novelraw Chapter 200: Tokyo City TV's Reaction! Nohara Hiroshi's Arrangements! Mizukami Sho Takes the Bait!
Chapter 200: Tokyo City TV's Reaction! Nohara Hiroshi's Arrangements! Mizukami Sho Takes the Bait!
Unlike the warm haze drifting beneath the amber lamp in that Shinjuku alley, the private club atop Kirin Group headquarters rose like a cold palace suspended above Tokyo's night sky.
Massive floor-to-ceiling windows sliced the sparkling galaxy of city lights below into silent, frigid abstract paintings, reflected on the mirror-polished obsidian floor and mirrored in the flushed, young, beautiful faces within — faces warmed by alcohol and ambition.
The air was a blend of crisp champagne bouquet and expensive perfumes, forming a scent that belonged exclusively to the upper echelons of indulgence.
Sato Tokugawa — the mountain-sized Chairman of the Kirin Group — was contentedly sunken into an enormous Italian leather sofa, his fleshy face wearing the satisfied glow of a man who'd eaten and drunk his fill.
Surrounding him like stars orbiting the moon was a cluster of radiant young men and women.
Without exception, they were the hottest idols under Kirin Talent Agency — the most sought-after celebrities in Japan's entertainment world.
Kamiki Shunsuke, the undisputed center of this constellation, sat elegantly beside Sato Tokugawa, carefully pouring him a glass of top-shelf single malt Scotch from Islay.
His face — hailed as a "national treasure" — wore a smile perfectly calibrated between humble deference and familiar intimacy.
"President Sato," his voice glided like the finest silk, smooth and magnetic, "it's all thanks to your masterful maneuvering that I received the Best Actor nomination for the Tokyo Drama Awards. This kindness, I—"
"Enough, enough — spare me the platitudes." Sato Tokugawa waved dismissively, downing the expensive whiskey like water, then fixing his tiny, fat-creased eyes on Kamiki Shunsuke."A nomination is nothing to celebrate." He belched, his tone dripping with casual dominance. "I'm telling you — this year's Best Actor is yours. Nobody's taking it."
Yet beneath that imperious promise, a faint, nagging irritation crept into his thoughts.
Just then, a sharp-looking female secretary in a tailored suit strode in with brisk efficiency.
She bowed deeply to Sato Tokugawa, then placed a freshly printed document before him.
"President, this is the latest intelligence from TV Tokyo."
Sato Tokugawa accepted the document with lazy indifference and gave it a cursory glance.
But the instant his eyes caught those bold headlines, his usually murky little eyes flashed with hawk-like intensity.
"Midnight Diner... manga adapted into a live-action drama?" he murmured, an unmistakable gravity entering his voice.
The lavish, hedonistic atmosphere crystallized in an instant.
Every gaze turned to Sato Tokugawa, confusion flickering across those young, beautiful faces.
"President, what is it?" Kamiki Shunsuke was the first to speak, his almond-shaped eyes brimming with concern for his patron. "Has something happened?"
Sato Tokugawa didn't answer. He merely tossed the document onto the coffee table — a casual gesture, yet one that landed like a bomb.
Kamiki Shunsuke snatched it up, his eyes racing over the contents.
When he saw the keywords "Nohara Hiroshi," "heartwarming healing," and "manga adaptation," his handsome face darkened instantly.
"TV Tokyo is making a heartwarming healing drama too?" A fellow top idol leaned in, his perpetual sunny smile now shadowed with deep concern. "And Nohara Hiroshi himself is at the helm? President, won't this affect our upcoming Minamijima Afu and His Beloved Dog?"
His words immediately drew a chorus of agreement.
"Exactly, President!" A female idol known for her pure, innocent image furrowed her brow, her delicate look of distress enough to move any man. "Our drama's whole selling point is 'warmth' and 'healing' — now TV Tokyo is doing the same thing? They're clearly picking a fight!"
"And Nohara Hiroshi is the hottest producer in all of Japan right now! His Hachiko Monogatari is about to break four billion yen at the box office! If he goes into heartwarming dramas too, our advantage is completely gone!" A rugged-looking male idol couldn't hide his anxiety.
