A girl with short, boyish hair and a small stature lowered her head hard towards Iwahashi Shinichi. Iwahashi Shinichi looked over and saw her round hair.
She bumped into him because the girl was walking too fast and didn't pay attention to the front. However, the corridor was already very narrow due to the flower baskets. Iwahashi Shinichi stopped here to look at the flower baskets, and he had to bear half of the burden.
responsibility.
So, after replying, he asked again: "Are you okay?"
The girl straightened up and said, "It doesn't matter." She apologized to him again, "I was too reckless just now." She was so small that she could only raise her head when she wanted to talk to Iwahashi Shinichi.
When she showed her face, she was a beautiful girl with a delicate and cute appearance, a pair of spirited eyes, and a youthful atmosphere all over her body. For no reason, it reminded Shinichi Iwahashi of when he first debuted, before he was overwhelmed by the pressure of the agency.
The broken Yukiko Okada.
However, it is different from Yukiko when she first debuted. Although this girl's eyes are smart, they are a bit erratic, giving people a lonely feeling for no reason.
It reminded him of Yukiko Okada and the girl who appeared backstage at her concert. Shinichi Iwahashi thought of a certain name in his mind.
Looking at her beautiful girl's face again, I felt a subtle sense of familiarity.
"Are you also here to see Okada-san's concert?" Iwahashi Shinichi asked calmly.
"Yes." The girl answered, guessing that the people who could appear backstage were probably people in the industry who were not concert staff.
Thinking of this, she lowered her head again and introduced herself, "I am Noriko Sakai, a junior at Yukiko-san's agency, who officially debuted as a singer last year."
"Oh." Iwahashi Shin nodded.
After a pause, he replied: "That's it."
Noriko Sakai, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, faced him introducing herself so formally. Iwahashi Shinichi reacted subconsciously when he heard the name. In an instant, the young and lovely girl now and the social news girl later
The protagonist, two images alternate in his mind.
Just like Okada Yukiko was selected as the successor of Matsuda Seiko, should the current Sakai Noriko be called the successor of Okada Yukiko?
"that……"
The slightly hesitant voice of the girl Sakai Noriko brought his imagination back to reality, "If nothing happens, I will be rude and say goodbye."
It was just an interlude of a chance encounter. Iwahashi Shin nodded, "Okay."
The social news heroine that I just imagined in my mind is gone. What is in front of me is a beautiful girl who looks innocent and cute. Her back and steps are full of energy, and she is not inferior to any popular girl idol.
Previously, I had heard something from Okada Yukiko about Mizoguchi Noburo personally discovering a new person named Sakai Noriko, but seeing the real person still made Iwahashi Shinichi a little emotional.
Back then, no one would have thought that the person who had posted Noriko Sakai's poster on the wall and wrote in her composition that she wanted to marry Noriko Sakai would have fallen into that situation.
But Shinichi Iwahashi is just the opposite. The more charming and charming the sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl Sakai Noriko looks. As a person who knows her future life destiny, the more touching and pure and lovely she is.
However, the thought in his mind only went a little off track before he was immediately pulled back by Shinichi Iwahashi.
Thinking about this now, it would be a bit ridiculous to think of her in terms of "future destiny". Why should we look at the current girl with the impression of a "future" that has not happened yet?
Noriko Sakai is a pure and lovely girl idol, and she is now a newcomer that SunMusic is strongly promoting.
Just thinking like this is enough. The "future" that has never happened should not be placed in the "now" that we know nothing about. This is unfair to the girl Sakai Noriko who is only sixteen or seventeen years old.
Put aside those vague impressions, and look at the name Noriko Sakai, she is just a newly popular girl idol.
While thinking about these things, Shinichi Iwahashi's eyes unconsciously swept across the flower baskets in the corridor, and finally saw the bouquet sent by Akina Nakamori among the flower baskets of Shueisha and Oginome Yoko.
"I wish Yukiko all the best for her concert."
Iwahashi Shinichi saw what he wanted to see and successfully passed the scavenger hunt game, and was immediately satisfied. The corridor was so narrow, so in order to prevent the situation from happening again, he stopped staying here and went to the backstage of the concert.
No matter which singer's concert it is, the backstage is always busy and messy. Iwahashi Shinichi passes by the hurried staff from time to time, and finally arrives near Okada Yukiko's lounge.
