Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 979 Facing One's True Nature

"Congratulations, Murayama-senpai... Happy wedding, Yumiko!"

September 3rd, noon.

At the entrance to the banquet hall of the Grand Prince Hotel Shin-Takanawa in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, Hideki Hanyu, who had come to attend the wedding with a gift, offered his congratulations to Mr. Murayama, who had personally greeted him, and to the newlywed Yumiko Murayama.

Yumiko Murayama married a descendant of the Matsuzaki family. Although the wedding was a traditional Shinto ceremony, the Shinto ceremony is complicated and usually only relatives are invited to attend.

Therefore, the invited guests do not need to go to the ceremony site. They can simply wait until after the traditional wedding ceremony to receive thanks from the newlyweds at the hotel's reception banquet.

A guest like Hideki Hanyu is naturally the most distinguished guest we are entertaining today!
Therefore, as soon as Hideki Hanyu finished speaking, everyone who was there to greet the guests immediately came forward.

The old man from Murayama was also the first to introduce the identities of these people to Hideki Yuzuru.

"Hanyu-san, this is Akio Matsuzaki, the current president of Morinaga Confectionery."

Upon being introduced, Akio Matsuzaki immediately reached out to shake hands with Hideki Hanyu, saying, "President Hanyu is young and promising. Meeting you today, I can say you are truly an outstanding person. It is an honor for me that President Hanyu could attend Aiko's wedding."

Upon hearing this, Hideki Hanyu shook hands with the other person.

"I have long heard of Mr. Matsuzaki's great name. His decisiveness in handling the Glico incident back then is something that all younger business people should learn from."

As the saying goes, "a sedan chair is carried by people," and people would shower him with praise upon meeting him. On such a joyous occasion, Hideki Yuzuru would naturally have to say some nice things as well.

After exchanging a few simple pleasantries with Akio Matsuzaki, the old man Murayama went on to introduce the other people.

For example, Matsuzaki Akio's eldest son, Matsuzaki Isao, married Murayama Yumiko's second son, Matsuzaki Ao, and so on.

This naturally includes Matsuzaki Akie, the eldest daughter of Abe no Michiko, who married Abe no Michiko three years ago.

Of course, the eldest daughter now takes her husband's surname, Abe.

As for the old man Murayama's children, they are all acquaintances of Hideki Hanyu, so there's no need to introduce them one by one here.

Although Hideki Hanyu was the same age as these people, he was able to get along with old man Murayama and Akio Matsuzaki on equal footing because of his own strength. When facing these people, he always felt that they treated him as an elder.

That respectful attitude, coupled with the deliberately humble posture, made Hideki Hanyu feel inexplicably awkward.

However, having attended many social events over the years, this wasn't the first time I'd encountered such a situation. So, after exchanging polite greetings, I was led into the banquet hall by the old man from Murayama.

When the granddaughter of an evergreen politician like Murayama gets married, especially to a descendant of the family that founded Morinaga & Co., the guests invited to the wedding banquet are naturally all wealthy and powerful.

So when Hideki Hanyu arrived here, he naturally had to attend to various social obligations.

Business partners, business allies, and high-ranking figures he needs to socialize with, not to mention those in the public eye whom he supports as a financial backer.

In short, to succeed at the top, you have to be good at everything.

Despite Hideki Hanyu's constant travels around the world, he never forgets the social interactions he has with these people.

From small events like birthdays and housewarmings to major celebrations, weddings, and funerals, his assistant's office would prepare gifts, congratulations, and expressions of condolence for him in advance.

Because Hideki Hanyu has such a wide social circle, his assistant's office even set up a special department to handle this matter, ensuring that no one, not even their relatives, is overlooked.

According to statistics from his assistant's office, Hideki Hanyu spends hundreds of millions of yen every year on these social obligations.

At the end of the social engagements, the old man from Murayama approached him again.

"Hanyu-san, someone has arrived. Let me introduce you."

Having just finished a social engagement, Hideki Hanyu asked curiously, "Who?"

