Tokyo's bubble economy: From literary giants to great entertainers

Keiko Matsuzaka?

Shuichi Kanbara suddenly realized. He had watched many Japanese movies and TV dramas, but in his previous life, Keiko Matsuzaka's career peaked in the 1970s and 80s. Works from that era were still too far removed from his past.

"So you're Ms. Matsuzaka. I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you at first."

Shuichi Kambara bowed slightly in return.

Takako Tokiwa visited him in the hospital a while ago, and they talked about this during their visit.

At first, Takako Tokiwa wanted to ask if he had any friends who were "not famous but had good acting skills," but after learning that Keiko Matsuzaka was preparing for a new drama, he also became interested.

So he planned to meet with Keiko Matsuzaka at noon today to discuss screenwriting in person—he figured she wouldn't trust a kid like him to become a director. But in Japan, there are many examples of novelists switching to screenwriting.

Furthermore, a director's ability is largely proven by their resume. However, a screenwriter's ability can be roughly gauged by looking at the script, making it easier to persuade Keiko Matsuzaka, since reviewing the script requires minimal cost.

Moreover, although his novel "The White Tower" has only been serialized for the first time and has not yet gained momentum, anyone who is willing to investigate will know that the current market response to this work is very good.

However, he didn't expect that the other party would arrive so soon, even though they said they would meet at noon.

Keiko Matsuzaka was also surprised.

—Is this big boy the "Shimokitazawa Killing God" who single-handedly took down the West City Group?

Because the West City Gang had not been completely dealt with by the police some time ago, the true identity of Shuichi Kanbara was not made public, and many details at the time were only briefly mentioned in news reports.

But as a former member of the Matsuzaka group, she knew all about this kind of information.

According to the descriptions of the biker gang members who were in the vicinity that night, what they saw was not a human being, but a madman. A man wielding a samurai sword of unknown origin charged directly into the block that had been temporarily blocked off by the West City Gang.

The shouts of killing were deafening. Some severed arms flew to the other side of the courtyard wall in the alley, nearly driving a few biker gang members who were eavesdropping insane.

The information she had heard over the past few days flashed through her mind, and looking at the handsome, even somewhat delicate-looking young man in front of her, a look of disbelief flashed in Matsuzaka Keiko's eyes. But she quickly composed herself, revealing a bright yet measured smile.

"Mr. Kanbara should be attending the opening ceremony now. There's no need to make a special move for that; the film studio we rented just happens to be nearby, so we just happened to be passing by. Around noon, I'll be waiting for you at Tsurumi-ju nearby, as agreed."

"Thank you so much."

"No problem at all. Oh, by the way..."

Matsuzaka Keiko abruptly changed the subject, her gaze drifting lightly to the side, "Should I get rid of this woman for you, sir?"

The female secretary, Kurohime, lifted Miyazawa Mitsuko up.

At this moment, Mitsuko Miyazawa's face was devoid of any of her previous tantrums, only raw fear remained. Having once worked as a hostess in a nightclub, how could she not know what the surname Matsuzaka represented?

She was so scared she almost peed her pants; her thighs, encased in fish-patterned stockings, trembled violently.

Shuichi Kanbara frowned slightly and turned to look at Granny Miyazawa. "Granny, what brings you here today...?"

"Oh...oh oh."

Grandma Miyazawa paused for a moment before reacting, and said, "It's like this, Mitsuko had an appointment with an entertainment company to bring Rie to shoot a photobook for promotion. But it seems the agreed time has already passed..."

"Photography?"

Shuichi Kambara looked at Rie Miyazawa. At that moment, Kurohime glanced at Keiko Matsuzaka, who nodded in agreement. She then walked behind Shuichi Kambara and whispered, "This woman is secretly taking her daughter to have a nude photoshoot."

"kindness?"

Shinbara Hide's eyes instantly turned serious, but then he saw Miyazawa Rie's big, innocent eyes and Miyazawa's grandmother's clearly unaware expression.

He didn't have much of a relationship with Rie Miyazawa. But Grandma Miyazawa was different; during that month when he was living like a stray dog ​​in an unfinished building, only this old woman genuinely cared for him.

returning a Favour many times more.

After a moment's thought, he didn't make a sound. He simply took out the wallet that Suzuki Honami had given him, took out two Fukuzawa Yukichi bills, and handed them over. "Well then, Grandma, you can wait for me at the nearby cafe for a while. I'm going to talk to this girl about her work, but I need to take care of some school matters first. After all, it's not good for her to skip class on the first day of school."

