Chapter 277

The Asakusa Tori-no-Ichi was packed with people, bustling and extraordinarily lively.

Naoki Nagayama stood on the main path of the Washin Shrine. Long rows of stalls were arranged in two lines, and countless small lanterns hung from the roofs. On the streets on both sides, besides various snacks, there were all kinds of strange rakes, crowdedly hanging on the display walls of the stalls.

Rather than being brooms, the rakes were more like ritual implements. Most no longer resembled brooms; a single bamboo pole would be covered with treasure ships, fans, and other lucky charms, and some even had slightly creepy masks...

The crowd between the stalls was shoulder-to-shoulder, with men, women, young, and old all coming to participate in the opportunity to pray for the New Year. The overly crowded people and dense merchandise even made Naoki Nagayama feel a bit of claustrophobia.

"Naoki-san, do you want to buy a rake? To put in the studio?"

Otomo Yoshimura asked from the side, surrounded by company employees like Shuichi Yin Tang, Masataka Komori, and Riko Hayano. It had truly turned into a team-building event...

"Then let's buy one, a bigger one." Naoki Nagayama nodded. Although it was a bit formalistic, it was a symbol of good luck that could make the company more united.

When buying the rake, the few grown men were very glad that Riko Hayano had come; her bargaining skills were simply too high. While buying the largest rake, she also got the shopkeeper to give each of them a souvenir—a super-small rake, rake ornaments, rake charms, etc., for them to choose from at will.

Masataka Komori held the largest rake, and then the surrounding stall owners quickly gathered around them, cheering and clapping while chanting slogans for good luck, causing people from half the street to look over.

The group waited awkwardly for the owners to finish chanting, then wanted to quickly disappear into the crowd. For people who didn't like to be in the spotlight, this situation was comparable to a large-scale social death.

Among the flowing crowd, the group calmed down slightly. Shuichi Yin Tang asked, "Naoki-san, is this the exorcism ritual you mentioned? Although it's very lively, it seems a bit too casual..."

"No, the exorcism ritual a friend told me about involves a monk wearing a hawk mask, holding ritual implements and a rake to sweep away bad luck for people..." Naoki Nagayama recounted what Akina knew.

After hearing this, Otomo Yoshimura turned his head: "Is Naoki-san talking about the Hawk Dance? The 'Hawk God' wearing a hawk mask descends at the Tori-no-Ichi to dance and ward off evil?"

Naoki Nagayama was surprised: "Eh? Is there something like that?"

After talking for a while, they still couldn't figure out which one it was, so Naoki Nagayama decided to look for Akina Nakamori's figure while strolling, to figure out what the so-called exorcism ritual was really like.

At this time, Akina Nakamori had naturally also arrived at the Washin Shrine, but she hadn't gone to the most crowded main path.

The program team had contacted the organizers of the Tori-no-Ichi in advance to conduct a live broadcast in an area of the shrine not far from the main path, where one could see the lively scene but there weren't too many tourists.

"Akina-chan, what are you looking at? The live broadcast is about to start." Today, besides manager Kenji Hatanaka, Nobuo Tomioka had also come. He reminded Akina Nakamori, who was looking toward the main path, "If you want to go see it, you can go play after the program ends~"

"Hai!" Akina was actually thinking, Naoki-san should have arrived by now, right? They had agreed earlier to meet at the torii gate after the program ended and then go to the exorcism ritual together.

As the crew set up, lights, cameras, and microphones were placed one by one. Many nearby tourists were attracted, and the area, which hadn't been very lively, slowly gathered a group of people.

At this moment, Naoki Nagayama was holding a large bag of sliced sansho and tasting it. The soft, chewy, strip-shaped rice cakes, besides the sweetness, also had the spicy flavor of sansho powder. The sweet and spicy taste was very novel.

Upon seeing the film crew in the distance, he suddenly understood that it was the live program Akina had mentioned.

