Chapter 440

The feeling of the setting sun on one's face, besides being hot, is also very scorching.

Without the pressure of editing, Naoki Nagayama drove with a relaxed face, driving on the roads of Chiyoda, even humming a song.

When he returned to Shanyingyuan, the sky was still bright. Eitaro ran over, wagging his tail, seemingly wondering why his master had returned so early today.

"Eitaro, your master here has been liberated!" Naoki Nagayama stroked the dog's big head and said with a smile, "Let's go, while it's still early, I'll take you for a walk!"

"Woof woof woof!"

Although he couldn't understand what his master was saying, Eitaro, seeing the leash, still barked excitedly. This meant going out to play.

The August evening was still very hot, but as the sunlight gradually faded, the temperature dropped bit by bit, not enough to make it unbearable.

Getting off work a little earlier meant seeing the surrounding residential area come to life.

Students passed by in twos and threes, laughing and chatting, rushing home; groups of office workers poured out of the subway station, heading toward their homes; from the row houses, the aroma of food sometimes wafted out, and the izakayas and restaurants on the street became even livelier.

The gradually lit streetlights, the brightly lit streets, and the constant flow of pedestrians made Naoki Nagayama's dog-walking journey vivid and wonderful.

Passing by the Qingshan shop, this store naturally hadn't closed, and the lights were on inside.

"Old Man Qingshan?" Naoki Nagayama had already treated this shop as a check-in point; every time he came here, he felt uncomfortable if he didn't go in for a look.

"Naoki-san?" Today, it was actually Chikako Qingshan in the shop. Seeing Naoki Nagayama, she had a face full of surprise and a smile. "Is Naoki-san here to walk Eitaro?"

As she spoke, she walked out from behind the counter, walked in front of the big dog, and squatted down to stroke Eitaro's head.

The loose, cool sleeveless T-shirt of summer made her graceful figure appear and disappear. At only 17, Chikako Qingshan was already more than just budding.

Naoki Nagayama immediately looked up, acting like a gentleman: "Why is Chikako looking after the shop today? Where is Old Man Qingshan?"

"Grandfather went out to drink~" Chikako Qingshan stood up and was about to get water for Naoki Nagayama. "I haven't seen Naoki-san much lately, and Grandfather has mentioned you a few times."

"Chikako-chan, no need for water~" Naoki Nagayama declined the kindness. "I've been busy editing a movie lately, working overtime for several days in a row. Plus, it's too hot, so I haven't brought Eitaro out for a walk."

"So, is the editing finished today?" Chikako Qingshan asked curiously.

"Yeah, it's almost done. It will be easier from now on." Naoki Nagayama smiled. "Does Chikako-chan like watching gang action movies?"

"Gang action movies..." Chikako Qingshan originally had a slightly rebellious personality, and she wanted to maintain a girl's reserve in front of Naoki Nagayama, but thinking they were so familiar, "I love watching those exciting movies!"

"Then you must go see it when the preview screening happens in a while!" Naoki Nagayama promised to give her a few movie tickets so she could bring friends to watch.

Naoki Nagayama chatted with Chikako Qingshan for a while longer, bought a handicraft in the shop, and then left the Qingshan shop.

After returning to Shanyingyuan, he let Eitaro go find Miaotaro to play, and then went upstairs to shower.

After coming out feeling refreshed, he quickly got into his convertible:

"Eitaro, Miaotaro~ stay here and watch the house!"

And then he disappeared in a flash~

The lights were just coming on, and the night was still young.

The numerous lights extended from this end of the road to the end of the field of vision, interweaving with other neon lights into gorgeous colors, as if the galaxy had fallen into the mortal world.

Looking from afar, the lights on the high-rise buildings looked like falling stars, emitting brilliance in mid-air, while the lights of the low houses connected into a piece, illuminating the city as if it were daylight.

Naoki Nagayama stepped on the gas, letting the night wind blow more violently, so that his half-dry hair could air-dry naturally.

Akina Nakamori's new apartment was located in Taito Ward. It was said to be a nice high-end apartment, but this was Naoki Nagayama's first time going there.

In an era without GPS navigation, to go to an unfamiliar place, besides relying on maps and road signs, the only thing you could rely on was your own mouth.

