Tokyo Sound

"...I don't want to be contacted." Kashiwa Ippei was silent for a moment, "Let's go, we'll talk on the way."

Yin Ze felt that what he was going to do today might be very serious, so he became more serious. After refueling the car, he left Tokyo on the highway without stopping.

In fact, it is more difficult to drive on a city road with complicated traffic conditions than on a highway. The latter requires more patience and safety awareness. The car maintained a reasonable speed and drove quite smoothly. With the windows closed and the stereo turned off, it was quite quiet, with only a slight vibration from the car below.

"I went to visit a former colleague." Amidst the silence, Kashiwa Ippei finally spoke.

"Electric?" Yin Ze answered without looking away.

"Well, she was a newcomer when I was the department head. Like you, she was a top student who graduated from the University of Tokyo, but she seemed a little reckless when she first entered the workplace."

Kashiwai Ippei seemed to recall the days when he taught newbies a lesson. He smiled and inevitably fell into more memories.

"I went to a mediocre university, so logically, the academic qualifications on my resume would be rejected, and I would never be able to get into a big company. It was also a coincidence that I joined Dentsu. At a cocktail party, there happened to be a Dentsu director. Oh, he was not a director at the time. Anyway, he thought I was quite motivated, so he asked for my number afterwards."

It was a normal social gathering, and the plans being discussed were not something a young boy could interrupt. The reason he was brought there by his boss was because he was needed to set the mood and be the toast master.

If someone wants face, then someone has to extend his face to them and give it to them.

Kashiwai Ippei followed their conversation, keeping a low profile and drinking one strong shochu after another. When the mood got high, he would stand up and perform something with his upper body naked, just imitating the comedians he had seen on TV. The effect was of course poor, but he was successful because he could make everyone present laugh.

The cocktail party went smoothly and the plan was approved.

Kashiwa Ippei vomited while leaning over the toilet bowl until late at night, and then slept in the bathroom until noon the next day.

Later, because I left an impression with my good drinking and speaking ability, I was borrowed by that partner to attend another cocktail party.

Kashiwa Ippei went as promised. He drank a packet of milk to cushion his stomach before entering the room. He was unconscious when the show ended and had to go to the emergency room for gastric lavage.

Slowly, with the help of that person, the young boy actually entered a famous big company.

Kashiwa Ippei worked hard to run sales, humbly asked others for advice, and madly absorbed all kinds of knowledge. He even didn't go home for half a year and washed up at the company. Later, he became the best employee of the year, met with the top leaders in the auditorium of the annual meeting, received encouragement, and was promoted to department head.

Of course, the social boy would not stop there, but he also knew that without background and origin, he could not climb too high, but even so, he had to do his best. The person he met by chance was already a minister, so he just had to work hard with him.

Kashiwa Ippei only wanted to complete the task, show his value, and then rise. Gradually, he became very good at using other methods to achieve his goals without violating the clear rules. Even the various contracts and clauses that he didn't understand at all before became familiar to him and he could easily set traps. His network of contacts was also expanding, and he was getting more and more comfortable with doing things.

There are too many monks and too little porridge. If you want to eat your fill, you can only rely on snatching.

In a Japanese conglomerate like Dentsu, which has many shady rules, you don't need to be smart, but you need to be cunning.

Even the minister did not expect that a drinking tool who was just picked to make up the numbers for a cocktail party could now figure out the rules so quickly and climb up. And greed, enough rationality and greed.

"I felt like my life was in my own hands. With a high completion rate and the favor of the minister, I was backed by a big platform and could decide where large sums of money went. The TV station staff saw me as if they were a gentle uncle who would give out lucky money, not to mention the little idols. As for those photo artists you usually watch, they were not qualified to talk to me at all." Kashiwa Ippei said, "I'm not saying that I have the intention of bullying them. On the contrary... finally, not everyone can step on me. And I will get better and better in the future. As long as I seize this opportunity, keep fighting, and listen to the boss, everything will be fine."

"But you were fired." Yin Ze continued driving.

"The minister gave me a decent ending. I resigned on my own initiative." Kashiwa Ichi smiled calmly.

"What exactly happened?" Yin Ze asked.

"Companies like Dentsu are full of the dark side that all companies should have. There are many suicides in this meat grinder. Twenty-five years ago, there was a suicide due to overwork that shocked the society. It was also called the Dentsu incident. It caused a great impact. Dentsu even lost the lawsuit and had to pay a huge settlement. Its image was naturally greatly damaged. The company spokesperson at the time vowed that they would reflect on themselves, optimize management, and ensure that such things would not happen again."

Kashiwa Ippei shook his head and sneered.

