Japanese Entertainment: A Comeback Beginning from Bankrupt President

Sunlight streamed in through the dusty windows, creating clearly visible beams of light in the air.

Kazuya Sawashiro lay on the worn-out sofa, staring blankly at the mold on the ceiling—a mold that looked a bit like a chicken leg and had probably been there since the rainy season began—the first boring fact he discovered after waking up.

My head still hurts.

The last fragments of memory flashed through my mind: the office at three in the morning, the computer screen filled with dense data, a colleague handing me coffee and saying, "You can go home after you finish this cup," followed by a dizzying sensation, and then I heard screams in my ears...

And then there's this strange world I'm in now.

Kazuya Sawashiro slowly sat up and looked around.

This is a large but empty room with nothing on it. Apart from the hard sofa I'm sitting on, there's a coffee table piled with envelopes and a cheap-looking desk with three magazines propping up its legs.

On the wall behind the desk hangs a poster that has been torn in half. The colors have faded, but you can still make out that the person on the poster is a beautiful woman.

Kazuya Sawashiro stared at the poster for three seconds, then looked down at his hands.

It's obvious that the beautiful woman in the poster isn't herself.

Because he is a man.

"Time travel?" Kazuya Sawashiro muttered to himself, his voice echoing loudly in the empty room.

Just as he was about to look for more details, his phone in his pocket started vibrating wildly as if it were about to explode.

Kazuya Sawashiro pulled out a smartphone with several cracks on the screen, which was constantly being woken up by pop-up message notifications:

[Tokyo Central Bank] Dear Mr. Kazuya Sawashiro, your loan of 5000 million yen is 64 days overdue. Please repay the outstanding amount of 300 million yen by the 15th of this month. Failure to pay by the due date will result in the initiation of asset seizure proceedings. This is to inform you…

[Termination Notice] The management contract for our artist, Kinoshita Yui, is terminated effective immediately. P.S.: President Sawashiro, we are truly sorry, but given the current situation of the agency…

[Termination Notice] Kenichi Sato, an artist under our agency, has terminated his management contract effective immediately. P.S.: We appreciate the better terms offered by Watanabe Entertainment.

[Termination Notice] Our agency's artist, Nakamura Kanon, is hereby terminated effective immediately…

[Landlord Tanaka] Mr. Sawashiro, the rent for this month hasn't arrived yet. If it's not paid by next month, I'll have to hire a lawyer to take the house back. This is business, so please understand.

Kazuya Sawashiro read through the list one by one, and after finishing, he remained silent for five seconds.

Then he smiled helplessly.

"Wait...it's already the 28th?" He stood up, stretching his stiff neck. "In three more days, the agency will be taken back, and my wallet will be emptier than my face. Are they trying to force me to become a gigolo?"

……

5 minute later.

As expected, nothing happened.

While still standing there dreaming and waiting for the system, Kazuya Sawashiro realized that he was really being treated like a Japanese person this time.

"Okay~"

Kazuya Sawashiro shrugged and began to wander around the office.

The desk drawer was pulled open, and unsurprisingly, it was empty, not even a speck of dust could be seen.

There was a new discovery on the table, but looking at the envelopes signed by Tokyo Electric Power Company, the Waterworks Bureau, and the Gas Bureau, it was obvious that they were not reminders about discounts on top-up fees.

It's definitely those three words—"Please pay."

Ze Cheng ignored all of this, but there was nothing else in the room, so he turned around for 30 seconds and then returned to the sofa where he had woken up.

Although it hurts his butt, at least it lets him rest.

"So, given the current situation..."

Kazuya Sawashiro rubbed his temples, thinking back over and over, and finally, after more than half an hour, he temporarily understood the current situation.

This is Tokyo, Japan in a parallel world. It's early summer, 2016.

The TV station is currently airing "Flying Colors," starring Kasumi Arimura. This 23-year-old pure and lovely actress is enjoying a booming career, while 24-year-old Kazuya Sawashiro has become a scapegoat president burdened with tens of millions of yen in debt.

Red Copper Manufacturing Office.

The entertainment agency, which doesn't sound like it would make any money, was founded by the original owner's father. After his father passed away a year ago, it was inherited by Kazuya Sawashiro.

A new broom sweeps clean, but after that, all that's left is this single president burdened with a huge, inexplicable debt.

Young Kazuya Sawashiro never imagined that running an agency would be so difficult. In his despair after being at his wit's end, this Kazuya, who had just experienced a major setback in his life, decided to lower the property prices in the neighborhood, but little did he know that someone had possessed his body...

"I hope the other tenants won't blame me for this," Kazuya Sawashiro said with a self-deprecating laugh, scratching his embarrassed elbow.

But what's done is done, we've already come this far...

Kazuya Sawashiro put aside his distractions and continued fumbling for his wallet, wondering if he really had no money left, when his phone rang again in his pocket.

Not knowing which department would be calling to urge him to repay the money, Kazuya Sawashiro took out his phone.

The caller ID showed a person named Yamada.

After searching through his memories, Kazuya Sawashiro realized the man's identity—the former chief agent of Akadon Agency, a veteran employee of the agency, but he had resigned and run away three months ago.

Without much thought, Ze Cheng answered the call, and a smiling male voice came from the other end: "President Ze Cheng? How are you feeling?"

