Chapter 14: 014, Major Event! The capital chain of sudden wealth has broken!

For the next few days, Naoki Nagayama lived a rather decadent lifestyle. His only form of exercise was wandering around or visiting temples to pray for blessings. As for his grandfather, his father merely made a phone call to pay his respects; ever since leaving the Yakuza family branch, it had been this way for nearly twenty years.

However, after the izakaya reopened, only his mother and Tsuruko were left in the house. Naoki felt awkward continuing to stay home doing nothing, so on the fifth day of the New Year, he boarded a train back to Tokyo.

Before leaving, he had made a promise to Tsuruko: she would come to Tokyo in April to see the cherry blossoms, and he would need to play the role of a good older brother and host her properly.

The New Year atmosphere still lingered, but Tokyo had long since shaken off its holiday lethargy.

Pedestrians on the street moved with hurried expressions, seemingly unwilling to stop for even a moment in their struggle for survival. Only the occasional young child, still lingering on the festive joy of the New Year, ran around happily.

Exiting Waseda Station, Naoki Nagayama dragged his suitcase and merged into the endless, flowing stream of people.

As he approached the residential area, the pedestrians thinned out significantly. In the small flowerbeds along the roadside, patches of leftover snow remained—in Tokyo, this was the last stubborn remnant of winter.

In less than twenty minutes, he returned to the apartment he had been away from for a week. There was no dust in the room; he simply gave it a quick wipe with a cloth, and the cleaning was done.

To be honest, he had only lived in this apartment for a total of two days, yet the moment he stepped inside, it already felt like home.

"I probably won't sell this even if I strike it rich in the future..." Naoki thought suddenly as he sat in the living room holding a cup of hot tea.

Striking it rich was a certainty; that was never in question.

It was still a while before lunchtime, and his mother had actually prepared a bento; he could just heat it up and eat later.

There was nothing else particularly important going on.

He called Gentaro Nakai, but he was still back in his hometown.

Naoki prepared to turn on the TV and continue his decadent, leisurely life from back home.

"Ring... ring... ring~~~"

The apartment phone rang.

"Moshi moshi, is Nagayama-kun home? This is Daisuke Sanwa from Sun Music Agency."

A call from the benefactor!

Naoki picked up the phone: "Hi, Happy New Year, Sanwa-kun~"

"Ha, Happy New Year to you too, Nagayama-kun. I was worried you hadn't returned to Tokyo yet." After a bit of small talk, Daisuke Sanwa got straight to the point. "Nagayama-kun, the recording of the song is almost finished. Regarding the upcoming promotion and marketing, there are some matters that need to be discussed in person. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to meet?"

"Sogadesu ne, no problem. I can meet this afternoon. Is 2:00 PM okay? Should I come to the agency?" Naoki agreed readily. After buying New Year's gifts, he only had about 500,000 yen left in his wallet; he was looking forward to those royalties immensely.

"Hai, then I shall await your arrival at the agency." Daisuke Sanwa remained very respectful; perhaps his habits of professional etiquette were ingrained in his very bones.

A sense of anticipation rose in his heart, lifting Naoki's spirits and sweeping away his decadent, lazy mood. As expected, a person needs something to strive for.

He went to a small shop around the apartment to buy some vegetables, fruit, prepared food, and drinks, stuffing them into the apartment's refrigerator before heating up his bento to eat.

He used to eat his mother's bento every day before school, but he hadn't expected that eating it again this time would feel as if years had passed. Taking a bite of bento followed by a sip of cola—his student-era dream was fulfilled just like that.

Since there was still a long time before his afternoon appointment, Naoki walked down the street. The shops nearby had long since opened for business, and New Year activities were in full swing.

Occasionally, his gaze would be drawn to products in shop windows or photobook magazines on racks, but this was mainly to observe current trends; it had absolutely nothing to do with looking at pretty girls.

When he arrived at the agency, it wasn't yet time for the appointment, but Daisuke Sanwa likely wouldn't mind him being a little early. It seemed the agency was holding a New Year's audition, as many young artists were waiting in the reception hall with numbered tags.