After asking an uncle walking his dog, Naoki Nagayama saw the high-end apartment building with white outer walls and black stripes. It had 7 floors, and Akina lived in 301, an end unit.

After parking the car, he walked into the main entrance with tiled walls, pressed the doorbell downstairs, let Akina Nakamori open the security gate, and then took the elevator under the scrutinizing gaze of the apartment manager.

The door to the room on the third floor was white, the same color as the surrounding walls. After Naoki Nagayama pressed the doorbell, the door opened quickly, and there was Akina Nakamori's smiling face:

"Naoki-san! Come in quickly~" The entrance was much larger this time, and there was a dedicated shoe cabinet. "Hi, these are slippers~"

"Akina, this is a housewarming gift~" Naoki Nagayama took out a gift box from behind his back and handed it to Akina Nakamori.

"Honto?" Akina didn't expect there would be a gift, and took it very happily. "Arigato, Naoki-san!"

This was a rectangular lacquerware storage box. On the simple black background, red maple leaves were painted, exquisite and atmospheric, giving people a sense of high quality at a glance.

Akina looked at the storage box lovingly, carefully put it away, and then ran lightly to Naoki Nagayama, who was observing the new home: "I like Naoki-san's gift very much!"

"Ha~ as long as Akina likes it~" Girls should like such high-value gifts. "The new apartment is twice as big as the previous one~"

This new apartment had two bedrooms and one living room, which seemed even larger than Naoki Nagayama's Waseda apartment. The bedroom and living room shared a balcony, and there was a small balcony on the other side of the bedroom.

The items from the old small apartment had all been brought over and rearranged. The bedroom with the double balcony was naturally Akina's master bedroom, and the remaining secondary bedroom could be used for friends to rest when they came over.

"Yeah, but it's more troublesome to clean." Akina, who had a certain degree of cleanliness, cleaned the house herself. Now that it was twice as big, the workload had increased a lot.

"Hahaha, if you're too busy, I can come and help clean together."

Naoki Nagayama smiled and hugged his little girlfriend, making Akina laugh along,

"That's a promise~"

After walking around the new house for a while, Naoki Nagayama and Akina Nakamori remembered that they were going out to play today:

"Naoki-san, wait a moment, I need to touch up my makeup."

Although Akina didn't usually wear much makeup, since they were going on a date, she naturally had to take it seriously.

However, Naoki Nagayama followed: "Akina, lend me a comb... it seems the wind was too strong on the road, and my hair is sticking up..."

"Haha, I'll help Naoki-san comb it."

Akina pulled Naoki Nagayama to the dressing table and sat him down, then excitedly took her comb and started operating on Naoki Nagayama's hair,

"Naoki-san's hair quality is very good, very suitable for styling!"

"It seems like it needs some hairspray here..."

"It seems like it needs to be cut a little here..."

Naoki Nagayama felt something was wrong. How did it start to become like a haircut: "Akina, I just wanted to press down that tuft of hair that was sticking up..."

"But if Naoki-san does this, you will be even more handsome!"

Akina had an expression of "listen to me, it's definitely right," and then the scissors and comb continued to work.

When did she get the scissors? Naoki Nagayama was suddenly a little terrified.

The two, having made preparations, first went to the nearby Asakusa night market to stroll around. The two, who had made a little disguise, walked around near Senso-ji Temple like a normal couple.

"Akina-san, try this grilled beef~" Naoki Nagayama bought a few skewers of beef from a street vendor he had bought from before. "I've eaten it in other places, but I always feel that this stall near the Buddha tastes especially fragrant."

"Naoki-san, you are not allowed to slander the Buddha!" Akina Nakamori tried to lecture Naoki Nagayama righteously, but broke her composure after a few seconds. "It's really fragrant~"

Naoki Nagayama held Akina's hand and strolled through the temple-fair-like market. Naturally, the snacks didn't stop, and it was easy to fill their stomachs.

After strolling for more than an hour, they felt a bit bored:

"Akina, do you want to go to a nightclub to play?"

"Eh?" Akina Nakamori's heart moved. Since her debut, she had only been a few times, and she was with her agency manager. "It's not that I can't~"

"Then where does Akina want to go? Find one in the Asakusa business district? Or somewhere else?"

