Chapter 923: Then, You Only Have One Competitor Left!!

Looking at the plaque hanging above the dojo before him—the Satsuma Shigen-ryu Martial Arts Hall—Yamashiro Kaede's face showed a look of disdain as he turned to look at his cousin, Naoki Nagayama:

"Naoki, this really isn't necessary..."

"This is absolutely necessary!"

"I'm grown up; this is a kendo dojo for elementary school students!"

"It's perfect for your level!"

"It's so embarrassing!"

"Anyway, I'm not the one who's going to practice!"

"I don't want to practice either!"

"If Grandfather finds out you haven't projected the cool image of his youth, do you know what the consequences will be!"

"..."

Today, Naoki Nagayama had brought his cousin to a dojo specializing in kendo instruction, intending for Kaede to learn a bit!

The upcoming film, "The Legend of the Hayato: New World," is set in the Taisho era, a time when young yakuza thugs were poor and had no connections, so they couldn't use guns... thus, they mostly used readily available clubs and such, while leaders might use short swords or long blades...

It's actually just like the Triads in Hong Kong, who all love using machetes and steel pipes; it's become a stereotype!

Although Kaede was a third-generation yakuza from a family with deep roots, when he was young, the Yamashiro Group was merely a small, lively social organization; Grandfather and Uncle hadn't arranged for kendo lessons or the like for him.

This resulted in Kaede learning only by instinct and impressions from action movies, mastering the exclusive secret technique used by thugs to intimidate others—the Intimidation Eight Strikes!

Having fought often, he had at least gained some insight into sanda and boxing... Fortunately, "Crows Zero" was just a brawl among teenage students, so he didn't show his weakness back then.

"Big Brother Kaede, the style here is Satsuma Satsuma Shigen-ryu, very famous... very suitable for yakuza..."

Naoki Nagayama patted Kaede's shoulder; the so-called Satsuma Satsuma Shigen-ryu involves making loud shouts during attacks, specializing in the downward "Big Kesa" slash (splitting the mountain with force), pursuing one-hit kill lethality.

Also known as the Ape Cry Style due to the strange screams... very violent, very cruel... very practical and imposing! So it is the choice of many yakuza and similar underworld figures~

"You just need to learn some stances; as long as it passes during filming... sharpening the spear at the last moment is also useful! Of course, learning more is fine; I've already reserved a private coach before coming."

After giving his cousin some instructions, Naoki Nagayama wanted to turn and leave, because the strange screams coming from inside the dojo were truly unbearable... Naoki Nagayama didn't want to go in and pollute his ears...

But at that moment, a thick hand pressed down on his shoulder, and then he heard Kaede say:

"Naoki! Brothers share hardships! How can such a good opportunity be enjoyed by me alone!"

"Anyway, you haven't had much to do lately; why not come and learn with me!"

"Big Brother Kaede, what are you talking about? I'm very busy!" Naoki Nagayama refused with a stern face and tried to remove Kaede's arm, "I have to go back to the company right now! I can't leave the film festival events!"

"Hehehe... very busy?"

Kaede didn't believe a word of it; he knew that Naoki Nagayama had been sleeping until naturally waking up in the mornings, wandering around in the afternoons, and going to nightclubs and KTVs at night!

Tightening his arm slightly, he hooked his arm around Naoki Nagayama's shoulder and dragged him toward the inside of the dojo,

"Naoki, stop arguing; I can't skip this class, and you don't think about escaping either! As a director, how can you shoot good action scenes without deeply understanding the kendo in the film!"

"..."

He actually made a lot of sense!

Naoki Nagayama glanced at Big Brother Kaede's profile; this muscle-brained guy had actually become smart? Truly, one should re-evaluate a person after three days!

Pulling open the wooden sliding door of the dojo, the noisy howling became even more obvious!

A group of students aged ten to teenage were practicing suburi in the main hall; every time they swung, they had to shout with all their might; slightly older students were learning stances, and similarly, every attack required a loud shout; a few more senior students were sparring in pairs, naturally accompanied by constant dog-like barking...

The cracking voices of boys in puberty were already unpleasant, and these guys were shouting desperately, rising and falling as if trying to scream their lungs out; these howls could be considered a mental attack!

A middle-aged instructor in a white coaching uniform saw someone enter, stood up, and walked over:

"Who are you?"

"We are here to learn!" Naoki Nagayama stepped forward, "We called earlier..."

"Ah, it's you!"

The middle-aged instructor's expression improved significantly; he had already received the dojo master's instructions that there was a big sheep willing to spend a lot of money to hire a high-end private coach for one-on-one teaching, requiring only the stances to be learned...

In this day and age, kendo has almost no practical use; dojos are merely for fitness or as hobby classes, and as an instructor, there is no longer the high attitude of teaching killing techniques of the past... one must make money to eat~

So encountering a sucker naturally made him very happy!

"I am Katsuo Takagi of Satsuma Satsuma Shigen-ryu, licensed to teach all levels!" Instructor Katsuo Takagi extended his hand friendly, "I will be your kendo instructor from now on!"

