Chapter 45

Chapter 45: 045, “Who doesn’t know that Naoki Nagayama is a creative genius!”

Naoki Nagayama occasionally heard groups of young people on the streets discussing CATS, talking about which member they liked most, and what the strengths of CATS were.

There were also many discussions about the cat-ear hair accessories.

“But speaking of CATS, those cat-ear accessories are really interesting!”

“Yeah, I wonder where you can buy them.”

“I heard you can only get them through a TV lottery, and there are only about 1,000 limited pieces.”

“Actually, it’s a little over 900. The first 100 were already taken by people related to the production.”

“Really? So the ones CATS wore during the performance are number 001 to 005?”

“No. In a previous interview, the center member, Mihyuna Ōno, said hers was only number 003.”

“So the first two must’ve been taken by the producers, right? Damn capitalists…”

“Not necessarily. After all, they’re the ‘fathers of cat ears.’ Without them, how could we see such a cute creation?”

The first two pieces were, of course, the two prototype samples, which Nagayama Naoki had already given to Akina Nakamori and her younger sister, as a “designer’s privilege.”

As for Naoki himself, he had simply framed the original design sketch and placed it on his bookshelf. Yoshimura Daitomo and Ito Shuichi also took pieces from within the top ten as souvenirs.

All other custom-made cat-ear accessories within the first 1,000 units were distributed through a lottery system based on fan letters, and about half had already been sent out.

After all 1,000 numbered units were distributed, future cat-ear accessories would no longer carry serial numbers.

The increasingly famous CATS had created small waves in the television industry, gradually spreading through the entertainment world.

With rising fame came more collaboration offers.

Yoshimura Daitomo had become busy again recently, handling countless program appearances and coordination tasks. Without two assistants temporarily assigned from the agency, he would not have been able to keep up.

Ito Shuichi no longer participated in choreography himself. Instead, he hired professional dance instructors—letting professionals handle professional work. As producer, he would now focus on overall image design, MV production, song coordination, and record production.

So what about Nagayama Naoki?

He bought a piano.

Yes, it was placed in his Bunkyō residence, and he would go there to play whenever he had time.

Only after learning music theory and piano did Naoki Nagayama realize the charm of music.

Music played alone was the purest form—free of impurities and falsehoods.

It was like a most understanding confidant, capable of expressing every emotion within the heart.

When playing the piano, even without sheet music, he could freely follow his thoughts. Occasionally, when his memories aligned with familiar melodies, beautiful fragments of music would emerge.

From a complete novice to someone now able to play properly structured pieces, teacher Sachiko Tokunaga was surprised by his progress. She even said that if he had started as a child, he might have become a concert pianist.

Outside of practicing piano, he continued to enjoy a rather idle life.

“Naoki-san, at least come to the studio sometimes!” Ito Shuichi called him. “You’re already known as the ‘father of cat ears’—how can you just leave your own girl group alone?”

Naoki had no choice but to respond. The girl group had already entered a stable phase, and going there himself would only make him feel unnecessary.

“Shuichi-san, whenever I’m at the studio I feel like I have nothing to do… by the way, has the studio stopped doing commercial shoots?”

“That line of work is temporarily gone. We’re planning to turn the studio into the girl group’s base—GG’s future office.”

“What about your own studio work, Shuichi-san?”

Ito Shuichi seemed to be planning a full career shift.

“We can always change it back later.”

With the title of “Cat-Ear Father” on his head, Naoki Nagayama could not remain completely inactive.

He drove to Shōgo Processing and met factory owner Shōgo Tsuchida, who was busy working.

“Shōgo-kun, sorry to bother you again.”

Tsuchida Shōgo looked pleasantly surprised.

“Naoki-kun, what brings you here today? Did something go wrong with the cat-ear accessories?”

“No, it’s good news,” Naoki smiled. “Tsuchida-san, we’re planning to place another order for cat-ear accessories.”

“Really?” Tsuchida Shōgo became excited. The previous 1,000 pieces had only been a side job; this could become a major order.

“Yes. Do you remember what we discussed before? Besides black and white, this time we’ll also add red, yellow, gray, patterned ones, and more.”

“Yes, I remember. How many this time?”

“Let’s start with 10,000 units. If sales go well, we’ll increase the order.”

For a small factory, this was a huge order. Tsuchida quickly poured tea, prepared the contract, and finalized the paperwork.

Naoki paid the deposit without hesitation and arranged weekly deliveries.

For now, Shibuya’s commercial shop would be used as storage. If sales went well, opening a dedicated merchandise store would also be possible.

CATS continued to develop strongly. Beyond the popular “cat dance,” a new choreographer created a more rhythm-intensive routine based on the group’s concept.

Combined with energetic music, it gave Naoki a hint of later-generation Korean girl groups.

“Shuichi-san, Daitomo-san, this kind of choreography is actually best suited for live interaction,” Naoki said. “Should we try organizing a fan meeting?”

Shuichi Ito replied, “But with just two dance routines, it can’t really support a full concert, can it?”

“Of course not. For CATS, it’s still difficult to hold large stadium concerts like traditional idol groups. There are no albums, no solid fan base yet.”

“Are you talking about songs? We’ve contacted several lyricists and composers, but none suitable for the girl group,” Yoshimura Daitomo said, looking expectantly at Naoki. “Naoki-san, could you compose something?”

“Uh… Daitomo-san, didn’t I say before? My creativity comes from inspiration. It doesn’t just appear on command.”

“Who doesn’t know that Naoki Nagayama is a creative genius!”

Daitomo had visited Naoki’s Bunkyō residence several times and heard him playing piano, occasionally catching fragments of excellent music.

But he didn’t push further.

“Daitomo-san, I think CATS shouldn’t follow the old path. Maybe we should start with underground stages first.”

“You mean like underground bands?”

“Yes. Build fans and popularity gradually, and let the group mature. Once there are more songs, we can move toward concerts.”

For CATS, whose popularity was still fragile and whose agency GG lacked strength, pushing too aggressively could lead to burnout and collapse.

Naoki suddenly had an idea.

“We could also hold fan events at my disco.”

“The combination of disco and a girl group… isn’t that interesting?”