Chapter 12: 012, Oga-san, Onii-chan has become a handsome guy!

How does one spend a good Showa New Year?

In Nagayama Naoki’s impression, it was nothing more than eating, drinking, playing, and doing homework. After all, this was his first New Year since officially entering the workforce.

Of course, life still had to go on. Buying a bed, furniture, appliances, daily necessities, and moving into a new place—things always had to be done one by one.

With only a week left until the New Year, he had to buy gifts!

It was said that the children of his landlady, Mrs. Makino, would be coming back for the holidays soon; whenever she spoke of it, she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

As for that guy Nakai Genta, he had actually taken Hoshino Rumiko back to his hometown first. What kind of move was that? Jumping straight to meeting the parents?

The final two days of moving were handled by Nagayama Naoki alone. All his worldly possessions amounted to the size of a single suitcase. After finally saying goodbye to Mrs. Makino, he moved into his first apartment on the afternoon of December 26, Showa 55.

He ate his housewarming meal alone. Having been single for over 40 years in total, filling his own stomach was no problem. Afterward, he began reading magazines, listening to records, and enjoying programs on his old-fashioned television until late at night before washing up and going to bed.

It looked a bit lonely, but given the personality of his predecessor, there wasn't much to be done about it. Being able to make friends like Nakai Genta and Hoshino Rumiko at the end of the year was already quite good; Japan itself was a lonely society, after all.

However, the significance of owning a home was different after all—it was a sign of putting down roots in a city.

In a house that belonged to him, Nagayama Naoki slept very soundly that night.

The next day, with nothing else to do, he informed a few acquaintances of his move and his new landline number, then spent some time getting familiar with the surrounding environment.

Then, on the third day, he packed his gifts and prepared to return to his hometown for the New Year.

The train toward Shizuoka slowly pulled out of the station. Nagayama Naoki retraced the path he had taken to Tokyo a year ago, embarking on the journey back home.

Shizuoka is a coastal city located between Osaka and Tokyo. Its port conditions are actually quite good; if it weren't for the surrounding mountains and the limited size of the plains, it might have become a large port city like Tokyo Bay.

Exiting the station, he followed the path in his memory back home. Nestled among a cluster of residences, the family home was a standard detached house, built by Nagayama Ken 20 years ago after he got married.

Looking at the nameplate on the door—Nagayama Ken, followed by Mother, Big Brother, himself, and Tsuruko—he felt a wave of emotion. Growing up in this house, and then leaving a year ago... it was quite a feeling.

"Onii-chan?"

A call suddenly came from nearby.

With only two days left until the New Year, the last day of middle school was just about cleaning up, so by noon, Nagayama Tsuruko was walking home with a group of friends, laughing and chatting.

As they neared the house, her friend Na-chan saw the figure at the Nagayama doorstep and whispered quickly, "Tsuruko-chan, look, look! There's a handsome guy over there! He's so stylish and so cool!" The rest of the girls collectively turned their attention toward him. "Ah, he stopped at your door~"

His fitness training in Tokyo had been highly effective; he had developed a layer of toned muscle, no longer looking frail, and he had even grown a few centimeters, nearing 1.8 meters. When shooting the commercial, he had also had an experienced stylist give him a short haircut with light bangs and groom his eyebrows, revealing a fair and handsome face. He had also learned many styling tips.

As the saying goes, "Clothes make the man." The Nagayama Naoki who returned was wearing a gray turtleneck sweater with a fleece lining, a dark gray plaid trench coat, black cropped trousers, and white sneakers—the quintessential look of a cool, stoic boss.

In Tokyo, there were plenty of punks and hippies to steal the spotlight, but in Shizuoka, he looked like someone who had walked out of a different art style entirely.

"Why is such a handsome guy standing at my door?" Nagayama Tsuruko was full of questions. Urged on by her friends, she walked toward the stranger, but as she got closer, he felt more and more familiar.

This person was: "Onii-chan?"

