Chapter 881: Akina, we are no longer boyfriend and girlfriend!!!

"Naoki-san!"

Around nine in the evening, Akina stepped down from the backseat of the sedan, trotted lightly to Naoki Nagayama's side, and looked up slightly at her boyfriend, her eyes brimming with the look of a lover~

It wasn't that she didn't want to rush straight into her boyfriend's arms, but the car had driven directly onto the set, and over a dozen pairs of eyes were watching today's special guest~

"Akina~" Naoki Nagayama also leaned in slightly toward his girlfriend and asked in a low voice, "Did you come straight from Nagoya?"

"Mm... I sat in the car for three hours~" Akina Nakamori said in a spoiled tone, though her eyes were filled with the joy of being able to see her boyfriend.

The two stood very close together, and when their arms occasionally brushed against each other, there was a sweet feeling.

In front of everyone, Naoki Nagayama certainly couldn't be too intimate with Akina; after all, this wasn't some kind of public spectacle~

Naoki Nagayama greeted Ueda Maki, who had already stepped out of the car after Norifumi Miki parked, and then introduced Akina to the crew:

"Everyone knows this person, right? She is today's special guest, Akina Nakamori..."

"Of course~" "Haha, we know her~" "How could we not know her~" The crew members teased kindly.

"Minna-san, good evening... Please treat me well today..."

Akina Nakamori bowed to greet the crew, and then, after seeing Ken Nagayama and Aoki Nagayama in the kitchen, she walked over specifically.

"Uncle Nagayama, Big Brother Aoki... It's been a while since I last greeted you..."

"Not at all, not at all~" Big Brother Aoki was a bit awkward and waved his hands repeatedly, "Akina-san has been busy with work..."

And his father, Ken Nagayama, just nodded stiffly and said, "Daijoubu"~

Naoki Nagayama's two family members hadn't yet adapted to the fact that their second son's girlfriend was a big star, so they were still a bit nervous upon seeing her.

Once Akina Nakamori had finished greeting the crew, Naoki Nagayama instructed Munao Matsuo to begin preparing for filming, while he took Akina to a small table in the corner to sit down... and began to explain the scene!!

"Did you not eat dinner either?"

"I ate a few snacks..."

"Then you must have a good taste today. It's not just me saying it, but the dishes in *Midnight Diner* were all designed by me..." Naoki Nagayama said in a low voice.

"Haha~ Then I certainly can't miss it..."

Akina had, of course, read the script for *Midnight Diner*, but inviting Akina to be a guest was a scene Naoki Nagayama had added specifically because he wanted to see her... so he still needed to explain the specific details of the scene.

"Today, Akina is playing herself!"

Naoki Nagayama held a script in his hand, placed it on the small table, and said to Akina, who was sitting beside him,

"A big star who is tired from touring suddenly gets hungry in the middle of the night and enters this *Midnight Diner*... She eats the specialty delicacy and also orders a beer..."

Come to think of it, Akina had officially turned 20, so it didn't matter even if she drank on screen~

"And then she complains to the Master about some of the bitterness of her work..."

As Naoki Nagayama explained slowly, Akina Nakamori leaned her entire upper body over, rested one slender arm beside Naoki Nagayama's arm, and her little finger was restlessly hooking onto Naoki Nagayama's finger...

Turning to look, his girlfriend had a serious expression on her face, but the slight upturn at the corners of her mouth revealed her mischievous nature.

Naoki Nagayama tilted his head, his voice dropping even lower:

"Has the place where you are staying tonight been arranged?"

"At a nearby inn..." Akina Nakamori replied in a low voice as well.

"The better inns around here are all booked up..." Naoki Nagayama said, "After filming ends, I'll take you somewhere else..."

"Eh?" Akina Nakamori was a bit coy, and her face turned a little red, "If we go to your house... Uncle and Aunt Nanako will be there, right..."

"..."

Naoki Nagayama flicked his girlfriend on the forehead,

"Rest assured! It's not at home!"

"Oh~"

Although they were in a corner, the set was crowded, and their little interaction attracted quite a few sidelong glances...

Naoki Nagayama stopped joking and explained the scene for today in detail once more...

In the night, the big star, who had originally just come out of the inn to buy a few things, suddenly smelled the fragrance of food.

