Tokyo Three Generations

"Mu-chan, I never expected to run into you here! It's been so long!" The bright smile and excited greeting were infectious and finally eased the girl's nervousness a little.

"Chun..."

Ruoye Mu called out softly, but couldn't quite manage a proper greeting.

The reason she called him that was not because she felt she had a good relationship with Jun Takasaki, but because she addressed almost everyone by their first name without using honorifics or nicknames—a practice that caused resentment among many people at the young lady's academy.

But heaven has mercy, it wasn't that she was arrogant, but rather that she had other reasons.

Jun Takasaki glanced at her again; she was still the same as when they first met, so frail that she seemed as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

"Let me carry these for you, let's go out together." He carried Wakaba Mutsu's suitcase and small briefcase as he walked forward naturally.

A big star? Who cares about her?

35. Jealousy and alienation

After exchanging greetings, Jun Takasaki walked side by side with Mutsumi Wakaba, carrying Wakaba's luggage in his hand, as if it were something natural.

Although he appeared relaxed, Wakaba Mutsu was actually very nervous inside.

Of course, this is not the shy nervousness of "heart pounding," but rather the nervousness of encountering something unexpected and not knowing what to do.

Ruo Ye Mu was never good at dealing with unexpected situations, especially in front of her feared mother. She was even more afraid of doing something wrong and incurring her mother's criticism or annoyance.

She simply couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh.

After much internal struggle, she finally mustered a little courage and asked, "Why are you here?"

“Akita is my hometown, so I’m back to volunteer,” Jun Takasaki replied with a smile. “It’s kind of like supporting my hometown.”

Ruo Yemu glanced at him with slightly turned eyes. Although she didn't say anything, it was clear that she didn't believe his explanation at all.

Although she had no idea how powerful a member of parliament was, even in her ignorance, she could figure out that the young master Takasaki, who could "chat and laugh" with Xiangzi, certainly didn't need to be a volunteer.

“Okay, enough joking around.” Jun Takasaki shrugged. “My family arranged for me to come here for this event, and to avoid gossip, they assigned me a volunteer role. I saw you were here today, so I thought I'd lend a hand…”

At this point, he even bowed slightly, saying, "We should have many opportunities to meet in the upcoming events, so please take good care of me."

This explanation made much more sense, and Ruoye Mu stopped questioning it.

Although the two were not close friends, Wakaba Mutsu held the principle of "Xiangzi's friends are my friends," and since Takasaki Jun had indeed helped Xiangzi a lot, indirectly helping him keep his good friend, he had a good impression of Takasaki Jun.

So she didn't ask any further questions, and just nodded in response.

"Ah."

After several encounters, Jun Takasaki had already gotten used to the other party's sparing use of words, so he didn't find anything wrong with it.

He didn't say anything more, but led Wakaba Mutsu forward, leaving the luggage area.

At that moment, Mori Minami, who was walking in front, seemed to notice the abnormality behind her, stopped and turned around to look.

Then, to her astonishment, she discovered that a young man she didn't recognize was walking alongside her daughter, carrying her luggage, and they even seemed to be chatting.

"Who are you?" she asked immediately, wary.

Faced with the big star's questioning, Jun Takasaki remained calm. Instead, he stood tall and proud, saying, "Ms. Mori, I am a volunteer hired by the event organizers. I'm here to serve you."

At this point, he looked at the other person with admiration and said, "I've always been your fan. Could you please sign an autograph for me during the event?"

Jun Takasaki's explanation was reasonable, and his flattery was spot on, so Minami Mori's expression immediately softened from stern.

She glanced at him a few more times and made out the uniform he was wearing.

Although his uniform looked rather shabby, he had a handsome face and a dashing figure, making him a rare good-looking guy. I couldn't help but take a few more glances at him.

However, that's all—in the entertainment industry, handsome men of all ages and styles are as numerous as fish in a river, and Senmi Nami encounters them every day, so naturally she doesn't take them too seriously.

She didn't even need to pay much attention to a mere volunteer.

"You've worked hard." So she said the perfunctory greeting and turned her head back away.

Watching the two talk, Ruoye Muku knew that Jun was lying, but she didn't want to betray her friend, so she chose to remain silent.

At this moment, Kenji Sakura and the others also arrived. He first gave his young master a wink, and then walked up to Minami Mori.

