Chapter 729: Revisiting old haunts? A bunch of fools!!

A hazy glow filtered through the sheer curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows, slowly illuminating the suite.

A patch of light first landed on the painting on the wall, then moved to the television set below, then to the sofa piled with clothes, and then to the shoes and socks tossed about at random... until it climbed onto that large white bed~

And the two people fast asleep on the bed...

Yesterday, the crew had a bit to drink at the restaurant, and by the time they returned to their rooms, their blood was already pumping. Plus, Naoki Nagayama hadn't seen Akina for many days... so for a lone man and woman, doing the things lovers do was only natural!

The alarm clock on the bedside table began to beep, and only then did Naoki Nagayama's eyelids flutter, and he opened his eyes~

"It's morning~"

Naoki Nagayama was dazed for a moment, then realized where he was—Hokkaido, here to record a program!

He hurriedly shook the person beside him:

"Akina, wake up~ time to get up~"

"Mmm~~~" Buried in the hair, Akina let out a sound like Eitaro, "Five more minutes..."

"That won't do. It'll be very embarrassing if Akimoto-san calls to urge us!"

Naoki Nagayama said with a smile, reaching his hand under the covers, wanting to wake his girlfriend up with the chill, but his hand met only smooth, warm skin... They had been too tired yesterday and just fell asleep; now, they were still slippery and bare~

But since he had touched her, the wonderful sensation made Naoki Nagayama reluctant to let go, so he began to stroke up and down~

Soon, Akina Nakamori couldn't keep up the act of sleeping. She pressed her hands against her boyfriend's mischievous hand and opened her eyes, feeling quite shy and angry:

"Naoki-san is so H the moment he wakes up!!"

"Who told Akina to want to sleep in!" Naoki Nagayama said with a thick skin, though he still let go, "Get up quickly! I'm going to shower first!"

Then he got out of bed himself; in the morning, one still needed to clear their head and, incidentally, dampen the fire.

"Naoki-san, you're here!"

When he arrived at the restaurant, Yasushi Akimoto happened to be eating breakfast alone, which surprised Naoki Nagayama.

"Akimoto-san, why are you up so early? Where are the others?"

"They'll be here in a while. I don't sleep much; I usually sleep late and wake up early~" Yasushi Akimoto said with a smile.

He believed in the philosophy that there was no need to sleep long while alive, as one would sleep long enough after death. Every day, he wanted to take advantage of the time he was awake to get more done.

"Haha, it's good to be so energetic~"

Naoki Nagayama had discovered that all successful people had one thing in common... good health and abundant energy!

Just like Jackie Chan; when he was young, he did the most dangerous stunt work, constantly breaking bones and getting injured, but while others were worn out by middle age, he was still healthy and fit despite his advanced age...

As they were talking, the program crew arrived one after another, and Akina Nakamori was mixed in among them... After all, they still had to be careful, arriving one after the other.

After breakfast, Yasushi Akimoto began to arrange the work:

"This morning we're going to Mount Asahi in the Daisetsuzan range to film the snowy mountain scenery... In the afternoon, we'll rush to Otaru in Sapporo. Naoki-san, Akina-chan, it's perfect for filming the locations where you shot 'Love Letter'..."

"Hai~" XN

In this season, the Asahidake Daisetsuzan still has many tourists; one even has to queue for the cable car from the foot of the mountain to the top, with only one car every fifteen minutes~

In Daisetsuzan National Park, not far away is the snow-capped Asahidake, and beneath it lies a lush, verdant forest. The maple leaves at higher altitudes have already turned completely red, while those at lower altitudes are still a mix of yellow and green, painting the entire forest in a myriad of colors!

The green ones are spruce and creeping pine, the yellow ones are Erman's birch, the red ones are rowan, and the orange ones are spindle trees...

Looking down from a high vantage point, the red, orange, yellow, and green are intertwined, like a natural palette, currently painting the most beautiful scroll of early autumn.

"Naoki-san! Look over there, it's so beautiful!"

Akina, wearing a wool coat, pointed at the sea of maple trees below and shouted excitedly, looking exactly like a little child from next door~

"The lake water is so blue!" "There's a rabbit!!!" "It looks like something is blooming over there!"

Naoki Nagayama followed Akina's gaze from inside the cable car, taking pictures with his camera from time to time, and sometimes even having Akina pose for photos...

Their oblivious demeanor made it seem as if the other few people in the cable car didn't exist at all.

Yasushi Akimoto felt that he didn't need to arrange any script at all, nor did he need to remind them to watch their posture; the most natural state of this couple was the best recording effect.

However, this was, after all, a recorded program...

"Naoki-san, Akina-chan, don't just play by yourselves! You need to introduce it a little, facing the camera..."

"Ah, right!"

Naoki Nagayama nodded, looked at the camera, and said,

"Minna-san, today Akina and I have come to the famous Asahidake Daisetsuzan. As everyone knows, this is the place in Nihon where the maple leaves turn red the earliest... so everyone can see that the maple leaves below us have all turned red..."

