The temperature in early May in Tokyo was gradually warming up, but it still felt relatively cool. Especially after the light rain that fell all night, the damp morning air carried a hint of cold.
However, as the sun rose and dispelled the lingering chill of the night, golden sunlight streamed through the window, casting slanted beams into a twenty-square-meter studio apartment.
Inside the apartment, a young man stood shirtless in front of the bathroom mirror. Looking at the unfamiliar face in the reflection, he murmured in disbelief:
"...Did I really transmigrate?"
He had just happened to find a decent-looking novel before bed and accidentally stayed up all night reading it until dawn before forcing himself to sleep. Was this really necessary?
One sleep and I'm in 1999 Japan? Isn't this ridiculous?
Although he hadn't exercised in a long time, it was still a body under thirty. Surely staying up for one night wouldn't just make him kick the bucket, right?
Since a transmigration was arranged for him, why not send him to a more bizarre fantasy world with a powerful golden finger? Wouldn't that be sweet?
You tell me, as a failed web novel author whose life wasn't great but wasn't bad either, why did I transmigrate?
...
...
"Forget it."
He slapped his cheeks hard, forcing himself to stop his wild thoughts.
As the saying goes, since I'm already here...
I'll check out the situation first.
He rubbed his chin, feeling the touch of his sharp jawline. Looking at the handsome face reflected in the mirror, a hint of amazement flashed in his eyes.
Why does he look somewhat like Noctis, the protagonist of FF15? Is he really this handsome?
It was a pity his body was a bit thin, and his face looked a bit haggard from long-term late-night work. If he could regain his energy and build some muscle, it would be perfect.
Of course, exercising was a matter for later.
He set aside his messy thoughts for a moment and began to organize the extra information in his mind.
The Original Owner's name was Akira, a handsome name to match his handsome face.
"Mochizuki" means "full moon" in Japanese, but the "Mochizuki" in "Akira" referred to Mochizuki-machi in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture, meaning "a person living in Mochizuki-machi." Now, Mochizuki-machi had been completely merged into Saku City.
And "Akira" means dawn or daybreak. He was given this name because the Original Owner was born during that time.
After understanding the reason, he couldn't help but feel a bit amused.
Although the name sounded cool, its origin was unexpectedly simple.
Continuing on—
Although the surname came from Saku City, Akira was from a farming family in Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture. His parents were local fruit farmers, and the family apple orchard was their only source of income.
Despite being from a farming family, Akira unexpectedly showed extraordinary artistic talent in his kindergarten art class and fell in love with drawing.
His parents were very supportive of Akira's hobby, buying him various art textbooks and drawing tools.
So, during elementary school, Akira began self-studying sketching, coloring, and speed drawing. After entering middle school, he joined the school's art club, where his talent was praised and nurtured by the advisor.
Under the teacher's recommendation, he participated in many prefectural and national art exhibitions and competitions, achieving impressive results. After entering high school, Akira continued to make steady progress on the path of art.
Until one day in his second year of high school, he noticed several classmates reading a manga magazine called "Weekly Shonen Jump." They would discuss it passionately afterward, which piqued Akira's curiosity.
On his way home from school, he passed a bookstore and saw "Weekly Shonen Jump" displayed in the most prominent position. Driven by some inexplicable impulse, he bought a copy and took it home to read in secret.
He then became completely immersed in it, and there was no turning back.
Although the drawing level of most manga in the magazine wasn't exactly superb, the wonderful worlds the authors created with words and images deeply shocked Akira.
He soon became a loyal manga reader, sinking into the ocean of manga and unable to pull himself out.
And at that moment, the dream in his heart quietly changed.
At the end of his third year of high school, Akira suddenly told his parents that he had decided to become a serialized manga artist. Despite his parents' persuasion and opposition, he gave up on going to university and moved to Tokyo alone after graduation to pursue his dream of becoming a manga artist.
"Wait, dude, what's the rush? At least finish university first?!"
He suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed.
Good grief, in his previous life, although he didn't have much talent for studying, he had worked his heart out and barely managed to get into a low-tier 211 university.
In this life, it was just great—no university to attend, he was a high school dropout!
But complaints aside, he soon realized that the Original Owner's choice wasn't just a personal whim; it was also related to the social atmosphere in Japan.
Japan officially entered an aging society in 1970. As the aging process accelerated through the 80s, the birth rate continued to decline, and the labor supply became increasingly tight. Consequently, young people became more and more sought after.
Additionally, Japanese companies generally adopted the OJT model—training while working. Even for high school graduates, companies could train them through practical work experience.
Not only that, many high schools even established connections with companies, allowing high school students to enter companies directly through school recommendations...
In short, with the support of various factors, it was not uncommon for Japanese high school students to enter the workforce directly after graduation; in fact, it was quite common.
At its peak, the proportion of Japanese high school graduates going directly into employment once reached 60%!
Even though the economic bubble burst in the 90s, leading to economic recession and reduced hiring by companies, this situation persisted until 1999. The proportion of Japanese high school graduates going directly into employment was still 26.9%, accounting for a quarter of all high school students, which was quite high.
Many anime also reflected this phenomenon:
For example, in "Clannad," which was originally a Galgame and adapted into an anime, the male protagonist, Okazaki Tomoya, entered the workforce directly after high school, married the female lead, and started a family.
In recent years, some people online criticized Okazaki Tomoya as a delinquent who couldn't even get into a vocational college. This was due to a lack of understanding of Japan's unique national conditions. Okazaki Tomoya's education and employment experience were actually a microcosm of the employment experience of ordinary Japanese people in that era.
Setting aside Japan's national conditions, and going a step further, among the Japanese manga artists he knew, there were those who went to university, those who dropped out halfway, and those who never went at all. All three cases were common.