Traveling Through the Tokyo Bubble Era

Chapter 1046 Starting over

"Has Yasuko finished her work in Hokkaido?"

In an office at the Cloud Arts Training Base, Hideki Yuzuru asked Yasuko Sawaguchi, who had snuggled into his arms, about her situation.

Since Izumi Sakai's ZARD band performance hadn't started yet, the two were taken here to wait after finding the person in charge of the base.

After they were left alone, Yasuko Sawaguchi, who had just reunited with him, immediately clung to him like a cat.

The scumbag naturally wouldn't hold back against the exquisitely beautiful Yasuko Sawaguchi, whom he liked no matter how he looked at her, and immediately launched into a series of wolfish kisses.

Judging from the beauty's slightly swollen lips, you could tell how passionate the kiss had been.

(Illustration by Yasuko Sawaguchi)

Having just caught her breath, Yasuko Sawaguchi replied, "I went straight back to Tokyo today after finishing work in order to see Sachiko's band's debut performance."

As if remembering something, Yasuko Sawaguchi took out a small box from her bag and presented it to Hideki Hanyu as if it were a treasure.

"This is a gift I specially prepared for Sachiko, a custom-made necklace."

Then Yasuko Sawaguchi asked Hideki Hanyu, "Hideki-kun, you must have prepared a gift for Sachiko too, right?"

"Haha... Of course, when have I ever forgotten your gifts?"

However, I've left the gift in the car; I'll give it to Sachiko after the performance.

Hideki Hanyu's laughter sounded somewhat weak.

After all, his visit to the training base was purely accidental, so how could he possibly have prepared any gifts?

But the words have already been spoken, so now we can only put on a brave face and keep pretending, even if it means gritting our teeth.

Fortunately, he never forgot to give women gifts on holidays and special occasions, so he was considered to have a good reputation in this regard.

So Yasuko Sawaguchi not only failed to notice Hideki Habu's guilty conscience, but also asked another question.

"What gift did Hideki-kun prepare for Sachiko?"

Hideki Hanyu blurted out, "I have prepared a ring that I designed myself."

"Can I see the ring that Hideki-kun designed himself?"

Yasuko Sawaguchi asked with a face full of curiosity.

Hideki Hanyu, who wasn't wearing a ring at all, was nowhere to find one to show Yasuko Sawaguchi, so he could only come up with an excuse.

"Since it's a surprise, you can't know beforehand. I'll give it to Sachiko after the performance, and then you'll see what it looks like."

"Ok."

Yasuko Sawaguchi was somewhat disappointed, but her expression of disappointment was quickly replaced by envy.

She then gently snuggled against Hideki Hanyu and said in a sweet voice, "I really want Hideki-kun's design too."

"It's not like I haven't given you gifts before. The heart-shaped earrings I gave you before were designed by me personally."

"But I'd rather Hideki-kun give me a ring."

"You just want the ring?"

"I want Hideki-kun more..."

The atmosphere in the office gradually became romantic and ambiguous.

I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly there was a knock on the office door from the outside.

A man's voice followed immediately.

"President, it's me."

Judging from the voice, it was the person in charge of the training base who brought Hideki Hanyu in.

Just as Hideki Yuzuru was about to let the other person in, Yasuko Sawaguchi, standing beside him, blushed and stopped him in a trembling voice.

"Hideki-kun, wait a minute, we still have...your hand..."

Upon hearing this, Hideki Yuzuru glanced at Yasuko Sawaguchi, who was sitting in his lap with her clothes disheveled, and at his hand that had somehow slipped inside her top. He thought to himself that this was indeed not a suitable scene for outsiders to see.

So he immediately asked through the door, "What is it?"

"President, the ZARD band's performance is about to begin. The seats for you and Ms. Sawaguchi have been prepared. I can take you in now."

"I understand, please wait."

As Hideki Hanyu answered, he had already withdrawn his hand, but his movements showed a hint of reluctance, as the feel of it was truly wonderful.

If it weren't for the inconvenience of this office and the fact that he was planning to watch a performance, he would have already taken the beauty in his arms right there and then.

A moment later, the office door was opened from the inside.

Hideki Hanyu stepped out, and Yasuko Sawaguchi, who was beside him, had already straightened her clothes.

"Let's go to the performance hall."

Hideki Yuzuru gave instructions to the person in charge who was bowing to him.

However, just as they were walking towards the performance hall, Hideki Hanyu called Marco to his side and gave him instructions in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Do three things for me immediately. First, go to the Yorozuya and get jewelry number F204 from Asako. She knows how to package it."
Then I went to order flowers, the quantity is..., I'm preparing...

Finally, we went to Vestigia restaurant in Shibuya, and had the restaurant do this and that... and that..."

At the end, Hideki Hanyu emphasized, "Contact Akemi Yasukawa and have her assistant's office send someone to help. It must be ready before the performance ends."

Marco nodded slightly and went to contact Yasukawa Akemi.

Seeing this, Hideki Yuzuru breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was fortunate that he was a scumbag who liked to plan ahead and had prepared various small gifts that he had personally designed in advance at the Yorozuya.

