Tokyo Bubble Life

Chapters 1431 and 1440: This is a crucial decision that will determine the next decade or so!
"Oh? You've already made plans?"

After dinner, Naoki Nagayama was eating strawberries while holding Natsuka in his arms, and talking on the phone with Otomo Yoshimura.

"If we were to meet, I would certainly have the time."

Ken Takakura and Naoki Nagayama have met at some events, but they are not very familiar with each other.

"I think it should be fine to show him the script!"

"What? At home?"

Naoki Nagayama turned his head, looked at the baby surrounded by three women, and at Natsuka, who was holding a strawberry-sized fruit in his arms, making a smacking sound. He nodded.
"No problem at all!"

After setting a time with Yoshimura Otomo, Nagayama Naoki chatted about other topics before hanging up the phone.

By this time, the little guy had finished the strawberry in his right hand and was biting off the tip of the strawberry in his left hand. Seeing his father looking over, he thought for a moment, took another bite, and then handed the rest of the strawberry to him.
"."

Naoki Nagayama paused for a moment, then without hesitation, devoured the entire box in one bite! Even though there was still a whole box left in the fridge.
It's not that we can't afford it ourselves, but it's because it's our daughter's way of showing filial piety!
Meanwhile, Akina handed the baby to her mother, Nanako, then sat down next to Naoki Nagayama, pulled Hanako into her arms, and asked affectionately:
"Is Naoki-san going to see Ken Takakura-senpai?"

"Hmm, I'd like to invite one of the male leads from 'Fast & Furious' to star in it!"

Naoki Nagayama nodded and said,
"Do Akina and Ken Takakura know each other?"

"I've met you a few times, but we're not very close."

Akina explained,
"Everyone says that Ken Takakura has a background in the Yakuza, so everyone is a little scared."

"It's from Kobe Geisha, so it must be related to the Yamaguchi-gumi."

Naoki Nagayama had heard about this before, but he didn't care about the times. The Anti-Organized Crime Law hadn't been enacted yet, and there were countless entertainers with ties to the underworld.
Besides, his grandfather was a yakuza boss; they could compare their shady dealings to Ken Takakura's to see who had a stronger criminal past.
"but."

Naoki Nagayama stopped.

"I've heard Yuko-san say that Ken Takakura is usually very considerate and thoughtful."

"Like this?"

Akina pictured Ken Takakura in her mind, and she couldn't fathom how such a serious, almost intimidating, entertainer could be so considerate.
While she was lost in thought, Xiaoxia, who had already finished eating her fruit, was no longer content to stay with her parents. She suddenly turned off the sofa and ran towards her mother, Nanako. She was now extremely curious about her new little brother.

Nanako Nagayama naturally didn't stop Natsuka. Seeing her running over, she even thoughtfully lowered the baby a little.
Xia Hua reached out and touched her younger brother's feet, but the baby, having eaten and drunk his fill, was already asleep, only making soft murmurs.
"Little brother, why are you so small?"

"Because it was just born!"

Nanako Nagayama said,
"When Huajiang was born, she was about this size!"

The little one looked up at his grandmother, a hint of confusion in his eyes:

"It's this big too?"

Yes, I held you like this back then.

Nanako Nagayama reached out and patted the little guy's head.

"Flower Sauce, you cry every day too."

"."

The next day, Naoki Nagayama visited the Tree Friends Building after a long absence.

Upon entering, I saw employees gathered in the lobby on the first floor, chatting noisily.

Hoshika, who had been watching outside the door, saw Naoki Nagayama and immediately gave a warning. Then everyone turned to look at Naoki Nagayama at the same time, which startled Naoki Nagayama, who had just stepped onto the steps!
"you."

"Congratulations Naoki-san, on the birth of your son!!!" XN
All the employees shouted it out at once, their voices even carrying out of the building and drawing the attention of pedestrians on the street!
Everyone shouted and clapped at the same time.
This scene stunned Naoki Nagayama!
After realizing what had happened, he quickly bowed and thanked him.

"Arigato."

Thank you everyone.

"When the lotus reaches full moon, please join us for the full moon banquet."

After thanking the employees repeatedly and finally sending them all back to their workstations, Naoki Nagayama turned to Yoshimura Otomo, who had been watching the whole thing unfold.

"Otomo-san, what is this?"

"Haha, everyone wants to celebrate Naoki-san with a special ceremony!"

After much thought, Naoki-san realized he had everything he needed, so he borrowed a surprising trope from Western films and pulled off this whole thing!

Yoshimura Otomo led Nagayama Naoki toward the elevator.
"Of course, I only helped out a little bit!"

"You kept it from me, didn't you?"

"No, no, no, I also need to keep track of Naoki-san's schedule in real time!"

