wavenovel Chapters 1249 and 1258, Naoki-san, how could you do this?!
Chapters 1249 and 1258, Naoki-san, how could you do this?!
Chapters 1249 and 1258, Naoki-san, how could you do this?!
With "Departures" currently showing in theaters, Naoki Nagayama, as the person in charge, can't just stay at home forever.
The day after celebrating Akina's birthday, I was called to the company by phone to find out about the situation after the premiere and the problems that arose.
Meanwhile, at the Yamazakura-in, Akina was trying to frame the haiku that Nagayama Naoki had given her.
Such artistic creations are naturally intended as home decorations, so that everyone who comes to visit can see the deep affection between the couple (come and witness their love!).
"Where should I put it?"
Akina tried placing the photo frames on the TV wall, cabinets, coffee table, and windowsill, and finally chose the display cabinet.
This place was originally used to display the various trophies won by Naoki Nagayama and Akina Nakamori. However, this haiku may be more important to Akina than those trophies.
Akina placed the photo frame in the most conspicuous center, looked around, and was very satisfied.
"Akina-chan, is this the love poem Naoki-san wrote for you?"
Nonaka Maru, who was carrying Xiaoxiahua, also saw the photo frame.
"Haikus?"
“Yes,” Akina laughed, “Naoki-san is indeed very talented, isn’t he?!”
“Mmm.” Nonaka Mari nodded, but then seemed a little puzzled. “I saw Naoki-san spending so much time in the study those past few days, so that’s what he was writing. I thought he was creating a novel!”
“Yes, I also thought it was a novel.” Akina nodded. “But haiku is very mentally taxing, which is probably why it took so long.”
"I see."
Nonaka Mari had only a superficial understanding of writers' creative abilities, and while she didn't fully grasp it, she was impressed.
Then they continued to enjoy the show together with Akina.
Akina was naturally quite satisfied with the love letter, but since she had been looking forward to a romance novel for the past few days, she was still somewhat disappointed.
Just then, Eitaro came over with a rice bowl in his mouth, his thick tail slapping against Akina's calf.
"Eh? Eitaro wants lunch?!"
Akina naturally understood the dog's thoughts very well, but because the dog had eaten quite well in the spring, it was currently on a diet.
"But you've already eaten a lot this morning, so you should eat less at lunchtime~"
After giving the dog a spoonful of kibble, Mingcai stopped eating.
Yingtaro looked at the sparse dog food in the bowl and started whimpering and whimpering.
"Dame, Taro, you need to lose weight!"
"嘤嘤嘤"
The dog continued to rub against Akina's leg, but Akina was much stricter than Naoki Nagayama; if she said she wouldn't give him any more food, she wouldn't give him any more!
The anxious dog had no choice but to circle around on the ground a few times before suddenly running towards its doghouse. After rummaging around for a while, it came back with something in its mouth.
"What do you want to trade for dog food this time?" Akina asked warily.
I don't know when, but Naoki Nagayama taught Eitaro to barter for food, so for a while Eitaro would always trade toys, stones, leaves, and the like for food. Naoki Nagayama was always very enthusiastic and would even praise the dog for being so clever.
It wasn't until one day, when Eitaro brought over a live mouse, that the whole family learned what it meant for a dog to catch a mouse, and this behavior was finally stopped.
And it was from that time on that Akina became wary of Eitaro bringing things over!
"I'm telling you, if you bring any more rats, we'll run out of dog food!"
Eitaro then loosened his grip, placed a floppy disk at Akina's feet, and patted it with his paw.
This is a treasure that the owner secretly hid in his doghouse. Surely it can be exchanged for dog food now?!
"Hmm."
Akina looked at the blue floppy disk with some surprise. At this time, she was naturally very familiar with floppy disks, as many of Naoki's manuscripts were stored on floppy disks.
I picked it up and looked at it. The sticker on the outer casing read "I'm sorry, I love you." Just like the other novels I had read, the name was written on the floppy disk to distinguish them!
"oh?!!"
"Could this also be a gift from Naoki-san?!"
Akina's eyes lit up. So this was the novel written by Naoki-san! Naoki-san even arranged for his dog to deliver it!
"As expected of Naoki-san, he always manages to give us a little surprise!!!"
With that thought in mind, Akina headed towards the study, eager to print out the novel!
"Naoki Mulberry"
In the rooftop office of the tree-dwelling family, Kijima Kyō cautiously gave his report.
"Some negative reviews have emerged."
