Chapter 719: I've stopped being human!

The movie publicity schedule in Tokyo had ended; if he wasn't going to other places, Naoki Nagayama didn't have to go to the studio in the morning, but the other leads and famous supporting actors still had to go to various cities to promote...

Speaking of which, the actor who played the perverted uncle was a master of a theater troupe in Kyoto... he was quite famous in Kyoto!

Akina was picked up by Fusunori Akio to work early in the morning; Naoki Nagayama could still sleep in; the season between summer and autumn was too suitable for sleep!

After getting up, there was breakfast kept warm in the kitchen~

"Eitaro~ is the cherry tree about to bloom again?"

Naoki Nagayama sat on the eaves corridor holding a bowl and plate and eating, looking at the cherry tree in the courtyard with some surprise; although the leaves hadn't withered yet, buds had actually sprouted between the leaves.

The occasional bit of white made the thick green cherry tree look a bit more alive; the cherry blossoms in Sanyain would bloom again in October~

"Woof woof!"

Eitaro followed its owner's gaze to the treetops without knowing why, and then barked twice, as if agreeing.

Then it ran into the gray and rough sand of the dry landscape, leaving footprints shaped like flowers, as if it also wanted to add some flowers to the courtyard.

In the morning sunlight, the owner eating, the white dog playing, the cherry branches dancing lightly in the wind, and the agile marks in the rockery and dry water... If a camera took this moment, it would definitely be a lazy and quiet autumn time~

And Meow Taro, who was lying in the cat nest, seemed to be disturbed by this barking, raised its head and looked at it with contempt, yawned, and buried its head in the cat nest again... Autumn is indeed good for sleeping!

In the morning, he wrote down the memories in his brain in the study without haste, and occasionally used a plain pen to draw pictures that left a deep impression; the memories that floated in his mind after the coma began to be classified in an orderly manner.

Naoki Nagayama used a separate drawer to store these memories; pulling open the drawer door, there were already quite a few materials inside; flipping through them slightly, one could vaguely see "The Garden of Words," "My Neighbor Totoro," "Neon Genesis Evangelion," "Digimon," "Guilty Crown," "Aldnoah. Zero," "Anohana," "A Certain Scientific Railgun," "Attack on Titan," etc.

However, most of them only had a few pictures and a song, and one could vaguely see unclear vocabulary such as nuclear explosion god song, sword-pulling god song, broken sword god song, scabbard god song, etc.

"After all, they are just anime clips~ I haven't even watched the complete anime for some of them..." As a miserable adult in his previous life, he didn't have the determination and energy to finish them.

"In that case, if I want to carry out the production of animated movies, I have to find a team and a main person in charge..."

Hayao Miyazaki? Seems like he's already filming movies? Last year's "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" was released, and the effect was good; he definitely wouldn't settle for Shu-Yu...

Then who else? Who is a well-known animated movie producer in the future? Or should I cultivate one myself?

A series of questions made Naoki Nagayama's head big, so he simply gave up!

"Forget it! Let's talk about it later! Anyway, it won't be carried out this year!"

Slacking off for a while is cool, slacking off all the time is cool~

Walking out of the study, he held the still-sleeping Meow Taro in his arms and sucked the cat hard for a while, then put the fat cat, who had a confused face, back.

Naoki Nagayama walked to the garage, got back into his beloved convertible, and merged into the traffic with a swoosh~

"Naoki-san, good morning~" Kaori Hoshino greeted Naoki Nagayama with a smile.

"Hana-chan, you look like you're in a good mood! Did something good happen?" Naoki Nagayama asked with a smile.

"I went to watch Naoki-san's 'Kikujiro's Summer' yesterday, and I'm in a good mood today!" Kaori Hoshino said the reason, "Naoki-san's movie is really too excellent! I can still recall the beautiful movie scenes now! I'll go watch it a few more times later!"

"Haha, then thank you for your support, Hana-chan~"

Naoki Nagayama looked at the front desk lady of Shu-Yu approvingly; sure enough, she had a collective concept and actively supported the boss's achievements!

Give her a raise during the New Year!

Arriving at the office amidst everyone's greetings, he was surprised to find that Otomo Yoshimura was still there!

As the general manager who actually manages the daily operations of the company, Shu-Yu couldn't do without him for a day!

"Otomo-san, why didn't I see Shuichi-san? Is he in the editing room?"

