Tokyo Literary Masters: Starting from the Late 1980s

That same evening, the Literature and Art Department of the Shincho Society.

Sizzle... sizzle...

An old-fashioned fax machine was whirring in the corner, spitting out a sheet of warm thermal paper.

The previously noisy phone calls in the entire literature and art department seemed to disappear at that moment. Everyone's eyes were focused on this thin piece of paper.

Just a minute ago, the famous producer Teshima from Asahi TV called me personally.

Editor-in-Chief Sato tore off the fax with trembling hands, and his face instantly turned ugly as he looked at the words on it.

[Urgent letter regarding the invitation to Mr. Kitahara Iwao to participate in a special project for "News Station".]

"This is insane... utterly insane!"

Editor-in-Chief Sato slammed the fax on the table, his tie askew, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, and then exclaimed, "Kijima Heihachiro is actually going to be on Kume Hiroshi's show!"

"And they're even going to have a face-to-face confrontation! This isn't an invitation, it's practically a public execution!"

Machida, standing nearby, was so startled he stammered, "Editor... Editor-in-Chief, that's *News Station*!"

"The highest-rated news program in all of Japan! And it's live! What if Mr. Kitahara gets speechless after Kijima's outburst, or says something wrong because he's nervous? Then it'll all be over!"

In this era, live television broadcasts are as powerful as nuclear weapons.

One mistake is enough to ruin a writer's career.

"We absolutely cannot go! We must inform Kitahara-sensei immediately!"

Editor-in-Chief Sato acted decisively, grabbing the phone on the table and quickly dialing the number for Kitahara Iwa Apartment.

At this moment, Kitahara Iwa was sitting at his desk, organizing the last few documents about "Spiral" under the dim light of a desk lamp.

Jingle Bell……

The quiet of the room was shattered by the urgent ringing of the telephone.

Kitahara Iwao put down his pen and answered the phone. Immediately, he heard Sato, the editor-in-chief, shouting anxiously, "Teacher Kitahara! Something terrible has happened!"

"TV Asahi just sent a fax. That guy, Kijima Heihachiro, is going to confront you on tomorrow night's 'News Station' live broadcast! The production team is inviting you to come and confront him!"

"Oh? TV Asahi?"

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Iwa raised an eyebrow and said, "That producer Teshima is quite quick to act."

"Teacher Kitahara, how can you still laugh! This is a trap!"

Editor-in-Chief Sato stamped his feet in frustration, saying, "That host, Hiroshi Kume, is notoriously sharp-tongued; he'll do anything for ratings!"

"Besides, Kijima Heihachiro is a mad dog right now. You'll definitely be humiliated if you go! I'll refuse for you right now and tell him you're not feeling well..."

"Editor-in-Chief Sato, we cannot refuse."

After hearing Editor-in-Chief Sato's explanation, Kitahara Iwa quickly interrupted him, saying, "If you don't go, that's true death."

"What?"

Sato on the other end of the phone was stunned.

Looking out the window at the gradually brightening Tokyo nightscape, Kitahara Iwa continued, "On live television, an empty chair often sounds worse than the accuser's words."

"If I don't go, tomorrow night's live stream will show Kijima yelling at an empty chair all by himself."

At that moment, Kitahara Iwao's voice came through the telephone line: "He would point to that empty chair and tell the entire Japanese audience: 'Look! Kitahara Iwao is guilty! He admits that what he wrote is garbage! He doesn't even have the courage to face me!'"

"Once this impression takes root in the minds of the audience, that is the real social death."

"But……"

Editor-in-Chief Sato's voice was filled with conflict.

He certainly understood the dangers of an empty chair, but sending his own newly debuted newcomer to compete against a veteran writer who had been in the industry for many years seemed like suicide.

"Kitahara-kun, that's a live broadcast with no delays or editing! If you say even one wrong word, there's no way to make amends!"

Editor-in-Chief Sato grew increasingly flustered, his anxious pacing audible even through the phone line: "Kijima may not be able to write good books these days, but he's been a critic for over ten years and has written several books; his sharp tongue is notoriously biting!"

"You're still young, and your talent lies in your writing. What if you get led astray by his sophistry during the live stream..."

There was a sudden pause on the other end of the phone.

Immediately afterward, Sato, as if grasping at a last straw, exclaimed urgently, "That's right! I can't let you go alone! I'll contact Professor Aramata Hiroshi right now!"

