Garden. If customers asked about other tea leaves, they were to say that the teahouse's specialty was the specially supplied Shimizu tea.

Otomo Yoshimura nodded after hearing this; it really was unconventional. He picked up the teacup again, took a shallow sip, and felt the tea leaves seemed even more mellow and fragrant.

At the same time, the thought couldn't help but rise in his mind: "My sip just now was worth at least 5,000 yen!"

The two of them coming here wasn't just to drink tea; in fact, it was more to meet a guest.

Tsukasa Hojo, the manga artist of *Cat's Eye*, definitely wanted to see who the person wanting to buy his manga copyright was, which is why today's meeting was arranged.

Before a cup of tea was even finished, Masami Inada led a spirited young man over. After inquiring at the front desk, they quickly went up to the second floor.

"Naoki-san, Otomo-san, this is the author of *Cat's Eye*, Tsukasa Hojo." Masami Inada introduced, "Hojo-sensei, this is the General Manager of Tree Friend Films—Otomo Yoshimura; and the President—Naoki Nagayama."

"Nice to meet you..." X3...

After a simple greeting, Tsukasa Hojo and Masami Inada sat down.

"President Nagayama, Manager Yoshimura, requesting a meeting so willfully today is truly rude of me!" Tsukasa Hojo spoke first to apologize, because the manga's copyright was actually with *Weekly Shonen Jump*, and it wouldn't have been a problem even if they hadn't met him.

"It's fine, I actually really wanted to meet the original author of the manga too."

Tsukasa Hojo felt much like he did in interviews decades later—a free-spirited wanderer with hair cut to his ears. Looking at him, it was quite possible that, as some said, he was the prototype for the protagonist of *City Hunter*.

"Haha, I didn't expect that the person buying the TV adaptation rights for *Cat's Eye* would be such a young president." Tsukasa Hojo laughed heartily. "May I ask President Nagayama, what made you want to buy the copyright? Could it be... President Nagayama is also a fan?"

At this time, *Cat's Eye* already had quite a bit of fame, but most production companies were still looking at the TV animation adaptation rights; as for TV drama adaptations, most companies were actually still in a wait-and-see mode.

"I suppose so~" Naoki Nagayama answered vaguely. In fact, he hadn't read the manga much... In his past life, he had only watched the animation, and he hadn't watched the live-action TV drama that came later either.

"I wonder if Hojo-sensei is a fan of idols in his daily life? Do you pay attention to idols?"

Taken aback by Naoki Nagayama's sudden change of topic: "Idols? I pay attention occasionally..."

"Last year, there was an idol girl group that suddenly rose to prominence and then faded away—the Wild Cat Group. Does Hojo-sensei know them?"

"Ah, the Wild Cat Group! That girl group that used cat ears as their trademark?!" Tsukasa Hojo remembered. "I hadn't drawn *Cat's Eye* yet at that time. Come to think of it, maybe the manga even absorbed a bit of the Wild Cat Group's sexy elements!"

Otomo Yoshimura put down his teacup: "There's actually such a connection?"

Tsukasa Hojo was a bit curious after hearing this: "Connection?"

Masami Inada helped explain from the side: "Hojo-sensei, the Wild Cat Group is the idol girl group created by Manager Yoshimura and President Nagayama. Currently, the three artists of the Wild Cat Group are still working at our GG Agency."

"Eh?! Is that so?"

Tsukasa Hojo's interest increased significantly. Originally, this was his first time selling a copyright, and he only wanted to see the buyer. He didn't expect there to be such a connection with himself.

"However, Manager Yoshimura, why did the Wild Cat Group suddenly disappear without a trace? I was sad for quite a while."

Otomo Yoshimura sighed: "Many reasons, I suppose..."

Seeing the sad expression appear on Otomo Yoshimura's face again, Naoki Nagayama hurriedly took over the conversation.

"Actually, it was just all that power-grabbing in the entertainment industry, but it's all in the past now. Currently, the three members of the Wild Cat Group are still active in various movies and events~"

"So ka." Tsukasa Hojo was also tactful enough not to continue asking. "Then, what is Tree Friend Films' purpose in buying the TV drama adaptation rights this time?"

"The Wild Cat Group is part of the reason, but the real thought is that *Cat's Eye* has a promising future! Filming a TV drama like this will definitely achieve good results!"

Naoki Nagayama was very clear about the future fame of this manga, and he was even more optimistic about *City Hunter* later on.

"In the end, it was Hojo-sensei's talent that moved us."

"Hahaha~ President Nagayama, you flatter me~" Although he had already achieved good results in the manga world, Tsukasa Hojo was still a young man at this time, and he was still a little shy being praised like this.

With a common topic, the few of them started chatting around the adaptation of the manga and other aspects. Pot after pot of fragrant Gyokuro tea was replaced, and accompanied by tea snacks, it was like a few old friends killing time.

By the time they finally dispersed, the tea leaves had been replaced 3 times!

"Naoki-san... we spent over a million just like that?" Otomo Yoshimura only then remembered that a pot of tea cost 300,000!

