Chapter 502

That said, teaching someone to drive is better left to a driving school; it really does make one's blood pressure rise when teaching someone.

In the end, Naoki Nagayama only let Akina hold the steering wheel at the slowest possible speed. With two cameras mounted inside the car, they finally finished filming the simple dialogue scene.

Next, it was time to go to Itsuki Fujii's house~

Behind a tombstone not far away, Tadayo Numata snapped a few photos, turned her head, and asked her companion: "Katsunori, I remember Akina Mori just turned 18; she shouldn't have a driver's license yet, right? Does driving like this count as driving without a license?"

"..." Her tall, thin companion looked at Tadayo Numata speechlessly. "This is filming a movie... and she's not on a public road..."

The paparazzi shrugged: "The public doesn't know that! 'Top Idol Drives Without a License!'—what an attractive headline!"

Katsunori Kawano said with disdain: "The various bad trends in the entertainment industry are all ruined by paparazzi like you!"

"Then should we sell it to the newspapers??"

"... Yes..."

In a Tokyo studio, Otomo Yoshimura welcomed the rare visitor, Tetsuya Komuro.

"Otomo-san, I've brought the candidate songs for Chikako Aoyama's debut album and the relevant record demos," Tetsuya Komuro said, his eyes rimmed with dark circles; he must not have slept well for a long time. "The new song 'Arigatou (Thank You)' given previously is also included."

Bypassing him, the record producer, to decide on the lead song and such was indeed a bit excessive, especially when the songs he had created and the scores he had chosen were also excellent.

However, upon learning that it was Naoki Nagayama's creation, Tetsuya Komuro sighed in his heart—he really couldn't compete with that!

Previously at Being Records, these final decisions were all made by Daiko Nagato. This was the first time Tetsuya Komuro was working according to Naoki Nagayama's instructions, and he had come this time to confirm the final version:

"When will Naoki-san be back?"

Otomo Yoshimura rubbed his temples. Previous records didn't seem this troublesome; where would there be demos, covers, choreography... so many things that all needed to be confirmed over and over again?

Had Tetsuya Komuro learned a head full of "standard procedures" at Being Records? Didn't Naoki Nagayama handle everything directly in the past?

Only now did he realize how troublesome it was for Naoki-san to produce albums for idols!

"Naoki-san is still filming in Otaru and probably won't be back until the day after tomorrow." Otomo Yoshimura recalled the process. "Just leave these demos and design drafts here; I'll show them to him when he returns."

"This..." Tetsuya Komuro wanted to say that these things were very urgent, but with Naoki Nagayama away, there was truly nothing to be done.

"Komuro-kun." Otomo Yoshimura spoke a little about Naoki Nagayama's working style to the young man. "Naoki-san is the type of person who only looks at the results; generally, he only takes one final look at the end."

"Eh?" Tetsuya Komuro was astonished. "Doesn't he need to modify and adjust it over and over again...?"

"These are all your responsibility! Naoki-san has a personality of trusting those he employs. Since he has already handed the production of Chikako-chan's album to you, it means he believes in your ability!" Otomo Yoshimura said firmly.

"This!!!" Tetsuya Komuro suddenly felt the urge to die for someone who truly understood him. "I understand! I definitely won't let Naoki-san down!"

After sending Tetsuya Komuro away, Otomo Yoshimura wiped the sweat from his forehead. He actually knew that Naoki Nagayama was just lazy! As long as the final result was passable, he wouldn't adjust it over and over again!

"Sigh... work is really getting harder and harder to do!"

As Tree Friend Film grew larger and larger, Otomo Yoshimura truly felt the limitations of his abilities. His decades of experience as an agent were becoming less and less helpful.

"Should I go take a training course or something? I heard there are management training courses in the United States..."

As strange thoughts popped into his head, Otomo Yoshimura was lost in thought when the office door was knocked on again.

Riko Hayano walked in:

"Otomo-san, the poster design for 'Ring' is finished. Please take a look and approve it."

"..." Another troublesome matter. "Hai, bring it over."

Six or seven ad designs for 'Ring' were laid out on the table, all segments selected directly from the film's footage and then designed; Naoki Nagayama really didn't want to go out of his way to shoot new ones.

Originally, this should have been decided by Shuichi Ido and Naoki Nagayama, but both of those guys had run off to shoot a new movie.

"Hmm..."

Each of the hair-raising design drafts made this middle-aged man, nearing fifty, feel his heart tighten every time.

In reality, choosing was very simple: just find the one he felt was the scariest!

"This one, this one, and this one." Otomo Yoshimura selected the designs showing the figure crawling out of the well, the one seen from the television, and the one seen from the photograph.

Riko Hayano nodded and collected the poster designs. "Otomo-san, these design drafts will be sent to Dentsu for ad production... It's expected to be completed this week, and then one week of promotion... It will just happen to catch the Christmas season."