"Oh?" Naoki Nagayama nodded, still quite calm. "A thousand people have a thousand Hamlets, so it's normal to have different opinions! So, what did they say?"
"Some of Momoe Yamaguchi's fans have spoken out through the media, saying that the image of Momoe Yamaguchi's wife in the movie is very symbolic!"
Kijima quoted the original words of criticism.
To describe her as 'beautiful, submissive, and selfless' is pure male fantasy! It's a denigration of independent women.
"Well"
It smells like that!
Naoki Nagayama never imagined that feminist ideas would spread so widely in Japan. He had only filmed a story about a virtuous wife in an ordinary family, and she was actually attacked by female boxers!
It seems we need to be careful when filming female characters in the future. The image of a virtuous wife and loving mother might be seen as a stereotype or label by independent women in Japan.
"Aside from that, what else is there to criticize?"
Kijima was somewhat indignant:
"There are also some comments saying that the psychological changes of the relatives and friends in the play are too fast, the reconciliation between father and son is too dramatic, there are too many voice-overs, and so on."
"This is clearly nitpicking!"
Naoki Nagayama smiled and didn't seem to care.
"It's a good thing that people are pointing out flaws; it means that people are still watching your work!"
Seeing Naoki Nagayama's calm demeanor, Kyō Kijima couldn't hold back any longer:
"But Naoki-san's previous films never received this much criticism! This time, it's clear they don't want 'Departures' to have a good start!"
"Hahaha~"
Naoki Nagayama understood that "Departures" had generated a lot of buzz even before production began. First, it had the backing of the quality from the production company, Kiyuki Studios, then the return of Momoe Yamaguchi, and later, Nagayama himself stated that his goal was to compete for an Oscar.
The tone was set particularly high, so it's understandable that colleagues felt resentful.
"Let Kijima be strong as he may, the breeze still caresses the mountain." Naoki Nagayama expressed the mindset of a master strategist: "These are merely noises on our path to our goal."
"Then shouldn't we warn those who talk nonsense?"
"The right thing to do is to find another group of people to compete against them."
Naoki Nagayama directly called Eiichiro Watanabe from the publicity department.
"Watanabe-kun is getting a group of media outlets to refute those opposing views and generate buzz. I'm currently thinking about how to get audiences to go to the cinema!"
"Hi"
Eiichiro Watanabe nodded.
"Naoki-san, we can actually do a better job of promoting it! For example, we can increase the discussion of 'Departures' in related TV programs, etc."
"Hmm, not bad, that works!"
Naoki Nagayama was very satisfied with Eiichiro Watanabe's ability to act independently, and encouraged him with a smile.
"Watanabe-kun, you probably already know that we're going to spin off a subsidiary to focus on our publishing business, right?!"
"When the time comes, we'll definitely need to select someone from within the group to head this business, and you'll all have a chance!"
The ability to skillfully paint a rosy picture is a basic skill for any boss! Naoki Nagayama has mastered it to an almost supernatural degree.
"!!!"
A surge of joy welled up within Watanabe Eiichiro, but in Japan, with its seniority-based system, good opportunities were generally awarded based on seniority from top to bottom.
"But this shouldn't be Minister Sugiyama's opportunity."
"Ah, Sugiyama-kun is a Kadokawa member, he won't leave so easily."
"Hey! I'll do my best!"
Eiichiro Watanabe immediately made a loud promise~
Sugiyama Yoshihiko is the representative of Kadokawa Pictures, a shareholder, who is responsible for supervising the business of the company. This is a blatant check and balance. How could he be sent out without going through Kadokawa Haruki?
Today, besides learning about the premiere, I also need to determine my role in the upcoming promotional activities for "Departures."
I won't be participating in the roadshow, but I'll still be making appearances for interviews and TV appearances!
After Kijima Kyō and Watanabe Eiichirō left, Nagayama Naoki pondered for a while in his study before coming out and heading to Yoshimura Ōtomo's office next door.
"Otomo-san"
"Naoki-san?" Yoshimura Otomo, who was busy with his work, was somewhat surprised. "Weren't you discussing 'Departures'? Why are you here with me?"
“That’s all been discussed.” Naoki Nagayama sat down on the sofa. “I’m looking for Otomo-san because of something else.”
"Something else?" Yoshimura Otomo put down his work and came to the sofa. "What is it?"
"It's related to Kadokawa," Naoki Nagayama said without hiding anything. "Haruki-san and Otomo-san are good friends, so I wanted to hear your thoughts."
