Chapter 646

June 27th, Sunny, North wind Force 4.

Weather forecasts still have a certain degree of accuracy; today in Kiyose, the sun is bright, the air still carries a fresh dampness, and the gentle breeze makes one feel refreshed.

"What a lovely day~"

Naoki Nagayama placed his hand above his brow to shade his eyes from the sun and looked toward the park in the distance.

The leaves everywhere shimmered with a vivid green under the sunlight, even the grass at the base of the trees was full of vitality; the entire park was lush and green, permeated with the vigor of life.

Many blooming hydrangeas dotted the scenery, mostly white, pink, blue, and purple... clusters of little flowers bunched together like individual hydrangea balls, creating a hazy sense of beauty once they formed a sea of color.

"Yes, indeed~"

Beside him, Akina Nakamori mimicked her boyfriend, raising her hand to shade her eyes, and admired the distant scenery with a serious expression.

"Can you see it, Akina?" Naoki Nagayama looked at his petite 1.6-meter-tall girlfriend and smiled. "Do you want me to lift you up to take a look?"

As he said this, he reached out to wrap his arms around Akina's waist...

"No way!"

Akina quickly dodged, restraining her boyfriend's arm while continuing to evade him, her face full of bright smiles, brimming with the vitality of a young girl of eighteen or nineteen.

Today, the two of them had come to the small town of Kiyose for a shoot, arriving early at the city center park before the manager and the film crew had even arrived...

"Did you often come here to play when you were younger, Akina?"

"Mm~ My family used to go to that park together often."

Akina Nakamori said, explaining that because her mother, Chieko, wanted her children to grow up surrounded by nature, they chose to settle in a town with such good greenery as Kiyose.

"Shall we go for a stroll first? Will there be any acquaintances of yours nearby?"

"Let's wait for the film crew to arrive..." Akina Nakamori said. "Come to think of it, I have many acquaintances here..."

Suddenly, a middle-aged auntie walked by. As she passed the parking space, she subconsciously glanced at the person next to the car, and a thought suddenly popped into her mind: "A handsome young man and a pretty girl... a very well-matched couple."

Then, she suddenly reacted, slowed her pace, and looked over with some shock: "Are you... Akina-chan?"

"Hi!" Akina Nakamori walked forward a few steps. "Mizuno-san, long time no see! How have you been lately?"

"I've been doing quite well..." Mizuno Nariko looked at the youthful and beautiful Akina Nakamori before her, her eyes filled with indescribable wonder; she could say she had watched this little girl grow up.

"Is Akina-chan on holiday today? Back to see your mother?"

"No... I have work here today..." Akina Nakamori explained. "Mom is still at work today~"

"So it's for work..." Regarding this, the people of Kiyose were basically no longer surprised.

In a small city like Kiyose, the emergence of a national idol naturally attracts a lot of attention. And now, as her popularity continues to rise, almost everyone who has some connection to Akina Nakamori has experienced being interviewed by the media.

After finishing, Mizuno Nariko glanced at Naoki Nagayama next to her, only then recognizing that this handsome man was actually Naoki Nagayama! The fire of gossip in her eyes ignited instantly...

"Could it be... is this shoot related to Naoki Nagayama? Filming a variety show together?"

"This... Naoki-san isn't participating in the filming..."

Akina Nakamori chatted with the auntie for a while, and it was only with great difficulty that they parted ways amidst the enthusiastic atmosphere. Returning to the car, Akina looked at her boyfriend and said helplessly:

"See... there are so many acquaintances... that auntie is the one from the vegetable shop where I used to buy groceries..."

"Hahaha, I saw Akina looking very embarrassed when being asked just now..." Naoki Nagayama felt that during the previous chat, at least several probing gazes had flown their way...

"... Sigh..." Akina Nakamori let out a sigh; that's just how a small town is.

After the two waited by the car for a little while, Kijima Xu, who was in charge of filming, arrived with two assistants.

"Naoki-san~"

After Kijima Xu offered a greeting, he prepared to set up the camera. Meanwhile, Sakata Kongming and Obara Guangming, who were accompanying him, were already very mature staff members and began making preparations before recording.

Mingxing Fangze came over with Tamori. As the host, Tamori also wanted to personally oversee the preliminary interviews for the first episode.

"Tamori-san." Naoki Nagayama shook hands with Tamori. "I'll leave today's shoot to you."

"Not at all, this is my duty."

After saying this, Tamori began communicating with Akina Nakamori about the general filming itinerary for the day.

Starting from the city center park, slowly circling outward, and finally ending at Akina's home—this was the final filming route they had decided upon.

"Akina-chan, our filming today can be a bit more casual; everyone wants to see what an artist is like in everyday life..." Tamori instructed slightly.

