Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Were young women of the Showa era really this uninhibited?

Sitting in the booth, they did not go dancing right away.

“Genta-san, how has work been lately?” The atmosphere felt like coworkers drinking together after getting off work.

“How should I put it? Loan business has been very easy recently. It’s simple to attract borrowers. But deposit business has become quite difficult.”

“Hah, doesn’t that mean the economy is doing well? Everyone wants to spend money now. I heard Japan’s per-capita GDP has already reached ten thousand dollars, right? Foreign trade is also growing rapidly.”

“That’s right. Banks have been very loose with lending recently, especially mortgages. Even people who previously didn’t qualify can now get loans.”

“Really? Does that mean I can take out another loan?”

“Eh? Naoki-san wants to buy another house? Did you write another famous song recently?”

“Not really. I’ve just been trying to shoot some short dramas lately.”

The two chatted while drinking, completely leaving Suzumi Hoshino aside.

“Hey, you two. Did you come to a disco to talk about work and the economy?” Suzumi Hoshino complained. “Hurry up and go dance!”

Genta Nakai immediately put down his glass. “Yes, yes, let’s go dancing!”

“What a guy—forgetting friends the moment a girl calls.”

Naoki Nagayama muttered, but drinking alone was boring, so he followed them onto the dance floor.

A slow-tempo dance track was playing.

Under dim lighting, the leading dancers wore light, revealing outfits, swaying and singing softly on stage. The entire disco carried a hazy, ambiguous atmosphere.

Naoki Nagayama soon began to regret coming. At first, gently moving to the music felt relaxing, but at some point many young women started circling around him.

Before long, he was completely surrounded, unable to even see Genta Nakai or Suzumi Hoshino anymore.

As the slow song ended, the rhythm gradually accelerated, and the women’s movements became increasingly bold. Even while trying to be careful, arms and shoulders brushed against him constantly—and sometimes places less convenient to mention. When he suddenly felt mischievous hands touching his backside in the darkness, he quickly slipped out of the dance floor.

Women of the Showa era really couldn’t be underestimated. They were this open?

Young women who came to discos in those days were enthusiastic and daring. Seeing a handsome young man dancing alone, how could they resist teasing him?

After waiting in the booth for a while, Genta Nakai and Suzumi Hoshino finally returned, tired from dancing.

Seeing Naoki Nagayama sitting there, Genta Nakai asked, “Naoki-san, why did you stop dancing?”

He raised his eyebrows teasingly. “You were surrounded by so many girls.”

“Damn it, you noticed all along, didn’t you? And still abandoned me!”

Suzumi Hoshino laughed. “Haha, we thought you liked it. By the way, Naoki-san, you’re already nineteen, right? Why don’t you get a girlfriend? You’re clearly handsome enough to make girls fall for you.”

“Suzumi-chan, if you say that, your official boyfriend might get jealous,” Genta Nakai joked beside her.

“Alright, alright. Genta-chan, have a cocktail specially prepared with love by your girlfriend.”

Ugh, this disgusting display of affection.

After taking a sip, Genta Nakai continued, “Seriously though, Naoki-san still doesn’t have a girlfriend? Handsome, wealthy, talented…”

“Hmph. I’m not interested in those girls.”

With no women in the heart, the sword moves freely.

“Eh?!” Genta Nakai pretended to look shocked. “Don’t tell me you like boys?”

Suzumi Hoshino played along. “Naoki-san, you must not make a move on our Genta!”

Naoki Nagayama fell silent.

“You two, that’s enough. Why are you acting like my mother? Speaking of which, when are you getting married?”

“We’re probably getting married early next year. Don’t try to change the subject, Naoki-san!”

Damn it—seen right through.

Suzumi Hoshino added fuel to the fire. “What kind of girl do you like? I have plenty of younger schoolmates I can introduce. Older senior girls too.”

“Come on, I’m not even an adult yet. What’s the rush? At this stage, a man should focus on his career.”

Genta Nakai said, “We’re not telling you to get married right now.”

Suzumi Hoshino echoed him, “Exactly. High-quality university student resources are hard to find. If you need male juniors, that’s also possible.”

Watching the couple become increasingly outrageous, Naoki Nagayama protested, “What are you two even thinking?”

Pressed too hard, he blurted out, “Actually… I already have someone I like!”

The two did not believe him. “Really? What’s her name? What does she do? How did you meet?”

“Are you police officers? Conducting a background check?”

“Naoki-san, is it inconvenient to reveal for now?”

What else could he do? The lie spoken in panic could only be maintained. “Yes, yes. It’s not convenient to say yet.”

“Then when will it be?”

“Probably in one or two years.”

Genta Nakai immediately showed a look of disdain. “That young? Careful or you’ll end up at a police station!”

Where did your mind even go?!

They kept dancing until eleven o’clock. Naoki Nagayama also arranged with Genta Nakai to discuss taking a loan to buy a house later.

After leaving, Genta Nakai naturally took a taxi home with Suzumi Hoshino.

Naoki Nagayama, however, did not feel like going home early. Instead of taking a taxi, he boarded the last train.

Their questions earlier left him puzzled.

Why didn’t he have a girlfriend?

Honestly, after living in the Showa era for more than a year, he had met plenty of beautiful women—Keiko Fujita, Seiko Matsuda, more recently Naoko Kawai, Kanako Higuchi, Yoshie Kashiwabara, Akina Nakamori, and even members of the Wild Cats group.

With his own conditions, it shouldn’t have been difficult to pursue someone.

Yet he had no desire to chase anyone.

Were they all just friends?

There was nothing wrong with his body—of that Naoki Nagayama was certain.

Could it be a psychological issue?

On the late-night train, he kept thinking.

Watching passengers get on and off without anyone staying long, he finally reached a vague conclusion:

Friends gather and part unpredictably; meeting is fate, separation is natural.

Family bonds existed even before this life and required little effort to maintain.

In truth, Naoki Nagayama treated everyone in this era as passersby.

Although he lived in reality, his heart remained sealed.

The ability to give genuine feelings seemed locked inside the soul of his previous life, impossible to retrieve.

If he pursued someone without offering sincerity, wouldn’t it just become a galgame?

What was enjoyable about that?

He might as well pay 688 yen for a date at an entertainment establishment.

Simply put, he had not yet met anyone who truly moved his heart.

Even Akina Nakamori, whom he currently liked somewhat, was still just a slightly chubby high school girl—at most carrying the bonus of becoming a future idol.

For now, there was no desire to pursue her.

Thinking this through, Naoki Nagayama finally felt relieved. Let things take their natural course.

After all, for someone who had transmigrated here, being able to treat this era as a real world was already remarkable.

If he could easily open his heart and fully integrate into the present, then what would the more than thirty years before transmigration have been?

Just a dream?