Chapter 47

In a situation where TV advertising resources were limited, the offline meet-and-greet tour of the Wild Cats was highly effective.

Almost all livehouses in Tokyo saw the presence of the Wild Cats, and even beyond Tokyo, the number of loyal fans, known as "Cat Nests," continued to rise.

The buzz around an idol group is a crucial indicator of their popularity. Although it was not yet enough to support a full solo concert, their fame had indeed taken root.

......

Early in the morning,

Kikuchi Etsuro, the public relations director of BURNING Agency, was reading an entertainment newspaper.

"CATS Spotted in Hokkaido!"

"CATS have been appearing frequently in the newspapers lately. This girl group seems to have some connection with BURNING."

Kikuchi Etsuro called an assistant and asked him to investigate the background of the girl group.

This new girl group had finally caught the attention of the established idol agency.

......

With the promotion of CATS going smoothly,

Nagayama Naoki could finally relax and have a drink with Ido Shuichi.

"Shuichi-san, Ohtomo-san has been so busy lately, we can't even find time to get together."

Ido Shuichi, who was sitting next to him, rolled his eyes: "Isn't that because you, the president, shirked your responsibilities and left all the contact work to Ohtomo-san!"

"(ˉ▽￣～) Pfft~~, Shuichi-san, aren't you free too~"

"Can you even compare?" the producer immediately emphasized, "The new song and dance for the girl group also take time, you know. The choreography and composition are already being arranged!"

You really have a thick skin, showing no sign of guilt for leaving Ohtomo to work while you drink.

"Speaking of which, what's the next step for the Wild Cats?"

Nagayama Naoki thought for a moment. Appearances on variety shows, releasing singles, holding concerts, performing at the Red and White Song Festival... the development path for idols seemed to be a set formula.

"Since we have a solid foundation, we can just follow the normal idol operation path and gradually climb the ranks."

"Originally, it was to help Ohtomo enter the idol industry. Once on the right track, we just need to prevent any negative scandals."

Ido Shuichi was also optimistic: "If there are any scandals, just replace the members, right? That was the plan from the beginning~"

The two of them were drinking and discussing the future, completely unaware that the subject of their conversation was seething with anger.

In the office of STARLIGHT Agency,

Ohtomo was having a heated argument with the president, Hino Kenichi:

"President, how can this be! This kind of thing! I can't accept it!"

......

After drinking a little at noon,

Nagayama Naoki found himself completely sober when he woke up from his afternoon nap.

He couldn't help but admire this 19-year-old body once again.

During this period, Nagayama Naoki, apart from occasionally practicing the piano and exercising, mostly focused on the offline meet-and-greet tour of the Wild Cats.

However, now that the Wild Cats' affairs were mostly proceeding according to plan, most of the work was being handled by Ohtomo.

Nagayama Naoki could return to his laid-back daily life.

After spacing out for a while, he suddenly thought of the shop in Shibuya.

This shop had not been rented out. With the popularity of CATS, Nagayama Naoki planned to open a merchandise store, with the main product being cat ear hair accessories, which could potentially expand to include merchandise for all GG Agency's girl groups.

After entering June, the temperature in Tokyo clearly began to rise. Although it wasn't as scorching as in July and August, it was warm enough to wear short sleeves.

Driving his beloved convertible to Shibuya, he received many admiring glances from passersby.

Opening the roller shutter, the empty shop was filled with a cloud of dust, and Nagayama Naoki coughed, as it had been months since the last time he opened the door.

The shop was originally a clothing store, so if it were to be converted into a merchandise store, most of the structure wouldn't need to be renovated.

Cleaning, hiring staff, customizing signs, and the necessary procedures for opening a store would be quite troublesome and time-consuming if done alone.

However, if he hired professionals, it would just be a matter of money.

There were plenty of such intermediaries in Shibuya's job market.

......

However, when it came to selling merchandise, there was one more issue that needed to be resolved.

Nagayama Naoki dialed the phone.

Ring~ Ring~

Ring~ Ring~

"Moshi moshi, this is the Nakayama household." As a housewife, Nakayama Chieko was always at home.

"Hello, this is Nagayama Naoki." Nagayama Naoki directly stated his name, "I called before to speak with Nakayama Akina, and I'm calling again to speak with her."

"Is that so? Akina is at school and hasn't returned yet. If you have anything to say, I can pass the message along for you."

Nagayama Naoki said directly, "I apologize, but this matter may also involve Mrs. Nakayama."

"What? It involves me?" Chieko was a bit surprised, thinking it might be a date or something between young people.

"Hi, to put it simply, I asked Akina-san and Akiho-san to help design a product, and now the product is selling well. However, I didn't pay them the appropriate compensation at the time, which I feel very guilty about."

Nagayama Naoki also felt a bit embarrassed: "Additionally, the company needs a formal commission agreement to avoid any future disputes."

At the time, Nakayama Akina and Nakayama Akiho were still minors, so any commercial contracts required parental approval.

Almost a dozen manufacturers had approached to purchase the patent for the cat ear hair accessories, and the initial payment was at least 6 million yen, with potential profits for the next decade.

Such a design, for which the designers were only given a meal, was indeed a bit unfair.

If he were a pure businessman, it wouldn't be a problem, but Nagayama Naoki still had a conscience.

Chieko was quite surprised: "I've never heard Akina or Akiho mention this. For you to suddenly say this..."

"If Mrs. Nakayama doesn't mind, can I visit this weekend? You can also ask Akina and Akiho about the details during that time." Nagayama Naoki said.

"Of course, I don't mind. But, Naoki-kun, can you tell me what kind of compensation it is? If it's not much, there's no need to formalize it."

Chieko didn't think the two girls had done anything significant. If they didn't ask for compensation at the time, there was no need to do so now.

"Hi, the original design was patented. Although the idea was mine, the realization of the idea was thanks to Akina-san and Akiho-san. So, I plan to split the patent royalties with them, 50-50. They won't participate in the future profits."

Nagayama Naoki continued, "Some manufacturers have already paid the patent fees, and the compensation for the two of them is about 3 million yen."

"This is the compensation that Akina and Akiho deserve."

"3 million yen?!" Nakayama Chieko was almost incredulous. A typical salaryman family in Tokyo earns about 2 to 3 million yen a year.

Her family's annual income was only about 1 million yen, and they lived a tight life. Otherwise, Nakayama Akina wouldn't have thought of participating in a competition to supplement the household income.

Such a large sum of money was too much for Chieko to decide on immediately. She needed to discuss it with her husband, Nakayama Akio.

However, Nagayama Naoki's visit on Saturday was still set. At that time, he would explain the details of the agreement and prepare the contract and compensation.