Chapter 957: No Diamond Ring... How Will Everyone Know Our Love Is Stronger Than Gold?!

Tokyo's office workers were surrounded by two news items early in the morning: one was a flash report jointly announced by the Shuyuu and Kenon agencies that Naoki Nagayama and Akina Nakamori had registered their marriage.

The other was a revelation from an "insider" that Akina Nakamori was already pregnant... Although there was no evidence such as prenatal checkup photos, everyone knew the newspaper had certainly confirmed it but chose not to publish it because doing so would be illegal.

"It really feels like Akina-chan has gained a lot of weight..."

"Gained weight? Nonsense! Akina is beautiful just like this!"

"I thought it was marriage anxiety, but she's actually pregnant~ That puts my mind at ease~"

"Who are you? What does Akina's pregnancy have to do with you!!!"

"Can't I care about Akina?"

"We don't need your concern!"

"......"

This was a multi-line conversation from a morning radio program; it seemed two fans of Akina had gotten into a conflict, and the host, unable to calm them down, could only cut both their hotlines at once...

"Hahaha, it seems everyone has a rather subtle attitude toward Akina Nakamori's pregnancy... ahahaha~"

The radio host awkwardly tried to smooth things over. In this era, Tokyo had many cars, the radio industry was actually thriving, and there were indeed many listeners.

"However, since the two are already married, having a child is only natural... or rather, Naoki Nagayama is very responsible in this regard, getting married immediately..."

"He is only twenty-three and is already stepping into the hall of marriage~ What a pity~ It's like giving up a vast forest for a single tree~"

For a young talent like Naoki Nagayama, a famous writer, a great director, and a wealthy man... getting married at such a young age seemed like a huge loss to many...

While the host in the radio studio kept chattering on, Naoki Nagayama, who was driving, clicked his tongue and said to Akina beside him:

"That guy must have taken a red envelope from Mr. Otomo, which is why he's speaking well of me!"

News had broken last night, so naturally both agencies had exerted influence on the media to ensure this storm passed smoothly.

Today was another day for a prenatal checkup. Naoki Nagayama had given the film crew the morning off and specially brought Akina to the hospital for her second prenatal examination.

Akina looked at her husband with a half-smile:

"Mr. Naoki, I think what he said makes a lot of sense; Mr. Naoki really has given up a huge forest!"

"What kind of talk is that? What forest or no forest!" Naoki Nagayama said sternly, "That's pure nonsense!"

Akina, however, muttered quietly:

"Kananako Higuchi, Yuzuko Tanaka, Yoshie Kashiwabara, Nana Okada, Eiko Harada..."

"......"

Naoki Nagayama, who was driving, felt a cold sweat drip down his temple... Akina Nakamori had just listed every female idol and actress he had ever worked with!

And almost every single one of them had been the subject of rumors with him...

"Ahem, Akina~"

Feeling the gaze from the passenger seat, Naoki Nagayama knew that explaining at this moment would be completely useless; he couldn't escape these unfounded accusations, so he could only change the subject.

"When we go for the checkup today, we must ask the hospital properly who leaked this information!"

"......"

Akina withdrew her gaze, thought for a moment, and still shook her head.

"Let it go... The hospital is so big; anyone could have done it..."

Regarding the leakage of her whereabouts and other information, Akina Nakamori was already used to it; after all, as a celebrity, she always encountered irrational people or those who couldn't resist temptation.

"How can that be!" Naoki Nagayama said, "If he dares to leak prenatal checkup information today, tomorrow he will dare to leak photos of the child! I don't want Akina to be surrounded by people when she enters the delivery room!"

"...... Then" Akina, hearing this, became serious, "What does Mr. Naoki plan to do?"

"That is a question for the hospital! We paid so much money for this high-end private hospital..." Naoki Nagayama said, "It should be them who find a solution!"

"The hospital might find it difficult..."

Difficult? Then don't do it! (╯#-皿-)╯~~╧═╧

"Ahem..." He almost slipped up. Naoki Nagayama explained, "So I have already arranged for the legal team to call and apply pressure!"

Indeed, it is very useful for a rich person to have a team of lawyers!

When Naoki Nagayama and Akina Nakamori arrived at the Tokyo Women's Medical University Affiliated Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, the dean personally came to welcome them. He respectfully asked the doctors to take Akina for the examination first, while inviting Naoki Nagayama to the dean's office.