"Oh, everyone knows it's just a polite remark. During my tenure, something like this happened again. Two employees behaved irrationally... Initially, the news media didn't report it at all, but after many people's efforts for more than half a year, the matter was made public and attracted widespread attention. I won't go into details about the process, but in the end, one of the men, Goro Aomizu, was judged to have died from overwork, and the company was held responsible. The impact was no less than that of the incident 20 years ago, and the government also submitted the 'White Paper on Measures to Prevent Deaths from Overwork' to the Cabinet meeting."

Kashiwai Ippei let out a long sigh.

"…The dead cannot be resurrected, but a cry was finally heard."

"There are two people, where is the other one?" Yin Ze asked.

"Her name is Shizuhashi Eri. She is not dead, but a vegetable." Kashiwai Ippei paused for two seconds, closed his eyes, and said in a dry voice, "She is my subordinate."

When we first met, the girl was wearing a serious black uniform and had done her makeup to look mature. She was indeed a top student. Her written materials and responses to various questions were all remarkable. The only thing was that she got stuck when introducing herself and then became extremely nervous.

When we last met, the girl was lying quietly on the hospital bed, and it was impossible for her to wake up. She was extremely thin, her skin was dark yellow, and her eye sockets were sunken. It was as if ten years had been shaved off from her. The fatigue and oldness she showed were unbelievable.

During her probation period and her official job, Eri Shizuhashi worked under Ippei Kashiwai, and was transferred to another department two years later.

Kashiwa Ippei was a little worried, because he always felt that she was still a little lacking in skills, so he would take the initiative to ask about her recent situation when he had time. The answer he got every time was, "Don't worry, I won't let the department head down!" This was full of energy.

The last message from her on the phone was: "Thank you for all the time."

Shizuhashi Eri also sent the same message to her mother.

The girl's department head stood in the ward for a few minutes and then left. He ignored the company's notice, passed the details of the news to all the media friends he knew, and joined forces with friends in the company to report the opinions to the higher authorities, trying to increase internal and external forces, in short, he would never let the company play dead again, and he did not consider the consequences or punishment at all.

Are they going to take away not only dignity and loyalty, but even such a precious life?

What filled the treacherous hound's heart was no longer a desire for money and status, but extreme anger. That anger was like lava, so hot that it made it difficult to breathe.

The incident was reported first by small media, and then followed by major newspapers and magazines. At one time, there was a lot of public opinion and Dentsu could no longer ignore it. This matter also caused strong dissatisfaction among employees internally.

This is the flame of Kashiwa Ippei's anger. He may have been thinking this way for many years, thinking about not caring about anything, not compromising, and flipping the table. And he was powerless to do anything about what happened afterwards. The development of the situation certainly could not be controlled by a small management position. In the face of public opinion and compensation, the middle and senior management of the company also took this opportunity to attack each other and gain benefits for their own faction.

The minister, after being repeatedly asked to do so, also added fuel to the fire. The wolves finished eating the fresh meat of the person who caused this incident, and the dust settled.

Kashiwa Ippei resigned as a matter of course, and his voluntary resignation was the last of his friendship with the minister.

But actually it doesn’t matter.

With Dentsu's near-monopoly position in the industry, there are countless companies doing business with it. None of them would accept Kashiwa Ippei's resume. Even companies outside the industry might not accept him, because this person had taken the lead in using such crude and ostentatious means to try to damage the interests of the group.

Kashiwa Ippei sold his valuables and lived off his savings. He was turned down countless times in the bustling Tokyo. He was just like when he first entered society, and anyone could ridicule him. Nothing had changed. He basically refused to contact anyone on his phone. The connections he had worked so hard to build were like waste paper. Those people would not associate with someone who was not smart, let alone a fool.

He eventually found a place to stay in a voice actor agency.

until today.

The fireworks are out, youth is gone, only thoughts remain.

The car was always so stable under the control of the temporary driver, and before we knew it, we had already traveled half the distance.

Chapter 1 It's Raining

When talking about Japan, we cannot fail to mention the extremely famous and graceful volcano.

In Tokyo, if the weather is very good, you can see the white-capped mountain from afar. But the only places where you can really see Mount Fuji at any time are Shizuoka and Yamanashi.

When you get here, you will of course look at the symbolic mountain through the windshield. It was Yin Ze's first time to see Mount Fuji in person, and he felt that this might not be the best season to visit. There was not much snow on the top, and the dark blue rocks looked a bit cold and rough, lacking the elegance in the postcards and more majestic as a natural creation.

Shizuoka is close to the mountains and the sea, with convenient transportation and beautiful scenery. It is a good place for an outing. But on this trip, neither of the two people in the car had any intention of taking a break.

"You've worked hard. Let's stop nearby and take a break." Kashiwa Ippei said. Driving all the way here in one breath still took some effort. "Let's go get something to eat."

Yin Ze had no objection. If the return trip was included, they would have to drive nearly 300 kilometers today. This might be a distance that Matsuoka Yoshitsugu would never be able to reach in his lifetime.

