Chapter 470: It is actually very simple to sideline Naoki Nagayama

After the broadcast of *Night Hit*, the debut of Chikako Aoyama could be said to have been a resounding success.

"Heavenly Days," a song with a style vastly different from the current idol singers, instantly captured the ears of the listeners.

That Chikako Aoyama, with her bright and beautiful face, could actually sing such a fresh song—the intense contrast made fans instantly fall in love with this new idol.

After all, who doesn't love a pretty and pure young lady? This is probably the "gap moe" of the Showa era.

On the other hand, the massive fan base of Akina Mori would also discuss endlessly because Chikako Aoyama had snatched the finale spot from their idol, which, from another angle, increased Chikako Aoyama's popularity.

In short, when Otomo Yoshimura, who was in charge of idol promotion, called, his tone was both excited and apprehensive:

"Naoki-san, Chikako-chan's popularity has finally caught up with the idols from the beginning of the year, but there is quite a bit of controversy now. How should we manage her from here on?"

"Of course, by doing more promotional appearances, participating in more offline events, and forming a fan club~"

Naoki Nagayama said nonchalantly. He was in a very good mood now; the cold that had lingered for several days had finally cleared up. Although his body still felt a bit light, he felt refreshed overall.

"Otomo-san, these routine actions are certainly indispensable."

"Hmm, I will naturally push forward with those. However, Naoki-san, don't you have any ideas on your end that could take Chikako-chan to the next level?"

"To the next level? Does she need to perform on Tokyo Tower?" Naoki Nagayama said casually. "Otomo-san, in short, continue to build momentum in the media. After this wave of popularity, Chikako-chan will definitely retain a batch of fans. Just follow the standard idol plan after that."

"Ah, is that so..."

Otomo Yoshimura answered absent-mindedly, while thinking to himself: "A performance on Tokyo Tower? That's a huge gimmick! Can Tokyo Tower host such an event? Who should I talk to?"

"Otomo-san? Otomo-san?" Naoki Nagayama asked over the phone.

Otomo Yoshimura snapped back to reality: "Hai, what was Naoki-san saying?"

"I'm going to Otaru City tomorrow. Have the people there been arranged?" Naoki Nagayama said again.

"Hmm, hmm, I've already sent Masami Inada over there, and the house has been rented. The house is a bit old, but it can accommodate ten people without any problems," Otomo Yoshimura replied.

"Ah, that's good." Naoki Nagayama suddenly thought of a question. "Otomo-san, you sent Masami Inada over, so what about the schedules of the other artists?"

"..." Otomo Yoshimura was choked by this question, then said helplessly, "Naoki-san, how long has it been since you paid attention to our agency's employees? We have already hired many new people!"

"Eh? Isn't it just the receptionist, little sister Jia Hua, and the young brother Takeharu Kawahara?" Naoki Nagayama only remembered those two!

Otomo Yoshimura rubbed his temples. This guy Naoki Nagayama, does he only remember the people who appear in front of him often?

"Naoki-san, currently, both Tree Friend Films and GG Agency have new employees. The total number of our company's employees has already exceeded 60. Didn't you sign the papers for the new hires we brought on recently?"

"Uh..." Who would pay attention to the details of that huge stack of documents that needed to be signed every week!

"Hahaha, then it really is growing day by day!"

Listening to Naoki Nagayama laughing over the receiver, Otomo Yoshimura sighed. If he were the kind of manager with ambition, it would actually be very simple to sideline Naoki Nagayama, right?

Just don't let the employees hover in front of him~

"Naoki-san, you must attend the monthly meetings from now on! And you must read the weekly work summaries!"

"Uh, hai! I understand!" Naoki Nagayama promised honestly.

After hanging up on Otomo Yoshimura, it was still evening. At this time, Akina usually hadn't finished work yet.

Naoki Nagayama walked out of the inn, deciding to stroll around Kyoto. Since his cold was finally gone, how could he stay cooped up in the room?

The Kyoto courtyard was located at the foot of the mountain near Rurikoin, only a few minutes' walk from the resort inn where Naoki Nagayama was staying.

Feeling the vitality slowly awakening in his body, Naoki Nagayama walked lightly toward the mountain.

Although the most famous autumn leaf viewing hadn't started yet, the maple leaves surrounding Rurikoin were already starting to turn red. It was currently a time where green and red blended, plus some yellow transitions; the layers of leaves in different colors gathered together were simply more beautiful than blooming flowers.