"What's worse, I've heard Nohara Hiroshi is a master at manipulating audience emotions! Every film he makes leaves people sobbing! Our Minamijima Afu and His Beloved Dog is moving too, but if we're competing on tearjerking power, I just... I don't feel confident!" A recently debuted young actress spoke with a tremor of fear.
The club filled with anxious murmurs.
These idols — blazing stars under the spotlight, adored by millions — now looked as vulnerable as ordinary mortals, their faces etched with dread of the man called Nohara Hiroshi.
Yet amid the swirl of anxiety, three middle-aged men who had been silent throughout exchanged a glance, then simultaneously let out contemptuous chuckles.
These were three senior Level Two Directors whom Sato Tokugawa had headhunted at premium salaries from major stations across the country.
They were to be the absolute core of Tokyo City TV's production capability against TV Tokyo.
"Everyone, aren't you... giving this Nohara Hiroshi too much credit?"
The speaker was a director named Tanaka — slightly heavyset, his face perpetually creased with an amiable smile, though his small eyes glittered with a shrewdness that belied his genial exterior.
"Adapting manga into live-action drama is no simple task." He lifted his glass for a measured sip, his professional confidence quieting the entire room. "Do you think manga and live-action are the same thing? Let me tell you — they're completely different animals!"
"Director Tanaka is absolutely right!" A bespectacled, wiry director named Suzuki joined in. He looked bookish, but his words cut like a scalpel. "Manga's magic lies in what it leaves unsaid. The artist sketches a world with simple lines, but what the characters actually look like, how they speak, the scent of their surroundings — all of that is filled in by readers' own imaginations! Every reader carries their own personal 'Midnight Diner' in their mind!"
"But live-action? Live-action is 'filling in the blanks'! It makes everything concrete! The Owner must be this specific actor, his voice must sound this specific way, that bowl of cat rice must taste this specific way! It overrides — with brute, undeniable force — each reader's unique, imaginative world! Do you think the original fans will accept that? They'll feel their 'sacred ground' has been desecrated! Betrayed!"
"Director Suzuki's analogy is exquisite!" The third director, Watanabe — tall, dignified, with the bearing of an old-school samurai lord — clapped his hands in appreciation. "It's like the person you've been secretly in love with for years suddenly appearing before you in a form you absolutely cannot accept. That sense of disillusionment, that fury — it's enough to destroy all the affection that came before!"
"And don't forget — the reason Midnight Diner works as manga is its unique atmosphere, its warmth and vitality, along with that mysterious owner." He paused, a contemptuous smirk curving his lip. "That atmosphere is incredibly difficult to recreate through a camera. And the Owner is even more impossible! Who do you cast? A handsome man? Fans say you've ruined the Owner's mystique! A plain-looking man? General audiences lose their appetite! It's an inescapable paradox!"
"Which is exactly why I'm saying — you're all worrying over nothing." Director Tanaka smiled and summarized. "Nohara Hiroshi may be a genius with chanbara films. He may be a master of tearjerkers. But in the field of manga-to-live-action adaptation, he's a rank amateur! He's chosen the wrong battlefield! His defeat is assured!"
The three directors' professionally grounded analysis acted like an instant adrenaline shot, immediately soothing the anxious hearts of every idol present.
"So that's how it is!"
"Hearing the directors explain it that way, I feel so much better!"
"We almost let Nohara Hiroshi's reputation intimidate us!"
"That's right! No matter how talented he is, he can't be a genius in every field!"
The worry and unease in the room was instantly replaced by relief and... schadenfreude.
Everyone gazed at the three directors with admiring, trusting eyes.
But into that buoyant atmosphere, a hoarse, pressure-laden voice cut like a sudden winter wind on a warm spring day.
"You are all still underestimating him." It was Sato Tokugawa.
At some point, he had set down his glass. Every trace of drunken satisfaction had drained from his fleshy face, replaced by something that made the heart clench.
His small eyes were locked on the document, staring at it the way one would stare at an enemy capable of bankrupting everything he owned.