Yoshimura Otomo laughed,

"Besides the few of us, who else could possibly know when Naoki-san will arrive at the company!"

"Ah, it's still a spy!"

"Hahaha, that's Kijima Kyō's character!"

The two chatted and laughed as they walked to the top-floor office, but Takakura Ken was obviously not there yet.

Yoshimura Otomo glanced at his watch:
"There's still half an hour until the agreed time. If it's Ken Takakura, he'll probably arrive a little early. Naoki-san can rest for a bit first."

"I'm so young, I'm just driving, why would I need to rest!"

"Okay then."

Yoshimura Otomo casually took an envelope from the drawer.
"Then let's take a look at the female lead."

Naoki Nagayama had already mentioned to him that the female lead needed to be a sexy woman with long legs, and Yoshimura Otomo had already collected some examples.

How is Keiko Matsuzaka?

Yoshimura Otomo produced a photograph; in it, Matsuzaka Keiko was heavily made up and exuded charm.
"Isn't it sexy!"

"Well"

Naoki Nagayama certainly didn't deny it; Keiko Matsuzaka definitely embodied a sexy style in this era. Moreover, her deep-set features gave her a striking beauty, resembling the eldest sister from Cat's Eye.
"But... Keiko Matsusaka is only about 1.6 meters tall, isn't she?"

"What does this have to do with anything!"

Yoshimura Daitomo said,

"The important thing is proportion! It's proportion!"

As he spoke, he took out another photo from the drawer, in which Keiko Matsuzaka's long legs were very eye-catching:

"Isn't that considered long legs?!"

"."

Naoki Nagayama paused for a moment, then glanced sideways at Daitomo Yoshimura's drawer.

"Otomo-san, you actually collect sexy photos of celebrities?! You're really that kind of person?!"

"Naoki-san, don't talk nonsense!"

Yoshimura Hirotomo suddenly became a little nervous.
"I'm doing all this... for your casting! I'm doing it all for work!! Yes! Work!!"

Upon hearing his old friend's words, Naoki Nagayama rolled his eyes:
"Hehehe. So, you're looking at these photos with an artistic eye, right?!"

".right!!"

At this point, Yoshimura Otomo naturally admitted it without hesitation, and even thought the reason was excellent!

"Ha~~"

Naoki Nagayama didn't pursue the matter further; that adult man had no personal hobbies whatsoever.
"Alright, alright, are there any other candidates?"

"Of course."

Yoshimura Daitomo then showed Naoki Nagayama other celebrities such as Hitomi Kuroki and Reiko Takashima, but Naoki was not entirely satisfied with any of them.

"As expected, my height is still a bit lacking."

"But," Yoshimura Otomo said with a hint of helplessness, "girls who like racing aren't necessarily very tall!"

"But when we're shooting, we need that kind of body that's immediately attractive—healthy, vibrant, and sexy, like a Victoria's Secret Angel."

Naoki Nagayama's words startled Ohtomo Yoshimura:
"What are Victoria's Secret Angels? What kind of angels do they look like?"

"what"

Naoki Nagayama then remembered that Victoria's Secret hadn't even started the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show yet!
"You can think of it as a model's figure!"

"That's it"

Yoshimura Otomo stroked his chin, then his eyes suddenly lit up:
"By the way, our Izumi-chan, wasn't she a model? And her figure..."

"...Izumi Sakai, huh?"

Naoki Nagayama thought about it and realized that her figure was indeed good enough. However, Izumi-neechan seemed to be the aloof type.
Hmm? Not necessarily!
Izumi Sakai is a rock musician! The contrast between her inner self and her outward appearance is also a kind of charm!
"It seems like it could work."

"If spring water sauce is available..."

Yoshimura Daitomo seized the opportunity to continue.

"And what about Shizuka-chan?! She's a total biker girl!!"

"Is it Shizuka Kudo?"

Naoki Nagayama hesitated. Indeed, Shizuka Kudo and motorcycles were a good match, but in terms of physique...
After hesitating for a moment, Naoki Nagayama nodded:

"She could be considered one, but not as the sexy one! She'd be playing the younger sister in the family."

There are quite a few female characters in the Fast and Furious franchise; adding another one wouldn't be a problem. However, the main cast absolutely needs a sexy member.
Izumi Sakai is still a little short of the mark for this role.
"Let's think about it some more. Maybe we can go and see different regions!"

After a round of selection, the role of Shizuka Kudo was finally decided, and Izumi Sakai was considered a backup option.
Just then, Xing Jiahua knocked on the door and came in:

"Naoki-san, Otomo-san, Mr. Takakura Ken has arrived and is in the waiting room."

