Chapter 849

The starry night lit up with lamps; the sleepless city of neon lights was simply breathtaking when viewed from above.

By late at night, Naoki Nagayama finally escaped from one party after another and returned to the large flat in the 80 Building in the Takanawa district.

When rushing between venues this time, perhaps because he had to communicate with others about the Tokyo International Film Festival, even drinking became secondary; in the end, he didn't feel drunk at all and was even able to take the elevator up by himself and use his key to open the door...

"I'm home~"

"Naoki-san?"

The voice calling out as he opened the door immediately attracted Akina Nakamori, who was in the living room. She hurried to the entryway, prepared to catch a drunkard with blurred consciousness, but unexpectedly saw her boyfriend standing quite steadily.

"Eh? How come you don't seem drunk?"

Akina Nakamori still walked over, supported Naoki Nagayama's arm, and led him inside.

"I'm not drunk!"

Perhaps because he had returned to a familiar place, Naoki Nagayama's mood relaxed significantly. The vigilance he had outside was let down, and he only felt waves of heat rising to his head; his consciousness felt like it was in a sauna, and his whole body felt loose and soft~

"Actually, I was chatting while drinking... talking about the preparations..."

"Is that so~" Akina Nakamori helped her boyfriend to the sofa and then helped him take off his suit jacket and tie.

Fortunately, Naoki Nagayama's alcohol behavior was good; he was hazy but still cooperated in taking off his clothes...

Then he reached out and hugged his girlfriend, who was about to get up. The two fell onto the spacious sofa together. His hot cheeks rubbed against her smooth face, which felt cool and refreshing—it was very comfortable~

"Wow, kimochi~"

If anyone saw this, he would definitely be scolded as a pervert!

"Naoki-san..." Akina Nakamori was slightly speechless; was Naoki Nagayama treating her as an ice pack? "I'm going to go get the hangover soup!"

"No, let me hug you for a while!"

Perhaps the alcohol was just hitting him now; Naoki Nagayama held his girlfriend tight and wouldn't let go. In fact, being this drunk, he didn't have any lewd intentions, just a feeling of being very safe and comfortable.

Akina Nakamori had no choice but to adjust her posture and just lie half-reclined in her boyfriend's arms like this~

"Naoki-san, go wash up and then sleep in bed..."

"No~"

"Then go lie down in the bedroom, okay?"

"No!"

"Then you at least need a pillow to cushion your head..."

Akina Nakamori coaxed him like a child, but before she heard Naoki Nagayama's answer, she discovered that her boyfriend seemed to have fallen asleep...

"....... What the...... Naoki-san, are you pretending to sleep?"

"..... Zzzzzzz"

After confirming repeatedly that Naoki Nagayama was truly asleep, Akina Nakamori was truly helpless. She was embraced by his two arms, and Naoki Nagayama was tall and sturdy; if he was sprawled on the sofa, she really couldn't get up on her own... What should she do...

In the end, she could only slightly push his arms apart and, like a caterpillar, inch her way out of his embrace, finally freeing herself.

"Naoki-san, it looks like you'll have to sleep on the sofa tonight~"

Akina Nakamori brought a thin quilt to cover Naoki Nagayama, adjusted the pillow, then sat beside him, touched her boyfriend's face, and leaned down to kiss him lightly.

She turned to instruct the dog lying nearby:

"Eitaro, you have to watch over Naoki-san well tonight!"

"Woof woof!"

The dog's tail tapped on the floor, making Miaotaro in the cat bed look on with utter disdain.

"Miaotaro too!"

"......"

After saying this, she turned off the living room lights and got up to wash up in the bedroom. A few minutes later, the bedroom lights also dimmed, and the large flat began to grow quiet, leaving only Naoki Nagayama's slightly heavy breathing...

Eitaro also lay down, rested his head on his front paws, and closed his eyes... thinking that this night would pass quietly just like this~

A dozen minutes later, the quiet bedroom suddenly made a sound, making Eitaro's 24-karat gold dog eyes flash in the night.

Then he discovered a figure in pajamas walking out of the bedroom, holding a pillow, running in small steps to the sofa, placing it down, and then crawling back into Naoki Nagayama's arms...

Feeling the warm body and the reassuring scent, Akina Nakamori closed her eyes happily:

"Sofa is sofa... anyway, we have to sleep together!"

Eitaro expressed confusion, and Miaotaro seconded... but neither had a say.

"Eitaro! Miaotaro! Sleep!"

The last radiance of May spilled over the city, returning Tokyo from night to dawn...