"Oh?"
Yoshimura Otomo's expression turned serious; it seemed that Kadokawa's interests were involved.
"We had a brief discussion before. Due to the increasing proportion of the issuance business, the group will spin off a subsidiary next year to coordinate the issuance business."
The company's overall framework needs adjustment, and the shareholding structure will also change accordingly. Furthermore, as Shuyou has grown to its current size, it needs more support, so I plan to issue new shares and attract third parties.”
Looking at his friend, Naoki Nagayama spoke directly.
After Shuyou stepped into politics, he felt somewhat isolated and powerless, and realized that it was indeed necessary to make the group's shareholding structure more complex.
"Currently, Kadokawa still controls 10% of the group's shares."
"Does Naoki-san mean," Yoshimura Otomo paused, "that he wants to reduce Kadokawa's shareholding?"
"right"
Naoki Nagayama was not lying.
"When the 'Tree Friends' group was just starting out, Haruki-san really helped them a lot. But now the returns they've received are more than ten times that amount. They've earned an unimaginable amount just from movie profit sharing."
"However, as the company grows larger, Kadokawa's support for Kiyu is diminishing. We need to use equity to attract others!"
"."
Yoshimura Daitomo remained silent for a moment, though he actually agreed.
"In fact, according to the general trend of company development, as the company expands, the shares of early shareholders will inevitably be diluted. Only shareholders who have grown and worked hard with the company will maintain their shareholding ratio."
Naoki Nagayama continued,
"People like Otomo-san and Shuichi-san, who have grown with the company, naturally have no problem; their shareholding will only increase. But Kadokawa is already falling behind."
Yoshimura Daito has always put a lot of effort into the group's operations; it's fair to say that without him, the entire daily operations of Shuyou would run into problems.
In addition to his film business, Shuichi Itō is now involved in the development of the Tokyo Film Industry Association, which is an important support for the future development of Shuyu.
Both of them are becoming increasingly important to the company.
"So, Naoki-san contacted me first because he was thinking about my friendship with Haruki-san?"
"Yes," Naoki Nagayama said somewhat embarrassedly, "My relationship with Haruki-san is more of a superficial one, like drinking buddies. It's mostly a business relationship, without any deeper feelings. But Otomo-san is different."
Yoshimura Otomo and Kadokawa Haruki were acquainted in their early years.
"If I were to propose increasing our shareholding, it might cause Haruki-san to worry and potentially damage our relationship."
"Naoki-san, will the plan officially start next year?"
"The opening of branch offices, restructuring, and equity changes will all take place next year."
Diluting equity can be very damaging to relationships, but if you don't want to damage relationships, you'll have to lose money. So, all things considered, it's better to damage relationships.
A brief silence fell between them. Yoshimura Otomo pondered for a moment, then made up his mind:
"Okay, I'll go talk to Haruki-san!"
Although he and Haruki-san were old friends in their early years, now he and Naoki Nagayama are his true best friends!
Moreover, he himself owns 5% of the shares in the company. Expanding the company and diluting the equity of other shareholders would make him money!
Comparing the two, it's clear that I still prefer the one with Haruki Sang!
"Otomo-san, thank you for your help!"
Naoki Nagayama sighed inwardly, thinking that it would be a mistake not to give Otomo-san, such a good friend and colleague, more equity than to give him a good friend and colleague!
By the time Naoki Nagayama finished dealing with his business and returned to Yamazakura-in, it was already getting dark.
"I'm back~"
Upon entering through the foyer, Naoki Nagayama was first greeted by a dog that gave him a warm welcome, and then he saw Mrs. Nonaka Mari with Natsuka in the living room.
"Naoki-san, you're back!"
"Mori-san"
Naoki Nagayama stepped forward, picked up Natsuka, and kissed her affectionately for a while before asking,
"Isn't Akina at home?"
"..." Nonaka Mari hesitated, then continued, "Akina-chan... is in the bedroom."
"Oh? What's wrong?" Naoki Nagayama asked, somewhat surprised. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm feeling uncomfortable."
Nonaka Mari remarked with a sigh.
She saw with her own eyes that Akina, who was in a very good mood that morning, was printing out that stack of documents and said that she had received another gift and was very happy. She immediately started reading them in the living room.
As Akina continued reading, her expression began to look strange. By noon, she was becoming somewhat melancholic.
Then in the afternoon, I watched it again, and I became even more heartbroken.