The old man Murayama said in a low voice, "Shintaro Abe."

Hideki Hanyu feigned surprise and said, "So you're the future Prime Minister."

While ordinary people know nothing and still foolishly vote in elections, big shots at the top of the pyramid like Hideki Hanyu already know.

After various negotiations and compromises among the various factions within the Ming Party, this person has been identified as the next prime minister.

This development trend is quite similar to that of another time and space.

In response, the forces supported by Hideki Hanyu were also won over, and after being promised some promises and benefits, they expressed their support for Shintaro.

Hideki Hanyu didn't really care about this, because he knew very well that if history followed the predetermined path, he would die young before he could even become prime minister.

Hideki Hanyu knew about this, and old man Murayama was not surprised.

Old man Murayama simply explained, "Then you should also know that Yumiko's husband's sister married his son three years ago."

"Of course I know. So that's why Murayama-senpai married Yumiko into the Matsuzaki family? To establish a connection with the future prime minister."

Hideki Hanyu looked at the old man Murayama with a mocking expression.

As a seasoned politician, the old man was not about to engage in such a taunt with Hideki Hanyu, and readily admitted it.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. After all, I'm getting old, and I don't know how long the connections I've built up will last. I have to think about future generations, so this time I'm betting everything."

"Instead of relying on others, why not work hard yourself? Your eldest son has a good reputation, why not do some maneuvering and run for office yourself?"

Hideki Hanyu asked the question in accordance with his own style, after all, he always preferred to keep things in his own hands, believing that it was better to rely on himself than on others.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing Hideki Hanyu's words, the old man Murayama immediately smiled and probed, "If Mr. Hanyu is willing to support me, I will immediately begin planning for my eldest son."

"The weather is really nice today. I heard that Yumiko is planning to have a church wedding in Switzerland, and she didn't even invite me..."

Hideki Yuzuru, not wanting to engage with the old man Murayama, immediately changed the subject and pretended to be confused.

Although the old man Murayama had a good personal relationship with him and had contributed to the advertising war, he was ultimately not a member of his faction.

Even if he wanted to promote someone to a high-ranking position, he would only choose one from among his own people. Why would he use his own resources to promote an outsider?

Even if he were willing, his allies and subordinates would not agree.

Furthermore, Murayama's political base was in the Kanto region, where established forces were concentrated.

He has only just used the Homma bribery case to extend his business reach, and it is unlikely that he will engage in political maneuvering any further to provoke these established powers.

Seeing that his probing was in vain and that Hideki Hanyu was not responding at all, the old man Murayama immediately guessed what Hideki Hanyu was thinking, so he stopped mentioning the matter and continued to take Hideki Hanyu to see Shintaro Abe.

Although the leading candidate for prime minister had just arrived, he was already surrounded by people who came to greet him.

The way they were surrounded by admirers perfectly illustrates a saying in China.

No one sits on the cold kang (heated brick bed), but everyone rushes to light the stove.

When the old man Murayama introduced Hideki Hanyu to Shintaro, Hideki Hanyu witnessed firsthand what it meant to be "overconfident and carried away with success."

When Mr. Shintaro was introduced to Hideki Hanyu by the old man Murayama, his arrogant attitude, despite his efforts to suppress it, proved that he had forgotten the basic qualities of a politician amidst the flattery of those around him.

As a politician about to assume the premiership, even if one cannot be truly humble, one should at least appear modest and unassuming.

Hideki Yuzuru gave a few perfunctory words to this kind of person and then took his leave.

After all, he couldn't be bothered to argue with a dying man.

Even so, after getting away from Shintaro, he couldn't help but ask the old man Murayama.

"Senior Murayama, is this kind of person really worth you betting everything on?"

"Even though he's not young, isn't it normal to be a little smug in this situation?"

When the old man from Murayama helped explain, he looked at Hideki Hanyu with a strange expression.

"After all, not everyone is as cautious as you, even more so than an old man like me."

Despite his young age, he was adept at concealing his emotions, seemingly doing nothing on ordinary days, yet constantly scheming against others, harboring all his plots and schemes, and striking with lightning speed at crucial moments, catching his opponents completely off guard.

