Chapter 488

Naoki Nagayama, who was completely unaware, arrived at the Fuji TV building in a pleasant mood.

He had come here many times recently, and for him, it was already very familiar. Even the administrator at the gate let him through directly after seeing his car.

When he arrived at the *Twilight Meow Meow* preparation team again, there were several more people inside, gathered in a group. Yasushi Akimoto, Rumi Nishi, and Eiro Kikuchi were also there, chatting and laughing lively.

"Naoki-san!" Sugiura Otai, who was in high spirits, saw Naoki Nagayama and immediately pulled him into the middle. "Minasan, this is the great contributor to *Twilight Meow Meow*, Naoki Nagayama!"

Many people present applauded. TV station staff who looked familiar but hadn't been formally introduced came up to greet him one by one.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Du Bei!" "I'm Gu Mei!" "Shushan Lens! Please take care of me!" "I am Rui Ruoxing~"

"..."

Naoki Nagayama was a bit dizzy from the complicated self-introductions. Fortunately, Sugiura Otai quickly freed him,

"Naoki-san, these are colleagues who will join the *Twilight Meow Meow* preparation team in the future. After all, if we want to speed up filming, manpower is indeed insufficient."

"This is as it should be!" Naoki Nagayama nodded in approval. "It's just that this small office can't fit them~"

"Hahaha, there will be a bigger one." Sugiura Otai and the first few people formed a core circle. "Naoki-san, Akimoto-san's second script is here, please take a look first!"

"Akimoto-san's ability, is there any need to look again?"

"Haha, Naoki-san, take a look first~" Yasushi Akimoto's chubby face was also full of smiles. "Originally, we were going to discuss this time, and then we'll go to the club to celebrate!"

"Hey~ alright then~" I didn't come just to celebrate!

Naoki Nagayama found a corner and started reading the script, and the people around him also subconsciously lowered their chatting voices.

The script was written quite well. Perhaps it was the experience of working in the *The Betten* team at TBS in the past. Yasushi Akimoto was quite good at displaying himself in variety shows and unit transitions, but it was just a bit too formal.

Rigid, fully prepared... it was too much like a TV station program!

"Akimoto-san..." Naoki Nagayama called out subconsciously, only to find that everyone in the office was looking over, and the room was quiet.

Naoki Nagayama was startled by this situation for a moment: "What's wrong with minasan?"

Yasushi Akimoto immediately reacted, breaking the somewhat awkward silence: "Naoki-san was frowning all the time just now, looking very serious. Is there something wrong with the script?"

"Is it very serious?" He didn't know it himself, but when he was in the recording studio, more than one person said he was like a tyrant when he was producing.

"Hahaha, it's alright~" Sugiura Otai originally wanted to say that he had the aura of a TV station department head, but felt it was a bit exaggerated.

Yasushi Akimoto asked again: "Naoki-san, the script?"

"Ah, the script is very good. To be able to write such a script within three days, as expected of Akimoto-san!" Naoki Nagayama first praised it. "However, it's too old-fashioned in form."

"Old-fashioned?"

"Yes, our program doesn't need to be limited to indoors!" Naoki Nagayama said, and looked at Eiro Kikuchi again. "There's no need for all the candidates to be provided by Kikuchi-san."

Eiro Kikuchi was nervous: "What does Naoki-san mean?"

"We can record and broadcast outdoors, shopping malls, squares, high-end office buildings, Tokyo Tower..." Naoki Nagayama said casually. "As for the participants, it's also fine to pull them in randomly from the onlookers!"

"What we want to highlight is that it's different from past talent shows. The idols of our Kitten Club should be familiar classmates sitting next to the classroom, neighbor girls living next to home..."

"Eh?!!!"

A few words made the whole office discuss, one word after another, and they were all stunned by such casual operations.

"Can they debut so casually?" "It's too casual, right?" "Can they sing well?"

