Chapter 319: Found Two Excellent Coolies

The next day, Naoki Nagayama looked relaxed. Since only the final mixing remained for Junko Ito's new song, he could listen to it once more later, and it would be ready for production.

Looking out the window of the studio, even the sunlight felt brilliant. The tender green leaves were comfortably stretching, and even the birds' calls revealed a sense of vitality.

If only there weren't a buzzkill of a bald middle-aged man nearby...

"Naoki-san, why do you look like you're high on drugs?"

Otomo Yoshimura looked at Naoki Nagayama, who was enjoying the spring, feeling a bit puzzled. Wasn't it just an ordinary March scene?

Naoki Nagayama rolled his eyes: "Otomo-san, you really don't know how to enjoy life... You'll miss out on such beautiful scenery~"

"Beautiful scenery? It's just a few trees outside the window; I'm sick of looking at them every day~ And those birds, chirping back and forth all day, it's so noisy!" Otomo Yoshimura's face showed annoyance. "If it weren't for the Animal Protection Law, I would have caught them with a birdcage long ago!"

"..."

Naoki Nagayama was speechless. How could he even be so heartless?

But Otomo Yoshimura didn't seem finished: "Also, Naoki-san, we are very busy every day; where would we find the time to enjoy life slowly... By the way, doesn't Naoki-san still have Yutaka Ozaki's single to record? Why do you look so free?"

"Ha, speaking of that, I'm even happier~" Naoki Nagayama's face held an indescribable pride.

"Do you know? Akira Sudo and Tetsuya Komuro from Rebellion are both very capable musicians. Thanks to their efforts, Yutaka Ozaki has already recorded the demo tape!"

"I listened to it last night, and it was absolutely perfect!"

"Really? All three songs are recorded?" Otomo Yoshimura asked in surprise. "Are they all perfect?"

"Of course~ Otherwise, why would I be so happy?"

Naoki Nagayama wore a smile. He had found two excellent coolies; in the future, he might not even need to get involved in the production of his own idols' records!

Akira Sudo, having stayed at Sony Music for so long, was very experienced in record production even if his talent was limited; while Tetsuya Komuro was a young genius with plenty of talent but lacked practical experience.

With these two working together to craft a single for Yutaka Ozaki, it was as if a chemical reaction had occurred, making everything run very smoothly.

"I heard they are already preparing the other songs for the album. Perhaps Yutaka-kun's debut will be very smooth!"

Otomo Yoshimura's eyes widened slightly; he hadn't noticed such a thing himself, which was truly a bit derelict for a company executive.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "It seems I've been immersed in past successes and have become a bit dull~"

However, Naoki Nagayama coming to the studio today was naturally not to show off about this; he was actually here to participate in the production seminar for *Cat's Eye*.

Although it had already been decided that the three members of the Wild Cat Group would play the roles of the Cat's Eye sisters, the other roles, such as the male lead, had not yet been determined.

After waiting for a short while, Shuichi Yin Tang also arrived at the studio, bringing the three sisters of the Wild Cat Group with him. It seemed they didn't have any scenes today either. Upon seeing Naoki Nagayama, he greeted him:

"Naoki-san, so early?" "Naoki-san, good morning~"...

"Good morning, everyone~ Shuichi-san, now that you're here, is there any problem with the filming of *Hana Yori Dango*?" Naoki Nagayama responded to the girls' greetings with a smile, then asked about the situation on set.

Shuichi Yin Tang was very calm: "Daijobu, Masataka-kun is there. Now there are only some simple reshoots, absolutely no problem."

Ever since Masataka Komori participated in the filming of *A Scene at the Sea*, he seemed to have been reborn; his use of the camera had leveled up, and now Shuichi Yin Tang was very relieved to hand the filming over to him.

"I see. When will *Hana Yori Dango* officially wrap up?"

"I estimate it will be okay this week."

The rest would be editing~ But with Naoki Nagayama around, editing was always very swift; this was already a consensus between Shuichi Yin Tang and Otomo Yoshimura.

Seeing that the two had finished chatting, Otomo Yoshimura began to get to the point: "Naoki-san, although the female leads have been decided, do you have any candidates in mind for the male lead?"

Speaking of the leads, Naoki Nagayama glanced at the three sisters of the Wild Cat Group: the mature and glamorous eldest sister Mikina Amano, the cold and proud long-haired second sister Hisa Akiyama, and the cute youngest sister Ayano Katagiri: "The female leads are practically tailor-made for the Wild Cat Group~"

"Hahaha~" Ayano Katagiri was the first to laugh, "What are you saying, Naoki-san~"

However, regarding the male lead, a figure suddenly appeared in Naoki Nagayama's mind: "Otomo-san, do you remember the previous casting call?"