"You think this is merely a TV drama?" He let out a cold laugh, his voice heavy with gravity. "You're wrong! This isn't art! This is a naked political attack by TV Tokyo against us — against our newly established Tokyo City TV!"
Each word landed like a sledgehammer on every heart in the room.
The club plunged into deathly silence.
Everyone stared at Sato Tokugawa. The lightness and pleasure had vanished from their faces, replaced by precisely calibrated "alarm" and "compliance."
"The President is absolutely right!" Kamiki Shunsuke was the first to recover, his handsome face now burning with righteous indignation. "TV Tokyo has gone too far! Our Tokyo City TV has barely been established, and already they can't wait to crush us! They don't take us seriously at all!"
"Indeed, President!" The three directors chimed in, exchanging knowing glances.
"But you needn't worry too much, President." Director Tanaka spoke with a reassuring smile, confidence restored. "TV Tokyo may be powerful, but we're no pushovers! Behind us stands the entire Tokyo City Government! And you, along with several other real estate magnates who hold the economic lifeline of all of Tokyo City! In terms of financial muscle, we're every bit their equal!"
"Exactly!" Director Suzuki's cool eyes now burned with raw ambition. "With sufficient funding, I'm confident I can produce something more heartwarming, more healing, more moving than Nohara Hiroshi's Midnight Diner!"
"President, trust us!" Director Watanabe declared with solemn conviction, his refined face radiating unshakable certainty. "The three of us working together, plus Kamiki and these incredibly popular idols — this battle is ours to win!"
Sato Tokugawa listened to their pledges. The gravity on his face didn't fully lift.
He exhaled a long breath — tinged with resignation, irritation, and deep wariness toward the young man named Nohara Hiroshi.
"I hope so." He murmured, then drained his glass of amber liquid.
The burn of whiskey sliding down his throat brought his restless heart a few degrees closer to calm.
His gaze swept across every face, his small eyes filled with the weight of absolute command.
"Minamijima Afu and His Beloved Dog — are you confident?"
"Yes!"
The three directors answered in unison, voices blazing with fighting spirit.
"We will give everything we have!"
Kamiki Shunsuke joined in, supreme confidence written across his handsome features. "Trust me, President! My acting is enough to make every young girl in Japan fall completely under our spell! They'll cry, they'll laugh, they'll pour out every last drop of passion and tears for Afu and his beloved dog!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
The entire club erupted in knowing laughter.
Everyone knew Kamiki Shunsuke was right.
In this era of looks, beauty was justice!
Sato Tokugawa, watching their brimming confidence, finally allowed his gravity to soften.
He nodded, executive authority reclaiming his features.
"Good." His voice was low and forceful. "Remember — this production isn't merely a drama. It's directly tied to Tokyo City Mayor Tanaka Mikami's reelection campaign!"
"So you must give one hundred and twenty percent! Failure is not an option! We will use this drama for a decisive victory! We will show the world the power of Tokyo City TV! We will teach TV Tokyo who truly reigns over Greater Tokyo!"
"Sir!"
Everyone responded in unison, their voices alight with determination.
Yet amid the fervor, Director Watanabe — the most measured of the three — suddenly spoke up, asking a question that made every head turn.
"President, I've heard that the newly established Tokyo City TV has reserved a Deputy Bureau Chief position in the Production Division for your appointment. Might I ask... whom do you intend to give that position to?"
The instant his words fell, the passionate atmosphere solidified.
Directors Tanaka and Suzuki's breathing seemed to stop.
They exchanged a glance, reading in each other's eyes that irrepressible hunger and... a flicker of rivalry.
They knew this position was more than just a title.
It represented future power at Tokyo City TV.
Sato Tokugawa regarded their eager faces with a deeply meaningful smile.
But in the depths of his heart, the irritation he'd just suppressed came surging back like a tide.
He thought of that young man who inspired both admiration and fury — his distant nephew, his own blood yet fundamentally at odds with him — Sato Kenji.
If he could put that kid in this position, then with his abilities and Tokugawa's own control, the entire Production Division of Tokyo City TV would be firmly in his grasp!
By then, whether promoting his real estate projects or generating campaign momentum for Mayor Tanaka — it would all be child's play!
