It's half of December and the weather is getting colder and colder.
The light rain that started in the afternoon turned into snow particles by the evening. After work, I went to have a dinner with the singers and program producers who participated in the recording. When I got home, it was already past nine o'clock.
However, at the end of the busy year, it is early to come back at this time.
When I come back from outside in winter, I really want to take a hot bath.
Nakamori Akina put the water in and before taking a bath, she turned on the waterproof radio in the bathroom as usual. She likes to listen to the radio while taking a bath. This middle-aged and elderly-style habit of hers has lasted for many years.
However, since I recovered from the cold, I have been very busy these days, and sometimes I come back too late and can only wash up hastily. Today, I took a bath while listening to the radio, which was a long-awaited rest.
On the radio, the host's speaking speed and tone are just right. Listening to high-level radio hosts chatting is also a kind of enjoyment for those who are physically and mentally exhausted after a long day's work.
Akina Nakamori cleared her mind, listening to the radio and thinking about the end of the year.
There is another week until Christmas, and after Christmas there is New Year's Eve.
I heard from a major agent that due to the impact of the self-restriction order, all activities such as Christmas light-lighting ceremonies and store promotions have been cancelled. This year's Christmas Eve is expected to be much deserted.
Not only the private sector, but also television programs have reduced the stage size.
The activities on the stage have been cut down, and the gatherings of various manufacturers and industry partners at the end of the year have also been somewhat restrained. As a popular star, Akina Nakamori will definitely attend several such gatherings with her agent at the end of the year. Thank you to them all
Years of care.
December is a month with a sense of conclusion...
A year is about to pass, and during this year, many, many things happened. Not only that, during this year, I did many things that I would not have done before.
This year, I seem to be different from before. Such a strange idea suddenly came to my mind, and Nakamori Akina couldn't help but laugh.
However, I couldn't tell whether I was laughing at myself for thinking too much, or whether I was laughing at something else.
On the radio station, the host's chat came to an end and entered the stage of playing songs. Akina Nakamori was a little surprised, feeling that the host's speaking time was a bit short.
Although I didn’t listen carefully to the host’s words, I felt that this was indeed the case.
After a moment of surprise, the prelude of the song sounded.
"It's already the third spring since graduation."
When the female singer sang the first line, Nakamori Akina said "Huh". Is this voice so familiar? It seemed like... She listened carefully for a few more lines, and this feeling of familiarity became even stronger.
It’s Dreamsetrue’s Yoshida-san, right?
With this impression in her mind, Akina Nakamori had a new doubt: she had never heard this song before.
Iwahashi Shinichi would send her all the records that DreamseTrue had released since their debut, and would include a "Tasting Thoughts" on them. Therefore, she had listened to every song the band had ever released.
But now, this song is so unfamiliar.
Has dreamsetrue released a new song? Nakamori Akina then speculated. However, if a new song is released, Shinichi-kun will definitely send it to her, but she has not received it yet.
Akina Nakamori thinks she can never mistake the singer's voice.
Originally, I am a singer, and I am much better at identifying the voices of singers I have heard than ordinary listeners. Furthermore, Miwa Yoshida’s singing skills are amazing. Ordinary listeners may not have that deep experience, but professional singers will know it as soon as they hear it.
The "terrible" thing about her.
On the radio, the song is still going on.
After confirming that this was Yoshida Miwa, Nakamori Akina couldn't help but focus.
Although there was no sample product or a card with her thoughts on the sample, she thought it was DreamseTrue's new song, so she listened attentively as if she was used to it.
If you listen carefully, you can even hear Iwahashi Shinichi's harmony in the chorus.
Yoshida-san's singing skills are amazing, but her two teammates' singing skills are very average.
However, as the song progressed, Akina Nakamori understood why it felt like the radio host's speaking time was shorter just now, because he had to leave time for the song to play.
This song is really long.
However, it doesn't make anyone feel impatient at all.
On the contrary, there is still a strange magic that wants to listen to it, a magic that thinks it can last longer, just like the "no matter how many years have passed" sung in the corresponding lyrics.
Is this also the lyrics and music of Yoshida-san? Akina Nakamori remembered the song information included in the band's record that she had seen before.
She likes this song very much.