"Ah! We've arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Naoki Nagayama stood up and said to Otomo Yoshimura,

"Alright, Mr. Otomo, I'll leave the other roles to you. I'm going to go and get the male lead sorted out now!"

"Alright." Yoshimura Otomo rubbed his face. "Naoki-san's requirements are really high!"

"Haha~"

With Hoshino Kaori leading the way, Naoki Nagayama, carrying a simple script outline, arrived at his friend's meeting room.

Inside, Ken Takakura, dressed in a suit, immediately stood up upon seeing Naoki Nagayama:
"Director Naoki!"

"Takakura Sansashi ignores me!"

Naoki Nagayama smiled and shook hands with Ken Takakura.

"The last time we met was at the beginning of the year, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it's been almost half a year since the Academy Cup awards ceremony!"

Ken Takakura's voice was steady, but it lacked the imposing presence he projected on screen. He looked at Naoki Nagayama and smiled as he spoke.

"Oh right, I haven't congratulated Naoki-san on the birth of his first son yet!"

"Haha, thank you so much!"

Naoki Nagayama has become numb to being congratulated so many times lately.

"Please have a seat!"

The two sat down in the reception room, and Suzuki Yukina served them hot tea.
After a few pleasantries, Naoki Nagayama got straight to business.

He handed the script he had brought to Ken Takakura:

"The reason I invited Mr. Takakura here is to invite you to star in my next movie, 'The Fast and the Furious'!"

"This is a movie about racing, street racing, love, brotherhood, and family bonds."

As Naoki Nagayama recounted the film's plot, Ken Takakura pondered it in his mind while flipping through the script outline in his hand.

He had actually heard rumors that Naoki Nagayama was going to make a racing movie out of spite, but he didn't expect that the script would be completed so quickly!
As expected, Naoki Nagayama's reputation for being "fast" in the industry is truly well-deserved!

Moreover, the story of this movie is indeed very attractive, revolving around racing culture and vividly portraying the emotional bonds of the male protagonist. It is definitely a movie that is well worth participating in!
What's more, it's being handled by the renowned Naoki Nagayama!
However, at this moment he was weighing his options because he was in talks with the United States about a crime thriller called "Black Rain," a big-budget production co-produced by the US and Japan, and starring Michael Douglas.
It's also a great opportunity, as it's in an area that Ken Takakura excels at, and it's very suitable for Takakura's career to expand into Europe and America!
"Naoki Mulberry"

Ken Takakura hesitated for a moment, then asked,

Do you think I'm suitable to play the leader of the main character group?

“Of course!” Naoki Nagayama laughed. “Takakura-san has this boss-like aura just standing there!”

"."

I haven't been the boss for many years!

Seeing how much Naoki Nagayama valued him, Ken Takakura decided to be completely honest with him.
"Naoki-san, to be honest, I'm currently in talks with the US about a film, aiming to enter the American market."

"give up!"

Naoki Nagayama interrupted him directly.

"Takakura-san, let's give up on America!"

"No matter how you try to integrate, Asian Americans will never get the best roles or achieve success in Hollywood!"

"And by joining my films, I will ensure that audiences in Europe and America will remember your face, not only in Asia!"

"."

Ken Takakura was stunned. This was the first time he had ever seen such a confident director! He was even a little arrogant!

However, Naoki Nagayama did not stop:
"Takakura-san, the director in front of you is someone who has snatched the Palme d'Or and the Oscar from the hands of Western directors!"

"You should have faith in me!"

"."

Ladies and gentlemen, what he said makes a lot of sense!
Ken Takakura felt his mouth was a little dry and subconsciously pursed his lips.
"Naoki-san is really confident!"

"yes."

Naoki Nagayama said solemnly,
"So this time, if Mr. Takakura joins, I will sign you to a contract for five films!"

"The Fast and the Furious franchise is a series, with at least five films. You'll be the lead in all of them!"

"So, Mr. Takakura, please think it over carefully!"

"This is a major decision that will affect you for the next ten years or so!"

"."

Ken Takakura suddenly felt his breathing become heavy and couldn't help but read the script outline in his hand again!

"."

Several tens of minutes later, the door to the reception room was opened!
Naoki Nagayama and Ken Takakura walked out chatting and laughing.
"Then it's settled. We'll contact you again later!"

"Alright, alright, take care."

Back in his office, Yoshimura Otomo couldn't wait to ask:
"So? Has it been settled? Did Ken Takakura agree?!"

"Haha, of course! Don't you know who I am!"

Naoki Nagayama said confidently, but then added,

"However, Ken Takakura's matter isn't something he can decide alone, since it involves contracts for five films."

"We might still need to coordinate with the Kobe talent agency!"

A law firm controlled by organized crime might need some communication skills to keep its cash cows on the same contract for years!

(End of this chapter)