"I am deeply sorry; it was our hospital's fault that Ms. Akina Nakamori's information was leaked..." Dean Hiroto Ogasawara apologized while explaining, "Two paparazzi disguised themselves as patient relatives to inquire, and one of our staff members accidentally let them extract information..."

In fact, yesterday the front-desk nurse, Rio Osaki, had already panicked and reported it; the two paparazzi had only seen the information.

"Hmm..."

Whether it was extracting information or not, Naoki Nagayama didn't care; the fact was already established, and the rest...

"Dean Ogasawara... this leak has caused great trouble for my wife, Akina..."

"Yes, I understand; this is the hospital's fault!" Dean Hiroto Ogasawara honestly admitted the mistake, since the hospital's lawyers had already called in the morning, "We will compensate for this mistake... regarding the amount..."

"Money means nothing to me!"

Naoki Nagayama interrupted the dean, and this statement made the dean slightly dazed...

"What I want is the hospital's attitude of apology and the remedial measures afterwards..."

Seeing that the dean seemed not to have fully grasped the point, Naoki Nagayama added:

"I do not want Akina's information to be leaked when she enters the delivery room!"

"This..." Dean Hiroto Ogasawara came to his senses, "Ah, that is of course!"

"... For Ms. Akina Nakamori... during childbirth and the subsequent postpartum care, we will arrange a special delivery room and dedicated nurses... Our hospital will strengthen security measures to ensure that no idle people can go up to that floor..."

The dean kept rambling on about confidentiality measures for future checkups and exclusive treatment before and after the baby's birth... His goal was to prevent Naoki Nagayama and Akina Nakamori from changing hospitals and to downplay the incident.

After all, given the current fame of these two, if they expressed dissatisfaction in their social circle, the hospital's reputation would be ruined among celebrities and famous figures!

How could a private hospital that cannot even protect privacy receive patients who require confidentiality!

Naoki Nagayama negotiated several unequal terms in the office with the dean, including allowing close relatives to stay overnight during the confinement period... In Japan, confinement centers do not allow family members to stay overnight.

After finishing these discussions, they went to the department, where Akina was lying on a bed undergoing an ultrasound...

"Naoki-san..." Akina saw Naoki Nagayama's arrival and quickly pointed at the screen, saying, "Look, look... the baby's head and body shape are already visible..."

Naoki Nagayama looked at the pattern on the ultrasound screen. He only saw an abstract shape resembling a peanut, yet the baby's heartbeat and head were already distinguishable, along with slender limbs...

"Growing up..." Naoki Nagayama asked the doctor beside him, "Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

"It's not obvious yet... we'll know next time..." the doctor said. "Currently, the baby is developing very healthily..."

"That's good~"

Naoki Nagayama held Akina's hand, gently placing it on her belly, as if he could feel the baby thriving beneath her warm, soft skin...

The latter half of November seemed to pass very quickly. While Naoki Nagayama was busy filming "The Tale of Hayato," and Akina participated in the Record Awards and prepared for the Red and White Song Festival, time flashed by.

News of Akina Nakamori's pregnancy naturally sparked another wave of frenzy, but under the aggressive management of the two major talent agencies, it did not cause much turmoil and quickly cooled down... leaving Naoki Nagayama, who had been on high alert, feeling somewhat anticlimactic.

He had thought someone would surely use this to damage Akina's reputation and reduce her competitiveness at the Record Awards~

And during this period, "101st Proposal" by Shu Yu had reached its conclusion...

The broadcast timing of this drama coincided with the wedding news of Naoki Nagayama and Akina Nakamori, as well as the Golden Screen. The entire entertainment industry's focus was on this hot topic, naturally making the momentum of "101st Proposal" appear somewhat weak.

However, TV dramas are judged by ratings. In the final episodes, achieving a viewership rating of over 35% already demonstrated the excellence of this drama.

Especially when the male lead, Tatsuro Hoshino, stood in front of a speeding dump truck to prove himself, the ratings reached their peak!

"Because I love you, I will not die!!!"

This desperate line deeply touched the hearts of the audience. Especially for female viewers, such a confession was more moving than ninety-nine roses.

According to statistics from the traffic department, after this famous scene was broadcast, the rate of traffic accidents the following night rose by five percentage points!

