Tokyo Literary Masters: Starting from the Late 1980s

"Unforgivable... Absolutely unforgivable!"

Seeing this scene, Kijima Heihachiro trembled all over and suddenly turned around and rushed out of the bookstore.

He was afraid that if he stayed in the bookstore for even a second longer, he would lose control and smash all the books, and then be taken away by the police like a shrew.

If I were to actually do that, I would be fulfilling Kitahara Iwa's wish!

Sitting in the back seat of the taxi, Kijima Heihachiro gasped for breath, his hands trembling as he pulled out a nitroglycerin pill from his pocket and swallowed it.

Counterattack!

We must fight back!

At that moment, Kijima Heihachiro's mind raced with rage.

Writing an article?

No, no!

Writing articles is too slow!

By the time his new flame war article is published, that bastard Kitahara Iwa will have already sold hundreds of thousands of copies!

Moreover, that cunning kid will definitely take things out of context again, cutting out sentences from his own article and turning them into a new GG!

What should I do if I can't write an article?

Should I call Shincho-sha and yell at them?

It's no use. That old fox Sato will definitely dodge the question, and might even use the phone recording to create a scandal!

One thought after another of retaliation popped into his mind, only to be extinguished by his own hand.

Kijima Heihachiro clutched his thinning hair in anguish, staring unfocusedly out the car window. The bustling and noisy streets of Roppongi seemed incredibly jarring at that moment.

On a huge outdoor screen, a trailer for TV Asahi's "News Station" was playing, with the host Hiroshi Kume's aggressive face flashing by.

"By the way... the live stream... a live stream without any editing..."

Upon seeing this, Kijima Heihachiro suddenly stopped moving.

He stared intently at the large screen, and a near-mad light suddenly burst forth from his previously cloudy eyes.

Yes.

The reason why words are taken out of context is because words are static.

But what if it's broadcast live on TV?

What if, in front of tens of millions of viewers across Japan, and right in front of the cameras, Kitahara Iwa's true colors were stripped off?

Under the live broadcast camera, that young kid had no chance to do any editing or splicing tricks!

In this fast-paced era, words may have lost their power, but television does!

If we could use that stage with the highest viewership ratings in all of Japan to carry out a public, inescapable on-site execution of Kitahara Iwao... that would be a truly devastating blow!

"driver!"

Thinking this, Kijima Heihachiro slammed his hand on the seat in front of him, his voice laced with a ferocious excitement, and said, "I'm not going to the newspaper office! I'm going to the nearest phone booth! I'm going to call Asahi TV!"

"I'll show the whole of Japan just how ugly this bastard who uses potent drugs as a selling point really is!"

Afternoon, Roppongi, Tokyo, TV Asahi.

As the ratings champion of the entire first year of the Heisei era, the production center of "News Station" is currently in a suffocating pre-battle busyness.

This is Japan's first news program broadcast during prime time with a strong entertainment element.

With his sharp, outspoken, and unconventional style, host Hiroshi Kume completely overturned the rigid news broadcasting model of NHK in the past.

"Hurry up! Tonight's headline is the aftermath of the cabinet scandal! Isn't the footage ready yet?"

"That street interview about the implementation of the GST was too boring, cut it! Replace it with something more controversial!"

In the smoke-filled producer's office, producer Teshima was puffing away on a cigarette while yelling at his subordinates on the phone.

He was wearing a typical double-breasted, wide-shouldered suit, his tie hanging loosely around his neck, and his eyes held a sharpness like a shark smelling blood.

Just then, a red emergency call came from the table.

After hearing the voice on the phone, the operator quickly turned to look at the Teshima character, her voice somewhat panicked, "Teshima-san, it's... Mr. Kijima Heihachiro calling. He said it's extremely urgent, and his tone... is very frightening."

"Kijima?"

Upon hearing this, producer Teshima frowned slightly.

As a television professional who only cares about ratings, he had no interest in this so-called literary veteran who was already past his prime.

"Tell him I'm in a meeting..."

"He said it concerned the dignity of the Heisei literary world, and if we didn't accept the offer, he would complain that we were ignoring public scrutiny!"

"Tsk, what a troublesome old man."

Teshima impatiently stubbed out his cigarette and grabbed the microphone: "Hey? Kijima-sensei? This is Teshima. Tonight's schedule is already full..."

