Flying over the bubble era

Chapter 1570, Section 1571: An Eye for an Eye
Shinichi Iwahashi's answer was somewhat meaningful: "In any case, Komuro-san is a hero."

Facing this new era, Shinichi Iwahashi always has the word "hero" on his lips. He wants a heroic superstar, so there must be a hero to rival him.

"A hero is someone who does what he knows is impossible. So, Mayumi-san, what is the sign of the arrival of a new era?" Shinichi Iwahashi asked himself and answered, "It is that the old order has been challenged."

"The only person in the industry who is truly doing this right now is Mr. Komuro."

The entire industry is becoming stagnant. A highly mature and developed record market certainly provides fertile ground for diverse development, but it also means that as long as one plays by the same set of rules skillfully, high profits can be maintained.

What makes Tetsuya Komuro so valuable is his drive to go all out, even if it means facing utter ruin. Only someone like that can stir up a storm.

This was, of course, the highest praise from Shinichi Iwahashi. As Mayumi Watanabe listened to him, the events of the past few years, like beads on a string, were strung together by his words.

"Was Shinichi already imagining this day when he met Komuro-san?"

When Shinichi Iwahashi collaborated with Tetsuya Komuro to establish his own label, he already knew that Komuro wasn't someone who would settle for a mere collaboration. Mayumi Watanabe had known this for a long time.

After Tetsuya Komuro sided with BURNING, Shinichi Iwahashi invested in Komuro's copyright company. In essence, he truly intervened in Komuro's music career and effectively drove a nail into the collaboration between Komuro and Ikuo Suo.

Even so, Watanabe Mayumi still had some unresolved issues regarding this collaboration, which had taken a long and winding path but ultimately yielded only a mediocre result.

Only now do I truly understand that when Shinichi Iwahashi envisioned a "super idol" star, he had already identified Tetsuya Komuro as a hero capable of stirring up the industry and was looking forward to the moment when he would go crazy.

When it comes to Tetsuya Komuro, Mayumi Watanabe has sensed the cold side of Shinichi Iwahashi more than once.

She hesitated.

Shinichi Iwahashi was looking at her. Mayumi Watanabe had a confidence that he could see right through her, so she met his gaze. Everything was understood without a word.

Shinichi Iwahashi answered her, "Yes."

Watanabe Mayumi suddenly threw out a pointed question: "Then, what about Ayu?" Will Hamasaki Ayumi also be part of your next plan?

"Ayu what?" Shinichi Iwahashi asked back.

Watanabe Mayumi shook her head. "It's nothing." Iwahashi Shinichi had already given her the answer to her question through his rhetorical question. She then asked, "Tell me, what are you planning to do next?"

Shinichi Iwahashi smiled: "Since we've started a war, we should give Suoh-san a gift... an eye for an eye."

Regardless of whether Tetsuya Komuro's allegiance to BURNING dealt a substantial blow to GENZO, and regardless of whether Shinichi Iwahashi successfully resolved the situation and gained more tangible benefits, one thing remains unchanged: Ikuo Suo made his move against GENZO.

Shinichi Iwahashi must retaliate if he wants to lead the GENZO group.

……

If Ikuo Suo was able to use "Namie Amuro" as bait to unleash the monster of power deep within Tetsuya Komuro's heart, then Shinichi Iwahashi could do the same. When Suo threw out his prey to lure Tetsuya Komuro, he didn't consider one thing: the unleashing of the monster meant it would become uncontrollable.

Suo Ikuo and Baba Shunichi made a mistake: Komuro Tetsuya was not a chess piece, but a chess player.

BURNING mistakenly believes that Namie Amuro is bait to lure Tetsuya Komuro, unaware that siding with BURNING is precisely how Tetsuya Komuro ends his exclusive collaboration with GENZO.

Everything is simply going with the flow.

Just like Shinichi Iwahashi, even after realizing this person's ambition and his doomed style of doing things, he still chose to enter into an exclusive contract with him that was bound to be broken.

On Tetsuya Komuro's chessboard, since breaking his exclusive contract with GENZO is a move permitted within his rules, continuing to undermine the cooperation will also be a next move permitted within his rules. To win this game, Tetsuya Komuro will flexibly apply his rules.

Using such a person is absolutely the worst strategy. Since he's playing chess, he'll inevitably bring others onto his own chessboard as well.

Therefore, the only way to get along with him is to respect the rules on his chessboard and guide him to the next step.

Ikuo Suo was overly superstitious about the yakuza's style of doing things, mistakenly believing that the tricks of disfiguring disobedient actors in the street and forcing uncooperative staff to leave the industry were still applicable in today's era.

However, breaking the rules and breaching contracts in today's world can have unimaginable consequences. Every time such methods are used, a loophole is left behind.

Too many flaws will naturally become wounds, and even a little blood is enough to attract sharks.

Now that the industry has moved beyond its era of unbridled growth, it is inevitably heading towards involution. Suo Ikuo's brutal methods will certainly make the industry feel threatened.

People naturally fear forces that threaten them. But for the party being feared, dominating the industry in a way that instills fear puts them in a position where they can be attacked at any time.

After all, fear breeds a desire to eliminate it. The best way is to eliminate the threat. This is why overlords who dominate through savage methods never age.

As long as BURNING's flaws bleed, all sides that smell the scent will swarm in.

The first step in confronting BURNING is to bring the confrontation into the open. When dealing with such a clandestine force, we must employ open and aboveboard strategies, making everything crystal clear.

This confrontation is not just between Shinichi Iwahashi and Ikuo Suo, but for the entire industry to see.

Therefore, Shinichi Iwahashi first needs to have Ikuo Suo answer one question to the industry through his actions: Did BURNING poach Tetsuya Komuro from his exclusive contract with GENZO?

If Tetsuya Komuro could be monopolized by a certain force, then Ikuo Suo's actions constitute poaching. By taking away Genzo's cash cow, Burning and Genzo have created an irreconcilable feud.

But if Tetsuya Komuro isn't one of them, then Ikuo Suo has no right to interfere with his future moves. Otherwise, BURNING is simply using its industry dominance to monopolize what it shouldn't be monopolizing, making it an undeniable cancer in the industry.

Tetsuya Komuro would certainly welcome this direct confrontation. After all, Shinichi Iwahashi knew his ambition all too well. He would fully cooperate in anything that could further muddy the waters of the record industry.

Ultimately, at every crossroads, Tetsuya Komuro did what he wanted to do, and that's how he ended up here.