Chapter 8

On the way back, Naoki Nagayama felt a bit smug and a bit surprised. Was changing his image really that exaggerated? Was he that attractive to the opposite sex?

He hadn’t noticed any changes when meeting Mrs. Makino and Yuta Nakai every day, but people who hadn’t seen him for a while could clearly spot the significant transformation in Naoki Nagayama.

An 18-year-old boy is in the most beautiful period of his life. Just the youthful energy alone wouldn’t make him look bad. Besides, Naoki Nagayama was already quite handsome, and he had recently gained some muscle from working out. With his clean-cut short hair, his previously hidden eyebrows and eyes were now exposed...

Such a fresh, handsome, and healthy young man was completely different from the timid and awkward country boy he used to be.

Now, Naoki Nagayama dressed comfortably in a new solid-colored T-shirt, a denim jacket, black nine-eighths pants, and new sneakers... Compared to the suits and leather shoes that were popular among men in the Showa era, this could be considered very trendy.

If he walked around in Shibuya, he might even get a business card from a talent scout~

...

He didn’t expect that the next morning, Keiko Fujita would call, and it was even a Saturday.

Ha~ Women, they become so eager and proactive when faced with a handsome guy.

Is the handsome guy me? Oh, then it’s fine~~~

He agreed to meet Keiko Fujita at the real estate agency and then drive to see a few properties.

Keiko Fujita was still very capable in her work. She had found information on six properties in just one day and had already obtained the corresponding keys.

This wasn’t the 21st century with its swift internet. She probably spent the whole day on the phone and running to the respective branches to get the keys.

When they met, Keiko Fujita was full of energy: "Mr. Nagayama, you’re here~ Today, we have six properties to see. I’ll drive you around~"

... Even the way she addressed him had become more intimate...

"Hi, I’ll be troubling you today, Ms. Fujita. I didn’t know you could drive?"

"Hi, silly, today it’s all up to me!"

Then the two of them got into an old Toyota sedan, which was still a manual transmission...

Hmm? Should I buy a car later?

But after buying a house, there wouldn’t be much money left. I’ll have to wait for the royalties to come in before I can buy one.

The factors for choosing a house are similar across time and place. After determining the budget, the most important thing is still Location! Location! Location! Other aspects of the house can be flexible.

Of the properties Keiko Fujita found, two were in Nakano, located in a residential area. They were ordinary 20-tatami (about 66 square meters) apartments. The transportation wasn’t particularly convenient, and Naoki Nagayama didn’t like them. Mainly because Nakano would remain a lower-end residential area in the future, and the appreciation potential might not be as high as in other areas.

The next four properties were two in Shinjuku, one in Setagaya, and one in Koto.

Naoki Nagayama had already mentally given up on the properties in Setagaya and Koto. They might be good for living in the future, but with a budget of over 10 million yen, he couldn’t buy a very good house. Now, he mainly wanted to focus on properties with the highest potential for appreciation.

One of the properties in Shinjuku was a single-family home, 10 tatami (about 30 square meters), but it had two floors, making it suitable for a family. The other was an apartment near Waseda, on the third floor, 20 tatami (about 66 square meters), with two bedrooms and one living room, suitable for white-collar workers.

For Naoki Nagayama, as a temporary transition and considering future resale, the third-floor apartment was more suitable. So, without dragging his feet, he directly told Keiko Fujita:

"Ms. Fujita, I really like this apartment. Let’s go with this one."

"ε=(??ο｀*))) Oh, don’t you want to see the other two properties? They might suit you better. Can we take a look?" Her eyes fixed on Naoki Nagayama, and her words had a bit of a coquettish tone...

Is it for the sake of looking at houses, or to continue looking at me? Young girls in Tokyo are really...

"Hi, I’ve already decided on this one. Let’s go pay the deposit!"... The deposit and contract were signed directly at the Shinjuku branch, which was quite convenient. He also politely declined Keiko Fujita’s lunch invitation.

I need to finish this quickly. An 18-year-old young man is too tempting.

It was not yet noon, and he had finally managed to get out. Of course, he wanted to go shopping. The shops in Shinjuku were full of variety, but Naoki Nagayama, who had just decided to spend almost all his assets, temporarily had no desire to spend more. He wanted to see something interesting. It was the weekend, and Harajuku’s pedestrian paradise was open. He had heard from Yuta Nakai about the bustling scene there, so he decided to take this opportunity to go.