Naoki found the lady at the front desk and greeted her: "Good afternoon~"

The agency receptionist clearly did not recognize Naoki, as he looked quite different from his last visit. After glancing at him, she said, "Hello, are you here for the audition? Please provide your specific information. Please keep this number tag safe as well~"

She reached out to hand him a number tag.

"Ano, I'm not here for the audition. My name is Naoki Nagayama, and I have an appointment with Sanwa-san."

"Ah, is that so? Sumimasen, I will take you to the reception room immediately." A large agency naturally had more than one reception room. After leading Naoki inside, the lady served him a cup of tea and went to inform Daisuke Sanwa.

It was still a bit cold along the way. Naoki sipped his hot tea while speculating about the reason for the New Year's auditions.

*Knock knock.* "Excuse me, I'm coming in!"

Daisuke Sanwa walked in carrying some documents. When he saw Naoki, he couldn't help but smile. "No wonder Rina-san mistook Nagayama-kun for an entertainer. You've changed so much during this period, Nagayama-kun."

"Haha, you could say I am an entertainer. I happened to film a commercial a short while ago~"

"Honto ni? That's quite impressive! Being able to write songs and film commercials—Nagayama-kun, why don't you consider entering the entertainment industry!"

"Hahaha, then I'll have to rely on Senior Sanwa for your guidance." "Of course~"

After a round of joking, the relationship immediately became closer, and the atmosphere in the room became friendly and harmonious. Then, the two began to discuss business.

"Nagayama-kun, regarding the song you composed, 'Cherry Blossom,' Seiko-chan went to the studio and finished recording it recently. Here is the demo tape; please have a listen. If the creator has any suggestions, we will take them seriously."

The capabilities of Sun Music Agency went without saying. The record producer, Muneo Wakamatsu, was indeed a famous producer who had discovered Seiko Matsuda. The entire song was light and sweet, perfectly embodying the unique characteristics of Seiko Matsuda's voice.

After listening to the song, Naoki Nagayama praised it repeatedly: "Sugoi! Sanwa-san, it sounds wonderful, truly amazing! As expected, Seiko-san is the best~"

"I'm relieved to hear you say that, Nagayama-kun." Daisuke Sanwa was also very happy. "The production of the record will take some time, but we expect it to be officially released in late January."

"That's great~" Naoki was quite happy to hear this, but he wondered why they had to meet in person for something that could have been handled over the phone.

So, he asked directly: "Sanwa-san, was this meeting just to notify me of the release date? There must be something else, right?"

"Hai, that is one of the things, and there is another matter I wanted to discuss with you." Daisuke Sanwa paused slightly.

"Actually, it's like this: before the record is released, the agency plans to promote it first on television programs."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Hai, but since you, as a fan, composed such a wonderful song for Seiko-san, this story is also a key part of the promotional plan."

"So?"

"I am very sorry to ask, but would Nagayama-kun consider making an appearance on the program? To tell the story of the connection between a fan and an idol."

"Of course, we will certainly show our sincerity regarding the compensation!"

"I see~" Naoki didn't actually care much about appearing on TV; it was just a professional shoot for a segment, let alone the fact that there was pay involved.

"Sure, no problem at all. But what kind of program is it?"

Many people in Japan are quite resistant to appearing on television programs. Hearing such a prompt reply, Daisuke Sanwa breathed a sigh of relief: "It's Fuji TV's *Night Hit Studio* next week."

"Soka, we watch *Night Hit* at home quite often." Naoki thought of the way Tsuruko sat in front of the TV.

"Then it's a deal, Nagayama-kun!" Daisuke Sanwa felt much more relaxed. He then chatted with Naoki about the promotion schedule for the record and some of Seiko Matsuda's upcoming activities, finally arranging to pick him up by car that night to go to Fuji TV.

Before parting, Naoki suddenly remembered the matter of royalties.

"By the way, Sanwa-san, after the record is released, are the royalties settled within the same month?"

"Ah, no. Royalties are settled on a quarterly basis. For a record released at the end of January, the royalties won't be settled until March."

"Is that so?!"

This was bad!

Does that mean there will be no cash flow in February and March!!!

Is the capital chain for my sudden wealth breaking just like this...

(End of Chapter)