Once, I was a normal American man.
Normal, as in a slight nerd that's into anime, manga, and Japan. Not that I was a weeb or anything. I just grew up with Dragon Ball, Naruto, and other big anime from the mid-2000s, and so did my generation, so I wasn't alone in this.
I didn't lack in hygiene, I didn't collect erotic statues of 'waifus' (why would I, when there's hentai?), nor did I make anime my whole personality like those weebs.
Fashion and my looks were important. While I did claim that I'm not a weeb, I wanted to look like Goku, or Gojo, or Guts. I wanted to be the best I could be, physically and mentally.
That is to say, because I took good care of myself, I am handsome and confident. Two traits that are immensely beneficial when…
…When you get transported to another world.
And goddamnit, it was not the easy paradise I thought it would be when I first got there. I was all like 'I've been isekai'd?! Yes!!', not knowing how hard it is to become powerful and remain good.
I struggled to survive at first, then I got humbled when I thought I was strong, then when I got strong enough to be called a 'Hero', I was pushed to this incredible responsibility to save entire countries in need from a calamity. I had no time for anything other than staying sane.
When I finally beat the calamity, I dedicated the rest of my life to studying Space-Time Magic. At the ripe age of 37, I succeeded in opening a pathway to my Earth, back to the time just before I was isekai'd… but I failed. Somewhat.
"Why am I in… Japan? I got transported to that world while I was on vacation in Argentina…"
Right now, I find myself standing just inside an alleyway in Japan. Judging from my location magic, I was just on the outskirts of the city of Tokyo.
"Weird… Not that I mind. It's great that I can still use magic here."
Curious as to what I look like, I summon a magic mirror that was made invisible to others besides me. Before getting isekai'd I was above average at best, but since mana in the Other World was so pure, mages like me usually get impurities expelled from their bodies. Now, I had thick short hair, flawless skin, and a handsome face akin to an A-list actor. I was wearing a plain cotton shirt and dark blue pants that you would see a peasant wear. It didn't look too out of place, but I changed it out for the modern clothes I had on when I first got isekai'd.
"Perfect… now, it's time to see if the location was the only thing I fucked up."
Thanks to location magic, I had the perfect GPS in the universe, so I easily found a public library that had free PC use. I quickly found out that the year was indeed correct, but…
"No… Dragon Ball…? How about… No way….!"
The year was right, it was 2026. After not seeing my favorite shows for so long, I wanted to first go to my favorite anime streaming site. When I found that it didn't exist, I searched up my childhood anime, only to find out it didn't exist.
In fact, none of the anime I remembered seems to exist in this world. "I fucked up…! This is a slightly different Earth than the one I was from."
Just to make sure, I searched up things that were relevant in my home world. Various entertainment, like shows, streamers, and video games.
None. No good games, no good anime or manga, no V-Tubers, no good western shows.
This is a travesty. An absolute tragedy.
The only saving grace happens to be just a couple of famous streamers and content creators that are still the same here as they were in my original world.
A streamer named 'Azmon' and a retired, but still famous 'U-Tuber' known as 'DeathPie'.
Obviously, it was basically Asmongold and Pewdiepie. Both were just as 'divisive' as the originals; both were either greatly loved or hated.
And just like back home, Azmon is complaining about the lack of good games, and DeathPie is semi-retired with a son and loving wife.
I just leaned back and sighed in disbelief. How could I get it so wrong? The coordinates should have been perfect. Perhaps the movement of the multiverses wasn't as predictable as I thought? I can't necessarily try again, either. Without this place having mana to protect it, I'd just rip this planet apart if I did. Entering this place is one thing, but exiting? I'm not gonna kill 8 billion people and all life on Earth to get back to a few anime or games back home.
"Perhaps this is a chance for people of this world to enjoy good shows and great games?"
I have the magic and the mana to do so. I can perfectly replicate my memories and recreate the best anime of all time, remake the best games, old and new. Plus, I can even create games and anime I've always dreamed of making.
"Okay, now… this might be even better than just rewatching my shows or replaying games. Alright, I'll become the ultimate entertainment Producer…!"
With a newfound goal, I stood up and immediately went to some government offices and the American Embassy. I used some mind magic to manipulate the workers to make me a real American and Japanese Passport, along with citizenships for both countries, and an Identity.
Luckily, 'I' didn't exist in this world, so I used my actual name.
"Thank you for waiting, Mr. Johnathan Vasco. Here is your reprinted passport and ID."
The nice American lady at the embassy gave me my new papers and I stuffed them in my pocket with a smile. The lady blushed and glanced away, putting a strand of her hair behind her ear, and began acting all nervously.
Okay, smiling with a face improved by mana over the course of 15 years was a mistake. Now I've got this woman I don't know taken by my charm.
