Chapter 975: The last day must have a sense of ritual!!!

The last day of Showa 60 arrived without anything surprising.

It was just when brushing his teeth in the morning, Naoki Nagayama spat out the mouthwash and said to Akina beside him:

"Ah... it's the last day today~"

"Hmm?" Akina wiped her face with a towel, somewhat strange, "What's wrong?"

"... I just feel like it should have more drama or a sense of ritual... it shouldn't be so plain... After all, it's the last day~"

"Hmm..."

Hearing this, Akina, who was applying face cream, didn't speak, but after Naoki Nagayama finished wiping his face, she leaned over with a smile...

"Naoki-san... a sense of ritual, is it..."

Suddenly, Akina took advantage of someone not paying attention, stood on tiptoe, held her husband's face with both hands, and kissed him with lightning speed.

Naoki Nagayama only felt a chill on his face, a fragrant breeze hit, and then warm lips, a soft attack with a minty taste, invaded like a swimming fish, attacking cities and seizing land...

Subconsciously hugging his wife's waist, Naoki Nagayama was very surprised by this early morning surprise attack. A French wet kiss early in the morning?

A few minutes later, the two separated. Akina's lips were slightly red, her breathing was slightly rapid, but her face, without any makeup, had a smile like a flower, and the corners of her mouth showed a cunning arc:

"How about it, Naoki-san, is there a sense of ritual now?!"

"..."

This woman is really too good at it!!!

Originally, he still felt a bit sleepy, but now he was completely awake~

However, they had plans today, so they didn't get carried away and start all day and night. After laughing and making trouble for a while, they happily went downstairs to prepare breakfast.

"It's going to be very busy all day today..." Akina Nakamori said, "I have to go through the Red and White Song Battle one last time in the morning, go to the Record Awards in the afternoon, and then go to the Red and White Song Battle at night..."

The Japan Record Awards start at 6:00 PM for about two hours, and then Akina has to rush to the Red and White Song Battle for the live broadcast... Because of this, Akina's performance was arranged in the second half.

Actually, the hottest artists this year basically have this treatment, because neither the Record Awards nor the Red and White Song Battle can be missed, so they have to pinch the time and run between the two.

Because they are all influential artists and important events, the Ministry of Transport even specially coordinated and arranged a "green channel" to ensure that the road is smooth when running between the two.

"I guess I won't be able to see Naoki-san until it's over~"

Naoki Nagayama said with a smile: "During the Red and White Song Battle, I will be watching Akina from below... in the first echelon!"

By virtue of Tree Friend and his own status in the entertainment industry now, it is definitely the best position.

The boring daytime~

The NHK Hall at night was surrounded by people inside and out.

This is the scene of the Red and White Song Battle, but the people outside are not all media. Instead, because of the gathering of stars, there are many fans waiting outside, hoping to see their idols.

Even if today is "Omisoka", it doesn't matter! The Red and White Song Battle or whatever, it doesn't matter if you don't watch it!

As for the many media, it was for the last wave of traffic of the whole year... Even if they could take a photo when a star came out, it would be a big profit!

Junko Ito, Momoko Kikuchi, and others under Tree Friend all have to participate in the Red and White Song Battle, so when Naoki Nagayama came, he followed Tree Friend's car and took the internal passage. If he came from the front door, he would probably be surrounded by reporters at the door.

"Naoki-san, we're going to prepare first..."

"Hmm, Ganbatte!"

After Junko Ito and Momoko Kikuchi got off the car, they hurried to the lounge. Their status wasn't high enough, so they were collective projects and shared a large lounge.

Those who can participate in the Record Awards tonight, such as Akina Nakamori, Shizuka Kudo who is currently at the Record Awards, and popular idols, already have separate lounges.

Together with their managers, they all hurried away, leaving only Naoki Nagayama, who had nothing to do, waiting to go to the audience area to sit down after entering.

Wandering around inside the NHK Hall, Naoki Nagayama didn't feel nervous at all. He was already very familiar with this hall; the opening ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival was held here before.

But the people inside today all had tasks, and only he was an idler~

"Naoki-san?!"

Suddenly, a call made Naoki Nagayama turn his head. It turned out to be an acquaintance—Hideki Saijo!

"Saijo-san?! Why are you here too?"

Hideki Saijo, wearing a kimono, walked over with a smile,

"Of course I'm here to participate in the Red and White Song Battle! After all, I'm a famous artist! An important backbone of the White Team!"

"Haha, so that's how it is..."

If he didn't say it, he almost forgot. Although Hideki Saijo was already going downhill, because of the previous TV series *Love Century*, he was now experiencing a second spring, and his fame was still very high~

"Naoki-san, why didn't I see you during the rehearsal before? Are you here as a guest today? Or are you here to accompany Akina-san?"

"Neither... Akina is at the Record Awards now~" Naoki Nagayama smiled, "I'm here as an audience member today, sitting below watching your performance! Just wandering around now~"

"That's truly leisurely!"

