Tokyo: My obsession with China led me to become the king of Japanese entertainment.

Chapter 85 Insects Always Appear in Clusters

Hearing Sakurada Jun's applause and praise, the dozen or so boys were stunned for a moment. After they came to their senses, their eyes began to redden.

Damn it, we're all JRs, why are you able to act like this here?

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Under Sakurada Jun's seemingly harmless and friendly smile, someone finally couldn't hold back any longer.

A boy who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old was the first to lose his composure. He strode towards Jun Sakurada, his eyes filled with a hint of malice.

But with each step he took, his aura diminished by a few points. By the time he reached Sakurada Jun and had to tilt his head back slightly to see Jun's face, he had completely lost his imposing presence.

There was no way around it. Although the trainees present were much more elite than the batch that had been interviewed, their height was still a major obstacle they couldn't overcome.

Johnny's Entertainment has practically emptied its pool of tall trainees in the past two years to create Snowball and Snowball, two groups with an average height of over 175cm.

So much so that Michieda Shunsuke's Naniwa Danshi became known as Michieda Shunsuke, a 1.8-meter-tall man, dragging along six teammates who were all under 1.7 meters tall, commonly referred to as Michieda Shunsuke and the Six Dwarfs.

The impatient young JR in front of us, because of his young age, looks to be at most 1.65 meters tall.

Sakurada Jun paused, and under the other party's almost bloodshot gaze, slowly lowered his head, his smile still friendly.

"What's up?" The tone was still as harmless as ever, but combined with that condescending, downward gaze, who knows how much of an impact it had on that JR.

Finally, "Everyone worked hard, you all did a great job tonight—wait, what?"

Just as the 1.6-meter-tall man with bloodshot eyes was about to burn out his last bit of reason and lunge at Sakurada Jun, the door opened again.

Takizawa Hideaki, beaming with joy, had just walked in when he was startled by the tense atmosphere and quickly asked, "What are you doing?"

Upon hearing this, the trainees, who had been rather unfriendly just moments before, either turned away or shrank back. Even the 1.6-meter-tall trainee who was about to get into a fight with Sakurada Jun immediately became as docile as a quail.

In the eyes of ordinary JRs, Hideaki Takizawa, who has full power over the selection and training of trainees, possesses unparalleled absolute authority.

The only one who didn't move was Jun Sakurada; he was laughing just the same way he was laughing just now.

"Nothing much, just having a friendly chat with my friends." His tone remained as harmless and friendly as ever.

Takizawa Hideaki looked at him, then at the quail in front of him and the turtles hiding not far away, and was stunned for a few seconds before he roughly realized what had happened, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

"Ahem, Run, come with me for a moment. Everyone else, pack up and get ready to go back to the office."

He cleared his throat, his tone still authoritative, but he gave Sakurada Jun a wink from an angle unseen by others.

"Alright, Takizawa-san!" When it comes to pretending to be a good boy, Sakurada Jun is always a pro.

Ignoring the sullen looks from the JRs, Jun Sakurada strolled over and followed Hideaki Takizawa to another room, whereupon the latter sighed, "Don't bother with those kids."

"How could that be? I just went into the wrong room." Jun Sakurada smiled.

Hideaki Takizawa didn't respond, but continued on his own: "You need to understand that although you've only been signed for less than a month, the resources and exposure you've received are at a level that all your peers wouldn't even dare to dream of."

"Although most of these were achieved through your own abilities, outsiders wouldn't know that; they would only think that you received preferential treatment from the firm."

"After tonight, you will officially enter the center of the spotlight in the local entertainment industry, and many eyes will be watching you closely."

"If you want to maintain an impeccable reputation and public image, you must be sufficiently self-disciplined and self-controlled."

"Conflicts like today's should be avoided as much as possible, unless you want to earn the bad reputation of bullying your peers."

Jun Sakurada nodded slightly.

Hideaki Takizawa is right. There is indeed a huge information gap between the top management of Johnny & Associates and others regarding the resources available to Jun Sakurada.

Outsiders have no idea how much effort and dedication Jun Sakurada has put into achieving this grand occasion, or what enormous contributions he has made.

