Chapter 603: My name is Shizuka Kudo!

In Kyoto at the end of April, the time when cherry blossoms were at their peak had passed, and everything in sight had turned green, but occasionally some scattered cherry blossoms remained, making people feel even more the sadness of falling cherry blossoms.

Although Kyoto is also a big city, it is different from a modernized central city like Tokyo; the cultural atmosphere of Kyoto is much heavier.

The simplest example is that you can see many young ladies wearing kimonos on the street, more than in Tokyo~

"Naoki-san." Ishida Kokai, who was beside him in the taxi, chatted. "Why did you come to Kyoto to buy a courtyard?"

"This... because I came to Kyoto to play during the autumn leaf hunting before, and then I saw the bright red maple leaves in some private courtyards... I was so envious that I thought... if only I had a courtyard like this too~" Naoki Nagayama said, talking about his original intention when buying the courtyard. "So I asked a real estate agent to help me find a courtyard in Kyoto."

"Because of envy, you bought a courtyard..."

Ishida Kokai chewed on these words silently. She looked very calm on the surface, but in her heart, she was screaming wildly:

"I am very envious now! Especially envious! Very envious!... But why can't I buy a courtyard!!! Why is this!!!"

After taking a few deep breaths, the little girl finally adjusted her mentality of facing rich people and continued to chat:

"Then... Naoki-san, why did you choose this courtyard in Sakyo Ward? Is it because it's close to Rurikoin?"

"That's not it... At that time, I mainly wanted to buy an aristocratic courtyard, and the main thing was to have a larger area, so it would be convenient to do landscaping!" Naoki Nagayama laughed. "Actually, there was originally a candidate in the city center... Do you know how it is now?"

"Now?"

"Hmm... Kokai-chan, have you seen *Ring*?"

"Hai! So scary!" Ishida Kokai said immediately. "After watching it, I didn't go to the bathroom at night for a month!"

Then she seemed to suddenly realize something was wrong, and her face flushed red instantly... How could she tell others about such an embarrassing thing so casually!

"Hahaha~ Then I'm really sorry to Kokai-chan, we made Sadako too scary~"

Naoki Nagayama apologized with a smile, and Ishida Kokai reacted. The guy opposite her was the one who filmed this horror movie!

"..." Stare →_→

Being stared at by the little girl's gaze, Naoki Nagayama felt a bit guilty and continued: "Speaking of which, many of Sadako's plots were filmed in that candidate courtyard. Now that courtyard often has movie fans going to check in and take photos; it has become a famous haunted house..."

"Eh?"

"Haha, speaking of which, I still feel a bit sorry for the landlord... It can't be sold anymore~" Naoki Nagayama laughed.

Ishida Kokai was shocked. You are not just sorry to others anymore; you have clearly formed a deadly feud!

Perhaps seeing through Ishida Kokai's thoughts, Naoki Nagayama continued: "Actually, it doesn't matter. The landlord can transform this place into a scenic spot... Just charge people who come to take photos! Business will definitely be very good!"

"Hehehehe~~~"

In the constant chat between the two, the taxi soon arrived near Takaragaike Park in Sakyo Ward, and the aristocratic courtyard was located at the foot of the mountain here.

The newly renovated wall surrounded the courtyard tightly, and you could only see the roof of the building inside and some treetops.

If you drive yourself, you can go from the side door to the parking garage, but Naoki Nagayama and Ishida Kokai came by taxi, so they got off at the main entrance.

The low-key main entrance had not yet hung the plaque of the Red Fish Courtyard; that was a step that would only be taken after the formal handover.

After entering from the main entrance, the wall was covered by dense green plants. Between the mountains and waters, you could vaguely see several wooden buildings and pavilions scattered in the courtyard, and the three two-story sleeping halls in the middle were naturally the most central.

Along the simple pavilion corridor and pebble road, Naoki Nagayama and Ishida Kokai walked for five or six minutes before arriving at the main hall building leaning against the mountain and water.

Under the blowing of the mountain wind, the dense bamboo leaves swayed out layers of waves, and the sparkling water surface rippled with fine light. Only the three main halls in the shape of the character "pin" remained motionless, forming a pattern of movement and stillness with the surroundings.

Against the backdrop of the low mountain full of green bamboo behind, the main hall with vermilion as the main body was like that little red in the ten thousand greens, attracting people's attention!

"It was quite good on the design drawing, but it's even more Zen when you see it in reality!" This was the first time Naoki Nagayama saw the basically completed courtyard, and he couldn't help but praise it.

"Yes~" The little girl also echoed from the side.

After arriving at the main hall, Naoki Nagayama met Honma Takashi, who was welcoming him at the entrance of the building:

"Naoki-san, you finally came!"

