Chapter 22: Cross-Industry Entrepreneurship

At the bar, Masakazu sat in a chair wearing a white shirt and ordered a glass of fruit juice from the bartender. Soon, a blonde-haired hoodlum arrived with his lackeys. Masakazu handed the milk he had beside him to the blonde man.

Gin took it naturally, paused when he saw the color of the liquid in the glass, took a light sip, and set it on the table.

"Why did you call me here?"

Masakazu swirled the orange juice in his glass, his gaze never leaving the singer on the stage, his head tilted slightly toward Gin.

"The Organization has a sum of money that requires your efforts," Gin said.

"No problem," Masakazu replied readily.

"I hope your 'loss' this time won't be as great as the last," Gin remarked.

"Of course." Masakazu nodded. "I'm planning to enter the entertainment industry."

Gin asked the bartender for a glass of vodka. It didn't matter to him where Masakazu planned to enter; as long as he could provide the necessary assistance, that was all that mattered.

"Gin, are you interested in underground idols?" Masakazu asked suddenly.

"Underground idols?" Gin frowned. What was that? Beside him, Vodka’s eyes lit up.

"Forget it, you're definitely not interested. I won't prepare anything for you," Masakazu said, shaking his head. Gin remained indifferent, but the light in Vodka's eyes dimmed.

Gin said to Masakazu, "Get this money laundered as soon as possible. The Organization needs these funds to rebuild the research lab."

"Understood," Masakazu nodded.

...

"Dad! I'm planning to enter the entertainment industry."

"The entertainment industry, that's good," Saburo Sumitomo nodded with satisfaction. His son was finally returning to the right path of wining, dining, and having fun. Going into the entertainment industry was much better than starting a business. Was the construction industry something an ordinary person could handle? Every company in that sector had deep backgrounds and strength; his son would surely suffer if he blundered in. The entertainment industry was better. It was full of female idols and actresses—very good. Perhaps in a couple of years, he would have grandchildren to hold.

"Give me some resources," Masakazu said.

"What kind of programs do you want to be on? How about being a mentor on a female idol audition show?" Saburo suggested.

"I want to run an entertainment business, not be an entertainer in the industry," Masakazu clarified.

The smile on Saburo Sumitomo’s face gradually faded. He gently stroked the cat in his arms and whispered, "You know that the Sumitomo Group is deeply rooted in traditional industries and does not involve itself in entertainment."

A three-minute passion! Your construction company isn't even fully developed, and you're already changing tracks to an unrelated industry? Which family starts a business like this?

"You really don't have any?" Masakazu looked at his father suspiciously.

"No," Saburo shook his head.

"Goodbye." Masakazu had no intention of talking further with his biological father.

Saburo sighed. Forget it. He would wait until his son went bankrupt and then mock him mercilessly. A spoiled heir should act like a spoiled heir; starting a business didn't suit him. He hadn't even digested the construction company he just acquired, and now he was rushing into the entertainment industry; he would surely hit a wall and end up bloodied. Better to set up a trust fund for him as soon as possible, or else this brat would surely starve to death in the future.

...

When Masakazu returned home, he saw Ai Haibara pretending to do her homework again. Masakazu didn't understand. Was the academic pressure in Japanese high schools really this high? Why was Ai always doing homework? He remembered Ran Mouri being quite relaxed, often going on trips. As for Shinichi Kudo and Kaito Kuroba, that went without saying—one ran around the world catching killers, the other ran around the world stealing jewels.

"Ai, why don't you just stop going to school?" Masakazu suggested.

"Huh!?" Ai looked at Masakazu strangely. What kind of nonsense was he spouting now?

Masakazu walked over, patted her on the head, and whispered, "You're so talented, going to school is a waste of your gifts."

"Waste what gifts?"

"Are you interested in being an actress?" Masakazu asked.

"An actress?"

"Yes, appearing on television, on movie screens, letting more people see you," Masakazu said.

Ai shook her head vigorously. She didn't want more people to see her. Gin had an extremely keen sense for traitors of the Organization; if Gin saw her, that would be an absolute disaster!

"It just so happens I received an investment from a kind soul, and I can produce a big movie for you," Masakazu said.

Ai picked up her textbook and said softly, "I want to go to school."

"Going to school doesn't stop you from being a child star. Other high schoolers find time to be detectives, phantom thieves, and even witches. Time is like water in a sponge; if you squeeze, you'll definitely have time to be a child star," Masakazu insisted.

However, the entertainment company couldn't be handed over to Akemi Miyano.

...

Having decided to enter the entertainment industry, Masakazu began poaching talent. Although his biological father hadn't given him any resources, he did fund him with some management personnel familiar with the industry. Soon, the framework of the company was established.

Masakazu had great ambitions; the new company would integrate talent management and film production, with plans to expand into music and variety show production later. When he had acquired the Takeda company and started construction projects, he had already spent most of his savings. Fortunately, the investment from a "kind soul" allowed him to build the framework for his entertainment company.

In a restaurant with high privacy, the person Masakazu had invited arrived.

"Mr. Masakazu, hello."

The ones who entered were a man and a woman. The woman was very beautiful, and the man looked like a professional.

"Miss Yoko Okino, I'm a fan," Masakazu extended his hand.

"I've heard much about you," Yoko Okino smiled reservedly, her eyes looking at Masakazu with a sense of nervousness and unease. Being invited by a scion of a zaibatsu family left her feeling very anxious. Moreover, this Mr. Masakazu’s reputation suggested he was not easy to deal with. After receiving the invitation, she had asked around and found that his name was almost synonymous with being ruthless and unscrupulous.

Ai sat to the side, eating her meal. She didn't know why Masakazu had to bring her along when he was meeting a female idol.

Masakazu smiled and said, "I heard your contract with your company is about to expire?"

"That's right," Yoko Okino nodded. "However, I’ve already agreed with my company that I will renew." Yoko was uneasy, wondering why Masakazu was asking her this.

"Then how about joining my newly established company?" Masakazu said.

Before Yoko could answer, her manager asked on her behalf, "Is the Sumitomo family planning to enter the entertainment industry?"

The manager, Eiichi Yamagishi, was pleasantly surprised. The Sumitomo family was a major Japanese conglomerate, though they focused on traditional sectors. If such a giant entered the entertainment industry, it would surely cause a massive stir. If Yoko Okino could join now, she would definitely enjoy tremendous benefits!