Chapter 35

The facts have proven that

life does not allow you to be idle.

Nagayama Naoki is actually very busy at the moment.

He has to go to Teacher Sachiko's place every week to learn music theory and instruments; the disco in Kōenji is almost finished with its renovation and needs to be prepared for opening; the house in Bunkyō and the shop in Shibuya also need to handle the transfer of ownership; he needs to prepare to take the driving test; and occasionally, he has to pay attention to the promotion of new songs, among other things.

Before he could even take a day off, architect Honma Takashi called, saying that the disco was basically finished and Nagayama Naoki could come over for inspection.

Time flies, and it was already April...

Nagayama Naoki took the train to Kōenji, walked down a street, and found the warehouse, which had its barriers removed—no, it should be called a disco now.

Honma Takashi led Nagayami Naoki inside. The renovation was complete, and the interior was entirely according to the design plans.

Right in front of the entrance was a partition wall, where the disco's logo would be nailed later, or it could be used as a decorative wall for themed nights.

Through the small doors on both sides, the space opened up.

The dark blue dance floor and the DJ booth at the bottom occupied at least two-thirds of the area, surrounded by a dozen booths.

The roof was reinforced with steel frames and not covered with a ceiling, only painted.

A large rotating light was placed in the center.

Around the walls near the top, there was a suspended bar for effect lights and speakers, with a narrow passage reserved for maintenance.

On the right side of the hall was the bar, behind which was a small door leading to the storage room and a small office.

On the left side was the safety side door, leading to the toilets outside.

"Mr. Honma, have you tested the lighting and sound? How is the soundproofing?" Nagayama Naoki asked.

"Everything has been tested, and the soundproofing has been professionally tested, fully meeting the standards. Here is the report." Honma Takashi handed over the report, but Nagayama Naoki did not take it.

"I trust Mr. Honma's seriousness and responsibility. I bought a record on the way here. Let's give it a try."

Nagayama Naoki took out a record from his backpack, "Ride On Time" by Yamashita Tatsuro, which was released last year and is said to have ushered in the City Pop era, and asked Honma Takashi to play it.

With the rhythm, the lights in the disco began to change, especially the colorful rotating light in the center, making the disco seem dreamlike, as if in another world.

The effect was almost perfect.

In Nagayama Naoki's plan, this disco would mainly play City Pop, rock, and heavy metal, with operating hours mainly during the night on weekdays, and additional afternoon and midnight sessions on weekends.

However, he still needed to find a manager for the disco. Nagayama Naoki did not want to manage it himself, as it would be too troublesome, and the yakuza were a concern.

During the Showa period, the yakuza were very rampant, especially in the business world. Without certain means and background, small-time thugs could make it impossible for a business to survive.

Although Nagayama Naoki had not encountered the yakuza recently, it was because his social circle was relatively simple and he was more of a homebody. His transactions and ways of making money were all through large intermediary companies and agencies, completely isolating him from the dark side of society.

...

...

"So, Naoki-kun, you came to me for this?" Yoshimura Daikichi was clearly a bit confused. "Why do you think I know such a person?"

The manager Nagayama Naoki wanted for the disco should understand music, management, and be able to deal with the yakuza on the streets.

Of course, he did not have such a person in his circle of friends. After searching around, he thought that the head of the planning department at Daikichi's firm might know someone.

"Because Daikichi-san is well-informed," Nagayama Naoki flattered, "After all, you have been in the entertainment industry for decades, and among the people you have met and mentored, there might just be the right person."

"Well, I do know quite a few people," Yoshimura Daikichi's expression relaxed, "But why did you suddenly think of opening a disco?"

For a genius creator like Nagayama Naoki, the future in the music industry was bright. If he had not refused, some agencies would have already wanted to sign him for songwriting. Even just for modeling, many people had inquired about his schedule.

"Whether it's modeling or songwriting, Naoki-kun has a bright future. If you want to enter the entertainment industry, we can also collaborate," Yoshimura Daikichi said.

"Please spare me... The 50 NGs from Shuichi-kun last time almost drove me crazy," Nagayama Naoki replied.

Songwriting is something that depends on inspiration.

For modeling, he could do it occasionally, but not as a main job, as he did not lack money for now.

The first-quarter royalties from the song with Matsuda Seiko had already come in, and after paying this month's loan, there was still nearly 400 million yen in the account. Although the future royalties would still be used to pay the monthly loan and might decrease, this long-selling song would definitely continue to bring in substantial income.

Not to mention, more royalties from "Sakura ~Anata ni Deaete Yorokoi~" (Sakura, Sakura, I'm Glad to Meet You) were on the way.

"Opening a disco was actually a sudden idea," Nagayama Naoki explained to Daikichi. "I went to other discos before and thought their formats were too rigid, so I decided to open a more modern disco."

"Disco?"

"Hey, it's a new type of nightclub that's just becoming popular in the U.S."

"I see, Naoki-kun is indeed young and well-informed about the nightclub scene..."

After chatting a bit more, Nagayama Naoki entrusted the task of finding a manager to Yoshimura Daikichi.

...

...

In Japan, you can take the driving test as long as you are 18 years old.

You can usually get training through a driving school or a driving course, and it takes about two weeks to get a license.

In his previous life, he could drive, but he had only learned automatic transmission, so he needed to relearn with the old cars. Since he had nothing else to do, Nagayama Naoki decided to get his license first, then buy a car to avoid always relying on Daikichi-san for transportation.

There was no need to rely on others for this. He found a nearby driving school in the newspaper and enrolled directly.

The staff at the driving school were very efficient. After paying 300,000 yen in tuition, they immediately contacted the instructor, and he started the initial training (written test) that day.

They gave him a bunch of materials to study traffic rules... and then took the test. Only after passing could he start driving.

It was actually quite simple; a normal person could pass after reading it twice. Nagayama Naoki started driving on the third day.

Don't think that driving instructors in Japan don't scold people!

Listening to the instructor scold the guy next to him, Nagayama Naoki was a bit nervous, but fortunately, he had already learned once in his previous life, so he learned very quickly, and the instructor could not find any faults.

After a week, Nagayama Naoki was mainly practicing driving. The instructor said that if it weren't for the required hours, he could already take the test.

At the same time, Nagayama Naoki started looking at cars on the market. There were already many models available. Should he buy a sports car?

It was too expensive, so he decided to wait until he was financially free. For now, he would just buy a car for commuting.

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