Hideki Yuzuru said unhappily, "What do you mean by conspiracy and trickery? I plan things out carefully and act prudently without taking risks."

Besides, how do you know I don't show my emotions? The day before yesterday in South Korea, I even fell out with Lotte's Shigemitsu Takeo and his son over a woman.

Upon hearing Hideki Hanyu's words, the old man Murayama immediately asked, "You dare say that you really turned against Takeo Shigemitsu and his son for a woman, and not because you had planned this all along to extort money from her?"

Hideki Hanyu, however, gave a evasive answer: "I'm just telling you that I don't hide my emotions."

"Ha ha……"

Old Man Murayama chuckled, with an expression that said, "I knew I was right."

Hideki Hanyu was able to become close friends with an old fox like Murayama, so his thick skin was naturally on the same level. He didn't care about Murayama's expression at all, and after looking around, he spoke.

"Why hasn't Haruko arrived yet? I'll go ask Yumiko."

After saying this, he left the old man from the village.

As for the old man Murayama suppressing and comforting Shintaro, Hideki Habu had no intention of reminding him at all.

Not to mention that the old man's granddaughter is now married, and all the "big bets" have already been placed, it would be of no use saying anything, since what has been invested cannot be taken back.

The fact that Shintaro died suddenly before taking office, causing all the major forces that had invested heavily in him to lose everything, was definitely beneficial to Mr. Yuzuru's "neutral" forces.

They were not involved in this matter, but instead benefited from being courted in advance.

If you make some arrangements before Shintaro's "untimely death," you can gain extra benefits.

Take Murayama, for example. In the past, he only maintained a personal relationship with Hideki Hanyu, but kept his distance from Hideki Hanyu's power.

But when the old man's "big bet" fails after retirement, and he still wants to maintain his status, who will be the first person he can rely on and trust?
"Ha ha……"

Thinking of this, Hideki Yuzuru suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh without warning.

Because he suddenly realized that the old man from Murayama's description of him earlier seemed to be quite accurate. He couldn't show his emotions, his schemes and plots were all hidden in his heart, and he was constantly scheming against others…

"He truly is a cunning old fox!"

It's remarkable that Hideki Hanyu's mindset remains unchanged.

After all, this is who he is, and he has a clear understanding of himself.

If even he doesn't dare to face his own nature, then he is destined to perish in self-deception.

However, before Hideki Hanyu could find Yumiko Murayama, he received a phone call from Haruko Naito regarding news about her.

"Hanyu-kun, there's some work to take care of at Shingetsu Trading, so I won't be going to the wedding banquet today. Anyway, I'm going to attend Yumiko's wedding in Switzerland on September 7th."

Today's banquet was nothing but social obligations; I'd rather use that time to finish my work and enjoy a peaceful vacation with you in Switzerland.

And so, Haruko Naito stopped coming.

After the wedding banquet began, Hideki Yuzuru, who didn't want to socialize anymore, simply found a corner to listen to work reports on the phone.

Most of them were leftovers from before they went to South Korea.

Domestically, there was only one thing: Duan Yongping accepted Hideki Yuzuru's advice, resigned from Subor, and established "BBK Electronics Co., Ltd." in the special economic zone.

They started by using the PS1 console technology licensed by Elf Entertainment to lead the R&D team in preparing the domestic version of the "Little Elf" game console.

As for Japan itself.

Using Izumi Sakai as an excuse, Hideki Hanyu dealt with Yoichi Osato of Amuse Agency. While Hanyu was in South Korea, Osato persuaded the board of directors to accept investment from Cloud Entertainment and officially become a member of the Cloud Group.

As a result, the management contract for the legendary Japanese band "Southern Stars" also fell into the hands of the Cloud Entertainment Group.

Although Southern Stars' record deal was with Sony, Cloud Entertainment did not make any demands on them, but instead respected Southern Stars' choice.

