Chapter 29

Sure, here is the translation:

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Sure enough, the gossip about Naoki Nagayama and Kanako Higuchi appeared in the small magazine on Thursday.

Even though it was a small magazine, since it was related to the entertainment industry, it still garnered some attention.

This weekend, whenever Kanako Higuchi entered or left her agency or performed, she would be asked questions like:

"Kanako-san, are you in a relationship?" "Kanako-san, is your partner in the industry?" "Kanako-san, how long has it been going on?"

Questions of this sort.

Naoki Nagayama also received a call from home. Tsuruko excitedly asked, "Nii-chan, are you in a relationship? And with a celebrity, no less?"

"It's not true. We just had dinner and a walk after discussing work."

"Hmm? Don't lie to me~ If you have a girlfriend, bring her home for us to see~"

"It's not true. I'll tell you when I have one. Do Father and Mother know about it? Were they surprised?"

"Not at all, they're waiting for you to bring her home."

"Then you'll have to wait a bit longer~"

"Nii-chan, have the cherry blossoms in Tokyo bloomed yet?"

"Not yet, it will be at the end of March~"

"I'll come to see them then, don't forget, okay?"

"Sure, I'll take good care of you~"

After finally calming down his sister and explaining to his mother again, he finally felt relieved.

However, Kanako Higuchi's agency took no action, allowing the gossip to spread. For a while, it caused a stir in the entertainment industry, and Kanako Higuchi's name began to be known by more people.

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In early March,

The sun was already shining brightly, and the temperature was starting to warm up.

The streets of Tokyo were lush with greenery, and small, nameless flowers were scattered like dots on a green carpet.

The flowers that people had tended to were also blooming in competition, with patches of white, clusters of red, bunches of pink, and sprigs of purple... some were in full bloom, while others were still buds.

Hana Ueda, who was in high school, loved this season the most.

Perhaps because her surname was Hana (flower), she had always been fascinated by flowers, and her dream for the future was to open a flower shop.

She especially loved the cherry blossoms every year.

On her way home from school today, she bought a bottle of a sweet and warm red bean soup, which was perfect for early spring.

She noticed that a whole row of new drinks had appeared in the vending machine. When new products were launched, they would often be displayed this way.

However, the pink color and cherry blossom flavor—soda?

A new soda?

What does cherry blossom flavor taste like?

Hana Ueda thought, and out of curiosity, she bought a bottle. But before she could drink it, she was called over by some girls in front of her, so she had to put it in her bag.

When she got home, her mother had already prepared dinner, so the soda was temporarily put aside.

After helping with the dishes and cleaning, it was already 7 PM. Her father was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper, and Hana Ueda turned on the TV to select a program.

While changing channels, a captivating melody suddenly played, followed by a sweet female voice:

"Sakura, sakura, aitaiyo, iyada, kimi ni, ima sugu aitaiyo"

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The catchy melody immediately caught Hana Ueda's attention.

A new song?

The handsome guy in the MV also caught her eye, and the female lead was also very beautiful~

With the music, Hana Ueda followed the two as they developed feelings for each other, fell in love, got married, and had children. This is what sweet love should be like...

Until the sound of a screeching brake! Hana Ueda held her breath for those few seconds of silence. When the music resumed, the same female voice now carried a sense of regret and sadness...

Until the end, when the two returned to the eaves where they first met, and the image of the wife slowly faded...

The image of the daughter overlapped with it...

Love,

It is sweet and romantic, it is sad and regretful.

What you can't get and can't let go of is truly what you will remember in your heart~

Hana Ueda, with slightly moist eyes, suddenly remembered the drink that brought the male and female leads together in the MV,

It was, cherry blossom-flavored soda~

What does it taste like?

It turned out to be a light sourness, a gentle sweetness, and then, under the stimulation of the bubbles, it faded from the tongue, leaving only the scent of cherry blossoms~

Love should taste like this, right~

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A 5-minute commercial!

The NHK Commercial Department had never received such a request.

When the department head, Masahiro Takeda, received the order, he was shocked and confirmed it several times.

Is Yumezakura Beverage that rich?

It was almost enough to buy three time slots, and even during prime time in the evening.

This time, Yumezakura Beverage had indeed invested a lot. It was said that when Shuichi Itodai went to the discussion meeting, he said, "President, all department heads, what you will get this time is the opportunity to bind Yumezakura Beverage to a social phenomenon.

When you talk about a torii gate, you think of a shrine; when you talk about skiing, you think of Hokkaido; when you talk about a samurai sword, you think of the samurai spirit."

"After this commercial, when you talk about love, besides the cherry blossoms of Meguro River, you might think of Yumezakura's cherry blossom-flavored soda."

After seeing the sample, the department heads of Yumezakura Beverage agreed to the plan, and the promotion budget was tripled.

The commercial time was moved from the afternoon slot to the prime time slot.

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An unprecedented commercial, a stunning song, and a memorable love story!

The next day's newspapers began to promote it this way.

Was it using the MV to make a commercial? Using the song to promote the soda? Or using the commercial to promote the new song?

After the simultaneous release of the record, posters, and commercials, it was hard to tell what the real focus of this campaign was.

However, within a week, the commercial's viewership reached an astonishing 15%, and the cherry blossom-flavored soda became a new favorite among young people. The record sales exceeded 50,000 copies, and the Oricon chart ranking quickly rose.

All aspects exceeded the expected results, and even better.

This bundled promotion style amazed the industry with its novel creativity. It also made the name of producer Naoki Nagayama start to spread in the entertainment industry.

"Naoki-san, it's a success!" In this campaign, Daisuke Yoshimura was always the one who supported quietly behind the scenes, but everyone knew he was the one who bore the most pressure.

After all, if things went wrong, Naoki Nagayama and Shuichi Itodai wouldn't suffer much, but Daisuke Yoshimura might lose the career he had worked for decades.

This balding uncle, with his strong will, supported Shuichi Itodai and Naoki Nagayama's antics, even the shocking 5-minute commercial, by persistently lobbying the president and using his connections to get the discussion meeting.

"Thank you so much, Daisuke-san!" Naoki Nagayama bowed deeply, "Thank you for your support during this time, Daisuke-kun. Without you, this project would have been doomed to fail!"

Shuichi Itodai also bowed to Daisuke Yoshimura, "Daisuke-san, thank you for your understanding!"

Daisuke Yoshimura expressed his true feelings, "Without any talent, thanks to Shuichi-san and Naoki-san, I was able to participate in this miraculous project! This might be the most glorious moment of my life, thank you!"

"There will be more in the future!" Naoki Nagayama said firmly.

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