Chapter 660: There are so many filming locations in Tokyo!

Generally speaking, Naoki Nagayama pays for himself when he goes out to eat... except when his sole purpose is to get a free meal.

For instance, when he goes out for a big feast with Otomo Yoshimura and Shuichi Itō, Otomo Yoshimura pays.

There is no other reason; because Otomo Yoshimura looks incredibly intelligent (the Mediterranean hairline) and is held in high esteem (he is the oldest), it is mostly assumed by default that he is the richest one...

Otomo Yoshimura silently took out his wallet to pay the bill, while Naoki Nagayama patted his own stomach and said:

"Thank you for the treat today, Otomo-san! It's been a long time since I've eaten this to my heart's content!"

Meanwhile, Shuichi Itō, sitting to the side, was drinking a cup of hot tea with his eyes closed, as if he were still savoring the seafood feast.

"Sigh... Wallet-kun, oh Wallet-kun... watching you grow thinner by the day, my heart is filled with melancholy!" Otomo Yoshimura seemed to have spent too much time with young people; his mindset was very youthful, and he had a way with words.

Naoki Nagayama was speechless. "Otomo-san, isn't your Wallet-kun empty because you spent it all on the young ladies at the club?"

Hearing this, Otomo Yoshimura's expression changed, and he immediately became serious: "Naoki-san, don't spread rumors. I never go to places like that!"

"......."

This made Naoki Nagayama roll his eyes. That time they went to Kobe before, was he with ghosts then?!

Shuichi Itō put down his teacup and explained slightly to Naoki Nagayama:

"Naoki-san, you don't know. Otomo-san might have gone before, but now, I don't know what's going on. Ever since he returned from Kobe, he comes home every night, and the next day he's always exhausted... so he's been avoiding clubs."

Oh? Was he forced to "pay the public grain"?

Naoki Nagayama originally wanted to keep asking, but seeing Otomo Yoshimura's face turn dark, he wisely gave up.

Sigh... one has no choice when reaching middle age!

Hearing his "bad friend" across the table saying things that were getting out of hand, Otomo Yoshimura brought out the dignity of an elder and forcibly changed the subject:

"Naoki-san, will you still be at the studio this afternoon?"

"No... didn't we draw the sketches this morning? I'm going to take Kijima-kun to check out the filming locations in Tokyo this afternoon..." Naoki Nagayama said. "Kijima-kun is my executive director now, and he needs to take charge of work like location scouting."

"Kijima-kun, huh..." After being reminded multiple times during this period, the other two already had a relatively deep impression of Xu Mudao. "Can he deal with outsiders?"

"One has to try, after all~" Naoki Nagayama shrugged.

He actually felt that Xu Mudao's low presence was partly because he was indeed a bit special—he was definitely a natural "everyman" who didn't attract attention—and partly because of his personality...

If he were a social butterfly, no matter what, he wouldn't go unnoticed.

This seafood restaurant was not far from the studio. Naoki Nagayama and the others chatted while walking to aid digestion, slowly returning to the studio.

Naoki Nagayama went straight to the photography team's area and, sure enough, saw Xu Mudao packing up the camera equipment all by himself.

"Kijima-kun, why are you alone?" Naoki Nagayama asked curiously. "Where are your underlings, Kongming Sakata and Guangming Xiaoyuan?"

"Er... Naoki-san, we are colleagues... they are not my underlings..."

Xu Mudao explained a bit awkwardly, then continued, "They went to TV Asahi today."

"Weren't they arranged to help film *Music Station* before?"

"Ah... that's right..."

Naoki Nagayama nodded. The second episode of *Music Station* had aired last Friday, but it had been overshadowed by Akina Nakamori's birthday celebration, making it seem less prominent than the first episode.

However, the guest for the second episode was Seiko Matsuda, Akina Nakamori's rival, so it at least caught some of the heat, and the ratings were quite good.

"This is the third episode. They went to film Hideki Saijo's hometown, right?" After female idols, naturally, male idols were the guests.

"Hai!" Xu Mudao nodded. "The two of them even took new staff members with them to train them as successors."

"Haha, they are still very smart~"

Whether to become a recording staff member for a program or a member of Naoki Nagayama's film crew, they could still distinguish the pros and cons.

Naoki Nagayama patted Xu Mudao on the shoulder:

"Kijima-kun, this afternoon, come with me to check out the filming locations for *Kikujiro*... some places still need to be rented out for adjustments."

"Hai!"

Tokyo, Taito Ward, Asakusa area.

Taito Ward is the oldest area in Japan with the most "Edo legacy," with countless shrines, temples, museums, and other famous historical sites.