"Otomo-san, my friend is over there, let's go over first."

"Ah, over there..." After Otomo Yoshimura saw it, he walked toward that direction.

In the flow of people, it was very difficult not to follow the crowd and walk toward a certain fork in the road, especially for a group of five. The group could only move at a snail's pace.

Before long, Naoki Nagayama heard the sound of music coming from over there—it was the soundtrack of "SedLove"—and then Akina's sweet voice came through.

Otomo Yoshimura heard it too: "Naoki-san, is that 'SedLove'? If so, is Akina Nakamori from Burning Productions doing a live broadcast?"

"Hmm, it should be a program related to the Tori-no-Ichi."

Otomo Yoshimura and Shuichi Yin Tang exchanged a look. Could the friend Naoki Nagayama had an appointment with actually be Akina Nakamori? When did the two of them start...

After leaving the main path, the number of people suddenly decreased, and the speed of progress became much faster. Naoki Nagayama soon arrived around the program and saw Akina, who was live broadcasting.

Akina was wearing a light white sweater today. In order to see her face clearly in the evening, even her usual Seiko-style hair was combed back and tied with a hairpin, revealing her slender neck.

At this time, Akina Nakamori's singing segment had already been completed, and she was currently trying the Tori-no-Ichi specialty 【Yatsugashira】 (eight-headed taro) under the host's guidance. After just one bite, she gave a "very delicious" evaluation. Her artist smile was already practiced, making people feel that it was truly very delicious.

Naoki Nagayama signaled for the others to wait a moment, while he walked to the periphery, using his height advantage to watch the details of the live broadcast. It seemed it would take a while longer, so he thought he would go around to the corner to wait.

The weather was already pitch black. In the area without lights, Naoki Nagayama accidentally bumped into someone who was also standing in the corner.

"Sumimasen."

After saying that simply, he had intended to walk away, but a surprised voice suddenly rang in his ears: "Omae-ra... Naoki Nagayama?!"

"Why are you here?!"

Nobuo Tomioka had planned everything well. Today, taking advantage of the Asakusa Tori-no-Ichi live program, he had just applied to the organizer to participate in the internal exorcism ritual, wanting to let Akina-chan get rid of a certain person who had been haunting her.

The live program went very smoothly, and Akina-chan's performance was also perfect. Although the song was also by that person, which was a bit annoying, the result was good.

Seeing that there were no accidents, he intended to step aside to stretch and rest for a bit. He didn't expect that after standing in the corner of the live broadcast site for only a few minutes, a reckless guy would actually bump into him from behind, making him, who had been standing comfortably, almost stumble.

Although the guy behind him quickly said "Sumimasen," he was still prepared to teach him a lesson, so after standing firm, he turned around to look.

The live broadcast lights were behind him. That guy walked over from the darkness. Nobuo Tomioka could only see the person's silhouette for a moment, only feeling that the person was very tall, and his figure and face shape were very good. From the silhouette, he should also be a handsome person.

But so what? He still bumped into him: "Omae-ra!"

Then he saw that person's face exposed under the light, which appeared a bit pale against the dark background. And this face was very familiar—it was the target who came to exorcise bad luck today!

Nobuo Tomioka felt as if he were a vampire in his surprise and trance. A chill ran down his back, and the hair on his neck stood up:

"Naoki Nagayama?! Why are you here?!"

Naoki Nagayama was startled by the sudden shout from the person next to him. He looked closely and realized it was an old acquaintance: "What is it? It's Tomioka-san, you startled me..."

Fortunately, at the corner of the live broadcast, the sound did not affect the progress of the live broadcast.

Nobuo Tomioka breathed heavily, forcibly suppressing the surprise in his heart. Could it be that this guy Naoki Nagayama was really some kind of ghost? How could he be seen everywhere?

"Naoki-san, why are you here?"

