Chapter 510

Even on a small projector, the effect of *Ring* was explosive.

Riko Hayano and Kieda Ochiai watched it while gasping, and several times they wanted to give up halfway.

But they were stopped by Masataka Komori, who said righteously: "How can you not finish watching our own movie? This is disrespectful to our filming crew..."

Anyway, he said a bunch of "macho" things. When the two girls finally walked out of the screening room, if their glares could kill Masataka Komori, Sadako-san would probably have given them a thumbs up and said "666"~

The subsequent publicity plan was naturally adjusted according to the morning's meeting minutes.

With a plan in place, Naoki Nagayama began to edit, ignoring everything outside his window. The new film, *Love Letter*, required very delicate transitions and handling.

"Shuichi-san, my first scene must start from complete silence, from the first breath, with the whole world transitioning from death to life."

Naoki Nagayama said while processing the footage with Shuichi Ido.

"The subsequent shots should also highlight the profile of the heroine, Hiroko, and the character herself. After all, she and the female Fujii Itsuki are the most important."

"If the beginning is Hiroko, then for the ending, I will naturally use the female Fujii Itsuki..."

In the small editing room, the other three were listening to Naoki Nagayama, trying to understand his train of thought.

Only Naoki Nagayama knew that these were just descriptions based on the finished film in his mind; it was like having the answer key while explaining the problem.

But to others, it sounded very impressive.

When focusing on one thing, time slips away quietly. As the four were concentrating, Tomoaki Fushimura knocked and walked in.

"Naoki-san, you're really serious today. It's past work hours and you still haven't left~"

"Eh? Is it already time to go home?!!" Naoki Nagayama was surprised, then stood up and stretched. "Otomo-san is actually reminding me to go home? That's not your style!"

"..." I don't want to either, but there's something I have to say. I don't want to work overtime with you either. Tomoaki Fushimura hid his inner thoughts, but a smile appeared on his face. "Naoki-san, actually, it's because Burning Productions has a call for you."

"Burning Productions? Ah, is it about the scandal?"

Naoki Nagayama followed Tomoaki Fushimura out of the editing room and started talking in the hallway.

Tomoaki Fushimura shook his head: "It's somewhat related. Actually, it's about the recording of *Snow Flower*."

"Because of the scandal, Ms. Akina Nakamori's schedule has changed. The outdoor filming planned for tomorrow has been temporarily canceled..." Tomoaki Fushimura's tone was stifling a laugh. "But they came to find you, the other half of the scandal."

"So, we can record *Snow Flower* tomorrow, right?"

"Hai, I've already given them the address of the recording studio in Shin-Okachimachi. Tomorrow at 9 AM, is that okay for you, Naoki-san?"

Because he had already said he was free, and Tomoaki Fushimura knew Naoki Nagayama's recent schedule, he set it directly.

Naoki Nagayama nodded directly: "No problem, let's meet there tomorrow~"

Then he looked at the sky: "Since it's already time to go home, then perfect, I'll just leave directly!"

"..." Tomoaki Fushimura was speechless.

This guy didn't consider Shuichi Ido, Masataka Komori, and Shizhi Kijima who were still in the editing room at all~

"Akina-chan, shall I pick you up tomorrow morning?" Fusunori Miko drove the car to the downstairs of Akina Nakamori's apartment.

"No need. Shin-Okachimachi isn't far from here; I'll go myself." Akina Nakamori packed her belongings in the back seat. "Anyway, tomorrow is a whole day of recording, right? Miko-san can take a day off and rest well."

"Then... I will humbly accept."

Although the professional characteristic of a manager is to serve the idol 24 hours a day, Fusunori Miko had his own life too. Wouldn't he want to go shopping or eat with his girlfriend?

"Daijoubu, anyway, Naoki-san will be with me tomorrow." Akina happily walked out from the back of the car. "Miko-san, have a safe trip~ Have a happy day tomorrow~"

"Hai, Akina-chan, you rest early too."

Fusunori Miko said dryly. *Sigh... Akina-chan, if you hadn't mentioned Naoki Nagayama just now, I would be happier~*

Although the scandal had just broken this morning, Akina, in a very good mood, walked lightly toward the apartment and immediately dialed a call to her boyfriend's pager.

At this time, Naoki Nagayama, who was on the road, heard the beep in his pocket, parked his Toyota Century on the side of the road, and called back using the car phone.

"Ring ring~"

"Naoki-san!" The receiver was picked up immediately. "So fast!"

"I'm in the car. I heard the pager and called back immediately!" Naoki Nagayama said. "Is Akina home so early today?"

"Hai, it's rare to have nothing else to do today~" Akina Nakamori asked softly, "What about Naoki-san?"

"Haha, does Akina want to see me?" Naoki Nagayama took a turn. "As long as Akina wants to see me, I have nothing else to do~"

"Naoki-san is so smooth!" Akina, in her apartment, hugged a cushion on the sofa, a sweet smile on her face.

