Tokyo Wingman King

"Can you withstand the power of 25 years of my training in this punch?"

"Heh, let me leave my mark on this world."

"Waaaaaah! Boost! Awakened King's Power! Damn, the magnetic field is spinning with 1500 million horsepower of force! Infinite Explosive Fist, break through me, ahhhhhh!"

"Hmph—watch my spiraling fist propeller, a tornado destroying a parking lot! I said life is as fragile as a thread, are you deaf?"

This is a fistfight between members of the same department within Infinite Company.

This was followed by an advertisement for sports equipment from a brand under Mugensha.

"The same tricks won't work on me! Intern, the only one who can defeat me is myself. I am the god of the new world!"

"Bah! I'll kill even a god for you! You mere branch secretary, nothing but a monkey. Feel the pain!"

"Hmph, you think you can beat me? You're far from it. Even if you managed to get into the Business Development Department (the central platform department of Infinite Company), you're still just a nobody. Tremble, there's only one reason you'll lose: you angered me!"

"The shattered talisman is crushed, the dark thoughts are scattered! The dog is pressing down on the shadow of the Buddha!"

"What are you spouting nonsense about! Take this God-Slaying Ascension Technique!"

This stems from both old and new grudges between former colleagues at Infinite Company.

This was followed by commercials for Togami Biotechnology products and Capcom games.

"Hahahaha, what an ugly feint! How naive! Revel in my amazing skills!"

"You're so naive! Aikido has long been obsolete! A person who can't give up anything can't change anything!"

"Ha, an attack driven by emotions—in short, foolish. With your limited intelligence, what good is learning judo from Master Hachiman?"

“Aikido is dead, so let me be their tombstone.”

"Why? Why did you react so quickly, like you were setting a trap? Was this part of your plan?"

"Because Hachiman is the strongest!"

This is a case of brothers from the Infinite Society turning against each other.

Following that were advertisements from various sponsors, including tennis, tutoring centers, and outdoor fishing rods.

The contestants in the finals of the 3rd Infinite Fighting Festival were generally in good form today. Whether it was due to the stimulation from the audience or the attribute bonus from wearing Street Fighter 6 skins, their emotions also reflected the [Hawthorne Effect], being much higher than usual.

Perhaps it was their excessive excitement that led them to want to add their own drama, resulting in a torrent of unscripted, unrelated, and improvised lines that poured out of their mouths without restraint. As for the overly vulgar and explicit dialogue, it was promptly censored by the on-site staff using advanced live-stream filtering technology.

A contestant who played with rotating magnetic fields quickly gained fame after being "beeped" so many times that he was dubbed "Beep Beep Girl" by the audience, and his popularity skyrocketed.

Although the three round of 16 matches all had a WWE exhibition feel to them, thankfully the wrestlers' words were all accompanied by genuine skill and hard work.

In addition to the 2000 spectators at the Sheren Park stadium, nearly 10,000 citizens and tourists attracted by the publicity were also intently watching the small television screens at various booths, occasionally exclaiming and cheering. Meanwhile, online viewership outside Sheren Park was also growing exponentially.

Asama's unofficial members, Yasaka Seiichiro and Miura Ren, who were directly under Komaba Mitsuki's leadership, were sitting in the audience, carefully studying the many details of this Infinite Festival.

"I was wondering why the pace was much slower than before. It turns out it was to recover physical strength and perform more visually appealing and difficult moves. The movements were also a few beats slower than before, probably inspired by Bruce Lee's movies. If Bruce Lee hadn't slowed down the movements during filming, with the camera technology at the time, he would have only captured a blurry image."

Ren Miura stroked his chin and said.

"Nonsense. What kind of motion can't modern high-speed cameras capture? Are these people comparable to Bruce Lee?"

Seiichiro Yasaka frowned.

"So, has the human eye evolved too? If it's not to improve the viewing experience for the audience, how do you explain the slower movements and the addition of many unnecessary actions?"

Seiichiro Yasaka pulled out a booklet—a booklet that every audience member could pick up upon entry, containing information about the contestants.

"It's not that it's gotten slower, but rather that it's become more rhythmic. Slow motion is for Japanese people who grew up watching tokusatsu (special effects) films; they have no resistance to chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) lines, starting stances, and finishing moves. On the other hand, those fast and powerful moves are for Mugensha's own people, as well as Japanese people who usually watch judo, karate, sumo, and other competitive sports. Both types of moves are introduced in these booklets. Obviously, these are all designed match moves that can appeal to both sides of the audience."

"Imagine that. Have you ever seen an event that combines UFC and WWE and profits from both? People who watch rhythmic gymnastics and people who watch gymnastics can't sit together. Your statement doesn't explain why the audience buys into it at all."

