With the constant flashing lights in front of him, Kiryu Nanaya believed he had reached the pinnacle of his life.
Seven nights ago, he had arrived in this parallel world one very similar to his original world.
Five years ago, he had graduated from the Department of Directing at Tokyo University of the Arts.
And today, he had succeeded.
With his very first film, he swept the Japan Newcomer Awards, earning Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and more.
Facing the reporters crowding around him, all eager to interview him, Nanaya couldn't help but reveal a smug, arrogant smile.
"Director Kiryu, what is the secret to your success?"
Looking at the unbelievably beautiful reporter, Nanaya felt a surge of pride. He flashed what he believed was a very handsome smile and opened his mouth
[Hahahaha——————!]
A laugh that sounded like a bizarre mixture of Gilgamest and Ozymandias burst out of Nanaya's mouth.
The loud, boisterous laughter instantly startled the beautiful reporter, who quickly backed away.
That's not what I meant to do!
Nanaya tried to explain, but all that came out was, "Wahahaha!"
Frustrated, he threw down his trophy and clutched his jaw, desperately trying to force shut a mouth that could only spit out "Wahahaha"
But no matter what he did, the loud yet eerie laughter wouldn't stop.
What on earth is happening?!
[Hahahaha——————!]
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Kiryu Nanaya jolted awake, finally frightened by the terrifying laughter. He scrambled to smash the alarm clock's buttons and eventually managed to silence the booming noise.
"I must have been insane when I bought this stupid alarm clock. It turned my sweet dream into a nightmare."
Still shaken, Nanaya wiped the sweat from his forehead. As annoyed as he was at the ridiculous alarm clock, he had to admit it was effective he was definitely wide awake now
After sitting on the bed for a while to calm down, he got up and headed to the bathroom.
"Hm?"
Nanaya spotted a newspaper lying at his feet. On the front page, in large, bold red letters, it read:
"Congratulations! The debut film of the new director, Love Under the Stars, has grossed 2 billion yen currently the highest-grossing film in Japan in the year 2000! A strong contender for the Best Newcomer Award!"
Picking it up, Nanaya stared at the smugly smiling face printed on the page and sighed quietly.
"Sigh… Kiryu Nanaya. So what if you graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts? You still have to start from scratch… As expected, even transmigrators have to follow the rules."
Kiryu Nanaya tossed the newspaper aside in frustration. Filled with resentment, he stomped into the bathroom and splashed cold water onto his face.
"So cold!"
Letting out a startled cry, Kiryu Nanaya officially began his new day.
Kiryu Nanaya was a transmigrator. In his previous life, he had graduated with a degree in directing, and ever since being reborn in this world, he had dreamed of becoming a successful director.
Especially when he discovered two important facts: first, this world's global film and television industry was far more developed than the one he came from; and second, many of the movies and dramas he was familiar with simply didn't exist here. From that moment on, his dream of becoming a director became unstoppable.
Unfortunately, while ideals are grand, reality is often harsh.
Nanaya's career had been anything but smooth.
Japan was a country with deeply rooted class consciousness your birthplace could determine your entire future. And Nanaya, to put it bluntly, was not blessed at all. Other transmigrators might not have wealthy families, but at least they came from comfortable, middle-class homes. Nanaya, however, had been reborn in a remote mountain village deep in the Nita District of Shimane Prefecture
If you didn't look carefully on a map, even most Japanese people wouldn't know that godforsaken place existed.
It could be said that Kiryu Nanaya, who should have been the "chosen one," had already lost at the starting line.
But he did not give up. Uncertain whether he would ever get a third chance at life, he devoted himself far more seriously in this life than in his confused previous one.
If he didn't have a good background, then he would create one himself.
With that determination, Nanaya was admitted to the Tokyo University of the Arts the only national arts university in Japan and graduated with excellent grades.
During his school years, he took part-time jobs on various film sets, familiarizing himself with the entire system and workflow of Japanese film production. Before graduating, Nanaya had already worked for multiple crews and even appeared as nameless background characters without a single line.
These experiences weren't just for passion
they were for survival.
Becoming a director required enormous financial investment. The notoriously high tuition fees at Tokyo University of the Arts already placed a heavy burden on his rural family, not to mention the additional expenses for textbooks, film stock for student projects, and rentals for professional camera equipment.