Hideki Saijo sighed. He also wanted to sit below and watch the performance live! But he couldn't! He had to make money! He still needed the exposure of the Red and White Song Battle!

"By the way, the Record Awards are also being broadcast live... why don't you go to my lounge and take a look?"

"This... is that okay?"

"Of course!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Hideki Saijo took Naoki Nagayama to the guest lounge. He already had a separate lounge, which had a sofa and a TV, and was no different from the living room at home.

Turning on the TV, they started watching the live broadcast of the Japan Record Awards...

"By the way, Naoki-san's *Hayato's Tale* is about to be released, right?"

"Hmm, it will be released on the third day of the New Year!" Naoki Nagayama said, "Saijo-san, do you have time? I can send you a ticket~"

"Haha, then I probably won't have time... I still have announcements to catch!" For these artists, the days of holidays are when they are busiest, "Sometimes I really envy Akina-chan... she doesn't have to catch announcements for the New Year starting this year!"

"Sigh... you guys are really hard-working~" Naoki Nagayama patted Hideki Saijo on the shoulder, "No matter when, come to the 'Bungeiza' in Ikebukuro, report my name, absolutely free!"

"Hahaha~ Then thank you very much... If Naoki-san has anything in the future, I will definitely support you immediately!"

Hideki Saijo didn't care about the money for the movie ticket; what he cared about was his relationship with Naoki Nagayama! In the upcoming *Hayato's Tale*, Tomokazu Miura's role...

He felt that the gap between his image and Tomokazu Miura's wasn't that big. If he had played it, he wouldn't have to worry about exposure for the whole next year!

"Saijo-san, what song are you performing today?"

"It's *BEAT STREET*..."

The two chatted while watching TV like this. Anyway, Hideki Saijo's performance was also in the second half, so he wasn't in a hurry now... until suddenly the door to the lounge rang, and then a host walked in with a cameraman and a manager...

"..." The five of them looked at each other...

The host was also an acquaintance, Sanma Akashiya... He looked at the two people in the lounge in surprise:

"Hideki Saijo-san, and Naoki Nagayama-san?! Why are you in the same room?"

"... Met outside, just chatting..." Hideki Saijo, after all, was the owner of the room, and stood up to answer, "Akashiya-san, what are you guys doing?"

"Flower interview! I'm very excited about this surprise!" Sanma Akashiya was very excited about this surprise, "I didn't expect to meet Naoki Nagayama! This is a big surprise today!"

"..." Naoki Nagayama also smiled, "It scared me just now, I thought the enemy had rushed in!"

"Hahaha, that's the suddenness we want!" Sanma Akashiya asked a question first, "Naoki-san, can we record the flower interview?"

Naoki Nagayama thought about it. After all, it was the official Red and White Song Battle, and there was nothing that couldn't be seen, so he agreed~

"I really didn't expect to meet Naoki-san in Hideki Saijo-san's lounge..." Sanma Akashiya said after the cameraman set up the camera, "I at least thought it would be in Akina Nakamori's lounge!"

"Haha, as for Akina, she's still at the Record Awards..."

"Then what is Naoki-san's expectation for Akina Nakamori's winning probability?"

"It's definitely a 100% chance of winning!"

Naoki Nagayama had absolute confidence in Akina... and he actually already knew the ownership of the award... how could such a big award not be known in advance!

"What a perfect husband..."

Sanma Akashiya also started asking questions about why he was at Hideki Saijo's place today, what he was doing, and so on.

Hideki Saijo, seeing the flower interview team put him aside and interview Naoki Nagayama one after another, couldn't help but shake his head.

According to Naoki-san's popularity in the entertainment industry, if he changed his career to be an idol artist, he could definitely reach the peak of male idols!

But he just had to go be a big director, musician, writer, and rich man... He is truly an enviable guy!

Sanma Akashiya interviewed for more than ten minutes, three times longer than other artists... By the end, he was really reluctant to leave...

But at this moment, a flash of inspiration suddenly hit his head:

"Naoki-san... do you want to go interview Akina Nakamori with us later?!"

"Eh? But Akina won't be here until after nine..." Naoki Nagayama looked at his watch; it was only 7 o'clock... the live broadcast of the Red and White Song Battle hadn't officially started yet, "I'm going to the audience area later..."

"Daijoubu!" Sanma Akashiya was even more excited. He felt that this flower interview would be very interesting, "We will invite Naoki-san over later... it's just to give Akina-chan a surprise!"

"I see..." Naoki Nagayama thought about not seeing her all day, and nodded, "Then okay..."

Who knew Sanma Akashiya still wasn't satisfied:

"Do you want to prank Akina-chan a little?"

"???" You say this in front of me?

At 19:30 in the evening, the Showa 60 Red and White Song Battle officially began.

And at this time, Naoki Nagayama was already sitting in the viewing seat closest to the main stage, watching the large-scale festival broadcast live in Japan on the spot.