"Ms. Mori, hello." As he spoke, he respectfully handed over his business card. "My name is Kenji Sakura. I am an executive member of the Takasaki Assemblyman Support Association. I am here on behalf of the event organizers to connect with you. Please feel free to ask me anything you need."

When faced with Kenji Sakura introducing himself, Minami Mori couldn't afford to be negligent. She accepted the business card with both hands and bowed slightly to him, saying, "I'm sorry to trouble you. Please take good care of me."

So, amidst the pleasantries of the group, they walked out of the airport.

As soon as they stepped out of the airport, a large group of fans gathered at the exit and immediately recognized Sammi Nami and her entourage.

Some fans screamed and quickly swarmed around, while local reporters immediately aimed their cameras at the big star.

Airport security quickly formed a small cordon to block the swarming fans.

Senmina Nami was clearly experienced in this kind of scene; she took off her sunglasses and then waved to her fans.

Her friendliness immediately raised the fans' spirits even higher, with many dancing and shouting support slogans for Mori Minami.

Infected by this emotion, Senmina was very happy. She walked up to her fans and greeted them.

"To my fans in Akita, I feel your enthusiasm! It's an honor to have the opportunity to come to this place and serve as Akita's tourism ambassador. I will do my best to let people all over the country see the local scenery and hope to make a small contribution to the revitalization of the local tourism economy. Please continue to support me!"

After she finished speaking, she took the autograph book from the fans in the front row and started signing autographs quickly. The interaction between the celebrity and the fans was very pleasant.

Rather than saying she was just dealing with fans, it would be more accurate to say she was enjoying the moment, reveling in the feeling of being admired and surrounded by admirers. After many years in the entertainment industry, even now that she is gradually getting older, she still can't live without the spotlight—for her, it's not just about satisfying vanity, but also about the meaning of a large part of her life.

The fans were excited and thrilled, but Jun Takasaki stood behind Minami Mori and watched coldly.

Because he was observing from the sidelines, he discovered a very serious problem.

Although there are quite a few fans gathered here, they are mostly older, at least around thirty years old, with very few young people or teenagers.

Indeed, the moon wanes after it is full, and prosperity and decline are unpredictable.

The objective laws of this world are unavoidable.

Minami Mori is past her prime, or rather, she's reached the late stages of her acting career.

The competition among actresses is already fierce, and once they get married, their resources and popularity will decline rapidly, let alone for someone like Sammi Nami who is over 40. Moreover, we have now entered the era of social media, and the market for TV dramas and movies, which entertainment stars used to rely on to maintain their popularity, is shrinking dramatically. Young people regard following internet celebrities as fashionable, and many people hardly watch TV at all.

Caught between these two forces, it's only natural that former top female star Minami Mori has gradually lost her popularity among young people.

Thinking about this, Jun Takasaki felt a little sentimental.

With this inexplicable feeling, he raised his head again and looked at Minami Mori.

Because he was standing behind Minami, he could only see her profile.

Even though he could only see half of her face, he could tell that Minami Mori was just like a larger version of Mutsu Wakaba. Her skin was very fair and smooth, and there were almost no crow's feet that one would expect at her age.

The Japanese media, always eager for novelty, use a special term, "beautiful witch," to describe these women who seem to defy aging. At least Minami Mori deserves this title.

As he was privately reflecting, he noticed that Wakaba Mutsu, who had been expressionless the whole time, was looking at his mother with an envious gaze.

Hmm, as a second-generation star, it's normal to envy one's mother's glamorous life and want to become a star like her... Takasaki Jun thought to himself.

Wait a minute! Something's not right.

Jun Takasaki suddenly felt a sense of unease.

Because he realized he had the wrong person.

The fervent scene reflected in Ruoye Mutsu's golden eyes wasn't directed at her mother, but at her fans.

Could it be that she envied these fans because they received such affection from her mother? A thought flashed through Jun Takasaki's mind.

He thought the conjecture was absurd.

How could a mother treat her daughter worse than she treats her fans?

Judging from his own experience, if he had a daughter like Ruo Yemu, he would definitely cherish her as a precious gift from heaven and wouldn't even dare to scold her. How could he possibly treat her coldly?

However, upon reflection, Ruo Yemu's previous taciturn and unsociable behavior made him somewhat believe this conjecture.