Many impulsive teenagers, delinquent groups, biker gangs, and others specifically chose to block their path with engineering trucks driving at night. Some wanted to express their love to their lovers, while others were simply seeking thrills...

Engineering dump trucks are not prop vehicles used during filming; they have great inertia and are very difficult to stop!

So, the hospital suddenly admitted several injured people so badly hit by cars that even their mothers couldn't recognize them, while more were received by the morgue...

Such incidents even led Fuji Television, when airing the next episode of "101st Proposal," to specifically state in the preview, "Please do not easily attempt the behavior in the drama... rushing onto the road is risky; if you can't brake in time, you can't be saved..."

Even when other newspapers reported on it, they warned teenagers not to imitate the actions in the drama...

Some newspapers seized on this point, trying to ban "101st Proposal" for bad guidance, but were stopped by the drama fans themselves... The reason given was, "If you want to ban this drama, ban 'Ultraman,' 'Kamen Rider,' and others first!"

Fighting small monsters and such is even more violent and would guide children toward extremism!

Amidst such public opinion, "101st Proposal" finally reached its final episode...

Tatsuro Hoshino, who failed his exams, missed the chance to change his life and returned to the construction site, becoming a hardworking brick-layer... Meanwhile, Kobirumaki Kaoru Yabuki had already realized she had fallen in love with that sincere man~

Under the midnight lights, Kobirumaki Kaoru Yabuki, wearing a wedding dress, arrived at the construction site where Tatsuro Hoshino was working overtime. Running in the car headlights, she reached Tatsuro Hoshino's side...

Looking at the goddess in her wedding dress, Tatsuro Hoshino slowly said:

"I am already a down-and-out middle-aged man with nothing to my name... is that really okay?"

Kobirumaki Kaoru Yabuki, tears streaming down her face:

"Please, accept me..."

"The ring... has been thrown into the sea... I also have no money to buy a new one..."

Kobirumaki Kaoru Yabuki shook her head with tears in her eyes, spotted a nut on the construction site... so she bent down, picked it up, and smiled as she handed it to Tatsuro Hoshino...

Using a nut as a proposal ring...

This was a plot point never seen before in film or television, yet here it felt so fitting... Tatsuro Hoshino put the nut ring on Kobirumaki Kaoru Yabuki, and the two lovers embraced under the night lights...

Hiromoto Adachi and his girlfriend, Rina Murayama, watched this final ending together. Rina Murayama was moved to tears, and Hiromoto Adachi, as a man, couldn't help but feel emotional too.

"What pure love!"

"Yes... such sincere love is what every girl wants!"

Rina Murayama held her boyfriend's arm, resting her head on Hiromoto Adachi's shoulder. "Flowers, high-end restaurants, movie theaters... actually, none of that matters to girls!"

"As long as the feelings are sincere, even if a nut is used as a ring, such a marriage will surely be happy!"

Hiromoto Adachi was deeply moved upon hearing this. His girlfriend was indeed not a materialistic girl; she loved him absolutely not because of a Swarovski necklace, nor a Chanel bag, or Prada clothes!

She accepted me because of my sincere love!!!

"Rina-chan~" Hiromoto Adachi said gently, "Let our wedding rings be nut rings, just like Kobirumaki Kaoru Yabuki's!"

"!!!"

Rina Murayama shivered, instinctively retorting,

"What are you thinking!!!"

"Uh... didn't you say that if the feelings are sincere, a nut ring would also bring happiness?!"

Hiromoto Adachi was somewhat surprised and also a bit angry, asking,

"My feelings for you are absolutely sincere! Don't you know that?!"

"......."

Rina Murayama couldn't refute for a moment... Why did it feel like she had been defeated by magic using magic?!

"This... this..."

After stammering for a while, Rina Murayama finally came up with an excuse:

"Darling... of course I know you are sincere! But... others don't know~"

"If we don't wear a ten-carat pigeon-egg diamond ring... how will everyone know our love is sincere and as firm as gold?!"

"....... Hmm"

Hiromoto Adachi instinctively wanted to refute, but for a moment didn't know how, as if... what she said sounded quite philosophical...

Rina Murayama pressed her advantage:

"So, what's on TV is TV; in reality, we still need such things to show sincerity!"

"Darling... so when are we going to buy a pigeon-egg?!"

"Eh?!!" Hiromoto Adachi felt a bit dazed. How had he agreed to buy a pigeon-egg?!