She only went to her bedroom to rest after she started crying.
The file was titled "I'm sorry, I love you." If Mari Nonaka hadn't read just a bit of the beginning, she would have thought Akina was so heartbroken because she had caught Naoki Nagayama cheating on her!
"Are you feeling uncomfortable or in a bad mood?!"
Naoki Nagayama was even more surprised, since it was his birthday just yesterday!! He had been in a great mood all day!
Nonaka Mari said:
"It seems to be because of reading the novel."
"novel?!"
"Hmm, it seems to be written by Naoki-san, and it's called 'I'm Sorry, I Love You'."
"!!!"
Upon hearing the name, Naoki Nagayama immediately sprang to his senses, turning to look at Eitaro's doghouse, then at Eitaro himself beside him.
"Eitaro, what have you done?!"
"Oh right. It was delivered by Eitaro."
Nonaka Mori delivered the finishing blow in time.
"It looked like a floppy disk, and then Akina happily printed it out."
"!!!!!!"
Naoki Nagayama slapped the dog's head.
"Eitarou, didn't I tell you to hide it?! Why did you take it out?!"
"Waaaaah (I'm hungry)"
Looking at the dog's innocent and aggrieved eyes, Naoki Nagayama didn't know what to say!
He could only ask Nonaka Maru:
"Mori-san, how long has Akina been upstairs?"
"I went upstairs around 3 p.m., so it's been more than an hour now, hasn't it?"
"."
Naoki Nagayama felt uneasy after hearing this.
As expected, Akina saw that angst novel! She's probably heartbroken right now!
He glanced at Xia Hua in his arms:
"Hua Jiang, shall we go see Mom together?"
"Good~"
Xia Hua answered readily, saying that she hadn't seen her mother for a long time and missed her very much.
"Alright, let's go then. Arigato, morisan."
"Naoki-san, will Akina-chan be alright?" Nonaka Mari asked with some concern.
"It should be fine; it's just a tragic novel."
"That's good"
Carrying the little one, Naoki Nagayama walked towards the bedroom on the second floor, mentally imagining what Akina would look like now.
Is it anger? Is it sadness? Or is it silent weeping?
In short, this sadomasochistic novel was released at the worst possible time!
Upon reaching the bedroom door, Naoki Nagayama knocked softly:
"Akina. Dumb Tape? Hana-chan and I have come to see you!"
Upon opening the door, Naoki Nagayama discovered A4 sheets of paper scattered across the spacious bed, covered with printed text—presumably from a novel.
Akina sat in the middle of the bed, holding a tissue box in one hand and a manuscript in the other. Her eyes were red and swollen as she turned the pages, tears streaming down her face. She even had a gritted-teeth expression on her face!
"Mingcai."
"Mother."
Two calls brought Akina back to her senses, and she saw that her daughter and husband had come over.
Seeing Akina's sad face, the little one anxiously wriggled off the bed, stumbling and falling, but quickly crawled to Akina's side and reached out his little hands to touch her face.
"Mommy. *snoring*"
When Xiaoxia fell and cried while learning to walk, Akina would gently blow on the painful spot like this to stop her from crying.
"Hana-chan is comforting her mom!"
Seeing how much her daughter cared for her, Akina was deeply moved and immediately hugged the little one tightly, tears streaming down her face.
I just saw a touching scene, and my tear ducts are really sensitive right now!
"Arigado~"
Xia Hua noticed that her mother was crying again, and she couldn't help but join in the crying. The little girl burst into tears!
Naoki Nagayama was left watching helplessly as the two figures, one big and one small, embraced and wept bitterly. If others had seen this, they would have thought he had done something to wrong the mother and daughter!
"Naoki Mulberry"
Akina, being an adult, managed to control her emotions and began to coax Natsuka.
However, in the middle of this, she glared at her husband with her swollen eyes and accused him:
"Naoki-san, how could you do this? How could you let Okazaki Ritsu's (the main character's name in the Japanese version of 'I'm Sorry, I Love You') life be so tragic!!!"
".Forehead."
Naoki Nagayama scratched his head.
It seems that he has achieved his original intention in writing this book, "I'm Sorry, I Love You".
However, the goal seems to have been achieved too well, which makes Akina not only sad but also angry at the author!
Ya Bai!
Looking at Natsuka, who was crying loudly in the bedroom, and then at Akina, who was staring at him, Naoki Nagayama felt that the situation was getting a little out of control!
(End of this chapter)