But... that kid had refused him!
He'd chosen to stay at TV Tokyo — to follow some country bumpkin named Nohara Hiroshi — and thrown away this monumental opportunity!
This "betrayal" ignited a blaze of fury in Sato Tokugawa's chest.
But he didn't let it show.
He merely cast a casual glance at the three directors sitting ramrod-straight, expectation written across their faces, and let an amused curve play at his lips.
"That position? No rush." His voice was soft yet laden with power. "It'll depend on who performs best this time around."
"BOOM—!"
That single sentence was the most potent stimulant, instantly igniting the flame called "ambition" in all three directors' hearts!
"President! Leave it to me!" Director Tanaka was first to pledge, his genial smile replaced by ironclad certainty. "This Minamijima Afu and His Beloved Dog — I will bring two hundred percent of my abilities! I guarantee it will be this year's most heartwarming, most healing, most successful drama!"
"President! I personally wrote and polished this script over three full months!" Director Suzuki followed, his cool eyes now burning with fervent heat. "We've studied Nohara Hiroshi's Hachiko Monogatari and seamlessly woven the core themes of 'loyalty' and 'devotion' into our story! We won't just ride Hachiko Monogatari's wave — we'll surpass it with our own narrative!"
"And President!" Director Watanabe added passionately, his refined face alight with conviction. "We have Kamiki and these incredibly popular idols! Their faces alone are our ultimate ratings guarantee! With them on board, this drama simply cannot fail!"
Sato Tokugawa listened to their pledges of loyalty, and the irritation on his face finally gave way to genuine satisfaction.
He knew these three men would fight tooth and nail for that Deputy Bureau Chief position.
And all he had to do was sit back and reap the rewards.
"Good." He nodded, imperial authority returning to his features. "I look forward to your results."
The club filled once more with buoyant cheer.
Everyone knew a new war was about to begin.
A war of money, power, and... glory!
And they would be both soldiers and witnesses to its final outcome!
...
The following morning, as the first tendrils of dawn pierced the thin mist hanging over Tokyo like the sharpest blade, rousing the sleeping leviathan of the city—
A war without gunfire had already fired its opening salvo across newspaper stands and convenience stores in every corner of the metropolis.
Freshly printed newspapers, still fragrant with ink, lined the racks — and their front pages were dominated, almost without exception, by the same name and the same project.
The Tokyo Daily's culture section ran a headline that read like a war bulletin: "Midnight Diner Goes Live-Action! Nohara Hiroshi's Bold Counterstrike — TV Tokyo Unsheathes Its Sword Against Its Newest Rival!"
"Just as Tokyo City TV partnered with Kirin Group's talent agency to announce its heartwarming project Minamijima Afu and His Beloved Dog — aiming to carve out a share of the drama market — TV Tokyo's 'cultural phenomenon' Nohara Hiroshi responded swiftly late last night. His personally created manga Midnight Diner, which enjoys cult-level devotion among urban white-collar workers, will officially be adapted into a live-action TV drama. Industry analysts note that this move is undoubtedly TV Tokyo's precision strike against its emerging challenger. Nohara Hiroshi's strategic intent in playing his most potent 'healing' card at this exact moment is unmistakable. A ratings war centered on 'warmth' and 'healing' has officially begun. Yet manga-to-live-action adaptations carry a notorious 'curse' — whether Nohara Hiroshi can extend his undefeated record remains to be seen."
Compared to the Tokyo Daily's blunt commercial lens, the Yomiuri Shimbun's editorial struck a deeper, more professionally cautious note: "From Yamishibai to Midnight Diner: Nohara Hiroshi's 'Dimensional Wall' Gamble — Genius Confidence or Rookie Arrogance?"