In addition, Amuse Studio, which is controlled by the Cloud Group, does not force Southern Stars to compromise with the market, but fully respects the band's creative freedom.

Even after the Southern Stars expressed their desire to move behind the scenes, they did not hesitate to offer their support.

These few decisions alone immediately won the favor of the Southern Stars, making them willingly join the Cloud System.

In addition, there are updates regarding the delisting of Fuji Television's parent company, Neon Broadcasting.

Thanks to Haruko Naito's persuasion, all the partners who had originally worked together to acquire Neon Broadcasting agreed to Hideki Hanyu's request to cash out at a high price and leave.

As Hideki Hanyu acquires more and more shares in Nippon Broadcasting, the delisting of Nippon Broadcasting is inevitable.

Seeing that there was no way to change the situation, the Shikauchi family finally chose to compromise and agreed to sell their nine percent stake in Nippon Broadcasting to Hideki Hanyu.

Of course, Hideki Hanyu did not push his luck and offered the Shikauchi family a price that satisfied them.

Now, the entire broadcasting industry has completely fallen into Hideki Hanyu's hands, and Fuji Television has become his personal fiefdom.

Next, once the delisting application is approved, the hidden danger of Fuji Television and Nippon Broadcasting being a "mother-son" company will be completely resolved.

When it comes to delisting, the delisting of the much larger-scale Aiyi International is naturally a prime example.

With Bernard Arnault's betrayal of the LVMH board, AIA International successfully usurped a seat in the LVMH Group, and its delisting from the Tokyo Stock Exchange has officially begun.

Within a week, Aiyi International will successfully delist from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The new management team of LVMH Group will also undergo a complete reshuffle.

Mrs. Tanaka will assume the position of Chairperson of the Board of Directors of LVMH Group.

Ophelia Abel will serve as the head of the Strategic Decisions and Development Department at LVMH Group, and will be fully responsible for all Asian affairs.

Bernard Arnault, who betrayed and defected, received the promised reward from Hideki Hanyu: he took the coveted CEO position at LVMH Group and continued to serve as the head of the "Shared Services Center."

Finally, his subordinates reported another matter to him.
That was the "Mitsushin" incident, which started in another time and space because of Kotani Mitsuhiro and would have involved and affected many powerful and high-ranking people. In the end, under the tacit suppression of various forces, it was reduced to a small-scale case.

Kotani Mitsuhiro was arrested and soon "committed suicide out of shame" in prison.

The yakuza forces that were connected with Kotani Mitsuhiro suffered "most casualties" due to attacks from other yakuza forces.

The only person openly implicated was former Prime Minister Nakasone, who was among the first to visit Shinto shrines after the war. He was taken away for investigation by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department for manipulating the stock market and abusing his power to embezzle and accept bribes.

Nakasone was naturally unwilling to take the blame, but when everyone wanted him to maintain his dignity, he had to obediently and voluntarily do so if he didn't want to end up like Kotani Mitsuhiro, "ashamed to death."

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, even Hideki Hanyu, whom the old man Murayama described as someone who never showed his emotions, couldn't help but reveal a smug look on his face.

After all, he was able to use the Kotani Mitsuhiro incident to gain benefits for himself, reach a tacit understanding with other forces, and successfully send Nakasone, this piece of trash who visits the sacred toilet, into it.

This proves that his methods of forming alliances and manipulating power at the top, as well as using interests to manipulate people's hearts, are becoming increasingly sophisticated and cunning.

Just as Hideki Yuzuru was feeling smug, a familiar figure in a kimono suddenly appeared at the side door of the banquet hall and was walking out of the hall.

Hideki Yuzuru caught up in a few steps and blocked the figure outside the door.

"Fujiko, what are you doing here?"

Considering the other person's identity, Hideki Yuzuru immediately asked, "Are you here to perform?"

In Japan, at formal occasions for the upper class, even if artists are invited to perform, pop singers and idols will not be chosen, because doing so would be seen as a display of nouveau riche taste lacking substance and depth.

Generally, depending on the occasion, they will invite descendants of Kabuki families to perform, or invite enka singers to perform.

