After consulting with a true professional (Mrs. Yukinoshita), Hikigaya Hachiman finally decided to set up a studio for himself. Yukinoshita Haruno had been right; his work outside of writing was only going to increase, and he needed to find help quickly before he became completely overwhelmed.
When comparing his future career prospects, it wasn't difficult to see that an excellent lawyer would be the most important role in his new studio. Mr. Hayama, for instance, who had accompanied Hachiman to the contract negotiation with Toho a few days ago, had left a deep impression on him with his calm tone and strong professionalism.
Finally, after numerous recommendations and his own research, Hikigaya Hachiman chose a lawyer who seemed better at fighting than at litigating—Yagami Takashi.
"I am indeed a good fighter, but you don't have to worry about my professionalism, Mr. Hachiman," Yagami promised. "You can contact me at any time to accompany you to any negotiation, and I can answer any legal questions you may have. In short, my daily work will give priority to you." He had originally refused to provide legal services to companies or families, but after reading Hachiman's novels, he decided that the boy was a righteous writer with a sense of social responsibility and accepted the invitation. Of course, he was not a direct employee of Hachiman; he was still part of his own law firm.
With the lawyer's problem solved, the rest of the pieces fell into place much more easily. Haruno would manage the studio's finances, responsible for all future income, expenditures, and tax-related issues.
Finally, he needed a business assistant to help him process the collaboration emails that were already flooding his work inbox and to identify the important content. There were far more companies wanting to discuss cooperation than just publishing houses and film studios; all kinds of strange product promotion and endorsement requests had been flying in like snowflakes. Hachiman's principle for these was to have his assistant handle them all without him even looking at them. For serious requests, he would respond personally.
This assistant would also need to serve as a driver, since most of his collaborations had to be discussed in Tokyo. Having a driver to pick him up would be most convenient. As he only needed to go to Tokyo a few times a month for business, he could use Haruno's car for other matters, so there was no need to hire a full-time driver.
The person who applied for the assistant position was a blue-haired, reliable, married man named Sakamachi Kinjiro, who had extensive experience serving others. Since there wasn't much work on weekdays and they rarely needed to meet, it was also a part-time position.
In short, after completing the necessary procedures, a studio where all employees—except the boss himself—were part-time was established. For a long time, the employees wouldn't even know what their colleagues looked like.
"It feels so casual..." After the whole affair, Hachiman sat in the passenger seat of Haruno's car and complained to his new "financial director."
"Many things aren't as complicated as you think, junior," she said. "No, maybe I should call you 'boss' now?"
"No, I'm afraid that name would be too exciting for Yukino. Just call me what you did before," Hachiman grumbled.
In fact, after realizing she and Hachiman now had an employer-employee relationship, Yukinoshita Haruno had felt an inexplicable sense of excitement. She couldn't explain where the feeling came from; she only knew that she must not let him notice this somewhat shameful emotion.
ay 5th, the day of the Confessions audition. There was a flurry of activity in front of Toho Films in Setagaya. Of course, outsiders didn't know what was happening; otherwise, a large number of fans would have gathered to try and surround their idols.
As the least noticeable of the artists participating, the three members of Ichigo Production—the Hoshino siblings and Arima Kana—were huddled together in an inconspicuous corner. Arima Kana, who had been in the entertainment industry the longest, was quietly identifying the celebrities present for the siblings.
"Look at that handsome young man. You might think he's from a boy band, but he's actually a very popular new-generation actor named Okada Masaki. He's here today to audition for the role of Mr. Terada." "That lady with the very outstanding temperament is Kimura Yoshino. She's not only an excellent actress but also a top student. She can dub Hollywood cartoons directly in English. Think about the English accent of ordinary Japanese people. Isn't that incredible?" "You should be familiar with this girl, right? That's right, Hashimoto Ai. She's actually younger than us, probably only fifteen this year. Two years ago, she won a beauty pageant for a fashion magazine. If she gets the role of Kitahara Mizuki, her acting career will definitely soar." "Wow... isn't that Miyoshi Ayaka? Her modeling career is so successful, and she's coming to audition. For which role? The class beauty?"
Arima Kana was like an encyclopedia, familiar with all the actors present, even though some were technically her juniors in terms of time spent in the industry. Unfortunately, the popularity she had accumulated as a child star had long since faded.
"Look, Aqua," she said worriedly. "Judging from the status of the actors here today, you're really lucky! Any one of them could carry a drama on their own. Won't you be overwhelmed by the pressure of acting with these people?"
"I wasn't under that much pressure originally," Hoshino Aqua complained flatly, "but I'm almost scared to death after hearing you say that, Arima."
"Brother, don't be nervous," Hoshino Ruby added. "Try to leave a good impression on the director during the audition. Don't let Mr. Hachiman down." In reality, she was already trembling in Kana Arima's arms.
"...I think I made a mistake bringing you two here," Aqua sighed, shaking his head.
"Everyone, please be quiet. The audition is about to begin," a staff member announced, emerging from the audition room. "Actors auditioning for the role of Terada Yoshiki, please go to the audition area and wait."
The panel participating in the review today included the director's team for Confessions, staff from the Toho Film and Television Department, several investor representatives, and the original author, Hikigaya Hachiman, himself.
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