"Work-related matters? Shuichi, you mean...?"

Grandma Miyazawa was quite surprised, and Rie Miyazawa also stared at her with wide eyes. Like a frightened fawn, she clung tightly to Grandma Miyazawa's arm, her eyes filled with bewilderment and timid curiosity.

"Don't worry, it's good news. You'll find out at noon."

Rie Miyazawa's childhood experiences were something Shuichi Kanbara had heard about in his previous life.

He felt a slight pang of emotion, then gave a gentle smile. After calming the grandmother and granddaughter, he turned to Matsuzaka Keiko, "This woman, please handle her for me, Miss Matsuzaka. Rest assured, I will provide a satisfactory reward."

"Extremely happy to."

.

Shuichi Kambara never expected that coming to school this morning would lead to such an unexpected incident.

But it doesn't really matter, since everything is on the same track anyway, so it's like sharpening your axe before chopping wood.

But...

As he watched the Mercedes carrying the Miyazawa family and Keiko Matsuzaka disappear around the street corner, and turned to walk towards the school, the way the students on both sides of the road looked at him had completely changed.

"Could this guy have connections to the underworld?!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Don't you know who that woman is? She's the president of Matsuzaka Entertainment. Her company even held auditions for our acting department a while ago."

"Hey! The beautiful president of an entertainment company?! This kid's got incredibly lucky..."

What the hell?

This scene looks just like the male protagonist entering a school in a Japanese anime!

There were many whispers around him. Kanbara Shuichi was a bit like Bengbu (a famous Chinese porter), he wasn't afraid of being noticed. However... the expressions his male classmates gave him were all like, "You must have stepped in dog poop!"

Although he wasn't very old before he transmigrated, he still felt a bit annoyed by the cheeky grumbling of these "youngsters" who had just entered university.

He walked silently toward the gymnasium where the opening ceremony was being held, hands in his pockets.

But just as I walked past the cherry blossom avenue and turned a corner, with the stadium right in front of me, a familiar yet cheeky voice whispered in my ear.

"Hey bro! That's so unfair of you! You know so many rich women and you're not even going to introduce them to me?"

"..."

Kento Kaku, who had just been chased away by a group of muscular upperclassmen, had somehow slipped back. And judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to have been taught a lesson at all. He still had his signature smug smile on his face and was even affectionately hugging his neck.

Hideichi Kanbara raised his elbow and gently pushed him away. "First of all, we're not buddies. Secondly, I'll say it again, I'm not a gigolo."

"Oh, that's not important, that's not important. What's important is that you know a beautiful, rich woman!"

"..."

Shuichi Kanbara didn't want to talk to him.

Kento Kaku panicked, but then his eyes lit up as if he'd thought of something, and he quickly pressed on, "Hey buddy, how about this? I'm not very talented, but my aunt, Chika Kaku, has some connections in the entertainment industry. To show my sincerity, how about I introduce her to you first?!"

"??? Wardfa???"

Shuichi Kanbara was stunned, looking completely bewildered.

Kaku Kento's eyes lit up, thinking he was wavering, and he continued, "Oh! Not only will I introduce you to my aunt, but rest assured, I will absolutely not touch any woman you set my sights on! No! I won't even glance at her! I just ask you to show me the right path!"

"Just how much repression are you suppressing...?"

Shuichi Kanbara is completely out of touch.

Kento Kaku's expression was incredibly rich; he immediately turned into a mournful figure. "It's a whole story, a real tearjerker! You wouldn't believe it, my family is very strict. I, Kento Kaku, am eighteen years old, and quite handsome! But I'm still a virgin, and I haven't even held a girl's hand!"

"...That's terrible."

Shuichi Kanbara felt some sympathy for the other person, but when he thought about how he was also an eighteen-year-old virgin in his previous life, he felt relieved.

People's suffering comes in many forms, but handsome men's experiences often have similarities.

However, seeing Kento Kaku's incredibly expressive face, a thought suddenly struck him. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I can't introduce you to a wealthy woman, and I have absolutely no interest in your aunt. But..."

"But what?! Tell me quickly!"

"However, I might become a screenwriter for a show soon. If you're interested, you can try out for a role. It's a campus comedy, and you might even meet some beautiful actresses."

"Me?! A beautiful actress?!"

