Short Short 67 'Someone for Someone'

Short Short
'Someone for Someone'

'Alright! It'll sell! This will sell!'



He started as a comedian at age 20.
The man's name was Yamashita Ichiza.
'Ichiza' (meaning 'troupe') was, of course, his stage name, a solo comedian name that also carried the slightly cheesy implication that all his fans were his troupe.

At 30, Yamashita was beside himself with joy after leaving a mark on his first television appearance.


It was the first clear opportunity he had grasped as a comedian, a solo act.
A comedian who had been ignored by everyone for 10 years had finally seized a chance.


Coming to Tokyo from the countryside and scraping by with small live shows, theaters, and daily part-time jobs, performing his routine on a national variety show was a huge step forward for Yamashita.


However, it's a cliché, but reality is not that sweet.
It's true that by appearing on TV, he was recognized by a certain number of people, albeit a very small fraction. But in this rapidly changing comedy era, it is truly a time of warring states.
Furthermore, with social media and YouTube, the rivals in entertainment are endless.


Yamashita immediately sensed that his life hadn't changed much just from appearing on TV once.


Even so, if he kept building it up step by step, someone would surely see him. Someone would surely find him.

---Believing that, five years passed.

Yamashita was 35. There was no major change in his situation. No, even so, his fans were gradually increasing, and he had become a comedian with enough career history and presence to leave a certain impression and memory on comedy fans.



Here, for those who don't know the world of comedy (well, most people who haven't actually experienced it don't know), I will explain that more than 1,000 people knock on the door of comedy every year.

Some give up early, some cling on, some seize opportunities; it varies.

And only a very few can seize this opportunity.
Most quit without ever being blessed with TV, media, or other work, recognized as a comedian only by the people at their part-time jobs. If 10 out of 1,000 can make a stable living, that's on the high side.

This is not limited to comedians, but in the shadows of the glamorous stage, there are countless people whose dreams have been broken.

Hasegawa, a junior by about four years whom Yamashita was fond of, was one of them.

Yamashita himself admitted that Hasegawa had quite a bit of talent. However, Hasegawa was forced to drop out due to family circumstances.

Hasegawa's retirement from comedy, who was Yamashita's greatest confidant and someone they consulted with each other, was an event that didn't have the slightest impact on the world. But from Yamashita's perspective, it was an outrageous event.

One day, at a noisy, cheap izakaya in Koenji, Hasegawa confided in Yamashita.


'Yamashita-san, I'm thinking of quitting.'

'Quitting what? Smoking? Cheating?'

'No, neither. Well, I cheated once. No, that's not it.'

'Hmm?'

'This world. I'm thinking of quitting comedy.'

'...No. Wait, you're kidding, right? You? You're funny! No, no, no, what a waste. You've come this far.'

'No, I think I've had enough. I've been doing this for 11 years and haven't really had any results. And my parents are sick back home, so I have to go back. I've done all I could. Yeah. I've done it all. Comedy was fun. Really.'

'...Are you serious?'

'If I'm gone, there will be no one left to listen to your complaints, Yamashita-san. Hahahaha.'

'No, seriously! Don't quit! Just to listen to my complaints!'

'That's too weak a reason not to quit! Ha... ha. Ugh... sorry... ugh.'

'Hasegawa... No, thank you. For everything. Thank you. Good work.'

'Thank you for everything... Yamashita-san...!'



One unsuccessful comedian quits comedy.
It was nothing more and nothing less than that.

Since that day, Yamashita was inspired.
He had no intention of spouting pretty words like 'doing it for Hasegawa,' but the retirement of a junior he was fond of was a sensational event for Yamashita.
He started putting more effort into social media and YouTube, which he wasn't used to.

---And another three years passed.



Yamashita was 38. As always, there was no major change in his situation. He was able to reduce the number of days he worked part-time, but he couldn't quit. No matter how much he loved comedy or how much he thought of his friends who had given up halfway, the goddess of victory did not smile.

Meanwhile, Yamashita unexpectedly had a child.
To be precise, the news of his girlfriend's pregnancy.


A child with his girlfriend, whom he had been with for about five years and who had been supporting him devotedly.
Me becoming a father?
Me, who hasn't made it?
He was ashamed of himself for not being able to purely rejoice at the wonderful fact that he was going to have a child. He was truly ashamed.

Before he knew it, Yamashita was calling Hasegawa.


'Ah... hello... Hasegawa?'

'Eh? Yamashita-san! It's been a while! Eh! What's wrong?! Are you doing well!?'

'No, well, I'm doing fine, but yeah.'

'...What happened?'

'I... I'm having a child.'

'Eh?'

'I was wondering what I should do. I intended to work hard for Hasegawa's sake too, but now this irresponsible thing has happened.'

