novelnext Chapter 1316-1325, You must be the "root" of the Tree Friends Group!
Chapter 1316-1325, You must be the "root" of the Tree Friends Group!
Chapter 1316-1325, You must be the "root" of the Tree Friends Group!
In the top-floor office of the Tree Friends Building, Yoshimura Daitomo was listening to the report from Tree Friends' number one ninja.
"What?! That madam was secretly taking pictures?!"
Yoshimura Otomo was also surprised to hear this fact. In fact, in Japan, a country that favors sons over daughters, people who go to clubs never thought that a mere club madam would dare to do such a thing!
If this gets out, who would dare to patronize a club? The business of clubs on the entire street, and even the whole of Roppongi, will be affected!
The underworld, capitalists, and even certain Chinese aristocratic families that control the nightclubs behind the scenes would not allow such unruly people to appear!
"As expected, the feminist movement has been going on for a long time!"
Yoshimura Otomo lamented that Japan's golden age truly elevated women to an unrealistic level.
Meanwhile, Kijima Kyō continued his report:
"For this reason, in order to avoid being discovered, I have removed the hidden camera from the room."
Yoshimura Daitomo nodded:
"You did the right thing. The footage we shot before was enough! Any more would just be repetition."
"Hi," Kijima asked, "So, what should we do about Haraguchi Motoko? Should we inform Noda Yoshihiko?"
"Hmm," Yoshimura Otomo pondered for a moment, "No need, let's just pretend we don't know!"
"Then when Motoko Haraguchi uses this record to launch an attack, we can do Noda a favor again."
At this point, Yoshimura Daitomo looked up at Kijima Kyō, his eyes filled with satisfaction and amazement:
"Kijima-kun, I never imagined your talent would be so useful when put to the right place! Have you ever considered changing careers?"
"Change careers?" Kijima asked curiously. "Change to what careers?"
"Switch to a behind-the-scenes role. With your abilities, like a ninja, secretly find the enemy's weaknesses, eliminate the Tree Friends' enemies, and protect the company's development."
Yoshimura Daitomo became increasingly excited as he spoke, and the Shuyou Group did indeed lack someone to deal with the darkness.
"I will create a special department for you, called the Roots Department. You will become the roots that your fellow tree growers have buried underground!!!"
"The deeper the roots are buried in the dark soil, the more lush and verdant the tree will be!"
"."
Kijima felt like he'd heard this saying somewhere before.
Ah, it's Naoki-san!
When Naoki gets drunk and complains, he sometimes says strange things, like "where leaves dance, fire is also born." He also seems to have said things like "the root of the blame" or "the shadow of the pot."
It seems like people who do this kind of thing usually end up taking the blame!
"Cough cough."
Kijima coughed twice, politely declining.
“Otomo-san, I was always ignored in the first half of my life. It wasn't until I came to the Tree Friends that people noticed me and I felt the gaze of others. So, I still want to walk in the light!”
"I want more people to see me, I want to shine like Naoki-san!!! And then find more girlfriends!"
".Forehead."
Yoshimura Daitoshi hesitated. Yes, what's wrong with a young man wanting to find a girlfriend?!
"Oh, I see. Then let's just forget about it."
Wait, you actually want to find a lot of girlfriends?! That's problematic!
"But Kijima-kun, in this day and age, boys should be careful when looking for girlfriends, lest they end up like Yoshihiko Noda."
"Hey, I understand!"
Kijima nodded and placed the cassette tape on the table.
"Well then, Otomo-san, I'll head over to work now!"
"Well, let's go~"
Yoshimura Otomo had a kind face, but after Kijima Kyō left the office, he revealed a wicked smile while holding the cassette tape.
"Kijima-kun, since you have this ability, whether you do it or not isn't up to you."
While our Tree Friends Group isn't some devilish organization that exploits employees to do things they don't want to do, there are still some things that are necessary.
"Haha, hehe, hehehe? Why am I laughing like a villain?!"
Yoshimura Daitomo quickly threw the cassette tape in his hand into the drawer.
"This tape seems to be poisonous! It's true what they say, you shouldn't do these kinds of bad things too often; it can cause your personality to go astray!"
Naoki Nagayama arrived at Jurassic Island in the morning, just like any other office worker.
"Naoki Mulberry"
When Masataka Komori, who was directing the film crew, saw Naoki Nagayama arrive, he quickly walked over and said...
"The crew is ready and can start filming at any time!"
"Well, thank you for your hard work!"
Naoki Nagayama patted Masataka Komori on the shoulder and glanced at the filming schedule.