"Eh? I still have some impression of it." What Otomo Yoshimura remembered most clearly was actually only one thing: that Johnny's idol, Masahiko Kondo, had great hostility toward Naoki Nagayama.

"I remember among the actors who came, there was one who was very handsome... the kind of sunny, pleasingly handsome..." Naoki Nagayama recalled carefully, "I remember... his name was Takayuki Takemoto."

"Takayuki Takemoto..." Otomo Yoshimura also recalled it but had no impression, then suddenly realized and slapped his forehead, "Ah, their files are still here!"

Saying this, he went to the office filing cabinet to search for a while, then walked over with a document bag: "The previous casting materials are all here."

"Otomo-san is truly reliable!" Shuichi Yin Tang praised with a smile, then took out the materials and flipped through them with Naoki Nagayama.

"Ah, this is the one." Shuichi Yin Tang looked at the score sheet and the photo above, "Sure enough, he's a sunny and handsome guy. Let me see, his acting ability is also quite good..."

After looking for a while, he returned the materials to Otomo Yoshimura, "I think he's okay~"

"Then let's go with him~" Otomo Yoshimura agreed directly, and the three sisters of the Wild Cat Group nearby naturally had no objections.

【To be honest, I've been using a source-switching app to catch up on books recently. It has many reading voices and works on both Android and Apple.】

Actually, things like the lead were just minor matters; what really needed to be discussed today were issues regarding production.

Shuichi Yin Tang asked directly: "Naoki-san, you said last time that filming *Cat's Eye* this time is different from when we filmed *Hana Yori Dango*?"

"Hai, this time we didn't negotiate with the TV station in advance; it's equivalent to us producing the product first and then letting the TV station purchase it..." Feeling it was a bit cumbersome, Naoki Nagayama changed his phrasing, "Does Shuichi-san remember filming *Tales of the Unusual* back then?"

"Of course."

"It's just like that. *Cat's Eye* is also strung together by small cases, so it can be filmed episode by episode."

Shuichi Yin Tang understood: "So it's a mode of filming while airing? Just like *Ultraman* and other special effects dramas!"

"Hai, that's exactly it." Naoki Nagayama replied, "However, filming *Cat's Eye* isn't like the simple little stories of *Tales of the Unusual*; the investment will be very large, and the requirements for continuity will also be very high."

"So the risk will also be very high..." Otomo Yoshimura summarized, "If the audience's reaction is bad halfway through..."

"Then we'll have to adjust in time!" Shuichi Yin Tang added immediately.

Naoki Nagayama said to Otomo Yoshimura: "Otomo-san, there is one more thing... Fuji TV just invested in *Hana Yori Dango*, so they probably won't cooperate with us on the next one for the time being."

Other major production companies also need to be maintained well!

"So for *Cat's Eye* this time, we might need to expand channels to other TV stations, like Nippon Broadcasting."

"Hai, I understand~" Otomo Yoshimura said, then laughed, "In the past, TV stations might not have cooperated with an emerging production company like ours, but now that Shuichi-san and Naoki-san have both won major awards in the film industry, I have great confidence in the cooperation!"

"Hahaha, that's true~ We aren't exactly nobodies anymore~" Shuichi Yin Tang smiled and expressed his agreement.

"Hmm... Otomo-san, it will be hard work for you. Let's get prepared. Once *Hana Yori Dango* concludes, we can seamlessly take over~"

Naoki Nagayama looked at the three sisters in the conference room who hadn't really chimed in, "The three from the Wild Cat Group~"

"Nani?" Three pairs of eyes looked at Naoki Nagayama.

"You've all read the manga, right? In the upcoming *Cat's Eye*, there will be many places where you'll need to show your sexiness... be prepared~"

"Hai!" x3

It's just exposing a little bit; the three of us are gravure models by trade!

After continuing to chat with the two big bosses about some filming details, Naoki Nagayama walked out of the studio feeling relaxed.

Being a boss is great; after making decisions, everything else is thrown to others to do, and then he can enjoy spring to his heart's content all by himself!

Looking at the brilliant sunshine outside, Naoki Nagayama suddenly didn't want to drive; instead, he started strolling slowly along the street.

Spring had arrived; on the road, one could see grandmas and grandpas enjoying the sunshine from time to time, and also see some preschool children playing near their homes.

Even on the streets in the city center, one could always see colorful flowers, which paired perfectly with the colorful signs of the shopping street~

Walking aimlessly, Naoki Nagayama purely enjoyed this moment of leisure, not wanting to be disturbed by daily trifles. However, when passing an intersection, he was stopped by a little bee wearing a mascot costume.

