Chapter 809: Naoki Nagayama is exhausted?!

The 'Meuamoré' full of exotic style appeared on the stage of the song promotion, making this strange flower appear in the music scene that was already blooming.

Clearly everyone was playing rock, playing disco, why did someone suddenly start playing Latin style?

And because of this song, Akina

"It really has to be Yukiko Okada, doesn't it~" Akina Nakamori murmured to herself while looking at the newspaper.

"What about Yukiko Okada?" Naoki Nagayama asked with some curiosity as he brought over the coffee.

"I mean, if Akina Nakamori stops being an idol, then the next successor for top idol will definitely be Yukiko Okada!" Akina Nakamori took the newspaper and pointed to that section of the report to analyze it for Naoki Nagayama.

"Haha, it's true that the idol industry is currently experiencing a bit of a gap in talent..."

Naoki Nagayama laughed. Ever since a few years ago, waves of idols had been appearing as if from a fountain; while it was a dazzling display, it also began to lack quality, causing the public's perception of idols to decline significantly. The number of juniors who could truly carry the title of idol was simply countable on one's fingers.

Coupled with the oversupply of new idol talent, the idol industry had completely transformed from a blue ocean into a red ocean. Under the effect of bad money driving out good, there would even be a low point ahead known as the "ten-year ice age of the idol industry"!

Akina Nakamori said vaguely while eating breakfast: "But the idol industry clearly still has Seiko-chan~ The eternal idol..."

Naoki Nagayama shook his head. It shouldn't be long before Seiko Matsuda and Masaki Kanda announced their marriage, and then she would give birth and retire...

However, in the eyes of the current entertainment industry, it was indeed very surprising. After all, Seiko Matsuda had said just a while ago that she had a strong career drive; how could something like a shotgun marriage and retirement happen?

"Beep beep~~"

Just as the two were about to continue talking, the rhythmic sound of a car horn rang out at the entrance of Shanying Yuan. Akina Nakamori, sitting at the dining table, immediately knew that it was the signal of Norinori Mingxing's arrival.

Because these past few days were the period for promoting her new song, Akina's schedule was very busy, and she would leave very early in the morning.

"Ah, Mingxing-san is here!" Akina Nakamori hurriedly finished her coffee in big gulps, sticking out her tongue because it was scalding, and then rushed to put on her coat and walked toward the entrance. "Naoki-san, I'm heading out!"

"Have a safe trip..."

Only after his girlfriend's figure disappeared outside the door did Naoki Nagayama continue to eat his breakfast slowly.

Seeing the headline in the report, his mind also began to ponder the future development of the entertainment industry.

"Speaking of which, Shizuka Kudo and Rie Miyazawa are both under the Shuyou banner..." Naoki Nagayama suddenly remembered these two. "Could it be... possible to pull off some maneuvers?"

The ten-year ice age of idols... perhaps it could be a golden opportunity for Shuyou to rise against the trend!

Amidst the spring breeze of March, Naoki Nagayama drove his convertible sports car and arrived leisurely at the Shuyou studio.

"Naoki-san..." "Good morning, Naoki-san!" "Good morning~"

As if they were already used to it, the Shuyou employees saw Naoki Nagayama, who only came in the morning, and all bowed directly to greet him, while Naoki Nagayama just nodded slightly before walking toward the office.

"Otomo-san..." Looking to both sides, sure enough, Shuichi Ido was not there. "Did Shuichi-san go to check on the set for *Squid Game*, or did he go to check on the script for the new movie?"

That day at Shanying Yuan, he had mentioned to Shuichi Ido about making a movie to guard against "yellow-haired" punks. As a man who doted on his daughter, he had taken this to heart, and upon returning, he began contacting screenwriters to create a script.

"As for Shuichi-san, he should be at Dream Factory right now..." Datomo Yoshimura didn't even lift his head, as if the documents in his hands were endless. "He's been busy every day these days too; he has to focus on movie matters in the morning, and in the afternoon he has to go socialize with the big shots of the film circle..."

"How truly exhausting~"

Naoki Nagayama felt a sense of empathy. It was the same when he was a project manager in his past life; it wasn't even 996 anymore, but 007!

Datomo Yoshimura looked at his good friend with great disdain:

"Naoki-san, how do you have the nerve to be so thick-skinned as to sigh about Shuichi-san being exhausted?"

"It's clear that those social engagements should be done by you!"

After several years, Naoki Nagayama had already turned a blind eye to such minor disdain. What did it matter if he was complained about by the person he was exploiting? After all, the blood and sweat they shed would all turn into his money later!

Besides, how could a capitalist's conscience be such a sensitive and fragile thing!

"Haha, the capable do more work, right~ In terms of interpersonal relations, Shuichi-san and Otomo-san are indeed far superior to me!" Naoki Nagayama praised both, making Datomo Yoshimura's expression relax significantly, and he even felt a bit smug.