"Aramata-sensei is a literary senior and the recommender of 'Ring.' With him present, even if Kijima wanted to cause trouble, he'd have to think twice!"

"Even if it's just two against one, the chances of winning are much higher if they're just cheering from the sidelines!"

"No need, Editor-in-Chief Sato."

Sensing Editor-in-Chief Sato's concern for him, Kitahara Iwa quickly interrupted the suggestion, his voice carrying a hint of reassurance: "Too many people will only create chaos and easily give the audience the illusion that 'Shinchosha is bullying others'."

"Besides, this is a personal feud between me and Kijima-sensei, and there's no need to drag Aramata-sensei into this mess."

"What personal grudge? This concerns the reputation of the Shincho-sha! Kitahara-sensei, where do you get your confidence?"

At this moment, Editor-in-Chief Sato's voice trembled with anxiety; he was clearly on the verge of losing his temper: "Since he dared to go live, he must have a whole lot of dirty water ready to throw at you! What if he loses?"

Hearing the anxious shouts coming from the receiver, Kitahara Iwa leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the second manuscript on the table, signed by Minamino Sawa.

Editor-in-Chief Sato had no idea that the literary savior whom Kijima Heihachiro praised so highly and was even proud of was lying quietly on his desk at that moment.

The outcome of this battle was decided the moment Kijima Heihachiro praised Minaminozawa in Weekly Bunshun.

"Don't worry, Editor-in-Chief Sato."

Kitahara Iwao spoke as casually as if he were going to an ordinary dinner party rather than venturing into a den of wolves: "Teacher Kijima is indeed very aggressive now, but the gun in his hand has already exploded."

"Tomorrow night, all you have to do is sit in front of the TV and watch the show."

After saying that, Kitahara Iwa glanced at the clock on the wall and gave Editor-in-Chief Sato no more chances to persuade him: "Please reply to Producer Teshima for me."

Kitahara Iwa's eyes gleamed with a chilling determination as he said, enunciating each word clearly, "Tell them I will be there promptly at 10 p.m. tomorrow night."

The next morning.

As the first rays of sunlight touched Tokyo, the city was already buzzing with excitement because of the major trailer released the night before.

Several major mainstream newspapers have prominently featured tonight's News Station program previews in their arts and culture or social sections.

"The 'Battle of Sekigahara' in the Heisei Literary World? Rising Geniuses vs. Old-School Critics!"

Who is the real cancer in the literary world tonight at 10 PM?

Kitahara Iwao will appear to share his experience! Is it the confidence of a genius, or a final act of madness?

Producer Teshima is truly a master at creating drama; the posters he worked on overnight were even put up on the streets of Shibuya.

On one side of the screen is Kijima Heihachiro, his face contorted as if he's roaring in fury, while on the other side is Kitahara Iwa's cold, black-and-white profile.

A huge red cross was marked in the middle, giving it a tense and explosive feel.

Kitahara Iwa had just finished washing up and was drinking milk while taking out a newspaper from the mailbox to read.

Looking at the exaggerated headlines in the newspaper, Kitahara Iwa couldn't help but laugh.

"They made me look pretty handsome in the photo."

Just then, the phone on the table rang.

This is the tenth call this morning.

The previous calls were all from other magazines.

Clearly, these magazines all want to capitalize on this incident to grab a huge share of the traffic and profits.

Kitahara Iwa initially wanted to simply unplug the phone line for some peace and quiet, but upon noticing that the caller ID wasn't a familiar number, he hesitated for a moment before finally answering.

"Hey, this is Kitahara."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a cautious, melodious female voice, as clear as a spring, yet trembling slightly.

"Um... is that Kitahara-san?"

Kitahara Iwao paused for a moment, his previously formulaic tone instantly softening: "Oh, it's Ms. Sachiko. Good morning."

The caller was Sachiko Kamachi.

Hearing Kitahara Iwa's gentle voice, the girl on the other end of the phone visibly relaxed, but the worry in her tone didn't lessen at all: "Good morning... Um, did I disturb your rest?"

"I just saw today's poster and those newspapers at the newsstand at the station..."

At this moment, Sachiko Kamachi's voice was somewhat hurried, clearly frightened by the aggressive headlines: "The newspapers say that Kijima Heihachiro is going to attack you on television tonight... and even hold some kind of public trial. Kitahara-san, are you... are you really going?"