I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema

Chapter 155 Yoshiji Koyama felt this was all too unreal!
As night fell in Tokyo, the Koyama family, who had been persuaded to stay behind, were receiving a dinner invitation from their prospective son-in-law, Hiroshi Nohara.

Ginza, the upscale Japanese restaurant "Hakushiko Gashōen".

There was no noisy human voice, only women dressed in custom-made kimonos, walking silently with graceful, small steps down the tatami-floored corridor.

The unique aroma of matsutake mushrooms grilled over top-grade binchotan charcoal wafts from the depths of the courtyard, a fragrance that blends with the aroma of meat fat and spices after grilling, creating a mouthwatering, gourmet-like desire.

Inside the top-tier private room called "Tsukuyomi," the crisp, youthful exclamations of surprise echoed throughout.

"Wow! Brother-in-law! This...this sea urchin is so delicious!"

Yumesae Koyama, this energetic girl from Kumamoto Prefecture, is currently staring wide-eyed with her big, dark eyes.

She carefully picked up a small piece of golden, plump sea urchin with her chopsticks, and gently licked it on her delicate tongue. The rich flavor, a blend of salty seawater and creamy sweetness, exploded in her mouth!

That exquisite taste made her so happy that even her toes curled up.

"And this! This tuna belly! My God! This isn't fish at all! This is...this is snowflake meat that melts in your mouth!"

She then turned her attention to another plate of top-quality sashimi, which had beautiful snowflake patterns and shimmered with an enticing oily sheen under the light.

The chopsticks moved rapidly.

That naive, unworldly look on his face made it seem as if he wanted to swallow his own tongue whole.

"I've made up my mind! I'm never going back to Kumamoto! The best sushi restaurant there is nothing compared to this place, it's like a roadside stall!"

"Besides, there's not much good food in Kumamoto!"

This blunt praise immediately hurt the feelings of Mr. Yoshiji Koyama, the representative of the education sector from Kumamoto Prefecture, who was sitting in the main seat.

"Cough! Cough-cough-cough!"

Yoshiharu Koyama slammed the expensive "Juyondai" sake in his hand heavily on the table, his face now ashen.

His sharp gaze pierced the arrogant girl.

"Koyama Yumesae!"

His voice suppressed a surge of anger: "No talking while eating or sleeping! These are the family rules of our Xiaoshan family! Have you forgotten?! Also, girls should eat in small bites and be elegant! Look at you now, jumping around and making a racket, what kind of behavior is this?!"

"Oh, I got it, I got it."

However, this stale reprimand only earned him a sullen face from his youngest daughter.

Koyama Yumesae didn't even bother to turn around. She simply stuffed a piece of conger eel sushi, smeared with soy sauce and wasabi, into her mouth. Her voice was muffled but full of self-righteous slyness: "Sister, you have to try it too! It's so delicious! It's a hundred times better than that sushi place Dad took us to last time, the one that claims to be 'Kumamoto's best'! As expected of Tokyo! It's so much better than back in rural Kumamoto!"

"you--!"

Yoshiji Koyama was so angered by these words that his blood boiled. His finger, pointing at Yumesae, trembled slightly with rage, but he couldn't find the right words to refute them.

In the end, he could only turn his head like a defeated bull, casting his pleading gaze toward the matriarch of the household, who had remained quietly smiling throughout.

"Old woman! Look at her! Look at your daughter! She's getting more and more unruly! Aren't you going to do anything about it?!"

"Hey, honey, why are you yelling at me again?"

Mother Koyama Takaya sighed helplessly: "Mengsai, listen to your father, stop bothering your sister all the time, let her eat something properly too."

Then, she turned to her future son-in-law, who was looking helpless, and gave him a gentle, apologetic smile: "Hiroshi-kun, I'm sorry to have made you laugh. This child is getting wilder and wilder, and even I, as his mother, can hardly control him anymore."

"Not at all, Auntie."

Hiroshi Nohara simply sipped his tea quietly, a smile in his eyes: "I think Yumesae is great as she is. Lively, cheerful, and with her own ideas. That's what a modern woman should be like in our time. Independent, self-reliant, and not bound by those outdated rules."

In this era, praising women is still politically correct.

These words were like a powerful stimulant, instantly reviving the once listless but energetic girl!

"Did you hear me, Dad?!"

Like a chick that has found shelter, Koyama Yumesae instantly hid behind Nohara Hiroshi, peeking out her fluffy little head and making a cute face at her father, who was glaring at her with a beard bristling.

"Even my brother-in-law says I'm good this way! That just shows that your thinking is outdated! You're such an old-fashioned person!"

"You...you unfilial daughter!" Yoshiharu Koyama was trembling with anger.

"Alright, alright, say less." Koyama Takaya looked at his two lively children, one big and one small, and his smile became more and more helpless.

She glanced at the empty seat beside her, and a hint of worry and affection flickered in her gentle eyes.

“Speaking of which, Hiroshi-kun,” she turned her head and changed the subject with a smile, “it’s such a pity that Masae couldn’t come with us this time. She’s been sensible since she was little, but she’s a bit too introverted and always likes to keep to herself. There seems to be some important teaching evaluation at school recently, but she insisted that she couldn’t leave and had to stay in Kumamoto to work overtime.”

"Hmph, that's how the eldest daughter of the Xiaoshan family should be!"

