Wasting no time, Sakuraba Ryo immediately began mobilizing his contacts and charging ahead with his brand-new money-burning plan.
When the principal of Kasamatsu Academy heard about it, he practically applauded on the spot and declared himself willing to support any decision Sakuraba made. If Oguri Cap's name could be made known around the world, Kasamatsu Academy stood to benefit enormously as well.
And on top of that, this was a proposal from Sakuraba Ryo—the great benefactor of Kasamatsu Academy. As principal, he practically wanted to throw himself into the role of vanguard and personally make sure every part of Sakuraba's plan was arranged perfectly.
Seeing how eager he was, Sakuraba simply left him several hundred million yen and told him to put together a manga and an anime, just to get things started.
And when he handed over the money, Sakuraba even added a special reminder, just in case:
"I'm giving you this money, so just spend it however you see fit. I'm not picky about the finished product. Just go with your own ideas."
Heh heh.
That was Sakuraba's little trick.
For a client to take that attitude was basically the same as telling the Kasamatsu principal: make the project however you want.
The money was his now. Whatever kind of result came out in the end, Sakuraba could live with it.
Which meant the principal had an enormous amount of freedom over this huge budget.
Damn it, with margins that wide, a little fiddling here and there and he could skim off a massive amount.
Sakuraba had practically placed that opportunity right in front of the Kasamatsu principal's face.
As far as Sakuraba was concerned, the money simply had to be spent.
Whether the principal honestly used it to do the work for him, or pocketed a nice big cut for himself, Sakuraba didn't care either way.
Hell, he'd have preferred the latter.
If only a tiny fraction of the money actually went into the entertainment works themselves, then the finished products were guaranteed to turn out bad.
What Sakuraba wanted was exactly that: spending big money to accomplish very little.
That was what a proper loss-making plan looked like.
"Principal, I'm giving you a chance here. Better make the most of it!"
Sakuraba left him with that line over the phone, then hung up.
On the other end, after the call ended, the principal of Kasamatsu Academy stood there holding his phone for a long time without moving.
Light from the window fell across his face as he slowly let out a breath, but something hot was rising in his eyes.
Several hundred million yen—just handed to him like that, without so much as a single stern instruction to do it right. Just a casual spend it however you see fit...
In the principal's eyes, that wasn't negligence.
That was trust.
Heavy, weighty trust.
Trust without the slightest reservation.
He had sat in this position for many years. He had seen more than enough scheming and second-guessing, and he had handled plenty of commissions before.
But when had any of them ever come without layers of oversight, reporting, and auditing attached?
Sakuraba Ryo was different.
Sakuraba had truly placed the power to decide, the power to allocate, and even all the room for waste, misuse, and embezzlement directly in his hands.
"This is a several hundred million yen..."
The Kasamatsu principal muttered under his breath, and there was a faint tremor in his voice.
"Sakuraba-san... does he really trust me this much?"
It wasn't as though he had never met generous investors before, or never handled large projects.
But someone like this—someone who seemed to place the keys to an entire treasury in his palm and smile as he said, Spend it however you like...
A hot current welled up in his chest. He pressed a hand to his heart, which was beating fiercely.
He walked to the window and looked out at the Umamusume running through Kasamatsu Academy, but in his mind, all he could see was Sakuraba Ryo's calm face as he handed over the task.
No suspicion.
No warnings.
No hidden safeguards.
Only that one line:
"I'm giving you a chance here. Better make the most of it."
That wasn't a reminder.
It was trust placed in him.
"Sakuraba-san... really is a good man."
He said it softly, but the words seemed to rise out of his lungs, heavy with feeling and resolve.
In the old man's heart, long since cooled by the cold water of the world, hot blood began to flow again at the touch of that pure trust.
He turned back to his desk, opened his notebook, and forcefully wrote down a single line:
[Promote Oguri Cap with everything we've got—every yen must go where it counts!]
And not just that. He was going to personally watch every single step, check every single account, and push every deadline himself.
Sakuraba Ryo had given him trust, and he would return ten times that in responsibility.
"I... absolutely cannot betray that trust."
He clenched his fist, his eyes shining with a fervor and respect he had not felt in years.
From this day on, he wasn't just going to get this done.
He was going to do it beautifully. Do it solidly. Do it in a way that would show everyone that Mr. Sakuraba's judgment had been right.
Because what had been handed to him wasn't just money.
It was trust.
And he had to prove himself worthy of that trust.
With that thought, the Kasamatsu principal opened his phone contacts without hesitation. His finger paused for a moment on one name, then pressed call.
It was an old classmate of his, someone who now worked behind the scenes in the industry.
After several rings, the call connected. On the other end came the voice of a middle-aged man, faintly tired but still bright and hearty.
