Tokyo Bubble Life

Chapter 817 Chapter 825, "Midnight Diner" is all about bonds!!
"Naoki-san, please sign here~"

Keiko Fujita very kindly pointed out the places where signatures were needed.

"Hi~"

Naoki Nagayama also cooperated and completed all the parts of the thick stack of contracts that required Naoki Nagayama's signature and seal.

This was not the first time that Naoki Nagayama signed a house purchase contract. After more than half a month of negotiations and hundreds of millions of dollars in expenditures, the piece of land next to Yamazakurain, including the small building on it, all belonged to Naoki Nagayama.

Even the studio that was originally quite stubborn did not hold out for long under the attack of gold and silver that could buy them out twice.
After all, the worst that can happen is that you can just rent another classroom, but the idiot rich people who are willing to pay so much money will never have the chance again!
"Naoki-san, if nothing unexpected happens, all the formalities can be completed by early March!"

"Yeah, that's good~" Naoki Nagayama nodded a little relaxedly, "I will be traveling abroad starting the day after tomorrow, so I probably won't be around. During this time, please help clean up the things next door, except for the cafe."

"Hi!"

"I will ask Honma Design Office, the one Keiko-san knows. We have cooperated with each other many times." Naoki Nagayama smiled, because it was Keiko Fujita who introduced the office. "I will ask them to design a modification plan first."

"Haha, I see~" Keiko Fujita nodded, "I will take Honma-san to conduct a field trip!"

"Arigato~" Naoki Nagayama smiled and thanked Keiko Fujita, "Without Keiko-san, buying the land wouldn't have been so smooth!"

"No, no, this is an opportunity given by Naoki-san."

In the living room of Yamazakurain, Naoki Nagayama and Keiko Fujita chatted for a long time, mostly about the modification direction of the next door and the expected problems. When they were almost finished, they sent Keiko away.
I looked up at the sky. It was not far from noon. The bright sunshine shone down, making people feel bursts of warmth. Even the occasional breeze was much gentler.

The cherry trees in the courtyard have sprouted buds, and the grass under the trees has long been green, extending all the way to the corners of the walls.

The dry landscape in the center of the courtyard is still pure white, but occasionally you can see grass leaves protruding from the fine sand, and even the moss on the rockery is lush and green.
The bamboo had long since grown taller than the wall, and its dense leaves had merged into one, leaving only a few gaps through which light could pass.

Looking at this spring-like appearance, Naoki Nagayama touched his chin:

"The dry landscape seems to have been abandoned for a long time. Should we take advantage of this expansion and renovation to change its shape as well?"

"Wang Wang Wang!"

At this moment, the dog next to him suddenly rushed out and chased the grasshopper that had just jumped out of the grass.

"Oh, and there are also Hibiki Taro and Nyanko Taro."

I will be going abroad for half a month, so I will send the cat and dog back to my hometown in Shizuoka. It is a good opportunity to go back and see my father and mother.
In fact, with Naoki Nagayama's current financial resources, it is not impossible for him to hire someone to look after the pets. Even Akina can be asked to ask his assistant to help look after her for a while.

However, in Naoki Nagayama's heart, he has already regarded Hibiki and Meow Taro as members of the family, so it is better for relatives to take care of them~
After spending some time on the veranda, Naoki Nagayama felt a sense of laziness in his body and decided not to cook for lunch. He immediately called a nearby restaurant.
After calling his mother in advance, Naoki Nagayama drove a Toyota Century back to Shizuoka in a low-key manner in the afternoon.

"Woof woof woof!" Yingtaro looked at the familiar house, wagged his tail excitedly, and then quickly jumped in.

Naoki Nagayama followed in carrying dog food and other things.

"I'm back~"

"Welcome back~" said Mother Nanako while touching Inatarou's head.

"I'm sorry to bother my mother this time~"

Naoki Nagayama put his things away and then let Nyanotaro out. The guy then lay dazed in the Japanese-style room.

"Dumb tape~ With Taro, the house will be more lively." Mother Nanako said with a smile, and then poured a cup of hot tea, "Where is Naoki going this time?"

"To Rio de Janeiro, Brazil," Naoki Nagayama explained. "In South America, we have to cross the Pacific Ocean~"

"It's so far. It will take a long time."

"It takes a day or two to fly!"

Naoki Nagayama had already inquired about it. The air routes in that era were not as developed as they are later. There were no direct flights. Moreover, it was the Cold War era, and there were air control in some places. One had to transfer to go to Brazil.

Nanako Nagayama was deeply moved after hearing this. The Nagayama family had hardly left Shizuoka in their entire lives, but her son was actually going to travel to the other side of the earth.

"Mom, is there any place you want to go?" Naoki Nagayama suddenly realized that he seemed to have never asked his relatives where they wanted to go.