It not only makes it easy for him to flirt with beautiful women, but it can also be used to deal with unexpected situations.

And sure enough, his preparations came in handy today.

Yasuko Sawaguchi, who was standing next to him, was unaware of what had happened. She assumed that Hideki Hanyu was handling official business, so she didn't ask any questions. She simply followed Hideki Hanyu obediently, and under the guidance of the person in charge of the training base, they entered the performance hall where the performance was about to begin.

They didn't enter through the audience entrance, but through the passage that the teachers and students at the training base usually use. After entering, they appeared directly on the side of the stage.

The performance was about to begin, and all the lights on set had been turned off.

Therefore, although people in the front row saw someone appear, they couldn't make out who it was.

The seat arranged for Hideki Hanyu by the person in charge was at the very edge of the front row, in the area where the performance staff were located, so it didn't attract any attention until Hideki Hanyu sat down.

Although the staff at Cloud Music, who were in charge of organizing the performance, recognized their boss, they obviously dared not make a sound.

And so, Hideki Hanyu, who had appeared quietly, began to enjoy the performance from the audience.

It has to be said that when Sachiko Kamachi, who changed her name to Izumi Sakai, appeared on stage, her mature and dashing image in a black women's suit was completely unrecognizable from her days as a member of Nyanko-sensei.

Today, Sachiko Kamachi has officially "evolved" into Izumi Sakai as remembered by Hideki Hanyu.

(Izumi Sakai - Performance Photo)

As for Izumi Sakai's performance, there's really nothing to comment on.

She was already at the peak of her career upon debut, and in this timeline, she further honed her skills at Onyanko Club. Whether it's performance experience or stage style, she far surpasses her counterpart in the other timeline.

According to the person in charge, more than 500 people came to support the ZARD band today, and at least 90% of them came because of Izumi Sakai.

This shows that after transforming from an idol into a band's lead singer, Izumi Sakai did more than just change her stage name; she achieved success worthy of the approval of her fans.

And when the performance came to its last song.

When that familiar, foot-tapping intro begins.

The arrangement, clearly bearing the style of Tetsuro Oda and the characteristics of Masao Akashi, instantly evoked memories for Hideki Hanyu.

Goodbye My Loneliness

Izumi Sakai's debut single EP with the band ZARD.

"I feel like you're spying on the depths of my heart."

Even when avoiding eye contact

……

Goodbye My Loneliness

……

Listening to the familiar melody and singing, and watching the girl on stage holding the microphone and singing intently, Hideki Hanyu's mind, which was caught in power struggles and conflicts of interest, suddenly emptied.

At that moment, he inexplicably felt that his aimless driving here to relax was as if it were preordained.

Even though he knew very well that this feeling was only temporary.

Once the music ends, he will return to his original self.

But it doesn't matter.

Perhaps this feeling is another meaning of time travel.

At this moment, he was looking at the woman on the stage.

There were no other thoughts in my mind, only heartfelt appreciation.

"Sachiko! Your performance was absolutely fantastic!"

Backstage at the performance hall, Izumi Sakai, who had just finished her performance and thanked the audience before stepping off the stage, was about to catch her breath when Yasuko Sawaguchi appeared backstage with a bouquet of flowers.

Izumi Sakai happily went to greet her, took the flowers, said thank you, and then asked, "When did Yasuko return to Tokyo?"

Yasuko Sawaguchi replied, "I just got back from Hokkaido at noon. I arrived before the performance and waited until now to give you a surprise."

"Thank you, but did Yasuko come alone?"

As Izumi Sakai spoke, her gaze drifted toward the entrance to the stage.

It seems that she hopes to see another person appear beside Yasuko Sawaguchi, just like during the last performance at "Fiery" LIVE HOUSE.

To the girl's disappointment, there was no one else behind Yasuko Sawaguchi.

Yasuko Sawaguchi followed up with, "Of course I came alone, but I've prepared another surprise for Sachiko. Come with me quickly."

"Wait a minute, let me say goodbye to the others first."

After finishing her speech, Izumi Sakai went to say goodbye to her manager and teammates.

As for her going to celebrate alone without her teammates, there's absolutely no need to worry.

Although she was a member of the band ZARD, their relationship was limited to that of "colleagues," which is a common situation for many Japanese bands and idol groups.

When working, they can perform in the way that fans want to see.

After work is over, we might not keep in touch much anymore.

After all, not every band or group started out from humble beginnings, supported each other, and went on to achieve success.

Many of them are actually a combination of record companies and talent agencies.

Looking at the current state of the industry, this kind of purely working relationship is more likely to last longer in one's career than a relationship mixed with friendship or affection.

However, what puzzled Izumi Sakai was that when she said goodbye to the staff, many of them seemed hesitant to speak and acted strangely.

But even after leaving with Yasuko Sawaguchi, she still didn't understand why.

In the parking lot of the training base, Yasuko Sawaguchi opened the car door and invited Izumi Sakai to get in.

