Traveling Through the Tokyo Bubble Era

Chapter 586: The Queen Retreats and the Nine Phoenixes Seize the Throne
Yunshang Entertainment, inside the president’s office.

Iijima Michi rubbed his temples, then angrily shouted at a female subordinate agent in front of him in a tone that he could no longer bear.

"What are you doing here?"

Seeing the president so angry, the female agent timidly replied, "I just came to visit the president."

"Idiot! Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Saito Yuki has been nominated for this year's Academy Awards, so naturally he needs to walk the red carpet with the crew. Why are you here to join in the fun? Get out!"

"President, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Amid Iijima Michi's angry rebuke, the female manager apologized repeatedly and left the president's office.

No wonder Iijima Michi was so angry.

Although President Hanyu Hideki, as a judge, treated voting as a game and let Akina Nakamori vote for him without knowing it.

However, this did not affect the Yunshang system's ability to use its own influence to successfully get Yuki Saito nominated for the Best Actress in this year's Neon Film Academy Awards for the movie "Goodbye Girls".

In this case, Yuki Saito could obviously join the academy club.

As a result, on the day of the award ceremony, the crew was cooperating with the promotion, but Yuki Saito and her agent ignored the promotional work and ran back to the agency without permission because of the blank invitation for Hideki Hanyu.

Thinking of this, Iijima Michi rubbed his forehead helplessly again.

Looking at the invitation on the table.

Michiko Iijima felt that her own teacher Hanyu had really given her a difficult problem.

She just suggested it to her subordinates, asking them to recommend a suitable candidate to attend the Neon Film Academy business meeting with Hideki Hanyu, but it ended up causing such a big stir.

Of course, she can also understand the mentality of these agents and stars.

on the surface.

This is about choosing a female companion to walk the red carpet with Hideki Hanyu.

Considering that Hideki Hanyu was recently reported by Forbes magazine, the news about him has been very popular in Japan.

The Neon Film Academy Awards is the most watched entertainment award in Neon, and it will be broadcast live on television throughout Neon.

In this case, if she could attend the Academy Awards as Hanyu Hideki's female companion, it would definitely attract a lot of attention and popularity.

But these are just superficial reasons.

As for what these people really think, it’s probably because of another thing.

Ever since Akina Nakamori publicly announced that she would retire at the end of the year, all the female idols in Yunshang Entertainment and their managers have been in a state of confusion.

Everyone hopes that after Akina Nakamori retires, they can get the resource support from the Yunshang system and become the next Asian "Queen".

In this situation, the appearance of Hideki Hanyu's blank invitation gave everyone the illusion that this was not an invitation to the Neon Film Academy Awards at all, but a stairway to the throne of "Queen of Pop".

It seems that as long as one can become Hanyu Hideki's female companion, one can take an important step in the fight for the title of "Queen of Pop".

Of course, Iijima Michi knew that Hanyu Hideki had never considered finding a successor for Nakamori Akina.

Even in Hideki Hanyu's strategic plan, female idols are no longer the agency's business focus in the next stage.

For example, the visual rock band that recently collaborated with Cloud Music to release an underground album.

For example, the "Girls' Produce Camp" will be completely discontinued this year.

For example, cloud entertainment, cloud screenings, and the band talent show variety show that cloud satellite TV has already begun to prepare to create.

In fact, they can represent the future development focus of the firm to a certain extent.

But the problem is that she knew these things, and a small number of senior executives knew them.

But the subordinate agents and contracted artists don’t know about this.

But things like this involving future strategic goals cannot be discussed now.

That’s why the situation today has occurred.

Yuki Saito is just a person who came back to look for an opportunity.

……

In a conference room not far from President Michiru Iijima's office.

On weekdays, this is mainly where Michi Iijima holds important meetings of the firm's senior management, so compared to other meeting rooms in the firm, the area of ​​this meeting room is relatively smaller.

Today, this small conference room is already filled with agents and female artists who have rushed here after hearing the news.

In the conference room, some female artists were whispering with their agents, saying things that no one else could hear, such as Chisato Moritaka, who did not receive a good response after her debut.

Some female artists do not have agents because their agents have gone out to gather information.

