Chapter 3

If Zhou Xiao could perform at the theater every day, it would be perfect, but such a thing is impossible.

Tokyo is indeed a huge and intimidating city, but at the same time, it is also a crowded and intimidating city. Don't be fooled by the fact that a small theater can only accommodate a few dozen people; it is actually used quite frequently.

The performances of comedians, various community-organized shows, the smallest of the minor singers, minor idols, impersonators, rakugo performers, kabuki... all kinds of performances fill almost all the open hours of this theater. The time allocated for comedian performances each week is only three afternoons—Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays—each for two hours.

Even performing three times a week would be nice.

Someone might think that, but even three days a week is impossible for the current Zhou Xiao.

Why? Zhou Xiao is a comedian who has only been in the business for half a year and doesn't even qualify as a minor comedian. Being able to perform at the theater is already quite good! For the vast majority of comedians who have only been in the business for half a year, where do they perform most often? In the squares of parks! Facing a few dog walkers and children who have no interest in their performances! Even so, these comedians will come to the square to perform almost fixedly, regardless of the weather.

Those who can appear on TV are indeed in a glorious position, but behind such artists stands an incredibly large group of foundation performers. It is these foundation performers who form the lowest level of the social ecosystem of this city. Don't be fooled by the fact that a small theater can only have 60 to 70 audience members; for the current Zhou Xiao, being able to perform at a small theater is almost as good as appearing on TV, like a cloud of happiness.

So, even if he is different from before, and even if his aspirations are not as simple as being a comedian, Zhou Xiao still has to go, not for any other reason, but to avoid starving to death!

After searching for a long time, Zhou Xiao finally found a comb that could be used to style his hair. In the year 2000, the fashion and hairstyles of young people in Japan were quite similar to the non-mainstream styles of a decade later. Unlike the natural styles of a decade later, the appearance of people on the streets of Tokyo, regardless of gender, was more exaggerated.

However, Zhou Xiao came from a decade later and had a rather introverted personality as a shut-in. He naturally couldn't dress himself in such a way.

Actually, looking at his reflection in the mirror, Zhou Xiao was very satisfied. Although most comedians are ugly, the body left to him by the Japanese Zhou Xiao was indeed quite good. After combing his hair and trying to style it naturally, Zhou Xiao nodded in satisfaction. If it weren't for the fact that he looked pale and hungry, his current appearance already had a bit of the look of a future Johnny's idol. This kind of image would be perfect not just for being a comedian, but even for a minor role in a TV drama or as a male flower vase.

After tidying up his appearance, Zhou Xiao opened the door. According to his vague memory, the Daido Small Theater was about three or four blocks away from his rented apartment. It wasn't far, but it wasn't close either. In the past, he could have taken public transportation like a bus or subway to the theater, but with only 30 yen in his pocket, Zhou Xiao had no choice but to walk. What to do? Take the 11 bus.

After putting on his shoes and closing the door, Zhou Xiao took a few steps and stopped. He thought for a moment and then turned back to the room. After finding a pure white lace thong, he turned and left again.

With the thong in his pocket, Zhou Xiao first ran upstairs. However, after knocking on three doors, he couldn't get anyone to open. Upon careful consideration, this was understandable. It was around 10:30 in the morning, a working hour, and most people who rented such small rooms were busy with life. At this time, they were either at work or looking for work, or at least on their way to look for work. The chances of someone opening the door at this time were indeed low.

With no other choice, Zhou Xiao continued to head to the theater with the thong in his pocket.

The entire journey took about 20 minutes. During this time, Zhou Xiao didn't idle. He kept recalling the jokes he had written in his past life. These jokes... in his opinion, were rather unremarkable, and a couple of them were related to the language and environment of Tokyo, Japan, which, despite inheriting most of the Japanese Zhou Xiao's memories, he still found hard to understand.

Zhou Xiao also wanted to use some jokes that had been popular in China, but in these 20 minutes of walking, he couldn't think of anything substantial.

Before long, Zhou Xiao arrived outside the theater.

The Daido Small Theater was located on the... fourth floor of a red building. Yes, that's right. Tokyo is a place where every inch of land is valuable, so a small theater like this can't expect to own an entire building.

Although the theater was small, it was basically well-equipped. Even when Zhou Xiao entered the theater, he used the staff entrance. After entering, Zhou Xiao first went to the artists' lounge. Since the official performance time was in the afternoon, Zhou Xiao, who arrived at the theater before 11:00, had to wait a few hours before his performance. It was understandable that he came so early. Since he had nothing else to do, he might as well come early to show his seriousness about the performance.

The theater was not idle at the moment. An elderly man in traditional robes was performing rakugo. Rakugo, as an art form, is somewhat similar to solo manzai. If there is a difference, it is probably the distinction between classical and modern. With the mindset of learning from the master, even if he couldn't learn much, at least he wouldn't lose anything by watching, Zhou Xiao stood at the back of the stage and watched the old man's rakugo.

After listening for a while, Zhou Xiao found that the content of the old man's rakugo was even more old-fashioned than his own jokes. However, the atmosphere on the scene was quite good, and laughter would often break out. Zhou Xiao quietly observed and, as expected, found that most of the audience were elderly people. Zhou Xiao knew that the same jokes, if moved to the afternoon manzai venue, would not achieve the same effect. Although the old man's rakugo was somewhat old-fashioned, each one was very profound, and the old man's movements and speech were quite agile, making it a very substantial performance.

Zhou Xiao stood and watched for about seven or eight minutes before the old man's rakugo came to an end, and he got up and left the stage. However, the performance was clearly not over. The old man was obviously just taking a break and would return to the stage later.

This made Zhou Xiao very envious. The appearance fee at a small theater is directly related to the performance time. The old man looked like he was performing a major show. His 20 minutes could earn 5000 yen, while the old man's one or two hours could earn 15,000 to 30,000 yen. Moreover, someone who could perform in such a venue would surely have other gigs elsewhere, so the old man's monthly earnings were quite substantial.

Don't forget that the old man, judging by his age, was definitely over 70, and he would still receive a decent pension every month.

The old man, named "Katsura Bungo," clearly used an artistic name. The names used by rakugo performers are mostly inherited from their teachers, and common surnames include "Katsura," "San'yutei," "Shunyutei," and "Shofutei."

Zhou Xiao went up to greet and bow, showing great respect: "Hello, Bungo-san. I am Zhou Xiao, who will be performing this afternoon. Please take care of me."

"Ah, Zhou Xiao, that name, you are..."

"I am of Chinese descent but have Japanese nationality. I have always loved being an entertainer, so I chose this profession," Zhou Xiao said.

"Is that so? Your agency is..."

"Since I have only been in this industry for half a year, I don't have an agency yet."

"Is that so? It's best to join an agency. It makes it easier to find work and practice. Don't look down on agencies that don't have fixed income."

"Yes, yes..."

Although Zhou Xiao agreed, he wasn't really concerned about this. Being a comedian was not his ultimate goal. If it were the old Zhou Xiao, joining an agency might have been a good suggestion, but the current him would never think that way.