"What a joke. Any sport that's popular can generate a lot of emotional value and entertainment beyond the professional aspects. In football, the changing of the guard among clubs, national honor and revenge, underdog triumphs, and the coronation of champions are all topics that the public discusses. Football, basketball, F1, baseball, tennis—which one doesn't profit from both sides?"

After Yasaka Seiichiro finished speaking, he felt that he could vaguely see Asama Shizumi's ambition.

"So do you think that mixed martial arts, the sport founded by Shizumi Asama, can really become a mainstream sport like football?"

"It's actually very difficult. Take Street Fighter 6, for example. It seems to be a very famous fighting game, but the number of people who actually play it is limited. It's hard for something niche to become mainstream, and it's hard for something small to have a big impact. Even though Southeast Asia loves playing cricket, it can't influence the whole world like European football does."

“Cricket is a British thing,” Ren Miura retorted.

"But the British empire is already in its coffin, and Brexit is like nailing the coffin lid shut."

"According to you, the Infinite Fighting Festival is already halfway to success in Japan. After all, the Five Regents behind Shizusui Asama are the biggest ones."

"It's too simplistic to say that it's only popular in Japan."

Yasaka Seiichiro shook his head.

Ren Miura asked,
"Then tell me, why did Asama Shizumizu put so much effort into this Infinite Fighting Festival? It couldn't possibly be for the sake of Daiki and the peace, could it? Was the overly commercialized Eiwa Cultural Festival for Arima Yoshihiko?"

Yasaka Seiichiro said disdainfully,

"You think Asama Shizumizu is too selfless. I think if it weren't for him considering the reputation of each family, the Eiwa Cultural Festival would have become an even more terrifying entertainment product than this Infinite Fighting Festival. At that time, those idiots in Eiwa, just like the delinquents competing on stage now, would all become clowns for people to entertain."

Miura Ren sarcastically said,

"Turning the children of nobles and zaibatsu below the Five Regent Families into actors for entertainment? You probably have no political intelligence left. Asama Shizumizu is the most charismatic religious master. How could he possibly destroy his own foundation and antagonize the families behind these children?"

"What if these idiots did it voluntarily? There are plenty of idiots who give up their inheritance to pursue photography, travel, gardening, or artistic creation. In Eiwa, more and more people are being encouraged by Asama Shizumi to become singers and broadcasters. Have you heard of the Shinazugawa and Shinomiya families seeking revenge against the Konoe family? If you don't have any news, shut up. What are you talking about [family feuds]? Don't try to make your Yasaka-sama laugh with that kind of low-class thinking that [the emperor uses a golden hoe to farm].

"Did Rize Shinazugawa and Yukina Shinomiya give up their inheritance rights? This is sophistry and a fallacy of twisting the facts. This is the extent of the Yasaka family's second son's magnanimity. No wonder he couldn't secure the inheritance rights."

The two engaged in another fierce battle under the watchful eyes of the crowd, and the excitement of the fight was no less than that of the match on the stage below.

Yasaka and Miura weren't the only ones who came to Toneri Park to study. Many sons of former noble families also came all the way to Adachi, a rural area, to watch the game under the scorching sun, because of Asama Shizumi's fame.

Anyone with a modicum of knowledge, seeing the seamless integration of the competition and commercial breaks, couldn't help but marvel at the remarkable sophistication of this event.

This made them wonder—

If the rumor that [Mega Studio was responsible for the planning, execution, and operation of the vast majority of the event] is true.
If most things were done by Asama Shizumizu directing those low-class social outcasts who hadn't even finished high school...
They even produce programs that are more refined and of higher quality than those that some professional television stations prepare for one or two years.
Wouldn't the world then become a giant makeshift operation?
Compared to Shizumi Asama, what have they become, people who can't even unleash their potential in their own homes? Are they just parasites who deserve to flaunt their wealth and enjoy life, sitting on the laurels of their ancestors and waiting to die?
Nowadays, apart from those utterly useless good-for-nothings, no one wants to bear the reputation of being a parasite.

During this period, their seemingly solidified living environment suddenly began to flow. Many reclusive, low-key, and isolated members of the old aristocracy discovered that none of those with even a little bit of inheritance rights were willing to live a life of idleness and complacency, and none of the families that still had any power were willing to be forgotten by the world or eliminated by the times.

All of this escalating chaos can only be attributed to the appearance of the eccentric Shizumi Asama.

The elders are all asserting that the power struggles and alliances among the Five Regents are becoming increasingly clear, and that a major reshuffling is about to begin among them.

Waste has no right to be served.

The yardstick for measuring whether something is useless is the eccentric Asama Shizumizu.