"There are so many filming locations in Tokyo! Not just for our movies; other movies can also find corresponding locations in Tokyo."

"Hai, after all, it is the premier big city in Japan..." Xu Mudao looked around at the buildings with distinct Yamato cultural characteristics and nodded in agreement.

Naoki Nagayama and Xu Mudao came to the "Asakusa Hisago-dori Shopping Street." Perhaps because he was standing next to Xu Mudao, Naoki Nagayama felt his own presence was also lowered, and the gazes of passersby looking at him decreased.

It seems there is another new use for Xu Mudao...

"Kijima-kun, this is the starting point of the movie!" Naoki Nagayama pointed to the 180-meter-long arcade shopping street in front of him. "I want to make the audience remember the protagonist, Masao, starting from here!"

Xu Mudao looked at the simple storyboard sketches in his hand, then looked up at the shopping street in front of him and nodded:

"It has a very local life atmosphere..."

The two walked through the shopping street while discussing the filming method.

"Kijima-kun, you've also read the script... In this place, we expect to have quite a few shots, so there should be camera positions on both sides of the intersection..."

"Hai~"

"Some places still need to lay tracks or use a dolly directly... let the camera follow the actors to capture close-ups..."

"Hai!"

Unknowingly, they walked to the Kaminarimon of Senso-ji Temple. This is the east side gate of Senso-ji. Although it is not as famous as the main gate, the Kaminarimon, it is also full of historical sense.

"Separate here..." Naoki Nagayama made a camera gesture and nodded at the side gate in the frame.

"Separate?" Xu Mudao was puzzled.

"Mm~"

As he recalled *Kikujiro* in depth, Naoki Nagayama's mind was already full of images from the movie; it seemed that even the song "Summer" was echoing.

Walking with long strides through the Nakamise Shopping Street of Senso-ji, after coming out of the Kaminarimon, Naoki Nagayama and Xu Mudao suddenly walked to the vicinity of Sumida Park, all the way to the Azuma Bridge of the Sumida River.

Since the "Sakura Bridge" that people walk on in the movie hadn't been built yet, and even the Skytree wasn't there... they could only find this substitute.

"Here... the first meeting..."

Naoki Nagayama looked at the open scenery on the river. The faint water vapor was carried over by the wind, feeling very comfortable on his face. He turned his head and looked around; not far away was Akina Nakamori's apartment...

"Maybe Akina will be able to discover it when the movie comes out~"

"Naoki-san, what did you say?" The wind on the bridge was a bit strong, making the low words unclear. Xu Mudao asked from the side.

"Ah, nothing. Let's go to the riverbank..."

"Er... Hai!"

Xu Mudao didn't ask much, just recorded another location in his notebook. He decided that before filming, he would bring the script and the two underlings to scout the location himself, to thoroughly figure out what needed to be filmed... This was what a responsible executive director should do!

This afternoon, Naoki Nagayama and Xu Mudao wandered around the Taito Ward area of Tokyo until very late, basically seeing all the filming locations that would appear.

"Kijima-kun, let's stop here for today~"

Watching the sunset about to fall, nearing the "hour of the demon," Naoki Nagayama said to Xu Mudao.

"Our subsequent filming locations have a large area in Shizuoka, and also in Kanagawa... but that's for later~"

"Hai! I understand!"

"Also, there is a scene at a seaside resort hotel that needs a high-end hotel..."

"Hai, I will contact one!"

After nagging a few words, Naoki Nagayama drove away dashingly, leaving behind the miserable Xu Mudao... who still had to take the subway home.

As an ordinary photographer, although his salary had risen a lot in the past two years, much of it was spent on his own lenses. In a high-consumption city like Tokyo, he still needed to be frugal.

When he returned to Shanying Yuan, the golden sunlight was shining obliquely on the two-story small western-style building, as if plating the brown roof with a layer of gold lacquer.

The upper part of Shanying Yuan was very bright, while the lower part appeared dim. Dense bamboo leaves covered the courtyard scene, and only some eaves corners and the lush treetops of the cherry tree inside could be seen.

"Eitaro, I'm back!"

After driving into the garage, Naoki Nagayama reached out his "devil's claws" toward the dog running over, happily petting the increasingly large dog head.

"Were you good at home today?! Did you tear up the house? If I find any traces of you tearing up the house, you won't have your canned food tonight!"

Like a primary school student asked by a parent if their homework was done upon returning home, Eitaro's thick tail, which had been like a windmill, visibly slowed down.