The sunlight about to enter summer was already a bit hot; even the early-rising workers had changed into lighter clothes, rushing to work while holding coffee and clutching newspapers~

And the top floor of the high-rise would receive the sunlight first. Naoki Nagayama naturally woke up early, completely free from the pain of a hangover. After taking a shower, he was now sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper.

"Naoki-san, daijobu?"

Akina Nakamori looked at her boyfriend twisting his neck, her concern mixed with a smile,

"Sleeping on the sofa doesn't feel good, right..."

"Akina, didn't you sleep there too?!" Naoki Nagayama took the milk and bread, as well as the fried eggs, sausages, and cabbage on the plate~

"That's because Naoki-san was drunk and wouldn't let go of me!" Akina Nakamori reversed cause and effect, refusing to admit she was the one who crawled over, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have slept on the sofa; my shoulders are still a bit sore now~"

"......."

I'm not that naive, Akina, don't lie to me! What about that pillow, and why did you change into pajamas?!

Naoki Nagayama didn't expose his girlfriend's little cover-up and changed the subject:

"Sure enough, today's newspapers are all talking about the Tokyo International Film Festival!"

"What do they say?" Akina Nakamori bit into a slice of bread and leaned over, wanting to see the headlines in the paper, "Wishful thinking?"

"How could they offend me like that?"

Naoki Nagayama laughed. Not letting some media into the celebration party yesterday had already made his attitude clear to the media and press.

He, Naoki Nagayama, was a petty person; if anyone offended him, he definitely wouldn't let them participate in Tree Friend's activities in the future!

Plus, the Tokyo International Film Festival was already a major hot news topic for the second half of the year in the entertainment industry; no one wanted to be unable to get into the film festival when the time came.

"'A Genius's Idea, Feasibility Analysis of the Tokyo International Film Festival!'" Akina Nakamori read the headline slowly, "It looks like positive news..."

"Yeah, most of it is biased toward the positive, encouraging."

Naoki Nagayama flipped through a few for his girlfriend to see; the headlines were things like "Tokyo Can Also Hold a Film Festival!", "Looking Forward to It, World Filmmakers Are All Coming to Tokyo!", "Tree Friend and Kadokawa Initiate Tokyo International Film Festival Activity!"...

"Then is Naoki-san going to start preparing now?"

"Not that urgent... first, we need to establish a preparatory executive committee!"

Naoki Nagayama explained that while many people said they were interested last night, there might not be many who would actually put up money and effort to join.

Of course, it's also possible that after seeing a group of people join, everyone else will join in too~

The two chatted about these things while eating breakfast. After breakfast was finished, Akina Nakamori had to go to the company for filming, while Naoki Nagayama himself drove back to the Tokyo Prince Hotel... His family was still there!

"Father, Mother..." Naoki Nagayama arrived at the suite and saw his parents waiting, "Where are Big Brother and the others?"

"Wild Grass hasn't woken up yet..." Mother Nanako said, "Last night Tsuruko took us for a stroll along the Meguro River to see the night cherry blossoms..."

"Are the cherry blossoms still blooming?" Naoki Nagayama was surprised; it was already the end of May!

"There are still some..." Mother Nanako laughed, "But under the lights, you can't see them very clearly..."

"Haha, that's true indeed..."

Although everyone talked about the beauty of the cherry blossom season and how psychedelic the night cherry blossoms of the Meguro River were... but if you really went to see them, it might just be that—after all, the perspective of locals and foreign tourists is a bit different.

"Father, Mother... today I'll take you around Tokyo for a good stroll!" Naoki Nagayama said.

"No need!" Mother Nanako said, "Your father and I can go sightseeing on our own... it's not like we can't move around..."

"But this..."

"Naoki, didn't you just say yesterday that you were going to organize the Tokyo Film Festival? Don't delay your career..."

"It's not that urgent, though..."

"In the evening, your father and I will go back to Shizuoka..."

Mother Nanako was still the one talking; Father Ken Nagayama didn't say much, just watched, occasionally making an agreeing "hmm" sound.

"You don't have to be in such a hurry, right?" Naoki Nagayama said in surprise, "You can stay in Tokyo for a few days..."

"No need... your father can't let go of the customers at the izakaya..." Mother Nanako said.

And Ken Nagayama, who was beside her, also nodded and said: "Yes, I only asked for one day off... if I don't open the door tomorrow, those who are used to eating there will be very troubled..."

"......."

Naoki Nagayama couldn't understand this feeling... but in Japan, there really were old shops that had been open for decades, and they really did have regular customers, and there were even deep bonds formed between the customers and the owner.