"Hmm, he's editing 'Blue Ocean'!" Otomo Yoshimura didn't even raise his head, his consciousness was all on the documents, answering with conditioned reflexes, "He even

Including Shuichi Ido's own film crew of about four, plus the three here, there were seven people in one small room...

"There shouldn't be a problem." Tomo Arimura didn't care at all. "If you can't squeeze in, just eat less in the morning and get a bit thinner, then you'll be able to squeeze out some space!"

"... Then what about lunch?"

"No need to eat lunch either, just wait until you go back at night to eat!" Tomo Arimura said coldly. "Anyway, you can't come to work at night..."

"..."

Naoki Nagayama seemed to have finally discovered the difference between himself and a capitalist. Otomo-san's exploitation was a bit too ruthless! He actually wouldn't even let them eat!!!

"Ahem..." The cough caught Otomo-san's attention. He looked up and saw Naoki Nagayama say, "Otomo-san, actually, if we turn on the lights at night, we can edit too!"

"...?"

Tomo Arimura looked pained: "Naoki-san, you are too inhumane!"

"... Because I've already stopped being human; I'm a capitalist! I can even evolve into a feudal lord!"

"..."

The two of them were cracking jokes in the office that made the workers outside tremble with fear. For some reason, the staff at the studio today always felt a chill down their backs, especially the few people in the editing room...

It must be the temperature dropping in autumn! That's definitely it!

Naoki Nagayama was flipping through newspapers in the office, looking at the film news which was full of information related to "Kikujiro", while clicking his tongue as he read...

"Are these reporters idiots? They only know how to write that Naoki Nagayama made this movie to heal his childhood? And that it takes a lifetime to heal?!"

"Nothing but praise, praise, and more praise; not a single bit of originality!"

"Takeshi Kitano and Naoki Nagayama both have connections to the yakuza? What is this nonsense!"

"Naoki Nagayama threatened by the yakuza, his next movie is in jeopardy?! Hmm, this piece is actually a bit useful..."

"Naoki-san~" Tomo Arimura looked at the somewhat mischievous Naoki Nagayama and said, "If you have nothing to do, why not help me process these reports? It's the end of the month... everyone's wages need to be paid again!"

"No, no, no! I'm very busy!" Naoki Nagayama waved his hands hurriedly. "I have many things to do! After visiting Shuichi-san, I have to go to Ota Ward to take a look! "Crows Zero 2" over there is at a critical moment!"

"(ˉ▽￣～) Pfft~~" Tomo Arimura showed a look of disdain.

Naoki Nagayama quickly slipped into the editing room and pushed the door open. Sure enough, several people were squeezed into the tiny editing room, and even turning around required caution.

"Shuichi-san?"

"Naoki-san, you've come!" Shuichi Ido put on his special glasses and was looking at the content on the film.

"Yeah, just came to take a look... Is the editing for "Blue Sea" progressing smoothly?" Naoki Nagayama didn't walk in, just stood at the doorway and asked.

"Yes, the progress is okay... The expected release date is not a problem." Shuichi Ido turned around and carefully put away the materials. "Does Naoki-san want to come and help?"

"I don't have the time; I still have to go to Masataka-kun's side~" Naoki Nagayama deflected. "Actually, I also need to take someone away... Kijima-kun, come with me to Ota Ward!"

"Yes!"

Kijima Xu nodded without hesitation. Even if his presence was low, it didn't mean he liked being squeezed into a small room with six other people!

Shuichi Ido frowned: "Naoki-san, if you take Kijima-kun away, I'll be short one laborer!"

"Shuichi-san, more people isn't necessarily better~ You guys were having trouble even turning around just now..." Naoki Nagayama saw that after Kijima Xu came out, the few people in the editing room felt much more spacious. "You still need to be relaxed when editing; that's the only way to have inspiration!"

Shuichi Ido turned his head to look, and in his heart, he also felt much more relieved...

"Alright, you can take Kijima-kun."

"That's more like it~" After Naoki Nagayama achieved his goal, he cheered Shuichi Ido on: "Shuichi-san, keep it up! I'm waiting to see the preview of "Blue Sea"!"

"It won't be long!" Shuichi Ido was full of confidence.

After getting into the car with Kijima Xu, he looked at Naoki Nagayama, his lips moved slightly, but he didn't say anything.