"You haven't answered me yet? Does Akina want to see me?" The voice in the receiver could be heard smiling.

"... Mm!"

"Nani? I don't think I heard you~"

"Naoki-san!!!"

"Haha, I'll come pick you up right away~"

He didn't say where he was picking her up to, but meeting a girlfriend at this time usually meant going out to eat. However, when Naoki Nagayama arrived at the apartment building in Taito Ward, he hadn't decided where to go.

"Naoki-san!"

Behind the door was Akina Nakamori without makeup, wearing loose daily clothes, her fair cheeks flushed, her black and white eyes full of joy.

"Akina!"

Naoki Nagayama took two steps, hugged his girlfriend, and kissed her on the cheek. A faint dampness came from her hair—she had just showered.

He wasn't wearing a trench coat anyway. Naoki Nagayama took off his shoes and pulled Akina into the living room:

"What does Akina want to eat tonight?"

"... In winter, of course, I want to eat something hot."

"Hmm... then sukiyaki?"

"Mm!"

Looking at Akina looking so satisfied at the mention of sukiyaki, he felt his little girlfriend was very easy to feed!

"However, in our current situation, if we go out and get photographed..." Naoki Nagayama mentioned the scandal. If they were photographed by paparazzi now, wouldn't that be equivalent to an official announcement?

"Then let's eat at home!" Akina didn't care at all. As long as she was eating with Naoki-san, it was fine. "But we have to go buy ingredients; we don't have any at home~"

"Even so, we can't always have dates at home... It feels like there's no sense of ritual~"

Naoki Nagayama pinched Akina's delicate cheeks, feeling that the baby fat seemed to have returned a bit; it felt super good.

"It tickles..."

Akina, hugging her boyfriend's arm, hid her face in his shoulder, looking like she was hanging on Naoki Nagayama!

"Then where does Naoki-san say we should go?"

"..." Naoki Nagayama thought for a while. "Akina, what do you think about Yamasakura-in?!"

"?"

Isn't that just home? One is Naoki-san's home, the other is my home...

"Yamasakura-in has more space... and the refrigerator is stocked with ingredients... it can be very ritualistic!" This wasn't a lie; Yamasakura-in had already made arrangements with a nearby grocery store to update the inventory every week.

"I'll listen to Naoki-san~"

Although she didn't know why her boyfriend was suddenly using the word "ritualistic," she didn't care; as long as Naoki-san was by her side, it was fine!

Akina Nakamori, arriving at Yamasakura-in again, naturally felt a sense of freshness.

The bamboo outside the door had grown taller than the wall, almost burying the entire Yamasakura-in in bamboo leaves; the grayish-brown outer wall had weathered the wind, frost, rain, and snow, adding a sense of stability to the house; the floodlights in the yard weren't on, but some small solar lights had been installed, emitting a pale green light at night, illuminating the path between the front door and the iron gate.

"Akina hasn't been to Yamasakura-in for almost a year, right?" Naoki Nagayama parked the car and used the remote to close the iron gate outside.

"Hai, the last time I came, I only stayed for a quick moment." Akina Nakamori said, "It's changed so much~"

As they were talking, Eitaro ran over, recognized Akina Nakamori—someone he had spent time with a while ago—and wagged his tail as he approached: "Woof woof woof!"

"Ah, Eitaro!" Akina happily pinched the thick skin on the big dog's face, turning his square cheeks into a trapezoid. "Did you miss me?!"

At this moment, if Eitaro could speak, he would definitely say: "Whether I missed you or not doesn't matter, let go of my face first! Otherwise, I'll show you!"

But fortunately, Akina only did this when they first met, and then she started scratching the dog's chin, making Eitaro open his mouth happily~

Naoki Nagayama, who walked in, first turned on the air conditioner, then took off his coat and started preparing dinner in the kitchen.

"Naoki-san, let me help you~" Akina put on an apron, rolled up her sleeves, and stood to the side.

"Mm, Akina, first wash the shiitake mushrooms and vegetables... I'll cut the meat~"

Yamasakura-in's open kitchen was large, so the two of them wouldn't be crowded, and sukiyaki mainly consisted of ingredients and a soup base, so there wasn't much troublesome preparation.

Naoki Nagayama took out his clay pot and small stove, then found smokeless charcoal from the storage room.

The cut ingredients were put in a basket. The soup base in the clay pot was already boiling. After Naoki Nagayama poured all the ingredients into the pot, he covered it with the lid.

Under the reddish charcoal fire, gradually, a rich fragrance wafted from the dining table, making both Eitaro and Nyataro run over.

"Do you two want to eat too?" Akina pressed the heads of the cat and dog like a boss. "But no, this is for Naoki-san and me!"

"However, if you behave well, it's not impossible to share a bite with you..."

"Haha, Akina, can they understand what you're saying?" Naoki Nagayama brought over the cat food and dog food, and added some canned food. "Dinner for these two guys is here."

