Chapter 11: How I Was Able to Rise Again After Bankruptcy

The word bankruptcy is,
It's not simply about losing money.

Losing credibility,
Having my past achievements denied,
It means letting go of the future, even if only for a moment.

I was right in the middle of it.

Supported by South Korean companies,
They were barely able to make ends meet.

But there was no "future" there.

At that moment, a man appeared.

A business executive who previously worked for a foreign-owned consulting firm.
He was a person with a mysterious ability to see into people's true nature.

After he quietly finished listening to my past work,
They acted immediately.

Consulting contracts with three companies.

500,000 yen per month, with support for three days per month.
Performance-based compensation is added to that.

Before I knew it,
My income had returned to 2 million yen per month.

It hasn't even been two years since the bankruptcy.

However――

Even if the money is returned,
My confidence never returned.

At that time, there was another person.

A woman who runs a power stone shop in Seijo.
He was a quiet and sensitive person, also known as a psychic.

She said.

"Go to Kyushu. Go and receive the power of fire."

There was no reason.

But I took action.

Munakata Taisha Shrine.

A sacred area connected to the sea.
A place where prayers have been offered since ancient times.

From there, we went to Usa Shrine.

A vast temple grounds.
A place where time flows differently.

We're just ten meters away from the main shrine.

Just then, the phone rang.

It was Shiroi.

"I want to do it together"

I refused.

Because I felt it wasn't the right time yet.

the next day.

Beppu.

My wife used to play there when she was a child.
Asami Hachiman Shrine is known for its water.

We headed back towards the main shrine.

Just ten more meters.

Another phone call.

It was Shiroi.

The same words.

I refused again.

Third time.

Saga, Yobuko.

On the way home after taking my wife to eat squid.

A quiet shrine located on the mountainside.
Itsukushima Shrine, dedicated to Benten.

Offering sake,
I put my hands together in silence.

The moment the prayer was opened.

The phone rang.

It was the third time.

At that moment, I was certain.

This is no coincidence.

You are being told to choose.

I answered the phone.

"Okay, let's do it together."

However, there are conditions.

Salaries are paid in advance.
If you can no longer pay, please accept it as your retirement allowance.

I still didn't fully believe in myself.

However――

I was able to believe in him.

And so, I started walking again.

Elemental Ecosystem Co., Ltd.

It was a start from scratch.

The following twenty years.

Setback.
Another setback.

I fell down many times.

Even so, strangely enough

Money circulates,
People appeared,
The road never ended.

Whether God exists or not,
I cannot prove that.

God is invisible.
It is said to be a form of invisibility.

And humans are finite beings.

But I,
I can believe in the existence of things that are unseen.

because,
Because I feel like I've been "tested" many times.

Cornered,
Approaching the limit,
Just when I thought I couldn't take another step—

Strangely enough,
A path opens up, just a little bit.

It's as if,

"It's not over yet."

It was as if I was being told so.

That's not a great miracle.

But certainly,
It was "something" enough to make people stand up again.

Those three phone calls.

That ten meters.

That choice.

If only that day—

If it hadn't been released.

The person I am today doesn't exist.

People don't live by chance.

We live by our choices.

And this choice,

It invites the next story.

A challenge against Shiroi.

The clash between ideals and reality.

And then, another setback.

But beyond that,

A ray of light shines through.

Niigata, a snowy region.

Like a rainbow,
A bridge stretches into the distance.

I'm heading there.

Another story: A Rainbow Bridge to Niigata. Shiroi, as the president of a 100% subsidiary of a corporate group with 10,000 employees, supports his superior, the group owner, and achieves success. However, Shiroi faces challenges and collapses—and then, to Niigata.
After those three phone calls,
Together with Shiroi, I started a new company.

Elemental Ecosystem Co., Ltd.

I provided the capital.

But the president left it to him.

They are young and have a bright future.
Our relationship with the bank is also better that way.

And most importantly—

I once again,
I thought, "I should try trusting people."

At first, I only had dreams.

New technology.
A new market.
New possibilities.

A former president of a major corporation also invested in the company.

Everyone,
I thought, "This is going to work."

But reality was different.

The engineer at the heart of it all.

A man who talks about weak energy.

Speaking about the future,
Speaking the theory,
He spoke of hope.

However――

That was a lie.

The business collapsed.

One by one,
Everything that has been built up is crumbling.

Those who believe,
It's falling apart with a loud crash.

Shiroi was still young.

I believed in my ideals.

But the reality is,
He mercilessly smashed it to pieces.

"Why does this happen?"

His words,
I couldn't answer.

Management is,
This isn't a world where doing the right thing guarantees success.

Believing alone is not enough.

You must see through it.

We must protect it.

A decision must be made.

And most importantly—

They must take responsibility.

The company stopped it.

In a dormant state,
The curtain has been brought down for now.

But in the midst of that collapse,
There was one thing that remained.

no--

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it was found.

Authentic technology.

A catalytic filter with a world patent.

It was there, quietly.

Within the lies,
The real thing was buried away.

I thought.

"It's not over yet."

Around that time, a new opportunity arose.

Niigata.

A corporate group with 10,000 employees.

Call for proposals for new business ventures.

I applied.
Shiroi also applied.

Separately.

I failed the second round of judging.

Shiroi is—

I made it to the fifth round of judging.

And he,

that group
I was appointed president of a wholly owned subsidiary.

The chairman is
The group's owner himself took on the role.

I was serious.

In this project,
I was looking into the future.

I joined as a part-time technical director.

The core of the business is,
Making groundwater drinkable through membrane treatment.

It was a technology I had successfully developed in the past.

But here too, reality presents an obstacle.

Opposition from the executives.

Safety.
Responsibility issue.

The plan did not progress.

trial and error.

Doubt.

Stagnation.

That's when I realized.

"Water has another side to it."

Groundwater
It's not just water.

It has a temperature.

The average temperature throughout the year is around 15 degrees Celsius.

It wasn't cold,
It's not hot.

However――

That's precisely why it's useful.

For both cooling and heating.

As a natural heat source.

This idea
It changed everything.

A nursing home for the elderly.

This group owns many of these facilities.

More than the water bill,

Hot water, air conditioning, energy.

There was a significant cost involved.

Use groundwater.

That's all you need.

The project has started.

Subsidies also provided a boost.

This is the first such achievement in Japan.

New Business Award.

Capital participation by government-affiliated financial institutions.

This was the first such case in Niigata Prefecture.

success.

It was certainly a state that could be described that way.

However――

Growth is,
It always involves risk.

The project is worth approximately 100 million yen.

construction.

system.

On-site.

And then, trouble.

deficit.

To make matters worse,

Problems arise for the entire group.

Political pressure on the owner.

The issue of public funds.

When you need the funds—

It stopped.

The business has ceased operations.

I left Niigata.

To return to my own company.

Shiroi also,

Having completed its year-long duties,
I left the scene.

It seemed like it was all over.

But I was wrong.

The technology remained.

I also gained valuable experience.

And most importantly—

People remained.

The challenge is,
It was by no means a waste.

It was precisely because of that collapse that

I've developed the ability to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit items.

and,
The next path was beginning to come into view.

Niigata, a snowy region.

Amidst the harshness,
A land that fosters genuine strength.

That experience was,

Eventually,
It will be incorporated into the flow that connects to the world.

Everything is
They are connected.

And I,

I started walking again.

To be continued