After parking the car, the two found an ordinary ramen restaurant on the surrounding streets.

"Spicy pork bones, add lots of chili oil." Yin Ze knocked on the table and asked the boss to order. After years of eating and drinking, this body's ability to tolerate spicy food is not as good as that of a kid from Fog City, but it is better than that of an ordinary person.

"Clear soup and a can of beer," said Kashiwai Ippei.

The sound of slurping noodles could be heard in the store. In a seat in the corner, a voice actor was enjoying a first-class meal, while his agent rested his elbows on the table, his expression a little dull.

"I always take time to come and see it once a year," Kashiwa Ippei said. "I don't dare to stay too long, I just put my things down and leave right away."

"Can't you get over the hurdle in your heart?" Yin Ze looked at the open kitchen where the boss was picking noodles skillfully.

"I had a chance to avoid this. During the interview, I felt that she had not lost her enthusiasm and sincerity in college, and it would be difficult for her to find the meaning of working sleeplessly in the company without suffering." Kashiwa Ippei said, "She grinned with a frightening, impeccable sincerity on her face, which we usually call naivety."

Dentsu has almost completely mastered the communications industry, including government propaganda, and the public relations and advertising of many domestic groups. The company decides where the tens of billions of yen of publicity expenses of these companies go every year, and the media rely on advertising fees and sponsorships for income. Therefore, Dentsu is also the breadwinner of TV stations and newspapers. With a slight nod from the company, the media's income for half a year is guaranteed.

There are also many children of high-ranking people from other walks of life, including business and political figures among the members. Their interests are intertwined, their fat is as thick as a city wall, and they are like a bloated giant.

Simply put, it is worthy of the title of "telecommunications industry chaebol".

Becoming the person who makes the decisions in the entertainment industry is also a natural result of being attacked from a lower dimension.

Kashiwai Ippei was once the head of the advertising department. Although his position was very low at the time, as a disciple of the director and an outstanding talent who had entered the leadership's vision, he still had to be invited to take a seat by the receptionists of Fuji TV and TBS.

The entertainment industry is almost synonymous with fame and fortune. It is the place closest to fame and fortune. Unlike the political and business circles, the probability and examples of ordinary people making a comeback and becoming famous are greater.

Kashiwa Ippei had seen a lot of cliques and factions within the company, and he had seen the corruption of the entertainment industry outside the company. He became more cautious. If he wanted to move up, he had to tread on thin ice, put on a smooth disguise on top of his cunning, and never believe in fairy tales.

Shizuhashi Eri is different. She was born in a happy family. On the way to and from school, there are rice fields on both sides, Mount Fuji in the distance, and a clear blue sky above her head. She is smart, cheerful, and has good grades. On the day she received the admission letter from the University of Tokyo, her relatives and neighbors came to celebrate. She is still full of expectations for the future. She will join a large company, use the income to improve the family's financial situation, and her father who suffers from a chronic disease will be able to use better medicine. In the future, she will marry a gentle and responsible man - it seems like a peaceful fairy tale.

Kashiwa Ippei was the complete opposite. He was born in a small town with a population of only about 30,000 people, and it only took him 15 minutes to walk from the southernmost to the northernmost part. In order to make a name for himself, he went to Beijing with his courage.

Two people with different personalities, experiences, knowledge, ideals, good and evil, and world views become superiors and subordinates by chance. This may be one of the charms of Tokyo, a city that never sleeps and is full of decadence.

Kashiwa Ippei always takes good care of this junior in his work, probably because he also envies that kind of good thing, so he always brings him along on business trips to gain some experience.

"How can a boy invite a girl to a ramen restaurant, especially in Osaka?" the girl muttered.

"Don't talk nonsense. Eating is just to replenish physical strength. If it weren't for the fact that humans must sleep, I wouldn't even want to waste those six or seven hours." The department head said coldly.

"This is too cruel to myself... But it does smell good, can I take a picture first?" The girl took out her phone and pointed it at me, "Mr. Dean, don't be so serious, smile."

'hehe. ’

"Don't show that conspirator's sneer!"

呲.

Kashiwa Ippei opened the beer ring, took a sip, then raised his chopsticks and ate the steaming ramen that had just been served to the table with someone.

"Did that female artist just give you a piece of paper with her phone number on it?" the girl asked furtively in a low voice.

"Yes, I threw it away," the department head said calmly.

"What a pity, she is so pretty. Is the department head so picky?"

"What do you know? Many scandals and evidences that brought down big shots came from the women beside them. Since they joined together for the sake of interests, they will definitely turn against each other for the sake of interests."

'It seems like it will be hard for you to get married in your life...' the girl thought for a moment.

"I don't want to be too rude, but if you take maternity leave, the results of your hard work may disappear. In our company, women are somewhat disadvantaged." The head of the department said without emotion.