"Me?" Nanako Nagayama was stunned.

"Yes, if mother wants to travel anywhere, I can take you there, and father can take you there too." Naoyama Naoki said with a smile, "Anyway, you know, I am very rich now! Super rich!"

"." Nanako Nagayama was speechless.

Although my son means well, it makes me want to beat him up. No, my hands are itching~
Naoki Nagayama was a little confused after being hit by his mother:
"Mother, why?"

"I don't know, I just couldn't help it when I saw you. Hahaha~" Nanako Nagayama also knocked on the dog lying next to her, making Inatarou look confused, and then he laughed.

"."

When the laughter died down, Nagayama Nanako said:

"As for me, when I was young, I wanted to travel to Hawaii, but now that I'm older, I don't want to go far. I just want to go to Hakone to soak in the hot springs."

"Then" Naoki Nagayama didn't say anything, the hot spring was very close.

"Don't worry about us~" Nagayama Nanako said with a smile, "Anyway, we don't have any pressure now. If I want to go out, your father will take me!"

"Hey, if you don't have enough money, just tell me anytime!" Naoki Nagayama echoed.

Without continuing to talk about travel, Nagayama Nanako also asked about the bold statement she made at the Academy Awards:

"Naoki, can you really win the Palme d'Or? When Tsuruko called me the other day, she said you were possessed by an alien, so you were talking nonsense!"

".Alien." Nagayama Naoki was helpless about his own resentful sister, but he still wanted to make amends, "It's not to say that I will definitely win, but saying it in public actually gives people in the industry a hint that I have the ambition to compete for the Palme d'Or. This will become a benchmark and make others subconsciously agree."

"But what if you don't get it?" Mother was a little worried.

"Haha, if I didn't get it, then I didn't get it~" Naoki Nagayama laughed nonchalantly, "At worst I can just bow and apologize in front of the camera, it won't cost me a penny~"

"This" Nanako, the mother, was surprised, "But if this is the case, Naoki, your reputation will be ruined..."

“Who in the entertainment industry still cares about fame?”

Naoki Nagayama was disdainful. He had decades of experience. In the entertainment industry, which was a messy and colorful melting pot, fame was not important. The only thing that mattered was - traffic!
This is even more true in the capitalist entertainment industry. Haven't you seen how many celebrities in the American entertainment industry are involved in pornography, gambling and drugs?
There are a lot of celebrities with dark histories. They later hire internet trolls to whitewash and publicize their names, so that they can stand under the spotlight and make money with a smile on their faces!
What's the difference between Naoki Nagayama's arrogance and no arrogance? !

Mother Nanako nodded as if she understood, and did not ask any more questions. She chatted about her son's lifelong event and then started to prepare dinner.
"No need, mother. I'm going back soon." Naoki Nagayama asked his mother not to prepare anything for him. "Let's go to my father's izakaya to eat. It's been a long time since I've been there! And we can see them too."

"That's fine~" Nanako Nagayama nodded. After all, her husband and eldest son would not be back until very late.

Naoki Nagayama drove the Toyota Century to the coastal street of the small town. It was only a five-minute drive to the Nagayama family's izakaya there. He still remembered that he often came to help when he was a child, but he hadn't been here since he graduated from high school.

This is a street with very Japanese characteristics. It was already dark, and the street lamps were emitting a dim light, making the wooden buildings on both sides of the street flicker. There was a slight heaviness in the quietness.

The sign of the izakaya only has the three simple words "izakaya". The small front door is an old-fashioned Japanese sliding door. Two door curtains hang down from the door beam, covering the scene inside the izakaya.
However, it is not yet the peak time for dinner. Through the lights, only a few figures can be seen drinking at the table.

"Welcome. Um." As the partition door opened, Nagayama Aoki, the chef and waiter, subconsciously greeted him, then realized it was his younger brother, "Naoki?"

"Brother~" Naoki Nagayama nodded and sat at the dining table, then looked at Ken Nagayama who was also looking out from the kitchen, "Father!"

"Naoki, why are you back?!" asked Nagayama Aoki, who was wearing a chef's uniform and standing behind the counter.

"Because I have to go abroad in two days, I sent Hutaro and Nyanotaro home to take care of them for a while~" Naoki Naoyama explained, "On the way back, I will stop by to see the izakaya."

"I see~" Nagayama Aoki nodded, then asked, "You're going home so early? Have you had dinner?"

"We are at the izakaya now!" Naoyama Naoki said cheerfully, "It's a good opportunity to try my big brother's cooking and see if he has inherited my father's legacy!"

"Haha, of course!" Nagayama Aoki said confidently, "Naoki, what do you want to eat? I can make everything on the menu perfectly now!"

Looking at the old wooden menu above his head, Naoki Nagayama's mind flashed back to the days when he worked as a waiter here. That was how he earned pocket money when he was in junior high and high school!

