Chapter 52

Chapter 52: an unexpected encounter—so it turns out to be an idol!

“Uh… Naoko-san, it seems there’s been some misunderstanding. That’s not my experience.”

Nagayama Naoki gave a stiff explanation.

“I understand.” Kawai Naoko’s eyes were firm. “I won’t tell anyone.”

What now. She misunderstood right after meeting him. No explanation is getting through. Need a solution. Online waiting.

Naoki looked at the girl in front of him, helpless.

Forget it. Whatever.

“After reading them, I feel even more strongly that these three songs are excellent!”

“Actually, the lyrics are almost complete.”

Naoko Kawai praised them without hesitation. “It’s a pity they’re all written from a male perspective. Otherwise, I’d really want to buy the rights from you and produce them into records.”

“Eh? Naoko-san is in the record industry?”

“You really don’t recognize me?” Kawai Naoko looked a little disappointed. “I thought I was already quite well-known as an idol.”

“So Naoko-san is a famous idol?” Naoki studied her more carefully.

Naoko smiled naturally.

“This smile…”

“You’re Kawai Naoko!”

Naoki finally recognized her.

To be honest, idols as famous as Nakamori Akina were rare. Most idols—who could remember them all?

Can you connect ordinary people in daily life with TV idols?

Everyone knows Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world. What about the second highest?

If you can name even the third without searching…

I’ll give you a “respect.”

“So Naoko-san is an idol!”

At this time, Kawai Naoko had already gained some popularity, but she was still a newcomer, so not recognizing her was understandable.

“Yes, I debuted last year. I’m Kawai Naoko. Please support me.”

“Haha, sorry, I didn’t recognize you right away.”

After breaking through that layer of unfamiliarity, the two seemed to become more comfortable with each other.

“Are you living around here, Naoko-san?”

“No. I just moved in a couple of days ago. It’s temporary—I have some work nearby.”

“I see. I thought you were a university student living here.”

“I also want to go to university. I want to learn more music theory. I studied at a private girls’ school in Osaka, but it didn’t offer university education. After debuting, I also don’t have time to continue studying.”

“University… you can go anytime.”

Naoki suddenly realized he himself was only a high school graduate. In his past life he at least had a university degree, which made him feel oddly ashamed.

But if he were told to bury himself in studying for four or five years just for a diploma, he absolutely wouldn’t do it.

“Still, university is just a place. If it’s not for the certificate, learning can happen anywhere.”

He decided he would study at home. Learn until old age.

Just as the conversation was going well, the doorbell rang from next door.

“Naoko-san, are you there?”

“Oh no, it’s my manager.” Naoko suddenly panicked.

If her manager saw her at a young man’s house, she would be scolded.

Naoki remained calm.

“Your manager is here. He probably has something to discuss. You should go back.”

“Yes, thank you for your hospitality!”

She quickly stood up and rushed out.

From outside, the manager could be heard asking how she ended up coming out from next door.

Such chance encounters with an idol in daily life felt strangely unreal. It seemed like fate liked to give people unexpected surprises.

Naoki packed up the sheet music.

These three songs were good, but without a popular drama backing them, they would be hard to make popular. For now, they would remain in reserve.

The mood had faded, so he decided to go home.

He didn’t see Naoko again when leaving; perhaps she was discussing work with her manager.

No farewell was fine. The next meeting would be more surprising.

He stopped for ramen on the way, then returned to his apartment in Waseda.

Compared to the piano room, this place—with sofa, TV, refrigerator, snacks, drinks—was the real home.

He turned on the TV, flipping channels while thinking about when computers would finally appear. Those famous online games would truly be essential for an otaku.

A commercial suddenly caught his attention—it was Masahiko Kondo’s white peach soda ad.

The two-minute commercial had most of his scenes cut, but the editing was decent and the storyline clear.

The acting was still inexperienced, but it matched the high school setting.

However, forcing white peach and youth romance together—how much acceptance could that really gain?

Not to mention the music—it was simply ordinary.

He only watched it patiently because he had participated in it, otherwise he wouldn’t have cared.

Advertisements like this simply relied on idol popularity to drive sales. Everything depended on Kondo’s fans.

There were many programs on TV.

Late-night dramas were melodramatic but good for killing time.

There was even an early version of Ultraman, which somewhat made up for childhood regrets.

But perhaps because he had spent the afternoon recalling two idol dramas, his mind was too full, and he fell asleep early.

The next morning, he woke up full of energy.

The weather was getting hotter, and everything was in a lull period.

Naoki decided to take a summer vacation like Yoshimura Daitomo.

A domestic trip, of course—overseas travel would wait until he had more capital.

He took out a map of Japan and began planning a summer road trip.

Unlike ordinary workers who only had one or two days off, he planned to spend a full week traveling.

That allowed plenty of time to enjoy the scenery.

Hokkaido was ideal for road trips, but his car couldn’t be taken there, so he would leave it for winter skiing.

He planned to head south along the coast, stop by his hometown in Shizuoka, since it had been half a year since he last returned.

On the map, he marked places of interest: the Great Buddha of Kamakura, Hakone, Atami, the Izu Peninsula, Mount Fuji, Shizuoka, Nagoya, then through the mountains to Nagano, the Venus Line, and back to Tokyo via the mountain roads of Shikacho.

A journey of over a thousand kilometers—mountains and sea alike.

A true “crossing mountains and seas.”

Unlike the structured travel routes of the future, his plan was only a rough outline.

He could adjust freely along the way. There was no rush.