Chapter 292: The Celebration Begins
August 6th arrived in the blink of an eye.
"So many people!"
Akina stood under a tree, her mouth wide open, staring at the plaza in amazement.
Today was the first day of Mirai-sensei's second-anniversary celebration. At ten in the morning, the Cultural Plaza was already packed with people. People in all kinds of clothing walked together, and you could hardly see the end of the crowd.
In this enormous plaza, hundreds of temporary stalls were set up, and the umbrellas seemed to divide it into several streets: some sold manga, others sold food, some were cosplaying, and some were performing on the spot, like a lively market.
"No, this isn't a market..."
Akina turned her head and looked at Takumi with admiration, "Brother President, this is incredible, this is like a festival!"
Yes, a festival. Akina felt as if she had returned to the New Year's festivals in Japan. There were tons of interesting things, not just food and drinks, but also games and shows.
"A festival?"
Takumi asked, adjusting his glasses and shaking his head. He had put on makeup and a fake beard, looking like a young man in his thirties.
"It looks more like a school festival to me..."
In his opinion, Japanese school festivals were like this, with many elements of otaku culture, but that was in his previous life. He didn't know what school festivals in Japan were like in this life, but there wouldn't be so many things of this style.
"But President, there are so many people!" exclaimed Ryoko, standing beside them, "It looks like there are more than 50,000 people?"
She was an artist and, in her prime, performed for 20,000 spectators. That grandeur had deeply impressed her, but now the show was even bigger. The whole plaza seemed to be at least larger than ten football fields, and there were people everywhere. Ryoko believed there must be more than 50,000 people.
"I don't know the exact number, but I've heard it's around 60,000 or 70,000." Takumi replied, "Most are readers from Osaka, they're coming to join the fun..."
The one-day ticket costs only 600 yen, so, of course, the people of Osaka are willing to come. This is where Takumi has the most readers. It's no wonder there are so many people.
But Ryoko was still very surprised. On the celebration's schedule, there wasn't much on the first day, mainly some fragmented interactions between readers and officials.
The official show wouldn't start until the evening, and there are a ton of people now. What about the flow of people tonight and tomorrow?
"What they said is true..."
Some have always said that Mirai-sensei is the most influential mangaka in Japan, but Ryoko isn't usually clear on that. In other words, she didn't believe that mangakas could have any influence other than making money.
But seeing such a crowd, Ryoko was stunned. The most powerful star in Japan is much less attractive than Mirai-sensei. There are too many people!
"That's right..."
Ryoko understood why Takumi wanted to bring them on stage. He wanted Akina to get used to this kind of crowd in advance and be mentally prepared.
Tonight, Akina will perform for tens of thousands of people...
"If she succeeds, Akina can become a big star!"
Ryoko felt an intense heat. An opportunity like this is too rare. If it were the entertainment industry, a stage with tens of thousands of people would be given to a group of newcomers. That's simply impossible to dream of. Only Takumi possesses such great courage.
But in this case, the stage is too big and there are no stars, which will undoubtedly dissatisfy some...
"President, with so many people, it's hard to control, right?"
Ryoko asked with concern. This kind of chaotic scene is the most likely to cause problems.
"Well, then all the employees of Hinotori Publishing have come to help maintain order..."
Takumi nodded. He walked towards the plaza with the two women and, while observing the surrounding scene, said, "This celebration is just an experiment, I hope it succeeds."
Mirai-sensei's second-anniversary celebration is just a superficial statement. In fact, it is a business opportunity experiment in manga that leverages Takumi's great popularity, including fan works, authentic merchandise, cosplay, and related derivatives.
This experiment determines the pace of Hinotori Publishing's future business expansion and is also valued by other manga companies. Even Kanto Manga Company is very concerned about the results.
All the professionals in the manga industry are watching this celebration. If the celebration is a success and becomes a business opportunity, the Japanese manga industry will soon enter an era of great progress. The value of manga will expand even further.
So Takumi asked everyone at Hinotori Publishing, even some employees from Japan, to come as staff to maintain order on site.
"Akina, buy two bottles of water for me and your mother."
After walking for a while, Takumi suddenly stopped and pointed to a simple beverage stand.
"Alright."
Akina approached obediently. She walked through the crowd and then lined up obediently.
"She looks... good."
Takumi looked at her from behind and whispered. Ryoko understood what he meant and smiled, "Don't worry, President, that girl won't have stage fright."
As long as they get used to being on stage, the increase in audience will not only not cause tension, but will also increase the artists' excitement. Ryoko felt that her daughter no longer had to worry.
"Really... That's good..."
Takumi hesitated. He was a little worried about emergencies, but he said nothing. After Akina returned, he took them for another walk. Feeling that there was no problem, he planned to leave.
"Brother President, aren't you going to have fun?"
Akina felt a little regretful. It was very interesting, but they didn't touch anything. They just walked through the crowded places, were just passing through, and left.
"No need, I'm going to take a look."
Takumi did want to play, but he had very little time. He rarely took the time to see Akina's performance and the general atmosphere of the plaza.
Besides, makeup is not a good disguise. It's fine to walk around, but if you really play, readers will undoubtedly discover you. On these occasions, being discovered is not a good thing at all.
"I have to go back to work. Akina, go to the company to rehearse a couple of times this afternoon. You'll be on stage tonight,"
Takumi said, but as he was leaving, he suddenly came across a place surrounded by many people. The noise inside was very loud, as if a fight had broken out.
"Akina, go ask what happened."
Takumi frowned slightly and said to Akina.
"I know."
The girl left immediately. She asked the people outside and then ran back with a worried face.
"Oh no, Brother President!" She pointed at the noisy crowd and said, "The food from that shop has given many people diarrhea. Everyone is asking them to pay..."
"And they say it's our company's fault!"
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