Chapter 15: 015, Always, Always Looking Forward to It, Finally Meeting Matsuda

Chapter 15: 015, I've been waiting and waiting, and finally, I get to meet Seiko Matsuda-san~

The sudden bad news sent a jolt through Naoki Nagayama's heart.

His original plan for rapid wealth had been perfectly arranged

—Using the 500,000 yen in hand, he would live decadently through January—once the royalties came in during February, he would take the royalty contract and the data to the bank to secure a mortgage. He would buy two or three properties in central Tokyo to rent out, using the royalties to pay off the loans, and then live a life of leisure on the rental income~

—Then, he would attempt to use the newly purchased properties as collateral for secondary mortgages to expand his real estate portfolio.

—He would repeat this process; as long as property prices continued to rise and loans were not delayed, if he managed the rhythm correctly, it would be just like cashing out credit cards.

As long as he was bold enough, the snowball would keep rolling, and he could live a wealthy life through asset appreciation.

—By 1985, he would take all the money from mortgaging his real estate and pour it into the stock market, riding the bubble to multiply his assets dozens of times over!

—In 1990, he would sell everything and cash out.

If everything went smoothly, ten years later, Naoki Nagayama would be among the top tier of the Japanese wealthy, and he would be only 28 years old~

Even if problems arose midway, he could at least invest in Microsoft, Oracle, or Amazon, becoming a Japanese tycoon in 20 years, at age 38~

If things went even worse, he could just stockpile Bitcoin in advance, and in 30 years, he would still be one of the few recognized wealthy people in all of Japan—at age 48~

Regardless, during this period, Naoki Nagayama would not have to work; he could live the life of wealth and leisure he had always longed for.

But now, what about the gap in February and March?

Could 500,000 yen support him for two months?

Even the 100,000 yen appearance fee Daiko Sanwa mentioned was considered good.

Was he going to have to eat instant noodles every day from now on?

"Could it be that my ideals and persistence in not working are worthless in the face of reality?" On the way back, Naoki Nagayama remained trapped in the gloom of his shattered dreams.

The next evening, Daiko Sanwa arrived on time to pick him up.

When he saw Naoki Nagayama, he asked, "Nagayama-kun, are you sick?"

It couldn't be helped; he had spent most of the previous night agonizing over whether or not to work, so he hadn't slept well. He had been listless all day, and his complexion looked somewhat pale.

"I'm fine, Sanwa-san, I'm just a bit low on energy." Patting his face with his hands, Naoki Nagayama said, "It won't affect the show at all."

As it neared 7:00 PM, the two arrived at Fuji TV. Daiko Sanwa led Naoki Nagayama directly into the set of *Night Hit Studio*. Why did late-night shows have to be recorded at night? Was this a form of craftsmanship?

After Daiko Sanwa explained the situation to the production crew, he took Naoki Nagayama to the dressing room to let the makeup artist style him. The makeup artist was a fashionable older woman, and upon seeing Naoki Nagayama, she remarked

"Is this handsome young man a new idol? His skin is so good; it's so fair he doesn't even need powder."

"No, Makeup Artist-san, he is an invited non-celebrity guest, the composer of Seiko-san's new single."

"Oh my, to be a composer at such a young age..."

"Haha, thank you for the compliment." *To think my pale face would be praised for having good skin.*

Just as the makeup artist was about to apply lipstick to Naoki Nagayama, the dressing room door opened, and several people entered, surrounding the magnificently dressed Seiko Matsuda.

Upon entering, she said, "Sanwa-san, I heard the creator of 'Cherry Blossom' had arrived, so I thought I'd come early to introduce myself~"

Although she was speaking to Daiko Sanwa, her eyes were fixed on Naoki Nagayama: "Is this Naoki Nagayama-san? We finally meet~"

"He's actually quite handsome~"

It had to be said that the Seiko Matsuda of this era—with her beautiful features, bright eyes, sweet smile, fluffy "Seiko hair," and her coquettish tone—was indeed exceptionally cute~

Truly worthy of being called the "Eternal Idol" in the future.

Aside from being the composer, Naoki Nagayama's current identity was that of a "die-hard fan" of Seiko Matsuda. He had already thought about how to face his idol the previous night.