"It must be clearly stated that adapting Midnight Diner into live-action and last year's wildly successful Yamishibai animation are fundamentally different propositions. Yamishibai succeeded by ingeniously preserving manga's raw kamishibai texture — functioning more as 'motion comics,' essentially dubbing and animating the original pages rather than true 'adaptation.' Moreover, since the manga wasn't published beforehand, there was no existing readership to satisfy. Midnight Diner is an entirely different beast. It boasts millions of devoted readers, each carrying their own imaginative, emotionally invested 'Midnight Diner.' Going live-action means filling that 'imagined space' with a specific actor, a fixed set. For the faithful, this amounts to nothing less than a 'trial of faith.' What angle should the scar on the Owner's face sit at? How should the bonito flakes drift atop a bowl of cat rice? Mishandle these details, and an avalanche of backlash awaits. Nohara Hiroshi has chosen the most difficult and most dangerous path. Is this rooted in a genius's absolute confidence, or the arrogance of an undefeated man facing uncharted territory? The market will deliver the final verdict."
The Asahi Shimbun's cultural commentary section elevated the perspective further, exploring the sociocultural phenomenon behind it all: "'Healing' as Commodity: When Midnight Diner Leaps from Page to Screen, Can It Still Bear the Weight of Urban Loneliness?"
"What Midnight Diner truly sells is not food, but an antidote to loneliness. It offers harried modern urbanites — exhausted from battling their way through forests of steel and concrete — a virtual 'spiritual sanctuary.' This success is rooted in the inherent intimacy and imaginative space that manga as a medium uniquely provides. But when this private experience is transformed into a mass-audience television drama, will its essence mutate? Television's inherent properties demand broader appeal and sharper dramatic conflict. Will this dilute the original's distinctive flavor — that ability to find profound meaning in the mundane? We have reason for cautious optimism: after all, the man at the helm is Nohara Hiroshi. But we have equal reason for concern: when 'healing' becomes a mass-produced commodity, how much of its original purity and sincerity will survive?"
The most specialized film journal, Eiga Junpo, zeroed in directly on the adaptation's most critical — and potentially fatal — challenge: "Who Can Become 'The Owner'? The Achilles' Heel of Midnight Diner's Live-Action Adaptation"
"Casting will make or break the live-action Midnight Diner, particularly for the Owner — the show's very soul. He must be a walking contradiction: scarred across the face, suggesting a turbulent past, yet with eyes that radiate a gentle wisdom born of seeing everything. He speaks little, yet with a single dish, a single phrase, can precisely soothe the human heart. He is a symbol, an archetype — a 'ferryman' carrying every urbanite's fantasies. An actor like this is as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Cast a celebrity, and their established image may clash with the character. Cast an unknown, and can they carry the entire show's gravitas? Nohara Hiroshi has demonstrated exceptional casting instincts in previous works, but this time he faces the most severe test of his career. This isn't merely selecting an actor — it's finding a real-world projection for millions of readers' dreams. This may be Nohara Hiroshi's greatest gamble yet."
In an instant, Japan's entire media landscape was swept into a maelstrom of anticipation, caution, skepticism, and debate over Midnight Diner's live-action adaptation.
Yet when these words — dense with professional jargon and rational analysis — filtered down into the city's capillaries, the chemical reactions they triggered were entirely different.
Early morning. The packed Yamanote Line swayed gently with the rhythm of the tracks, like a vast cradle filled with exhaustion and dreams.
"Miyabi! Miyabi! Look at this morning's paper!" A young woman in professional attire — clearly a recent hire — was excitedly shaking her companion's arm. Her sleep-deprived eyes now sparkled with excitement.
"What is it, Miyuki? Getting worked up this early." The girl called Miyabi yawned and looked up from her phone, which displayed the idol drama she'd binge-watched late into the night.
"Midnight Diner! It's Midnight Diner! Department Manager Nohara is turning his manga into a live-action drama!" Miyuki practically shoved the newspaper into her friend's face.
"What?!" Miyabi's drowsiness vanished. She snatched the paper, and the instant her bright eyes landed on that familiar name, they blazed to life. "Is this for real?! Oh my god! I've dreamed of seeing a moving, breathing 'Owner'!"
"Right?! Right?!" Miyuki nodded furiously. "I worked until eleven last night, and on the way home, starving, I kept wishing a real 'Midnight Diner' existed! And then I wake up to this! It's like the universe heard me!"
"Who do you think... who will play the Owner?" A dreamy, girlish expression crossed Miyabi's face. "I think that Taiga Drama actor — Kawakamibe Hiroshi, or whatever — would be perfect! Tall, with that seasoned presence!"