Naoki Nagayama also twitched the corners of his mouth and sighed silently in his heart; his own state of mind still wasn't high enough, as he could still be shaken by mere money: "Yes... plus the first pot we drank and the tea snacks and service fees, it's probably about 1.5 million!"

Otomo Yoshimura gasped: "1.5 million! A bedroom is gone just like that! Naoki-san, we spent so much money, what did we actually do!"

"Drank tea... chatted..."

Although he had made quite a bit of money in the last two years, Otomo Yoshimura really hadn't reached the point of throwing money around. Even Naoki Nagayama, whose bank account was just a pile of numbers, felt a bit of heartache looking at the amount spent today.

"Otomo-san... why didn't you stop me when we were drinking tea just now..."

"We were chatting happily at the time..." Otomo Yoshimura whispered something (anyway, I'm not the one paying~), which Naoki Nagayama didn't hear.

"In any case, it's fortunate that it's our own shop, so we can just charge the cost price..."

Otomo Yoshimura's eyes immediately lit up: "Cost price? Then if I come to drink in the future..."

Naoki Nagayama immediately dispelled his thought: "The cost price is still over a million! It's really expensive because of the tea leaves!"

After dispelling Otomo Yoshimura's thoughts, Naoki Nagayama continued: "Otomo-san, go to Shueisha later to sign the contract. As for the adaptation matters of *Cat's Eye*, I'll leave it to you to talk to the three members of the Wild Cat Group~"

Otomo Yoshimura felt a warmth in his heart. He knew that Naoki Nagayama had always known that he had a knot in his heart regarding the fall of the Wild Cat Group. This adaptation was very likely to let the Wild Cat Group re-enter people's eyes, which was the greatest comfort to him.

"Hai!"

Naoki Nagayama, who had spent over a million to drink tea in one morning, was in no mood to go to any high-end restaurant to eat at this time.

Anyway, there was nothing to do in the afternoon, so he might as well go back to Shanyingyuan to cook for himself. If the ingredients in the refrigerator weren't used up, they would soon spoil!

By the way, he would let Eitaro taste ordinary food too. Eating high-end dog food every day, he would probably forget the life of a dog in an ordinary family's home. For a little kid, one still had to let them suffer a little!

The casting for *Hana Yori Dango* was being negotiated. The time Mieko Harada set was tomorrow, and they were also in contact with the Shonentai from Johnny's Agency. It was estimated that there wouldn't be much of a problem.

It was also at this time that Mary from Johnny's was in her office listening to the report from agent Atsuhiro Ozawa.

"It's Shonentai?" Mary was very puzzled. "Not Shibugakitai, nor the Shonentai Trio?"

For Johnny's at present, the latter two teams were the main boy bands. Whether it was fame or resources, they were very rich. Generally, when people came looking for cooperation, they would look for these two boy bands.

"Hai!" Agent Atsuhiro Ozawa answered, "Because it's the production company that has cooperated with Shonentai before, Tree Friend Films, so they found Shonentai again this time."

"Tree Friend Films? Ah, that's the *Gas Station Robbery Incident* time."

Mary remembered. Ever since that movie became a big hit, Shonentai had received many more notices. Although they were still members of the backup dance troupe at Johnny's, that was only because there were no more resources to distribute.

"Hai, it should be that the effect of the last cooperation was relatively good. It seems that Tree Friend Films is quite optimistic about Shonentai." Atsuhiro Ozawa explained respectfully.

"This, it's a bit of a headache..."

Mary Kitagawa was a bit conflicted. On one hand, this drama was funded and produced by Fuji TV, so it could be said that there was a high probability it would be a hit, which was a very good opportunity.

On the other hand, the seniority of Johnny's boy bands was here. There were still the Shonentai Trio and Shibugakitai in front. These two boy bands had also just reached the time to develop in multiple aspects.

Besides, Masahiko Kondo and the others had also been very well-behaved during this period...

"Ozawa-kun, recommend the Shonentai Trio or Shibugakitai to Tree Friend Films and try it out. Boy bands with greater fame can have more exposure and can also attract more fans."

"This..." Atsuhiro Ozawa hesitated. Generally speaking, invitations specifically aimed at a certain artist would basically not be blocked by the agency, unless the schedule was really too full. But this time, Shonentai had absolutely no other work. "Tree Friend Films specifically came looking for Shonentai..."

"I know, but currently, the agency is still mainly pushing the Shonentai Trio and Shibugakitai!" Mary Kitagawa stared at Atsuhiro Ozawa, her eyes full of pressure. "It's just a casual mention, Ozawa-kun, you wouldn't even be unable to do this little thing, would you?"

"Hai, I understand."

After Atsuhiro Ozawa left the office, he sighed. Atsuhiro Ozawa was the agent in charge of the entire Johnny's reserve army.

Shonentai hadn't officially debuted yet, and they weren't equipped with a dedicated agent. If there were a dedicated agent, even Mary Kitagawa wouldn't replace such an invitation that came to the door casually.

"The entertainment industry is such a place~"

Atsuhiro Ozawa felt sympathy for Shonentai. Generally speaking, production companies would definitely choose more famous boy bands.