Just at this time, Yasushi Akimoto laughed: "Omo series!! Hahahaha, is this what *Twilight Meow Meow* should look like! Isn't it very interesting!"

"As expected of Naoki-san!"

After Naoki Nagayama made suggestions, he didn't continue to discuss with everyone. Grasping the outline was his personality.

Amidst the noise, a few core people quietly slipped out of the office. Before they got off work, they openly skipped work and ran to the club!

The club in Ebisu, Shibuya had already opened, but not many people came.

However, one advantage of having few people was that there were many hostesses! And it was said that the quality of the hostesses in Ebisu was very high, which Naoki Nagayama affirmed!

"Let's not go home until we're drunk today!" Sugiura Otai toasted to celebrate.

"Kanpai!" 4

A few young people plus an older Eiro Kikuchi drank while enjoying the future of the program, and chatted about the gossip of the entertainment industry.

"*Shukan Bunshun* has taken photos of Hiromi Go and Seiko Matsuda meeting privately again. If you ask me, the two of them should just announce it!" Sugiura Otai said while drinking.

Naoki Nagayama was curious: "Isn't Seiko Matsuda rumored to be with Toshihiko Tahara?"

Rumi Nishi was very gossipy: "I heard Seiko Matsuda is also in close contact with other male stars. I don't know how many boats she's stepping on!"

"Eh, Rumi Nishi, aren't you a Seiko fan?"

"Is that so? Actually, I can also be an Akina fan, a Kyoko fan, a Sonoko fan..." Rumi Nishi said without caring at all. Urban girls in the Showa era were just so chic!

"It might also just be acting on the spot." Eiro Kikuchi sighed with experience. "These artists who become popular very quickly are easily corrupted by the big dye vat of the entertainment industry, and their feelings basically won't last long."

"Doesn't Naoki-san have this experience?"

"Hmm... forget it, let's drink!" Naoki Nagayama decided not to let these things affect his mood today. His feelings would definitely last a long time!

Eiro Kikuchi wisely stopped continuing this topic. He skillfully joked with the hostess beside him: "Then Miss Shanmei, is there anything special in the circle recently?"

"Recently? There is really a very interesting dance that has become popular in nightclubs!"

"Wait a moment, we have also learned it! We'll perform it for you!" Miss Shanmei went to the band and said something, then took the two little sisters beside her and stood in front of the booth.

After a while, the familiar "Learn to Meow" music sounded, and the three little sisters in front started dancing the hand dance:

"We learn to meow together, meow meow meow meow meow..."

Naoki Nagayama, Sugiura Otai, Eiro Kikuchi, and Rumi Nishi looked at each other and couldn't help laughing~

"Hahaha~"

In the middle of the night, Naoki Nagayama, who returned to the Mountain Cherry Garden, walked off the taxi dizzily. Although his drinking capacity was good, he couldn't stand that the other few were all nightclub veterans!

"Eitaro, Meitaro, I'm home!"

Naoki Nagayama opened the gate and called his cat and dog. As for Tsuruko, she was naturally driven back to the Waseda apartment!

The big dog was still very enthusiastically welcoming his master's return, using his small stick-like tail to keep hitting Naoki Nagayama's legs, while the big orange cat was lying on the sofa, raising its head to look at the poop-scooper. Looking at the meaning of that look, why haven't you come over to give me a massage yet?

Naoki Nagayama walked to the sofa and slumped down, stroking the soft fur and laughing: "As expected, Meitaro is still so cold!"

He turned his head and looked at Eitaro, who was very conscious of lying under his legs as a meat pad, and couldn't help laughing again: "Hahaha, Eitaro is indeed a dog-leg!"

After teasing the dog for a while, he saw the indicator light of the phone beside him flashing. Did someone call?

"Naoki-san, this is Kuniharu Morikawa."

Eh? Kuniharu Morikawa, who hadn't been in touch for a long time? Could it be that he wanted to print more?

"Naoki-san, your *Sky of Love* has been confirmed to be nominated by the Eiji Yoshikawa Literary Award Selection Committee!"