"Then let's have the special set meal!" Naoki Nagayama said, pointing to a set meal.

"No problem at all!"

Nagayama Aoki nodded confidently and walked into the kitchen. His father Nagayama Ken didn't say much and quietly began to prepare other side dishes.

Nagayama's specialty set meal is grilled eel with a secret sauce, served with fried chicken and other side dishes. It is generous in portion and rich in flavor, perfect for manual laborers after a day's work.

The izakayas in the seaside towns naturally serve the fishermen at the nearby docks, the workers who move goods, the drivers, and some other workers surrounding the fishing industry.

While waiting, Naoki Nagayama re-examined his own izakaya and compared it with the izakaya in the late-night diner.

"The kitchen needs to be remodeled a bit, a little bigger, and the lighting should be brighter when cooking in front of other people."

"And the number of dining tables needs to be reduced a bit."

While Naoki Nagayama was thinking, his elder brother Aoki had already served the special set meal: "Guest, please enjoy your special set meal!"

Looking at the big bowl and several plates in front of me, the amount of teppanyaki eel and fried chicken is obviously much larger than usual, and even the side dishes are much richer.
Nagayama Aoki took some kelp, tofu, radish and other things from the pot of oden, filled a plate with them and brought it to Nagayama Naoki:

“This is a complimentary side dish!”

"So many~" Naoki Nagayama laughed.

"Of course! Nagayama's izakaya has good quality and low prices! Very cost-effective!"

At this time, the customer who was drinking nearby looked over and said in surprise when he saw the plate full of food:
"When did Aoki-san give out free side dishes? Don't we, the old customers, get any?!"

"Yes, yes, manager-san, you can't be partial!" "Give us some too!" Some nosy customers also echoed the sentiment, but most of them were regular customers, so it was more of a joke.

Nagayama Aoki was not panicked at all. He was always dealing with customers and had practiced his speaking skills long ago:
"Haha, this is my younger brother. Are you also from the Yongshan family?!"

"Your brother?" "The one called Naoki Nagayama?" "A celebrity, I think!" "He seems to be a writer!" "."

These people then began to look seriously at the ordinary young man sitting at the dining table. Although he was dressed differently from the one on TV, his face was obviously different!

“As expected!” “Really!” “I saw a living star!” “.”

The strange discussion sounded in Naoki Nagayama's ears, making him frown.
But I still turned around and nodded to everyone as a greeting ~ After all, this is my own store, I still have to give them face!
After seeing the celebrity from the Nagayama family, several guests continued to eat contentedly, and some drank and talked and laughed. Naoki Naoyama only gave them an extra dish to go with the wine.

Under the influence of alcohol, another customer said:

"Brother Naoki, I think you'll win the Palme d'Or!"

".Thank you"

Naoki Nagayama smiled
Although this Nagayama special set meal was not as exquisite as that in a high-end restaurant, it made Naoki Nagayama very satisfied. After all, this was the childhood delicacy in his memory.

After finishing most of the food on the plate, I drank some soup and felt warm all over.
While there were no more customers, Naoki Nagayama and his elder brother Aoki started chatting:
"I told my father and eldest brother before about filming a program in our izakaya. Do you remember, eldest brother?"

Nagayama Aoki thought for a moment and said, "Ah, is it that late-night restaurant?"

"Well, after I come back, we can start this!" Naoki Nagayama said, "We just need to renovate our izakaya a little bit, and then we can start filming. Big brother is the real boss."

Nagayama Aoki was a little nervous when he heard this:
"But I can't act!"

"All you need is to know how to cook," Naoki Nagayama said with a smile, "There will be a lot of shots of the dishes!"

"That's it"

"It's okay, I'll be there when the time comes," Naoki Nagayama comforted him, "I'm the person in charge of the program, just listen to me."

Father Nagayama Ken also came out of the kitchen, listening to the conversation between the two, and suddenly interrupted and asked:

"During filming, does that mean the izakaya can't be open for business?!"

"Is dad concerned about those regular customers?" Naoki Nagayama immediately thought of his father's concerns. "Don't worry about that. Except for the renovation period, we can open at other times!"

"Besides, we were filming late at night, and my house is closed after 9 o'clock~"

"That's good~"

Yongshan Jian nodded. Having worked here for more than 20 years, the izakaya is no longer just a job for him to make a living. He also has a deep bond with those long-time customers.
"If dad wants, we can open the shop during the filming if there are customers!" Nagayama Naoki thought for a moment and said, "If the customers don't mind, we can let them appear on camera!"

After all, "Midnight Diner" is about the bond between the izakaya owner and the diners!
Yongshan Jian nodded silently and didn't say anything more~
And this matter was settled in this way.

(End of this chapter)