"Ahem..." Datomo Yoshimura cleared his throat. "These are just my peers giving me a little bit of face..."

"Not at all, not at all, Otomo-san is our Shuyou's 'social butterfly'!" Naoki Nagayama continued to praise. "How could we thrive in the entertainment industry without Otomo-san's contributions!"

"Hmm... Naoki-san, saying it like that makes one feel a bit embarrassed~" Datomo Yoshimura said modestly, though he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from turning up.

"It's not an exaggeration at all; Shuyou simply cannot do without Otomo-san, this anchor of stability!"

"Hehehe, Naoki-san, don't keep praising me, it'll make one feel ashamed!"

Datomo Yoshimura's face was already full of smiles, and his tone was also full of joy!

Naoki Nagayama secretly curled his lip. Sure enough... the iron rule of social life is that saying a few nice words can handle 50% of people... the rest depends on giving gifts!

After handling Datomo Yoshimura, Naoki Nagayama remembered his thought from the morning:

"By the way, Otomo-san... what are Shizuka Kudo and Rie Miyazawa doing right now?"

"Shizuka-chan is currently still increasing her exposure in various programs, and at the same time, following the idol cultivation method, releasing new songs, and promoting them in live houses... She has already cultivated a batch of loyal fans."

Datomo Yoshimura was very surprised by Naoki Nagayama's sudden question, but he immediately reported their current status.

"As for Rie Miyazawa, she was taken by Masataka Komori to film *Our Little Sister*!"

"Ah, so in the end, Rie-chan was chosen as the lead?"

"Yes... Shizuka-chan has just started to make some progress in the idol industry, so it's not suitable for her to transition yet. Rie-chan doesn't have that many concerns~"

"Hmm, that works too~"

Since the casting matter had already been delegated to Masataka Komori, Naoki Nagayama didn't interfere much more. Besides, Rie Miyazawa would indeed be more active in the acting industry in the future.

"Why did Naoki-san suddenly think of asking about them today?" Datomo Yoshimura asked.

"Because Akina is transitioning to a pop singer, the top tier of the idol industry might become vacant again... so I'm seeing if any of our idols have the potential to step up."

Naoki Nagayama didn't hide it and said it directly. He opened the latest issue of *Myojo* magazine on the table; the promotional cover for Akina's new single was hanging right there. Akina was in the middle of a group of samba dancers—it was a photo taken when the two of them went to Rio de Janeiro together.

"Is that so?" Datomo Yoshimura nodded, then became puzzled. "Isn't there still Seiko Matsuda? If Akina transitions, won't the remaining void be occupied by Seiko Matsuda?"

"As for Seiko Matsuda, she's going to get married and have a child very soon, and she'll be retiring for a few years..."

Naoki Nagayama said casually while looking down at the magazine on the table.

"???!!!"

Suddenly hearing such heavy gossip, Datomo Yoshimura opened his eyes wide in surprise: "Seiko Matsuda is getting married? To whom?"

"Who else could it be?" Naoki Nagayama looked at him with surprise. "Of course, it's her current lover!"

"Uh, Masaki Kanda?" Datomo Yoshimura continued to be shocked. "They've only been dating for two months! I thought it would be Hiromi Go... after all, they've been seeing each other for several years..."

Logically speaking, that would be the case. After all, one is a new partner of two months, while the other is an old flame they loved to death, even saying they would be together in the next life if they broke up...

But no one expected that Seiko Matsuda would actually have a shotgun marriage with her new partner, and then give birth and retire... After all, no one would have thought that Seiko Matsuda, such an eternal idol, would sexually harass others in the future and get sued...

"Love is such an unexpected thing, isn't it~" Naoki Nagayama shrugged. "Sometimes girls might get carried away for a moment..."

"..."

Datomo Yoshimura fell silent. According to current concepts, it was a consensus that women were irrational.

"How did you know that, Naoki-san?"

"A little bird on the roadside told me~" Naoki Nagayama laughed. "Of course, this kind of gossip is something I heard!"

"It seems Naoki-san has many sources of information..." Datomo Yoshimura was thoughtful.

"Haha~"

"You must have spent all your time on gossip!"

"?"

Seeing Datomo Yoshimura suddenly say that, Naoki Nagayama was very surprised; they had clearly been having a great time chatting about gossip.

"Then let me tell Naoki-san a piece of gossip too!" Datomo Yoshimura revealed a mysterious expression on his face. "Naoki-san, from *Kikujiro* last summer to this spring, you haven't created any new works, have you?!"

"? What do you mean?"

"Some people who have been following Naoki-san are quite curious~ Why has Naoki Nagayama been... uh... producing nothing for so long? Whether it's music, movies, or novels..."