Yasushi Akimoto hurriedly interrupted: "Naoki-san, you're not a tour guide! No need to introduce it in such detail..."

"Uh, then what should I say..."

"Just talk about how you and Akina feel~"

Naoki Nagayama nodded: "This is my first time coming here in autumn, and I feel it's very beautiful... Akina, what do you think?"

"Hai, it's just like being in a dream!" Akina Nakamori put on her professional smile and said the line that would absolutely not go wrong~

"Baka~" Naoki Nagayama gently flicked Akina's nose, "This isn't an interview for a performance! Why are you using canned lines!"

"I am not!"

Her arm was hit... Akina, whose professional face had been poked through, counterattacked very angrily~ Then Naoki Nagayama also started to horse around with Akina...

A happy atmosphere of giggles and laughter permeated the small cable car~

Yasushi Akimoto closed his eyes... As expected, they've been feeding us dog food since the morning of the first day!!!

Tokyo, studio.

Ito Shuichi Itou walked out of the editing room, plopped down onto an office chair, his expression weary, his eyes dark... and there was an indescribable sense of frustration.

"Ito Shuichi-san, what's wrong with you?" Otomo Yoshimura saw this and asked with great confusion.

"The editing of 'Blue Sea'..."

Ito Shuichi Itou had been editing 'Blue Sea' for quite a while, and the work was already half done, but he seemed to have hit a bottleneck these past two days.

"No matter how I look at it, the editing effect is very gloomy... I clearly wanted to edit out the hazy beauty of this lace-like romance, but the blue cold tones, the sparse lines..."

Ito Shuichi Itou sighed,

"How on earth did Naoki-san use this kind of melancholy blue to edit such beautiful works as 'A Scene at the Sea' and 'Kikujiro'!"

After finishing, he added: "Both of those movies were tragedies!"

"Hmm..." Otomo Yoshimura didn't know how to advise him either; he couldn't just say that Ito Shuichi-san's level was limited, could he?

Ito Shuichi Itou took a deep breath and looked at Otomo Yoshimura: "By the way, Naoki-san went to record a program, right?"

"Hai, according to the schedule, he should be in Hokkaido right now." Otomo Yoshimura recalled, "He went to see the earliest maple leaves!"

"Kuso! How leisurely... It makes one envious." Ito Shuichi Itou muttered, "How come no one asks me to record this kind of program..."

Otomo Yoshimura looked at his good friend and shook his head. Ito Shuichi-san, you're already a middle-aged man pushing forty, with a big, greasy belly; who would want to watch you... Perhaps only the role of a lecherous middle-aged uncle would invite you!

"Ito Shuichi-san... Since you're feeling frustrated right now, don't force the editing for the time being!" Otomo Yoshimura saw Ito Shuichi Itou's headache and thought of a way for him, "When Naoki-san was too tired from editing before, he would always go do other things first... relax and unwind..."

"Oh? Relax?" Ito Shuichi Itou's eyes lit up, "Does Otomo-san mean going to a hostess bar?!"

"..." Otomo Yoshimura was helpless; he really was very greasy!

"Ito Shuichi-san, save some energy..." He gave Ito Shuichi Itou a request, "Do some things you're good at and find some inspiration~"

"? Magazine cover shoot? Rie Miyazawa?" Ito Shuichi Itou saw the request form, looked up at Otomo Yoshimura, "Is that the little girl who was just brought in?"

"Hmm... Rie-chan's main work at the moment is magazine photos; it was originally handed over to others to shoot... This is Ito Shuichi-san's old profession, you can help shoot it, look at young people more, and find some youthful spirit..."

After Otomo Yoshimura finished speaking, he lowered his head and began to handle other matters.

"Uh..." Ito Shuichi Itou looked at the form in his hand and hesitated. His mouth moved slightly, "Otomo-san... but this girl is too young! To think she has to shoot this kind of photo? She's about the same age as my daughter..."

Otomo Yoshimura was stunned for a moment, and then he reacted:

"You idiot! What are you thinking about randomly!!! This is a proper magazine cover!!! We are no longer that small workshop that only takes adult magazines!"

"..."

Ito Shuichi Itou was so ashamed that he left in a hurry.

And Otomo Yoshimura sighed, Ito Shuichi-san really hasn't changed his true nature!

But on second thought, if it weren't for Naoki-san, perhaps he and Ito Shuichi-san would still be shooting adult magazines to this day...

Otaru's Tengu Mountain is the most famous filming location in 'Love Letter'.

In the afternoon, the program team arrived at this second stop! It could be considered revisiting an old haunt!

"This is the location where we filmed 'Love Letter'." Akina Nakamori pointed energetically at an empty canyon and said, "It was right here that Itsuki Fujii lost Itsuki Fujii, and then found peace!"

As the camera pulled toward the distant canyon, Akina Nakamori pulled Naoki Nagayama, who was on the side, into the frame:

"Naoki-san, it seems many people are asking, before you wrote the novel 'Love Letter', did you come here and get inspired?"