This made Akina Nakamori, who had been exhausted all day, feel hungry instantly:

"My stomach... is hungry..."

She walked into the izakaya with the *Midnight Diner* sign hanging outside. Akina Nakamori, who had been a bit worried about being recognized as a big star, discovered the stoic Master:

"Welcome~ What would you like to eat?"

"Do you have any recommendations?" Akina Nakamori sat at the counter, unable to decide.

"Today's featured dish—specialty Neapolitan spaghetti..." The Master seemed to recognize Akina Nakamori, but thoughtfully didn't point it out, "It's a new item in the shop..."

"Then I'll have one~" Akina Nakamori nodded, "And a beer!"

"Please wait a moment..."

The Master brought over a mug of beer and began to busy himself in the kitchen. Akina Nakamori took a satisfying gulp before she had time to look at the customer next to her, a salaryman who was already a bit drunk...

He was telling the customer sitting next to him about the pain of working overtime.

"I can only get off work now... When I get home, I close my eyes and open them, and I have to go to work again! It's like I'm a machine... I have absolutely no life of my own!"

The salaryman said to the Master: "Master, do you think there's any joy in this kind of corporate slave life?"

"When you get your salary every month, you'll feel happy!" Although the Master's expression was serious, his tone was quite gentle, "And when you have holidays..."

"That's what they say..." The young man seemed convinced, but also seemed quite unwilling, "But being so busy every day is really very hard!"

As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward Akina Nakamori, who was sitting one seat away:

"Young lady over there, don't you think so?!"

"Me?" Akina Nakamori was startled, but discovering that the other party didn't seem to recognize her, she took the opportunity to join the conversation, "That's true!!! Things happen one after another, as if there's never an end..."

"Right!" The young man heard the agreement and thought he had met a kindred spirit.

Akina Nakamori took another big gulp of beer, as if her own heart had opened up a little, and began to complain to them about the difficulties in her work...

Things like always having to rehearse, posing for photos, eating irregularly, spending most of the day in a sedan, and not being able to see her friends and family for a long time...

Watching Akina Nakamori on the camera, Naoki Nagayama scratched his chin. His girlfriend really had a talent for acting; she didn't look nervous at all.

He turned his head and happened to meet Norifumi Miki's inquisitive gaze...

"This wasn't in my script..." Naoki Nagayama whispered, "This part is Akina's improvisation!"

"..." (Do you think I believe you?)

After waiting a while, the specialty Neapolitan spaghetti was finished. On the fried egg on the iron plate, the sauce coated the noodles, with mushrooms and bacon bits scattered in the noodles, paired with fresh parsley...

The fresh, savory aroma instantly attracted Akina's attention. Having only eaten an ice cream in the evening, she felt her stomach wake up instantly.

She twisted a forkful of noodles and put them into her mouth. Instantly, the rich fragrance of cheese, the meaty aroma of bacon, and the flavors of onions, minced garlic, dried basil leaves, and parsley fused into an indescribable, rich taste that bloomed in her mouth...

"Delicious~~"

Akina Nakamori gave her highest evaluation without hesitation!

"As long as the customer is satisfied!" The Master was still his serious self, but he was already bursting with pride inside~

Watching his girlfriend's super satisfied look and her happy expression as she ate the food in big mouthfuls, Naoki Nagayama shook his head. If this were the future, Akina would definitely be a very famous food blogger!

But when this episode of the show aired, it would definitely make the viewers watching feel hungry!

Akina Nakamori was a special guest on the show, so she didn't have many scenes to film. After she finished her dinner and said a few words, it was over, which was equivalent to wrapping up her part directly~

There were other remaining scenes for today... but...

During a break, seeing his girlfriend waiting at the door, Naoki Nagayama called Munao Matsuo over directly:

"Matsuo-kun, I have an important task for you!"

"Hai!"

Munao Matsuo's expression was serious, as if he would do his utmost to complete whatever the task was.

"I have something to take care of. You take over the filming work for the rest of the day!"

"Hai!" Munao Matsuo agreed subconsciously, but was immediately stunned, "Nani?"

"In short, I'll leave the rest to you!"

"This..."

Munao Matsuo really wanted to say, "I can't do it!"