Datomo Yoshimura continued,

"Everyone seems to be wondering if Naoki-san has run out of talent!"

Naoki Nagayama's sudden rise naturally attracted the attention of a group of people in the entertainment industry and even all of Japan.

Especially since Shuyou was filming at a speed of one movie every three months, with Naoki Nagayama as the director, while also publishing best-selling novels and creating famous music... Everyone believed Naoki Nagayama was a genius who only appears once in decades~

But since the end of last year, some people noticed that Naoki Nagayama hadn't been creating songs, nor did he have any plans for movies, and there was no news about his usual one novel a year...

If it were an average person, one movie a year would be very normal! Not to mention that *Kikujiro* had just won several major awards at the beginning of this year, so it would be normal for a director to take a rest.

But since this person is Naoki Nagayama, it stands in sharp contrast to before...

You have to know that at this time last year, *April Story* had already finished filming and was being edited!! Even the novel *Tomorrow I Will Date With Yesterday's You* had already been published!

Not to mention songs like *Sakura*...

"Run out of talent?" Naoki Nagayama looked at Datomo Yoshimura in disbelief. "Who spread such talk?"

"The little bird outside the window spread it~" Datomo Yoshimura responded with the same words. "Naoki-san, there's no need to seek the source of such rumors; everyone is just talking casually."

"However, Naoki-san really doesn't have any creative plans... This gives people a feeling of disappointment..."

Naoki Nagayama is the backbone of the Shuyou Group. The group's ability to develop and expand so smoothly owes a huge credit to Naoki Nagayama's genius reputation; one could even say he is Shuyou's golden signboard.

If he maintains a strong stance until the reserve strength is cultivated and can support the company's development, only then can Shuyou be considered deeply rooted and truly established in the entertainment industry.

And the entertainment industry is a very realistic place. If the golden signboard's gilding is broken, then there will certainly be unwilling hyenas wanting to come up and take a bite to test the waters...

Although it was a rumor concerning Shuyou's future, Datomo Yoshimura didn't take it too seriously. After all, he knew that Naoki-san had a private stash, and he earned much more in the investment industry than in the entertainment industry!

With so much money, it wouldn't matter even if there were no new works at all in the future!

"But Naoki-san, in order to appease everyone, why don't you participate in the filming of a new movie~" Datomo Yoshimura set his sights on Naoki Nagayama's private stash. "Or, is there any new song you could reveal?"

"..."

There were a few songs in the private stash, but none of them were suitable for the current moment... He still wanted to save the theme song for *Slam Dunk*!

"Not for the time being..."

Datomo Yoshimura wasn't angry after hearing this and continued: "Then would Naoki-san consider writing a novel? Or are you already writing one?"

He had already written it! And it had already been published!

It was *Paradise Lost*, which you all discussed for a long time!!!

You all looked for the author for a long time too!!!

Naoki Nagayama's expression didn't change: "Writing a novel is something that depends on inspiration; how can one write just because one wants to?!"

Datomo Yoshimura spread his hands: "In any case, Naoki-san, make some news recently. A quarter of the New Year has already passed... Just don't let others think that Naoki-san has no creative plans this year~"

"Hmm... let me think about it~" Naoki Nagayama nodded and changed the subject. "By the way, has *Our Little Sister* started filming yet?"

"No... Masataka-kun found an old house in Kamakura... and is currently cleaning and renovating it to serve as a set!" Datomo Yoshimura said. "The specific filming will be around April..."

"I see..."

After leaving the studio, Naoki Nagayama thought while driving.

"Run out of talent? If you knew *Paradise Lost* was written by me, your eyeballs would fall out!" Naoki Nagayama muttered to himself, then thought about movies again. "But in terms of movies, it's indeed something to consider..."

This year, there really didn't seem to be any serious plans for filming movies; his energy for the past while had been focused on the Plaza Project and the competition for the Palme d'Or.

"What kind of movie should I film?"

He had many scripts on hand, but they were all for anime movies, which weren't convenient to film for the time being.

Then there were foreign scripts, like *The Pianist*, *Downfall*, *The Reader*... they didn't seem suitable for filming in Japan either.

"Then what else is there..."

A warm spring breeze blew against his face, mixed with the fragrance of flowers and the freshness of plants and trees, and also carrying the scent of fresh soil, which made his spirit relax.

Naoki Nagayama looked to the side; he had just passed the Kanda River that runs through Tokyo, and it was about to merge with the Sumida River~

The greenery and flowers on both banks made pedestrians stop their hurried steps to appreciate this rare spring scenery... Naoki Nagayama also parked his car to the side and sat down on a bench by the river.

"What kind of movie should I film?"

"First, it must be simple... it must be interesting... and it shouldn't take too much time to film..."

"It's simply a dilemma~"