Naoki Nagayama shook his head helplessly and said to the camera:

"No! I hadn't been here! I just knew about such a place... Look, the so-called mountain guard who lives halfway up the mountain and reminds the climbers is all fictional..."

The house that was filmed was actually a vacation home for a family.

After explaining, Akina Nakamori happily pulled Naoki Nagayama to stand on the hillside of the canyon, and the two of them shouted out the most moving lines from 'Love Letter' together:

"How are you? I am fine!" "How are you? I am fine!"...

A faint echo reflected back from the canyon, as if there really was a voice in the canyon responding to the two of them.

And the program team on the side, after recording all of this, also had a few people join the shouting team, and so a group of people were howling like ghosts in this canyon...

At this time, a local happened to pass by and shook his head after seeing this scene:

"Another group of fools... and it hasn't even snowed yet!"

Yasushi Akimoto waited until the people from the program team had vented their emotions, then said to Naoki Nagayama and Akina Nakamori:

"Naoki-san, Akina-chan, let's go to that old Western-style house you filmed at next... Let's see the place where it was filmed..."

When everyone arrived at the old Western-style house on the outskirts of town, they were surprised to find that the owner had transformed it into a themed guesthouse, and it seemed to be very popular; the rooms were already full.

Just as the program team was still peeking and observing outside, a resident spotted them with sharp eyes...

The girl ran quickly to the door, almost tripping on the slope, but still looked at Naoki Nagayama and Akina Nakamori and called out:

"Itsuki Fujii!!!"

Soon, others in the room also heard the news and came over...

Akina Nakamori and Naoki Nagayama were surrounded by the guests, who were asking questions very excitedly.

"Akina-chan and Naoki-san, what are you here for?" "Are you here to film a sequel?" "Is this the film crew?" "How long are you filming this time?"...

Akina Nakamori was already very accustomed to this situation and told them generously that they were recording a program and revisiting an old haunt... and then happily took photos with everyone as a souvenir...

Naoki Nagayama could only serve as a background board, answering questions occasionally, and then showing a smile...

Yasushi Akimoto arranged for the staff to take candid shots after the fans came out. This sudden little accident was undoubtedly the best interlude in his eyes and would bring a novel effect to the program.

Surrounded by the crowd, the two walked into the old Western-style house.

There hadn't been much change here. After all, it was a themed guesthouse, and it maintained the furnishings from when 'Love Letter' was filmed: numerous books stacked together, filling the corners of the room, a cozy and clean large sofa, and a warm fireplace...

On the balcony in the corner of the second floor, outside the semicircular window was the gradually setting sun, and the hillside was draped in golden afterglow...

There was also an old-fashioned piano, sitting quietly there...

"Naoki-san, that piano is still there!" Akina Nakamori looked at the piano in surprise, still remembering that Naoki Nagayama had played a piece for her here...

"Really~"

Naoki Nagayama was also very moved, opened the piano lid, and gently pressed a key...

"Ding~~~"

A clear piano sound came out; this piano had been well maintained and was not out of tune at all!

The long-lost piano sound made Naoki Nagayama's hands itch. Without paying much attention to the others behind him, he looked at Akina beside him and said:

"Akina, watch me play a piece for you!"

"Eh?" Akina was a little surprised, "Now?"

"Hmm~"

Saying that, Naoki Nagayama sat down, took a deep breath to adjust, and incidentally thought about what he wanted to play.

'Summer' from 'Kikujiro'? He was tired of hearing it lately!

Change to something else? Naoki Nagayama went through the piano pieces from before, but suddenly thought of the many anime he had recalled some time ago, among which was a very familiar piece... the theme song of 'Anohana', 'Secret Base'!

If it were changed into a piano piece, it didn't seem impossible...

And so, a soothing and lyrical piano melody drifted out from the second floor...

The moment Naoki Nagayama started playing, Yasushi Akimoto signaled the program team staff to set up the cameras and raise the boom microphones.

This time was really too great!

To think there was even a solo performance by Naoki Nagayama!

Everyone knew Naoki Nagayama was a famous musician, but he rarely performed himself; it was almost non-existent!

This time, they were finally able to record it!

And Akina Nakamori beside him, looking at Naoki Nagayama with eyes full of pride and joy—wasn't that the best annotation of the two's relationship?!

Quietly asking the program team staff to adjust the angles, Yasushi Akimoto also began to appreciate this soothing and lyrical piano piece...

Under the twilight sun, the soothing melody permeated the corner of the balcony; the slow rhythm and crisp piano notes seemed to be telling you something... A faint nostalgia, and a seemingly slightly sorrowful emotion drifted from the music...

As the piece ended, the surroundings were quiet, and everyone was savoring it.

Yasushi Akimoto couldn't help but ask: "Naoki-san, what is the name of this piano piece?"

"This song is called 'Secret Base'. Actually, it wasn't supposed to be played on the piano..." Naoki Nagayama said, then looked at Akina, "But the piano is also quite good, right~"

"Hmm!"

His girlfriend nodded very seriously~