Before reaching the door, I saw Noriko Sakai standing outside the door.
The person who was talking to her was a man about forty years old, wearing a simple suit and old-fashioned square-rimmed glasses, looking like a diligent office worker.
The man was saying these things, and Noriko Sakai listened attentively, nodding from time to time. Even though she was far away, she could tell by the look on her face that she was answering "yes" or something like that.
The first person who noticed that someone was looking at her was Noriko Sakai. She glanced here subconsciously and saw standing there the young man she had bumped into just now.
Despite this, she did not show any surprise and seemed very normal. The episode just now seemed to have changed for her.
Affected by her, the man who was talking to her also looked over. The corridor outside the lounge was so narrow that two people walking towards each other could barely separate themselves. Since he was discovered, Shinichi Iwahashi walked forward directly.
Take the initiative to say hello: "Hello."
This was a greeting with this man. While greeting him, he handed over his business card, "I am Iwahashi from Genzo." After saying that, he nodded slightly to Noriko Sakai, whom he had just met a few minutes ago.
Noriko Sakai also bowed to him, as if it was the first time they met, the unfamiliarity was just right.
"Oh." The man took the business card and looked at it briefly, "Hello, Iwahashi-san." He also took out his own business card and handed it over, "I'm Mizoguchi from SunMusic."
After saying this, he hesitated and added another sentence: "Thank you for taking care of me, Yukiko."
Okada Yukiko had informed Mizoguchi Noburo in advance that before the performance started today, Iwahashi-san was coming backstage. Yukiko did not say who this Iwahashi-san was, only that she was an important friend and that she had received a lot of care from him.
Okada Yukiko never mentioned what happened at that time to Mizoguchi Noburo. Therefore, when Okada Yukiko said this, Mizoguchi Noburo guessed that this Iwahashi-san might be her friend in college, or even someone.
Maybe a man I like.
However, Mizoguchi Noburo did not delve into who this "Iwahashi-san" was.
Anyway, today is her retirement concert. After today, Okada Yukiko is an ordinary person. It is her own choice to live her life. Therefore, when hearing her say this, Mizoguchi Noburo's attitude was very calm.
Not only was she calm, but she even had a bit of hope that she would be happy.
However, when he received Shinichi Iwahashi's business card and learned that Iwahashi-san was not an outsider, but the president of a production company called Genzo, Mizoguchi Noburo was a little surprised.
Yukiko turned out to know such a person, or was he an important friend of hers? While Iwahashi Shinichi took the business card, Mizoguchi Noburo looked at him calmly.
It looks quite down-to-earth and reliable. This is Mizoguchi Noburo's first impression. However, the name Iwahashi Shinichi seems a bit familiar? Mizoguchi Noburo thinks he has heard this name somewhere.
While Mizoguchi Noburo was sizing up Iwahashi Shinichi, Iwahashi Shinichi was holding the business card, looking at the name on it, and mentally evaluating his impression of him when they first met.
Noburo Mizoguchi is a well-known manager in the industry. Not only did he create Yukiko Okada and Noriko Sakai, he also served as Seiko Matsuda’s manager and was the backbone of SunMusic.
In addition, he is still a traditional manager who sticks to the label of "orthodox youth idol".
In terms of appearance alone, Mizoguchi Noburo does have the style of a "traditional manager". This time around Yukiko Okada's retirement concert, his handiwork can be seen everywhere.
Okada Yukiko told him that she would leave the retirement concert as her last job and that her idol career would end at the moment the concert ended. This arrangement was the result of Mizoguchi Noburo's many efforts.
Ever since Okada Yukiko's showdown with her contract ended and she was about to retire, Mizoguchi Noburo was preparing for her final retirement. Even though the focus of work had shifted to Noriko Sakai, he still set aside time to personally serve as the organizer of Okada Yukiko's retirement concert.
Producer.
Because of this, Okada Yukiko is full of gratitude to Mizoguchi Noburo, and she still feels guilty for ruining his dream.
However, Iwahashi Shinichi read another meaning into his actions.
Mizoguchi Noburo was so concerned, of course, because he felt guilty about Okada Yukiko.
In the beginning, he was the one who personally brought the girl to Tokyo from Nagoya, promising her parents that he would take care of her. But the result almost led to tragedy. Therefore, this time she wanted to retire, and Mizoguchi Noburo was determined to do his best for her.