"However, is the 'Ring' movie finished yet?"

"Ah, don't worry. When we talked about it last time, only the opening and closing credits were left." Otomo Yoshimura smiled. "When Naoki-san and the others return the day after tomorrow, it will be finished very quickly!"

"Hai!"

After sending Riko Hayano away, Otomo Yoshimura glanced at the empty desk next to him. It hadn't even been an hour since morning, and this was already the third time he had missed Naoki Nagayama~

Just at this moment,

"Ring-a-ding!"

The phone on the desk gave Otomo Yoshimura a fright. Having already seen the edited version of 'Ring,' he was naturally very wary of the phone calls in the movie that came at midnight, though fortunately, it was morning now.

"Moshi moshi, this is Tree Friend Film."

"Moshi moshi, this is Kuniharu Morikawa, an editor from Shogakukan." A relatively unfamiliar voice came through the phone. "Is this Department Head Yoshimura?"

"Hai, it is. Is Editor Morikawa looking for Naoki-san?" Kuniharu Morikawa had called the office before, so Otomo Yoshimura had some impression of him.

"Yes, I've called Naoki-san's Shanyingyuan several times but couldn't reach him, so I took the liberty of calling your company."

In this era without mobile phones, trying to find someone was indeed a bit troublesome; other than at home, the only way was through work phones.

People without landlines or jobs wouldn't even be missed if they went missing.

"Ah, Naoki-san has been filming a movie in Otaru all week, so he is temporarily not in Tokyo." Otomo Yoshimura told him directly. "Does Editor Morikawa have something urgent to find him for?"

"Hai, regarding the novel signing event, I need to confirm the schedule with Naoki-san." Kuniharu Morikawa said. "Time is already very tight."

"Since that's the case, I'll give you the phone number for their temporary residence..."

The old Western-style house naturally had a phone installed.

After hanging up the phone, Otomo Yoshimura shook his head; this was the fourth time he had thought of Naoki Nagayama today!

Transforming from a gentle and intellectual city lady into a simple and lively small-town girl only required changing one outfit.

Naoki Nagayama looked at Akina Mori, who had changed into a loose, colorful wool coat and was wrapped in a plaid shawl, and a smile appeared on his face:

"Once Akina changes like this, it feels like she grew up in a small country town."

"I did grow up in a small country town!" Akina, who was applying makeup, didn't care at all about her background. "Clothes like this are comfortable to wear."

Maki Ueda was helping with makeup on the side. Just as she wanted to tidy up her hair, Naoki Nagayama hurried over and used his hand to ruffle it a bit:

"It's better if it's a little messy like this..."

Akina shook her head and escaped from under Naoki Nagayama's hand: "Naoki-san, don't touch a girl's head casually!"

Naoki Nagayama was curious: "What's wrong? Is Akina afraid she won't grow taller?"

"It'll make me stupid!"

"Being a little stupid is cute!"

Maki Ueda on the side had a conflicted expression... She had just eaten breakfast; eating dog food at this time was a bit too much!

Today was specifically for filming the scenes for the female version of Itsuki Fujii. Most were in the old Western-style house, with some small parts in the school library and hospital. Filming from morning to night, the task was still a bit tight.

Besides Akina Mori, two experienced actors were also invited to play Itsuki Fujii's mother and grandfather.

The morning sunlight passed through the old glass, divided by the window grilles into square pillars of light, shining into the study filled with books and cluttered furniture. The fine dust dancing in the sunlight glittered, like gold powder sprinkled into the air.

Itsuki Fujii, who had a cold, opened the letter that had been sent...

"Ring-a-ding!"

Naoki Nagayama and Shuichi Ido, who were behind the camera, were startled by this phone call. They looked at each other and then stared at Masataka Komori. He hadn't checked the props on set; this was the executive director's fault!

The phone was still ringing. Under their intense gaze, Masataka Komori said "Sumimasen" and then ran over quickly to answer the phone.

Just as Naoki Nagayama was preparing to let Akina start performing again, Masataka Komori ran over:

"Naoki-san, the call is for you."

"..." Naoki Nagayama's expression didn't change. "Everyone, take a five-minute break."

He picked up the very retro-style phone: "Moshi moshi, this is Naoki Nagayama."

"Ah, Naoki-san, this is Kuniharu Morikawa." The voice of the old editor came through the phone. "Finally found you~"

Baffled by this exclamation, Naoki Nagayama asked: "Morikawa-san, I've been in Hokkaido all week. Is there something you need me for?"

"It's about the signing event we talked about before!" Kuniharu Morikawa said somewhat anxiously. "There's only a little over a month left until the end of the year; it's best to set the time for the signing event..."

"Didn't you say early next year..."

"That's right, but it's best to confirm the time and place this year. After all, our literary world is different from the entertainment industry. Inviting book fans and promoting the signing event requires more time. Inviting guests and booking the venue also take time to prepare, so being a month early is already quite tight."