Under the evening sunset, the wooden gate of Rurikoin appeared exceptionally transcendent. The temple near the river had heavy moisture, and the moss in the corners of the walls looked particularly lush and moist.

There weren't many tourists at this time. Naoki Nagayama walked into Rurikoin, following the mountain stone path, admiring the scenery on both sides until he reached the Wolong Garden at the entrance of the porch.

A few lively koi swam happily in the pond, adding a touch of vitality to the quiet temple. Naoki Nagayama squatted by the water, watching the koi that weren't afraid of people; their red and white scales combined into beautiful colors. They were chubby and swam around the edge of the pond without any fear, looking very blessed.

"When the courtyard renovation is finished, I should raise some in the pond next to the house too!"

The design of Naoki Nagayama's main courtyard house was based on the Phoenix Hall of Byodoin in Kyoto. There was also a stretch of water connected around the house, making full use of the stream water that originally flowed down from the mountain.

"At that time, there will be fire-like red maples by the water, and red koi in the water. The artistic conception is very distant~"

Naoki Nagayama was lost in thought when he suddenly had a good idea.

"Let's call the courtyard 'Red Fish Garden'! When the autumn wind plays with the autumn maples, the red leaves become red fish~"

"What on earth is a 'Leaf Red Fish'..."

It seemed that his brain, which had been suppressed by the cold for a long time, occasionally popped out strange memory fragments.

He walked into the famous main hall of Rurikoin. In the middle of the small Japanese-style room was a large glass table, reflecting the colorful trees outside. The place where internet celebrities would check in and take photos in the future was probably right here.

But to be honest, it was actually a bit small~

Naoki Nagayama ordered a seat in a tea room, ordered a cup of matcha and red bean snacks. Under the slanting light of the sunset, taking a sip of tea and a bite of pastry, admiring the increasingly psychedelic colors outside, he felt very relaxed and at ease.

It wasn't until the sky truly darkened that Naoki Nagayama borrowed a lantern from the monks at Rurikoin. Following the faint light, he stepped along the mountain path back to the resort inn at the foot of the mountain.

This time, he finally had the appetite to taste the Kyoto specialty, herring udon. The herring, salty yet sweet, had a tender and soft texture, and the flavor of the sauce seeped into the udon noodles underneath, elevating the taste of the entire soup—light yet with a hint of salty freshness.

For someone who had just recovered, it was both delicious and gentle.

After taking a bath in the evening, Naoki Nagayama lay lazily on the bed in the inn, chatting on the phone with Akina Mori.

"Akina, the gathering in Otaru tomorrow, there's no problem, right?"

Naturally, Akina's sweet voice came from the receiver: "Hai, we should arrive there around noon!"

This three-day schedule, which had been hard to come by, allowed her to stay with Naoki-san, which really made Akina quite happy.

"Hmm, we rented a big house there that can accommodate everyone from both sides," Naoki Nagayama introduced. "That is also one of the scenes we are going to film."

"Eh? Is it a big house like a school trip or a training camp?" Akina asked curiously.

"It's not an inn, just a regular family home," Naoki Nagayama recalled what Otomo Yoshimura had told him. "It's the kind of house with a sense of history that has been lived in for decades, but it's not an old-fashioned detached house; it leans more toward Western-style architecture."

"That must have gathered many years of affection." Born into such a family with many children, Akina Mori thought of this first.

"Hmm, I also had people from the company buy a lot of books to make it feel more scholarly inside~" Naoki Nagayama changed the subject. "By the way, Akina, are you ready?"

Akina Mori was stunned: "Nani? Ready for what?"

"Ready to become a high school student again. This time, we are playing high school students!" Naoki Nagayama laughed. "After being an idol for a year, can you still go back to that high school look?"

Akina Mori, who was in Tokyo, was indeed stunned for a moment. High school student, huh... She felt that such a time was already very far away from her. The few times she went to school to film programs, it was also as an idol; there was no feeling of student days at all!

However, she still said:

"High school student, huh. Come to think of it, my current age is indeed that of a high school student! After putting on the school uniform, there will definitely be no problem!"

"Oh ho? Very confident, huh~" Naoki Nagayama didn't believe it.

"Of course!" Akina Mori, who had secretly looked in the mirror, was very confident. Her cheeks, full of collagen, were exactly the same as in her high school days!

No, she was much prettier now than back then!!

