Traveling Through the Tokyo Bubble Era

Chapter 1030 Hirohashi Asako Wants to Be Number One

When Hideki Hanyu appeared outside the delivery room, many people present showed expressions of surprise.

After all, the last time they heard news about Hideki Hanyu was nearly two months ago, when he attended the Hans Christian Andersen Award ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in America.

Since then, Hideki Hanyu has basically disappeared from the public eye.

Now that Hideki Hanyu has suddenly appeared, many people present don't even know when he returned to Tokyo.

Of course, this group does not include several partners.

Because of work, Hideki Hanyu and the others never lost contact. Even if they couldn't meet in person, they would communicate about work matters by phone.

Therefore, upon seeing Hideki Hanyu, Shinsuke Ito greeted him and said, "I thought you needed to rest since you had just returned, so I didn't specifically inform you."

Hideki Hanyu patted Shinsuke Ito on the shoulder and said, "No matter how much I need to rest, I will definitely come for something like this."

The two didn't dwell on it too much and quickly got to the point.

Besides, when Shinsuke Itō saw Hideki Hanyu with Hiromi Takigawa and Yuko Kotegawa, he knew he had worried unnecessarily about Hideki Hanyu's "rest".

With such a beautiful woman on both sides, she doesn't seem tired at all.

After exchanging a few words with Shinsuke Itō, Hideki Hanyu naturally had to socialize with other people.

Because of Shinsuke Ito's special status, those who came to visit today were basically figures at the very top of the Japanese entertainment industry.

They are all behind-the-scenes bigwigs of various organizations, or heads or bosses of companies in the industry. Ordinary people don't even have the right to come here.

As for the artists in front of the camera, there are very few of them. They are all senior figures in the industry, and their identities are no longer simply those of artists.

However, even though these people are all top figures in the industry, it is still very difficult for them to meet Hideki Hanyu on a regular basis.

Meeting Hideki Hanyu today was an unexpected delight, and naturally, no one wanted to miss the opportunity, so they all tried their best to get closer to him.

After much effort and finally managing to deal with all these people, Hideki Hanyu was able to reunite with Shota Yoshioka at the entrance of the delivery room.

Shota Yoshioka did not come alone this time; he was accompanied by a short young man with a typical Japanese appearance, a mature demeanor, and a resemblance to Shota Yoshioka in his features.

Hideki Hanyu recognized the young man; he was Kenichi Yoshioka, the eldest son of Shota Yoshioka.

Hideki Hanyu and Shota Yoshioka had just greeted each other when Kenichi Yoshioka took the initiative to greet Hideki Hanyu.

"Good evening, Uncle Yuzuru."

Hideki Hanyu, who was addressed as "uncle," also adopted a senior's demeanor and said, "Good evening, Kenichi. You look very energetic."

However, what Hideki Hanyu didn't know was that the way he was talking to Kenichi Yoshioka seemed so abrupt and awkward to Hiromi Takigawa and Yuko Kotegawa, who were standing beside him.

After all, judging from his appearance, Kenichi Yoshioka is short and stocky, with a mature look and a calm demeanor.

In contrast to his youthful, sunny, fair-skinned, and handsome appearance, Hideki Yuzuru looked like a college student who had just stepped out of a university.

No matter how you look at it, Kenichi Yoshioka seems more like an elder.

However, when the two were talking, Hideki Hanyu completely overwhelmed the cautious Kenichi Yoshioka in both attitude and aura.

This difference in appearance and aura is precisely what makes others feel awkward.

It's actually quite normal for outsiders to have this feeling.

After all, if we're talking about age, Hideki Hanyu and Kenichi Yoshioka are only four years apart, so there's absolutely no problem in calling them peers.

Of course, Kenichi Yoshioka would never dare to treat Hideki Hanyu as an equal.

When Hideki Hanyu said he looked energetic, he immediately replied respectfully, "Thank you for the compliment, Uncle."

"Too polite."

As Hideki Hanyu spoke, he asked Shota Yoshioka, "If I remember correctly, after Kenichi finished his master's degree in England, didn't he intern at Storm Advertising's UK branch?"

Shota Yoshioka replied, "Yes, my internship just ended."

Hideki Hanyu then asked, "Are you planning to work at the Japanese headquarters now that you're returning to Japan?"

Shota Yoshioka shook his head helplessly, "I wanted to train him, but he himself isn't interested in the advertising industry."

"Oh, so what does Kenichi want to do?" Hideki Yuzuru asked curiously.

As far as I can remember, Yoshioka Shota's eldest son was raised very well by Yoshioka Shota. He was calm and sensible, not the kind of spoiled brat who didn't know his place.