Some of these female artists sat there alone waiting for news.

Some female artists who were familiar with each other sat together and whispered, such as Shizuka Kudo and Noriko Sakai, who came to the agency together by car.

"Shizuka, it turns out that everyone came to the office to compete for the position of the president's female companion." Noriko Sakai, who finally figured out the situation, sounded a little excited.

Seeing this, Kudo Shizuka pretended to be very surprised and asked tentatively, as if she just found out about this too.

"Yeah, that's really unexpected, but is Noriko so happy because she also wants to be President Hanyu's female companion?"

When Noriko Sakai heard Kudo Shizuka's question, she did not answer immediately. Instead, her memory drifted back to a long time ago.

At that time, she successfully gained some fame in Japan with the "Real Asakura Minami" event. As a result, the top management of Yunshang Entertainment used threats and inducements to force her to withdraw from the competition in order to ensure that Saito Yuki won the championship.

At that moment of despair, Hideki Hanyu suddenly appeared. He not only treated her fairly, but also dealt with those who threatened and bribed her.

In her memory, the image of Hideki Hanyu, the "justice that comes from the sky", is forever engraved in Noriko Sakai's heart.

Thinking of this, Noriko Sakai instinctively nodded and replied, "If it is President Hanyu, of course I am willing."

Noriko Sakai did not notice that she was shy and timid at this moment, with a look of longing in her eyes.

I know, I understand that she is talking about being a companion to the film academy awards.

If you don’t know, you might think that Hideki Hanyu was proposing to her.

When Shizuka Kudo, who was standing next to her, heard what Noriko Sakai said, her heart immediately became alarmed.

There are quite a few people in this conference room who seem to be a threat to her plan.

For example, Yuki Saito, who made her debut with "Boys Over Flowers", envied her for her resources in film and television, especially after the group pushed her to be nominated for the Best Actress at the Academy Awards this year.

For example, Asaka Yui, who came from "Creation Camp" and achieved outstanding results after her debut, has resources in the record industry that are no worse than hers.

But compared with her, these two people only have an advantage in one aspect.

In terms of comprehensiveness, each has its own shortcomings.

The only person who really poses a threat to Shizuka Kudo is Noriko Sakai.

Thinking of this, Kudo Shizuka, who had already figured out Noriko Sakai's character, seemed to ignore Noriko Sakai's words and spoke to her.

"Foshiko, actually I have always liked President Hanyu very much, so I really hope to get this opportunity. If possible, can you support me?"

Noriko Sakai never expected that after she had already expressed her thoughts, Shizuka Kudo would actually say such a thing.

Noriko Sakai's first reaction was, of course, reluctance.

However, the pathological and pleasing personality she developed since childhood made it impossible for her to refuse Shizuka Kudo, her best friend in Yunshang Entertainment and even in the whole of Tokyo.

Thinking about how Shizuka Kudo treated her every day, how she talked to her about her personal matters, took her out to play, and introduced her to her friends.

Noriko Sakai wanted to refuse, but she couldn't say it.

In the end, even though she was thinking of Hanyu Hideki and felt unwilling, she still nodded and said, "If possible, I am willing to support Shizuka."

"You are so kind, you will always be my best friend."

Shizuka Kudo was happy in her heart, but she said things that didn't mean it.

After saying this, Shizuka Kudo immediately observed Noriko Sakai's reaction.

As expected, Noriko Sakai, who loves to please people, looked very happy even though her eyes were shy.

This made Shizuka Kudo secretly proud, and she felt that Noriko Sakai was too easy to fool.

For a moment, she even had the thought that there seemed no need to destroy Noriko Sakai.

After all, it would be a shame not to take advantage of such a gullible girl.

Moreover, the more popular Noriko Sakai becomes in the future, the higher her utilization value will be.

However, when Shizuka Kudo thought of this, she immediately gave up the idea.

Noriko Sakai is easy to deceive.

But the other party’s agent is not easy to deceive, and the middle and upper-level managers of Yunshang Entertainment are even harder to deceive.

and so……

There was a flash of malice in Shizuka Kudo's eyes when she looked at Noriko Sakai.

