Flying over the bubble era

Chapters 1574 and 1575: Concerning Power
At the end of the year, the world is filled with the hustle and bustle of people rushing about.

As the first round of the battle between Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro came to an end, the lights of the billboards on the street flickered like the lingering smoke of war as night fell.

The end of the year is a slow period for the record industry; around the Lunar New Year, the public doesn't have the leisure to buy records or discuss singers. The television industry, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. Around the Lunar New Year, it's a time when they need to pull out all the stops to please the audience.

Once you enter the heart of the industry, clear lines disappear. Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro, two girls who became absolute hot topics this year, each accompanied their respective record company executives to deliver greetings to advertisers and television stations.

This battle between the two girls has become more reliant on the media than ever before. Next year, after the truce during the Lunar New Year, an even stronger topic must be generated.

The year-end reception is a prelude to what's to come—

It's not just about this girl.

That year, Hiroyuki Narita's career took another step forward, and as his brother-in-law, he was a guest of honor at his brother-in-law's reception. Before her debut, Ayumi Hamasaki lived in the Iwahashi family home, and Narita remembered the young girl. Now that they met, he showed a certain warmth towards a junior.

Thanks to Hiroyuki Narita, everyone at the meeting knew that Ayumi Hamasaki was Shinichi Iwahashi's "apple of everyone's eye".

You can always trust this brother-in-law when it comes to being warm and polite.

"I never imagined the girl living in your house would have such talent," Narita Hiroyuki remarked, then suddenly mentioned Utada Hikaru, "I remember there was another girl back then..."

Shinichi Iwahashi smiled reservedly, "Maybe."

Despite her young age, Utada Hikaru has already demonstrated her creative talent and keen observation skills. With a father who is a producer, her debut is a natural progression, provided she maintains her interest in music.

“That’s fine too.” Narita Hiroyuki said meaningfully, “We can’t let Amuro-chan perform a one-woman show.”

From the outside perspective, Shinichi Iwahashi made a poor judgment in his collaboration with Tetsuya Komuro, placing unthinking trust in Komuro, only to be betrayed by a conspiracy between Ikuo Suo and Tetsuya Komuro.

Hiroyuki Narita's attitude is a microcosm of how the industry views this matter.

Thinking of this, Shinichi Iwahashi said to Hiroyuki Narita, "There is something I want to hear your opinion on, brother-in-law Narita."

"Oh?"

"I want to do another talent show."

Narita Hiroyuki was surprised, "Now you're making talent shows?"

“Isn’t television just a constant repetition?” Shinichi Iwahashi responded to his brother-in-law’s concerns. “The essence of making a program is to use a familiar method to bring something that satisfies the audience’s current emotions.”

The sense of novelty experienced by the audience is, in a sense, a change within themselves.

Narita Hiroyuki neither confirmed nor denied these remarks, asking, "So, what kind of program do you want to make?"

Shinichi Iwahashi smiled. "I invited Komuro-san to join us."

Even Narita Hiroyuki's expression froze for a moment upon hearing this. He snapped out of his daze and realized that his brother-in-law's visit was ill-intentioned.

……

Next weekend, Shinichi Iwahashi took his family to a gathering with his sister and brother-in-law.

Despite the busy end of the year, Narita Hiroyuki still managed to find time for family gatherings, his eagerness was palpable. The topic Shinichi Iwahashi had raised was too tempting; Narita Hiroyuki realized the opportunity it held and couldn't wait. At this age, with a successful career, he couldn't control his growing ambition.

Shortly after the Iwahashi family arrived, Narita Hiroyuki invited Iwahashi Shinichi to his study for a chat.

"What's going on between you and Komuro-san?" Narita Hiroyuki went straight to the point. "Don't tell me that Komuro-san's going to produce singers for BURNING was a scheme orchestrated from the inside."

Shinichi Iwahashi smiled. "It's quite interesting to think that way... I hope Suoh-san thinks so too."

Narita Hiroyuki gave a forced smile. "Are you trying to annoy Suoh-san?"

Shinichi Iwahashi shook his head. "How could that be?" His tone was calm to the point of being cold. "As long as the BURNING system doesn't collapse, even if Suoh-san were to die of anger, it wouldn't make a difference."

"...!!" This was the first time Narita Hiroyuki had heard such explicit words from his brother-in-law.

Shinichi Iwahashi quietly observed his brother-in-law's expression and asked, "What does Dentsu think of BURNING? I'm afraid they don't consider him a good guy."

In a chaotic era, Suo Ikuo's yakuza-like style had its advantages. But times have changed, and those past strengths are now becoming problems.

Even television stations don't always consider Suo Ikuo an untouchable figure.

Suo Ikuo's popularity is certainly a remnant of the entertainment industry's underworld influence, but there is another unspoken reason: it facilitates the division of spoils.

Backed by a conglomerate, the firm is wealthy and powerful, and naturally willing to bribe television stations. However, there are many more entanglements of interests and gray areas that require a yakuza member to act as an intermediary.

But times have changed, and television stations now need to reduce their reliance on yakuza members. Therefore, burning-out agencies still have their place, but they shouldn't be as powerful anymore.

“Japanese people like to read the air,” Shinichi Iwahashi commented. “So, if they say many things out loud, they will become the target of everyone’s criticism. But if they don’t say it out loud and just create a vague atmosphere, the snowball will naturally grow bigger and bigger, and eventually become uncontrollable.”

Shinichi Iwahashi's goal was to create an "atmosphere"—an atmosphere where those in power tacitly accept that Ikuo Suo should be punished. But once this precedent is set, how big this snowball will grow is no longer up to any one person.

These words left Narita Hiroyuki speechless. After a long while, he laughed, "I never imagined that I would have a younger brother who would dominate the entertainment industry."

Narita Hiroyuki, his ambition burning bright, asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Dentsu certainly has its uses for Suoh Ikuo, but once a force that has risen by taking advantage of the situation becomes strong and domineering, it would be a good thing to put him in a bad position.

Hiroyuki Narita was confident that he could leverage the atmosphere mentioned by Shinichi Iwahashi to persuade Dentsu to get involved in the program. As for whether this would become the first domino to fall in the downfall of Ikuo Suo, that was something that could not be foreseen, and no one needed to take responsibility for it.

Shinichi Iwahashi said, "There's no rush to produce the show right away. The stage where Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro battle it out doesn't need to be overshadowed for the time being. ... But I want to spread the word about this show in the industry as early as possible."

"Wouldn't that give Suoh-san time to counterattack?"

Shinichi Iwahashi shook his head. "No, what I'm giving him is time to think. Given Suoh's personality, if I catch him off guard, he'll definitely make the worst choice."

“Shinichi-kun’s ability to make sarcastic remarks should not be underestimated,” Narita Hiroyuki laughed. “From now on, I won’t dare to joke with you anymore.”

The joke was about power.

Shinichi Iwahashi simply smiled, tacitly acknowledging Hiroyuki Narita's show of weakness.