255 – An Unexpected Journey
A phone call I made to Naoto instantly changed the attitude of the Yakuza, who had been idle.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t think you were an acquaintance of the boss…”
“It’s not because I have bad intentions! I just wanted to sign a contract on good terms before another office takes it away…!”
From noble mtl dot com
It turns out that the yakuza who ran this office were one of the sub-organizations of the Dongseong Association.
Mr. Naoto, who answered my phone, asked me to change the phone for a while and then said a word ‘stingy’.
Ayase, who was watching from the side, asked with a puzzled expression.
“Who the hell is that person who just called, why are these people overreacting?”
“Karen’s father.”
“…From now on, I will try to be close to Karen.”
It seems that Ayase felt something new when he saw people who seemed to have nothing to fear in the world shuddered at the last word he said.
Anyway, it seemed like there would be no point in staying here any longer, so we walked out of the office after warning people to hand out their business cards next time.
***
“But what should I do now?”
The purpose of coming to Shibuya today was to visit an entertainment agency and, if it was better than expected, sign a contract on the spot, but the plan went awry from the beginning.
Thanks to that, we had more time left than expected, so we sat on a park bench and stared blankly at the sky.
“It’s a little early to eat rice… Isn’t it?”
When I asked while scratching my cheek, Ayase, who was texting someone, pointed at the clock in the middle of the park without saying anything.
10:12 Am.
We have about two hours left until lunchtime.
“…hahahaha.”
When I looked away with an awkward smile, Ayase, who had been staring at the smartphone, suddenly jumped up from her seat.
Then he asked me who was sitting next to me.
“Since this happened, would you like to visit our company?”
“What?”
“It’s the weekend anyway, so you have plenty of time. If you follow me, I’ll give you a nice tour.”
After saying that, Ayase showed the screen of his smartphone.
I wondered what he was working so hard on earlier, and it seems that he asked his manager if he could take his friend to the company.
And the answer was ‘OK’.
“Aren’t you curious about how this industry works anyway? Basically, the management structure of entertainment planning and MCN is quite similar, so it will probably be a good study for you too.”
Once I heard it, it was quite a tempting story.
“Then can I put my shame on you and take care of you?”
“As much as you like.”
Ayase nodded with a proud face and led the way to the subway station, telling him to believe in himself and follow him.
***
Basically, while entertainment agencies provide convenience to professional actors, idols, and voice actors, MCN feels like a management company that provides convenience to Utaite, vertubers, and Internet broadcasters who are mainly active on the net.
It has already been 10 years since the global video platform called YouTube appeared with the first release of the smartphone.
The job of a creator, which was unfamiliar to people in the early days, has become mainstream in society, and its recognition often surpasses that of existing celebrities and actors.
Naturally, the need for management for such people emerged, and a new type of agency called MCN was born naturally.
“Just a short walk from here.”
40 Minutes by subway from Shibuya Station.
We took the subway to Chiyoda, which is said to be the administrative center of Tokyo.
Unlike Shibuya, which is a street for young people, this is a neighborhood where office workers, politicians, and lawyers in their 30s and 40s mainly wander.
In such a place, we, who belong to the relatively young generation, felt quite different.
However, Ayase, who has always had a lot of guts, proudly took on the route guide, ignoring the strange gaze.
Has it been about 15 minutes since I left Tokyo Station and started walking?
The place we finally arrived was a medium-sized building with about 10 floors.
“We’ve arrived. This is our company.”
I involuntarily opened my mouth at the enormous scale.
“This whole building?”
Then Ayase looked at me and said, “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”
“Are you crazy? Of course I rented only one floor of the building as an office. Where is that kind of money for a small business where I’m the only successful broadcaster?”
“Ah… sorry.”
After I apologized with a shy expression, Ayase urged me to go in quickly and stop fooling around at the door.
Ding!
After entering the building, we took the elevator to the third floor of the building.
***
‘Kirby’ Co., Ltd.
It was a small MCN company with a name that reminded me of a certain game company’s pink mascot character.
Unlike a company with a large number of vertubes who are currently considered to be on the mainstream in the otaku industry, the size of the office was very small, which was surprising.