Akina Nakamori looked at her boyfriend and smiled: "Suddenly want to go to Naoki-san's place!"

"My shop?"

The disco in Takadanobaba. Come to think of it, he really had rarely been there this year. However, he had been to the club in Roppongi many times. Was he really a person who liked the new and tired of the old?

Taking advantage of the fact that it wasn't too late, Naoki Nagayama quickly took Akina into the convertible and drove rapidly toward Takadanobaba.

Now, the disco street in Takadanobaba was famous among young people all over Tokyo. Even people from other cities came to Tokyo specifically just to see what the trendiest nightclub looked like.

After a few months, the disco street seemed to have changed again. The outer wall of the disco in the middle of the street was covered with artistic graffiti, which could be clearly seen even at night.

And surrounding this disco, pinball parlors, billiard halls, video game arcades, movie theaters, and various izakayas and restaurants formed a street of food, drink, and entertainment services.

Even the road signs had actually been changed to "Disco Street." This could be considered official recognition, right?

When Naoki Nagayama arrived, there was a long queue in front of the nightclub. Many people were chatting with friends while waiting, complaining a few words from time to time, and other people on this disco street were already very used to this scene.

The convertible cleverly blended into the crowd of luxury cars. Naoki Nagayama pulled Akina Nakamori around to the back door of the disco and opened the door with a key.

"Naoki-san!" The staff in the back office of the disco naturally recognized their boss at a glance.

"Ah, it's Ryojun-san." Naoki Nagayama greeted. "Is Shigechi-san here today?"

"Hi, Shigechi-san is in the office." Mizutani Ryojun replied immediately. "Do you need me to inform him?"

"No need, I'll go find him. Ryojun-san, help me open a booth on the third floor first." Naoki Nagayama whispered to Akina, "Akina-san, you go to the booth first, I'll go say hello to Shigechi-san."

"Hmm~"

Watching Akina walk away with the staff, Naoki Nagayama walked straight to the back office, knocked on the door,

"Shigechi-san!"

Araki Shigechi inside seemed to be auditioning tapes, seemingly wanting to determine the music to be played for a period of time. He was very surprised to see Naoki Nagayama: "Naoki-san, why did you suddenly come over?"

"Brought a friend over to play." Naoki Nagayama sat down in the office. "Also, I haven't been here for a long time. How is the recent operation?"

Araki Shigechi steadied his mind and recalled the recent data: "After entering summer, there are basically more than 500 people every day. It's not because the attraction is not enough, but because our disco can only accommodate so many people."

"According to Naoki-san's suggestion, we used faster-paced rock music, and also invited some famous bands from the underground scene to perform, all of which achieved good results..."

Although Naoki Nagayama just wanted to chat casually and didn't want to ask so detailedly, a paper copy of this data would be sent to the studio every month,

But Araki Shigechi naturally turned the chat into a work report in front of his leader.

Naoki Nagayama was helpless, but since it had already started, he naturally needed to give his subordinates some encouragement:

"Shigechi-san has done a great job! I am very relieved to leave the disco to you~"

"This is what I should do!" Araki Shigechi looked very moved. "Does Naoki-san have any guidance for future operations?"

"The current model is already very mature, I don't have..." Naoki Nagayama suddenly thought of his movie at this time. "Wait, come to think of it, I do have an idea..."

Naoki Nagayama looked at Araki Shigechi: "Shigechi-san, in about half a month, we will have a new movie coming out, called 'Crows Zero,' a movie about campus, delinquents, youth, and hot-bloodedness."

"Shigechi-san, in the near future, you can plan a special event with this movie as the theme."

Araki Shigechi was a bit puzzled: "Specifically use this movie as the theme?"

In the past, they all used major festivals, historical nodes, traditional culture, pop culture... such representative factors with far-reaching influence as themes. Using a single movie...

"Daijobu, this movie will definitely set off a trend!"

Naoki Nagayama patted him on the shoulder. "Later, I will give you some materials and footage, as well as behind-the-scenes, etc. You can have a loop projection in the lobby... By the way, there are also a few songs that can be played in the disco."

"Also, the graffiti and decorations in the shop should all be remade with elements from 'Crows Zero'."

