Flying over the bubble era

Chapters 1565 and 1566. An Atmosphere

Two months ago, a gas poisoning incident occurred in Nagano Prefecture, resulting in seven deaths and seven hundred injuries.

Without identifying the suspect, the Nagano Police Station searched the home of the first person who reported the incident and found a large quantity of pesticides in the residence. Based on this, they claimed that the poisoning incident was caused by the person's failed pesticide experiment.

However, it was later determined that the poison gas that caused the poisoning was sarin, and the equipment and medicines possessed by this person could not possibly have produced sarin gas.

"...So, it wasn't gas poisoning, it was sarin."

The clerk's tone carried a hint of gossip. People often do this when discussing things that are far removed from their own lives.

The police drew conclusions without investigation, and a certain "Death God Elementary School Student" is far ahead in terms of realism.

Enduring works of art always resonate with reality. ...Although this comic is still young and immature today.

Shinichi Iwahashi silently grumbled as he flipped through the newspaper.

The police's reversal of their previous conclusions means the media needs to respond accordingly. Previously, major television stations' reports on the incident were entirely based on the police's initial statement.

Now that the conclusion has been overturned, it should be corrected and publicized widely.

However, the major television stations refused to apologize for their false reports and collectively pretended not to know.

News is time-sensitive; if it's delayed by more than three days, fewer people will pay attention. Even if some print media question the television station's response, as long as these giants remain unmoved, their voices will not garner widespread attention.

But perhaps, for the general public, whether it's gas or sarin, whether the person who reported the incident is crying wolf or there's another mastermind behind it, doesn't matter. What's most important is to prevent news about the same incident from constantly appearing in their sight.

The police made such careless mistakes in their investigation, yet only received a cursory correction. The mainstream media chose to remain silent, avoiding any mention of their previous reporting errors.

As for the general public, as long as the matter is not brought to the forefront and cannot be avoided, then no matter what happens, they should choose to turn a blind eye. As long as they can't hear or see it, it hasn't happened, and order remains intact.

Let things run their course until it's too late, then unleash your emotions and indulge in self-pity and sadness. Use a man-made trauma to nourish an empty heart.

Japanese society is a place filled with this kind of atmosphere.

The whole society is shrouded in this subtle and bizarre ostrich mentality, so how can the media and police not be a form of consideration for the public?
Sarin gas is no ordinary poison. Despite such a major incident, the police were slow to react, the media pretended to be deaf and dumb, and the public was indifferent to the fact that they didn't see it.

In this situation, the deterioration of the situation was almost a premonition—

……

Terrorist attacks always leave traces beforehand. But the Aum Shinrikyo attack was preceded by countless warnings. Within a year, the organization conducted numerous tests, and the police were aware of their movements. Yet, they hesitated and remained inactive until the nuclear bomb exploded.

Afterwards, some people will surely say that this was an event that could have been avoided.

But this was actually an inevitable event. Because those who could truly prevent it did not have a strong will to do so.

If you sense danger, you must wait until it arrives. That's the nature of Japan.

The incident occurred during the morning rush hour, affecting countless people.

Since morning, the phone has been constantly being transferred in.

Such a significant event will have far-reaching consequences. The entertainment industry, as an industry that faces the public, needs to be even more sensitive and avoid doing anything that might offend the public at this time.

Whether to postpone the concert, whether to change the album release and promotion plans, and so on. This is all external stuff.

Internally, the most important thing is to confirm whether any of the victims in this incident are company employees.

Shinichi Iwahashi stared at the silent television screen, feeling a sense of disbelief. History was unfolding before his eyes... No, this wasn't history. It was a random yet inevitable event happening right beside him.

If I were still that rushed office worker from the beginning, I might have been caught up in it too. Among the people I've dealt with, there might be one who is a victim.

It felt like a heavy stone was pressing down on his heart.

Shinichi Iwahashi picked up the phone and called Mayumi Watanabe. As soon as she answered, Mayumi's voice sounded weary, "About the Tokyo subway..."

"Manyumi-san."

Shinichi Iwahashi interrupted her, "You said that as a professional in the entertainment industry, one must take responsibility for the public. I also believe that professionals who can stand out in this era must have this awareness."

"Shinichi-kun?"

"But as practitioners, what kind of people are we facing? To whom are we taking responsibility?"

Shinichi Iwahashi couldn't help but ask this question.

Just going to work, a normal day, and they got caught up in this kind of incident. The public is undoubtedly pitiful. But to some extent, it's also the lifestyle that the public has readily accepted that has led to this situation.

The life choices we make will bring about related consequences. The collective consequences will, in turn, leave varying degrees of trauma on the individual's mind and body.

The bubble burst, people were filled with anxiety, and the world was in turmoil.

But have the masses already become immersed in the atmosphere of this era?
Watanabe Mayumi remained silent on the other end of the phone for a while before asking, "Is Shinichi-kun angry?"

Shinichi Iwahashi denied it, saying, "I just suddenly realized that the public's understanding of me is not sufficient."

“This is quite normal, because it’s an ‘atmosphere’,” Watanabe Mayumi said carefully. “It’s not something you can understand completely just by trying to comprehend it; the more you cling to it, the more confused you become. The masses are dominated by this atmosphere, and once they leave this atmosphere, they become independent individuals.”

"Atmosphere." Shinichi Iwahashi was touched.

“That’s right, so I think that producing artists is an art of capturing atmosphere.”

Upon hearing this, Shinichi Iwahashi smiled and said, "In that case, as someone working in the entertainment industry, you can create a collective atmosphere while also accommodating individual personalities."

“And this isn’t a multiple-choice question.” Watanabe Mayumi smiled as well.

She then told Shinichi Iwahashi, "When I received the message, I couldn't even speak."

No one can face such an event without being impacted.

The more random the occurrence, the more terrifying it is in fact.

Mayumi Watanabe closed her eyes: "Shinichi-kun, can we talk about work?"

Shinichi Iwahashi exclaimed, "Ah! That's exactly what I was thinking." Stepping onto the most familiar track, the fog in his mind gradually dissipated. "We need to run two tracks in parallel."

We should create a collective atmosphere while also accommodating individual personalities.

The stronger the sense of community, the more important it is to recognize and appreciate individual personalities.

At this moment, talking about work is the best way to calm down.

(End of this chapter)