It’s better to destroy it so that it won’t pose a threat to her.

Thinking about this, she felt that she should arrange for Noriko Sakai and Shinji Nojima to meet again soon.

Although the man's academic performance was not very good while studying in America, he was addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, gambling and drugs, making him the perfect person to introduce to Noriko Sakai.

But before Kudo Shizuka could speak, she saw someone walking into the conference room.

It was Yuki Saito's agent.

Naturally, Shizuka Kudo takes this potential opponent very seriously.

Therefore, she didn't care about anything else for the time being and focused her attention on the conversation between the agent and Saito Yuki.

Soon, a scene that made Kudo Shizuka feel relieved happened.

After Yuki Saito's agent walked into the conference room, he whispered a few words to Yuki Saito, and then Yuki Saito's face showed obvious disappointment.

Immediately afterwards, Yuki Saito stood up and left the meeting room with his agent.

Everyone looked at the direction they left, which was exactly the exit of the office.

Now everyone understood that Yuki Saito was the first to be eliminated in the competition for the invitation letter.

But everyone knows that Yuki Saito has been nominated for the Neon Film Academy Awards, and whether she can become the president's female companion will not affect her participation in the Academy Awards at all.

However, being able to eliminate a threatening opponent made not only Kudo Shizuka, but everyone else also felt relieved.

Especially those who are not strong enough.

For example, several female idols from the "Creation Camp".

Although they have accumulated a lot of popularity in Produce Camp, in terms of attention, Produce Camp for Girls cannot even compare to Kitten Club, let alone Saito Yuki, who became popular throughout Asia as soon as she debuted.

Yunshang Entertainment's preference for Yuki Saito in the film and television industry is unmatched by any other female artist signed to the agency.

Even if there is, it can only be Suzuki Kyoka, who just became famous with "My Sassy Girl".

After all, the box office of this movie is so terrifying that it officially exceeded 11 billion yen last week, completely surpassing "Antarctica" and firmly sitting at the top of Japan's live-action movie box office rankings.

The most important thing is that the box office momentum of this movie is still hot, as if it is really going to hit the 20 billion box office predicted by relevant media.

Moreover, after the film was released in Asia, it also achieved very impressive results.

Professional media predict that the total overseas box office in Asia may reach more than 5 billion yen.

As the saying goes, while the predecessors are still popular, the younger generations have already reached the top.

Although Yunshang Yineng has many resources, who would refuse to have more resources?
This is also the reason why Akina Nakamori announced her retirement, and the open and secret struggles among other Yunshang Entertainment agents became even more intense.

Because everyone wants to fill the gap left after Akina Nakamori's retirement.

Just when many female artists and agents of Yunshang Arts were racking their brains and using various means to compete for an invitation.

The instigator of this incident, Hideki Hanyu, who had just returned from America, was lying comfortably in the huge jacuzzi on the third floor of the Yorozuya, squinting his eyes and enjoying the massage of the hot spring water.

Although I have rested on the plane, the fatigue caused by jet lag is still not easy to adjust.

In order to be in good spirits when attending the Film Academy Awards in the evening, he naturally had to relax now.

bang bang-

There was a knock on the bathroom door.

Then, the voice of the maid and housekeeper Machiko came from outside, "Sir, it's me."

Hanyu Hideki said, "Come in."

Then, Machiko opened the door and walked in.

"Sir, the masseur is here."

"Ah."

Hanyu Hideki responded and immediately stood up from the jacuzzi.
Seeing Machiko holding a towel and wanting to help him wipe his body, Hanyu Hideki raised his hand to refuse, took the towel and wiped himself, then put on a bathrobe with the help of Machiko.

As Hanyu Hideki walked towards the massage room, Machiko followed behind him and asked, "What would you like for lunch, sir?"

"Vegetable salad and half a steak will do." Hanyu Hideki ordered.

Although he is not like a star, he has to go on a diet several days in advance to attend the award ceremony and cannot even eat anything on the day of the ceremony.

But you still have to pay attention to your dietary intake. In addition to ensuring your dressing is effective, at least when the ceremony starts in the evening, you won’t want to go to the bathroom at a critical moment.

