Chapter 17: Joyful Days; Sachiko Puchi?

Chapter 17: Joyful Everyday Life; Sachiko Puchi?

Why are they always so happy?

...

The shoot in Kanagawa was originally scheduled for two days for Takeshi Iwata.

But right now, it was just too much fun. Besides, there were many interesting spots here, and the budget was flexible, so they decided to stay an extra day to play.

When you come to Kanagawa, besides seeing the sea, you have to visit Kamakura.

As a city of great importance during the Kamakura shogunate era, it boasts many historical relics, among which the famous Great Buddha of Kamakura stands out.

Originally, this was a temple of the Jōdo sect of Buddhism, perched atop the verdant hills.

After enduring harsh winds, frost, rain, and snow, the temple itself no longer exists—only the Great Buddha remains.

Climbing the steps, the first thing that catches the eye is a stone plaque inscribed with “National Treasure: Great Buddha of Kamakura.”

At this point, the Great Buddha comes into view.

Nodding its head in meditation, it exudes a tranquil detachment from worldly affairs.

“Uncle, come quickly!”

“Y-you, slow down.”

“Haha... You say you’re only 24, but you don’t look it at all.”

“This is a sacred Buddhist site; I’m just following the rules.”

“Come on, you’re definitely just an old man.”

“How dare you!”

Energetic Shinobu was full of life, while Takeshi Iwata was panting heavily—no wonder the girl teased him.

In reality, there was a reason why Takeshi struggled climbing the steps.

Is it that he’s bad at hiking?

Not exactly; mainly, the last two days of filming had him on his feet a lot.

The body of Oni Takeshi was still robust, but indeed, he was simply worn out from all the walking.

Why so?

Well...

“Uncle.”

“Yes, here I am.”

First, they paid respects to the Great Buddha.

Hands pressed together, eyes closed in silent prayer.

After the visit, they strolled around briefly before descending.

There was no choice—the place only had the Great Buddha.

Though a national treasure, there really wasn’t much else to do.

On the way down, Takeshi couldn’t help but ask curiously:

“Shinobu, what did you wish for?”

“I won’t say.”

“Oh.”

“If I say it, it won’t come true.”

“Actually, I can guess even if you don’t say.”

“No way!”

“You must have wished for the Buddha to bless you to sing better and to debut officially, right?”

Takeshi’s guess was quite reasonable overall, but Shinobu laughed with great pride upon hearing it.

Wearing a white dress, her steps grew lighter.

White ankle socks matched with black leather shoes.

At a gentle slope, she couldn’t resist and twirled around once.

Seeing this, Takeshi thought no matter how poorly she sang, it wasn’t a big deal.

But...

“Do you really want to hear what I wished for?”

“If you don’t want to say, it’s fine.”

She seized the initiative!

Shinobu was unaware of this; she wasn’t hiding anything at all.

“Uncle, my wish is...”

Takeshi sensed something important was about to happen and listened intently.

“At the Budokan, I want to hold a concert!”

Ah, this...

Oni Takeshi, leader of the Iwata troupe, suddenly realized where his problem lay.

His vision was too narrow!

What else could he say? His expression was full of unspoken meaning.

Shinobu noticed immediately.

“Uncle! You’re so mean!”

“How am I mean?”

“Do you really think there’s no way I can hold a concert at the Budokan?”

“Well...”

“Do you think I would be a shame to the Budokan?”

“That’s your own thought; I never said that.”

“You’re still so mean!”

“But I really never thought that.”

Iwata didn’t expect the roles to reverse once again.

However, Shinobu pouted and, seemingly displeased, continued walking forward.

Takeshi naturally had to keep up.

Then she chuckled softly.

“Wishes are things you make knowing they might never come true.”

In an instant, Takeshi’s heart was filled with mixed emotions.

It turned out this girl was much more mature than he imagined.

Perhaps the prayer made before the Buddha was merely a beautiful thought, even if she knew it might not come true.

Why let the possibility of realization hinder the desire itself?

That was truly his limited perspective...

“Actually, the younger sister’s intellectual disability is just a setup.”

“Oh?”

“This setup carries a layer of irony.”

“Uncle, you mean... the abnormal ones are actually the normal ones, while those who seem normal are the ones doing crazy things?”

Takeshi steered the conversation toward the film, and to his surprise, Shinobu immediately grasped what he meant.

This was essentially about acting—the director explaining the drama to the actors, though their relationship was somewhat peculiar... even strange.

“Splendid, Shinobu. Maybe you’re a genius actress.”

“Really? ...Oh, I get it. You want me to give up on my music dream? Hmph! No way!”