Various images flashed through Kento Kaku's mind, and he immediately stood at attention.

A smile flashed across Shinbara Hide's eyes.

He had learned from Takako Tokiwa that Matsuzaka Entertainment had mainly canceled a school drama, but the venue and other aspects hadn't expired yet, so they wanted to give it another shot. Therefore, he had brought the script—"Great Teacher Onizuka"—with him before coming today.

Yes, the legendary TV series "Great Teacher Onizuka".

This is a Japanese drama he really loved in his past life, but today he's running into both Rie Miyazawa and Kento Kaku...

"Let's switch to making 'From Today, It's My Turn!!'"

Shuichi Kambara smiled and shook his head.

The influence and depth of "GTO" are clearly stronger than "From Today, It's My Turn!!".

However, "From Today, It's My Turn!!" was also a super hit. In its previous life, it immediately won the top spot in the autumn ratings across Japan upon its release, swept various awards, and almost all of the main actors became top-tier actors.

In 2018, when a viewership rating of over 10% was considered a huge hit and 12% was a top-tier national drama of the year, "From Today, It's My Turn!!" averaged around 10% in viewership ratings, with the final episode reaching a whopping 12.6%.

This drama is absolutely worthy of Keiko Matsuzaka's attention and help, and it will definitely be enough for him to open the door to the entertainment industry.

Secondly, there's the issue of the lead actors.

For live-action dramas with this exaggerated style, casting is extremely important. While the anime version of "Great Teacher Onizuka" is great, the soul of the live-action drama lies with Takashi Sorimachi.

But during his research, he discovered that Takashi Sorimachi, born in 1973 in his previous life, was currently attending junior high school in Harugabe, a suburb of Tokyo, and his classmate was a guy named Kawaguchi...

And Kento Kaku, the lead actor of "From Today, It's My Turn!!", is right in front of him, and he seems to be cheap and easy to use.

With that thought in mind, Shuichi Kambara walked into the noisy gymnasium.

Kento Kaku crowded around again, excitedly exclaiming, "Really?! Red bean paste?! You're really going to cast me?! And there are actresses too?!"

"Yes, you might even be the lead actress, with your own dedicated leading lady."

"My own heroine!!!"

Kento Kaku's heart clenched instantly, but then, as if remembering something, he knelt down with a thud under the bewildered gazes of those around him. "Big brother! You're the screenwriter, right? Arranging kissing scenes and bed scenes is no problem at all, right?!"

"..."

Shuichi Kambara returned to Bengbu and said, "Uh, the script hasn't been written yet."

"What?!"

Kento Kaku felt cheated and immediately raised his head, but before he could speak, Shuichi Kanbara pulled a notebook out of his bag and said with a smile, "Don't rush, just start writing now."

"Write now???"

With a family that can be considered partly of actors, Kento Kaku had never heard of anyone directly learning a script at the opening ceremony, and he was stunned.

"Really! You're not kidding me?!"

Why would I lie to you? I'm not interested in men.

"That's good, that's good! But... um... the bed scenes and kissing scenes..."

Kento Kaku made a disgustingly awkward kissing gesture, and Shuichi Kanbara rolled his eyes with a smile. He was about to say something like, "That depends on who plays the female lead." After all, if Rie Miyazawa got the role, he had no interest in arranging kissing or bed scenes for a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl.

Just then, the crowd suddenly parted to make way, and a girl in uniform tumbled out with a cry of "Ouch!" She bumped headfirst into Kento Kaku, who was making a funny kissing gesture.

In an instant, the world fell silent.

Shuichi Kambara was also dumbfounded.

After a long while—"Bre~"

"Private Marseille! Private Marseille!"

The girl seemed to be a very gentle person. With a blush on her face, she got up and instead of slapping Kento Kaku, who was lying on the ground with his octopus mouth rolling back in his head, she kept bowing and apologizing.

Shuichi Kambara was completely unable to hold back any longer.

What the hell!

A romantic encounter like this on the first day of school?!

He was speechless, but soon, seeing the notebooks scattered on the ground, he inadvertently saw a name on the cover—Nana Eikura.

Nana Eikura?

This is not...

If I remember correctly, in my past life she was this guy's wife? And she even had two kids with him?

Shuichi Kanbara's eyes widened slightly, but looking at Kento Kaku, who was still floating and being helped up, he shook his head with amusement.

As for fate, it's definitely the arrangement of God.