"Yes, sir." After agreeing, Machiko accompanied Hanyu Hideki to the massage room. After helping Hanyu Hideki lie down, she played Hanyu Hideki's favorite record on the record player in the massage room, and then went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

But Hideki Hanyu's massage is not over yet.

After preparing lunch, Machiko returned with a phone in her hand.

"Sir, this is President Iijima calling."

Hanyu Hideki, who was enjoying a massage, took the phone and put it to his ear and asked, "Iijima-san, it's me."

Iijima Michi's voice came, "Teacher Hanyu, I'm very sorry to bother you, but I have something to ask you."

Hanyu Hideki asked directly, "Isn't it because of the invitation?"

Iijima Michi replied, "Yes, the specific situation is like this..."

Michimi Iijima reported the current situation of the office to Hideki Hanyu.

After listening to this, Hanyu Hideki chuckled and revealed the thoughts of these female artists and their managers, "Haha, I think they are not after the invitation, but Akina's title of queen."

"I think so too," Iijima Michi agreed.

"Why are you asking me about such a small matter? Since it is certain that there will be no heir, you can make your own arrangements. I am just showing up with my people, and it does not involve other issues."

Hanyu Hideki said somewhat dissatisfiedly.

He just felt that Iijima Michi had been the president for so many years, but he couldn't even handle such a small matter.

Being criticized by Hanyu Hideki, Iijima Michi naturally heard Hanyu Hideki's tone. She did not answer the question, but hurriedly apologized.

"I'm so sorry, I let Mr. Hanyu down."

Hanyu Hideki said, "Okay, stop saying these useless words. You started as my assistant for many years. Just tell me what you think."

"I just feel that even if Mingcai has no heir, Mingcai's resources should always be inherited by our artists. Even if they have to be distributed to different artists, there will always be primary and secondary ones, such as endorsements from big brands, management teams, and record resources..."

After listening to what Iijima Michi said, Hanyu Hideki thought this was indeed a problem.

Even if he didn't think Akina Nakamori should have a successor, the resources she left behind could not be given to outsiders, let alone be dispersed too much, otherwise they would be wasted.

Under objective conditions, it is impossible for the Yunshang system to cultivate a new "Queen".

However, it does not affect the Yunshang Group's use of Akina Nakamori's retirement to hype up the concept of the "Queen's" successor and create one or more "little queens".

However, he was not as familiar with the current development of his artists as Iijima Michi, so he asked directly, "Do you have any candidates?"

Iijima Michi suggested, "How about Kudo Shizuka?"

Hearing Iijima Michi talking about the 'king's wife', Hanyu Hideki frowned in thought.

Shizuka Kudo was the last ray of light of the era of female idols in the Japanese entertainment industry in the late 1980s. In another time and space, she was also hailed as the "successor to Akina Nakamori" by the Japanese entertainment industry.

She is also known as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Idols" along with Nakayama Miho, Minamino Yoko, and Asaka Yui.

In terms of influence, popularity, and business performance, he is the best among the four.

Although he didn't have a very good impression of Kudo Shizuka, considering the interests of the Yunshang system, choosing Kudo Shizuka was indeed a good choice.

The most important thing is that what he has decided now is only the female companion for the Film Academy Awards. As for the subsequent allocation of resources to the Yunshang system, there will definitely be more considerations.

Thinking of this, Hanyu Hideki did not hesitate any more and spoke directly.

"Then let's do as you say, but it's just a female companion. As for the resources after Akina retires, it's still early before the end of the year, so you need to discuss it more with the others and Asako-san."

"Yes, Mr. Hanyu, I understand." Iijima Michi agreed immediately, and then asked, "How should I arrange for her to meet up with Mr. Hanyu?"

Hanyu Hideki thought for a moment and said, "Let her come to the Yorozuya earlier, and have my stylist help her prepare her look in the afternoon."

The reason he said this was not because he had any other ideas.

Just considering walking the red carpet together, the styles must be as consistent as possible. After all, there is a height difference of more than 20 centimeters between them. If it is not designed well, it will be a joke during the live broadcast.

"Okay, I got it. Goodbye, Mr. Hanyu."