When his eldest daughter was mentioned, Yoshiji Koyama's usually stern face finally broke into a genuine sense of pride. He straightened his back instinctively, his voice brimming with pride: "Masa, from childhood to adulthood, has never given me a single worry! In her studies, she's always been first in her grade; at work, she's always been conscientious and diligent! She's truly the epitome of a well-bred lady, whom we've carefully cultivated!"

"Yes, yes, yes, eldest sister is the best, alright?" Koyama Mengsai pouted, her pretty little face full of disdain for her father's "clichéd" words.

Just as a new family "battle of ideologies" was about to erupt, Misae Koyama, the second daughter who was best at changing the subject, finally found her stage to shine.

“Oh, right, Dad, Mom.” She put down her chopsticks, her rosy cheeks showing just the right amount of shyness and sweetness: “I… I haven’t told you in detail about my last trip to Akita Prefecture to visit Hiroshi’s parents.”

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly drawing the attention of Yoshiharu Koyama and Takaya Koyama completely.

Almost simultaneously, a tension and solemnity, characteristic of Japanese people, regarding etiquette and decorum, appeared on both their faces.

"Oh! You kid, why didn't you say it earlier!"

Koyama Takaya was the first to react, her eyes filled with worry: "You...you didn't rudely, did you? Did you leave a bad impression? Let me tell you, meeting the boy's parents for the first time is an extremely important matter! Our Koyama family is quite well-known in Kumamoto, we can't be rude in public!"

"Exactly!" Yoshiharu Koyama nodded emphatically at this moment, his face full of seriousness: "Did you follow my instructions? When you enter, you should bow first and say 'Nice to meet you'? Did you bring a gift? These are all very important things!"

Seeing her parents' anxious expressions, Misae Koyama couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Oh, Dad, Mom, don't worry!" She laughed heartily, her beautiful big eyes like two sweet crescent moons. "Uncle and Aunt are such kind people!"

She embellished her heartwarming trip to Akita and recounted it in a new light.

"My uncle is nothing like Hiroshi-kun. He's very lively and humorous, and he always tells corny jokes. He's like a playful old man, so adorable!"

"Auntie is an incredibly responsible and capable mother. She manages everything at home and outside the home perfectly. The Akita-style hot pot she makes is absolutely amazing! I ate three big bowls by myself!"

"And then there's my older brother, Mr. Saji. He doesn't talk much, but he's incredibly honest and reliable. He's the president of Nohara Agriculture Co., Ltd.! I heard from Hiroshi that their farm has grown to several dozen acres and is the largest modern farm in the entire Oguri City! The organic vegetables they grow are now directly supplied to the most upscale restaurants!"

“President?!”

"Several dozen acres?!"

This was somewhat surprising for Yoshiharu Koyama and Takasago Koyama, both graduates of the education system, whose minds were still stuck in traditional agricultural thinking.

In their imagination, the Nohara family should be just like the ordinary farmers in the countryside of Kumamoto Prefecture, tending a few acres of meager land and living a simple and ordinary life, working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

But to their utter surprise, the other party had actually... had taken "farming" to the level of a "corporation," a business entity that sounded incredibly "high-class"!

However, this was not the most shocking thing for them.

When Misae Koyama casually tossed out the "ultimate bomb"—a bomb that could completely shatter their worldview, which they had held onto for decades—the entire private room fell into a deathly silence.

"And what's more, even the mayor of Daqu City personally paid a visit!"

Misae's face beamed with pride: "They said... they wanted to ask Hiroshi-kun to give some... valuable advice on the future development of the entire Omagari City."

"..."

Yoshiji Koyama's hand holding the wine glass trembled violently, and his face went blank.

The mayor...is making a visit?
Requesting...suggestions?

He was a man who had struggled his entire life in the education system of Kumamoto Prefecture, barely managing to climb to the position of director of teaching affairs. The highest official he had ever seen in his life was the director of the Kumamoto Prefecture Education Bureau.

Moreover, that was when the other party came to inspect the school. As the school's representative, he followed at the very back of the crowd, far away, without even having the right to say a word to them.

And her prospective son-in-law, who is a few years younger than her eldest daughter, has actually... actually reached the point where the highest-ranking official of a city has personally come to her door to seek his advice?!

This... this can no longer be summed up by the simple phrase "promising".

This is a completely new dimension that even he cannot reach!

"Si Guoyi!"

After a long while, Yoshiharu Koyama finally managed to squeeze out these words, which were filled with helplessness and regret.

There was a hint of immense pride in his voice, a pride that even he himself was unaware of, a pride that came from the depths of his bones.

Furthermore, when he entered the Tokyo TV station, he overheard the staff whispering about Hiroshi Nohara, saying things like, "He's a third-rate director at such a young age," "He's the only third-rate director with an independent production department," "He's only 23 years old and already has the favor of Director Sakata," "He's Deputy Director Asumi's favorite," and "He's definitely going to be a high-ranking leader at the TV station in the future."

Yoshiharu Koyama is now drinking the finest Juyondai sake and feels dizzy, as if he's lost in a huge dream!

Especially seeing Miya still laughing foolishly while keeping her youngest daughter, Mengya company.

He pursed his lips.

Looking at Hiroshi Nohara, who was still smiling brightly with Misae, a question arose in her mind: "My Misae, she just dropped out of adult women's college and was feeling down, so she came to Tokyo to take a look around. How did she manage to win over such a perfect boyfriend?"

This is too unreal!

(End of this chapter)