"Is Kijima-kun wondering why I want to take you to Ota Ward?" Naoki Nagayama noticed.

"Yes, isn't Masataka-kun in charge over there?" Kijima Xu said. "Am I going to help him?"

"Today is just to go and take a look first..." Naoki Nagayama replied. "The sets over there are almost finished. Although there were some twists and turns, "Crows Zero 2" is also about to start filming... After that, Masataka-kun will have to focus on filming, and Kijima-kun, you need to help build the sets for "Ring 2"!"

"Me?"

"Yes, Shuichi-san is busy with the editing of "Blue Sea" and its subsequent release during this time, so he definitely won't have time to pay attention to the early preparations for "Ring 2"... It's just right for you to gain a bit more experience." Naoki Nagayama said earnestly. "Later, we will have many movies filmed at that film base, and your TV dramas will also have many shots there, so you need to get familiar with that place quickly!"

The fastest way to get familiar is to start building the sets from scratch!

"Yes!" Kijima Xu didn't continue to ask and nodded directly.

He had already made his choice regarding the previous multiple-choice question. Next year, he would film the TV drama "Love Generation". Because the cycle was long, there were many opportunities for practice, and he could improve his filming methods in real-time based on audience feedback, which could rapidly improve his filming techniques...

The movie "Sea Street Diary" required a full year of filming time. For a newcomer like him who aspired to be a director, the time span was too long.

Ota Ward was not close to downtown Tokyo. When Naoki Nagayama drove to Ota Ward, it was already noon.

"Kijima-kun, Masataka-kun and the others must be eating lunch already... Let's find a restaurant nearby to have lunch too." Naoki Nagayama said. "By the way, let's ask about the situation in the surrounding area."

"Yes!"

Kijima Xu remained concise and to the point. He wasn't worried about things like gathering information at all. As long as he took off his watch and put it in his pocket, he could walk into a crowd of people chatting and gossiping and listen openly; he didn't have to worry about being discovered at all!

Ota Ward was certainly not as prosperous as Tokyo, but there were still quite a few restaurants on the main commercial street.

Ota Ward's eel rice and tempura rice were specialties. Naoki Nagayama didn't agonize for too long and went directly to the Kamata Nakadori shopping street, finding an eel rice place that looked like it had many people.

"Manager-san, one eel rice, please." Naoki Nagayama said, and then, watching Kijima Xu also order a set meal, he asked casually, "Manager-san, may I ask, there's a film shooting base nearby, right?"

However, the manager didn't answer directly, but looked Naoki Nagayama and Kijima Xu up and down... Fortunately, they had brought sunglasses and were disguised when they came...

"You're a reporter from Tokyo, right?"

"? Hmm?" Naoki Nagayama asked curiously, "Manager-san, why do you ask that?"

"Many reporters have come here these past few days, asking about this and that. Quite a few of them are eating in my shop right now!" The manager's tone was proud. "Who told them my place has the best eel rice in Ota Ward!"

"Haha, Manager-san is truly amazing!" Naoki Nagayama laughed in agreement and continued to chat, "What did they ask?"

"Just things like whether there are yakuza harassing the film base... It seems that Naoki Nagayama mentioned this during an interview..." The manager felt a bit emotional. "Sure enough, only what famous people say is taken seriously. Reporters have come, and the police have been coming more frequently too. The atmosphere on the street has also improved a lot; at least there are no wandering thugs or delinquents..."

"Oh? Were there many thugs and delinquents here before?"

"Of course! Our shopping street was a bit better because there are many tourists, so the police station came often..." The manager sighed. "But even if the police-san come more often, we still have to pay protection money!"

"Ah? You still have to pay protection money? If you have to pay, then it's true that the film base is being extorted?" Naoki Nagayama asked in surprise.

"Of course!"

Just as the manager was about to say more, he saw three or four yakuza wearing flashy clothes and showing off their tattoos walk in through the door. As soon as they entered, they loudly called for the manager to order food, and they also wanted beer...

Seeing the manager looking very uncomfortable but still having to hold his nose and serve them, Naoki Nagayama knew that they were probably the people collecting protection money.

"Is it them?" Naoki Nagayama tilted his head and asked softly.

"Sigh~~~ Guests-san, you should leave quickly after you finish eating. Don't provoke them... A reporter was beaten before!" The manager warned carefully.