"Goodbye."

Hideki Hanyu hung up the phone and continued to enjoy the massage service.

On the other hand, at Yunshang Entertainment, Michi Iijima got the consent of Hideki Hanyu, hung up the phone, and then got up and left the president's office.

She walked all the way to the door of the conference room where everyone was gathered, and saw the expectant eyes of the agents and artists in the conference room.

The agent here has been working hard in the office for half the morning just waiting for the moment when the result will be announced.

Iijima Michi didn't waste time, but looked directly at Kudo Shizuka's position and said straightforwardly, "Kudo Shizuka, come with me."

As soon as these words were spoken, both Kudo Shizuka and her agent showed irrepressible joy on their faces.

As for the others, they were of course unabashedly disappointed.

After all, everyone understands what they are fighting for.

Although Akina Nakamori announced her retirement date is at the end of the year, which seems like a long time, no one dares to relax.

After all, every important victory during this period may lead to a change in the final outcome.

Of course, just one failure will not stop others from competing.

I believe that situations of open and secret struggles like today will occur many times in the future.

I believe that in the near future, perhaps after the dust has settled, insiders will spread these inside information with exaggeration, turning it into a wonderful and interesting story in the Japanese entertainment industry [the "Queen" retires, and the Nine Phoenixes compete for the throne].

Just like that, Shizuka Kudo left with her agent and followed Michiko Iijima.

In the conference room, the "losers" left one after another.

Some people remained silent, some people felt regretful.

There was also a sleepy 10-year-old girl, Ayumi Hamasaki, complaining to her mother, "What? Mom forgot to ask for leave from school. This is bad!"

His mother, Mariko, said somewhat embarrassedly, “I thought I could meet the writer Hanyu through this.”

"My mother is such a jerk. The agency has a rule that I cannot skip classes unless I have work arrangements. My agent and I will both have our salaries docked."

As she spoke, Ayumi Hamasaki's doll-like face showed a very depressed expression.

Mariko, who failed in her idol pursuit, was filled with regret and had no time to comfort her daughter.

At the same time, in the president's office of Iijima Michi.

Michiru Iijima is giving instructions to Shizuka Kudo.

"Next, I will arrange for someone to take you to the Yorozuya. Do you know where that is?"

In front of Iijima Michi, Kudo Shizuka pretended to be obedient and nodded, "I know, that is President Hanyu's house."

Iijima Michi reminded him again, "It's good to know. When you get there, pay attention to etiquette. For the styling, follow Mr. Hanyu's arrangements. Remember?"

"I have remembered what President Iijima said, and I will never let you down." Shizuka Kudo replied respectfully.

"Then go ahead"

"Goodbye, President Iijima."

……

House of Everything.

Before Hideki Hanyu's massage was over, the car carrying Shizuka Kudo had already arrived.

The security personnel at the door checked and got confirmation from Machiko. After learning that this was the person invited by Hanyu Hideki, they allowed Kudo Shizuka's vehicle to enter.

In the underground garage of the Yorozuya, as soon as Shizuka Kudo got out of the car, she saw a woman wearing a kimono standing next to the car. She was about 26 or 27 years old, with ordinary looks but a very gentle temperament.

When the woman saw her, she bowed politely and said, "Hello, Miss Kudo. I am Machiko, the housekeeper of the Yorozuya."

"Machiko-san, I'm Kudo Shizuka. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me."

Kudo Shizuka quickly bowed and greeted.

Machiko made an invitation, "Please come with me, Ms. Kudo."

"Okay." Kudo Shizuka agreed and quickly followed Machiko who was already walking to the side.

At this time, the car that was carrying Kudo Shizuka also left the Yorozuya under the arrangement of the security personnel.

Shizuka Kudo followed Machiko and didn't walk far before they entered an elevator.

After the elevator door closed, it ran for a while and then reopened.

When the two of them walked out, they were already in the front yard of the Yorozuya House, in the corridor in front of a beautiful house.

When Shizuka Kudo followed Machiko along the stone-paved corridor and came to the beautiful house, she originally thought that they would enter from here.