The train ride from Waseda to Harajuku took only about ten minutes. After getting off the platform, Naoki Nagayama bought a takoyaki on the street and wandered around while eating.

In the pedestrian paradise, he could occasionally see groups of people dressed in bizarre costumes, known as the "Bamboo Shoots," dancing to portable cassette players. Their bright red and purple clothing, with Chinese or Arab styles, gathered together, resembling a carnival or flash mob from the future.

But if he were a bit older, it would also look a lot like square dancing...

At the intersections, there were also street performers, some of whom were quite skilled. Naoki Nagayama dropped a few hundred yen as a tip. However, there were also some heavy metal rockers... It was like a chaotic dance of demons.

The takoyaki in his hand was long gone, and he wasn’t hungry yet. While enjoying the performances in the pedestrian paradise, Naoki Nagayama was looking for a restaurant that caught his eye. Suddenly, he received a flyer from a person in a deer head costume, advertising a livehouse with a band performance in the afternoon. It looked quite interesting~

Suddenly... Hmm? Why is this balding uncle staring at me with a lecherous look?

...

Scouting is the entry point for entertainment agents, but it’s a line that Daisuke Yoshimura had long left behind.

Daisuke Yoshimura, over 40, was already the head of the planning department at a small agency. Although the agency was small, it relied on some connections with RB Dentsu to take on some side jobs and publish some photo magazines, which allowed it to survive.

But today, he had to return to the streets to scout.

Because the old-established beverage company, Tomozuke Beverage, had launched a new plum-flavored soda at the end of the year. The president, through personal connections, secretly obtained a job to shoot a commercial. Tomozuke Beverage was a major client, and this job would earn much more than publishing risqué photo magazines!

This kind of job was usually routine. Find a pretty young girl to shoot a scene of drinking soda, and add a line like "Wow, it’s so good..." The scene would be complete.

But this time, it seemed to be for differentiation at the end of the year. The client required a fresh male model... None of the candidates they had were satisfactory.

In the Showa era, male idols were mostly characterized by their rugged and hard lines. Of course, there were also fresh types, but Daisuke Yoshimura’s small agency didn’t have any.

He heard that the client was considering changing the agency, which infuriated the president. He said, "If we lose this job, Daisuke’s bonus this year will be donated to the company!"

In the past few days, Daisuke Yoshimura had been trying to find suitable young people through his connections at universities and by searching in places where young people gathered, hoping to find a standout candidate.

Why not use industry resources? The competition for commercial jobs was fierce, and established companies were eyeing them closely. Revealing the information to the industry would be like putting the lamb in the mouth of the tiger. Daisuke Yoshimura didn’t believe the president’s connections could withstand so many competitors...

"How are they all so bizarre..." After searching the pedestrian paradise for the morning, Daisuke Yoshimura had only one thought about these performance groups. "Has the era changed?"

Ten years ago, street performances were mainly about real talent, singing, and dancing. If that didn’t work, they would perform acting... Now, the performance groups were heavily made up, each more bizarre than the last, with a rainbow of colors on their bodies. The performers’ true selves were completely hidden behind the makeup.

Daisuke Yoshimura was getting increasingly anxious, his eyes scanning the various groups on the street. Suddenly, a flash of blue caught his eye. A blue denim jacket, white T-shirt, black nine-eighths pants, gray sneakers, a handsome and quiet face, and a simple 4-6 parted hairstyle...

At first glance, Daisuke Yoshimura thought of youth, sunshine, freshness, refinement, and vitality... It was like a clear spring washing away the restlessness of the pedestrian paradise.

When Naoki Nagayama looked over, Daisuke Yoshimura’s heart even skipped a beat (laughs), "Unbelievable, it’s him!"

...

Naoki Nagayama watched as the balding uncle approached, bowed, and said, "Konnichiwa, I’m Daisuke Yoshimura from Kyoei Agency!" Then he handed over a business card.

"Konnichiwa, I’m Naoki Nagayama. What’s this about?" Naoki Nagayama was puzzled as he took the business card.

"Here’s the thing, Mr. Nagayama, you’re so handsome. Have you ever considered modeling?"

"Huh?"

...