Chapter 78

Chapter 78: “About to Fall into a One Night Emotional Entanglement!”

Where had he seen her before?

In reality, he had never seen any of her works at all. How was he supposed to answer?

If he admitted now that he had never watched them, wouldn’t it become extremely awkward?

But if he claimed he had seen them, he would have to start fabricating another lie.

Not wanting the atmosphere to turn awkward, yet unwilling to continue lying, Nagayama Naoki could only try to muddle through:

“Which film was it… sumimasen, it’s been so long that my memory is already vague.

But at the time, it was probably Ms. Tanaka Yuko’s performance that left a deeper impression on me.

So when we first met, I kept feeling as if I had seen you somewhere before, and ended up staring for quite a while. That was rather rude of me.”

Perfect.

He even explained away why he had been staring earlier.

Since she had supposedly forgotten as well, she could hardly continue pressing the matter. This way he would not need to keep pretending to be a fan.

Tanaka Yuko seemed to accept the explanation.

“I see. Then it was probably ‘Ama Neesan’ or ‘Ukigumo in Troubled Times.’ Those two films are relatively well known among my works. Nagayama-san, which one was it? You should at least remember the general plot, right?”

“Which one could it be? I haven’t watched a single one!” Nagayama screamed inwardly.

On the surface, however, he remained calm, scratching his head thoughtfully before giving an ambiguous answer:

“Ah, it was the earlier one, so I can’t remember the title anymore. I only remember the character.”

Tanaka Yuko clapped her hands.

“That one! ‘Ama Neesan’ was actually my debut work!”

Thinking about it that way, her first morning drama “Ama Neesan” must have left quite a strong impression on audiences. Still, forgetting the title was a bit improper.

“Nagayama-san, thank you for your support. It would be even better if you could remember the title next time.

By the way, did you watch the film ‘Ukigumo in Troubled Times’ released earlier this year? What did you think of the role?”

It seemed the actress wanted feedback from viewers, or perhaps a positive response.

Or maybe she had encountered a casual admirer and wanted to turn him into a true fan.

But Nagayama Naoki truly did not want to keep inventing stories. He decided to tell the truth.

“Well… sumimasen. I actually haven’t watched your later films. But Ms. Tanaka’s acting must certainly be excellent.”

“Oh? Then why didn’t you watch it?”

This young woman seemed surprisingly familiar and talkative, continuing to ask questions.

“Ah, well… I’ve probably just been too busy. And whenever I do have free time, something else comes up. I also never found the right person to go watch it with.

So I ended up missing it. It’s really quite regrettable.”

Too busy, unexpected matters during free time, and no companion to watch with — the classic trio of universal excuses.

With those three reasons combined, anyone would find it difficult to argue further.

“I see. That really is a pity. That film was my first appearance on the big screen, and it was also a breakthrough for my acting.”

Normally the conversation could have ended here. Regret had been expressed; the topic could change.

But this young woman turned out to be quite talkative.

“And you know, the story of ‘Ukigumo in Troubled Times’ is very compelling. It portrays an ukiyo-e world at the end of the shogunate era. The characters are all different — some busy, some idle — and everyone lacks a sense of security. The protagonist is… the supporting characters… and I played a role who…”

Because of a single remark about regret, she began explaining the entire plot to Nagayama Naoki.

She clearly cared deeply about the film. Even though it had been released more than half a year ago, she still remembered every detail and spoke with great enthusiasm, even moving across one recliner to sit beside him while talking.

Nagayama Naoki was not particularly interested in the story itself.

But since Tanaka Yuko had already begun speaking so passionately, he could only listen politely.

Anyone accustomed to listening to friends complain or share gossip knew that when people spoke with such immersion, they did not truly need serious feedback. Often they were simply venting emotions or enjoying the act of sharing.

At such moments, responses like “Hmm?” “Oh?” or “Is that so?” were enough to satisfy both sides until the conversation naturally ended.

Nagayama Naoki adopted exactly this method.

Although he appeared to be listening attentively, his mind had already wandered elsewhere. His eyes remained on her to show attentiveness, and he occasionally responded with small interjections.

Even Tanaka Yuko failed to notice his distraction and instead believed the handsome young man genuinely agreed with her analysis of the film.

However, an unexpected situation arose.

Because she had been swimming earlier, Tanaka Yuko was wearing a black backless one-piece swimsuit, and when she moved closer she seemed to have forgotten to bring her bath towel.

Now that they were sitting very close together, Nagayama Naoki’s gaze inevitably fell toward her.

Under the cool lighting of the pool, the black swimsuit made her fair skin appear almost luminous. Her pale arms moved occasionally as she gestured while speaking.

Below her slender waist, her long legs rested gracefully to one side, outlining her elegant figure.

Nagayama Naoki even felt as if he could smell a faint fragrance coming from her.

A woman’s intuition was sharp. Sensing his gaze, Tanaka Yuko seemed to notice the awkwardness, yet it would have been strange to suddenly retrieve a towel, so she continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

Her ears gradually turned red.

This could not continue.

With considerable effort, Nagayama Naoki tried to pull his gaze away, yet his young body seemed to resist his will. Without realizing it, his entire body had shifted closer to her.

The distance between them was about to cross normal social boundaries.

The atmosphere was clearly turning increasingly ambiguous.

If this continued, he might truly fall into a One Night emotional complication.

What should he do?

“Yuko-chan, where are you?”

At that moment, a young woman’s voice came from the pool entrance.

Tanaka Yuko immediately replied, “I’m over here!”

She then casually walked aside and picked up her bath towel.

When she answered, Nagayama Naoki finally regained control of himself and relaxed back onto the recliner. At the same time, he seemed to hear her quietly exhale in relief — mixed with a trace of reluctance.

With a series of light footsteps, the young woman approached.

“Yuko-chan, what are you doing here? Finished swimming already?”

Huh? That voice sounded familiar.

Tanaka Yuko stood up to speak with her, explaining that she had run into an acquaintance — even mentioning he was a fan.

Feeling the voice was familiar, Nagayama Naoki turned his head, his gaze passing over the recliners.

He saw a beautiful woman wearing a red one-piece swimsuit.

Higuchi Kanako.

At that moment, Higuchi Kanako also looked over after hearing the conversation, her eyes meeting Nagayama Naoki’s.

“Naoki-san?!” she exclaimed in surprise and delight. “What are you doing here?!”