Chapter 30

Chapter 30: 030, Borrow Another 100 Million Yen!

Under a powerful money-driven promotional offensive, record stores across Tokyo recently echoed every day with the song “sakura sakura aitaiyo~”.

Even students on their way to and from school would occasionally hum a few lines.

By the second week, the song had already entered the top ten of the Oricon charts, and even reaching the top three seemed possible.

Riding on the song’s popularity, Kashiwabara Yoshie was invited onto the program “THE BEST TEN”. For a newcomer, this was already considered a major breakthrough.

Some television programs also tried to invite Nagayama Naoki to appear, but all invitations were declined.

Whether as lyricist, composer, or record producer, it was actually rare for such people to appear directly on screen. Traditional industry figures believed that the singer should remain the primary face representing the work.

As for Nagayama Naoki, he simply found it troublesome. Wasn’t it better to quietly make money behind the scenes?

His actor’s revenue share had already been paid out. This time, the acting fee alone amounted to 15 million yen, with additional income still coming from song copyrights, record royalties, and other distributions.

Although the producer’s share still needed to be split with the agency, calculating everything together, the total profit from this wave would certainly exceed 100 million yen.

The wallet that had recently been empty suddenly became full again.

Suppressing the impulse to immediately buy another house, Nagayama Naoki decided to let Fujita Keiko wait for the moment, at least for another half month.

The next advertisement project would be in April, meaning he had at least half a month to rest.

After a long period of tension, Nagayama Naoki finally returned to his long-missed laid-back daily life.

This time, however, it felt more like being a university student. He attended classes twice a week with Teacher Sachiko: one lesson in music theory and one in instruments.

Naturally, he chose the piano. Although he didn’t yet have one at home, he would definitely buy one eventually. Otherwise, wouldn’t his future seaside villa feel empty?

After getting dressed, Nagayama Naoki put on a pair of lightly tinted glasses, wrapped a scarf around his neck, and left home.

With the advertisement airing continuously, more and more people had begun recognizing him. While walking on the street, younger girls often recognized him and approached to strike up conversations, which he found somewhat unbearable.

Now he had to disguise himself slightly when going out. If wearing a mask didn’t make people think he was sick, he would have worn one already.

A few days later, Nagayama Naoki met Nakai Genta again.

“What? Another loan? Naoki-san, did you do something illegal?”

“Hey, I’ll sue you for defamation. This is completely legitimate income,” Nagayama Naoki almost choked.

They met at an izakaya. When Nakai Genta walked in, Naoki looked surprised.

“Genta-san, did you go to Africa or something? Why are you so dark and thin?”

“Thanks to you, I’ve been running around outside meeting clients every day. Of course I lost weight.” Though it sounded like a complaint, Nakai Genta was smiling brightly.

After introducing Nagayama Naoki’s previous loan case to his senior Ito Masayuki at the bank, Nakai Genta had clearly begun handling real business. Lending was only part of it; visiting clients was the real start of building professional connections.

While drinking, he asked, “So what do you need this time? Another loan?”

“Nothing special. I recently created another song, and the revenue share should be good, so I want to mortgage the contract and take a loan to buy property.”

“Huh? Didn’t you already buy a house?”

“For investment.”

“Didn’t you also buy land?”

“Who would ever think they own too many houses?”

“Huh? You have to pay taxes. And repay loans too.”

“Of course I know that. That’s why I came to you. Shouldn’t a good friend give me the lowest preferential rate?”

After understanding Naoki’s intentions, Nakai Genta had nothing more to say. Buying property after earning money was one of the most normal decisions for ordinary people.

“So, how much do you want to borrow this time?”

“I still want to borrow 100 million yen.”

“What??? Are you crazy? Do you think every song’s royalties will earn like ‘Cherry Blossom’ did?” Nakai nearly jumped up.

“Idiot. Haven’t you heard the recent ‘Sakura Anata ni Deaete Yokatta (Sakura Sakura, I’m Glad I Met You)’?” Nagayama Naoki spoke with a look of superiority. “It’s already in the Oricon top ten. This time it’s not a top idol’s record, but I’m the producer, so my share is larger.”

“You wrote that song too?” Nakai Genta wasn’t deeply involved in the entertainment industry, but he had heard the new song.

“Yes.”

Nakai Genta sighed in admiration. “I didn’t expect you to actually be a creative genius.”

“Hahaha, want an autograph? It might be worth money someday.”

“No thanks. Don’t get carried away.”

There were few evergreen figures in the entertainment industry, but under Japan’s lifetime employment system, bank employees only became more valuable with age, so Nakai Genta didn’t feel much jealousy.

After joking for a while, Nagayama Naoki asked, “So, can you handle loan applications on your own now?”

“I can, but I’ve never handled an amount this large.”

“Hurry and try submitting it. Apply under my personal studio’s name. With copyright royalties and record revenue as collateral, a business loan should still be possible.”

“You already registered a personal studio?”

“Yes. It’s called Halo.”

“In that case, I can try submitting it to the department manager.” A one-hundred-million-yen loan was a major performance record for the branch office and would also benefit Nakai Genta’s career development.

“Then I’m counting on you.”

Afterward, the two continued drinking.

“How is Suzumi-san lately?”

“She’s graduating next year. We plan to get married after graduation.”

“Pff—” Nagayama Naoki spat out his drink. “Marriage? Isn’t that sudden?”

“What’s strange about it? I’m already 23, and Suzumi is 22.”

At the time, it was indeed common in Japan for female university students to marry right after graduation. But Nagayama Naoki was only nineteen, so the idea felt far too early to him.

“It feels sudden… hearing you talk about marriage makes you sound like you’ve suddenly joined the middle-aged generation.”

“Hey, I’m older than you to begin with.”

Later, Nagayama Naoki contacted Fujita Keiko again.

“What? Buying another house?”

Fujita Keiko felt as though she had been serving Nagayama Naoki nonstop for half a year. Still, consecutive deals had earned her considerable commission.

The only problem was coworkers occasionally gossiping behind her back, wondering whether she had some special relationship with a certain handsome young client, even hinting at improper dealings.

“Didn’t you just buy one a month ago?”

“Yes. I happened to earn some more money, so I want to buy another.”

“Does your money fall from the sky?” Fujita Keiko couldn’t help asking.

“Hahaha, Keiko-san sure knows how to joke.”

“So what kind of property do you want this time?”

“The same as the previous two times.”

“Two times?”

“Yes. This time I want to buy one residential property and another commercial one.”

“Eh?!”