"Hi, I understand."

People who work away from home know that even after working outside for a long time, once they return to the area where they grew up, that sense of intimacy is absolutely incomparable to anywhere else.

Akina Nakamori was in exactly that state; starting from the beautiful park in the city center, her talkative nature was completely triggered, and her little mouth chattered incessantly...

"I used to walk through the park with my siblings wearing the same style of clothes; everyone had a deep impression of the Nakamori family children..."

"The air in Kiyose is very good... and there is a lot of greenery..."

"It's also very close to the train station here..."

When Akina Nakamori first debuted, magazines had actually interviewed her about her hometown and taken quite a few photos, so Akina Nakamori appeared very experienced at this moment.

However, this time it wasn't about taking a few superficial shots of tourist spots, but filming continuously along the itinerary, with Tamori as the host occasionally bringing up topics to ensure the scene never went cold.

And Naoki Nagayama, who was nearby, although he tried his best to avoid the camera, was occasionally recorded because of Akina's prompts...

Although these shots would definitely be edited out, Sakata Kongming and Obara Guangming, who were handling the sound and lighting nearby, couldn't help but mutter:

"Is Naoki-san completely unconcerned about being filmed together with Akina Nakamori?"

But in Kiyose at this time, there shouldn't be any paparazzi coming, right~

"This supermarket... I used to frequent it often, and the shop owner took great care of me..."

After arriving at the shopping street, the number of gazes around Akina Nakamori increased significantly, and Tamori would also occasionally find passersby for random interviews.

"Excuse me, are you a fan of Akina Nakamori?"

"That... I wouldn't say so~" said an elderly man nearing 50.

"In the impression of Kiyose people, what kind of image does Akina Nakamori have?" Tamori stopped another person who had just finished shopping to interview them.

"She's a... very lively girl, I suppose..." said a passerby nearing 30.

"Sumimasen... have you heard of Akina Nakamori?..."

Naoki Nagayama, who was on the side, always felt that Tamori was like a salesperson... and Akina Nakamori, who was beside him, would occasionally reveal a somewhat awkward smile...

However, the program effect was absolutely maxed out.

When they neared the school, it was already nearly ten o'clock.

The sun had risen overhead, and the intense sunlight combined with the slightly humid weather made the group, who had been walking for nearly an hour, feel a bit hot.

"This is the middle school Akina Nakamori attended..."

It was break time inside the school, and many students saw the film crew at the entrance through the railings. Upon learning it was Akina Nakamori, a huge crowd instantly surged out.

Naoki Nagayama watched from the side as Akina Nakamori interacted with the students across the school gate... It's fine, class will start soon, they will return to the classroom, and it won't cause any stampede accidents.

However, an ice cream truck outside the school seemed to think it was some kind of event and drove over all of a sudden, accompanied by the unique music of an ice cream truck.

Seeing the hot weather, Naoki Nagayama decisively walked over:

"Please give me the first ice cream of summer... chocolate flavor..."

"Hi, please wait a moment..."

Before long, Naoki Nagayama had the ice cream in hand. He took a light bite... the icy sensation traveled from his mouth all the way to his brain, followed by the sweetness of the chocolate, becoming even smoother amidst the refreshing chill...

"How cunning! Naoki-san is actually eating alone!"

I don't know when it happened, but Akina had actually run to Naoki Nagayama's side... A pair of bright eyes were indignantly accusing her boyfriend's behavior.

"Eh? Wasn't Akina filming?"

Naoki Nagayama looked toward the school gate, where Tamori was asking the guard nearby, and those students had already returned to the classroom following the class bell.

"I'm not needed for the moment..." Akina Nakamori's black-and-white eyes remained fixed on the ice cream in Naoki Nagayama's hand; the meaning was very clear...

"I was originally going to taste it first, and then buy one for everyone..." Naoki Nagayama said to the server in the ice cream truck. "Please give me seven more ice creams, half vanilla and half chocolate..."

Then he subconsciously took another bite of the ice cream in his own hand...

Just as the ice creams were being made, Akina couldn't hold back anymore. She pulled down her boyfriend's hand, brought the ice cream to her face, and took a bite herself... It was a very intimate scene... one could tell at a glance that these two were in love.

It's normal for lovers to share an ice cream; when going out to play with Akina before, they often shared food...

However, this time, Naoki Nagayama heard Sakata Kongming from the film crew say: "Kijima-kun, turn the camera quickly!!! This scene cannot be filmed!!!"

And the host, Tamori, was also somewhat surprised. Although he knew the two had a close relationship, he didn't expect them to be so openly intimate.

If this were to be filmed...