"Arigato~"

After the eel rice was served, neither Naoki Nagayama nor Kijima Xu had the mood to enjoy this meal properly, because those few yakuza were chatting while drinking, and their voices were not low, nor did they have any intention of suppressing them, and they were also interspersed with messy profanities.

After finishing the meal, Naoki Nagayama gave Kijima Xu a look. He saw him take off his watch, quietly walk to the side of that table, move a chair, and sit behind one of the yakuza, listening openly...

This was the first time Naoki Nagayama had seen how Kijima Xu gathered information... He didn't secretly eavesdrop at all, but directly tilted his head to listen. If he encountered something he didn't understand, he would even interrupt to ask... The few people chatting didn't feel it was abrupt and just told him directly!

Just standing in the distance watching, Naoki Nagayama felt a chill!

It was definitely a waste of talent for Kijima Xu to be a director. If he were placed in the Edo period, he would definitely be a seed for the ninja clan!

If he were in some secret department, what was 007? They only knew how to fight and kill. Kijima Xu would definitely get the intelligence without seeing a drop of blood!

After more than ten minutes, Kijima Xu returned to Naoki Nagayama's side:

"Naoki-san, I've found out!"

"Hmm... I saw that you found out..."

"..." Kijima Xu paused for a moment and continued, "They are indeed related to the yakuza on Masataka-kun's side. They are all from the Maple Leaf Society... Ota Ward should be the territory of the Maple Leaf Society, and they are a subordinate group of the Tokyo Sumiyoshi-kai..."

"They said that the police have been checking too frequently recently, so the protection money collected has decreased a lot... They also said to pay attention to the reporters here recently; if you see them, you can't hit them directly... It's annoying~"

"I also heard about the shooting base. I heard that the yakuza who went to harass them were all taken to the police station. This time they were locked up for several days..."

Naoki Nagayama nodded while listening:

"It seems that the role of media coverage is indeed effective... The police station has clearly started to take it seriously."

"Then Naoki-san, what about us later?"

"We still need to report for a while." Naoki Nagayama said. "When the official production begins, we will also invite people from the police station to attend the ceremony..."

"In short, we must ensure the shooting base won't be harassed in the future!"

"Yes!" Kijima Xu couldn't think of his own role for a moment, so he said, "Naoki-san, while I'm here, I will gather information properly!"

Naoki Nagayama patted him on the shoulder. Kijima-kun was truly a secret weapon!

If the Maple Leaf Society still wanted to cause trouble in the end, send Kijima Xu to silence them... No, he couldn't kill anyone!

A horse's head was too hard to find... Sending Kijima Xu to put a bloody fish head on the bed of the Maple Leaf Society's boss was still no problem!

"The Godfather", Kijima Xu version!

"Naoki-san, I've finally waited for you!"

When they arrived at the shooting base, Masataka Komori welcomed the two of them very happily, and then led them to tour the shooting base.

Masataka Komori led the two of them to tour the shooting base, pointing to the soon-to-be-completed "Crows Zero 2" set and said:

"The major scenes of the movie have all been built. After that, as long as we continue to perfect the details, we can officially start production!"

"Hmm, hmm, not bad, not bad!"

Naoki Nagayama looked at some old streets and houses full of graffiti and nodded continuously.

"Very good. This way, most of the indoor scenes can be completed here. And there are some large scenes... Masataka-kun can go and ask Otomo-san. After all, his hometown was the filming location for "Crows Zero 1". Maybe there are still some good places!"

"Yes, I will ask Otomo-san!"

"By the way, Masataka-kun~" Naoki Nagayama patted Kijima Xu on the shoulder and said to Masataka Komori, "After you start filming the movie, you will definitely have to focus your attention on the movie. Kijima-kun will come over to help with the construction of the sets for "Ring 2"."

"That would be truly great!"

Masataka Komori and Kijima Xu had a very good relationship. Hearing this news, he was very happy and shared the planning of the shooting base with him very excitedly, about where the sets for the ghost movie should be built, and so on...

It took a long time before he reacted:

"Naoki-san, you said the movie can start filming? What about the Maple Leaf Society?"

"You don't need to worry about the yakuza side. It will definitely be resolved in a few days!"

Looking at Naoki Nagayama's confident appearance, Masataka Komori let go of the worry he had been holding, and then communicated with Kijima Xu again...