Chapter 43: 043, Please Make Sure to Capture That Fluffy Feeling

The May sunshine began to shine brilliantly,

And the temperature started to rise significantly;

The fickle spring, as temperamental as a young girl, was fading away,

As the passionate summer beckoned toward Tokyo.

On the streets, more and more young women were sporting "Seiko hair," and the new song "Natsu no Tobira" perfectly captured Tokyo's current mood, holding the number one spot on the Oricon charts and demonstrating Matsuda Seiko's immense popularity in the Japanese idol scene.

*BEST TEN*, *Yoru HIT*...

She was a constant presence on all the major music programs; as the most popular idol following Momoe Yamaguchi's retirement, she truly lived up to her reputation.

And the one idol who might be able to rival her in the future—Akina Nakamori—was currently sitting at a coffee table across from Naoki Nagayama, using newly purchased art supplies to attempt a design sketch for cat-ear headbands.

"Akina-san, Akiho-san, here is your coffee." Akina hadn't come alone; her younger sister, Akiho, had joined her. After all, coming out alone felt a bit too much like a date, but bringing her sister meant they could go shopping together afterward.

Both of them were currently trying to draw schematic diagrams of the cat-ear hair accessories based on Naoki Nagayama's descriptions; the sisters possessed quite decent basic drawing skills.

"Don't rush, you two. Have some drinks first~" Naoki Nagayama placed the coffee in front of them.

"I'm really sorry for suddenly asking for your help, but I truly don't know anyone else who can draw~"

"Haha~ It's fine, Naoki-san! Getting a drawing done and a big meal in return—we're clearly coming out ahead~" Akiho was quite cheerful.

Akina was still working on the draft. "Cat-ear hair accessories, that's quite interesting~ What color does Naoki-san want to design them in?"

"Let's start with black and white. As for later, if they become popular, we can have gray, red, yellow... any color at all~"

"That's so cute! I feel like they'll definitely become a trend~" Akiho liked the idea.

Before long, simple colored design sketches were finished—one black, one white. Although they lacked the precision of a professional designer, they fully captured the intended look.

"Akina-san, Akiho-san, would you like to go to the factory with me? To see if they can actually make them~" Naoki Nagayama invited them to visit the factory, and they were very interested.

However, they couldn't take his own car; the convertible only had two seats.

There were still many small workshops in Showa-era Tokyo, especially since simple hair accessories didn't require the craftsmanship of a large-scale factory.

Naoki Nagayama found a small factory that made hair accessories and also did part-time garment work, called Shogo Processing.

The factory manager, Shogo Tsuchida, was a smiling man in his thirties who handled external negotiations, procurement, and shipping. The factory was essentially a family operation of three; his mother and wife likely handled the main production, with the total staff numbering only seven people.

After Naoki Nagayama showed the sketches to Shogo Tsuchida, the man immediately patted his chest and declared there would be no problem, that they could definitely make them.

In reality, the hair accessories could mostly be bought as semi-finished products; it was just that the cat ears needed to be shaped and manufactured.

He handed the sketches to his wife, Tama Tsuchida, and after a brief discussion, said they could produce two samples on the spot.

"No problem at all!" Shogo Tsuchida guaranteed. "Even though we haven't done this before, we have the fluffy materials in stock. It's just simple shaping; we can have the samples ready in half an hour."

"That's wonderful." Naoki Nagayama was very happy. "Please make sure to achieve that fluffy feeling."

Akina and Akiho were also very excited; seeing the sketches they had drawn with their own hands turn into physical objects was a very rewarding experience.

Half an hour later, looking at the black and white cat-ear hair accessories in his hands, Naoki Nagayama was very satisfied.

"Akina-san, Akiho-san, please, try them on~" Naoki Nagayama smiled as he handed the two cat ears to the two girls.

Once they put them on, Akina and Akiho indeed looked like two little kittens; they were incredibly cute.

"Mrs. Tsuchida, could I trouble you to embroider '001' and '002' on the inner rim of these two accessories?" After testing the effect, Naoki Nagayama returned the accessories to Tama Tsuchida.

"Manager Tsuchida, for the initial order, I need 1,000 of these accessories—half black and half white—and they all need to have serial numbers embroidered on them. Demand might increase in the future."

Shogo Tsuchida was delighted. "Hai! When do you need them by?"

"Is within a week possible?"

"Absolutely no problem!"

Thus, Naoki Nagayama placed the order directly, signed the contract, and scheduled a pickup for next week.

By the time they finished their errands, it was already noon. "Akina-san, Akiho-san, let me treat you to a big meal!"

"Thank you, Naoki-san~"

The treat was, of course, at a high-end restaurant serving authentic French cuisine.

However, the service was a bit slow. While waiting, the three of them chatted in the private booth

"Akina-san, are you going to participate in *STAR! Birth* again this year?"

"Of course I want to, but I was cut twice before. I still don't have much confidence this time..." Akina poked at her food with a fork, looking a bit frustrated.

"They said things like my age doesn't match the song..."

"Hahaha, a few years ago you were indeed young, and you debuted a bit too early~" Naoki Nagayama laughed. "But making it to the finals was already quite an achievement. Your singing ability has already been recognized, Akina-san."

"But they mentioned the age issue both times. Didn't Momoe Yamaguchi-san also debut at fourteen?" Akina's mood still hadn't lifted.

"Then choose a song by Momoe Yamaguchi. Your voice is actually quite similar to hers." Naoki Nagayama recalled Akina's path to success. "If you're afraid because of your age, why not grow your hair a bit longer to look more mature?"

"Eh? But isn't that deceiving people~?" She widened her eyes, looking quite adorable.

"How can you call things in the entertainment industry 'deceiving'?" Naoki Nagayama found it amusing. "It's called 'packaging'! You don't know enough about the entertainment industry yet, Akina-san. The reality of the industry is quite meager~"

"I don't understand what you guys are talking about..." Akina's interest in the French meal was clearly much greater, as she focused on the food on her plate.

Naoki Nagayama didn't press the subject. Seeing the next course arrive, he said to Akiho, "Akiho, the next dish is snails. Do you want to try some?"

"Eh? You can eat snails?" Seeing the appearance of the Escargot, Akiho hesitated. "It looks a bit gross."

After the grand meal, the two girls wanted to go shopping in Shinjuku.

Since it wasn't a dedicated date, Naoki Nagayama did not accompany them.

In the afternoon, he had to handle the patent application for the design of the cat-ear hair accessories. He needed to find a specialized agency to handle it; otherwise, the process would be too long.

While it was impossible to charge patent fees for every cat-ear accessory in the future, he absolutely had to secure the patent for this specific black-and-white design. The first batch of cat-ear accessories would be limited editions—they would become collector's items in the future!

If he made a lot of money later, he would still need to pay Akina and Akiho, the two artists, a proper fee.

(End of Chapter)