But Naoki Nagayama didn't give him a chance to go back on his word; he patted him on the shoulder twice and walked out of the izakaya.

"Akina, let's go!" Naoki Nagayama pulled Akina and trotted to Norifumi Miki's side, "Miki-san, it's so late, you guys should go to the inn to rest early... I'll take Akina for the night!"

"..."

Hearing this, Norifumi Miki nodded helplessly.

"I'll send Akina back tomorrow morning~"

Leaving behind one sentence, Naoki Nagayama took Akina into his convertible sports car and drove toward the seaside~

"Miki-san..." Ueda Maki was a bit helpless, "Are we just going to leave Akina-chan behind like this?"

"..."

Norifumi Miki didn't know what to say. What could he do? The guy was her official boyfriend...

Akina, sitting in the passenger seat, looked curiously at the night view around them. The night in the small town was different from the sleepless city of Tokyo. Now, except for a few main commercial streets, everything was pitch black~

Only the dim yellow lights of some street lamps and the lights of some 24-hour convenience stores remained.

"Naoki-san, where are we going?" Akina Nakamori looked at her boyfriend and asked with a smile.

"To the seaside~" Naoki Nagayama said, "I've prepared a surprise for Akina!"

"Eh~~ A surprise?" Akina Nakamori looked forward to it even more, "What kind of surprise?"

"If I say it, it won't be a surprise~" Naoki Nagayama shook his head, his gaze toward Akina meaningful, "In short, it's a big surprise!"

"Then I'll have to look forward to it!"

Akina Nakamori turned her head to look at her boyfriend; it seemed like she could never look at him enough~

The coastal town wasn't big, let alone coming from the izakaya in the port area. In just a few minutes, the car stopped at a pier.

After Naoki Nagayama parked the car, he held Akina's hand and walked into the pier... After a while, they saw a medium-sized luxury yacht that clearly stood out from the surrounding boats.

"A yacht?!" Akina Nakamori looked at the yacht in surprise.

"Mm, I rented it specifically from Tokyo Bay!" Naoki Nagayama pulled Akina onto the yacht and used the key to open the cabin door, "The space inside is very large..."

After Akina Nakamori walked into the cabin, she began to wander around inside. The layout inside was very high-end, comparable to a five-star luxury hotel~

And Naoki Nagayama went to the cockpit to start the yacht and drove toward the outside of the port...

"Naoki-san, are we going into the sea?" Akina Nakamori ran to the cockpit on the second floor, "Is it okay at night?"

"It's fine, we won't go very far..." Naoki Nagayama said to Akina beside him, "Akina, there is wine in the wine cabinet, and some fruit. Bring some here... We can drink a little wine and look at the night sea view~"

"Hai~~"

Taking advantage of Akina's enthusiasm in preparing the drinks, Naoki Nagayama sent a signal to a certain channel via the ship's radio—"We can start!"

"Received~"

By the time Akina brought the drinks up again, Naoki Nagayama had already dropped the anchor, letting the yacht drift with the waves on the sea surface.

"Naoki-san!"

Akina Nakamori was very happy now because they were finally alone, and the luxury yacht was also a big surprise for her.

Naoki Nagayama took the wine glass filled with red wine and pulled Akina to sit down:

"Has Akina seen the night sea view?"

"I've seen it on the beach... but it was just pitch black, and I couldn't really see anything..."

Akina Nakamori felt the cool sea breeze, listened to the sound of the crashing waves, and leaned on her boyfriend's shoulder,

"But it's fine as long as Naoki-san is by my side!"

"Mm... it's true that you can't see anything..." Naoki Nagayama took a sip of red wine and looked around, but finally looked at his girlfriend leaning on him, "This won't do..."

"?"

Under Akina Nakamori's puzzled gaze, Naoki Nagayama took a flare gun out of the storage compartment on the ship's side...

With a *whoosh*, a red meteor was launched from the muzzle, lingering in mid-air for a long time, turning the originally pitch-black sea surface bright red...

"Naoki-san, what is this for?"

Akina Nakamori seemed to feel something, and her heartbeat accelerated a little... So the luxury yacht wasn't the surprise!!

"Shh... wait a moment~"

Naoki Nagayama held his index finger to his lips, poured another glass of wine, drank it, and then pulled Akina to the front of the deck.