Naoki Nagayama didn't hide it: "Ah~ we came to participate in the exorcism ritual. We've encountered many bad things recently, so we want to clear out the bad luck. Seeing Akina live broadcasting, I came over."

As he spoke, he signaled for Otomo Yoshimura and the others to come over.

This sentence was not a lie at all, but by a twist of fate, it made Nobuo Tomioka mistake the order, thinking that Naoki Nagayama had first come to participate in the exorcism ritual, and then came over after seeing Akina Nakamori.

Otomo Yoshimura and the others who came together happened to prove this point. The collective behavior of the company was naturally arranged in advance.

And Otomo Yoshimura's group saw Naoki Nagayama talking to someone, and then signaled them to come over, thinking that this person was the one Naoki Nagayama had mentioned earlier.

Shuichi Yin Tang asked: "Naoki-san, is this your friend?"

"Hai, this is Nobuo Tomioka, a music producer at Warner-Pioneer. Tomioka-san, this is director Shuichi Yin Tang of Shuyou Film, and this is Otomo Yoshimura, president of GG Agency."

"Nice to meet you..."

Nobuo Tomioka, whose mind was elsewhere, muddled through the first meeting ceremony and even exchanged business cards. Facts proved that this set of Japanese rituals was indeed a conditioned reflex.

When the pleasantries ended and the live program reached its end, Nobuo Tomioka finally sobered up. Looking at this guy who always appeared coincidentally around Akina Nakamori, his eyes were a bit complicated:

"Naoki-san, is the exorcism ritual with us?"

Naoki Nagayama didn't understand: "Eh? Isn't the exorcism ritual conducted together? I don't know much about it. Is there any particular requirement?"

Yes, it was already this time, there was probably only the same batch left...

Nobuo Tomioka sighed. Was this a karmic debt?

He hoped that in the subsequent exorcism ritual, the Hawk God would use the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi to cut off this karmic debt!

The live program ended quickly. Naoki Nagayama watched Akina Nakamori and Kenji Hatanaka politely say goodbye to the program staff, and then his gaze turned, and he saw Naoki Nagayama, who was with Nobuo Tomioka.

"Naoki-san! Why are you with Tomioka-san?"

"I accidentally bumped into Tomioka-san just now, and we both got a fright." Naoki Nagayama mentioned the small accident just now, and then handed over the sliced sansho in his hand. "Akina-chan, thank you for your hard work on the live broadcast. This is a condolence gift..."

Akina was happy to receive it after hearing this: "Arigato~"

Then she quickly took a small bamboo skewer and poked a piece: "Umm... sweet and spicy~"

For Akina, who loved spicy food, such a snack was just right.

Nobuo Tomioka saw the two of them being familiar with each other and muttered in his heart, but at this moment, it was not easy to say too much. Should he directly tell Akina-chan to ignore Naoki Nagayama? This was obviously impossible.

So he gave Kenji Hatanaka a look, signaling him to do something to separate the two. As an experienced manager, Kenji Hatanaka immediately understood: "Akina-chan, we are going to the exorcism ritual. The time should be..."

Yabai! Kenji Hatanaka chose the worst reason!

Nobuo Tomioka hurriedly interjected: "Ah, our exorcism ritual should take a while before we can go over. Naoki-san, if you are in a hurry, you can go first!"

It's a company team-building event, we shouldn't let it be delayed for us?!

"Ah, we are not in a hurry." Naoki Nagayama said directly. Without Akina-chan, he didn't even know where the exorcism ritual was. "Does Akina-chan have anything else to do later?"

Akina Nakamori glanced at Nobuo Tomioka: "There shouldn't be anything later. The original plan was to go stroll around the Tori-no-Ichi..."

"That's perfect, we've only strolled halfway... let's go together."

Since Naoki Nagayama said so, Otomo Yoshimura and the others naturally had no objections, and Nobuo Tomioka couldn't think of any reason at this time, so he could only stroll around the Tori-no-Ichi together, feeling aggrieved.