At the end of the song, there is Yoshida-san’s improvisation.
The improvisation of this section makes it even more certain that this is a dreamsetrue song. Because, unless you are a monster like Yoshida-san, ordinary singers cannot sustain it.
"Huh~"
After listening to this long improvisation, the song ended and commercials began. Nakamori Akina let out a breath.
Then, I felt a little dizzy.
Focusing on listening to music, I unknowingly spent too much time in the bath...
Nakamori Akina put away her thoughts about the song. In short, she came out of the bathroom first.
…
After resting for a while, her dizziness subsided, Nakamori Akina sat down at the desk.
There is a peacock that has been formed on the table. There is still a little finishing work to do, and the new origami is completed. Compared to the previous origami giraffe, this peacock is more troublesome.
Akina Nakamori practiced when she had free time, and broke a lot of paper before she learned this new trick.
The time schedule at the end of the year is too tight, and there are not many opportunities to sit at a desk and carve a little bit like this. Learning to fold a peacock is almost in a moving car, and in the lounge backstage before waiting for the show to start.
Such concentration confirmed what Omoto's manager said, "fold it wherever you go." Omoto was surprised by this. He never thought that Nakamori Akina's origami hobby could last for such a long time.
Akina Nakamori picked up the unfinished origami peacock and did not look through the origami book. Instead, she continued to complete the remaining steps by herself relying on her memories and feel.
After folding the peacock, you can write a reply to Shinichi Iwahashi and initiate a new teaching challenge to fold the peacock.
but……
Akina Nakamori completed the final steps and remembered the new song she had just listened to.
She put the folded peacock on the table, opened the drawer and got the letter paper.
In addition to the origami peacock on the desk, there is also the energetic and beautiful kitten that I exchanged from Shinichi Iwahashi when I was in Karuizawa, and the ordinary giraffe that I taught him to fold.
On my birthday, the kitten Iwahashi Shinichi gave me was still on the dressing table.
Akina Nakamori looked at the origami and suddenly an idea came to her mind.
There is also an ugly kitten and two beautiful giraffes over there.
From now on, if it keeps going like this.
She has been teaching Iwahashi Shinichi to make origami, and if the two of them exchange, then she will receive a lot of origami made by beginners with ordinary skills, and Shinichi Iwahashi will receive beautiful origami made by experienced hands.
In her origami, there is a beautiful kitten. On the other hand, in Iwahashi Shinichi's, among the beautiful origami, there is an ugly kitten.
Beautiful kittens and ugly kittens are both so special.
Thinking of this, Akina Nakamori suddenly felt an expectation for the "future" in her heart.
Looking forward to the day when all kinds of origami will be on the table.
Before that, Akina Nakamori closed the drawer and looked at the clock on the table. It was not too late.
Nakamori Akina gave up writing the letter and got up to get the phone. Before dialing, she thought about it, but she was still worried about waking up someone who was already asleep, so she didn't call directly, but paged Shinichi Iwahashi.
Compared with before, she is more direct. When she picks up the receiver and dials the number, she is more skillful and decisive.
After a while, the call came back.
"Good evening, Akina-san."
"Good evening."
Iwahashi Shinichi's voice on the phone sounded lazy, and Nakamori Akina asked him, "Is Shinichi-kun already asleep?"
…
At the end of the year, even if there is a self-restriction order, it can't stop various gatherings in the industry. If you don't go to hotels, there are various private residences, and if you think about it, the self-restriction order will immediately become a dead letter.
Zard will debut in January, and the record company is playing its first card. It is the stage where people and relationships are waiting to catch up, and any opportunity to get close cannot be missed.
Either he or Watanabe Manyumi, each brought his own driver with feelings and a driver without feelings to attend one social event after another.
Most of the time, the two of them act alone, and they go together on grand occasions. On occasions when it is inconvenient for Watanabe Manyumi to attend alone, but it is okay for him to accompany her, he will accompany her.
In addition to parties to attend, there are also parties hosted in the name of record companies.
At the end of the year, we will host a banquet with companies we have cooperative relationships with, and people from TV stations we have cooperative relationships with will also be invited, in order to "thank you for your care over the past year."