The host of the Red Group this year was Masako Mori, and the host of the White Group was Kenji Suzuki, both familiar faces.

Naoki Nagayama watched the gorgeous opening dance unfold on the stage in front of him, the gorgeous performance costumes and the colorful stage reflecting each other, making the atmosphere of the entire Red and White Song Battle become enthusiastic from the beginning.

Next, the main forces of the Red Group and the White Group went on stage to introduce themselves...

Junko Ito and Shizuka Kudo, who was on stage for the first time, naturally lined up in the front, becoming opponents and partners with the Shonentai, and they had to perform a collective dance together~

"Kiyokazu Nishikiori, Katsuhide Uekusa, Noriyuki Higashiyama..."

Naoki Nagayama looked at the few people on stage, quite emotional. The three people who were originally just backup dancers have now become the second echelon among male idols besides Toshihiko Tahara!

When they first met, they hadn't even released a record...

There were also solo performances by Naoko Kawai and others on stage. Unexpectedly, Kyoko Koizumi was arranged in the second half... This energetic female idol's status had unknowingly become higher!

Naoki Nagayama watched the performance enthusiastically in the audience, only feeling that watching it live was indeed more interesting than watching it on TV, and for a while, he even forgot the time...

Until...

"Naoki-san... Naoki-san..."

A guy who bent over and ran over in small steps called Naoki Nagayama,

"Sanma Akashiya asked me to remind you..."

"Ah!" Naoki Nagayama remembered, "Okay, I'll go over immediately..."

Saying that, he also bent over to avoid the camera and walked toward the side door... Over there, Sanma Akashiya was already waiting!

"Naoki-san... hurry, hurry, just got the news, Akina-chan is almost here!"

"Uh hmm, where are we going now..."

"We're going to Akina-chan's lounge!" Sanma Akashiya said, "I've already communicated with the manager. Originally, he didn't agree to a sudden interview, but hearing it was Naoki-san, he nodded..."

"Eh?"

"Don't worry, he said he would keep it secret!"

"..." Fusoku-san already knows, it's a bit shameful~

"Later we will go in first, and then after the signal, Naoki will go in!"

"What signal?"

"Naoki-san will know!"

Soon the group came to the room with the nameplate of Akina Nakamori, and then saw Fusoku Meiko standing at the door... looking at Naoki Nagayama with a strange look...

The meaning in his eyes was probably "If you want to see your wife, just come see her, why bring a camera crew and be so troublesome"...

"Sumimasen..."

Sanma Akashiya communicated very respectfully with Fusoku Meiko, and then knocked on the door to enter... Now Akina's status is different, and he has to be sincere.

Naoki Nagayama, standing at the door, only heard some exclamations from the room, and then Akina happily accepting the interview... probably congratulating her on winning the Record Awards...

Yes, when Naoki Nagayama was watching the Red and White Song Battle, Akina had already brought back the trophy for the Japan Record Awards!!!

Naoki Nagayama, who was a bit bored, heard Sanma Akashiya inside say:

"So, we have prepared a surprise gift for Akina!"

"Hontou?" Akina's surprised voice, "What surprise?"

Only heard a voice from inside the room: "The surprise gift outside the door, come in quickly!!!"

"..." So this is the signal!

Naoki Nagayama pushed the door open and saw several pairs of eyes in the lounge all looking over, and Akina, seeing him, opened her eyes wide, really surprised!

"Naoki-san!!!"

"Akina!" Naoki Nagayama walked over with a smile and gave Akina, who was covering her mouth, a tight hug, "Congratulations on winning the Record Awards!"

"Naoki-san..." Akina also happily hugged her husband, not caring that there were others in the room~

"!!!"

Sanma Akashiya looked at this warm scene, hurriedly signaled the cameraman to take a picture, and then looked at Akina Nakamori, who was both surprised and happy, and said:

"It looks like Akina-chan is very satisfied with the surprise gift I prepared!"

"What!" On camera, Akina Nakamori quickly adjusted her emotions, "This surprise is Naoki-san's! I haven't seen the gift Akashiya-san prepared yet! Where is it?"

"?? Actually didn't admit it so quickly?!"

Sanma Akashiya looked at Naoki Nagayama, who was watching the show on the side,

"Naoki-san, why don't you say something?"

And Naoki Nagayama saw Akina winking at him, and instantly had a tacit understanding:

"I didn't see Akashiya-san's gift either... when I came in just now, I was the only one outside..."

After saying this, Naoki Nagayama and Akina Nakamori looked at each other and laughed together, reaching out to Sanma Akashiya:

"So... where is the promised gift?! Akashiya-san wouldn't be lying, right?!"

"!!!"

The two husband and wife sang in harmony, leaving Sanma Akashiya speechless for a while~

"You two, sure enough, are a match made in heaven!!" ===== CHAPTER 976 =====