Tokyo Literary Masters: Starting from the Late 1980s

Chapter 169 Flipping the Table

Soft background music was playing in the coffee shop.

But by this time, Akina Nakamori could no longer hear.

The words Nozaki Toshio uttered fell upon her one after another.

GG's hiatus, album postponement, tour cancellation, 700 million yen in breach of contract fees — and the so-called "family liquidation" from his father's side.

Every word was pleasant to hear, and they were even spoken in a very calm tone.

But that's precisely why it's so suffocating.

Akina Nakamori's fingers tightened little by little, her knuckles turning white.

It's not that she couldn't understand, nor that she was unaware of the threatening element involved.

But all these threats were disguised as contracts, family arrangements, and company arrangements, making them sound so reasonable, as if if she refused, she would be immature, ungrateful, and ruining everyone's plans.

She was all too familiar with this feeling.

She had been pushed into the middle in the same way many times in the past.

Her father said the family needed her, her brother said she should help, and the company said it was for her own good.

Everyone is making arrangements for her, deciding for her, and calculating her future.

She only had her own fears; no one ever really listened to them.

She sat there stiffly, her breathing gradually becoming lighter.

Even though Kitahara Iwa was sitting right next to him, the suffocating feeling of being surrounded by his father, brothers, and the firm again still instinctively welled up inside him.

Nozaki Toshio watched as Nakamori Akina slowly lowered her head, and the tension in his eyes finally eased a little.

He was all too familiar with Akina Nakamori's reaction.

Akina Nakamori is not without temper, nor is she completely unaware of fear.

But she has been pushed around by her family, her agency, public opinion, and her reputation since she was a child, and she has long been used to putting her own feelings aside.

As soon as you put words like "family," "responsibility," "contract," and "penalty for breach of contract" in front of her, Akina Nakamori instinctively backs down.

She would first doubt whether she was being too willful, and worry about whether she was causing trouble for others.

I would first think that if I refused, would I ruin everyone's plans?

This is precisely what Nozaki Toshio is most relieved about.

Akina Nakamori is the most dazzling diva of this era, but she is also the one most easily overwhelmed by family ties and responsibilities.

On stage, she can silence tens of thousands of people for her.

But once she returns to her family and agency, she is still the same Akina Nakamori who dares not easily say "no".

Nozaki Toshio felt a little more at ease when he saw Nakamori Akina lower her head.

However, Kitahara Iwa's appearance was indeed unexpected for him.

Today, Kitahara Iwao is not just an ordinary writer, but one of the most sought-after figures in the Japanese literary world.

Literary awards, best-selling books, box office success, and international awards all fell on his shoulders.

Nozaki Toshio certainly wouldn't dare to underestimate such a person.

Moreover, as long as Kitahara Iwa is willing to speak, newspapers, publishing houses, and cultural circles will all hand him the microphone.

Nozaki Toshio, the president of Ken-On, was well aware of this.

Therefore, he never intended to confront Kitahara Iwa head-on from the beginning.

Despite his fear, he did not panic.

Because he could tell that Akina Nakamori hadn't truly made up her mind yet.

Akina Nakamori is also afraid of disappointing her father, scolding her brother, turning against her agency, and being labeled as "disregarding her family" and "ungrateful."

As long as she herself cannot say "no," no matter how influential Kitahara Iwa is, she can only stand aside in the end.

With this in mind, Toshio Nozaki regained his rhythm.

He first glanced down at the file bag on the table, his fingertips lightly resting on the edge of the briefcase, and the smile on his face returned to a more composed state.

I don't need to overpower Kitahara Iwao; it's enough to bring the conversation back to "family," "contract," and "Akina's own choice."

Thinking of this, Nozaki Toshio raised his head and looked at Kitahara Iwa again.

At this moment, his smile remained respectful, but it also carried a hint of the patience of a seasoned veteran.

"Teacher Kitahara."

Toshio Nozaki began by saying, "You are the pride of the Japanese literary world, and we all deeply respect your work."

"But this is the entertainment industry after all. There are contracts, resource investments, and business arrangements between companies and artists. Many things cannot be intervened on mere sympathy."

Nozaki Toshio smiled slightly.

"I don't mean to offend you, but I just hope you understand that literature has its rules, and business has its rules."

""

As Nozaki Toshio finished speaking, the table fell silent.

The expression on Nakamori Yoichi's face was completely different from before.

With each additional word Nozaki Toshio spoke, the confidence in his eyes grew stronger.

