novelraw Chapter 26: Undercurrents
Chapter 26: Undercurrents
In Takada Toshihide's office, the expensive sandalwood desk shone so brightly you could see your reflection, and outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows was the bustling Tokyo cityscape, but none of this could dispel the bone-piercing chill inside the room.
Iwata Masao hung his head like a primary school student who had made a mistake, standing before the desk, not even daring to catch his breath.
Takada Toshihide wasn't sitting; with his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth in front of Iwata Masao. Every step felt like he was stomping on the tip of Iwata's heart.
"Trash!"
Finally, Takada Toshihide stopped pacing and spat out this single word. His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a heavy sledgehammer viciously smashing into Iwata Masao's self-esteem.
"I told you to suppress Suzuki, I told you to crush him, and what happened? What did you bring back to me? A 2.98% viewership rating! An early morning slot viewership miracle! Iwata Masao, are you using this method to demonstrate your incompetence to me?!"
"Deputy Bureau Chief, I..." Iwata Masao wanted to explain, but was choked back by an icy glare from Takada Toshihide.
"Do you know what this 2.98% means?" Takada Toshihide's complexion was ashen. He walked behind the desk, picked up a report, and slammed it viciously in front of Iwata Masao.
"Look closely! This is not only the highest premiere week viewership record since we at TV Tokyo opened the early morning slot! This is also the highest viewership rating among all seven television stations in the entire Tokyo Metropolis during the same time slot last night! The highest! Do you understand?!"
Boom!Iwata Masao's brain buzzed, his mind wiping completely blank.
He... he only knew 2.98% was very high, but he didn't know it was unexpectedly high to this degree!
In the entirety of Tokyo's late night, that "slideshow" he had regarded as garbage had actually defeated all opponents and become the true king!
A bone-chilling cold rushed from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his skull. He panicked; this time, he truly panicked.
"You know that Suzuki Kiyoto came over from Kanto TV!" Takada Toshihide's voice was full of burning rage. Glaring furiously at Iwata Masao, he said, "That fellow Asumi also came over from Kanto TV! The two of them have a prior connection! Do you want the two of them to unite and defeat us, when the entire TV Tokyo knows how close our relationship is!?"
Iwata Masao's body began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.
He knew that this matter had escalated from a simple project competition to the level of factional struggle. And he was the foolish chess piece that had placed their side in a passive position within this struggle.
"Speak! Why is it like this!" Takada Toshihide violently slammed the table, staring fixedly at him: "You spoke a good game before!"
"I... I don't know... I thought..." Iwata Masao's tone was trembling.
"You thought?!" Takada Toshihide sneered: "Let me tell you, starting from now, put away that arrogant way of thinking of yours! I don't care what methods you use, your 'Onibo Samurai' broadcasting next Monday must show me results surpassing this number! Do you have confidence?!"
"Yes! Yes! Please rest assured, Deputy Bureau Chief!"
Iwata Masao seemed to have grabbed the final life-saving straw, hurriedly nodding and bowing in assurance: "My 'Onibo Samurai' has exquisite production, a topmost team, and it's also the 10:00 PM golden late-night slot! Breaking a 3% viewership rating, I have absolute confidence! I will definitely... definitely be able to trample that old geezer Suzuki Kiyoto down!"
He truly was very confident.
After all, a professional team was hired starting right from the script, inclusive of the animation production as well. Not only was the picture quality exquisite, but the character portrayal was also very full.
Otherwise, how could Iwata Masao be so arrogant?
Takada Toshihide stared at him fixedly for a long while before slowly sitting back in his chair, waving his hand with an extremely exhausted tone: "Get out, remember what you said today. If you can't fulfill it, I'll let you know what cruelty means."
"Yes! Yes! I understand!"
Iwata Masao was like receiving a great amnesty, scrambling backward out of the office.
It wasn't until he walked out of that heavy door that he realized the back of his expensive suit had long been soaked with cold sweat.
...
In stark contrast to the icy oppression of Takada Toshihide's office, on the other side of the television station building, inside the office of another Deputy Bureau Chief, Asumi, it was like a gentle spring breeze.
Takeshita Ai held a steaming cup of Uji matcha, sitting elegantly on the sofa, a barely perceptible trace of a smile on her face.
Sitting opposite her was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties. He wore a well-fitted dark gray suit, had an elegant demeanor, a steady bearing, and eyes as profound as an ancient well. He was precisely the other Deputy Bureau Chief of the Production Bureau at TV Tokyo, Asumi.
"2.98%," Asumi put down the viewership rating report in his hands, a gentle arc curling his lips as well, "Takeshita, you've brought me a massive gift this time."
"I only did what I should." Takeshita Ai took a sip of tea and smiled: "Gold can't always be treated as a stone and thrown away. The one who truly deserves thanks is that young man named Nohara Hiroshi, and the persistently holding-out Section Chief Suzuki."
"Suzuki..." Asumi's gaze looked towards the window, a trace of reminiscence revealed in his eyes: "He's still the same; his temper is stubborn and smelly, but his eye for evaluating works is always so sharp and venomous. Back in the Kanto Station days, it was him who argued against the consensus and discovered several projects that later became massive successes."
He paused, turned his head back, and looked at Takeshita Ai, his eyes carrying some appreciation: "I brought him from Kanto Station to here because I believed in his ability. Sadly, he's been suppressed too severely by that fellow Takada these past few years and hasn't had much opportunity. This time, it can be considered his accumulation yielding a thick burst, fighting a beautiful turnaround battle."
"More than just beautiful." Takeshita Ai smiled: "It's simply a textbook example of the weak defeating the strong. Now the entire Production Bureau is probably discussing this matter. Deputy Bureau Chief Takada's complexion this morning must have definitely been brilliant."
Hearing this, Asumi couldn't help but laugh as well.
Having fought against Takada Toshihide for so many years, rarely had he experienced such a victory that made him feel so thoroughly gratified.
He picked up the internal phone on the desk, thought for a moment, and put it down again.
"How about this," he said to Takeshita Ai, "Make an appointment with Suzuki for me, just say I'd like to treat him to lunch today. Somethings are better said face-to-face."
Takeshita Ai nodded, a trace of understanding flashing in her eyes.
She knew that Deputy Bureau Chief Asumi was personally entering the arena, formally backing up the Suzuki Section and that miracle-creating "Yamishibai".