"Kawakamibe Hiroshi? No way — he's too handsome. He'd steal focus from the Owner role." Miyuki shot back immediately. "I think that yakuza movie actor — Endo Kazunori — would be great! His naturally fierce face and the Owner's scar would be a match made in heaven! But when he smiles, he's so gentle!"
"Oh, whoever it is! As long as Department Manager Nohara directs it, it'll be fantastic!"
"Absolutely! I can't wait! I want to see it so badly!"
Their animated chatter rang through the dull train car like two happy songbirds, adding a splash of color to the monotonous commute.
Meanwhile, on a university campus elsewhere, students lounged on the grass during lunch break, eating convenience store bento and discussing with equal enthusiasm.
"Hey, did you guys see? Midnight Diner is getting a live-action version!" A boy in a baseball cap said between mouthfuls of fried noodles.
"Of course! I've been following it since volume one — I'm a diehard!" The bespectacled boy beside him pushed up his glasses, his usually analytical eyes now glinting with excitement. "I'm just curious what those dishes will actually look like on screen. The tamagoyaki, the cat rice, the ochazuke sisters... just thinking about it makes my mouth water!"
"I'm more interested in who plays the supporting characters." A more artistically inclined boy rested his chin on his hand thoughtfully. "Especially Yakuza Boss Aryu and the stripper Marilyn — if those two are miscast, the whole show's atmosphere falls apart."
"Relax! The director is Nohara Hiroshi!" Baseball Cap waved dismissively. "If he could bring seven completely different samurai to vivid life in Seven Samurai, a few supporting characters are nothing! Just sit back and prepare for a masterpiece!"
"Good point! Ha ha ha ha! I can't wait! I hope they hurry up!"
In the world of youth, there were no anxieties about "dimensional walls" or calculations about "commercial chess games."
They simply knew that a work they loved was about to appear before them in a vibrant new form.
That pure anticipation was itself a force powerful enough to shake the world.
...
That force naturally penetrated regional boundaries, reaching every corner of the Japanese archipelago.
Hokkaido. Sapporo TV station.
The atmosphere in President Yamashita Taro's office was far less carefree.
An emergency conference call spanning every regional station in Japan was underway.
"Everyone, I'm sure you've all seen this morning's news." Yamashita Taro's voice echoed through every participant's speakerphone, his northern roughness underlaid with quiet gravity. "TV Tokyo's Nohara Hiroshi is adapting his manga Midnight Diner into a live-action drama. Thoughts?"
"Thoughts? Ha ha ha! What thoughts could I possibly have? I nearly burst out laughing!" From the other end came Kinki TV President Sato Kenichi's voice, dripping with glee. "That Nohara Hiroshi — he's still too young! He thinks a few successful shows make him an all-powerful god? Manga-to-live-action is a minefield that even Hollywood directors can't navigate! And he dares to step into it? He's asking for death!"
"Now Sato, let's not be hasty." Chubu TV President Watanabe Osamu, ever cautious. "Nohara Hiroshi is no ordinary person. Every one of his 'gambles' has paid off, hasn't it?"
"That was then! This is now!" Sato Kenichi fired back. "I'll bet right here — his Midnight Diner will bomb! And bomb spectacularly! Then let's see how he keeps his 'undefeated legend' going!"
"I think Sato has a point." Kyushu Region TV President Tanaka Koji spoke up, his voice carrying a southerner's warmth but his words razor-sharp. "But what interests me more is TV Tokyo's motive for releasing this show now."
"Motive?" The others paused.
"Exactly — motive." Tanaka Koji's voice grew heavy. "Don't forget, just days ago, the newly established Tokyo City TV announced a partnership with the Kirin Group for a heartwarming drama called Minamijima Afu and His Beloved Dog. Now TV Tokyo immediately counters with Midnight Diner. Coincidence?"
"Coincidence?! This is blatant suppression!" Tohoku TV President Suzuki Ichiro slammed his table, his voice seething with indignation. "TV Tokyo can't stand anyone else succeeding! Tokyo City TV has barely been born and they're already rushing to strangle it! The sheer arrogance!"