“Why are you so stubborn?”

“Just like it this way—nyah nyah nyah...”

Shinobu grinned and made a face at Takeshi; the two were quite the pair.

Coming down the mountain, they continued exploring Kamakura.

Takeshi liked this feeling... well, any man would be in high spirits with a girl like Shinobu as his companion.

After a long day of sightseeing, hunger naturally set in, so they found a place to eat.

An old-fashioned eatery, usually called a “shokudō.”

Kamakura emphasizes a sense of era, so the sign “shokudō” was quite prominent.

Once seated, they quickly ordered and resumed chatting.

“Since you love singing so much, who’s your idol?”

“Oh, you can probably guess. It’s not my sister, right?”

“Which one? The way you two talk about each other is really interesting.”

“What did she say? Probably just criticized my singing?”

“No, she reminded me to take good care of you.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“That’s all she said.”

Takeshi, of course, didn’t reveal everything. Actually, Miho Nakayama was terrified when she met him, but as an older sister, she still risked making some requests.

One was: “Please keep this secret from Shinobu.”

Meaning, not letting her know their true identities—that they were yakuza.

Takeshi was somewhat upset about this, but in the current entertainment world, which production didn’t have yakuza involvement?

Besides, when filming gangster movies, why did Shochiku’s productions look so authentic?

Because real yakuza were involved in filming and guidance!

Similarly, many of our country’s movie fans asked why Hong Kong’s old gangster films were so good, while mainland actors couldn’t capture the same feeling.

The answer was simple: those Hong Kong gangster films were made by real “gangsters,” like the famous Lee Siu-kei and Big Boss B; they didn’t need to act.

In other words, some things are hard to teach no matter how much is taught in schools.

Getting off track, back to Takeshi’s prayer before the Buddha...

Seeing Takeshi silent for a moment, Shinobu thought he was upset and tugged his sleeve.

“Uncle, do you want to know who my idol is?”

Clearing his mind, Takeshi guessed, “Is it Akina?”

At this time, Akina was an unbeatable presence; it seemed a reasonable guess.

But Shinobu shook her head with a smile.

“No! Haha...”

“You don’t like Akina?”

“Of course I do! But... no matter how hard I try, I can’t reach Akina’s level.”

She truly had self-awareness at that moment.

Takeshi’s mind involuntarily conjured Akina’s image—her peerless beauty, her stylish and poised stage presence, and... damn, just thinking of a certain person made his blood pressure rise!

“Then who is it?” Takeshi banished that annoying thought.

Shinobu blushed slightly, rummaged through her bag, and soon produced a CD.

Kohhy Obirui.

Takeshi couldn’t help but say, “Ah, Akko?”

“Ha... that’s her.”

Shinobu was extremely happy.

Kohhy Obirui, nicknamed Kohhy, was currently a very popular female singer.

Truly the original Akko—the Akko in Tsukasa Hojo’s “City Hunter” was modeled after her, and she was even invited to do voice acting once.

Unfortunately, she declined, citing lack of professionalism.

She was extremely popular at the moment, with a commanding stage presence, excellent vocal skills, and was a shining example of beauty and talent.

“Kohhy-neechan is going to hold a concert at the Budokan soon. I wish I could be like her.”

Shinobu’s eyes sparkled like stars.

Takeshi finally understood why she made that wish—it was about following in her idol’s footsteps.

“You’d better give up that dream.”

“How mean!”

“Focus on making good films with me; that’s more realistic.”

“One day, I will definitely sing at the Budokan!”

Though Takeshi said this with his mouth, in his heart he had made a decision: he might not be able to help her hold a concert at the Budokan, but he could at least take her there...

Just then, their food arrived.

The waitress didn’t rush off but hesitated, seeming to want to say something.

“Sister, you’re so beautiful.”

Shinobu, seeming perceptive, opened the topic.

Takeshi then noticed the waitress and was suddenly startled.

“Well, I, actually... you’re much more beautiful than me. I’m just... um...”

She was quite embarrassed and stammered, maybe because she felt she shouldn’t say much in this shop.

Takeshi had a sudden insight.

“This young lady must have been drawn in by our conversation about the entertainment world.”

“Oh, that’s true,” the waitress replied gratefully but still shyly.

Takeshi continued, “I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Takeshi Iwata, and this is Shinobu Nakayama. We’re shooting a movie.”

“I know that already. I saw it before... Ah! Sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Sachiko Puchi...”

Thanks to all the loyal readers and supporters who have encouraged me—your support means the world.

I promise to write this story well, so please rest assured. Thank you all.

(End of Chapter)