Suddenly, a beautiful big cat jumped out of the house and jumped into Machiko's arms.

Machiko's introduction sounded at the right time, "Ms. Kudo, this is Mr. Hanyu's pet, her name is Nako Lulu, this house is her home, I hope she didn't scare you."

Hearing this, Kudo Shizuka waved her hands and said, "No, it didn't scare me."

In fact, what Shizuka Kudo wanted to say more was that the cat named Nakorolu did not scare her, but the house where the cat lived scared her.

Such a beautiful two-story house could be sold for at least 100 million or 200 million in Tokyo today, but it turned out to be just a cattery for cats.

However, Shizuka Kudo discovered that while she was speaking, the cat held in Machiko's arms seemed to notice her.

The beautiful azure glasses, looking at her brightly, made Shizuka Kudo want to go up and touch them.

This also made her unable to help but praise, "This cat is so beautiful."

However, as soon as she said this, Machiko in front of her immediately reminded her.

"In the Yorozuya, we are all used to calling Nako Lulu by her name, and Nako Lulu doesn't like to interact with strangers."

And Machiko's words had just come out of her mouth.

Shizuka Kudo immediately noticed that when Nakolu looked at her, there suddenly appeared a very anthropomorphic emotion in her eyes.

How to describe that feeling?

He just glanced at her with disgust, then turned his head away and stopped looking at her.

This feeling of being disliked by the cat made Shizuka Kudo very annoyed.

She thought to herself that if one day she could become the hostess of a Yorozuya shop, she would definitely throw this annoying kitten out and tear down the cat house.

Although Shizuka Kudo thought so in her heart, she smiled and said, "Really? If I had known, I would have brought some food to get closer to Nako Lulu."

Who would have thought that just when Kudo Shizuka said that, Machiko immediately explained, "Nakalulu won't eat food given by outsiders, she only eats specially customized cat food."

When Machiko said this, they had already walked along the corridor to the side door of the real Yorozuya mansion.

At this time, Nakolu, who had been carried by Machiko all the way, jumped out of Machiko's arms lightly, shook her tail, raised her head, and walked into the door before the two of them, as if she was the owner of the house.

"Ms. Kudo, please."

Machiko invited and walked in with Kudo Shizuka.

After passing through the side door, the two walked a few steps and entered the lobby of the Wanshiwu.

Kudo Shizuka looked around.

Since she doesn't know much about decoration, she can only describe it with words like expensive, gorgeous, elegant, etc.

The huge crystal chandelier above her head looked very expensive. After all, that chandelier was bigger than her apartment bedroom.

Facing the gate, there is a huge ship's rudder, which looks very old.

On the wall next to her, there were several framed paintings. Although she didn't recognize them, she had a feeling they would not be cheap.

As for the other things around her, it was hard to describe them.

In short, just the entrance hall of the Yorozuya was enough to let Shizuka Kudo see what wealth is.

Even if you work yourself to death as an artist in Japan, you can never expect to have all of this.

Just as Kudo Shizuka was sighing to herself, a familiar voice was heard from the stairs inside the hall.

"Why are you here now? You were told to come earlier, but you weren't told to come this early."

Following the sound, Shizuka Kudo saw the tall Hideki Hanyu walking down the stairs in a bathrobe.

Nako Lulu, who had entered the door before her, rushed directly to Hanyu Hideki.

It began to circle around Hanyu Hideki's feet, and its tail kept sweeping Hanyu Hideki's calves.

That was completely different from how he treated her, not to mention how intimate it was.

However, at this time, Kudo Shizuka didn't care what Nako Lulu was doing. She quickly explained to Hanyu Hideki, "President Hanyu, President Iijima asked me to come."

"Ah."

Hanyu Hideki responded and then said nothing more.

He looked Kudo Shizuka up and down, then directly instructed Machiko, "Notify the stylist to come and measure her body first."

Machiko agreed, "Yes, sir."

"Take her to get ready. I'm going to play ball for a while. Call me when lunch is ready."

After saying this, Hideki Hanyu no longer paid attention to Shizuka Kudo. He picked up Nakorolu from the ground with one hand and walked towards the underground sports field.

(End of this chapter)