"Then what about Big Brother and the others?"

"Wild Grass didn't bring that much stuff..." Mother Nanako explained, "We just came to attend Naoki's celebration party..."

"Alright then~"

It seemed the whole family would be going back today~

"In any case, at least let's have a meal together at noon..." Naoki Nagayama said, "In the afternoon, I'll arrange a car to take you all back!"

"Isn't that troublesome?"

"Of course it's not troublesome..."

While Naoki Nagayama was about to have a meal with his family, the influence he caused was fermenting in the film and entertainment circles.

Toho, Toei, Nikkatsu, Shochiku, and other film production factories, and even the Japan Academy Film Prize Committee and the Blue Ribbon Awards Committee, all started discussing this activity.

In Toei's headquarters office, Director Takashi Ogasawara sat in the main seat with a solemn face:

"Minasan, does anyone have anything they want to say about the Tokyo International Film Festival plan?"

The people below looked at each other, and someone spoke up:

"Isn't this just a marketing measure by Tree Friend and Kadokawa to promote 'One Cut of the Dead' or their next film?"

Once these words were spoken, people below started discussing it:

"Yes, holding a small film festival, using the film as the opening movie, and inviting peers to judge... it's actually about the same as a preview screening.

Finally, just find some critics, reporters, and such to comment on the year's films, and crown it with the name of the Tokyo Film Festival, that's all~"

"That makes sense; I think it might not even be able to be held!"

"Wanting to compare with the Cannes Film Festival is simply grandstanding!"

"......."

Takashi Ogasawara watched the guys below desperately disparaging Naoki Nagayama and looking down on the Tokyo Film Festival. In his heart, he actually understood that these people were actually unable to accept the rapid rise of Tree Friend and Naoki Nagayama, and couldn't find a way to suppress them... so they could only satisfy their mouths.

*Tap, tap*... the sound of fingers tapping on the tabletop made everyone quiet down again.

"Director Yamamura, what do you think?" Takashi Ogasawara had no choice but to call him out.

"I believe... the Tokyo International Film Festival will definitely be held!"

Toshitaka Yamamura's words were firm, making the conference room suddenly noisy, but he continued in a calm tone,

"Don't forget, this guy Naoki Nagayama... no matter how you talk about him or belittle him, it's fine... but this guy is the youngest Palme d'Or winner, a multiple-time Best Director award winner... every film he directs is a big hit!"

"Whether we want to admit it or not, he is already one of the few big figures in the film industry!"

Everyone looked at each other, and they had to quiet down; this was a big truth. Everyone looked at Toshitaka Yamamura again, waiting for his next words.

"If this Tokyo International Film Festival is held successfully, then the organizer will undoubtedly be able to write a heavy stroke in the history of Japanese cinema! Tree Friend Film will also become a film production factory mentioned in the same breath as Toei and Toho!"

A participant was puzzled:

"Does Director Yamamura mean that we should make the Tokyo Film Festival unable to be held?"

"Make trouble? Sabotage?"

Everyone started discussing again~

"None of that!" Toshitaka Yamamura said, "The Tokyo Film Festival will definitely be held! This is not just Tree Friend's business, but also a need of the Japanese film industry and the government's expectation!"

"However, Tree Friend is just the initiator... as for the organizer, it doesn't necessarily have to be them!"

"???!!!" "What's going on?" "What do you mean?"

Hearing this, Takashi Ogasawara finally spoke:

"Minasan... the preparatory committee for the Tokyo Film Festival hasn't been established yet... it's not impossible for us at Toei to get the leading role in the film festival!"

Everyone was confused; how would they operate this?

"....... You guys, don't you know what 'crossing the sea in secret' means?"

"This kind of activity representing the national image of Japan... it's impossible without government support!

And our support from the government is far higher than that of a new company like Tree Friend that has been established for less than five years. We just need to use the government as a tentacle, along with our own strength and influence, to influence the decision-making of the preparatory committee..."

"Tree Friend is too young; the waters of international activities are very deep, and Tree Friend won't be able to handle it!!!"

"Who else could be the organizer of the Tokyo International Film Festival besides the long-standing and prestigious Toei?!!!"

"If Toei is the organizer, then Tree Friend and Kadokawa are at most just the initiators! The name that truly falls into film history will definitely be dominated by us at Toei!"

"......."

Listening to Takashi Ogasawara's eloquent talk, the others were a bit stunned.

This approach, it seems, possibly... really has some feasibility!