Especially when he heard Nozaki Toshio still using that unhurried tone to keep the topic firmly on "contract," "family," and "Akina's own choice," the last bit of unease in his heart dissipated.

It seems that Kitahara Iwa isn't as scary as I imagined.

At least, President Nozaki did not back down.

As long as Toshio Nozaki doesn't back down, he has the confidence to continue suppressing Akina Nakamori.

As a result, Yoichi Nakamori's arrogance was even greater than before!

He slowly put his arm back on the table and leaned back in his chair.

When he looked at Nakamori Akina, the arrogance in his eyes was almost undisguised.

As if to say:

You see?

It won't matter who you call.

No matter how famous Kitahara Iwa is, he can't control your family affairs, let alone the agency's contracts.

Thinking of this, Nakamori Yoichi couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth and unconsciously adjusted to a more comfortable sitting posture, just waiting for Kitahara Iwao across from him to back down, so that he could continue to press Nakamori Akina to sign the contract.

But Yoichi Nakamori soon discovered that his smugness seemed to have come to nothing.

Sitting opposite him, Kitahara Iwa didn't even spare him a second glance.

Even Nozaki Toshio's subtle but forceful pressure failed to stir much emotion on Kitahara Iwao's face.

He simply picked up the ice water on the table and took a sip.

It was only then that Nozaki Toshio realized that Kitahara Iwa had been very quiet since the beginning.

He didn't interrupt himself, nor did he rush to explain for Nakamori Akina, nor did he continue arguing about "family decision" and "office rules".

Kitahara Iwa seemed to have truly listened to everything he said.

But after listening, his expression didn't waver much.

This reaction made Nozaki Toshio's heart sink slightly.

This old fox, who was used to being in control, suddenly realized that his seemingly impeccable rhetoric, which combined kindness and threats, had not only failed to have the slightest deterrent effect, but had not even managed to pull Kitahara Iwa into the game logic he had set up.

At this moment, Kitahara Iwa put down his water glass and looked up at Nozaki Toshio.

"President Nozaki."

Kitahara Iwa slowly said, "I really don't understand the rules of your entertainment industry."

Just as Nozaki Toshio was about to reply, Kitahara Iwao continued speaking.

"But I know one thing."

His gaze fell on the briefcase beside Toshio Nozaki.

"I know how to write a report."

Upon hearing Kitahara Iwao's words, Nozaki Toshio's smile froze instantly.

Kitahara Iwa continued, "A popular female singer was forced to sign an 800 million yen real estate contract under the pretext of 'family decision' by her family and agency."

"The contract includes joint and several guarantees, a second mortgage on the residential property, additional mortgages, and a clause that prioritizes repayment of future income."

"If she refuses, the agency threatens her with GG, albums, tours, and a 700 million yen penalty for breach of contract."

Kitahara Iwao then turned to Nozaki Toshio and asked, "President Nozaki, do you think anyone would be interested in putting this kind of report on the front page of the newspaper tomorrow morning?"

After that rhetorical question was uttered, the area around the table suddenly fell silent.

The things Nozaki Toshio just brought out—the contract, the penalty for breach of contract, the cancellation, the tour, the family decision—were originally chains weighing on Nakamori Akina.

But Kitahara Iwa used only one sentence, "the front page of the newspaper," to pick up these chains and put them in the sunlight.

Once this matter is written into a report, it will no longer be a family affair of the Nakamori family, nor a business arrangement within the firm.

It will become a scandal that can be seen by readers across the country.

The smugness that had just surfaced on Nakamori Yoichi's face instantly froze.

He didn't understand contracts, banks, or even second mortgages on residential properties.

But he knows about newspapers.

They understand even better how much attention the name "Akina Nakamori" will attract once it's linked to scandal.

He had just been thinking that after Kitahara Iwa left, he would keep Nakamori Akiko behind to continue forcing her to sign.

But now, that thought vanished instantly.

If this really makes the front page, it won't just be Akina Nakamori who suffers.

The Nakamori family will also be dragged into front of everyone.

The decision was made by the father, himself, and his family, and involved an 800 million yen contract.

Every word can become a laughing stock for others to point fingers at.

Thinking of this, Nakamori Yoichi's expression finally changed.

He subconsciously looked at Toshio Nozaki, trying to find some confidence in his face.

But that one glance made his heart sink.

Because the smile on Toshio Nozaki's face had completely frozen.

The coffee was still in his hand, the rim of the cup only inches from his lips, but he didn't drink it.