Kuniharu Morikawa's tone held the self-importance unique to the literary circle, silently looking down on the entertainment industry.

However, the more Naoki Nagayama listened, the more he felt something was wrong: "Uh, Morikawa-san, isn't it just a signing event? Why does it feel a bit different... and what's this about guests and venue booking..."

"Naoki-san, you are a Naoki Prize winner; how could it be a simple signing event at a roadside bookstore?" Kuniharu Morikawa seemed even more surprised than Naoki Nagayama. "Naturally, it would be at a university, with students, and then inviting guests to come for interviews and discussions..."

Naoki Nagayama was a bit stunned. He really thought it would just be at a bookstore, sitting behind a table and signing autographs for people!

"Morikawa-san, but my research on novels isn't that deep..." Although he read quite a few novels, if he had to seriously discuss the development of novels or something, he would definitely be exposed!

"Haha, Naoki-san, don't worry. It's not an academic seminar; just invite some guests to chat, and talk to the students about your original intention and views on writing novels..."

Kuniharu Morikawa hurriedly reassured Naoki Nagayama. Indeed, asking a young man in his early twenties to talk about the future trends of novels was asking too much.

"Actually, it's about the same as an idol's fan meeting~"

Hearing the old editor on the phone say a bunch of things, Naoki Nagayama finally felt at ease. At least it wasn't like later generations, where he'd have to prepare a PowerPoint and give a lecture or something...

Finally, they agreed to talk about the signing event in person after returning to Tokyo.

After hanging up the phone, Naoki Nagayama realized that everyone seemed to be waiting for him.

"Ah, there were some matters in Tokyo that needed to be handled~" Naoki Nagayama didn't feel like he had delayed everyone's work at all; feeling very embarrassed, he said with a thick skin, "Everyone has rested enough, right? Let's continue filming!"

"Tsk~~"

A soft sound came out. Naoki Nagayama's eyes narrowed; it was definitely Shuichi Ido!

Akina Mori, who had become a small-town girl, seemed to adapt very well. During the filming process, she was also very relaxed, showing all the lightness and liveliness of someone from a small place.

The scene in the afternoon where she went to school to see her teacher and junior students was also handled with ease.

The difficult part of today's filming was actually at night, the scene where the heroine faints from a high fever and her mother and grandfather carry her on their backs through a blizzard to the hospital.

Since there was no natural snow, the set naturally used snow machines, and they even had a helicopter rise into mid-air to create the raging wind...

The crew did their best to protect the cameras, filming the scene of the grandfather carrying the heroine to the hospital under the dim streetlights.

If this grandfather wasn't a middle-aged actor in makeup, Naoki Nagayama wouldn't believe that an old man nearing 70 could carry his adult granddaughter and run for forty minutes in a blizzard!

After filming was completed, Naoki Nagayama handed a cup of hot milk to Akina, who was wrapped in a quilt:

"Akina, are you feeling better?"

"Daijoubu!" Akina Mori, having taken a sip of hot milk, said full of energy, "I was wrapped in a quilt the whole time! I didn't catch a cold at all."

"... But your face and hands are frozen red~"

Naoki Nagayama stood behind the sofa and covered Akina's ears and cheeks with his hands. The touch was a cool and delicate sensation.

Although a bit shy, Akina was still very surprised, then put down the milk in her hand and placed her own hands on top: "Naoki-san, why are your hands so warm?"

Generally speaking, girls have cold hands and feet in winter, and Akina, whose health wasn't great, was naturally no exception.

"Perhaps... because I am a hot-blooded Showa man?" Saying a joke, Naoki Nagayama covered Akina's cold hands as well~

"Haha~"

Akina, who had a low threshold for laughter, laughed happily. On the other side, her manager, Fusanori Akiko, had long since stopped paying attention to her idol; he was already contacting work for the following days.

"Naoki-san, are we going back tomorrow?" Akina Mori raised her head to look at her boyfriend behind her.

"Yeah, we'll finish up by shooting a few more shots in the morning~"

"We're going back already... This week went by so fast..."

Akina sighed softly. In the two years since her debut, being this relaxed for a whole week was indeed very rare, even while filming a movie.

"It's almost the end of the year, after all. When we go back, there's the Music Festival, the Kohaku Uta Gassen, and there are still many things to do!"

"That's right, there are still many things... and I won't be able to see Naoki-san again~"

The atmosphere suddenly fell into silence.

After a while, Naoki Nagayama gently squeezed Akina's hand: "Akina, how about we take a helicopter together when we go back tomorrow?"

"Eh?" Akina turned around in surprise.

"Although the whole trip is hard work, we can fly to Miyagi. I heard the grilled beef tongue there is delicious, and then we can take the Shinkansen back to Tokyo!"

Naoki Nagayama whispered to Akina, "Just the two of us!"

Akina didn't make a sound, but she nodded her little head very happily~