They wouldn't even believe that a fifteen-year-old boy who had just signed a contract could be involved in the decision-making process of such a large-scale project.

Even though Jun Sakurada's short film has clearly revealed most of his background, they will still think that Johnny's is giving their new generation a makeover.

Even Jun Sakurada believes that many people think his million-follower account and million-level game sales are the result of Johnny & Associates' manipulation.

What? You're asking when Johnny's Entertainment became so influential in the gaming industry?

Don't ask, it's just a big shot from Johnny's.

"That's true, but those guys were clearly there during the rehearsals these past few days. Can't they even see what role I'm playing in this project?"

Although he was well-behaved, Jun Sakurada still uttered a small complaint.

Upon hearing this, Hideaki Takizawa could only manage a wry smile.

Those JRs can obviously tell, but so what if they can? Can they accept it?

Can these self-proclaimed elites and future stars of Johnny's accept the fact that a newcomer who has only recently entered the industry has completely outshone them with his outstanding qualities?

Just as the rise of the neighboring Eastern superpower is perpetually ignored on the Japanese internet, treated like the elephant in the room, these people, in order to keep their minds from exploding and collapsing, must actively ignore Jun Sakurada's strengths and regard him as a "favored individual by higher-ups."

Hideaki Takizawa couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He knew that although Jun Sakurada was young, his vision and ability in some aspects even surpassed his own, and the young man deserved great credit for today's success.

But the outside world will not know about his achievements; they will only praise Hideaki Takizawa, who orchestrated all of this, for his foresight and sharp vision.

In a sense, he also stole some of Jun Sakurada's credit.

"Don't take it to heart. Your excellence doesn't need self-proving. One day, something's wrong. What mischief are you up to now?"

Hideaki Takizawa's instinctive attempt to comfort him suddenly stopped halfway through, and a look of wariness immediately appeared in his eyes.

Even when he was targeted during the previous storm, he remained calm and composed. How could he break down because of the hostility of a bunch of rabble?

They must have come up with some wicked idea again.

"How could that be? I'm such a sincere person." Upon hearing Sakurada Jun's words, Takizawa Hideaki knew he had guessed correctly.

"Alright, just say what you're thinking. Considering your contribution today, I'll see if I can help you out, since it won't be too much of a stretch."

Hideaki Takizawa was annoyed, and the guilt he had felt earlier vanished in an instant.

Sure enough, this kid wouldn't let himself suffer a loss for nothing; he probably already anticipated the possibility of the credit being transferred to someone else.

They might even have already figured out what kind of compensation they could get from Takizawa.

Sure enough, as soon as Hideaki Takizawa spoke, Jun Sakurada immediately dropped his "pitiful" tone and grinned.

"No problem, no problem, everything else is fine, but there's one thing I'm a little concerned about."

He pointed to the location of the lounge he had just left, a hint of disdain in his voice: "Do I really have to team up with those insects?"

If today's conversation were overheard by paparazzi from gossip newspapers like Bunshun, Jun Sakurada would probably be ostracized and his entire family would be executed tomorrow.

While secretly wiping away a cold sweat, Hideaki Takizawa adopted a generous attitude: "No problem, the existing JR groups, from Snowman to Sitones, and even Travis in America..."

"Japan, if you want to go, I can help you arrange it!"

This guarantee carries immense weight in Hideaki Takizawa's own eyes. The names he mentioned are either top-tier groups about to debut or unique individuals who have already made a name for themselves and have a promising future.

Especially for a group like the Sitones, which has maintained a six-member structure since 2012, it would be quite difficult to force someone in, even if it were Hideaki Takizawa.

He thought such a guarantee was substantial enough, and even before he finished speaking, he saw that Jun Sakurada's expression of disgust had deepened.

"You don't actually think they're insects too?!" Hideaki Takizawa exclaimed in surprise.

"How could that be? Young talents, young talents." Jun Sakurada waved his hand dismissively, but the eyes he closed to cover up his true feelings about his good colleagues.

More than just insects, they are insects!

Of the groups mentioned by Hideaki Takizawa, the cleanest is Travis Japan, which went overseas. Their scandals are limited to going to karaoke with the girls from SKE48 next door.

But since they're primarily targeting the United States, it's better to recruit Donuts than Jun Sakurada.