"Not bad," Kazuya Sawashiro smirked, offering no positive response, "I won't die."

"That's good, that's good," Yamada smiled even more broadly. "I just wanted to ask, what are your agency's plans for the future? I've heard all over here that it seems like only you and that disgraced celebrity are left."

Ze Chenghe didn't say anything either.

All the artists in the agency, except for the one with a bad reputation he mentioned, all the others were taken away by this person who ran away with the artists. How could he not know the situation of the agency?

He just wants to see me make a fool of myself, so why should I give him a friendly look?

"Please don't blame me," Yamada continued. "A wise person knows when to yield. Watanabe Entertainment's offers are just too good. I just made a decision that any normal person would make. You understand the principle that a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, right?"

"I know," Kazuya Sawashiro said casually, a smirk playing on his lips. "You said you're a beast."

You're allowed to come back and mock me, but I'm not allowed to say anything to you?

Impossible, Kazuya Sawashiro isn't a punching bag.

Yamada was taken aback by these words and it took him a while to say, "Well, all you can do now is be stubborn. A president who's about to go bankrupt and a disgraced entertainer with no future, I'm looking forward to the day you bow down to me. Maybe then I'll take pity on you and lend you... 1 yen."

If it were the old Kazuya Sawashiro, he would have already retorted with insults, relying on his youthful arrogance.

But right now, Kazuya Sawashiro only felt that Yamada was acting like she was being affectionate with him.

"Thank you in advance," Kazuya Sawashiro said coldly. "Is there anything else? If not, I'll hang up. I'm busy figuring out how to keep the agency going."

"Are you crazy?" Yamada's voice suddenly rose. "You haven't even finished paying off your debts, you haven't had food, drink, or a place to sleep—beep!"

It was Kazuya Sawashiro who hung up the phone.

Continuing the conversation would only be a waste of his time, so he turned off his phone and put it down casually. He stroked his chin and pondered the disgraced celebrity that Yamada had mentioned earlier, and soon found the answer in his memory.

Amano Aki, 23 years old, is an energetic girl from Iwate, Tokyo, who joined Sawashiro Kazuya's agency half a year ago.

As for her misdeeds…

Outside magazines say that she offended the boss of Watanabe Entertainment, so they issued a blacklist against her.

However, as the person who accepted her, Kazuya Sawashiro knew that it was only one side of the story. The truth was that the son of the president of Watanabe Entertainment wanted her to do "pillow talk" (a euphemism for sexual activity), and then Aki Amano refused him firmly. As a result, she was given the bad reputation of disrespecting the president and became a disgraced artist in some people's eyes.

Although she only joined the agency six months ago, she had already been blacklisted by industry giant Watanabe Entertainment two years ago.

She only ended her contract with Watanabe Entertainment six months ago.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the combination of a bankrupt company president and a disgraced celebrity is definitely doomed.

But an unexpected thing happened: Kazuya Sawashiro arrived here.

As he pondered Amano Aki's past experiences, another person's name unconsciously surfaced in his mind—Nounen Rena, who had been blacklisted in her previous life.

That was the road Rena Nounen came from.

After being banned from terrestrial television and having her name suspended, Rena Nounen changed her stage name to NON and continued her activities, including music, painting, fashion, voice acting, and more. She even ventured into post-production, directing and starring in her own films and documentaries, which were released in various theaters.

Rena Nounen spent ten years of her life here, from age 20 to 30, winding her way from streaming media to finally returning to terrestrial television.

This is not a path that ordinary people can walk.

While recalling Aki Amano's experiences, Kazuya Sawashiro was surprised to find that, apart from their different names and backgrounds, Aki Amano and Rena Nounen had experienced many of the same things—becoming famous overnight, being banned at lightning speed, and wasting years... Aki Amano was like Rena Nounen from another world.

Judging from Yamada's words, she is still staying in this crumbling firm.

Perhaps it was to repay the kindness of taking her in, or perhaps she hadn't figured out how to say goodbye yet. Kazuya Sawaki no longer cared about the reasons. He only knew that he saw in this the possibility of the combination of a bankrupt company president and a disgraced artist making a comeback.

If Rena Nounen could make it through on her own, there's no reason why he and Aki Amano couldn't do it together.

Just as Kazuya Sawashiro was pondering how to proceed, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

He glanced over instinctively and saw a young woman walk in. She had short black hair that didn't reach her shoulders, a slender figure, and a pretty good physique. She had the typical face of a vibrant young girl.

The moment the newcomer saw Kazuya Sawashiro, his expression changed immediately, and he hurriedly ran to Kazuya's side to explain:

"I knocked," her voice was bright, though a little rustic, "but no one answered, so I just came in. I hope I didn't disturb you?"

Kazuya Sawashiro smiled as he looked at the newcomer.

Her features are delicate, and her eyes sparkle. She looks like a Shiba Inu that a country person might keep... The analogy isn't quite right, but if you want to be a dog-like girl, you should know what kind of eyes these are.

It's large, with bright, piercing eyes that make people smile involuntarily.

If the person who came was not the disgraced entertainer Amano Aki, then who could it be?

"No, not at all," Kazuya Sawashiro said with a bright smile, slowly approaching her. "On the contrary, Amano-san, you've come at just the right time. I happen to have something I want to ask you... Girl, want to join me in giving that arrogant Watanabe Entertainment a good beating?"