Flying over the bubble era

Chapters 1575 and 1576. Removing the Fire from Underground
During the first month of the lunar calendar, the general public doesn't have the luxury of buying records. Avoiding record release dates around this time is a long-standing convention between the industry and the audience.

However, Tetsuya Komuro did the opposite and scheduled Globe's debut for the New Year.

For ordinary singers, releasing an album during the Lunar New Year is just asking for trouble. But for Tetsuya Komuro, whose every move is under the world's scrutiny, taking the unconventional path means making a big splash.

Sure enough, when the record poster was displayed in the most prominent place in the record store, even in the first month of the lunar year, people were still willing to go into the store to find out more, just because of Tetsuya Komuro on the poster.

This is a band that Tetsuya Komuro has personally participated in for the first time in a long time. That alone is enough to make it a hot topic.

Moreover, the band's style is so fashionable and light that it's unforgettable at first glance.

Previously, Shinichi Iwahashi had met Tetsuya Komuro and his two partners in the recording studio. Even so, he still found the band's finished album pleasing to the eye. Tetsuya Komuro's strength lies in his mature urban aesthetic sense.

Audiences rarely linger on the same thing for long, so a constant stream of exciting moments is needed to remind them of its existence. Introducing new singers continuously is Tetsuya Komuro's strategy for maintaining his popularity, and it's also a fundamental truth in the industry.

For BURNING, Tetsuya Komuro's simultaneous role as producer for Namie Amuro and the production of a new band signifies the commencement of a full-scale collaboration with the BURNING group. His past dealings with the GENZO group are now history.

This January, thanks to Globe, Ikuo Suo was in a great mood.

The humiliation he suffered at the hands of Shinichi Iwahashi finally found an outlet. This wasn't just a momentary act of revenge; only by striking a blow against Shinichi Iwahashi could he erase the loss of prestige caused by his previous setbacks with this man.

The previous series of events had made him feel the sense of crisis.

Now that Tetsuya Komuro is cooperating so well, how could Ikuo Suo not be happy?

In high spirits, Suo Ikuo didn't forget to inquire about Iwahashi Shinichi's whereabouts. After all, this man was BURNING's number one enemy. And so, he learned that Iwahashi Shinichi had mentioned at the New Year's reception that he wanted to do another talent show.

At a banquet attended only by high-ranking members of the faction, Suo Ikuo brought up the matter with disdain: "Did you hear that? That Iwahashi, at this critical juncture, is going to hold another talent show."

In this day and age, what kind of talent shows can be made besides the local talent shows that entertain housewives in the afternoon?

Band? Singer? Idol?

Higuchi Norio cautiously reminded him: "Remember this person's famous work? It was planning a talent show."

It's about "The Band's Paradise".

At the height of its popularity, the show was eventually transferred to the BURNING group due to pressure from Ikuo Suo. However, shortly afterward, the show's ratings plummeted, the number of bands signing up dropped sharply, and it was quickly canceled.

Higuchi Norio brought up this matter, deliberately rubbing salt in the wound. Suo Ikuo looked at Baba Shunichi.

Shunichi Baba smiled and said, "At that time, it was inevitable for underground bands to go mainstream; it can't be attributed to Iwahashi. He was just lucky."

Higuchi Norio couldn't help but frown.

Shunichi Baba pretended to be ignorant. The band audition was started by Shinichi Iwahashi, but it was also ruined by Shinichi Iwahashi himself.

After handing over the show to BURNING, Shinichi Iwahashi vigorously promoted the mainstreaming of underground bands, directly seeking out suitable talents from the underground music scene and giving them the opportunity to debut.

At this point, with the popularity generated by the early stages of "Band Heaven", the public already had expectations for bands, and record companies were naturally happy to have as many bands with low debut costs as possible.

This move, by cutting off the enemy's supply lines, allowed Iwahashi Shin to gain both fame and fortune, while leaving the cleanup trouble to BURNING. Baba Shunichi was not without talent and cunning, but he was too obsequious to Suo Ikuo, and for this reason, he chose to ignore the real threat posed by Iwahashi.

“But Iwahashi succeeded.” Higuchi Norio couldn’t help but worry. “Given that person’s methods, this audition probably had another purpose…”

Suoh Ikuo became more serious. "In your opinion, what could their purpose be?"

Higuchi Norio shook his head: "With so little information, we can't figure it out yet... I'm afraid we'll only be able to see the whole picture once we find out what the goal of the talent show is."

At this moment, Kawanishi Shigeo, whom Suoh Ikuo trusted most, spoke up: "Then, we'll just have to wait and see."

As if that had sealed the deal, the topic was dropped.

A pleasant banquet wouldn't linger on troublesome matters for long. But Higuchi Norio was still uneasy. He thought that to understand Iwahashi Shinichi's purpose, what he really needed to figure out was what Iwahashi Shinichi planned to destroy.

He sensed something subtle coming from this sudden draft proposal.

Moreover, while everyone in the company was delighted to have gained Tetsuya Komuro, Norio Higuchi always felt that something was off about it.

Even if you couldn't understand it at the time, you should realize later that when Shinichi Iwahashi handed over "Band Paradise," he intended to destroy the show.

If Shinichi Iwahashi's style is such that he would retaliate by destroying anything that has been forcibly taken from him, then is Tetsuya Komuro's current alignment with BURNING a blessing or a curse?
When Higuchi Norio thought about this, despite having drunk alcohol, he didn't feel hot, but a chill spread through his chest.

We should be more cautious...

But seeing everyone present clinking glasses and exchanging toasts, this was certainly not the time to say anything discouraging. If there were any doubts, we should investigate first and then discuss it with President Suoh.

As Higuchi Norio made his plans, a thought suddenly popped into his mind: After finding out the details, how should he deal with Iwahashi Shinichi?
Kanto is the territory of the Inagawa-kai. Shinichi Iwahashi is the brother of the new president of the Inagawa-kai. The Inagawa family sent their third generation to cooperate with Shinichi Iwahashi in real estate development.

This person looks ordinary, but in reality, no powerful figure would dare to make a move against him.

If we can't use underhanded methods, then we need to poach new right-hand men from Komuro, just like we did with Tetsuya Komuro this time.

Alternatively, they could try to sabotage Shinichi Iwahashi's plans.

Surrounded by the joyous atmosphere of the banquet, Higuchi Norio couldn't eat a thing all night.

He was one of the few executives in the BURNING group who opposed the agency's domineering development approach from the very beginning, believing that it was necessary to establish its own system for cultivating new talent in order to ensure the agency's longevity.

But he also knew that there was an addictive thrill to taking the fruits of others' labor. President Suoh had been complacent for years, becoming too reliant on this method of achieving success.

The reason why Shinichi Iwahashi is so troublesome is that when he first met with this man, Iwahashi was so weak, yet in just a few years, he rose to become a leading figure in the industry.

President Suoh's seemingly capricious poaching of talent created the firm's most dangerous enemy.

Back then, Suo Ikuo ordered Takeyama to attack Iwabashi.

After learning of the plan, Norio Higuchi realized that it was inappropriate and secretly gave Shinichi Iwahashi a hint.

Today, that moment from back then suddenly reappears in his mind.