He turned his head. "Ah, it's Tsuruko. Back from school for the holidays?" Nagayama Naoki saw the group of little girls in school uniforms and immediately understood the situation.

"Honto? Is it Naoki-niichan?" "No way." "Kakkoii!" "Did you just get back?" They were all neighbors and mostly knew the original Nagayama Naoki, so they couldn't believe their eyes.

Nagayama Naoki smiled at the group of girls. "Hello everyone, I just got back from Tokyo." He then pushed the door open and walked in. "Tsuruko, let's go inside~"

"Hai, Na-chan, minna-san, I'm going in now, bye-bye~" Tsuruko hurriedly said her goodbyes and followed him inside.

His father and older brother were likely still busy at the izakaya; there were usually still some customers on the last day, and they ate and drank at the shop. Nagayama Nanako was usually at home at this time, and she had already heard the noise at the door and was looking out from the living room.

Nagayama Naoki walked in and saw her. "Okaasan, I'm home!"

Nagayama Nanako was a bit stunned. This stylish, handsome young man was her sullen son, Naoki?

"Kaasan, big news! Niichan has turned into a handsome guy!" Nagayama Tsuruko shouted excitedly, breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere.

Nagayama Nanako hurried over to take his suitcase and invited Nagayama Naoki to sit in the living room. Tsuruko immediately sat down beside him, firing off questions like a machine gun: "Niichan, how did you get so handsome?" "Where did you buy those clothes?" "What style is your hair?"

Nagayama Naoki had no choice but to answer them one by one. His mother put the suitcase in Naoki's old room, then brewed some tea and brought it to the living room table, sitting down to listen as well.

"Because I did some commercial shoots and sold a song, I earned a little money, so I moved to a new place. If you want to reach me in the future, use the new phone number." Nagayama Naoki gave his mother the address and phone number of his new home.

"Commercial shoot? Did you become a model, Niichan?"

"No, it was just an accidental collaboration. It probably won't happen again."

"What kind of commercial was it?"

"A green plum-flavored soda."

"Green plum flavor? Is it good? Where can I buy it?"

"It hasn't hit the market yet~"

"And you sold a song? Since when did you become a composer, Niichan?"

"I didn't. I just happened to write some lyrics, and the agency bought them~"

Mother Nanako also chimed in with questions from time to time. The sense of distance from the past year dissipated with every sentence they exchanged.

The conversation was only interrupted when it was time for lunch.

They had home-cooked food for lunch—the taste he had grown up with. Having not eaten it for so long, it was incredibly satisfying.

After the meal, Tsuruko helped wash the dishes, while Nagayama Naoki sat lazily in the living room drinking tea. He was already starting to adapt to this life.

A small head poked out from the kitchen: "Did you buy my New Year's gift?"

"Of course I did."

"What is it?"

"It wouldn't be meaningful if you didn't discover it for yourself when you receive it."

"Ugh, you've become so mysterious after going to Tokyo."

In the evening, his father and older brother finally returned.

When they saw Nagayama Naoki greeting them, Nagayama Ken almost asked, "Who are you?" His older brother, Nagayama Aoki, was even more stunned, his mouth hanging open. "This is Naoki? My brother?"

However, after sitting down in the living room, silence fell once again.

Nagayama Ken and Naoki were both silent and stubborn by nature. In the past, their communication was strictly about facts; they couldn't really be said to have "chatted." Aoki had many questions, but he didn't know what to say.

So, it was the current Nagayama Naoki who broke the silence: "Father, is the izakaya closed for today?"

"Ah, yes. From today until the 4th of next year, it's our break period."

"How was business this year? Has Big Brother started taking over the duties of the head chef?"

"There are more and more companies in the city this year. Thanks to them, we've had more customers. But as for the responsibilities of the head chef, Aoki still has a lot to learn."

"Father! I've already learned all the recipes!" Nagayama Aoki protested, unsatisfied.

"You've still got a long way to go!"

And so, sentence by sentence, they slowly chatted through dinner and the rest of the evening.