Chapter 99

With Halloween approaching, "Paranormal Activity" has become increasingly popular.

If you haven't seen this movie, it seems you have nothing to talk about at young people's gatherings.

Four young people sitting around a round table in an izakaya were also discussing this movie.

"Sei, have you seen it yet?" Daisho teased the skinny young man beside him.

"Of course I've seen it!" Sei, the young man, replied stubbornly, "It was just okay, nothing to be afraid of at all!"

Sumei, sitting next to him, was secretly covering her mouth and laughing.

Daisho wasn't about to let him off: "Then why don't you tell us about it, Sei?"

Sei tried to act as if it was no big deal: "Ah, it's just about going to a hot spring and encountering some strange things."

The actors clearly had no experience; the guy who looked so cool turned out to be a wimp, and he couldn't figure out what was going on for so many nights. The girls were also scared to death after just two days...

Yumi, sitting on the other side, chimed in: "That's how ordinary people would react, I'd be scared to death by the second day too~"

Sumei nodded in agreement: "The reactions felt very real~"

Daisho continued: "The scariest part was the black shadow standing at the door in the documentary..."

Seeing that everyone was captivated by his words, Daisho quietly reached under the table and pushed Sei's plate, causing it to jump and collide with the table, making a "clack" sound.

Sei let out a startled cry and jumped to the side, hugging Sumei.

Sumei didn't push him away but instead comforted him...

Daisho, watching this, suddenly felt uninterested.

"Damn! You're such a lucky dog!"

He then glanced at Yumi beside him, thinking, "Yumi is cute too~"

Yumi's face turned slightly red.

...

The heated discussions about the movie had little to do with Naoki Nagayama.

After all, the later promotional activities didn't require his involvement anymore.

However, the movie's release did have some impact on his life.

Now, he was being recognized when he went out!

A few days ago, when he was inspecting a location in Kōenji, he was recognized by young people waiting in line outside.

"Are you Masaharu? The handsome guy from 'Paranormal Activity'!!"

Seeing the excited fangirl, Naoki Nagayama quickly replied, "No, you must have mistaken me for someone else, I'm just passing by."

He then slipped away with the crowd,

Before he left, he could still hear the noise behind him getting louder.

So now, when Naoki Nagayama goes out, he usually wears sunglasses or a mask, or at least a wide-brimmed hat to cover his face.

He really didn't know how top celebrities managed to hide themselves, maybe he should ask someone next time.

Although he has a bit of a homebody nature, Naoki Nagayama couldn't stand staying at home all the time.

...

One day, Naoki Nagayama came to the house in Bunkyo Ward, which he hadn't visited in a long time.

He came not only to practice the piano but also to tidy up the place.

After all, the house in Chiyoda Ward would be completed in about a week, and this piano would be moved to the music room there.

After a quick clean-up, Naoki Nagayama played the piano for the first time in a long while.

The smooth and beautiful melody seemed to instantly transport him back to the summer fireworks festival...

It was the song "On the Night the Fireworks Sparkle"!

After the song ended, Naoki Nagayama's mood seemed to linger in that colorful summer night.

The doorbell rang again,

This time, he wasn't startled, and he went straight to open the door.

The large glasses slightly altered her appearance, but the bright smile and the little fangs...

Sure enough, it was Nao Kawai!

"Naoki-kun, it's been a while!" Nao Kawai's voice was filled with joy.

"Ah, Nao-san! I thought you had already left after completing your work~" Naoki Nagayama was also surprised to see the young idol again, "Please come in."

"Hi, thank you~"

Only after Nao Kawai entered did Naoki Nagayama notice that her leg seemed to be bandaged.

"Nao-san, your leg?"

"Ah, I fell off the stage because I wasn't wearing my contact lenses..."

"Ah, that must have been a serious incident?" Naoki Nagayama wasn't very familiar with the idol's history, but if it required such a long hospital stay, it wasn't a small matter, "Are you feeling better now? How did this happen?"

"I'm almost fully recovered, but I still need some rest, so the agency arranged for me to stay here~"

"Really? Wouldn't it be better to go home? Wouldn't your family be worried?"

"Mom came to take care of me when I was in the hospital, and now I'm well enough to live normally."

Nao Kawai seemed to want to change the subject,

"I was wondering if I would ever meet Naoki-kun again, but I haven't heard the piano for over a month."

Naoki Nagayama handed Nao Kawai a glass of water,

"I've been busy with other things recently, so I haven't had time to practice the piano. I finally managed to find some time."

"Ha ha ha, it's the opposite for me, I've been quite free~" What's there to brag about being injured?

"..."

"Ha ha ha ha, Naoki-kun, I haven't heard that piano piece before, could it be..."

Naoki Nagayama had to admit,

"Ha, it's a new piece I wrote this summer, called 'On the Night the Fireworks Sparkle'"

"Sure enough, it's a new piece. Naoki-kun is amazing, to write such a beautiful piece in such a short time~"

Nao Kawai praised him highly, then thought of herself,

"Fireworks~ I was in the hospital during this year's fireworks festival~"

Nao Kawai's eyes showed longing: "Naoki-kun, were this year's fireworks beautiful?"

"Actually, I missed them too, I only saw the final fireworks of the summer."

"Really? No wonder the music had a sense of longing and regret~"

You could tell that from the music?

"Naoki-kun, it's really a shame you missed it, they must have been beautiful."

Naoki Nagayama admired Nao Kawai's sensitivity to music,

And he also felt sympathy for her injury,

"Nao-san, we can't change the time we missed,

But like a photo, music can also capture that moment~"

"Naoki-kun, what do you mean?"

"Please listen to my performance again~"

Naoki Nagayama sat at the piano and played "On the Night the Fireworks Sparkle" once more.

As the notes flowed, the smooth piano music came from Naoki Nagayama's fingers,

Fireworks seemed to bloom in the sky,

Nao Kawai closed her eyes,

And it felt as if she was really seeing that summer night filled with fireworks.

...

An accidental encounter, like an unexpected bonus in ordinary life,

Always brings surprises,

When they parted, neither of them exchanged contact information,

Perhaps only in this way could they experience the joy of unexpected meetings.