I am the Entertainment Tycoon Chapter 1013: Searching for a Spark

Tsuka District, Sakura City.

6:00 AM, Tuesday, June 1st.

A fresh month was beginning, and a new dawn was just breaking. For a hyper-metropolis like Sakura City, however, the concept of a city that never sleeps was a literal reality. As the nation’s largest urban center—and safely ranked among the top three global cities on the Azure Star planet in terms of population, development, and cultural influence—it housed tens of millions of citizens. Consequently, a vast portion of its commercial districts operated continuously through the night.

Yet, this perpetual activity did not disrupt the traditional daytime economy. The overwhelming majority of retail stores and corporate offices still adhered to standard operating hours, typically opening their doors around 8:00 AM.

Joan Kamino, a twenty-three-year-old recent college graduate who had just earned her degree in Languages and Literature, was currently shaking off the last remnants of sleep as her alarm clock blared. She needed to be at her workplace by 7:15 AM sharp. Even with the city’s lightning-fast, high-speed subway system network, the commute from her residential neighborhood still required a strict thirty-minute transit window.

Yawning, Joan climbed out of bed and stretched her limbs. Her apartment was modest by most standards, a compact layout consisting of just a bathroom and two multi-functional rooms—one serving as a combined kitchen and dining area, and the other as her bedroom. To a young worker just out of college, however, the space was more than enough to call home.

Outside her window, the early morning sky was painted with the crisp, golden rays of the rising sun. Her view offered a breathtaking look at the local architecture, which flawlessly blended cutting-edge modern engineering with the deep cultural heritage of the kingdom. Towering far above the massive skyline was the unmistakable silhouette of the Sakura Tree Tower. Standing thousands of meters tall, its imposing yet elegant structure mimicked the branches of a blossoming cherry tree, anchoring the city’s identity.

To the millions of residents who called Sakura City home, this dramatic view was completely ordinary, and Joan barely spared it a glance as she went about her morning routine.

Moving with practiced, efficient speed, she managed to take a hot shower, eat a quick breakfast, and dress for the corporate day in exactly thirty minutes. Locking her front door behind her, she stepped out into the crisp morning air and blended into the early crowd heading toward the nearby subway station.

At 7:08 AM, Joan emerged from the subway station, leaving her with a brisk five-minute walk to her destination. Exactly on schedule, she arrived at the storefront before 7:15 AM.

Questline Bookstore.

Working as a shop attendant might seem like an unusual choice for a fresh university graduate with a degree in Languages and Literature, but Joan had her reasons. Upon completing her studies, she had felt entirely directionless. She possessed a deep passion for literature, yet she doubted her own talent to pursue writing professionally, and the prospect of teaching held no appeal for her.

To escape the mounting internal pressure she felt while living idly with her parents, Joan had taken a leap of independence. She moved out, rented her compact apartment, and sought out a bookstore position to clear her head. She viewed this job not as a dead-end career, but as a temporary sanctuary—a place to search for a spark of inspiration to guide her future.

Thanks to a glowing recommendation from one of her college professors, she had secured this role at Questline. The position offered a competitive wage, which was more than enough to cover her rent and living expenses, even within a costly metropolis like Sakura City.

She had been on the job for a couple of weeks now and was adapting seamlessly. Her coworkers were welcoming, her manager was supportive, and for someone who lived for the written word, being surrounded by endless rows of books every single day was a genuine pleasure.

Joan pushed open the heavy glass doors of Questline Bookstore, the familiar, comforting scent of fresh paper and aged ink instantly wrapping around her. Even though the store wouldn’t officially open to the public for another forty-five minutes, the interior was already humming with activity.

"Good morning, everyone," Joan called out, hanging her light jacket on the staff coat rack near the breakroom.

"Morning, Joan!" a cheerful chorus echoed from the central aisles.

Despite having only been part of the team for a couple of weeks, Joan had found fitting in remarkably easy. The working environment was naturally lively and free of the cutthroat corporate tension she had feared after graduation. Her coworkers treated her like a seasoned peer rather than an inexperienced rookie, readily sharing tips on inventory tracking or recommending their favorite hidden gems on the shelves.

A major reason for this harmonious atmosphere was the bookstore’s manager, who also doubled as the owner. He was a genuinely kind, middle-aged man with a deep-seated love for curation, believing that a bookstore should be a sanctuary for both the people who read the books and the people who sold them. He never micromanaged or demanded impossible quotas; instead, he fostered an environment of shared passion.

Right now, her manager was standing near the front desk, adjusting a stack of newly arrived literary magazines. He looked up, offering Joan a warm, welcoming smile. "Good morning, Joan. You’re right on time as always. Go ahead and grab a coffee in the breakroom if you need a minute to wake up; we have a big day ahead of us today."

"Thanks, Boss, I’m already good to go," Joan replied, tying her dark green bookstore apron around her waist.

Looking around the vibrant, brightly lit shop, she felt a wave of reassurance. She might still be searching for her ultimate direction in life, but as she took her place behind the counter alongside her smiling coworkers, she knew there was no better place to look for inspiration than right here.

The manager clapped his hands together twice, a signal that brought the bustling staff to a halt. "Alright, team, gather around for a quick huddle before we unlock the doors," he called out, gesturing toward the central checkout counter.

Joan and her four coworkers stepped out from the aisles, forming a loose circle around him. The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly from casual prep work to focused, professional alertness.

"As you all know, today is the first day of the month," the manager began, leaning his hands against the edge of the counter. "And in our line of work, that means it’s one of the busiest mornings of the entire calendar. Every major publishing house is dropping their new monthly manga volumes and light novel editions today. The delivery trucks finished unloading at the back dock an hour ago, and the sheer volume of stock we need to move is substantial."

He gestured toward a massive, freshly arranged tiered display stand sitting right at the front entrance of the shop. "To keep the foot traffic flowing smoothly and prevent bottlenecks, we’re implementing our standard launch-day protocol. We’ve dedicated the prime display space to highlight the top 10 best-selling manga and light novels from last month. Putting the absolute most popular works right where people walk in makes it incredibly easy for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for without clogging up the narrow inner aisles."

"You know the drill, you need to put these 20 editions on highlight near the door, and also put some on the glass displays so that we can attract more buyers."

The team nodded in unison, clearly used to the high-stakes routine. The manager then turned his warm gaze directly toward Joan, his expression softening with an understanding smile.

"Now, Joan," he said gently, capturing everyone’s attention. "I know you’ve only been with us for a couple of weeks, which means this is your absolute first time experiencing a major monthly release cycle. It can look a bit overwhelming when the doors first open and the morning rush floods the floor. Don’t panic."

Joan gave a slight nod, tightening her hands against her apron strings as she listened intently.

"You’ve been doing fantastic so far," the manager reassured her, patting her shoulder reassuringly. "For today, I want you to anchor yourself with the veteran staff. Keep an eye on how they manage the lines, handle the checkout volume, and redirect the crowd. Just follow their lead, ask questions if you get stuck on an inventory lookup, and take it one customer at a time. We’ve got a great team here, and we’ll get through the rush together."

"Understood, Boss," Joan replied, a wave of confidence washing over her nervousness. "I’ll keep close to the team and make sure everything stays moving."

"That’s what I like to hear," the manager smiled, checking his watch as the hand ticked closer to opening time. "Alright everyone, let’s arrange the books, as I’m sure the fans are dying to read the latest editions of their favorite mangas and light novels."