As the flare slowly fell, Akina Nakamori found that the entire sea surface became dim again... No, it didn't turn completely black!

"What is that?"

In Akina's surprised voice, starlit fluorescence lit up on the sea surface, and it expanded wider and wider... Within a few minutes, it covered a sea area not far away.

Under the reflection of fluorescence of different colors, the entire sea surface became colorful, as if it were a psychedelic fairyland~

"Ah~~~ So beautiful!"

Akina Nakamori grabbed her boyfriend's arm in surprise, stood on tiptoe, kissed Naoki Nagayama on the face, and said excitedly,

"So this is the surprise Naoki-san was talking about! It's so unexpected!"

Naoki Nagayama smiled and drank another glass of red wine:

"It's not over yet!"

He handed the flare gun to Akina: "Akina, you try it!"

"Me?"

Akina Nakamori took the flare gun nervously,

"What will happen after I fire?"

Naoki Nagayama leaned against the ship's side, poured another glass of wine, and drank it. He drank several glasses in a row, making his blood surge, his heart beat faster, and his consciousness excited:

"Just try it!"

Akina Nakamori held the flare gun with both hands, pointed the muzzle toward the sky, closed one eye as if afraid the gun would explode, and then pressed the trigger with force.

As another flare rose into the sky, several black shadows in the distance seemed to light up, and then...

"Whoosh... Pop!"

A huge flower of light bloomed in the sky~

Immediately after, continuous fireworks bloomed in the open sky, and the colorful light lit up more than half of the sky, merging with the five-colored fluorescence on the sea surface, as if a fairyland had descended on the port of Shizuoka~

I don't know how many residents who hadn't slept yet discovered the anomaly in the sky from their windows, and families closer to the seaside walked out of their doors, pointing at the fireworks in the sky and exclaiming.

The people of Shizuoka hadn't received any notification that a fireworks festival was going to be held recently!

Akina Nakamori on the yacht felt that she was trapped in a psychedelic state. Watching the fireworks display close at hand, she couldn't help but cover her mouth...

Such beautiful scenery, such a surprise... It really was a surprise that only Naoki-san would think of!!!

She wanted to talk to her boyfriend beside her, but couldn't hear clearly amidst the sound of the fireworks blooming. She could only feel her boyfriend holding her as they enjoyed the beautiful scenery together~~~

Ten minutes later~

The last firework slowly disappeared into the sky, but those brilliant colors seemed to remain in her eyes...

"So this is the surprise Naoki-san was talking about!"

Akina Nakamori turned her head to look at her boyfriend, but Naoki Nagayama had already stepped back a little, looking at her with a serious face.

"Naoki-san..."

"Akina!"

Naoki Nagayama took a small square box out of his pocket and opened it. Under the yacht's lights, a brilliant, crystal-clear blue light was revealed from the box.

It was a perfectly cut sapphire ring, surrounded by a circle of small diamonds, paired with a platinum band, emitting a mesmerizing, sparkling light under the illumination~

Kneeling on one knee, Naoki Nagayama, who was very excited for his first proposal, learned from the protagonist in a romance movie and said firmly:

"Akina! Will you marry me?!"

"Eh!!!"

Akina Nakamori was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do... Should she take the ring first? Or let Naoki-san get up first? Wait, it seemed she had to agree to marry him first!

It was her first time being proposed to too!!

"..."

On the yacht, only the sound of the waves remained...

Naoki Nagayama looked at Akina, who was a bit flustered, and said again:

"Akina, will you marry me?"

"... Hai!!!" Akina Nakamori finally reacted, tears welling up in her eyes, and her voice became choked, "I do!"

Naoki Nagayama's heart finally settled, and he put the sapphire ring on Akina's finger... and then pulled his girlfriend tightly into his arms!!!

After a long time, the two finally calmed down...

Naoki Nagayama, holding Akina, loosened his embrace slightly, looked at Akina, whose eyes were red, and smiled:

"Akina, we are no longer boyfriend and girlfriend!"

"From now on, we can be called an engaged couple!!!"

"Mm!"

Akina Nakamori also smiled, then hooked her arms around her boyfriend and gave him a sweet kiss!

The night was still long~ ===== CHAPTER 882 =====