Coincidentally, Noriyuki Higashiyama of Shonentai saw Atsuhiro Ozawa's figure: "Ozawa-san, how is it? Did Mary-san agree?"

Shonentai naturally already knew about the invitation. Naoki Nagayama had already greeted them in advance.

"Ah, Mary-san said she still needs to consider it." Atsuhiro Ozawa could only say vaguely, "Because of the remuneration and other considerations, I will continue to communicate with Manager Yoshimura of Tree Friend Films."

"Eh? Still need to communicate?" Kiyokazu Nishikiori was a bit disappointed, thinking there was a good opportunity.

And Noriyuki Higashiyama saw the perfunctory look on Atsuhiro Ozawa's face, so he stopped Kiyokazu Nishikiori and Katsuhide Uekusa from asking further: "Arigato, Ozawa-san, sorry to trouble you."

"Mm-hmm, you guys just wait for news!"

After Atsuhiro Ozawa's figure disappeared, Noriyuki Higashiyama's face didn't look very good: "It seems there's a change in the opportunity to appear..."

Katsuhide Uekusa was very puzzled: "Aren't they still communicating?"

"Generally, when reserve trainees have such opportunities, the agency won't have any requirements. Just like when we went to film *Gas Station Robbery Incident* before, Naoki-san just proposed it, and our agency agreed. This time, it might be that our agency wants to give the opportunity to others..."

"How can they do this!" Kiyokazu Nishikiori was shocked.

"Let's go back and ask Naoki-san again..."

Noriyuki Higashiyama was very indignant in his heart, but he also knew that the agency's decision could not be violated, at least not by newcomers like them...

"We can only look to Naoki-san's side."

In the staff dormitory of the GG Agency,

When there were no notices, the three members of the Wild Cat Group would generally go shopping, watch movies, and the like, and would probably only return to the staff dormitory to live in the evening.

After all, as artists, their wages were higher than those of part-time workers of the same age, especially since they were at Tree Friend Films, which wasn't short of money. The previous movies they participated in also included big red envelopes.

Plus the existence of the lifetime employment system, so even if there wasn't much work, the few of them stayed in the company with peace of mind.

Even the face of the group, Mikina Ohno, had already considered it well. When there was really no work opportunity, at worst, she would just get married and retire~

This evening, when the few of them returned to the dormitory, they saw Otomo Yoshimura sitting in the public living room.

"Yoshimura-san, why are you here? Ah, are you here to find us?" Seeing this, Kisa Akiyama was a bit nervous. Didn't Masami Inada usually come to find everyone? This time, he actually let their own boss wait in the living room?

Mikina Ohno also hurriedly inquired: "Yoshimura-san, have you been waiting for a long time?"

Saying that, she was about to go make tea.

Seeing her action of making tea, Otomo Yoshimura hurriedly stopped her. The tea he drank in the morning hadn't been digested yet.

"No need to make tea, Mikina-chan. I came over to notify you of one thing!"

"Sure enough, are we going to retire?"

Ayano Katagiri sighed. In her view, the big boss coming over to notify them directly must be an incredible thing. Plus, the three of them hadn't had any work recently, so the only possibility was forced retirement.

Otomo Yoshimura was very speechless: "What are you thinking! It's a good thing!"

"Good thing?" X3

"Yes, we have already bought the TV adaptation rights for the *Cat's Eye* manga. We are currently looking for someone to write the script, and it is expected that filming will start at the beginning of next year." Otomo Yoshimura looked at the three of them. "As for the female leads, it will be the three of you."

"Eh?!" "Honto ni" "Arigato"... The three members of the Wild Cat Group were very happy. The most active Ayano Katagiri even started pulling Kisa Akiyama to spin around.

Seeing that the few of them couldn't quiet down in a short time, Otomo Yoshimura could only exhort: "You guys should read the manga carefully during this period, and then make some preparations according to the prototypes in the manga."

"Mikina-san, your hair is still a bit short now. You need to prepare to grow it long and then make it into big waves; Kisa-chan, the long straight black style can be prepared; Ayano-chan needs to be shorter..."

Finally, Otomo Yoshimura secretly looked at the figures of the three of them: "Finally, there is one more point!"

"Nani?" The three members of the Wild Cat Group all stopped and looked at Otomo Yoshimura.

Making him feel a little embarrassed: "Cough cough, ano, according to the manga, when filming, it seems that leather night-walking clothes will be needed to show the figures of the three female leads... You three need to manage your figures well during the end of the year... You are a bit thin now..."

After saying this, Otomo Yoshimura left quickly. There was no way, the figures of the three sisters in the manga were indeed very good!

"..."

After the dormitory was quiet for a while, Kisa Akiyama chuckled and was the first to laugh.

"Hahaha, is Yoshimura-san actually embarrassed?"

"Haha, that's what he said!"

"Clearly we also wore leather clothes when we first debuted!"

The three of them, who came from shooting photo magazines, had absolutely no pressure about showing sexiness.

...... ===== CHAPTER 271 =====