"What about Naoki-san? Naoki-san has already graduated for more than two years!" Akina Mori asked with great confidence. "If you go back now, won't you be mistaken for a teacher!"

"How is that possible!" Naoki Nagayama laughed. "I haven't had a haircut for almost half a month. If I put on a little makeup, I'll look exactly like I did in high school~"

Actually, he was lying. After more than two years of scientific training and workplace experience, Naoki Nagayama's temperament, if he were among a group of high school students, would simply stand out from the crowd.

But in the future, there would be 40-year-old uncles and 60-year-old aunts playing teenagers, so what did it matter that he was 20 playing 18?

"I really want to see Naoki-san in a school uniform soon!" Akina Mori laughed.

"You'll see it tomorrow afternoon~" Naoki Nagayama said.

Just as they were chatting about tomorrow's filming, Akina Mori suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Naoki-san, I saw Chikako Aoyama earlier. She's also just in high school, right?"

"Chikako-chan, that's true. She seems to be a year younger than Akina." Naoki Nagayama asked casually, "Did Akina see Chikako-chan on *Night Hit*?"

"Yeah, she's really a cute girl." Akina's tone seemed a bit elusive. "If Chikako-chan were to play Hiroko in *Love Letter*, it seems it would also be very suitable, right?"

"Eh?"

His experience in dealing with girls in his past and present lives made Naoki Nagayama's brain sound an alarm. If he said the wrong thing at this time, he didn't know what the consequences would be~

"Chikako-chan, well, she just debuted, she definitely wouldn't be able to grasp such a complex character!"

Akina Mori continued: "Actually, as long as she plays herself, it's enough. She happens to be a high school student, isn't she?"

"Ha, it's not that simple. The character of a high school student, and the two completely different characters after growing up—to show completely different temperaments, that's very difficult."

Naoki Nagayama gave a long explanation, and then praised Akina again.

"Actually, choosing Akina is also because Akina can switch freely in the style of songs—a sweet song, a rebellious song—regardless of emotion or temperament, you express it as you please. That's why I'm sure Akina can definitely meet the requirements of such a character."

He said so much in one breath that his mouth was a bit dry. With this, there shouldn't be any problems, right?!

"Oh~" The receiver only replied with a simple "oh"?

After pausing for a while, Akina said again: "To be able to get Naoki-san's recognition, honto ni arigato~"

"Hahaha, because it's Akina~" Naoki Nagayama let out a sigh of relief. Finally, there was no trouble.

"Then, which other actors did Naoki-san consider playing it before?"

Yabai! The enemy is attacking again!

The second week of October, the weather was clear and sunny.

The flight from Kyoto to Hokkaido only took about two hours. Naoki Nagayama took Kijima Xu and his team members, Kongming Sakata and Guangming Xiaoyuan, with him on the plane.

And because it was a private action, Naoki Nagayama paid out of his own pocket to upgrade them to business class. He, of course, was still in first class~

"Kijima-san." Kongming Sakata quietly poked Kijima Xu's arm. "Where are we going? How come it feels like we aren't going to film a courtyard? We're already going to Hokkaido!"

On the other side, Guangming Xiaoyuan, who was looking at the scenery from first class, interjected: "Don't be suspicious. Maybe Naoki-san also has a courtyard in Hokkaido?"

Kijima Xu saw that the plane had already taken off, and there was no possibility for these two to jump off halfway, so he told the truth: "Let me tell you, actually, filming the courtyard renovation is just a cover! Actually, we are going this time to film a movie!"

"Eh?" x2, the two exclaimed in surprise. "Aren't we already filming *Ring*?"

"It's another movie," Kijima Xu said. "You all remember *A Scene at the Sea*, right?"

"Hai!" How could the people at Tree Friend Films not know about a movie that won such a big award?

"This time is the same. A movie directed by Naoki-san, low budget, small team." Kijima Xu recalled the previous movie, which was filmed with only 7 people. "This time, he specifically chose the few of us."

"This..." Kongming Sakata and Guangming Xiaoyuan looked at each other. "Does this mean we are Naoki-san's confidants?"

"Baka!" Kijima Xu knocked the two on the head. "This means we have tight lips! Remember, we are filming secretly this time, and we can't let Xiu-san know!"

"Hai hai!"

Speaking of this, both were helpless. "Anyway, Zhengxiao-jun and Xiu-san won't notice us!"

The team members following Kijima Xu seemed to have a common characteristic: their presence was relatively low. ===== CHAPTER 471 =====