"Pregnancy, maternity leave?! Why are you talking about me again? It's because you are so serious all day that your colleagues hesitated to call you at the cherry blossom viewing party. It was me who took the initiative to call you." The girl was embarrassed.

"It doesn't matter. As long as the assigned tasks can be completed, I don't care what you want to do or not do." The department head doesn't care about the details.

Yin Ze's pork bone ramen was covered with chili oil, which smelled delicious, so he finished it without much effort. The agent sitting opposite him seemed to have a normal appetite, and he didn't eat the two pieces of meat yet, but just took another can of beer.

"I will be transferred to another department starting tomorrow. Thank you very much for your guidance for so long. I will work hard and will not bring shame to our department." The girl bowed deeply.

"If you have any questions, you can ask me. They are all strangers over there, so don't bother them so quickly." The head of the department paused, "Or if you don't want to transfer, I can help you talk to them."

"Haha, no need. This is also a rare opportunity. The target of business service is different. I also want to communicate with people from other companies. To be honest... I didn't see much of it on TV before. After meeting many artists with you, it's not new to me now." said the girl.

"Okay." The department head nodded.

……

"Let's go to the hospital." Kashiwa Ippei nodded and put down the empty beer can.

The two hurried back to the car and drove to the city hospital.

"In addition to dedication, you also need to be prepared to be exploited. There are many people who use backdoors to get into the company. There are some who are ambitious, but not many. In any case, there must be people who do practical work in the group, so capable people have to fill in for those who don't do anything. In addition, the group itself has a lot of tasks, which creates a lot of burden and pressure on ordinary employees."

Kashiwa Ippei looked out the window and recalled the past.

"Besides, those old bosses are all stubborn and don't talk to the screws very well. It's okay for men, but women will also face workplace harassment. Unfair treatment, credit taken away, taking responsibility for others, mental pressure, physical fatigue, and contracts are still in place, so I don't even dare to decide to resign. My body and mind are worn out day after day."

In order to deal with this dilemma, we must learn to benefit ourselves. Since someone has to suffer and someone has to benefit, why can't we be the ones stepping on others to get ahead?

Kashiwa Ippei knew it in his heart, because he had been there. Every time he bowed deeply, it was just to live with his chest held high in the future. From being used, to using others. After taking office, there were many people who were swallowed up by him quietly.

Now, it is completely normal for Jianqi Jingxiang, who is sitting opposite him, to call him a dog from time to time. That woman and the idol group she was in charge of at the time were almost tricked by him into working for nothing. It turns out that his vision was completely correct, and the group is now surviving quite well. It was just that Jianqi Jingxiang was more careful at the time to avoid the hot buns being eaten by the dog.

Eri Shizuhashi can't do these things. She can't frame others, she can't set traps for others, she can't ignore people in the same situation. In other words, she can't hurt others.

Since childhood, most elders and teachers have taught children to be kind to others, to be positive, to have a beautiful and warm heart and soul, to believe in justice, and to be full of hope.

However, when these children grew up, they suddenly discovered that the world was not like this.

In Shizuhashi Eri's personal blog, negative words gradually eroded the once lively writing. Every day was like living in glue, suffocating. She no longer looked forward to waking up in the morning and kept crying in the tree hole. It was as if the child humming a song on his way home from school under Mount Fuji was a thing of the past life.

Kashiwa Ippei witnessed with his own eyes the process of a beautiful person being cut and even killed both mentally and physically. He thought that people like him, with poor conditions and low education, had no choice but to live like this.

But the fairy tales that I truly envied were also burned by reality.

So he was furious and tried his best to shout out for Eri and Goro.

"Dentsu lost the case and had to pay a large sum of money. But I think that for parents, their child's life is something that no amount of money can buy." The man wearing a high-end replica watch in the co-pilot seat said, "Eri hasn't woken up yet, and the doctors aren't sure when she'll wake up. Her time in the hospital is very expensive. I would secretly leave cash at her parents' door every year, but I didn't dare to meet them."

"How long will this last?" Yin Ze asked while driving and looking straight ahead.

"I don't know." Kashiwa Ippei said self-deprecatingly. Such behavior is both stupid and insincere. Outsiders will not understand the logic, just like a mouse putting down food in its mouth and thinking to itself, I should still be a good person.

Yin Ze was only a temporary driver this time, so he didn't say much today. The two of them didn't talk any more, and went straight to the parking lot next to the hospital, and then walked into the building.

Kashiwa Ippei knew where the ward was. Every time he came, he would look through the glass and cracks outside the door. This time was no different. He came to the familiar building and floor and found the ward. But this time he was stunned, because he didn't need to look carefully to know that the bed was empty. He opened the door brazenly and rushed in. What greeted him was only an empty room that had been cleaned and disinfected, and only the wind coming in through the half-open window.