"Eh, it looks pretty good too~"

"Yeah, we'll give them some meat from the pot later, otherwise these two little smarty-pants won't be satisfied."

Akina Nakamori looked at the two guys in surprise: "Are they really that smart?"

"Yeah... they've been spoiled~"

When the time was right, the lid of the bubbling clay pot was lifted, and a burst of hot steam rushed out. Then they saw the ingredients half-submerged in the pot: the bright red beef had turned brown, the green vegetables, red carrot slices, black shiitake mushrooms, and white tofu looked like a dish from *Cooking Master Boy* that would emit five-colored light.

"Ah, so fragrant!" Akina Nakamori held her chopsticks and put her hands together. "Itadakimasu!"

The beef coated in egg liquid not only lowered the temperature but also added a smooth texture. When bitten, the freshness of the beef and the aroma of the meat were even more delicious against the backdrop of the raw egg.

You couldn't rush eating the piping hot tofu. After dipping it in egg liquid, it still wasn't enough; you had to bite it open in small pieces and blow on it a few times before putting it in your mouth. The delicate tofu melted in the mouth, and the bean aroma combined with the rich flavor of the soup base flowed down, warming the entire esophagus.

The cooked vegetables remained crisp, while the originally crunchy shiitake mushrooms became tender and chewy.

"Cheers!"

Getting hot from eating, Naoki Nagayama picked up the chilled rice wine and drank with Akina. It was icy cold when it first entered the mouth, but then a warmth radiated from within the body~

Winter sukiyaki is indeed very delicious!

"Naoki-san, is this how normal families eat dinner?"

Akina Nakamori and Naoki Nagayama were cleaning up the kitchen together, cooperating as tacitly as an old married couple.

"Probably not..." Naoki Nagayama retorted. "Anyway, when I was at home, I never saw my father busy in the kitchen... even though he was the one with the best cooking skills."

"Hahaha~" Akina laughed, but then she thought of her own father, and her mood dropped slightly. "I only remember my mother being busy in the kitchen~"

"People in the new era will change more or less." Naoki Nagayama took the last plate and put it into the drying cabinet, then helped Akina untie her apron. "In short, the times are progressing~"

"But... some people won't change, right?"

Akina sighed. Her father probably wouldn't progress...

"Those remnants of the old era don't have tickets for the new world~" Naoki Nagayama pressed Akina onto the sofa in the living room, poured tea for them to rinse their mouths, and pulled Eitaro over to use as a footstool. "Don't think about it too much."

Akina smiled reluctantly: "Naoki-san always says strange things."

Naoki Nagayama sensed that his little girlfriend's mood was off, so he hugged her gently and asked, "Akina, what's wrong?"

"It's just... things at home..."

It was as if a floodgate had been opened. Ever since Akina Nakamori became an idol, she seemed to have a certain distance from everyone at home. These things had been hidden in her heart for a long time. Although she had the idea of not airing dirty laundry, when facing Naoki Nagayama, Akina had no intention of hiding anything.

"Father... used to work in Saitama Prefecture and only came back once every weekend..."

"Mother was very hard-working alone... always busy in the kitchen alone, and had to work several jobs..."

"After I debuted, I didn't spend much time with my family, and it seemed to bring trouble to the family, with many media reporters and such..."

"Every time I went back, my brothers and sisters seemed to have grown distant..."

Naoki Nagayama listened to Akina's soft narration and could feel that this young girl who had been working hard on her own, even though she had an unyielding personality, had accumulated a lot of sadness, anger, resentment, and loneliness in her heart.

He could only gently pat Akina's shoulder to comfort his little girlfriend, acting as a listener, until Akina's throat was a bit dry and she subconsciously took a sip of the hot tea he handed her before she realized it.

"Naoki-san, sumimasen, I said a bunch of random things..."

"It's okay, I'm glad Akina can confide in me." Naoki Nagayama hugged her body tighter. "When you're alone, some feelings can only be hidden in your heart, but now that I'm by your side, you can share a little bit."

Hearing such warm words, Akina kissed her boyfriend emotionally.

"Is this a reward?" Naoki Nagayama smiled.

"Hai! This is a reward for Naoki-san being so gentle~"

Akina Nakamori hugged her boyfriend tightly, a relaxed smile on her face, as if her tense inner self had all let go!

"Then this reward isn't enough!"

Naoki Nagayama kissed her back.

As if competing, Akina kissed him again.

The fire of young people is easily ignited. Naoki Nagayama looked at the beautiful face in front of him, his breathing gradually quickened, and he found her soft lips and kissed them heavily.

Before they knew it, the two in the living room were gone, leaving only Eitaro to yawn boredly and continue lying on the floor.

And in the bedroom on the second floor, faint, short words could be heard~

"Naoki-san, the living room light seems to be still on."

"Let it stay on~"

Her mouth was blocked~

"Naoki-san, it seems we haven't brushed our teeth yet..."

A while later, amidst heavy breathing, such words came again,

"We'll brush later!"

"Mmm..."