The industry relies on TV stations for food, and as long as there is some cooperative relationship, they have to climb up the pole to manage things at the end of the year. They have a dinner first, and after the meal they have to give out prepared New Year gifts. After a set of procedures, not a single link is missing.
At the end of this year, we have decided to broadcast DreamSeTrue commercials on TBS TV station. We will take this opportunity to invite people from TBS TV station to attend the party.
Because TV stations control the entertainment industry, they have to do this in order to gain opportunities.
The annual entertainment expenses for running a record label and office definitely add up to a huge amount.
As for Watanabe Manyumi, because the agency also has acting business, in addition to the TV station, she also has to have dinner with people from the film company to build good relationships.
Watanabe Manyumi, a social worker at the film company, went to the meeting with the manager of the office. A female boss like her had to deal with the men in black behind the scenes, who were mostly men. It was absolutely impossible for her to "attend the meeting alone" like Shinichi Iwahashi did.
Cooperation with the film company is the matter of the firm. In principle, Shinichi Iwahashi does not interfere with her firm's affairs, so he will not accompany her.
On the other hand, for entertainment related to the TV station, the two of them must attend at the same time.
He plus Watanabe Manyumi, it was quite easy for the two of them to deal with the TV station together.
Tonight's party is a little special.
This was a rather special party with a hint of "internal entertainment". The organizer was Zhutian Printing Company, a partner of the record company, and the attendees were all people from companies invested by Zhutian Printing Company.
On this occasion, naturally Iwahashi Shinichi and Watanabe Manyumi attended together.
Zhutian Printing Company covers a wide range of areas, and people from all walks of life attend such gatherings.
Of course, for Shinichi Iwahashi, what deserves more attention are the people from the Japanese animation company who attended this party.
The reason why I decided to contact Takeda Printing Company for cooperation was because of their inextricable relationship with the animation industry.
After the company was established, I didn't usually have the opportunity to contact Japanese animation companies. At the party at the end of this year, I finally had my first meeting with the principals of Japanese animation companies.
Iwahashi Shinichi did not miss the opportunity, and took the initiative to exchange business cards with the other party and find topics to talk about. He had a great time socializing throughout the night. By the time he said goodbye, he had already made an agreement with the person opposite him to meet and visit again if he had the opportunity.
It was almost ten o'clock in the evening, Shinichi Iwahashi and Manyumi Watanabe came together, discussed it, and prepared to leave.
Iwahashi Shinichi was promoted to the president of the record company. After having a loving driver, he said goodbye to the daily routine of riding in the domineering president's car. At this moment, after the two said goodbye, they took their own cars and left.
Before leaving, at the exit, the officer in charge of seeing off guests from Zhutian Printing Company handed the prepared gifts to the two of them respectively.
That's how it is at the end of the year, there's going in and there's going out.
After leaving the venue, Shinichi Iwahashi checked his pager as a habit and saw a message. It was Akina Nakamori's number.
After getting into the car, he was in no hurry to return and made a call first.
The call was answered quickly enough.
…
"Good evening, Akina-san." he said.
"Good evening." Akina Nakamori replied and asked him, "Has Shinichi-kun gone to bed?"
"No, I'm just getting ready to go home." Iwahashi Shinichi told her.
On the other end of the phone, Akina Nakamori said "Hey", "Looking at the voice, I thought I woke you up."
Iwahashi Shinichi thought for a while and guessed that it was probably because he drank a lot of wine. He sounded lazy and explained: "Tonight, I attended the reception hosted by the investors. I just finished and was about to go back."
"That's it." Nakamori Akina's reaction seemed to be relieved.
Shinichi Iwahashi looked for a topic, "At the end of the year, Akina-san will also attend many receptions, right?"
"Fortunately...it should be much less than Shen Yi-kun." She just finished speaking, and she laughed first, "It seems like she said nonsense."
Iwahashi Shinichi also laughed, "I don't know if Akina-san doesn't tell you."
"By the way," he changed the subject, "What's wrong with Akina-san?"
"There is something I want to tell Shinichi-kun."
Nakamori Akina finally did not forget her original intention of calling.
"What?" Shinichi Iwahashi was quite interested.
"I heard a song while listening to the radio today." Akina Nakamori started her words, and Shinichi Iwahashi guessed what she was going to say.
"Then what?" He pretended not to know and asked her to continue.