"Hello? This is unusual. What made a busy man like you think of calling me?"
The Kasamatsu principal drew in a deep breath. There was a gravity in his voice now, along with barely concealed excitement.
"Yamada, this isn't just a chat. I've got something big, and I need your help."
There was a pause on the other end, as though Yamada had heard the weight in his tone.
"Oh? What could possibly make you sound like that? Your school shooting a promo video?"
"Sounds like your academy's been doing pretty well lately. So when are you treating me to dinner?"
"I'll treat you to dinner later," the Kasamatsu principal said firmly.
"I'm going to produce a top-tier promotional anime for our academy's star Umamusume, along with a companion manga."
"Money is not an issue. We have more than enough—far more than you're imagining—to support the highest possible level of production."
He paused, then added in a lower voice, even more earnest than before:
"But this isn't just about money."
"What I need isn't an ordinary production team. I want the best."
"The best director, the best key animators, the best script, the best music... every part of it has to be handled by the best in the business—or at the very least, by people serious enough to give it absolutely everything."
"I know it won't be easy. The schedules of real masters are booked years in advance, and money alone won't move them, so... that's why I'm calling you."
There were a few seconds of silence on the other end. He could hear pages turning and faint breathing.
When Yamada spoke again, there was a note of confusion in his voice.
"My old friend, tell me honestly—who's backing this? I know you don't have this kind of money. Which big-shot enthusiast is behind the curtain? And what's gotten into you? This isn't how you usually sound."
The Kasamatsu principal tightened his grip on the phone and slowly spoke, each word seeming to be carved straight out of his heart.
"It's a generous, open-handed investor. He gave me... no, he gave this project his trust without reservation."
"He handed me the power to decide, all the resources, and even the risk that some of it might be wasted or abused."
"Yamada, I've been around for years, but this is the first time someone has trusted me like this. Several hundred million yen, and all he said was spend it as I see fit."
His voice trembled slightly, but it did not waver.
"So I have to live up to that trust. I'll make sure every yen goes where it matters—into the places that can truly create something good."
"But money alone isn't enough. I need channels. I need connections. I need you to help me knock on doors that money alone can't open. This isn't a business deal, Yamada... I'm asking you personally. I'll owe you the biggest favor of my life."
"Please. Help me reach the best team."
"Not to make money—but to create something worthy of that trust, and worthy of the name Oguri Cap!"
The other end of the line fell silent for a long time.
At last, Yamada let out a deep sigh. There was emotion in it, but also a spark of rising excitement.
"Several hundred million yen... spend it however you like... That's some person. And that's some trust."
He paused, then his tone turned decisive.
"All right. I understand. I'll remember this favor—and next time, you'd better buy me a really good meal."
"I know a few genius directors. They recently blew up at their last project over creative differences and are between jobs right now. Their personalities are weird, but in terms of talent and dedication, they're absolutely top-tier."
"As for scriptwriting, I've got a junior—young, but meticulous, especially good at writing growth and conviction... I've got some leads on key animators and composers too, but I'll need to go talk to them."
"But if I'm the one doing the asking, and the money's really there, then maybe... maybe I actually can persuade them."
"Thanks, Yamada."
The Kasamatsu principal could feel heat behind his eyes.
"Don't thank me yet. Whether it works or not depends on the actual talks."
Yamada's voice turned serious.
"But if you're this serious about it, then I can't treat it lightly either."
"Give me a few days. I'll go handle it myself."
"Though honestly, even bringing people like that in to help make the anime probably won't cost nearly this much."
"What do you mean?"
The Kasamatsu principal froze.
"You still don't get it?"
Yamada laughed.
"The Umamusume you're promoting is Oguri Cap!"
"Even over here in the anime industry, her name carries huge weight. Hell, a lot of people in the business are already her fans."
"An anime built around her name? Heh. I can't imagine what kind of idiot would turn down a project like that!"
Hearing those words, the Kasamatsu principal's eyes slowly began to shine.
That was right!
At this point, the name Oguri Cap represented the strongest active Umamusume in Japan.
So if they were making an anime about her, there would be no shortage of people willing to help!
Oguri Cap's fans would naturally come running!
After hanging up, the Kasamatsu principal looked out at the sky as it gradually dimmed, but in his heart, a fire had already been lit.
The funds were in place.
And with his old friend's help, the road to top-tier production had been pried open a crack as well.
Trust, like a spark, had passed from Sakuraba Ryo into his hands.
And now, through his own actions, he was about to pass that spark onward to even more people—to kindle a blaze called sincerity, and forge the work he believed all of this deserved.
An anime made with money behind it could hardly turn out bad.
But money, plus the love of the production team...
He had a feeling that what they were about to create would be something capable of shocking the world.
---
T/N: ....i have a bad feeling.........................