"Haha, Honma-san, you've been waiting for a long time~ The distance from the main entrance to the main hall is a bit long!" Naoki Nagayama laughed.

"After all, it's such a large area~" Honma Takashi said while leading Naoki Nagayama into the main hall. "Naoki-san, what is your first impression of the Red Fish Courtyard?"

"Perfect!" Naoki Nagayama didn't spare any praise. "You've really worked hard, Honma-san!"

"That's what I should do~" After Honma Takashi led Naoki Nagayama into the door, he walked towards the three people waiting in the entrance hall and introduced them to Naoki Nagayama. "Naoki-san, these are the butler, gardener, and housekeeping staff of the courtyard during this period~"

It was naturally impossible for such a large courtyard to have no one to maintain it. There were many such professional companies in Kyoto, which were actually equivalent to an upgraded version of a housekeeping company, specializing in the maintenance of large courtyards and gardens.

"Nice to meet you, I am Naoki Nagayama... I'll trouble everyone during this time."

Naoki Nagayama took the business cards of several people very politely. He wouldn't be stationed here often in the future, and daily maintenance would still depend on them.

After introducing these people, Honma Takashi began to take Naoki Nagayama to inspect the courtyard.

"Naoki-san... As for the main hall, the first floor is a public area. The main hall is the large living room, small living room, and study; the side hall on the left is the entertainment space, tea room, and indoor bar; the side hall on the right is the kitchen, dining room, and cold storage..."

Honma Takashi introduced while walking. The indoor structure was very modernized, and the furniture and appliances inside were all equipped and ready to be used at any time.

"The second floor of the main hall is the master bedroom, cloakroom, bathroom, etc... The second floor of the side hall is also a bedroom. There are four rooms in total, but the one on the right is a Japanese-style tatami, which can be further separated if necessary..."

Naoki Nagayama nodded while watching. When it was designed, this place was used for Naoki Nagayama's own vacation, so there was no such thing as the more rooms the better like a hotel, because he would only entertain a few friends at most, and it wasn't for business!

Standing on the wide balcony on the second floor, the pool outside looked clearer. From the shore to the pavilion in the middle of the water, you could see many koi fish flashing away in the water...

Further away were all kinds of green plant shapes, rugged strange stones, rockeries, dry landscapes, stone lanterns, continuing to the green partition. Along the way, you could see many maple trees, but they were all lush green, and it was estimated that they wouldn't turn red until November...

Along the surrounding balcony to the back, you could see the small low mountain with bamboo shadows, and that long, thin red Shinto path.

"Coming from the parking lot at the side door, there is a tool room... and electrical boxes, etc..." Honma Takashi had introduced to the end. "The Jizo temple on the mountain has also been renovated, retaining its original appearance..."

"Hmm... Very good~" Naoki Nagayama was actually very satisfied in his heart.

"Naoki-san, the room has been cleaned up. Stay here for one night today. You can actually experience it. If there are any problems, you can make adjustments before the final handover."

"Good! I'm going to enjoy it first~"

Naoki Nagayama originally planned to stay here for two days. Although it wasn't the season for autumn leaf hunting, the scenery here was already very exciting.

While Naoki Nagayama was experiencing his own courtyard in Kyoto, something was also being pushed forward at Shu You Film in Tokyo... The first formal disclosure meeting of Ito Shuichi Ido's *Love Like Rain* was underway.

In order to reflect the formal degree, Shu You Film specially rented the banquet hall of the Tokyo Station Hotel as the venue for the disclosure meeting. In addition to the invited media, the protagonists of this *Love Like Rain*, Muga Tsukiwaki, Kobirumaki Kaoru Kobirumaki, and other participating actors were also present.

Ito Shuichi Ido was wearing a decent suit and preparing to enter the venue in the corridor backstage. There were also actors in the lounge next to him. He came to smoke a cigarette to calm down because he was a little nervous.

This time, they were following the formal pre-heating and publicity process of other film production factories. First, they had to gather the first wave of attention through the story of the film, the fame of the director and actors, and the reports of various media.

In the subsequent nodes such as the opening ceremony, filming process, production completion, trial screening, and premiere, there would be media disclosure meetings of various sizes...

"Ito Shuichi-san, you can enter the venue." Masataka Komori came to notify him.

"Hai! I'll go in right away!" Ito Shuichi Ido adjusted his tie and muttered, "This time without Naoki-san, I'm really not used to it..."

"Naoki-san... is in Kyoto now..." Masataka Komori said. "He can't make it~"

"Haha, it's not like he must come." Ito Shuichi Ido laughed, and then said to everyone in the lounge, "Minasan, let's go out!"

Saying that, he took the lead and walked towards the banquet hall.

In the banquet hall, reporters from various media newspapers and television stations surrounded the small film promotion stage. Large and small cameras and video cameras were ready, and with the recording pens and microphones in their hands, they were all facing the main promotion background in front like guns, as if they wanted the people on stage to endure a hail of bullets.