The team of eight was already very large. Naoki Nagayama and Akina Nakamori walked in front, talking and laughing, and the others chatted from time to time. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

Everyone looked at the various products at the Tori-no-Ichi. Everyone started holding yakitori skewers, beef skewers, oden, etc. Nobuo Tomioka also bought a medium-sized rake for Akina's studio.

On the way, they also encountered a Hawk Dance performance wearing masks—it was that Hawk God mask with "sharp eyes." No matter how he looked at it, it felt like Angry Birds...

Nobuo Tomioka and Kenji Hatanaka, who had unknowingly fallen to the back, started whispering:

"Tomioka-san, what's going on? Why is Naoki Nagayama here?"

"How would I know? I was startled when I saw him pop out, okay!" Nobuo Tomioka gave a wry smile. "Maybe it really is a karmic debt!"

Kenji Hatanaka scratched his head: "Then what should we do? Do we still want to participate in the exorcism ritual together?"

Nobuo Tomioka looked at the two people leading the way and gritted his teeth: "Of course we do. I don't believe that this kind of karmic debt can still exist in front of the gods! We must let the gods cut off this connection!"

Walking and stopping, eating and drinking, they had strolled around the Tori-no-Ichi for more than an hour and all felt a little tired.

"Naoki-san, let's go participate in the exorcism ritual. It's getting late. I wonder if they will close."

"Hmm, does Akina-chan know the way?"

Akina Nakamori hurriedly ran to Nobuo Tomioka, said a few words, and then walked to the front: "Captain Akina already knows the route, follow me!"

As she spoke, she led the way in front of the team, looking high-spirited, as if a spirited goose was leading a group of little geese...

The exorcism ritual at Washin Shrine sounded very high-end, but the experience was not much different from other shrines.

The group washed their hands and rinsed their mouths at the water pavilion, cleared away the taste of the food they had just eaten, completed the process of purifying their bodies and minds, then completed the offering at the offertory box, and rang the bell to inform the gods.

Next was the exorcism ritual. The receiving monk assumed that Naoki Nagayama's group was together. After seeing Nobuo Tomioka, whom he had contacted earlier, he didn't confirm their identities. The monk led the group to a main hall, where Yamato Takeru was enshrined.

Everyone closed their eyes and prayed on the cushions, and then the monk wearing the Hawk God mask began to dance around the crowd. After a dance that was unclear but felt powerful, and then waving ritual implements over the crowd, the exorcism ritual ended...

After leaving the shrine,

"Akina-chan... is it over?" Naoki Nagayama was a bit surprised. Shouldn't there be chanting, drawing talismans, or even fire-breathing performances?

"It should be..." Akina Nakamori had never participated in an exorcism ritual either, and she wasn't very clear about it in her heart.

However, at this time, Nobuo Tomioka seemed to have relaxed a lot: "Akina-chan, we should go back! Naoki-san, you should go back too, right?"

"Ah, yes." Naoki Nagayama glanced at Otomo Yoshimura and the others. It was already quite late.

"Then we will take our leave first." As he said that, he turned to leave, and Akina Nakamori also hurriedly said goodbye when she saw it. "Naoki-san, I'll go first today~ see you next time~"

"Hai, see you next time." Naoki Nagayama saw Nobuo Tomioka already holding the rake and walking toward the torii gate, and suddenly remembered: "By the way, Akina-chan, this is for you."

He took a super-small rake key charm out of his pocket, which was given when Riko Hayano was bargaining earlier. Naoki Nagayama chose a key charm.

"I hope Akina-chan can grab all the good luck~"

"Hahaha, arigato~ Naoki-san, bye-bye~"

After Akina accepted it, she hurriedly greeted Kenji Hatanaka and walked toward Nobuo Tomioka. Her figure slowly disappeared.

Naoki Nagayama turned back to look at Otomo Yoshimura and the others:

"Minna-san, are we going back directly? Or go for a drink?"