"Yes, we saw some scenes with a Triceratops during filming today."
Today's filming content involves the protagonist arriving at Jurassic Park and seeing a sick Triceratops.
"Props Team"
Naoki Nagayama approached Takehiko Takei from the props team.
"Takei-san, how's our Triceratops?!"
"Ah, Naoki-san! The props are here."
When Takei Takehiko saw Naoki Nagayama asking him something, he took him to the filming location, a set set up like an outdoor filming location.
In the middle of the grassland, lying on its side was a colossal creature, two or three people in size: a Triceratops!
The lifelike makeup, with the abdomen rising and falling as if breathing, makes it seem as if a real Triceratops has come to the modern era. However, Takehiko Takei quickly shattered this illusion.
He led Naoki Nagayama behind the Triceratops model, then pulled back a cover that was disguised as ground, revealing the hidden part.
Their props team actually dug a large pit directly under the Triceratops model, and then one of the team members was inside holding a pole to manipulate the Triceratops' breathing. The Triceratops was only half real on the ground; the inside was completely hollow!
"Naoki-san, the outer skin of this Triceratops was painted on by a professional special effects makeup artist; it's essentially a leather suit. Please don't touch it too hard if the actor is touching it."
Takehiko Takei pointed to the young man inside and explained,
"He'll handle the internal controls, and he can coordinate with the actors to express breathing, opening their mouths, blinking, and so on."
"I thought it would be operated by an electric motor," Naoki Nagayama shrugged, "something like mechanical brakes."
"That's so troublesome!"
Takei Takehiko disagreed;
"You still need to install wiring, connect power, design circuits, and program. It's cheaper and more convenient to just hire someone to perform!"
".Makes sense!"
When it comes to the props team, Naoki Nagayama, being an outsider, generally doesn't directly instruct the experts; he just wants the final result to achieve the effect he desires.
In this film, many shots were created using computer-generated special effects, but some required shooting with real-life models.
So he helped put the rather heavy cover on:
"Hey buddy inside, you've worked so hard! We'll let you out after we're done filming!"
"."~
“The other dinosaur models,” Naoki Nagayama asked, “the Tyrannosaurus Rex one?”
Alright, now it's time to officially start filming!
Naoki Nagayama found the male lead Harrison Ford and the female lead Yuko Tanaka:
Harrison, Yuko-san
"This scene has about two or three shots. You need to convey the emotions in your performance, from surprise at discovering the Triceratops, then joy (Yuko-san, because the Triceratops is your favorite dinosaur), to finally, confusion—confusion about why this Triceratops is sick."
They switched between English and Japanese, and on set, director Naoki Nagayama even had to act as a translator.
Ultimately, it's best to speak up yourself if you want to fully express your thoughts.
"Hi, no problem!"
Yuko Tanaka has worked with Naoki Nagayama many times and understands the director's intentions very well.
However, Harrison Ford was somewhat puzzled:
"Director Nagayama, in which line do you intend to express surprise, and in which line do you intend to convey information? When does the final question begin?"
Naoki Nagayama cannot simply answer him based on his own judgment, because if he doesn't explain things clearly at this point, he will try many times during filming, producing different effects and causing the filming time to be continuously extended.
This is also because the two haven't gotten along well yet; otherwise, Harrison wouldn't be so nervous.
"Um"
Naoki Nagayama explained it to him in detail, and then after a serious discussion with the other actors, especially the two child actors, they prepared to begin the performance.
"On your marks. Get set."
"Action!"
The camera begins from the perspective of a child actor, following the child as they walk through the grass. Soon, a colossal creature appears from the child's point of view.
Harrison Ford, playing a paleontologist, sees the Triceratops lying on the ground and, unable to contain his excitement, walks over and gently strokes its "neck frill." This ring of bony folds, resembling a shield, was a powerful weapon the Triceratops used to protect its shoulders.
At this moment, Yuko Tanaka, worried about her son, also appeared in the frame, her mouth agape:
"My God, that's a Triceratops!"
Then, squatting down in front of the Triceratops's head, touching its parrot-like beak and somewhat rounded front horns, it determined that it was female.
"Hello, baby girl"
Then, turning to Harrison, who had already moved aside, he said:
"She was my favorite when I was a child. Now I finally see her. What a beautiful creature!"
The Triceratops on the ground also blinked and opened its mouth at the right time, and even the tongue in its mouth trembled from time to time. Looking at the white foam at the corner of the Triceratops' mouth, Yuko Tanaka took out a flashlight to examine its pupils and tongue, just like when a person is examining a doctor.