The elders generally agreed that everything Asama Shizumizu did—such as that volatile stock that sold books and this event that turned waste into treasure—was a model for them to learn from.

What can I learn at the event?
Are you drinking soda with a straight face?

This event is clearly fake!

Half the audience are our own people! So the ones doing the work are naturally the others!
Those visible professional athletes, referees, commentators, and camera operators are just a bunch of young-looking industry insiders pretending to be members of Infinite Society to create a facade. But what's unseen—the various aspects of event planning, government communication, resource procurement, marketing, and operational execution—are definitely overseen by top-tier industry leaders.

How much will this cost?

Success is also about losing money to gain publicity.

The Konoe family is really willing to spend a lot of money to promote their self-promoted "Five Imperial Tutors".

If your family is willing to spend so much money on you, why worry about your family business not prospering?
Traffic is never the resonance of an individual, but the resonance of a group of voices. Everyone is pretending to resonate with the resonance of others, sharing new jokes, new slang and catchphrases, and new complaints, and taking pleasure and being fashionable in it.

Compared to the enthusiastic welcome from everyone, these trendy items often receive very little genuine affection.

But people can't help but follow the trend.

In Ryuzoji Seiba's eyes, Asama Shizumizu was inventing a new kind of fashion.

Scrolling through social media, the hashtag [Infinite Festival] quietly climbed into the top 10 of local trending topics.

This result was certainly within his expectations.

The event's innovative combination of elements, its ability to penetrate deeper into the market, its effective brand management and traffic generation, and the support of scarce resources brought by Asama Shizumi's personal charisma.

These things are enough to guarantee the success of a subcultural activity.

But what truly keeps this subculture vibrant is the passion of its core members – the members of Infinite Society.

Judging from the expressions of the members of Mugensha at this moment, the Mugen Festival, which was only halfway through, has already been a complete success.

"Could it be that Asama wrote the script for this competition?" asked Ryuzoji Seiha.

"Do you hate scripts?" Phoenix Inu Haruka laughed, holding the cup in both hands.

"It's a bit silly," Ryuzoji Seiwa bluntly stated. The audience was amused by the competition, exclaiming and laughing. The experience was not much different from watching a circus.

“But compared to boxing matches or martial arts performances, this is definitely worth watching,” Ryuzoji added.

"If the professional baseball tournament and the Infinite Festival are held on the same day, which one will you watch?"

"Neither of them suits my taste. If I have to choose one, this one will do, since you're more likely to choose the Infinite Sacrifice between the two."

"I watch Infinite Festival not just because of Hachiman. You should be able to sense that there is something we are both looking for in the eyes of the members of Infinite Society."

Phoenix Inu stared intently at Ryuzoji and said in a low voice, "Even if the average quality of the members varies drastically, it is undeniable that the Mugen Society has the shadow of the [Human Reform League]. You think so too, don't you, Chanba?"

"I don't think there's any difference in average quality. You're placing too much importance on academic knowledge, Yaojia."

"Without knowledge, one lacks experience and is prone to making impulsive and wrong decisions. Without proper guidance, they can turn from human beings into beasts."

"I have a much better view of this club. I used to think that the people who could stay in this club for a long time were the kind of people who had nothing to brag about, so they just kept praising their group, treating the group's honor as their personal honor, the group's affairs as a sacred cause, and the group's life as a substitute for their worthless self."

“The Great Teacher would not allow such people to exist. In his view, if a group can only advocate self-denial and self-sacrifice to its followers, instead of self-improvement and self-enhancement, then this group is no different from mass movements launched by religion, Nazism, or nationalism.”

I spoke with several members of the Infinite Society at the market today. They said that beyond the illusion of "Great Teacher," the things that satisfy their vanity—earning money to support their families, gaining allies, improving their physical abilities, and honing their fighting skills—are actually felt more real to them.

"You seem to have read the books he recommended very carefully."

"Chanyu, aren't you the same?"

Both of their views come from "The True Believer," a book that Asama mentioned many times in "The Love Manual."

Besides this book, Ryuzoji Seiwa and Hououin Haruka also read through all the books on the psychology of love that Asama had mentioned during the summer vacation, such as "The Crowd," "The True Believer," "The Crowd," "The Dictator's Handbook," and "The Social Animal."

"I had read this book before he recommended it."

Phoenix Courtyard seemed to be deep in thought.

"But if you read it and don't use it, it's a waste of time."

How can this theory be used?

"Use it like Teacher Da."

Ryuzoji slowly scanned the sports field, glanced at Asama, then looked back at Hououin, his eyes gleaming.

"Then, I'll ask you one more time, are you interested in rebuilding the [People's Revolutionary Alliance]?" (End of Chapter)