"Exactly!" Shikoku Region's President Matsumoto agreed. "They're clearly trying to monopolize the entire Kanto drama market!"
The conference call erupted with condemnation of TV Tokyo.
These regional powerbrokers — normally independent, even competitive with each other — presented an unprecedented united front against their common enemy.
"Everyone, everyone — let's not get ahead of ourselves."
The ever-silent Hokkaido TV President Yamashita Taro spoke once more.
His voice, like a northern gale, instantly cooled the overheated atmosphere.
"TV Tokyo's dominance isn't news to us." He began slowly, his veteran steadiness silencing the room. "Since last year, which of us hasn't been decimated by Nohara Hiroshi and his team of monsters? Complaining now accomplishes nothing."
He paused, gazing at the vast snowfields beyond his window, a hunter's decisiveness glinting in those clouded eyes.
"What I think is that this may actually be... an opportunity for us."
"An opportunity?" Everyone froze again.
"Exactly — an opportunity." A deeply meaningful curve played at Yamashita Taro's lips. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Tokyo City TV — a new force with powerful backing and deep pockets — is precisely the ally we should be courting."
He paused, his voice growing more pointed. "We can reach out to them. Forge deep partnerships. We can offer our regional broadcast channels, our local production resources. We can even form an alliance with them at this year's Tokyo Drama Awards!"
"We must make TV Tokyo — make that invincible Nohara Hiroshi — understand that what he's facing isn't just Tokyo City TV, but... the entire Regional Television Alliance of Japan!"
"We must use one utterly devastating defeat to end his terrifying undefeated legend!"
Yamashita Taro's words rang with the force of iron, every syllable hammering against every heart like a war drum.
Silence gripped the line for one breathless moment.
Then erupted into thunderous agreement!
"Bravo! Well said, Yamashita!"
"That's right! Regional stations must unite!"
"It's time to teach those TV Tokyo people a lesson!"
"End Nohara Hiroshi's undefeated legend! Now that's an idea I can get behind! Ha ha ha ha!"
A massive storm targeting Nohara Hiroshi — targeting TV Tokyo — was quietly gathering above the Japanese archipelago.
And at the storm's very center, the young man named Nohara Hiroshi was calmly seated in that little eatery filled with the warmth and vitality of real life, quietly eating a simple bowl of ochazuke.
It was now six-forty in the evening — not yet the midnight diner's operating hours — so the restaurant was empty.
Yet Mizukami Sho had personally prepared this bowl of ochazuke.
Watching Nohara Hiroshi eat, he emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of octopus-shaped wieners with cabbage, set it before his guest, and bowed deeply, his voice thick with gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Nohara Hiroshi! Thank you for making it possible for my daughter to attend such an excellent school! I am truly grateful!"
Earlier that day, someone had contacted Mizukami Sho, instructing him to bring his daughter for enrollment.
He'd been anxious at first.
But once he arrived with his daughter, the entire enrollment process was completed in under two hours, and his daughter was officially a student at this prestigious junior high school.
The sudden windfall still felt like a dream!
Mizukami Sho knew all too well: his daughter was academically brilliant, but without a home in the school's district, without the right "gifts" to impress the administration, and without substantial savings...
Getting his daughter into that school had been nothing but a fool's dream.
Now, a single word from Nohara Hiroshi — this twenty-four-year-old young man — had resolved everything.
His gratitude was beyond measure.
"No need for thanks, Owner Mizukami." Nohara Hiroshi looked up at the man who bore such an uncanny resemblance to his previous life's Kobayashi Kaoru, and smiled. "Just remember to report to my production set tomorrow."
"Yes, sir!" Mizukami Sho smiled and bowed a full ninety degrees. His feelings were complicated, yet he found himself genuinely eager.
After all, in his younger days, he had once tried his hand in the entertainment industry.
He'd failed.
Now, after nearly twenty years away from acting, the memories of that youthful ambition and those unrealized dreams only made him more excited.
Because in today's Japan, everyone knew what the name Nohara Hiroshi represented — ratings and box office gold.
The man was practically a god.