Chapter 8

Chapter 8: 008, “You’re so handsome, Have you ever considered shooting a photo—no, an advertisement?”

On the way back, Nagayama Naoki felt a bit pleased with himself, but also slightly surprised. Was changing his appearance really that dramatic? Was it really that attractive to the opposite sex?

With Makino Mrs., Nakai Genta, and the others he saw every day, the change wasn’t obvious. But people who hadn’t seen him for a while could immediately notice his transformation.

An eighteen-year-old boy was at the most vibrant stage of life. With youth alone, he wouldn’t look bad. Moreover, Naoki was already quite handsome. Recently, he had started training and gained a bit of muscle. With a clean short haircut and bangs, his brows and eyes were no longer hidden.

He had become a fresh, handsome, and healthy young man, completely different from his former timid and dull countryside self.

Now Nagayama Naoki wore modern, comfortable outfits from the future: plain T-shirts, a denim jacket, black cropped pants, and new sneakers. Compared with the men of the Shōwa era who mostly wore suits, dress pants, and leather shoes, his style was very fashionable.

If he walked around Shibuya like this, he might even be handed a talent scout’s business card.

Unexpectedly, early the next morning, Fujita Keiko called. It was even Saturday.

Heh. Women really get enthusiastic when they see a handsome guy.

The handsome guy was him. Then it made sense.

He arranged to meet Fujita Keiko at the real estate agency and then go by car to view several properties.

Fujita Keiko was very capable at work. In just one day, she had found information on six properties and even obtained the keys.

This was not the 21st century with fast internet. She must have spent the whole day making calls and personally visiting branch offices to collect the keys.

When they met, Fujita Keiko was full of energy.

“Naoki-san, you’re here! Today we have six properties to view. I’ll drive you there.”

Her form of address had even become more intimate.

“Sorry to trouble you, Keiko-san. You can drive?”

“Don’t worry, leave it to me today!”

They got into an old Toyota sedan, manual transmission.

Come to think of it, maybe I should buy a car later?

But after buying a house, there probably wouldn’t be much money left. He would have to wait for royalty income before thinking about it again.

Whether in ancient or modern times, the factors for buying a house were similar. After setting the budget, the most important thing was location. Everything else could be adjusted.

Among the properties Fujita Keiko found, two were in Nakano: ordinary 20-tsubo (about 66㎡) apartments in residential areas. Transport wasn’t very convenient, and Naoki didn’t like them. More importantly, Nakano in the future was expected to remain a relatively lower-end residential area, with limited appreciation potential.

The remaining four properties included two in Shinjuku, one in Setagaya, and one in Koto.

He had already mentally ruled out the Setagaya and Koto properties. They might be good for living in, but with a budget of just over ten million yen, they wouldn’t be very high quality. What mattered now was appreciation potential.

One of the Shinjuku properties was a detached house, 10 tsubo (about 30㎡) but two stories—suitable for a family. The other was an apartment near Waseda, on the third floor, 20 tsubo (about 66㎡), two bedrooms and a living room, suitable for office workers.

For Nagayama Naoki, as a temporary residence with future resale potential, the third-floor apartment was the best choice. He didn’t hesitate.

“Keiko-san, I like this apartment. Let’s take this one.”

“Eh? Aren’t there two more properties? Maybe one of them suits you better. You should take another look~”

Her eyes lingered on him, her tone slightly coquettish.

Was she here to view properties, or to keep looking at me?

“Let’s go with this one. We’ll pay the deposit.”

The contract and deposit were handled at the Shinjuku branch. He also declined her lunch invitation.

He needed to finish quickly. Being an eighteen-year-old attractive young man was too dangerous.

It wasn’t even noon yet. Since he was already out, he decided to walk around.

Shinjuku’s commercial streets were full of shops, but Naoki, who had just spent nearly all his money, wasn’t in the mood to spend more. He preferred something interesting.

Since it was the weekend, Harajuku’s pedestrian paradise was open. He had heard Nakai Genta talk about how lively it was, so he decided to go.

From Waseda to Harajuku by train took only a little over ten minutes.

After leaving the station, he bought takoyaki and walked while eating.

In the pedestrian zone, he occasionally saw groups in strange costumes—the so-called “Takenoko-zoku”—dancing with portable cassette players. Their bright, exaggerated outfits mixed Chinese-style and Arabic-style elements, like a mix of carnival and flash mob culture.

If they were a bit older, it would almost look like group dancing in a public square.

At the intersections, street performers were also present. Some were quite skilled, and Naoki even tipped them a little. Others doing heavy metal performances looked like complete chaos.

He finished his takoyaki quickly and wasn’t hungry yet, so he kept walking and looking for a restaurant.

Then a flyer from a deer-masked person caught his attention—a live house poster advertising a band performance in the afternoon. Interesting.

Then—huh? Why is a balding middle-aged man staring at me with such a sleazy expression?

Talent scouts were the entry-level of the entertainment industry, and Yoshimura Daitomo had already long left frontline scouting.

He was now a planning director at a small agency. The company survived by taking small advertising jobs through connections with Dentsu and publishing photo magazines.

But today, he had to return to street scouting.

A long-established beverage company, Tomo Juice, had launched a new plum-flavored soda for the year-end season. Through personal connections, the president had secured an advertising contract.

Normally, it would be simple: find a pretty girl, film her drinking soda, add a “Wow, so good!” line, and it would be done.

But this time, the client wanted a clean, refreshing male model.

None of the candidates they submitted were approved.

Shōwa-era male idols were mostly rugged and masculine. Clean, refreshing types existed, but not in Yoshimura Daitomo’s small agency.

The client was even considering switching agencies. The director had threatened that if they lost the deal, the planning department’s bonus would be gone.

So Yoshimura Daitomo had no choice but to search the streets.

After a whole morning, he was frustrated.

What a mess… has the era changed?

Street performances used to be about real singing and skill. Now everything was heavy makeup, bizarre outfits, colors everywhere—real individuality buried under cosmetics.

Then, suddenly, a blue figure entered his vision.

Denim jacket, white T-shirt, black cropped pants, gray sneakers. A clean, slightly thin face, neat hairstyle.

It was like a stream of clear water washing away the noise of the pedestrian street.

When the boy looked over, Yoshimura Daitomo’s heartbeat even quickened slightly.

This is it.

He walked over, bowed.

“Good morning. I’m Yoshimura Daitomo from Kyōei Agency.”

He handed over a business card.

“Good morning, I’m Nagayama Naoki. How can I help you?”

“Naoki-san, you’re very handsome. Have you ever considered shooting a photo—no, an advertisement?”

“…Huh?”