"I want to be on the show!!"

The roar coming from the other end of the microphone even made Teshima subconsciously move the receiver a little further away.

At this moment, Kijima Heihachiro's voice was not like that of a dignified old scholar as usual, but rather like that of a mad dog whose tail had been stepped on.

"That bastard Kitahara Iwao... and Shinchosha! They're publicly insulting me! Insulting the entire Japanese literary world!"

Kijima Heihachiro's voice, sharp and hoarse with extreme anger, cried out, "Teshima-kun, did you see what the bookstore looks like today?"

"They actually turned my criticism... my outrage at the decadent culture, into promoting GG! They've ripped my face off and trampled on it!"

The producer's nonchalant expression froze instantly when he heard the keywords "Kitahara Iwa" and "bookstore cover".

As a journalist, he was certainly aware of how popular "Ring" was recently, and also of how harshly Kijima had criticized it in "Weekly Bunshun" a few days ago.

But he never expected that Kitahara Iwa, this new writer, would dare to use such a reverse marketing tactic to fight back.

Printing insults on a waistband and calling it a joke?

That's interesting, so very interesting.

Upon hearing this, Teshima's impatience quickly faded, replaced by the excited gleam of a predator.

He keenly sensed the potential for a blockbuster product.

"Mr. Kijima, please calm down."

At this point, Teshima's voice became gentle and persuasive: "You mean, you want to use our program to fight back against this unhealthy trend?"

"Not just retaliation! I want a public execution!"

Kijima Heihachiro, panting heavily on the other end of the phone, gritted his teeth and said, "I'm going to strip away Kitahara Iwa's disguise in front of the entire Japanese audience!"

"I want everyone to see just how utterly worthless his writing is! I will represent the mainstream literary world and hold a public trial for him!"

"Tonight! Tonight! I'm going to be on Hiroshi Kume's livestream!"

Producer Teshima held the microphone, a playful smile curving his lips.

A hysterical old-school critic launches a holy war against a rebellious new writer.

This is practically a golden script tailor-made for News Station!

This is a million times more interesting than boring political scandals!

"Mr. Kijima, I understand your anger very well."

As Teshima spoke, he frantically gestured to his assistant beside him, signaling the assistant to immediately find Kitahara Iwa's contact information, and wrote a large line on a piece of paper: [Urgent Plan Change: A Clash Between the Old and New in the Literary World!]

"However, if it's just you yelling in the studio, the audience might feel it's one-sided bullying and lacks a bit of... drama."

Teshima's voice was full of seduction: "Since it's going to be a public trial, wouldn't it be too boring if the defendant wasn't present?"

Upon hearing this, Kijima Heihachiro on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then said, "You mean...?"

"How about this, we send an expedited invitation letter."

Teshima gazed at the bustling Roppongi skyline outside the window, his eyes gleaming. "Invite Kitahara Iwao here too," he said. "Tonight, during the live broadcast, in front of tens of millions of viewers, you'll confront him face-to-face! How about that?"

"A face-to-face confrontation?"

Upon hearing this, Kijima Heihachiro hesitated for a second before letting out a cold laugh: "Fine! Just as I wish!"

"That brat probably's never even seen a camera before. He'll probably be tongue-tied on stage. Since he's asking for trouble, I'll grant his wish!"

"Then it's settled."

"I'll go invite Kitahara Iwa-sensei right away. If all goes well, we can start the live stream tomorrow!"

After hanging up the phone, Teshima excitedly snapped his fingers and yelled at the entire office, "Everyone stop what you're doing! Tomorrow's special project has changed!"

"The theme is... 'The Black Ship Incident of the Heisei Literary World: Old-School Roar vs. Genius's Cold Laughter!'"

"Contact Shincho-sha immediately."

"Tell Mr. Kitahara that we've reserved a chair for him in the live stream. We've told him that we're not only the highest-profile platform in Japan, but also the battlefield where he can regain control of the narrative."

Teshima exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes resolute. "Of course, he can refuse. But please remind him that on live television, an empty chair often sounds worse than the accuser's words."

After finishing his sentence, Teshima lit a new cigarette, watching the smoke swirl under the light, as if he could already see the ratings curve soaring to the sky tomorrow.