After a while, Toshio Nozaki put the cup back on the coaster.

At that moment, Toshio Nozaki finally understood.

Kitahara Iwa didn't respond to him earlier because he was bothered by the phrases "family decision" and "agency rules".

Quite the opposite.

From the very beginning, Kitahara Iwa had no intention of competing with him for contracts, resources, or rules.

Nozaki Toshio wanted to keep this matter locked in his room, suppressing it as a domestic matter of the Nakamori family, as a business arrangement within the agency, and as Nakamori Akina's "immaturity" all by herself.

But Kitahara Iwao only used the phrase "front page of the newspaper" to bring the whole matter out into the light.

That's a completely different matter.

Having been in the entertainment industry for over twenty years, Toshio Nozaki knows all too well the power of those weekly magazines and newspapers.

Normally, agencies can use contracts to pressure artists, use resource cards for advertising, and use GG (Gross Media) and TV stations to create silence.

As long as the matter remains within the industry, many problems can be resolved gradually.

But once it's written into a report, printed into hundreds of thousands of magazines, and sent to convenience stores, bookstores, television stations, and the offices of the IRS, the so-called tacit understanding within the industry will instantly become invalid.

This time, in particular, the person who wrote the report was not an ordinary journalist.

It is Kitahara Rock.

Kitahara Iwa is now someone whose name is sought after by the entire Japanese media.

If he's willing to write, if he just mentions in his column that "the popular singer is trapped by her family and agency with real estate contracts," countless editors and reporters will dig deeper into that statement tomorrow.

Second mortgage on residential property, joint and several liability, priority repayment with future income, 800 million yen real estate contract, 700 million yen penalty for breach of contract —

Once these words are put on paper, they cease to be mere threats at the negotiating table and instead become clues for the media to investigate the firm, the bank, and the Nakamori family.

At that point, the GG Chamber of Commerce will demand an explanation, the TV station will try to avoid risks, the bank will be eager to distance itself, and the National Tax Service may also take the opportunity to look into the firm's so-called "resource advances" over the years.

What's more troublesome is that Akina Nakamori is not an ordinary entertainer.

She is a popular singer.

Her name alone is enough to make the newspaper sell more copies.

The name Kitahara Iwao alone is enough to transform this matter from entertainment gossip into a social issue concerning family, agency, bank, and the bubble economy.

Toshio Nozaki could almost picture those titles.

Inside the 800 Million Yen Real Estate Contract of a Popular Diva

Talent Agencies, Families, and Banks: Who's Mortgaging the Future of Celebrities?

A Song Suppressed by a "Family Decision"

If such a headline appears on the cover of a weekly magazine, every word he just used to bet on Akina Nakamori will become evidence for others to question him about.

GG shut down?

Then check the GG contract.

Album delayed?

Then check the agency's schedule and the artists' income distribution.

A 700 million yen penalty for breach of contract?

The media loves these kinds of numbers.

As for the "family decision" —

This word can be used to press Nakamori Akina on a coffee table.

But in the newspaper, it only becomes something more glaring.

The father, brother, and agency conspired to force the popular singer to sign an 800 million yen contract.

Once public opinion interprets it this way, it will be very difficult for Toshio Nozaki to extricate himself from the situation.

His public image will immediately shift from "a strict president who makes proper financial plans for his artists" to that of a capitalist accomplice who colludes with family members and uses his power to push his artists into a debt trap.

The deathly silence on the table had lasted for quite some time.

Although Akina Nakamori couldn't quite grasp the complex balance of interests, she could clearly observe the reactions of the two men; Toshio Nozaki's usually composed smile remained frozen at this moment.

And the older brother who usually yelled at him was as if his throat had been choked, and he didn't dare to utter a single word of rebuttal.

Looking at the two identical, cowering faces opposite her, Akina Nakamori felt the suffocating feeling that had been pressing down on her finally being gradually lifted away.

Only at this moment did Nakamori Akina seem to finally be able to breathe again, raising her head to look at Kitahara Iwa beside her.

Family, contract, penalty for breach of contract, firm.

These words, which had just been like a net, pressed her back into that familiar place.

But Kitahara Iwa didn't follow their rules to fight, nor did he try to find a way out of that net.

Kitahara Iwa simply changed the location of the event.

From the coffee table, it was moved to the newspaper.

Replace their so-called "family decision" with social news that everyone can see.

At that moment, Nakamori Akina felt that the words that were originally used to suppress her were suddenly no longer so unbreakable.

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