As Akina Nakamori and Naoki Nagayama's group were about to reach Akina's home, the number of people watching the excitement in the surrounding residential and shopping streets increased.

Elementary and middle schools were in session, so many were housewives and locals running small businesses.

And these people who had long settled here undoubtedly knew Akina Nakamori... Thus, one could see Akina Nakamori bowing to this person from time to time, waving to that person, and sometimes having to stop to chat with someone for a while...

The short ten-minute journey was forced to take nearly half an hour...

Fortunately, the recording time today was very ample, and Tamori-san was also very interested in interviewing Akina's acquaintances, asking about the history of Kiyose from the locals, and even asking what memorable things happened the year Akina Nakamori was born...

And what the unforgettable annual song was that year, and so on...

Although Naoki Nagayama was just watching from the side, occasionally reminding them of filming requirements, many people recognized this celebrity who had been rumored to be in a relationship with Akina Nakamori...

Upon learning that their destination was the Nakamori home, the gazes of the housewives looking at Akina Nakamori and Naoki Nagayama became somewhat meaningful, and several even asked Akina Nakamori if she had brought him home to meet her parents...

Presumably, by the time Chieko Nakamori got off work and returned, the rumors about her daughter bringing her boyfriend home would be flying everywhere~

In the studio of the Tree Friend Group, Otomo Yoshimura was apologizing very apologetically over the phone:

"Sumimasen, Naoki-san currently has no intention of creating songs for others. He is a creator who values inspiration highly and is not qualified for songwriting in a prescribed direction..."

"Hi, I am really very sorry... It is not that I am not giving you face..."

"If Naoki-san has this intention, I will notify you at the first opportunity..."

After hanging up the phone, Otomo Yoshimura let out a sigh.

Xiuichi Yin Tang, who was resting nearby, asked curiously: "Is it someone looking for Naoki-san to create songs again?"

"Yes..." Otomo Yoshimura lamented. "Originally, it would have been fine to refuse on Daotian Yamin-kun's side, but the level of people coming to invite songs is getting higher and higher, and there are even old seniors in the entertainment industry... The phone had to be transferred to my side..."

Xiuichi Yin Tang smiled: "It seems that the song 'Flowing River' has raised Naoki-san's level as a music creator quite a bit!"

"Baka~ do you think this is a game?!" Otomo Yoshimura scolded with a smile. "After all, possessing a song that can be passed down to future generations is what many singers pursue..."

Xiuichi Yin Tang was a bit interested: "Otomo-san, do you think Naoki-san is now at the same level as the currently popular Miyuki Nakajima as a music creator?"

"Miyuki Nakajima..." Otomo Yoshimura thought carefully. "Perhaps still not quite there~"

Miyuki Nakajima in this era has already achieved nearly ten Japan Record Awards, and has many famous songs; she is a music creator who truly takes music as her career... far exceeding Naoki Nagayama, this musician who treats it as a hobby.

However... there isn't an enka song like 'Flowing River' though...

Xiuichi Yin Tang shook his head: "I always feel that Naoki-san definitely has more than just this ability... If all the songs in his little treasury were taken out..."

"... Yes, I really want to know what other songs Naoki-san has!"

"And movie scripts..."

The two sighed together in the office.

"By the way, Xiuichi-san, shouldn't you be editing 'Love Like Rain'?" Otomo Yoshimura came back to his senses and realized that Xiuichi Yin Tang had been in the office for a long time this morning.

"That guy Naoki-san pulled several people away from the film crew all at once..." Xiuichi Yin Tang complained. "Several people were pulled away to film 'Music Station'... I can't even find a few people who can participate in editing now..."

"So I've already arranged for a few juniors from school to come over for an internship for a period of time... They'll be here in a while..."

"I see... That's really hard work..."

Otomo Yoshimura also knew that Naoki Nagayama liked to pick up ready-made personnel to use, and several people under his own hand had also been pulled away... Even Daotian Yamin Inada had to help contact guests for 'Music Station'...

Daotian Yamin-kun, as the Business Manager of the GG Agency, was already very busy, okay~

"Xiuichi-san... I think the staff scale of our Tree Friend Group needs to be further expanded!" Otomo Yoshimura said.

"Mm, indeed... With over a hundred people, there's always a feeling of being short-handed." Xiuichi Yin Tang agreed very much.

"How about recruiting another 50?"

"No, let's just double it!" Xiuichi Yin Tang calculated. "There are three more movies to be filmed and released in the second half of the year... Otomo-san, you also have six artists to serve here... I think according to Naoki-san's personality, it's very likely that some more projects will be created in the second half of the year..."

"That makes sense, then let's expand to 200 people!"

The expansion resolution of the Tree Friend Group was decided in just a few words between the two!