novelraw Chapter 61: The Bureau Chief's Arrangement
Chapter 61: The Bureau Chief's Arrangement
The night of Tokyo is a piece of black brocade embroidered with countless gems, luxurious yet cold.
When Nohara Hiroshi, under the warm lights of the ryotei, used an elaborately prepared feast to place an absolutely crucial piece for his chessboard of life.
On the other end of this city.
TV Tokyo Production Bureau Headquarters Building.
Inside that top-floor meeting room symbolizing power, a silent war had long frosted the ground.
The meeting room was paved with a heavy gray carpet capable of absorbing all superfluous sounds. Only the monotonous and suppressive 'buzzing' sound from the central air conditioning vents remained, like a prelude composed for an impending storm.
The long oval meeting table was bright enough to reflect a person, reflecting the cold LED strip lights on the ceiling, and also dividing everyone sitting around it into two sharply contrasted camps.
On the right side of the table, headed by Executive Deputy Director Takada Toshihide, sat three Level 1 Directors and seven Level 2 Directors.
Most of them carried relaxed expressions and leisurely postures. The fingers holding their teacups wore expensive wristwatches. In their occasionally intersecting gazes, carried a deeply rooted arrogance belonging to fighting on their home turf.
They are the 'Tokyo Faction', the true flesh and blood and foundation of this television station.Controlling the lifelines of almost all golden and sub-prime time slots, from the news broadcast at five-thirty in the morning to the wrap-up of variety shows at twelve midnight.
Whereas the left side of the table appeared somewhat desolate.
Deputy Director Asumi sat upright among them, playing host to only one Level 1 Director and four Level 2 Directors beside him.
Their expressions were calm, their postures straight, like a lone army still rigidly defending the final position on a battlefield where the enemy outnumbers them.
They are the 'Kanto Faction', the 'outsiders' merged into this gigantic machine after that acquisition war. For many years, they could only arduously cultivate their own piece of barren land within those secondary time slots left over by the 'Tokyo Faction', much like cold leftovers.
The coldness of power quietly congealed like tangible icicles within this enclosed meeting room.
There were no words exchanged by both sides, but those gazes, whether scrutinizing, disdainful, or forbearing, had long clashed thousands of times in the air.
'Click.'
The heavy door of the meeting room was gently pushed open, a figure walking inside.
That was an old man, sixty-three years old. His hair was already graying, yet combed impeccably.
He wore a neatly ironed dark suit. His figure wasn't considered tall and sturdy, yet his steps were as steady as a mountain.
On that face of his covered with the gullies of time, there was no expression, but those slightly murky eyes, in the split second they swept across the entire room, revealed a majesty sufficient to silence all clamor.
Making everyone immediately stand up upon seeing him walk over.
"Bureau Chief!"
Everyone lowered their heads, respectfully calling out his title.
He was exactly the one symbolizing the supreme ruler of the entire TV Tokyo Production Bureau, Production Bureau Chief, Sakata Nobuhiko.
A man whose name was written full of legends and contradictions.
He was once a great general of Kanto TV. Not only molding the previously famous figures of the TV Tokyo Production Bureau, he even personally led that acquisition negotiation that shocked the industry, incorporating the rising Kanto TV into his own kingdom, merging it into his own territory.
And making TV Tokyo become the unrivaled ruler in the Kanto region today, and even the number one top dog within the entire Neon territory.
Therefore, rumors were spreading that Sakata Nobuhiko would be the next Station Chief of TV Tokyo.
This also made the people seated not dare to have the slightest slack.
All were extremely respectful.
"Everyone's here." Sakata sat at the head seat. His voice was plain, yet naturally carried a power allowing no room for interference.
That atmosphere of drawn swords and bent bows in the meeting room, gently suppressed by this voice, instantly became solemn.
Everyone also sat back down again.
"I've read through the project summaries for the first half of the year." Sakata's gaze slowly swept across the crowd, his tone faint: "The projects of the few Level 1 Directors bear considerable weight; the station will provide the utmost support. The projects of the several Level 2 Directors also each have their own bright spots."
He paused, his gaze seemingly inadvertently landing on the camp of Asumi's side.
"Especially the project 『Yamishibai』, done very well."