We were greeted by Ayase’s manager who came to us unexpectedly, and he had a green feeling unique to Guji, a newcomer to society who had just graduated from university.
“Welcome, Ayase. Were you surprised that you suddenly offered to bring a friend?”
“I’m sorry, unni. I suddenly asked for an unreasonable request.”
“Ah, our company’s flagship broadcaster is asking for it, so of course you have to listen. So, where is the friend who says he’ll bring you?”
“Oh, I’m outside. Hold on.”
Thanks to the firm refusal to enter the office at the same time, saying that the company might be surprised if I suddenly entered the office, I was able to open the door and enter the office only when Ayase stuck out his head and beckoned me from inside.
The moment I showed up like that, Ayase’s manager, who was talking with Ayase inside, instantly made a dumbfounded expression.
No, what. How am i
I feel a bit strongly that it is now, but I, slightly hurt, bowed my head with a blunt expression.
“Hello. My name is Yuseong Kim, Ayase’s classmate.”
Then, perhaps realizing my true identity, Ayase’s manager opened his eyes wide and shouted.
“The disciple of Kotaro Fuma, who is said to be Japan’s greatest martial artist!”
“Yes. That’s right.”
When I nodded with an awkward expression at the modifier that had become too grandiose, Ayase’s manager suddenly held out his right hand and said,
“D-I’m a fan! Can I just shake your hand once?!”
Suddenly?
I looked at Ayase with a puzzled expression, but Ayase nodded at her with a look that couldn’t be stopped.
“Of course.”
After shaking hands with Ayase’s manager, who was making such a fuss, I bowed politely to the other employees who were looking at me curiously.
“My name is Yuseong Kim, who applied for a tour of the company through Ayase. Please take care of me today.”
Then countless applause poured in towards me.
***
Mr. Shirasaki, Ayase’s manager, was a very talkative person, unlike his cold appearance.
“Actually, I’ve been a fan of martial arts since I was young. I like the UFC in the US and pro wrestling in Japan, but above all, my favorite broadcast is GOF, which airs once every three years. Ivan Romanov, who was considered the world’s strongest. You have no idea how excited I was when I read that newspaper article when I was in elementary school.”
“That’s right.”
Looking at the TMI knowledge about Ivan and Fuma Kotaro that I don’t know about, it seems that I’m really a big fan of GOF.
Tired of her endless chatter, I whispered to Ayase, who was walking beside her with a casual expression.
“How do you survive this chatter every day?”
Then, the answer Ayase gave was spectacle.
“Listen with one ear and let it out with the other.”
As if this situation had already happened several times, her bruising skills were on the peak.
Fortunately, the office was small, so we arrived at the place we were going to visit, but Mr. Shirasaki, who guided us, explained the work in a comfortable tone thanks to his natural voice.
“Usually, in this booth, we do 3D broadcasts of our company’s vertubers. Wearing special suits and using motion capture allows you to make fairly realistic movements. This is a good example of technological advancement.”
“Oh…”
As I listened to Mr. Shirasaki’s explanation, I remembered what Ayase’s vertube character ‘Minazuki Luna’ had shown on the air.
I thought it even implemented realistic movements for a 3D model, but I never thought this situation was hidden behind it.
In the early days, it was said that programmers had a lot of trouble even with finger movements and sleeves.
Since the video I showed as an example ended just in time, Mr. Shirasaki suddenly asked me when I said to move on to the next location.
“Have you ever thought of being curious?”
“Yes? What?”
“What would it feel like to try that yourself?”
“No, I’m not really curious.”
There is a word in this neighborhood called beumi meat.
Roughly summed up, it is a word that implies that an old man with hairy legs wears a moderately cute plate and acts as a beautiful girl on her net.
And as an otaku, I had no desire to bear that stigma.
“Why did you refuse? Like you said, it would be pretty fun if you had a vertube experience.”
“The funniest thing is you, not me.”
“Oh, did you get caught?”
hehehe- Ayase smiled and then spoke to me with a serious face.
“Anyway, my sister overreacted and accepted my request, so please take this tour with a serious attitude. That way, the side I asked for will also stand.”
“Okay. I’ll take care of it.”
When I said that and nodded her head, Ayase quickly chased after her sister before she let go, and pushed her back with the palm of her hand behind her.