However, reaching such a level is not just because of guilt in my heart.
If you are a traditional manager like Mizoguchi Noburo, in his view, any career must have a beginning and an end, and this is especially true for the idol career. You must be beautiful when you debut, and you must be graceful when you retire.
Precisely because this is a full stop that represents the end, he hopes to complete the story for Okada Yukiko.
Those dreams that could not be realized by Okada Yukiko were put aside at the end of this concert. Choosing to personally produce a concert for her also brought an end to this dream of cultivating the "Sun Goddess".
When Iwahashi Shin thought of this meaning, he couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for this manager who still insists on dreaming seriously even now.
…
"Iwahashi-san!"
Okada Yukiko's energetic voice interrupted the casual greeting outside the lounge.
Okada Yukiko, who had already changed into her first performance costume and looked stunning, came out of the lounge.
She was in the lounge and heard Shinichi Iwahashi talking outside. She couldn't wait and came out to take a look.
"Mizoguchi-san, this is Iwahashi-san." Okada Yukiko introduced him to Mizoguchi Noburo.
Noburo Mizoguchi, who looked like a diligent office worker, looked at Yukiko Okada with a fatherly expression, "I was talking to Iwahashi-san just now."
"Yukiko, I wish you all the best for your concert." Shinichi Iwahashi looked at her and smiled.
"Thank you." Okada Yukiko said.
Noriko Sakai looked at the interaction between Okada Yukiko and Iwahashi Shinichi and found it very strange. Obviously Iwahashi-san looked about the same age as Yukiko-san, but when Yukiko-san looked at him, he had a way of treating someone close to him.
The feeling of elders.
He is like an older brother who is respected and trusted by his younger sister.
After discovering this, Sakai Noriko couldn't help but feel a little envious of Okada Yukiko.
Sakai Noriko's father is a cadre of the Dero clan. As a Yakuza, his father is not the kind of person who can make people feel at ease. When she was a child, she was abandoned by her biological mother and abused by her first stepmother.
The adopted daughter lives with her uncle and her family.
My uncle is an extreme cadre like my father, and his behavior is similar to that of his father. The words stability and down-to-earth have nothing to do with it. Whether it was when he followed his uncle or after he returned to his father, the young people who usually come and go in the family also
They are all the kind of extremists who make people feel uneasy.
Stability and solidity are what Noriko Sakai lacks in her life.
Noriko Sakai had never met a person like Iwahashi Shinichi who was as down-to-earth as an elder brother. No one had ever looked at her and talked like this.
Yukiko-san has a harmonious big family in her hometown in Nagoya. Outside of the family, there are people like this who take care of her... Sakai Noriko thinks that Okada Yukiko is really happy, but her eyes unconsciously stare at the person who is talking to Okada Yukiko.
Iwahashi Shinichi.
She has never dared to ask for family background, something she cannot choose and is destined to be born. But now, the reason why she feels envious is probably because Iwahashi Shinichi is not Okada Yukiko's biological brother, and it is not something she is destined to have from birth.
.
…
Shinichi Iwahashi didn't notice Noriko Sakai looking at him, and only talked to Yukiko Okada. During this period, Noburo Mizoguchi, his manager, also interrupted from time to time.
After chatting for a while, Noburo Mizoguchi realized what was going on and took the initiative and said, "I'll lead you to the front."
After Mizoguchi Noburo and Sakai Noriko left, Okada Yukiko asked Iwahashi Shinichi, "Iwahashi-san, won't you come in and take a look?"
Shinichi Iwahashi looked at his watch, "Forget it...it's getting late, so I won't bother you more."
He took out the prepared gift from the inner pocket of his suit and handed it to her, "By the way, this is a gift for you."
Okada Yukiko took it, "Is this...an employee ID card?"
"Yes." Iwahashi Shin nodded, "I have defeated you before. After retirement, can you come to work at my place? You are always welcome."
"And," he smiled, "this is your employee ID number. Even if you graduate from college and find a job, this employee ID will not be taken back."
"Really?" Okada Yukiko smiled happily when he heard what he said, "Thank you! I like your gift very much."
After saying this, he seemed to have just thought of it and said to him: "By the way, Iwahashi-san."