Just as he was still pondering, the interaction between Senmina and her fans entered the next stage.

Because there will be many parent-child programs in this cultural and tourism program, she plans to take advantage of the momentum and introduce her daughter to her fans first.

Then she waved to Wakaba Mutsu.

Ruo Yemu was a little scared because there were too many people standing in front of her, people she didn't know.

However, she obediently went to her mother's side.

"Oh!"

The moment the two stood together, gasps of surprise erupted from the fan group.

The two beauties, one tall and one short, were already stunning enough to outshine everyone when they stood alone. But when they stood together, the feeling of "almost perfectly replicated in proportion but with completely different temperaments" created an effect greater than the sum of its parts. Everyone who looked at them was confused. As it turned out, Jun Takasaki had a strong will and was able to come to his senses quickly.

Seeing the astonished faces of the crowd, Mori Minami couldn't help but smile. She knew, of course, the power of the mother and daughter appearing together.

"Hello everyone! This is my daughter, Wakaba Mutsumi, you can just call her Mutsumi-chan. I brought her along to this event to see the scenery and products of Akita together, so please take good care of her~"

After introducing her daughter in a cheerful tone, she secretly winked at her daughter.

Faced with so many eyes, Ruo Yemu instinctively felt flustered and confused. She wanted to back down and leave, but under her mother's earnest gaze, she knew she couldn't do that.

So she had no choice but to grit her teeth, endure the cold sweat pouring down her back, and strain her entire body to bow and greet everyone.

Hello everyone... Please take good care of me.

She managed to say those words with all her might, and then she was almost completely exhausted.

However, it was precisely her frail appearance that easily evoked feelings of pity in people. She was as delicate as a white porcelain doll, both beautiful and fragile, instantly capturing everyone's hearts.

There has always been an unspoken rule in the entertainment industry of "self-reproduction." Celebrity parents will do everything they can to invest resources in promoting their children, and everyone is used to it. So no one cares when Sammi and Nami bring their daughters to ride on the coattails of fame.

However, when everyone met Wakaba Mutsu in person and admired her beauty up close, their thoughts changed to "She deserves to be praised!"

"Mu-chan!"

The fans present shouted out Wakaba Mutsumi's nickname with even more excitement than before.

Some people were even shouting for Wakaba Mutsu's autograph.

The fans' excitement was contagious, even attracting the attention of many passing travelers.

"Kawaii!"

Many people were amazed.

More and more people gathered around, and some even took out their phones to film and record.

This fan pick-up event quickly veered in an unexpected direction.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Senmina unconsciously felt a throbbing vein on her forehead and temple.

She knew that in this era of advanced social media, the photo of her and her daughter would soon be posted online, and from the perspective of "show effect," it was already a great success.

But this kind of success is not the success she wanted to see, because it is not a success for her as the protagonist.

She wasn't the center of attention; instead, she became an extra for her daughter.

From the fans' perspective, the "passing on of the torch" between the mother and daughter perfectly allows for a seamless transition and generational change in their own journey of idol worship.

But what do the people involved think?

Mori Minami glanced down at her daughter, then quickly put on a warm and gentle smile again, continuing to interact with her fans. She then said goodbye, saying she didn't have enough time, and prepared to go to her hotel as soon as possible.

Wakaba Mutsu, who was already feeling unwell, felt her hands and feet turn ice cold and she could hardly breathe after being glanced at by her mother. She huddled up, hoping to disappear from this place as soon as possible.

"Let's go, Mu." Her mother's distant command reached her ears.

36. Different joys and sorrows

"Let's go, Mu."

Although her mother's cold tone made Ruoye Mutsu feel even colder, being able to leave such a crowded place was a kind of relief for her.

So she remained silent, bowed with her mother to say goodbye to the fans, and the two of them walked out of the airport exit and got into the van that was already waiting there.

Jun Takasaki, still carrying Mutsumi Wakaba's luggage, followed Kenji Sakura into another car.

After getting into the car, Kenji Sakura still vividly remembered the exciting scene from earlier. He happily picked up his phone and started scrolling through social media.

Sure enough, numerous pictures and short videos posted by Ms. Mori's fans have already appeared on social media.

"Young Master, we really made the right choice this time!" He couldn't help but slap his thigh excitedly. "Look, the online reviews are rave! It's going to go viral in the next few days, and it might even trend on Twitter..."