The cyber-wasteland style in the shop now actually has a certain similarity to the one in 'Crows Zero' that was transformed from an abandoned factory. As long as it is slightly modified, the style will be very obvious.

"Hi!" Since the boss said so, Araki Shigechi naturally had to follow suit, although there was still some worry on his face.

"Hahaha, Shigechi-san, don't be sad-faced. I guarantee this will make the disco popular again!" Naoki Nagayama smiled. "When the preview screening comes, Shigechi-san can come and see it, and you'll know!"

"Hi, I understand!"

Seeing that the manager was still a bit unconvinced, Naoki Nagayama didn't say much more.

After 'Crows Zero' is broadcast, he will find that in all of Tokyo, the Takadanobaba disco is the first one to use this movie as a theme.

And even if other nightclubs want to use this theme, this disco also has unique materials, music, etc.

Such uniqueness will definitely form a check-in trend among young people!

Naoki Nagayama, who finished chatting with Araki Shigechi, walked out of the back office. The energetic music rushed into his ears, the dazzling colored lights changed constantly, the wine in the glass splashed, the dance floor was boiling with human voices, mixed with the laughter and playfulness of young men and women...

For a moment, it actually made people feel dizzy.

After steadying his mind, Naoki Nagayama walked along the stairs to the third floor. Among the four booths, he actually didn't see Akina Nakamori's figure for a moment.

Still wondering where Akina had gone, he suddenly felt his arm being held,

"Naoki-san, here!"

Following the force, Naoki Nagayama came to a booth in the corner, and leaned close to Akina's ear, a bit strange: "Why is Akina hiding in the corner?"

Akina Nakamori also leaned close to his ear and said: "I saw someone I know, it's Jun-chan and Seiko-chan!"

"??" Naoki Nagayama was stunned for a while before he reacted. "Toshihiko Tahara and Seiko Matsuda?!"

"Hi, they are on the second floor!"

Akina pointed to a booth downstairs. Under the dim light, there seemed to be two figures vaguely, but under the lights of a nightclub, it was very difficult to recognize someone.

"Are they here to play together?"

A man and a woman alone coming to a nightclub... Naoki Nagayama felt that he seemed to have discovered something incredible!

The top male idol and top female idol in the entertainment industry were actually together! This would cause an earthquake in the entertainment industry!

Shrinking back into the corner of the booth, Naoki Nagayama began to whisper to Akina Nakamori: "Is it really those two people?"

"Hmm, it just happened to be when fireworks were set off on the stage, the light was very good." Akina Nakamori said quietly, "Although they put on makeup, people who are familiar with them can see through it at a glance!"

"Are they actually dating?" Naoki Nagayama clicked his tongue in wonder.

"Toshihiko-san and Seiko-san... rumors about the two of them have been circulating for a long time. If this were caught..."

But on second thought, his own disco didn't allow cameras, and the disco's lights, which were sometimes dim and sometimes dazzling, were actually not suitable for taking pictures. Overall, it was still very safe.

As long as they avoid the paparazzi who might be at the door, it's fine.

Naoki Nagayama looked at Akina Nakamori beside him: "Akina... do you want to go say hello to them?"

"No way!" Akina Nakamori refused without hesitation. It was rare to come out to play alone with her boyfriend, and she didn't want it to turn into a gathering of friends.

Besides, she actually discovered them, but the other party didn't discover her, which gave Akina a little secret joy of having caught Toshihiko Tahara and Seiko Matsuda's handle.

She was still thinking: "When we have a party with them one day, I can use this to mock them!"

Naoki Nagayama shrugged. Since his girlfriend didn't want to cause trouble, then let them play their own way. Anyway, the second floor and the third floor generally wouldn't have contact.

Just as he was thinking, the waiter brought up cocktails and a fruit basket,

"Naoki-san, please enjoy~"

It was obviously Araki Shigechi who had ordered the staff.

However, looking at the color-changing cocktails in the two tall glasses, Naoki Nagayama was a bit embarrassed and looked at Akina Nakamori:

"Akina... do you want to drink? Do you want me to go get a non-alcoholic drink?"

"Daijobu!" Under the dim light, Akina Nakamori's eyes were bright. "It's completely fine to have a drink!"

As expected, she is a little drunkard!