"Hi, nice to meet you, Seiko-san. I am Naoki Nagayama. I've been waiting and waiting... to finally meet you in person. How are you, Seiko-san? Are you healthy? Are you getting too tired?" Naoki Nagayama acted a bit excited and urgent. "Excuse me, seeing Seiko-chan—no, Seiko-san—I got a little excited!"

"Naoki-san, nice to meet you, thank you for your concern~" Seiko Matsuda was already very experienced in dealing with fans. "I'm so glad you like my performance~"

"Thank you so much for 'Cherry Blossom' that you composed for me; I like it very much~"

"It's wonderful that you like it, Seiko-san!"

"I will definitely keep your feelings in my heart, Naoki-san. I hope you will continue to support Seiko Matsuda in the future~"

Seiko Matsuda was beaming, her eyes curved into crescents, even showing her small tiger teeth. She was cute yet carried a hint of flirtatiousness; if this were in later years, such an image would typically be described as "pure yet sultry."

"Yes, I definitely will!"

"Mm-hmm, see you later then~"

There was no further conversation. It seemed Seiko Matsuda had only come to say a few words to Naoki Nagayama before turning back to Daiko Sanwa and saying, "Sanwa-san, sorry for the trouble, I'm going to rehearsal~"

"Yes, thank you for your hard work."

She truly was an idol. As a legitimate, top-tier idol, Seiko Matsuda's professional ability on stage was excellent, and she seemed to be "on" in every public setting, maintaining a sense of "cuteness" at all times, which made some people feel it was a bit "fake."

At least, Naoki Nagayama felt at this moment that Seiko Matsuda hadn't come over out of genuine curiosity about the fan who wrote the song, but rather because "Idol Seiko Matsuda" *had* to be curious, and this idol *had* to be moved by a fan's sincere feelings, so she had to make this visit.

This small interruption did not halt the makeup process. After repeatedly declining the makeup artist's offers to apply eyeliner, blush, and lipstick, he simply applied some powder, tidied his eyebrows and sideburns, and went to the rehearsal looking clean and fresh.

The rehearsal process for *Night Hit* was actually quite boring. The director explained the flow at the front, the host followed the cues, and a group of people coordinated everything below.

As for Naoki Nagayama, sitting in the back row, he spent most of his time acting as a background element—clapping when he should clap and cheering when he should cheer.

It was only during the brief interview before Seiko Matsuda took the stage that the host called him up and asked a few questions: "Standing before us is Naoki Nagayama-san, the creator of Seiko Matsuda's new song today. Is this your first time meeting Seiko-chan?"

"Yes, Seiko-san, nice to meet you..." "Nice to meet you, good evening, Nagayama-kun~" Then the two bowed to each other.

Then the host continued the flow: "I heard you composed this specifically as a fan of Seiko-chan?"

"Yes, I've liked Seiko-san since her debut, and then I suddenly composed it because of a certain moving moment..." A whole paragraph of scripted lines!

"So, do you have anything else you'd like to say to Seiko-san today?" the host continued the routine.

"Yes, I hope Seiko-san continues to work hard and reach new heights..." Still reading from a script.

"Alright, then let us enjoy this song filled with the heartfelt wishes of a fan."

After both parties bowed again, Naoki Nagayama stepped down, and Seiko Matsuda went to sing.

After two rehearsals and one formal recording, it was almost 11:00 PM.

Seeing that Seiko Matsuda remained energetic and kept a sweet smile until the very end, Naoki Nagayama couldn't help but marvel: any professional who reaches the top must possess abilities far beyond ordinary people!

After the recording ended, Seiko Matsuda seemed to have another engagement and left in a hurry. Daiko Sanwa drove Naoki Nagayama back home.

Upon arriving, he handed a brown envelope to Naoki Nagayama: "Nagayama-kun, good work today. This is today's remuneration, please keep it safe."

"Yes, arigato. Thank you for driving me back, Sanwa-san."

"Don't mention it, it's a manager's duty."

Back in his apartment, Naoki Nagayama went straight to take a shower. By the time he finished, it was nearly midnight.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he opened the brown envelope. There was actually 500,000 yen inside!

It was much higher than the 100,000 yen he had previously assumed.

*Heh, the entertainment industry is indeed generous.*

After putting the money in his wallet, Naoki Nagayama fell into a deep sleep.

(End of Chapter)