Meanwhile, Harrison, like a child, lay on the Triceratops' belly, showing obvious delight.
However, the belly that was being held down by this 1.8-meter-tall man was clearly unable to rise and fall.
"Crack!"
Naoki Nagayama quickly yelled "Cut!" to get the cameras, including the crane camera, back in place.
"The Harrison Triceratops is sick! How could you press on her stomach?!"
"Besides, the person inside the Triceratops's belly was too heavy to move you! He couldn't move you!!"
"."
Harrison Ford looked embarrassed after hearing the director's words.
I thought it was mechanical force.
Then he patted the Triceratops's belly:
Sorry, bro.
"Alright, alright, the last one was actually not bad."
Taking advantage of the moment when they called "cut," Naoki Nagayama also offered some suggestions:
"Yuko-san, it's a bit exaggerated for an Asian to open their mouth in surprise. You could cover your mouth instead."
"Kid, don't just stand there. Even though you're in the background, you can still crouch down and examine the Triceratops."
"."
After a short wait, Naoki Nagayama called out again:
"On your marks, get set, action!"
And so this scene played out again.
And so, filming for Jurassic Park proceeded in full swing.
As filming progressed, Jurassic Island became increasingly popular, attracting more and more visitors, and shops and restaurants began to open.
The ferry service, which used to be once a week, is now running daily.
Meanwhile, within the film industry, promotion for "Jurassic Park" had already begun.
"Naoki-san's movie has already started filming!"
Masaki Kobayashi smiled as he looked at the news articles about prayers for good fortune in the newspaper.
"So eager? Looks like they're planning to release it early next year!"
"yes."
Masahiro Shinoda, who was having tea with him, nodded.
"This guy is always in such a rush. It's like something's forcing him to do something."
"Perhaps what's forcing him is this rapidly developing era!"
Japan's bubble has reached its peak. After recovering from the stock market crash, the economy continues to take off. Even the US's continued demands for yen devaluation have not stopped it. Instead, Japanese capital has begun to flow to the US.
The "Neon threat" theory previously circulated on Wall Street seems to have backfired. What was once just middle-class and wealthy women buying luxury goods is now being actively acquired by large Japanese capital firms, who are genuinely acquiring high-quality American production resources.
Sony's accelerated acquisition of Columbia Pictures is the most obvious example. Perhaps "buying up America" has become the guiding principle of Japanese capital!
In his Manhattan apartment in New York City, Genta Nakai calmly sipped his coffee, preparing for his second hearing.
However, he had already won the first hearing, and he believed that the second one would just be another public speech. Meanwhile, he had already finished all of Tree Friends Capital's stock market crash operations in the United States!
After buying up shares of high-quality companies at rock-bottom prices, TreeFriend Capital's US branch became a major shareholder in several leading companies on the US stock market, the kind that can attend shareholder meetings.
Whether or not to join the board of directors, and whether or not to place people within the company—these are all things we'll discuss with Naoki Nagayama after we return to Japan!
"After this hearing, it's time to think about how to go home!"
Nakai Genta thought of his son, Shota.
"It's been several months since I last saw him. I wonder if Shota has grown taller."
He also thought of his wife, Hoshino Suzumi, but felt a little guilty. After all, it was difficult for a single man like him to remain chaste in such an open city as America, and under such great pressure.
"Before going home, let's go to the luxury store and buy some gifts for Suzumi!"
Just as he was lost in thought, senior lawyer George knocked on the door:
"Mr. Nakai, we should get going!"
"Oh, okay."
Nakai Genta finished his coffee in one gulp, grabbed his coat, and went out.
A cold wind blew against Nakai Genta's face, making him shiver involuntarily, and reminding him of:
"The autumn foliage viewing should be starting soon. The maple leaves in my hometown are turning red~"
He really missed home after being away from home for so long!
"George, is there anything wrong with our hearing?!"
“Of course!” George’s reply was still full of American pride. “You have to trust old George. He’s got everything on Wall Street figured out!”
"Mr. Nakai did an excellent job at the last hearing. After today's hearing, there is absolutely no possibility of prosecution."
Ultimately, short selling is not illegal. If the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) were to forcibly sue TreeFriend Capital, it would have to sue almost every firm on Wall Street at the same time.
"."
Sitting in the car listening to the confident voice of senior lawyer George, Nakai Genta felt much more at ease.
"I want to be back in Tokyo by at least the end of the year!"
(End of this chapter)