CH 6

Arc-1 Chapter-6: What is the Entertainment Industry?

￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

Yukiho explained the details to me.

According to her, the president of her office wants to set me and Yukiho up as a team.

As Yukiho said before, it seems that they're aiming for a desert island exploration type of program.

There is a legendary program in this field called BASH, but BASH has fallen out of favor due to various reasons.

The TV stations are already considering terminating the program, but they are having trouble finding a replacement.

I heard that there are a lot of projects aimed at replacing BASH on other stations.

One such project that every station wants is a show about me and Yukiho exploring a deserted island.

They think it's perfect because we met on a deserted island.

Indeed, it would be easy to get the viewership numbers that the TV stations value more than life itself.

Also, getting into show business has some advantages for me.

The biggest one in particular is that it will greatly increase the amount of time I can spend with Yukiho.

Since our schedules tend to overlap, we can be together during work.

Since we are in the same entertainment industry, it's easy to match our schedules on our day off.

Also financially, I'd have a better chance of being able to make more money than the average person.

According to her, I will be able to earn the equivalent of an average lifetime wage in 5-6 years because of the possibility of landing a few commercials and TV programs.

Even if my popularity didn't take off and I couldn't appear on TV, I could still be a local sales representative, a staff member of the agency, or a manager for Yukiho, and any other job besides being on TV.

Lastly, they can help me transfer to a school with a performing arts department.

At this school, students will be able to graduate regardless of their attendance.

Also, being a celebrity, you can get into famous universities with recommendations.

Naturally, I can be flexible at the university, so I don't have to worry about staying in school.

"I think it's a good deal. By the time Daikichi-kun and I graduate from college, it will be clear whether or not we can make it in the entertainment industry. Even if we don't make it in the entertainment industry, I think it will be easier for us to enter the general business world as former entertainers from famous universities. The financial conditions are also good, what do you think?"

"I agree."

It was something I could have agreed to in two seconds.

But of course I'm worried about something.

I wondered if I could make it in the entertainment industry and if I would drag Yukiho down from her position.

I didn't have any sort of goals since I didn't know anything about the industry.

"Well then, in that case...!"

"But let me talk to my parents first, okay? Personally, I'm all for it, but I don't know what my parents would say. I've given them a lot of trouble and I don't want to cause them any more trouble."

"I know what you mean. I think it's better that way."

"Give me a few days. I will make my decision during that time."

"Okay!"

I ended the call with the usual "Good night".

❄️❄️❄️

The next day, I told my parents about the situation.

"All right, man! Go for it! Get out there and join the world of the entertainment industry!"

My Dad got on board at the speed of light.

It's good for me, and more importantly, it'll make me feel better about myself.

"Don't be afraid to tell me if you mess up, I'll be there to support  you!"

Those are encouraging words.

"I think you should do what you want. And you want to go into the entertainment industry, don't you? Go ahead, then. Don't be concerned about your parents. It's your choice to make."

Mom agreed with Dad.

"Then I'll contact Yukiho and have her arrange for me to accept the offer!"

I went to my room and sent a LINE to Yukiho.

Apparently she was at work, and the reply arrived a few hours later.

She said she would talk to the president and the staff at the agency before moving forward with the project.

They wanted me to bring my parents with me at that time.

❄️❄️❄️

A few days later, I was at Yukiho's agency with my parents.

I had an image of a glamorous office for a celebrity, but the reality was different.

From the exterior to the interior, the office was very plain, like a small business with a lot of people.

We were taken to the receptions room.

Soon after, the president and staff members arrived, and after a brief greeting, the explanation began.

Yukiho was not there. Looks like she was at work.

"--That's what we think, and what this document is about."

The staff at the agency told my parents the same thing that Yukiho had explained to me on the phone.

"Hmm."

Dad is looking at the documents very seriously.

He had always read this kind of material carefully in the past.

He's the type of guy who reads even the unimportant license agreement carefully.

"I think you're a little light around the details here."

He was inquiring about something to the staff.

His gaze was so sharp that it frightened the other person.

"You see--"

The president answered him flippantly.

My Dad kept saying, "Hmm."

I'm starting to get worried.

Dad, who was so enthusiastic at home, seemed to be in a negative mood here.

I wondered if the discussion would be aborted.

"To sum up your words, my son is just a bonus for Takamine Yukiho, so whether or not he can survive in the entertainment industry depends on Yukiho's abilility rather than my son's, is that correct?"

The staff member stuttered, "Well, um..."

"Yes! That's correct! Your son is just a bonus!"

The president, on the other hand, answered it proudly.

The faces of Mom and the staff members turned pale.

"Very well. I have no problem with that."

Are you serious?! I shouted in my mind.

The president said, "Thank you very much!" with a big smile on his face.

I wondered if this is what an adult discussion is supposed to be.

❄️❄️❄️

From that point on, things happened fast.

I was assigned the same manager as Yukiho, and received detailed explanation by e-mail.

And there was a meeting with the station before I was to appear on TV, and the schedule has been set

Preparations for transferring to a new school have progressed, and now it's the day before the transfer.

I went to school for the first time in months.

It was already the third semester.

The second semester ended with me just taking a break.

"Here he comes! It's Yoshikawa-kun!"

"Is it true that you're the one who's dating Takamine Yukiho?"

"If that's true, get me an autograph or something!"

"Yoshikawa-kun, tell us what happened on the island!"

When I arrived at the school, everyone swarmed me.

The space around me is so densely packed that it's hard to breathe.

"I'm sorry, I want to tell you, but I can't. It's an rule at the agency."

I acted like a businessman.

The president had given me the okay to be on top of things.

Instead, the only line I could say was, "I can't talk about it."

"Oh! That was awesome, dude! I don't even know what a deserted island is!"¹

Even the ones who are like, "No, who are you?" are talking to me in a familiar way.

It would be depressing if this happened every day, but since it was just for today, I didn't feel bad.

"What's the story?"

After school, I came to the rooftop.

I was called here to talk about something important. By Akari.

What does the woman who cheated on her boyfriend and then walked out on him have to say now?