"Oops… I should have blocked my charm stat from affecting the people of this world."
I quickly snapped my fingers and wiped any memory of my face from the woman's mind and suppressed my charm stat to a minimum.
As I walked the Tokyo streets, I still got some positive glances from women, but it wasn't as intense as when I first walked into the Embassy.
"I have this plan, but… where do I start?"
I didn't really know how a business operated in the modern world. I knew a little from my interactions with big merchant guilds when I was a Hero, but that was for a world of magic, not technology.
"Ah, well, I could just use magic and my Art skill to make anime to get some initial money to start with."
I thought for a while after buying a smartphone and browsing through numerous websites for hours.
"Streaming is super popular right now, it seems… and there are no V-Tubers at all. Not a one…"
There were no V-Tubers, but the software for it was there, albeit in its infancy. That includes VR, as well. Two empty markets are ready for me to take.
Making VR peripherals was a bit too much for now, so I'll start with V-Tubers. It will be easy enough to create the software using my magic mixed with modern technology.
"I need a building. One with enough space for a studio."
Immediately, I went to the listings and found an insane deal on one of the last pages of the website.
"No way. A 25-story building for ¥1,000,000,000? That's about 10 million dollars, that's pretty cheap."
I can easily use my magic to buy the building before someone else can jump on it, but it was suspicious that such a cheap building has been listed for two months with no potential buyers.
I decided to call the telephone listed and almost immediately, the Lister picked up the phone.
[Hello? Who might this be?]
It was the gruff voice of a middle-aged Japanese man. He used polite language, but I could tell he wasn't used to speaking so formally. I responded in perfect Japanese.
"Hello! I just saw the listing you made about the 25-story building you are selling. I'm an interested buyer."
[B-buyer?! That's— no, that's good… eto…Is that so? If you'd like, we could meet face-to-face to discuss in detail. Maybe tour the building as well?]
He sounded surprised that someone would take his offer to buy his property, but he also didn't sound like the experienced Real Estate Agent I'd have expected.
Maybe he's desperate to sell? Could be, considering how cheap the building is.
"I would appreciate an in-person talk and a tour. I am in Tokyo right this moment…"
[T-Tokyo! Yes, I am in Tokyo right now. How about we meet in front of the building in an hour?]
He is desperate to sell. It's very suspicious, but I'm a former Hero with infinite mana, what's there to be afraid of in this world?
"That is fine. I will meet you there in an hour, then."
I hung up the call and stood up from the park bench I had sat in, walking over to an ATM. I didn't want to bother messing directly with a bank since it could take a bit to get an account set up, so I just created one myself using the ATM directly.
With a snap of my fingers, a Credit and Debit card associated with Japan's biggest bank appeared in my hands with my name on it. To test if everything went right, I inserted my debit card into the ATM and checked my balance.
"800 billion Yen in my savings and 300 billion in checking. Good."
It would definitely look weird for a person to have 800 billion in liquid cash, but I did put a Magic Charm on the account to make it seem normal, plus I remotely 'hired' an accountant to use the liquid cash to invest in multiple existing companies.
Soon, I saw my account balance updated, leaving me with 2 billion Yen left. Half of which will be spent in one hour. Since Japan is a cash-preferred country, I take out a few thousand yen and neatly put them in my wallet.
"Arehh you oh-kay, Sir?"
The person in line behind me, whom I had ignored, spoke up in English with a thick Japanese accent after seeing me withdraw ¥500,000 in 50 ten thousand notes. I turned and saw that he was a Police Officer. Is he concerned about me? It would certainly look like I was being accosted for my money.
"I'm fine, Officer. Thank you for your concern. I just wanted to take out a large sum since I didn't want to come back to an ATM so frequently."
"Oh! Your Japanese is so fluent! Sorry, I thought you were a regular tourist getting scammed for your money." The Police Officer relaxed and chuckled at his misunderstanding.
"No, it's fine. You're just doing your job as a cop, being concerned for the country's citizens. Thank you, but there's nothing to worry about at all."
The middle-aged Officer nodded. "If that is the case, then all is alright. Just be careful out there, Young Man! There are a lot of Yakuza these days."
I waved to the Officer as he walked away with a smile and nodded.
He wasn't wrong. Not only are anime and video games boring here, but the Yakuza are still as strong as they were after the Second World War. Numerous modern-day Mafia families are in control of large parts of the country. There are still gang wars, but thankfully, they haven't made any direct violence against regular people.
Though, there are cases where innocent people are treated badly or taken advantage of, depending on the Yakuza family in charge of the cities they live in…
Some families are more virtuous than others.
It reminded me of the noble families I dealt with in the past, oddly enough.
Still, Yakuza and Mafia and crime families have nothing to do with me, a budding entertainment businessman…!