Japanese Entertainment: A Comeback Beginning from Bankrupt President

"Of course we have sincerity, but isn't asking for 2 million too high right off the bat? I think there's still room for negotiation." No matter what, the consultant lawyer must fight for the interests of their employer.

He had a good idea, hoping everyone could sit down and have a good talk, but Kazuya Zecheng wasn't a negotiation master.

He puts his feet on the table when he sits down.

"Is it too high? I feel like it's still too low." Kazuya Sawashiro didn't follow any rules and continued to raise the price by bringing up the Fair Trade Commission's fine. "Compared to the fine based on the percentage of annual revenue, 2 million is just a small amount. I think Watanabe Entertainment knows how to do the math."

The Fair Trade Commission doesn't intervene; when it does, it issues fines based on a percentage of annual revenue. They don't mince words with you.

Of course, Kazuya Sawashiro wasn't joking around; he added another ten million to the 2 million.

"That's true, but..."

"220 million." Ze Chenghe didn't give him any chance to refuse and kept raising the price.

People who only say "but" and are unwilling to give the other person any expectation are not worthy of sitting here and speaking; they should just be their own mouthpiece.

Ten million for a single pointless remark—that price seems reasonable, but it left the lawyer standing next to him speechless.

He had seen plenty of people asking for exorbitant prices, but this was the first time he had encountered someone like Kazuya Sawashiro, whose starting price was 200 million yen and who would add another 10 million yen with just a few words.

Compared to him, Amano Aki, who initially only wanted 500 million yen in compensation, was unbelievably adorable.

Compared to his, my premium is like children playing house.

He only asked for 4 million yen in compensation, but Kazuya Sawashiro immediately doubled that amount. Why don't you become the lawyer?

The three of them just stared at Kazuya Sawashiro.

The two men were at a loss for words, while Watanabe Entertainment's legal counsel dared not speak, fearing that Kazuya Sawashiro would add another ten million to his offer.

But this quietness is not what Kazuya Sawashiro wants to see either.

"What? You guys also think it's too low?" Kazuya Sawashiro first glanced at the two people beside him, then looked at the consultant lawyer opposite him, and said seriously, "Let's not waste any more time. I'll give you a discount of 30 million yen, making it 190 million yen. If that's okay, let's draft the contract now."

"Deal." The consultant lawyer made the final decision.

It's ten million cheaper and solves so many problems; I definitely won't get scolded when I get back.

Kazuya Sawashiro is right. Compared to the Fair Trade Commission, his request is not excessive. Although he has suffered a significant loss in the short term, in the long run, Sōta Watanabe has made a profit.

Most importantly, given that Watanabe Entertainment is clearly up to something, he has to consider the future.

One hundred and ninety million, that's good.

...

The contract was drafted on the spot, but the compensation was not received until two days later.

During the two days of waiting, because no one was stopping her, Amano Aki's name finally appeared normally on the internet and in the news, and her songs became a hot topic in August.

The number one spot, which was recently taken away, has been regained in the past few days, and it has begun to make its mark on overseas charts, appearing on the global top 100 songs list.

The number of downloads and views also saw a qualitative leap thanks to recommendations from various parties.

Next month, I can apply for certification from the Recording Industry Association.

However, based on the current growth trend, next month, the certifications will start to follow the number of views and downloads, but this is not a bad thing for Kazuya Sawashiro and Aki Amano.

On the day the compensation arrived, after paying the lawyer's fee, Amano Aki took the remaining money and did two things.

The first thing she did was pay off all the debts that Kazuya Sawashiro had incurred, including those from an agency that was no longer hers, bank loans, gas, water, electricity, and phone bills, etc. Half of the money she received was immediately spent, but she didn't feel any pain at all.

After paying off his debts, Kazuya Sawashiro had only one feeling: extreme relief.

As for the remaining money, after careful consideration with Amano Aki, he decided to give it all to those who had helped them.

The band that built the recording studio for them, Misaki Tachibana and their instructors who supported their activities, the Shiba High School dance club and other dance club members who participated in the MV shooting, the fan club that ran around for the new song, and Takuya Kurosaki who switched sides to cooperate with Kazuya Sawashiro—everyone deserves their gratitude.

Amano Aki did not refuse the offer; on the contrary, she said she was happy to distribute the money.

She has started a new life, and if the money had remained in her and Kazuya's hands, she would have been reminded of those two dark and hopeless years.

Moreover, without everyone's help, she wouldn't be who she is today.

This matter will be left to Kurosaki Takuya, who is currently unemployed; he has the most free time right now.

Legally, he has not been punished at all, but his name has spread throughout the industry, and people know that he betrayed his employer.

Even though he had returned every penny of the employer's money, his betrayal wouldn't disappear just because of the refund, so he could only take on jobs finding cats and dogs.

These jobs don't offer any real benefits; Kurosaki Takuya sometimes even has to pay out of his own pocket.

So Kazuya Sawashiro found him and told him about his and Aki Amano's decision:

"We've decided to give all the compensation money from Watanabe Entertainment to those who have helped us these past few days, and we'd like to ask you to do it. Would you be willing?"

"How much?" Kurosaki Takuya blurted out.

He saw the news about the compensation, but the news only reported that there was compensation, without revealing the specific amount.

He knew it was a bit awkward to ask directly, but human curiosity is just that simple.

"5 million, it's all in this card," Ze Chenghe didn't hide anything, taking out a bank card from his pocket. "I've paid off all my debts, and I still have 5 million left. We've all agreed to give it away as a gift to our fans and friends who helped us."

"hiss…"

With his mouth wide open, Kurosaki Takuya can swallow a large apple from Aomori in one gulp.

Fifty million! If we ask him to distribute this money, aren't we afraid he'll just run away with it?

Kurosaki Takuya asked Sawashiro Kazuya directly, "With such a large sum of money, aren't you afraid I'll just take it and run away? If I just withdraw all of it in cash and hide somewhere where nobody knows me, nobody will find me."

"Afraid? Why aren't you afraid?" Kazuya Sawashiro said he was afraid, but he pushed the bank card in front of Takuya Kurosaki. "But we also think that you, who are bearing the stigma of the industry, wouldn't do such a despicable thing."

After saying that, Kazuya Sawashiro turned the bank card over, revealing the PIN on the back, and said, "Take it if you want it. This was originally your share anyway."

"...Gurgle."

Kurosaki Takuya swallowed hard as he looked at the bank card containing a huge sum of money.

He's a normal person who would commit a crime for a weekly salary of 30. So when such a huge sum of money was placed in front of him and he could withdraw it at will, he did waver and thought about taking it and running away.

but…

Kurosaki Takuya slowly raised his head, looked at Sawashiro Kazuya who trusted him so much, and slowly asked, "I don't quite understand why you would give away such a large sum of money? Why not try spending it on yourself? Like going on a trip or something."

He couldn't think of anything else, but he conveyed his meaning, and Kazuya Sawashiro understood what he was asking.

"Money is something that circulates throughout the world. If I give it to everyone today, it will come back to me tomorrow." Kazuya Sawashiro said confidently to Takuya Kurosaki, his arms crossed.

In that instant, Kurosaki Takuya felt so small, and the person in front of him so great.

Yes, that's why I'm willing to be abandoned by the industry just to help this person!