"Nice to meet you, I am Kaede Yamashiro / Naoki Nagayama..."

The two cousins shook hands with Katsuo Takagi separately.

Big Brother Kaede was fine; after not appearing in public for years, he had no fame left, but Naoki Nagayama was different; Katsuo Takagi's eyes widened when shaking his hand.

"You are... that Naoki Nagayama?" Katsuo Takagi asked in surprise.

"If there is no other Naoki Nagayama, then it should be me~" Naoki Nagayama smiled; he had prepared to be recognized, but he didn't have many fans and wasn't worried about being surrounded.

"The one known as 'Playboy Naoki'" Katsuo Takagi continued, as if confirming, "The one who dated Akina Nakamori!"

"..."

Now he was indeed being identified as Akina Nakamori's boyfriend! Indeed, if a girlfriend is famous, one might have such troubles... but judging by his age, Katsuo Takagi shouldn't be a fan of Akina.

"Yeah, it's me!"

"Truly unexpected!" Katsuo Takagi laughed, "Speaking of which, many of our students are fans of Akina Nakamori... if they find out Naoki Nagayama is here to learn kendo..."

Naoki Nagayama looked at the students inside the dojo hall, each holding a hard wooden sword and howling while chopping fiercely at the air; the corner of his mouth twitched slightly:

"Please keep it confidential... if we practice, it would be best in a private location..."

"No problem!" Katsuo Takagi agreed readily; the tuition Naoki Nagayama had promised earlier was simply too much, so he had to provide good service, "The dojo's backyard is usually empty; let's teach there!"

"Then it's trouble for you!"

"No problem, but first, you need to change clothes..."

"Okay!"

The two followed Katsuo Takagi toward the interior of the dojo; the students on both sides looked over curiously but were scolded by the senior students supervising them to focus entirely, putting all their spirit into the sword in their hands...

Naoki Nagayama and Nagayama Kaede, now dressed in kendo uniforms, began receiving private instruction from Gao Musheng in the backyard...

Spending the money was truly worth it!

While Naoki Nagayama was preparing for his role in "The Falcon Chronicles," Kojima Kyu stepped out of the editing room in the Shuyou Building.

Following behind were two junior directors, Matsuo Sosei and Nishimoto Tomoyuki...

"Midnight Diner" had already been filmed and edited, and its broadcast had even concluded; naturally, these two reserve forces were being deployed wherever needed.

Currently, all other manpower at Shuyou was occupied at the Tokyo International Film Festival, and the only project in production was Kojima Kyu's "101st Proposal," so naturally, the two of them had to help!

"Arigato, Matsuo-san, Nishimoto-san..." Kojima Kyu said gratefully, "You could have gone to the film festival yourself..."

"Haha, what would we be doing there, making a scene!"

Matsuo Sosei said with a smile. Although he had participated in the filming of "Camera Stop," everyone knew it was Naoki Nagayama's achievement; he had merely been lucky enough to be involved in the film... Anyone else could have taken on his role!

So rather than making a scene at the film festival, it was better to hone their skills on other Shuyou projects to become independent sooner.

Just like the director of the opening film at the current Tokyo International Film Festival, Komori Masataka, and Kojima Kyu, director of several hit TV dramas; both rose up this way!

In just a few short years... rising from a camera operator to a lead director; these were among the few examples found throughout the entire Japanese film industry!

In the Japanese workplace culture that values seniority and years of service, it was not rare for a director's assistant to serve for over a decade... As long as your seniors did not give you a chance, you could not rise...

But Shuyou Eiga had broken this convention!

Naoki Nagayama, Itou Ito Shuichi, Komori Masataka, Kojima Kyu... all rose from obscurity to fame right under the noses of the entertainment world in just a few short years!

Shuyou Eiga kept moving forward, its momentum chasing after the major old-line film studios... Young people all knew that Shuyou Eiga was their best opportunity now!

So Matsuo Sosei, Nishimoto Tomoyuki, and others, who had managed to enter Shuyou thanks to Itou Ito Shuichi's connection with Tokyo University of the Arts and were lucky enough to join the junior director training program, cherished every single opportunity for training.

"Yes, Kojima-san!" Nishimoto Tomoyuki flattered, "I feel that helping edit "101st Proposal" right now is a great opportunity to broaden our horizons!"

"Yes, just thinking about our participation in the classic scenes makes me very happy!"

Matsuo Sosei and Nishimoto Tomoyuki echoed each other, which greatly lifted Kojima Kyu's spirits:

"Once Naoki-san returns and sees it, we will send the first few episodes to Fuji Television for review..."

"Will it air before the end of the year?" Matsuo Sosei asked curiously, "Isn't this usually not the time for new TV dramas?!"

"There are various strategies at the end of the year... that will attract viewers' attention!" Nishimoto Tomoyuki added.

"Normally that is true!" Kojima Kyu nodded, "But it doesn't matter; this time, Fuji Television and Naoki-san have already discussed it!"

"Do you know that Fuji Television's prime time slot right now is for variety shows!"