However, Naoki Nagayama walked into the house happily. Even Miaotaro, who passed by, was intercepted and petted by him... This was not just because he was happy to be home, but also because he could see Akina tonight... he just didn't know what time it would be.

Flight delays in this day and age were very common~

After wandering around Tokyo in the afternoon, the seafood at noon had long been digested. Naoki Nagayama touched his somewhat hungry stomach and decided to make something delicious tonight.

Turning on the record player and choosing a blues record as background music, Naoki Nagayama then came to the kitchen.

He opened the refrigerator, found fresh beef brisket and bright red tomatoes, and decided to stew a pot of appetizing and delicious tomato beef brisket... and there was also air-dried salted chicken, and freshly stir-fried seasonal vegetables...

These dishes required quite a few steps. After preparing the ingredients, Naoki Nagayama tied his apron and began processing the food.

Washing, dicing, marinating... each step seemed to be something he was born knowing. Naoki Nagayama worked skillfully. Helping out at the izakaya since childhood in this life, and rewarding himself alone in the previous life... his cooking was already comparable to a professional chef.

Just as Naoki Nagayama started stewing the tomato beef brisket on low heat and stewing the air-dried salted chicken, Eitaro, who had been lying in the dining room, seemed to suddenly notice something. His ears moved, and he swished out of the courtyard.

Naoki Nagayama here didn't notice at all; instead, he started washing the vegetables again... the sound of rushing water, the bubbling sound of the stew, plus the music from the record player, strange yet harmonious~

Just as Naoki Nagayama was focused on washing the vegetables, he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening and closing. He thought it was Eitaro:

"Eitaro, don't play with the door... be careful, or I won't give you extra food!"

"Naoki-san!" A voice suppressing joy came from behind.

Naoki Nagayama turned around in surprise and saw his girlfriend, wearing a slightly oversized sleeveless T-shirt and sweatpants, her wavy hair tied into a high ponytail, revealing a slender, fair neck, with a smile on her exquisite face, looking at him with curved eyes.

"Akina?! Why are you back now?" Naoki Nagayama hurriedly turned off the faucet, put down the vegetables in his hand, and walked toward his girlfriend.

"It was supposed to be the next flight... but I didn't want to have the celebration banquet in Hokkaido, so I took an earlier one!" Akina Nakamori put her handbag on the table and wanted to throw herself into her boyfriend's arms.

"Eh... hold on... I'm wearing an apron~" Naoki Nagayama held Akina's shoulders.

"It's fine, I don't mind, Naoki-san..."

Akina Nakamori didn't stop, throwing herself in, then wrapped her arms around Naoki Nagayama's neck and started kissing him.

A faint fragrance lingered in his nose. Did she wear perfume?

The thought flashed through his mind and vanished. Naoki Nagayama wrapped his arms around the slender waist of the delicate body in his arms, feeling the soft lips, and responded enthusiastically.

Young men and women are like a bundle of dry firewood; a single spark could ignite them...

Naoki Nagayama only felt the body in his arms was as if it were on fire. He couldn't help but want to use his cool, water-soaked hands to cool down a bit. Unknowingly, his hands reached into the loose T-shirt, stroking the bare skin, but it made the temperature in his arms rise to another level.

Their breathing became rapid, even somewhat difficult. Only then did they separate, their lips a bit swollen.

The heavy breathing sprayed on his face, itchy...

Akina's face was already full of a flush, and the moisture in her eyes seemed about to overflow...

"Naoki-san~ I missed you so much~"

The longing accumulated since her birthday burst out completely at this moment. The sweet tone was like pouring a bucket of gasoline on the small fire that was already burning, making the fire completely uncontrollable.

Naoki Nagayama kissed her back heavily, then carried his girlfriend and walked toward the bedroom on the second floor~

Who cares about the kitchen? Dinner?

Of course, he should eat Akina first!!!

Eitaro, who had secretly opened the door and let Akina in, originally thought he would get some praise and comfort from his master, or at least get an extra scoop of beef at dinner...

But after the mistress came in, she hugged the master, and then they ran up to the bedroom on the second floor...

When he wanted to follow them in, he was kicked out by the master, who then closed the bedroom door...

A short while later, rhythmic, strange sounds could be heard from the bedroom...

Eitaro barked angrily a few times, but it didn't elicit any response, so he could only run back to the dining room helplessly.

On the stove, the soup in the pot was bubbling. Smelling the meat fragrance gradually coming out, Eitaro was very worried about the upcoming dinner.

Could the master come down before the water boiled dry... If there was a burnt smell, should he go and remind them?

What a bother~ ===== CHAPTER 661 =====