The others, Naniwa Danshi, nicknamed Michieda Shunsuke and the Six Dwarfs, have a lot of messy affairs, and the group's exposure, especially its international exposure, is entirely supported by Michieda Shunsuke.

Other heavyweights like Kento Nagao would have to compete with their seniors in the same company to be their boyfriends.

Si.tones is considered one of the top new generation of Johnny's in terms of future sales performance, but members like Kyomoto Taiga have pulled off some serious stunts, like trying to force a massage parlor to offer meat dishes at vegetarian prices, only to be permanently blacklisted by the establishment.

As for Snowmn—it's an even bigger cesspool, a maggot among maggots.

In terms of personal morality, he transformed into One-Punch Man and broke his facial bones in a fan's attack; he openly assaulted someone else's girlfriend; he performed a flying kick on a senior with back pain; he is skilled in both literary and martial arts, as well as in vulgar tactics.

As for public morality—that's something that can't even be mentioned, a super-malignant tumor that has been criticized and certified by Chinese state media.

Although a significant portion of these problems arose after Keiko Fujishima snatched Snowman away from Hideaki Takizawa, it doesn't diminish the fact that the group's internal affairs have become utterly rotten.

If it weren't for the fact that some of their defining scandals hadn't yet surfaced, making it somewhat illegitimate to take action now, Jun Sakurada would have already found a way to expose these extraordinary individuals.

Considering that when these extraordinary individuals debuted, even with Raul, a young man the same age as Jun Sakurada, lowering the numbers, their average age was still approaching thirty. In terms of looks alone, most of them wouldn't even qualify as average-looking men, yet they effortlessly amassed millions in sales, becoming one of the most successful groups in Johnny's history, and were considered dream lovers by countless Japanese girls.

That just means the Japanese are doomed.

"What can we do? These are already some of the best JR groups around here." Hideaki Takizawa was also exhausted.

Generally speaking, Johnny's neutral faction has always been strict in managing the private lives of its artists, and scandals are relatively rare.

Whether it's V6, Taki & Tsubasa, or Kinkids, they can all be considered relatively clean-cut, especially V6, who debuted 25 years ago.

He had no scandals all year, which made him completely out of place in Johnny's Entertainment, a cesspool.

Hideaki Takizawa certainly hoped that his juniors could follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, but unfortunately, in recent years, with the aging of the Kitagawa siblings and the arrival of the streaming era, Johnny's' ability to control its juniors has been declining.

Who knows, one day some Johnny's Jr. might suddenly decide to become a male host under the guise of being a Johnny's Jr., and Takizawa Hideaki could only try to salvage the situation and put out the fire afterwards.

"Since you don't like any of these groups, how about I find another excellent junior, like Taki and Tsubasa, to form a duo with you?" Takizawa Hideaki suggested after thinking for a moment.

Duo groups are probably the most lenient form of management within Johnny's Entertainment when it comes to individual idols.

To put it simply, it's about finding another young person with a promising solo career to team up with Jun Sakurada. When needed, they can collaborate to sell albums and release songs, and when not, they can pursue their own individual activities and shine on their own.

But Jun Sakurada still looked distressed: "Does it have to be a group? Can't I go solo?"

"Ever since Hiromi Go and several of the agency's best juniors defected to the Burning series, Johnny's has never produced a purely solo idol."

"You have to understand, back then even the vice president Fujishima was almost pulled into debuting by the president, which shows what kind of desperate situation Johnny's was facing at that time."

"Even Toma Ikuta, who was active as a solo artist, was part of the group 4tops with Tomohisa Yamashita and others. It was only after Yamashita was recruited by Fujishima to NEWS that he gradually switched to a solo career."

Hideaki Takizawa sighed: "So, only launching idol groups and not welcoming solo careers has been a golden rule of Johnny's for many years."

"Even if you are as talented as you are, without the bond of a group to help you settle down, the agency would not feel comfortable allowing you to officially debut."

He thought this warning and explanation would make Sakurada Jun put aside some of his unrealistic ideas, but to his surprise, after listening, Sakurada Jun blinked and said something that left him stunned: "Oh, in that case, wouldn't there be less trouble if you don't debut?"