Eiji Yoshikawa Literary Award? Naoki Nagayama vaguely remembered it was a quite famous award, but it shouldn't be as famous as the Naoki Prize, right?

"If you hear the message, please contact me... that's all."

In short, another award?

Naoki Nagayama didn't have much interest. After all, he didn't pay much attention to the literary circle, and even the person in the circle he considered most familiar was only Haruki Murakami... and that was a pen-pal relationship.

The night after getting drunk, he closed his eyes and opened them, and it passed, as quickly as if he hadn't slept at all.

Pushing away the dog head that Eitaro crowded over, Naoki Nagayama rubbed his sore eyes and shook his head, which was still a bit slow, before going to wash up.

"I still have to go to the studio to edit today..." After waking up, Naoki Nagayama thought of work again, and his face became bitter again. "Sigh, after all this, I still can't escape the fate of a worker!"

"But fortunately, part of it is working for myself..." After such an Ah Q moment, his mood became much better~

Accompanied by the cool autumn wind, Naoki Nagayama arrived at the studio unhurriedly. Seeing Xing Jiahua at the front desk, he also greeted her happily:

"Hua-chan, good morning~"

"Ah, Naoki-san is here! Morning~"

"Hua-chan is dressed very beautifully today, are you going on a date?"

"Hahaha, Naoki-san, don't talk nonsense..."

Chatting with young and beautiful girls was always very pleasant, but Xing Jiahua seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and her face was a bit inexplicable. "By the way, Naoki-san, Shuichi-san is already in the editing room!"

"Eh? He started working so early, as expected of Shuichi-san!" Naoki Nagayama praised and was about to walk toward the office.

"Naoki-san..." Xing Jiahua stopped talking. She didn't know if she should meddle in this kind of leadership struggle. "Ano, take care..."

"?" Naoki Nagayama was full of confusion. What was this little girl saying?

"Riko-chan, morning... uh... why are you running?" At this time, he saw Riko Hayano head-on. Naoki Nagayama was about to greet her, but found that she turned around and walked in another direction in the distance, and she seemed very ashamed, covering her face.

Naoki Nagayama turned around and found that most of the employees were looking at him, and they all avoided him after eye contact.

"What's wrong, why are you all so strange?"

He walked into the office full of questions and saw Otomo Yoshimura waiting expectantly, with a strange smile on the corner of his mouth: "Naoki-san, you're here~"

"Uh, Otomo-san, what's wrong today?" Naoki Nagayama couldn't help thinking, did he do something absurd when he went to the club to drink yesterday and was photographed by the paparazzi as a headline?

That's not right. Although he drank yesterday, he was clearly very sober and went home alone!

"Hahaha, it's no big deal, it's just that the secret you've been hiding has been exposed!"

Otomo Yoshimura said with a smile, but in his mind, he recalled yesterday afternoon, when Shuichi Ito grabbed every studio employee and asked everyone if they knew that Naoki Nagayama was already filming *Love Letter*.

From the initial surprise and anger, to the end, Shuichi Ito's face was calm, and even showed a smile...

"Secret? Exposed?" Naoki Nagayama looked at Otomo Yoshimura's expression and gradually remembered something, confirming cautiously, "Shuichi-san? Yesterday afternoon?"

Looking at Otomo Yoshimura nodding with a smile, Naoki Nagayama only felt his scalp tingling...

No, I have to go!!!

Naoki Nagayama was about to turn around and rush out of the office when he heard a voice outside: "What? Naoki-san is here!"

"Oh? That's great!!!"

"I was just looking for him!"

"..." Naoki Nagayama looked around, there was no exit! He could only turn his head and signal to Otomo Yoshimura, "Otomo-san, save me!"

Otomo Yoshimura was not worried about the conflict between Shuichi Ito and Naoki Nagayama at all. In fact, he had already appeased Shuichi Ito yesterday afternoon!

