Flying over the bubble era

Chapter 1564, Chapter 1565: The Arrow is on the String
Namie Amuro's rise to fame led to VERMILLION Records' successful collaboration with Tetsuya Komuro. Shunichi Baba was undoubtedly a huge success in this endeavor.

However, despite the substantial profits reaped by the BURNING Group this time, it was Shinichi Iwahashi who truly gained a significant boost in industry reputation.

When Shunichi Baba undermined Tetsuya Komuro's collaboration with GENZO, the industry was watching to see how Shinichi Iwahashi would handle this betrayal. GENZO's withdrawal of promotional materials for Komuro-affiliated artists only fueled the anticipation of seeing Iwahashi make a fool of himself.

But the situation took a sudden turn for the worse. Shinichi Iwahashi calmly revealed his trump card, having already tied Tetsuya Komuro's copyright to his own. In this way, Shunichi Baba's painstaking efforts were nothing more than dancing in the palm of Shinichi Iwahashi's hand.

Shunichi Baba made a great contribution, but it was a contribution incomplete. Celebration is certainly worthwhile, but there's always a thorn stuck in the side, preventing any truly satisfying celebration.

Everyone says that Shinichi Iwahashi acts with heroic spirit, but only when you actually fight him do you realize how torturous he can be.

Shunichi Baba was displeased, while Daikichi Nagato secretly chuckled.

Back then, Daiko Nagato suffered greatly at the hands of Shinichi Iwahashi. Now, seeing Shunichi Baba also suffer at the hands of that cunning kid, he felt a sense of satisfaction, as if one enemy had avenged another.

The two executives at the record company each had their own agendas, and Ikuo Suo himself was particularly troubled by the matter.

Shinichi Iwahashi left a thorn in the side of BURNING's success, which is even more infuriating than Iwahashi's failure to prevent Tetsuya Komuro from collaborating with BURNING.

Shinichi Iwahashi wasn't the type to leave others with nothing to gain. That's precisely why Ikuo Suo had no way to retaliate.

If it were the latter, at least there would be a direct and satisfying confrontation; but the former is like a fly mixed into a delicious meal.

Namie Amuro made the BURNING group incredibly wealthy, and even if Ikuo Suo was furious, he couldn't possibly turn down profits. However, by using the BURNING group to promote Namie Amuro, they had to face reality: there would always be a share of the royalties going to GENZO.

The general public may not know the inside story, but there are never any secrets in the industry.

While Shinichi Iwahashi casually resumed promotions for his Komuro-affiliated singers, the industry had already begun to delve into the truth behind the scenes.

Even if Shinichi Iwahashi only got 100 yen from Namie Amuro, it was still a declaration to the industry: GENZO tricked BURNING.

When you reach the size of a large firm, reputation becomes extremely important.

In this incident, Shinichi Iwahashi has already seized the most important thing.

Suoh Ikuo understood this. And those who surrounded him because of his dominant position would naturally understand it as well.

Higuchi Norio is a representative of the moderate faction within the BURNING group, and his attitude towards sowing discord between Komuro Tetsuya and Iwahashi Shinichi is quite ambiguous. However, at this moment, he is the first to point out that the conflict between him and Iwahashi Shinichi is irreconcilable.

"In this incident, Iwahashi-san values ​​prestige more than profit, which is a dangerous sign." When the ruler of a power begins to focus on prestige, it truly means that he is about to become a hegemon.

Higuchi Norio exposed this fact, and Suoh Ikuo clenched his fists, experiencing the feeling of being threatened for the first time in a long time.

Looking back, it seems that ever since Shinichi Iwahashi appeared in Ikuo Suo's sight, BURNING has never gained the upper hand over him.

However, this incident has truly forced Suo Ikuo into a situation where he must emphasize his authority. He intended to shake Iwahashi Shinichi's position, but instead, he has been thoroughly outmaneuvered.

The benefits gained were those permitted by Shinichi Iwahashi. The damage to his reputation caused by this incident is incalculable.

To save face, the next step is to formally defeat Shinichi Iwahashi.

Unfortunately, this person is the most difficult to deal with.

Shinichi Iwahashi is backed by the top yakuza organization in the Kanto region. The ruthless tactics Suo Ikuo used during his expansion, employing swords and spears to intimidate firms without connections, were ineffective against him. Now, the situation is on the verge of erupting.

Even if you defeat Shinichi Iwahashi, BURNING remains BURNING. But if you don't defeat him...

In the past, Suo Ikuo was known for his tough stance and quick temper. But at this moment, he hesitated genuinely for a fleeting moment.

If they were to face off against Shinichi Iwahashi head-on, their position as the industry's dominant force would be in jeopardy.

Some things, whether you do them or not, can make worlds apart.

Higuchi Norio noticed Suo Ikuo's momentary hesitation and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Having held the industry's top position for many years and habitually resorting to underhanded tactics, Suoh Ikuo, facing an opponent who could only be defeated head-on, surprisingly hesitated when it came to direct confrontation.

Norio Higuchi has always disapproved of BURNING's expansion strategy of poaching talent and is one of the few executives in the agency who hopes to cultivate their own artists.

His reason for advocating this view is simply that he has long seen through the fact that while underhanded methods could be invincible in an era of unbridled development, once the various forces in the industry have woven a network, such methods will become increasingly difficult to use.

Thinking of this, Higuchi Norio urged again: "Suoh-san, before the Komuro incident, there was still room for ambiguity between you and Iwahashi-san. Now that Iwahashi-san's reputation has soared, we absolutely cannot back down."

The matter has come to this point, and the die is cast.

Faced with his capable subordinate's aggressive tone, Suo Ikuo whispered, "Shall we start a war?"

……

There's no need for Burning to declare war on Genzo.

Previously, it might have been necessary to remain inactive and wait for the opponent to make the first move. However, from the moment Namie Amuro rose to fame and Shinichi Iwahashi and Tetsuya Komuro reached an agreement, it became imperative for him to take the initiative and launch the next step, waging war against BURNING.

There are celebrities every year, but Namie Amuro is the most special one.

The trend she sparked has a more significant meaning: this young woman defined the image of "STAR" for this era.

The atmosphere she brought was completely new.

From this perspective, this girl possesses the qualities of a "superhero" as described by Shinichi Iwahashi, and she does indeed radiate her own light after meeting Tetsuya Komuro.

VERMILLION Records has undoubtedly drawn an ace.

However, Shinichi Iwahashi felt no regret whatsoever; on the contrary, he saw a positive sign in it. In this world, for every phenomenal figure who emerges, there will be someone else to end her era.

A one-man show is the least interesting.

Shinichi Iwahashi was always waiting for the right opportunity. Namie Amuro's rise to fame meant that the perfect storm of circumstances had arrived.

In his mind, he was already planning how to arrange Ayumi Hamasaki's debut, and even how to communicate with the TV station to choose a suitable occasion to formally express his attitude towards BURNING artists.

On the way here, Shinichi Iwahashi was lost in thought.

Upon entering his office, he routinely flipped through today's newspaper. Distracted, he was merely checking the daily news as a matter of routine when he overheard a clerk say, "Iwahashi-san, there's been a major development in the gas poisoning incident."