"He wants to join Cloud Entertainment and study film at Ito-san's photography studio."

Shota Yoshioka's answer surprised Hideki Hanyu.

Then, seeing that Yoshioka Kenichi looked a little nervous, he smiled slightly and advised Yoshioka Shota.

“It’s a good thing that young people have things they want to do, and Yoshioka-san should support them.”

Upon hearing Hideki Hanyu's words, Kenichi Yoshioka immediately looked over gratefully.

Shota Yoshioka sighed helplessly.

Clearly, the eldest son's choice did not meet Yoshioka Shota's expectations.

Hideki Hanyu glanced at Shinsuke Ito, who was waiting outside the delivery room not far away.

“I think Ito-san would be very happy to be Kenichi’s teacher.”

However, Shota Yoshioka stated, "If he really wants to work in the film industry, I don't plan to let him go directly into a film studio."

"Where are we going?" Hideki Yuzuru asked.

Shota Yoshioka replied, "When Asako-san arrives, I plan to talk to her and have her train in the advertising shooting department of Yunying Pictures."

Hideki Hanyu said, "Mr. Yoshioka should know very well that the advertising shooting department is the busiest and hardest-working department in cloud-based animation."

"The point is to let him know that the industries he's interested in aren't as glamorous as he imagines."

Shota Yoshioka said, as if in a fit of pique.

It's clear that Yoshioka Shota doesn't support his son's idea and still intends to make his son back down.

Hideki Hanyu did not intend to offer any further advice.

In his view, although advertising shooting and the film industry are similar, they are ultimately not the same field.

So, regardless of how likely it is that sending Kenichi Yoshioka to suffer unrelated hardships will deter him from filmmaking, it's quite possible that it will actually make him even more eager for movies.

Besides, given Kenichi Yoshioka's background, even if he were to actually join the advertising shooting department, he probably wouldn't experience much hardship.

However, Kenichi Yoshioka's background meant that he had too many trial and error costs, so sometimes taking a wrong turn was not necessarily a bad thing.

Just then, Hirohashi Asako, whom Yoshioka Shota was waiting for, arrived.

Like Shota Yoshioka, Asako Hirohashi did not come alone.

It was also followed by a small tail.

Rie Miyazawa.

Today, Rie Miyazawa wore a red coat, a beige knitted scarf around her neck, and brown boots. This outfit added a touch of elegance and poise to the already youthful and beautiful girl.

Her tranquility followed Hirohashi Asako, and her graceful demeanor in interacting with everyone undoubtedly told everyone that she was a well-educated and highly cultured young lady.

Only when she greeted Hideki Hanyu did a hint of barely suppressed joy appear in the girl's eyes.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the Miyazawa Rie in front of him now is completely different from the Miyazawa Rie from another timeline in Hideki Hanyu's memory.

"I promised to accompany Rie to her art exam today, but it was a bit late to come after finding out about Ito-san."

Hirohashi Asako explained why she was late.

Hideki Hanyu then asked with concern, "Art exams, Rie-chan should be taking the university entrance exams next year, right? Are you planning to apply for an art-related major?"

The university entrance exam that Hideki Hanyu mentioned is Japan's college entrance exam.

Asako Hirohashi said, "Yes, Rie wants to study art and design, and her goal is Tokyo University of the Arts."

Upon hearing that Rie Miyazawa's goal was the national Tokyo University of the Arts, Hideki Hanyu, who knew that the university was not easy to get into, immediately asked her questions.

"Do you need my help? Although the national university is a bit of a problem, there are ways to help."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Rie Miyazawa said earnestly, "Thank you, Hanyu-kun, but I can do it."

Hideki Hanyu said with a smile, "Since Rie-chan is so confident, then I'll wait for your good news. When you pass the exam, I'll personally throw you a celebration banquet."

Hirohashi Asako quickly said, "There's no need to trouble Yuzuru-san with the celebration banquet. Yuzuru-san can just prepare a gift for Rie-chan."

Upon hearing this, Rie Miyazawa quickly asked tentatively, "Could we change the gift to a wish?"

"Since Rie-chan has already said yes, my answer is of course yes."

As Hideki Hanyu spoke, he reached out and gently stroked Rie Miyazawa's head.

This childlike behavior immediately filled Rie Miyazawa with disappointment.

The girl's gaze drifted to the people standing behind Hideki Hanyu, namely Hiromi Takigawa and Yuko Kotegawa.

She couldn't help but envy the mature charm of the two beautiful women.

This made her want to grow up faster, so that Hideki Yuzuru wouldn't always treat her like a child.