Timeline of the afternoon of the day before yesterday~

Otomo Yoshimura pulled the resentful Shuichi Ito: "You already promised Naoki-san, you can't use this matter to threaten him again!"

Shuichi Ito's anger stagnated. Yes, he had just agreed in the morning, and he was still triumphantly thinking that there wouldn't be such a time!

"That guy, did he actually calculate me in advance?"

"So I said, Naoki-san is full of bad water, it's useless for you to be so hard!" Otomo Yoshimura was like a cunning fox at this time, provoking Shuichi Ito's emotions. "Besides, besides scolding him, what problems can be solved?"

Shuichi Ito calmed down a bit and asked: "Otomo-san, what do you mean?"

"Shuichi-san, you should use this opportunity, use Naoki-san's guilt toward you, and his guilty conscience during this period, to achieve your goal." Otomo Yoshimura poured a cup of tea for Shuichi Ito and continued to appease him. "For example, more diligent and efficient editing, new scripts, new songs, more active participation in the company's idol operations..."

Shuichi Ito felt something was wrong: "Eh? The latter seems to have nothing to do with the movie?"

"Shuichi-san, movies, idols, music, aren't they all Tree Friend Films! We are one!" Otomo Yoshimura patted Shuichi Ito's shoulder. "We must use this opportunity to let the originally lazy Naoki-san fully invest in serious business!"

"Eh? Is that so?" Shuichi Ito felt a bit fooled.

"Of course!" Otomo Yoshimura nodded seriously. "We must change Naoki-san's lazy personality!"

"But, this guilty conscience won't last long, right?" Shuichi Ito thought for a while, according to the root of men's inferiority. "It won't dissipate in a month!"

"Haha, a month is good! Don't you want to know what effect Naoki Nagayama will achieve if he works seriously for a month?"

"..." Shuichi Ito was silent, and had to admit that what Otomo Yoshimura said was very attractive!

"Alright! Let's do it!" Shuichi Ito looked at Otomo Yoshimura. "Otomo-san, tell me what to do!"

After the two secretly conspired, Otomo Yoshimura looked at Shuichi Ito's departing back and laughed in his heart:

"Naoki-san, you stood on the fourth floor with your trick of trying to hide the sky and cross the sea in advance. And my trick of borrowing the east wind, plus sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight, is on the sixth floor!"

Returning to the office today, as Shuichi Ito's footsteps got closer and closer, Naoki Nagayama wanted to jump out of the window, anyway, it was on the first floor!

Otomo Yoshimura decisively stopped him: "Naoki-san, don't worry, I don't think it's that scary... Why don't you listen to Shuichi-san first!"

"This..."

Just at this time, Shuichi Ito opened the door with a smile on his face: "Naoki-san, you're here! Did you come to edit so early?"

"Ah..." Naoki Nagayama was a bit dazed. "... Yes, I came to edit..."

"That's great, Masataka-kun and I are ready, let's start now!" Saying that, Shuichi Ito actually turned around and left!

"Eh?" Naoki Nagayama was even more dazed, looking at Otomo Yoshimura. "Shuichi-san, he?"

Otomo Yoshimura shrugged, indicating that he didn't know what was going on.

Helpless Naoki Nagayama arrived at the editing room and really found that Shuichi Ito was very seriously invested in editing,

"Naoki-san, start quickly, we're waiting for you!"

"Uh... Shuichi-san?"

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Looking at the smile on Shuichi Ito's face, Naoki Nagayama suddenly felt guilty again. It was probably like handing in summer homework without writing it, and the head teacher didn't mention it after coming over, but just started class.

At this time, asking was equivalent to confessing, which meant welcoming the head teacher's scolding, finding parents, and punishment measures afterward...

Naoki Nagayama admitted that he was a bit cowardly at this time,

"Nothing, let's start!"

"Hmm, good!" Shuichi Ito's smile became even brighter~

On this day, the efficiency of Naoki Nagayama's editing reached the peak of several movie editing jobs...

End of Chapter