Kojima Kyu whispered to the two of them,

"But this time, Naoki-san requested that Fuji Television restore the 9 PM Monday prime time slot to airing TV dramas; our "101st Proposal" will air in the Monday 9 PM slot!"

Matsuo Sosei and Nishimoto Tomoyuki exchanged a glance; both felt shocked. Getting a television station to change its prime time drama schedule?!

This was not something an ordinary person could do! This was prime time, the slot with the strongest exposure... To know that such a change was a huge bite taken out of the variety shows that originally occupied that prime time slot!

"Does Naoki-san really have such a huge influence on Fuji Television?"

"Ha, originally this time slot was for TV dramas, but it was changed to variety shows in 1980... Now we are just changing it back!"

Kojima Kyu said with a smile,

"Our previous Shuyou productions, "Squid Game" and "Midnight Diner," aired on other television stations, giving TBS and Tokyo Television a lot of exposure. Plus, the previous "Music Station" gave Asahi Television a direct hit music show...

... which gave Fuji Television a sense of crisis... This formed the basis for the negotiations."

Fuji Television felt its cooperative relationship with Shuyou was not as tight as before; so many good programs had not landed on Fuji Television, and they faced a lot of pressure when competing with TBS and Asahi Television for the title of ratings king...

The five-year framework cooperation agreement signed previously was no longer secure... So during this communication, there was a lot of room for concession...

"I see~"

After the explanation, Matsuo Sosei and Nishimoto Tomoyuki understood the reasons behind it; it was at this moment that they truly grasped Shuyou's weight among the television stations.

"Our Shuyou has indeed become a giant!"

Seeing the pride in the two men's eyes, Kojima Kyu felt a surge of pride in his heart... Although most of the credit for Shuyou's current status belonged to Naoki Nagayama, Kojima Kyu himself had also contributed!

"Let's go, eat first..." Kojima Kyu patted the two men on the shoulder, "Continue editing and perfecting in the afternoon!"

"We must give Naoki-san a perfect answer sheet!"

"Hai!" x2

Later in the afternoon, Naoki Nagayama arrived at the editing room of the Shuyou Building.

On the small screen in the editing room, the first episode of "101st Proposal" was playing...

Kobirumaki Kaoru, attending her first blind date, wore her black, beautiful hair down and a graceful kimono; her delicate features and elegant temperament made her look at first glance like a noble young lady from ancient times~

"It definitely isn't him!"

She thought secretly while looking at one of the three candidates sitting opposite her, because the middle-aged man opposite her was quite old and of average appearance, completely different from her type~

"It definitely isn't her!"

At the same time, Hoshino Tatsuo, with his rugged features and gloomy complexion, looking as if he had a hard life, did not believe that he, who had been on 100 blind dates by the age of forty, would be matched with such a beauty opposite him.

A man and a woman who were clearly on different levels somehow became blind date partners by chance, and then began a strange relationship...

"Haha..."

Although he had written the script himself, seeing Kobirumaki Kaoru in the TV drama encourage Hoshino Tatsuo out of her kind nature during the farewell, only to be misunderstood by Hoshino Tatsuo as having feelings for him, Naoki Nagayama couldn't help but laugh~

Next came the various scenes of Hoshino Tatsuo crazily pursuing Kobirumaki Kaoru~

In the end, Kobirumaki Kaoru was moved by Hoshino Tatsuo's true feelings and finally agreed to marry him... A happy ending...

"If this were real life, it definitely wouldn't be like this!"

Thinking of the subsequent plot, Naoki Nagayama shook his head,

"If he chased after her, he would have explained it clearly!"

Kojima Kyu answered with a smile from the side: "Not necessarily; a kind girl like Miss Kobirumaki Kaoru is not good at refusing..."

Generally speaking, a girl who is not good at refusing, if someone pesters her relentlessly, might just fall~

"That's why they say a virtuous woman fears a persistent suitor..."

Naoki Nagayama said to Kojima Kyu and the other two,

"All three of you are single, right? Remember, if a girl doesn't refuse you, there's a chance! So if you like someone, go chase her now; you'll definitely find a partner!"

"......."

The three didn't know how to reply for a moment... but Nishimoto Tomoyuki raised his hand and said:

"But the person I like already has a boyfriend!"

"......."

Naoki Nagayama patted Nishimoto Tomoyuki's shoulder and said earnestly:

"Then, you only have one competitor left!!!"

"!!!" (ΩДΩ)

"Hahaha, Kojima-kun~" Naoki Nagayama, who left the young people stunned, turned to Kojima Kyu and said, "The editing on '101st Proposal' is excellent... let's send it to Fuji Television for review tomorrow!"

"Hai!" Kojima Kyu immediately agreed, "I'll get the videotape ready!"

"Mm~"

Naoki Nagayama nodded, then thought again about the matter of buying shares in Fuji Television that had been discussed over the past two days... Should he talk to Director Takano about this tomorrow as well?

The amount of the share increase probably hasn't been decided yet... and he didn't know how many shares could be allocated to the Tree Friends...