Chapter 7

Chapter 7 007: When Will We Meet Again?

“Eh~ Naoki-kun, do you know Akina-san?” Nakai Genta couldn’t help asking after seeing this.

Along with Akina Nakamori, all five pairs of eyes in the room turned toward Nagayama Naoki. The sudden attention brought an immediate sense of pressure. His mind flashed rapidly.

“Yes, it’s a bit of a coincidence. I recently watched NTV’s STAR! Is Born, and I remember there was a contestant named Akina Nakamori…” Although he hadn’t actually watched it, Naoki simply adapted details from Akina Nakamori’s debut history. “Is it the same person?”

The nightclub lighting was dim, but on the round-cheeked girl’s face there was a clear mix of surprise and shyness.

“Yes, I did participate. Unfortunately, I was eliminated.”

“I see. That’s a pity. Seiko-san’s performance of Hadashi no Kisetsu was very good as well,” Naoki said, offering a casual consolation.

“Really? You think it was good? That makes me so happy…”

She suddenly became visibly excited and happy.

Do kids really not understand social etiquette or professional flattery?

At that moment, Hoshino Suzumi teased him. “Oh my~ Naoki-kun actually ran into his idol in a nightclub~ hahaha.”

Nakai Genta also joined in. “The meeting between a fan and an idol—what a wonderful fate. We should definitely drink to that~”

As expected of a social expert, a few words quickly heated up the atmosphere. Nakai Genta and the two older sisters, Akina Nakamori’s elder sister Harue Nakamori and her elder sister Akiko Nakamori, chatted happily while exchanging drinks. Naoki Nagayama, Akina Nakamori, and the younger Minori Nakamori sat aside drinking juice.

“Eh? Naoki-kun doesn’t drink?” Akina Nakamori seemed very interested in this “fan.”

“I’m only 18 this year, so I can’t drink yet~” Naoki replied. In truth, he was somewhat troubled—his previous life had clearly involved drinking, yet now he still couldn’t.

“Ehh?! You’re that young?” Minori Nakamori couldn’t help but react. “But you weren’t scared at all when facing those yakuza guys.”

Is age really measured by whether you get scared or not?

As for Harue Nakamori and Akiko Nakamori—were they adults already? Could they drink? Looking at their relatively mature appearance, Naoki decided not to think about it further.

“Actually, those guys weren’t yakuza,” Naoki quickly changed the topic.

He then began explaining based on his memory of real yakuza characteristics. Using knowledge from more than thirty years later, he left the two younger girls completely stunned. In the end, even the drinking group was drawn into listening.

The gathering was extremely enjoyable. They even went to the dance floor. Akina Nakamori volunteered to teach Naoki how to dance, and their synchronized movements strangely resembled group exercise routines.

After a short while, Naoki started sweating again—his body was too weak. Even Akina Nakamori only had a faint blush on her face.

Time always felt short in moments of joy.

Although the nightclub stayed open until midnight, the Nakamori family could not stay long. The moment of farewell arrived.

“I’m sorry. Although we had a great time, we really have to go back,” Harue Nakamori said, her face flushed but still composed. Compared to her, Akiko Nakamori was already quite drunk.

“Ah, it’s a pity, but since you’re all minors, you shouldn’t stay out too late. Then we’ll say goodbye here,” Nakai Genta said without insisting. He was used to such brief encounters.

Hoshino Suzumi also looked at them. “Nakamori ladies, let’s meet again if fate allows~”

“Thank you very much for today.” ×4

Before leaving, Akina Nakamori specifically said goodbye to Naoki.

“Naoki-kun, see you next time. Make sure you practice your dancing~”

Naoki smiled and replied, “Yes, yes, I’ll follow Akina-sensei’s guidance. And Akina-sensei should also work hard and aim for debut~”

“Haha, I’ll borrow your good wishes. Bye~”

A chance meeting—joyful yet brief.

The next encounter was unknown, and precisely because of that, it was full of anticipation.

Days passed one after another.

The weather gradually turned colder.

That romantic episode now felt like something from half a month ago.

Mrs. Makino was still busy every day in the apartment, constantly worrying about everything.

Nakai Genta was still attending job interviews, though his nights of wild partying had decreased. Perhaps his earlier heroic act had moved Hoshino Suzumi, and their relationship was shifting from friends toward something between friendship and romance.

Naoki began working out. After getting money, he left his meals to Mrs. Makino and used his free time to improve his weak body and think about how to continue getting rich.

After rent and other expenses, Naoki still had 10.02 million yen in total assets. Where to invest this money had been troubling him.

In 1980s Tokyo, housing prices were already rising but had not yet exploded, and the stock market was similar. The bubble economy would likely only fully arrive around 1985. Before that, he needed to accumulate capital and wait for the wave of the era.

With over 10 million yen, he could buy a decent condominium in Koto Ward, but it would take more than ten years to reach maximum returns.

So for the next ten years, would he still end up working?

No. Absolutely not.

Sell songs again? But most of the music in his mind was either for Seiko Matsuda or Akina Nakamori. One had already been harvested; the other had not yet matured.

Wait—no. The song sold to Seiko Matsuda was guaranteed to be a hit. Even if it wasn’t released on New Year’s, it would still reach the top of the Oricon chart by February. That meant royalties would start pouring in afterward.

In other words, in three months he would no longer lack money.

Then he should buy a house during this period.

In 1980 Tokyo, housing prices were about 1 million yen per tsubo, though it varied depending on location.

His current assets were enough to buy a 10-tsubo residence outright in cash. As for loans for a larger place—given his current unemployed status, he wouldn’t qualify for much.

However, once that song became a hit, using royalty income as collateral would greatly expand his options. The snowball would grow from there.

To buy a house, he needed a real estate agency. Naoki went directly to the same agency he had used when renting before. Although small, it served people moving into Tokyo and had branches across the city. In his memory, its service had been quite good.

As soon as he entered, he ran into a familiar staff member: a young receptionist named Fujita Keiko, who had helped him find the Makino residence earlier that year.

“Good morning, Fujita-san!” Naoki greeted her.

She looked uncertain. “Excuse me… are you Nagayama-kun?”

“Yes, it’s me, Fujita-san. I’m Naoki Nagayama. Haha, did my hairstyle make me unrecognizable?”

“Oh my, Nagayama-kun, you’ve changed so much! I couldn’t recognize you at all,” she said with a smile. “Now you look like someone who could be mistaken for a celebrity on the street.”

“Haha, Fujita-san, you’re too good with words. That makes me shy.”

Seeing Naoki’s confident and cheerful appearance, Fujita’s face turned slightly red. She quickly invited him into the reception room and went to prepare tea.

Soon after, Fujita brought in a cup of oolong tea and asked about his purpose.

She had even taken the chance to spray perfume and fix her makeup.

“So, Fujita-san, I recently made some money and would like to change my residence, so I’m here to trouble you again.”

“I see. That’s impressive, Nagayama-kun. You got a raise so quickly,” Fujita said in surprise. “So this time, where would you like to rent? And how large?”

“No, Fujita-san, I want to buy a property, not rent anymore,” Naoki corrected her.

She was shocked. “What? Buy a house? It’s been less than a year… Nagayama-kun, that’s incredible.”

After discussing his budget and requirements—such as no tenants, fast transactions, and not being limited to Nakano—the receptionist said she would need two days to contact headquarters and prepare suitable listings.

She would then arrange property viewings with him.

When he left, Fujita Keiko kept watching him, her eyes almost sparkling.