Izumi Sakai asked first, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there. Hurry up and get on the bus," Yasuko Sawaguchi urged.

Izumi Sakai suppressed her curiosity and glanced at the car in front of her.

It was a light blue sedan with a sleek design, completely different from the angular, boxy cars popular on the market today; it looked very beautiful.

"When did Yasuko buy a new car?"

"I didn't buy this. Hideki-kun gave it to me not long ago, but I've been so busy filming that I haven't had time to open it."

Yasuko Sawaguchi paused for a moment and said, "He said he likes the name Maserati Ghibli more than that Porsche."

"It really does look beautiful."

Sakai Izumi praised her and got into the car.

But when Yasuko Sawaguchi mentioned Hideki Hanyu, she felt somewhat disappointed.

With that in mind, Izumi Sakai didn't say much for the rest of the journey.

Yasuko Sawaguchi, however, was focused on driving and did not suspect anything.

Soon, the vehicle entered Shibuya Ward and eventually stopped on a street adjacent to Shibuya Station on the Tokyo Metro.

After parking the car, Yasuko Sawaguchi led Izumi Sakai into a Western restaurant by the roadside.

With her mind elsewhere, Izumi Sakai was led along by Yasuko Sawaguchi without noticing that the restaurant's name was 'Vestigia'.

But before she could ask Yasuko Sawaguchi if she wanted to eat there, the lights around her suddenly went out.

"Jingzi..."

Izumi Sakai softly called out her friend's name.

However, what answered her was the faint candlelight in the distance.

As the candlelight slowly approached, Izumi Sakai realized that it was just a few candles stuck in the cake.

By the dim candlelight, she could vaguely see the words "A new dawn, a new day" written on the cake.

Then, the person pushing the cake slowly read out the translation of two sentences.

"A new dawn, a new day."

That familiar voice immediately stirred Izumi Sakai's heart.

Thinking that today is her debut day, Izumi Sakai felt that these two sentences had a special meaning for her.

But at this moment, what matters is not the words, but the person who speaks them.

She eagerly stepped forward to examine the man's face closely; who else could it be but Hideki Yuzuru?

"Hanyu-kun..."

The girl's short address contained a wealth of affection.

"Sachiko doesn't think I'd forgotten that you debuted today, does she?"

The shameless scoundrel lied and stepped forward to grab the beauty's hand.

"The performance was fantastic. Congratulations on your comeback, Ms. Izumi Sakai."

"Thank you, Yuzuru-kun."

As Izumi Sakai spoke, she had already thrown herself into Hideki Hanyu's arms.

In such a romantic atmosphere, the scumbag naturally reached out and embraced the beauty's slender waist, then lowered his head and kissed her passionately.

However, at that moment, the surrounding lights suddenly turned on.

Izumi Sakai shyly shrank back, only to see that the entire first floor of the restaurant where she was located was covered with white roses.

"Like it?"

Izumi Sakai nodded slowly. "It's really beautiful."

Hideki Hanyu then took out a gift box and handed it to Izumi Sakai.

"Here's a debut gift I prepared for you. Open it and take a look."

Izumi Sakai accepted the gift, carefully unwrapped it, opened the small box inside, and found a beautiful ring inside.

The ring is entirely silver, shaped like a bunch of flowers bent into a ring, with the ends not connected but extending to the petal-shaped facet.

The petals of the entire cabochon unfold naturally, gently enveloping a crystal-clear light blue gemstone.

Such an exquisite and uniquely designed ring immediately captivated Izumi Sakai's attention.

At that moment, Hideki Hanyu's introduction began.

"This is a ring I designed especially for you. The design is inspired by the hyacinth flower, which symbolizes new life and hope."

From today onwards, Sachiko Kamachi of Onyanko Club is a thing of the past; all that remains is Izumi Sakai of the ZARD band.

Look inside the ring…

As Hideki Hanyu spoke, Izumi Sakai picked up the ring, looked inside, and noticed small English letters engraved on it.

[begin again]

"It means 'starting over,' and I hope you can carry my blessings with you and embrace a brand new future with determination and hope."

Hideki Hanyu's heartfelt "double whammy" instantly shattered Izumi Sakai's emotional defenses.

The beautiful woman, holding a ring, took the initiative to hug the scumbag and kiss him.

Only by doing this could she express the love in her heart.

However, just as they were getting into the mood, a sudden sound came from the side.

"Sachiko, did you like my surprise?"

The one speaking was Yasuko Sawaguchi, who had brought Izumi Sakai with her.

"I love so much."

Izumi Sakai turned to look at Yasuko Sawaguchi and waved to her friend.

After Yasuko Sawaguchi approached, Izumi Sakai pulled her close and they nestled together in Hideki Hanyu's arms.

"Thank you, Yasuko. We'll always be best friends."

At this moment, this situation.

Looking at the two beauties in his arms, the scumbag suddenly realized that he had become just a background figure.

But it doesn't matter. With his other arm around Yasuko Sawaguchi, he said, "You've come at just the right time," which couldn't be more fitting.

(Meme & Image)
(End of this chapter)