This is similar to sumo wrestling, a sport that is not popular among young people, yet still attracts numerous Japanese companies willing to sponsor it.

Even companies under Hideki Hanyu's control occasionally sponsor sumo wrestling and performances by certain Kabuki families.

As for the performance tickets he received through sponsorship, Hideki Hanyu never used them; he distributed them all as employee benefits.

After all, deep down, Hideki Hanyu doesn't like Japanese cultural traditions.

Especially in Kabuki families, the degree to which the heirs openly commit atrocities is such that, apart from murder, they have done every evil thing imaginable.

Yet, ironically, in Japan's distorted social culture, these guys always manage to get forgiven.

After all, in the eyes of the Japanese, as long as it is part of the national traditional culture, can serve as a national image, or can bring glory to the country, then they can only be forgiven after making a mistake.

It's as if the Japanese stop thinking when they're around these people.

In a way, Hideki Hanyu can also be considered one of the beneficiaries.

As a renowned writer who has brought honor to the world, Hideki Hanyu has been proven countless times to have engaged in playboy behavior.

Even the news of her illegitimate children has been exposed before.

But the Japanese people just don't think he's wrong, and they have unlimited understanding and tolerance for him.

"Mr. Yuzuru is not married, and it is his freedom to have as many girlfriends as he likes."

“As long as one is willing to take responsibility, having a child out of wedlock should not be criticized.”

“Those women are not worthy of Mr. Yuzuru at all. They should feel honored to have the love of writer Yuzuru.”

Sometimes, even Hideki Hanyu finds these comments outrageous.

As she was thinking this, Fuji Ayako, recognizing Hideki Hanyu, nodded in acknowledgment.

"The wedding banquet performances are all over, and I'm going to the dressing room to remove my makeup."

"I was on the phone just now and missed your performance. I'm free now, so I'll go with you to the dressing room to chat."

Looking at the mature beauty in front of him, dressed in a kimono, exuding a captivating charm amidst tradition, Hideki Yuzuru couldn't help but feel a little itchy.

After being handed over to Ikuo Suo's agency, Ayako Fuji's career has progressed much more smoothly than in the other timeline, thanks to the resources she obtained from Hideki Hanyu. She is now a top-tier singer in the enka world.

Therefore, the aura of success that she possesses makes her even more charming than before.

Fuji Ayako naturally wouldn't refuse Hideki Hanyu's request, and she took him to the dressing room with him.

The dressing room was actually a suite in the hotel, and it was being used by other people besides Fuji Ayako.

After Hideki Hanyu entered, he didn't care who was inside, since the performance was over, and spoke without any politeness.

"Get out of here, everyone. I have something to discuss here."

A man whose face was covered in white makeup was removing his makeup when he heard Hideki Hanyu telling him to leave. He was about to explode in anger, but a woman next to him reminded him that it was Hideki Hanyu who was speaking. He immediately suppressed his anger and obediently left the room.

After everyone left, Hideki Hanyu immediately picked up Ayako Fuji and placed her directly on the table covered with cosmetics.

Seeing the cosmetics scattered all over the floor, Fuji Ayako quickly said, "Hanyu-san, be careful, these are cosmetics I just bought."

The scumbag, who had already lifted the hem of the beauty's dress, had no time to care about such things.

He said, "I'll buy you a new one," but his hands didn't follow through at all.

Fuji Ayako glanced in the direction of the door and reminded him, "Hanyu-san, the one who was kicked out before you was the Ichikawa Danjuro family of Naritaya."

The Ichikawa Danjuro family is the number one Kabuki family in Japan.

However, Hideki Habu, who doesn't even care about locusts, would never care about a mere Kabuki family.

To prevent Fuji Ayako from saying anything more and ruining the mood, the scumbag directly shut her up completely.

Soon, suggestive sounds filled the suite.

Meanwhile, those who had been kicked out of the room, including Fuji Ayako's assistant, dutifully guarded the door to prevent any fools from ruining the boss's plans.

(End of this chapter)