By the time he graduated, Nanaya was practically penniless. He was buried under student loans, and even his credit cards were maxed out.
Fortunately, his hard work was eventually recognized. While working on set, he caught the attention of Director Hanai Ryuichi. After several conversations, Nanaya became his student and assistant. Now, not yet thirty, he had already risen to the position of second assistant director.
Within the film industry, this was already impressive. One more step forward and he would reach the top of the crew the director, the uncrowned king of filmmaking.
For a poor boy from the mountains who came to Tokyo alone, achieving this much in less than ten years was remarkable. He had paid off his debts, rented a small apartment with its own bathroom, and could even occasionally support his family back in Shimane.
Nanaya was deeply grateful to his mentor; without his guidance, he would never have come this far.
But being an assistant director was not enough. Kiryu Nanaya was ambitious, and he had the talent to match that ambition.
Recalling the scene from yesterday's interview, a sense of helplessness quietly welled up within Kiryu Nanaya.
Without success, he could never obtain opportunities.
But to obtain opportunities, he needed a successful past.
This vicious cycle like a real-life "Rashomon" weighed heavily on Nanaya's chest, leaving him almost breathless. He desperately wanted to find a way out, yet he felt like a headless fly trapped inside a glass jar, crashing about without direction.
"Only those with extraordinary ambition can achieve extraordinary accomplishments."
This was something his wealthy classmate Bill had said in his previous life, and it had become Nanaya's personal mantra.his spiritual guide whenever he encountered difficulties in this life.
Without encouraging himself like this, he was terrified that he would lose the motivation to keep pushing forward and end up just another face in the crowd.
But no amount of self-motivation could make dreams materialize on their own. Nanaya knew that if he didn't take action soon, the distance between him and that smug man on the newspaper cover would only grow wider.
"Which companies have I still not tried?"
After washing up, Nanaya sat down at his desk and opened his notebook, circling and jotting things down as he tried to find any possible path forward before he left the house.
Ring ring—
While Nanaya was deep in thought, his phone suddenly rang.
He picked it up and saw that it was his teacher, Hanai Ryuichi.
"Hello, Sensei? Did you need something from me?"
"Yo, Nanaya."
The familiar voice of a middle-aged man came from the other end of the line. From his tone, he seemed to be in quite a good mood.
"Nanaya, did you run off to another film company again during yesterday's day off?"
"…Yes."
Nanaya admitted it quietly. Although Hanai had never approved of him trying to jump into directing too soon and was somewhat displeased with how fervently Nanaya chased after film companies, denying it was pointless. With Hanai's connections in the industry, verifying such things was child's play.
"There you go again…"
Nanaya heard rhythmic tapping on a desk Hanai's habitual gesture whenever he was deep in thought.
After a long moment, Hanai finally spoke:
"Although I personally don't really recommend it, if you insist on directing a film… I happen to have an old friend at a production company. By a twist of fate, he currently has an open slot to produce a TV movie. The budget is only 15 million yen, and the only restriction is that it can't be an R-rated project. Other than that, there are no limits. If you're really determined, you should give it a try. I'll send you the address later. You don't need to come to the set this morning."
"Really?!"
The sudden good news struck Nanaya like lightning, leaving him dizzy with excitement. He repeatedly asked his teacher to confirm it was true.
"Of course it's true. But there's only one slot. So you'd better get going quickly if you're late, someone else might snatch it."
"Thank you, Sensei!"
After receiving his teacher's firm confirmation, Nanaya immediately hung up the phone and hurried to gather his things at top speed.
At last, he opened the bottom right drawer of his desk. Inside lay the handwritten script manuscripts he had been working on.
"Now then… which one should I choose?"
After hesitating between several scripts of different colors, he finally picked up the small white booklet bound together with a stapler.
Nanaya opened it. On the inside cover was a pencil sketch he had drawn a character design.
Under the moonlight, a short-haired girl in a kimono danced through a crowd with a gleaming dagger in her hand. Though she was fighting, her movements looked almost like a performance.
But the most striking part was her eyes Nanaya had deliberately added color to emphasize them.
A pair of irises shimmering with vivid, spiral-shaped patterns.
This girl was the heroine of his film, and her name was—
Shiki ryogi