'No, no, Yamashita-san.'

'Eh'

'Congratulations. That's great. That's great.'

'Congratulations... is that so. I see.'

'Yes. Actually, I got married here too, and I have a child. A girl. Seriously, she's amazing. She's so cute.'

'I see. I see, I see.'

'It's up to you, Yamashita-san, to decide what to do from here. I knew how much you loved comedy.'

'Yeah. Yeah.'

'But I also know you cherished your girlfriend. ...How should I put it. There's no such thing as a decision without regrets. Even though some people often say that.'

'Yeah. Yeah.'

'It's okay to have regrets, so whatever you decide, Yamashita-san, is the right answer. Or rather, it's like you're going to make it the right answer. Probably. Haha.'

'Ah... ah, thank you. Hasegawa.'

Yamashita quit being a comedian.






Later, for the fans who had supported him even though they were few, he reported his retirement on a YouTube live stream and on Twitter.


'Yamashita Ichiza is quitting comedy, and we will build a new troupe as a family of three. Thank you for your support until now!'


It was a fleeting and simple retirement report for a comedian who had been running for 18 years. But Yamashita thought that was fine. What is there to say when leaving?


And, it might be a bit of a misnomer to call it opportunistic, but once he announced he was quitting, his retirement was lamented by a vast number of fan comments, making one wonder where they had been hiding until now.
His peers, juniors, and seniors all said in unison, 'Good work.'

Perhaps people are creatures who always want to add flowers to the path of parting.


'Pfft. Did I have this many fans? Hahaha.'


He quit the comedy he loved so much.

There were regrets.

But this is fine. This is the right answer.
No, I will make this the right answer.
Hasegawa's words had saved Yamashita.

Thinking of his unborn child and his girlfriend, he realized he was filled with more motivation than ever before.

Yamashita's countryside home and his girlfriend's home were coincidentally close (that commonality was how they became friends) and were in a town where you could see the sea. Closing his eyes and imagining the three of them walking on that beach made him feel very happy.


It was a feeling he couldn't have felt while he was a comedian.

＊

'Yamashita Ichiza-san! Thank you for everything until now. You always really gave me energy. Please keep doing your best... and... Is this okay? Ah. I see. So Yamashita-san is quitting.'


The woman who left this comment on Yamashita's YouTube and Twitter for the first time while saying this was Ami, the vocalist of a certain famous girl band.


Ami was a popular artist whom almost everyone among young people knew. However, as a management strategy, she rarely revealed her private life, so she did not publicly declare personal information such as who she liked or whose fan she was.

This comment from Ami to Yamashita was also her first and last comment, made anonymously using a sub-account.

Several years ago, when Ami had not yet debuted, she happened to come across Yamashita on a YouTube video she was browsing to kill time. Ami was hooked. He's funny. Who is this person? He doesn't seem to be selling much yet, though. She felt like she had found a golden egg.

From then on, whenever she had something painful, she would watch Yamashita's videos, laugh, and get energy.

It might be an exaggeration to say he was Ami's emotional support. Her success was likely due to her own extraordinary efforts and rare luck. But on the path to Ami's breakthrough, the healing presence of the comedian Yamashita was always nearby.


The song 'Still in the Middle of a Dream,' which was the trigger for her breakthrough, was actually a song inspired by Yamashita.


'It really is a tough world. Being a comedian. Thank you, Yamashita-san. Thanks to you, I'm able to do my best.'


Ami whispered that and thanked the 'former' comedian Yamashita from the bottom of her heart.

＊

"I... I never thought I'd be able to win a gold medal... and I truly owe it to everyone who supported me...! Oh, and I always listened to my favorite singer Ami-chan's songs during practice. That's what kept me going!"


That is what Yumi Hashimoto, who won the gold medal in swimming at this season's Olympics, said brilliantly in her interview.

There is a certain number of athletes who listen to songs by their favorite artists to help them focus.

Hashimoto is one of them. She has publicly declared herself a huge fan of Ami, and her music literally played a part in her winning the gold medal.


Ami's song 'Still in the Middle of a Dream' had become a significant presence for Hashimoto.

＊

"Wow, wow! I want to do that too!"

"You want to swim?"

"Yeah! I will! I'll win a gold medal!"

"Hahaha. It's difficult, you know. Winning a gold medal. Well, though, it might be good to swim while you're young. Alright. Shall we start swimming?"

"Start! Swim!"


It was the moment Hasegawa's child, who was watching the Olympics, decided on their future dream.

＊

That your hard work,

is being "watched by someone,"

the person themselves may never realize until the end.

But surely, someone is watching.

We are connected somewhere.

As long as you keep your heart, burning with passion.






~Text End Text~

#TheMomentTheEngineStarted
#sponsored
#ShortShort
#ShortStory