After the temporary host warmed up a little, he invited the creative staff to come out:

"Next, let's welcome the director of *Love Like Rain*, Mr. Ito Shuichi Ido! Starring Muga Tsukiwaki, Kobirumaki Kaoru Kobirumaki..."

As a well-known director, Ito Shuichi Ido's fame in the media was not small, and the veteran star Muga Tsukiwaki, who had a big hit representative work like *Sanshiro Sugata*, was also famous, winning bursts of applause...

Compared with this, Kobirumaki Kaoru Kobirumaki had only appeared on the *Twilight Meow Meow* program, and standing with others, she couldn't help but be a little nervous.

The host warmed up the scene a little and let Ito Shuichi Ido talk about the story of the film.

"This is a love story between a high school girl and an adult. The ignorant feelings of the girl and the restraint and caution between adults will be the highlights of the film... Plus the protagonists' persistence in their own dreams..."

The heroine of *Love Like Rain* almost gave up her running career because of a foot injury, while the hero had always had an obsession with writing but dared not persist. However, in the continuous contact between the two sides, both finally found their dreams.

"Then let's look forward to the completion of the film!" After the host finished speaking, he handed the question microphone to the reporters below.

First, naturally, it was Muga Tsukiwaki, who had the highest status among the artists.

"May I ask Mr. Muga Tsukiwaki, why do you want to participate in this film?" A reporter asked immediately.

As a veteran star with rich experience with reporters, Muga Tsukiwaki's answer sounded sincere and full of sincerity: "I have long heard of Director Ido's great name, and being able to cooperate with him has always been my expectation.

In addition, the role in *Love Like Rain* is very different from the image I have interpreted in the past, which is a very challenging thing for me. I personally hope to have a breakthrough in the film role~"

In films and TV dramas, most of Muga Tsukiwaki's roles were handsome men, which had almost become a stereotype. However, he didn't want to play only one type, and he had been trying other roles for the past two years.

The flash kept flashing, illuminating the table in front into white, but Muga Tsukiwaki's face didn't even change.

The host handed the microphone from below: "Does anyone else have questions?"

"Hai!" A reporter took the microphone. "May I ask Director Ido... The screenwriter of this film is Naoki Nagayama, right? Why didn't he participate in the disclosure meeting?"

"Ah... Naoki-san."

Sure enough, his topic was higher! Ito Shuichi Ido said directly, "He is currently handling some urgent matters in Kyoto and doesn't have time..."

"May I ask if you can reveal what it is?" Another reporter was quick-mouthed. "I heard that Naoki Nagayama likes to film movies alone secretly. Is he filming a new movie?"

I didn't expect that Naoki-san's hobby of secretly filming small movies had already spread~

Ito Shuichi Ido shook his head:

"... No, this time it's something else. He will participate in the opening ceremony in two days!"

Next, someone finally noticed the other protagonist:

"May I ask Ms. Kobirumaki Kaoru Kobirumaki, this is your first time participating in a film, right? Why do you think you were chosen for this role?"

Although Kobirumaki Kaoru Kobirumaki's aura was a bit weak, she had a very cheerful personality, otherwise she wouldn't have participated in *Twilight Meow Meow* directly:

"Perhaps... my athletic nerves are more developed... Hahaha~"

This answer caused a burst of laughter~

The subsequent questions went very smoothly. The actors who participated all responded sincerely to the reporters' questions and called on their fans to support *Love Like Rain*.

Ito Shuichi Ido also clearly answered that the film *Love Like Rain* would officially start filming in May, the production cycle would be three months, and he promised the media that he would invite reporters to visit the set for interviews, and the official release date of the film would be at the latest by the end of July.

However, even among the many questions, questions involving Naoki Nagayama still accounted for a lot~

Making Ito Shuichi Ido couldn't help but sigh:

"This is clearly me accepting an interview, why is everyone asking about Naoki Nagayama..."

Time was getting late, and the students who had finished school finally had time to go out and wander around. At this time, Fuji TV's *Twilight Meow Meow* was recording outdoors.

Because of the suggestions Naoki Nagayama mentioned earlier, there were contestants who were different from the past, rebellious, individualistic, and trendy idols.

So the recording theme of Yasushi Akimoto during this period had changed, and the locations were all in places where young people gathered and trendy culture prevailed, such as nightclubs, game cities, and pedestrian streets.

The *Twilight Meow Meow* production team was in a square, letting the idols of the Kitten Club interact with the street artists in strange costumes...

"Camera closer!" Yasushi Akimoto directed the cameraman. "Capture their expressions!"

Then he looked at the onlookers who gathered around and immediately said to the field manager: "Go maintain order and let the crowd disperse a little!"