While Rie Miyazawa was secretly grieving, Shota Yoshioka was already talking to Asako Hirohashi about his son getting a job at Cloud Entertainment.

Hideki Hanyu then turned to check on Hiromi and the other girl, Takigawa, asking, "Why are you suddenly so nervous? Is it because Asako-san is here?"

The two women nodded in unison, and then Takigawa Yumi replied, "Yes, after all, he is President Hirohashi."

Hideki Hanyu chuckled and asked, "Hehe, is Asako-san really that scary?"

Yuko Kotegawa said, "Hanyu-san and President Hirohashi are good friends, so of course he wouldn't be able to tell."

"Perhaps," Hideki Yuzuru said noncommittally.

However, Hideki Hanyu could probably understand the thoughts of these two. After taking control of Universal Pictures, Asako Hirohashi's title as the queen of the Japanese entertainment and media industry became more and more secure.

Let alone Japanese entertainers, even many industry companies can decide life and death in an instant.

Moreover, compared to the "detached" Hideki Hanyu, Asako Hirohashi has a stronger presence and her style of handling affairs is also swift, decisive, and ruthless.

Therefore, when many people see Hideki Hanyu, their first feeling is often one of awe and reverence.

However, when I came into contact with Hirohashi Asako, I felt a deep sense of awe.

"Alright, with me here, Asako-san won't eat you."

Hideki Hanyu made a casual joke.

However, before he could finish speaking, Hirohashi Asako's voice rang out, "What are you talking about now, Yuzuru-san? When did I ever eat people?"

"Haha, just kidding."

Hideki Hanyu chuckled, then quickly changed the subject, "Asako-san, you finished chatting with Yoshioka-san so quickly?"

Hirohashi Asako asked, "It's just a small matter. But how long do you plan to stay this time, Yuzuru-san?"

Hideki Hanyu replied, "I'm not sure yet, but I'll probably be staying in Japan for a while. After all, I haven't been back for so long and I've accumulated a lot of work to do."

Hirohashi Asako asked, "So, isn't Hanyu-san going to America next month?"

"Next month?" Hideki Yuzuru asked, looking puzzled.

"Universal Pictures released Chucky 2 during the Halloween season, but its box office performance did not meet expectations, so Home Alone during the upcoming Christmas season is very important to us."

After Hirohashi Asako finished speaking, Hideki Hanyu asked directly, "Was the box office terrible?"

Asako Hirohashi explained, "The production cost was 13 million US dollars, and the North American box office is not expected to exceed 30 million US dollars. It is no longer possible to recoup the cost through box office revenue."

However, that's not the main point. The main point is that after the film's box office failure, Universal Pictures temporarily fell behind Paramount in terms of total annual box office.

"To surpass Paramount, Home Alone must succeed."

"Is it because of this that Asako-san wants me to go to America?"

Hideki Hanyu finally understood what Asako Hirohashi meant.

In early November, his new picture book, "Home Alone 2: Merry Christmas," will be officially released worldwide.

The release of this picture book was originally intended to be a joint promotion with the movie adapted from "Home Alone 1", so as to boost each other's box office and sales.

Asako Hirohashi hoped that he could participate in the promotion and sales of the picture book, and use his influence to boost the box office of the first "Home Alone" movie.

Hideki Hanyu had been traveling for so long that he really didn't want to waste his energy on a picture book and a movie.

So he reassured Hirohashi Asako, "Don't worry, Asako-san. Academic Publishing and Universal Pictures have already developed a distribution strategy for the Home Alone movie. It doesn't matter whether I help or not."

“I know that too, but if we can help Universal Pictures achieve the number one box office this year, it will be of extraordinary significance to both Universal Pictures and us.”

Clearly, Asako Hirohashi and Hideki Hanyu had completely different ideas.

Cloud Entertainment, which controls Universal Pictures, has become the nominal "boss" of Japan's entertainment and media industry.

Whether it was because she was placed in such a high position or because of her sense of honor as a Japanese, Hirohashi Asako wanted to achieve a convincing result in the first year of acquiring Universal Pictures, so that her status as the "boss" would be well-deserved.

Looking at Hirohashi Asako's expectant eyes, Hideki Yuzuru said helplessly.

"If time permits next month, I will consider going to America."

"Please, Yuzuru-san."

Just as Hideki Hanyu and Asako Hirohashi were talking about this, news came from inside the delivery room.

Okada Nana gave birth smoothly, and both mother and child are safe. She gave birth to a son for Ito Shinsuke.

Naturally, when it came to naming things, Hideki Hanyu was once again drafted into the task.

Finally, Shinsuke Ito named his son "Eiyoshi Ito".

(End of this chapter)