"Tokyo Disneyland is about to open! Welcome to book your tickets!"

Saying this, he handed over a flyer~

Naoki Nagayama took it subconsciously. It was a colorful flyer introducing the situation of Tokyo Disneyland, the opening date, and related attractions, etc. However, looking at the date, it was April 15th.

"Isn't it still more than a month until it opens? Why start promoting so early?"

He didn't quite understand it in his heart, but he still put the flyer into his pocket. After all, this was the first Disneyland outside of the United States, and Naoki Nagayama still wanted to go and play.

However, thinking of Disneyland reminded him of the experience of going to Disneyland with Akina Nakamori in Los Angeles, USA.

"Before I knew it, it's actually been a year! Akina should be on her national tour right now, right?"

Naoki Nagayama reviewed Akina Nakamori's schedule. At this time, should she be at the second stop in Sendai, or the third stop in Nagoya?

But it's a 19-concert tour; Akina must be busy to the point of exploding this quarter~

Thinking that Akina was still at the Nagoya concert today, and had to go to Hokkaido for an event the next day, and then maybe had to go to some place abroad to film behind-the-scenes footage, and then had to rush to Osaka...

Tsk tsk tsk... this is the price of being super popular~

"It looks like if I want to ask Akina to go out and play together, it might not be possible~"

After this encounter, the mood for strolling had faded. Naoki Nagayama collected his mood and boarded the subway back to Sanyingyuan.

At the same time, much like Naoki Nagayama thought, Akina Nakamori, who had just participated in a certain program in the morning and afternoon, was rushing on the road in a sedan.

She was wearing a pair of silver headphones on her head, letting the equally silver Walkman play the cassette tape on loop, eyes closed to rest her mind.

When one side of the tape finished playing, Akina opened her eyes, changed the record, and asked:

"Meiyuki-san, how much further to Tokyo?"

The manager driving in front glanced at the road sign: "About 2 hours left."

"There are no scheduled arrangements for tonight, right?"

"Hai, there is a magazine shoot tomorrow morning, as well as an interview program." Fusoku Meiyuki had always kept Akina Nakamori's schedule in mind, "Then in the afternoon is a variety show, and there's also one in the evening..."

Even the manager sighed, it really was super busy, "But you can have a good rest tonight..."

"Ah~~~ so tired~~~" Akina slumped herself in the back seat. She had to pretend to be serious in front of fans, but in private, she was still an underage little girl, "Don't want to work..."

"If you feel tired, Akina, why not read the fan letters in the box to relax~" Fusoku Meiyuki said this. The fan letters in the box in the back seat had all been specially screened. Having experienced so many idol trainings, the senior manager knew how to make an artist cheer up again.

Fans' recognition and praise, positive feedback, had always been the golden rule.

Upon hearing this, Akina Nakamori also became interested. She opened a pink letter and started reading...

Just like those who write articles always like to read comments over and over, and those who make short videos always like to read bullet comments over and over, Akina was still very concerned about her image in the hearts of fans.

At first, she was all smiles, but by the end, her face suddenly turned bitter...

"... Why add this sentence at the end..."

Fusoku Meiyuki in the front row had been paying attention to Akina's reaction: "What's wrong?"

"This fan said at the end... it would be better if Akina were a little thinner..."

The senior manager relied on his powerful facial control ability to forcibly suppress the slightly upturned corners of his mouth.

Indeed, Akina at this time seemed to be eating a little too much because of the pressure, and her eating habits were extremely irregular, so...

High EQ: Akina's face is even cuter!

Low EQ: Akina's face has rounded out by a circle!

Little Akina changed to a letter angrily. Looking at her expression, this letter shouldn't have written anything about weight or the like.

"I heard Akina sang a song I've never heard before at the Shizuoka concert... I hope to hear it at the Mito concert too."

Reading the words in the letter, Akina raised her head: "Meiyuki-san, is the song *Kataomoi* mentioned a lot in the fan club recently?"

"Ah, yes. Everyone in the fan guard often chats about this topic with fans from all over the place." Fusoku Meiyuki recalled the news he had heard, "Those who have heard it all say it's very special, and everyone really hopes to hear it again."

This song *Kataomoi*, after being sung once for Naoki Nagayama in Shizuoka, hadn't been sung again at other concerts. She didn't expect it to be so popular.

But... if I sing it directly like this, should I tell Naoki-san?

It seems I've found a reason to make a phone call. Akina's mood suddenly improved~