But just as he focused his attention on filming again, the onlookers and the field manager had a conflict, and the movement became bigger and bigger.

"Why do you want us to step back? Isn't this a public place?!" A sharp female voice rang out from a corner of the crowd. "You clearly disturbed our freedom to walk!"

"Sumimasen... but our recording will be finished soon, please wait a little longer." The field manager apologized hurriedly and said he could give some small gifts as compensation.

"Who wants your gifts! We just want to visit the performance of the wandering artists! You shouldn't spoil everyone's fun!" It was that female voice again.

"Hontoni sumimasen!"

The field manager apologized in a perfunctory way, but as a workplace person with a thick skin, his hand movements didn't stop, and he pushed the onlookers towards the periphery.

"Please be patient for a while..."

"You guy, can't you understand human language?!"

This female voice had already attracted Yasushi Akimoto's attention. He turned his head and saw several female students together, arguing with the field manager...

The leader was a girl with a delicate face, fair skin, light smoky makeup, and earrings.

"Should be a junior high school student, right?" Yasushi Akimoto thought subconsciously, but seeing the style of her school uniform, she was clearly a high school student.

Seeing that this group of girls and the field manager were arguing louder and louder, and even had signs of wanting to do it, Yasushi Akimoto couldn't continue watching.

He walked quickly to the side of the field manager and hurriedly stopped the escalation of the incident:

"Sumimasen, my colleague is a bit impatient. I apologize to everyone on his behalf!"

Yasushi Akimoto's chubby face, which always carried a smile, made it easy for people to let down their guard. The girl who was the leader said:

"Uncle, you are blocking the way! This is clearly a public place! We want to go over and see the performance of the wandering artists! Move away quickly!"

Uncle?

Yasushi Akimoto's mouth twitched, and he repeatedly reminded himself in his heart not to care about children.

"Hontoni sumimasen, we are the *Twilight Meow Meow* production team, and we also want to film the interaction with the wandering artists today~"

"*Twilight Meow Meow*?"

Sure enough, hearing this popular program, the confrontational emotions of the crowd weakened a lot.

"Hai, inside are the members of the Kitten Club..." Yasushi Akimoto took the opportunity to say. "Do you watch this program?"

"... I have watched it..."

Young students are the main force of *Twilight Meow Meow*! The anger of these few rebellious-looking girls instantly dropped to less than 50%.

Yasushi Akimoto continued: "Since you know, would you like to try being extras? Show your face on TV? It's very interesting!"

Turning enemies into friends, Yasushi Akimoto was very familiar with this trick; he learned it from Naoki Nagayama!

"This... can we?" One of the girls was clearly interested.

"Hai, maybe there's a chance to be selected to join the Kitten Club!"

Yasushi Akimoto's words made these little girls excited.

However, the girl who was the leader was more determined: "Yukiko-chan, didn't we agree to learn about the performance of the wandering artists and then participate in the '17-Year-Old Beautiful Girl Contest' with me?!"

"But... this is the Kitten Club!" Yukiko muttered.

Yasushi Akimoto was interested after hearing about the "17-Year-Old Beautiful Girl Contest." If she wanted to participate in this competition, it meant she had a certain confidence in herself, at least she had a specialty...

He looked at the girl who was the leader, with a beautiful oval face, delicate features, and that wildness that couldn't be wiped away between her eyebrows... She really looked like an untamable cat!

The rebellious temperament she has now really fits the Kitten Club very well!

He asked subconsciously: "Student, what is your name? Do you want to try participating in our *Twilight Meow Meow*?"

"Me?" The girl seemed a little surprised. "My name is Shizuka Kudo!

Are you saying you want me to participate in *Twilight Meow Meow*?"

"Ah, Student Shizuka Kudo, my name is Yasushi Akimoto, and I am the producer of *Twilight Meow Meow*." Looking at the girl's arrogant demeanor, Yasushi Akimoto wanted her to join even more. "I think your temperament fits our Kitten Club very well. How about... do you want to come and try participating?"

"Eh?"

Shizuka Kudo fell into entanglement. She didn't expect that she just came out for a stroll and encountered such a coincidence.

"What's wrong? You're not too young, are you?" Yasushi Akimoto asked. *Twilight Meow Meow* must at least be high school students. "Are you junior high school students now?"

"No... we are already high school students!" Yukiko answered hurriedly. "Shizuka-chan must be interested in participating in *Twilight Meow Meow*; she sings very well!"

"Hai, then please come and participate in the selection of our Kitten Club!" Yasushi Akimoto took out a business card. "Think about it, you can contact me!"

Shizuka Kudo took the business card under the urging of her companions, her face showing excitement and disbelief.

Is she... going to debut?

This is too sudden! ===== CHAPTER 604 =====