Within his tone, carried a trace of imperceptible approval: "To gain a lot via a little, using creativity to pry open the entire viewership rating landscape of the late-night slot. This kind of train of thought is worth all of us learning. Although Suzuki Kiyoto didn't come today, this credit must be recorded."
As his words fell, those directors of the Kanto Faction who always had their faces tautly tensed, unconsciously curled the corners of their mouths upwards into a minute arc.
"Hai!" Asumi lowered his head expressing respect.
Sakata commented on a few more projects, all being some painless superficial remarks. The meeting ended in a bizarre peacefulness.
This was originally just a routine meeting.
"Asumi, Takada, you two stay behind." Just as everyone stood up preparing to leave, Sakata's voice sounded once again.
The door of the meeting room was closed, sealing off all prying eyes and speculations from the outside world.
Sakata didn't look at his two deputies standing as equals, merely walking over to the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the piece of Tokyo shrouded by the night and lights beneath his feet.
"I heard, recently Kyoto TV and Osaka TV have been getting very close."
His voice was as deep as the night color outside the window: "They want to unite, to challenge our position as number one in Kanto. The internal space is still filled with intrigue, but the wolves outside are about to charge into the sheep pen."
The corners of Takada Toshihide's mouth curled up into a smear of imperceptible cold smirk. He knew the main topic had arrived.
All of this was the result of his personal advice to the Bureau Chief.
That great righteousness of 'uniting against the outside' was the sharpest sword in his hand.
Asumi, on the other hand, frowned slightly. He didn't expect the Bureau Chief to use such a direct method to point out the current stalemate.
"Therefore, I have decided." Sakata slowly turned around. In those murky eyes of his flashed an unquestionable light belonging to decision-makers: "For the second half of the year, the key project planning work of the Production Bureau, will be solely your responsibility, Asumi. Including that S-class sub-prime time live-action horror project."
This news was like a depth charge dropped onto the surface of a calm lake, making a trace of astonishment appear on Asumi's face.
Although he had received some wind in advance, he never expected the Bureau Chief would be so straightforward as to directly hand this plump piece of cake capable of determining the landscape of the next few years over to his hands.
The key project planning work for the second half of the year.
Doesn't that represent all the work?
This is equivalent to... the Executive Deputy Director, changing from Takada Toshihide in the second half of the year, over to him Asumi!
Whereas the muscles on Takada Toshihide's face that always wore a genial smile, twitched imperceptibly.
This piece of cake was too plump.
He didn't expect it would genuinely be so straightforwardly handed over to Asumi, or rather handed over to these guys of the Kanto Faction.
But thinking about it, it makes sense.
After all, previously Bureau Chief Sakata had already said, the internal strife between the Kanto Faction and Tokyo Faction indeed shouldn't continue like this anymore. There needs to be integration. The Tokyo Faction needs to voluntarily give up some interests to let the Kanto Faction know the importance of this integration.
To make the Kanto Faction willing to integrate into the Tokyo Faction.
Therefore.
There must be a transfer of interests.
"Although prepared in my heart, I still feel a bit disappointed." Takada Toshihide thought this way, but very quickly recovered that peacefulness of devising strategies within a command tent.
It's just the second half of the year.
Moreover, he wasn't certain what kind of excellent project programs Asumi and his Kanto Faction could produce using these six months.
When the second half of the year ends, won't the Executive Deputy Director behind still be him?
Hence Takada Toshihide wasn't anxious at all.
"However."
Sakata changed the topic, his gaze landing on Takada's body: "For the sake of balance, and also to promote cooperation and communication between the two teams, I gave you an S-class live-action project, then the production of the third season of 『Yamishibai』 will be taken over by the people on your side, Takada. I hope you guys can put down past prejudices, learn from each other, and complement each other's weaknesses."
"This..." On that face of Asumi that was always as ancient as a dry well with no waves, a look of stupefaction finally appeared.
He violently raised his head looking towards Bureau Chief Sakata.
Using an S-class project, to exchange for the production rights of one 『Yamishibai』?
This seemingly was a fair trade, even a trade where he took a huge advantage.
Yet his heart was clearer than anyone else, the value of 『Yamishibai』 could no longer be measured by a simple late-night anime.
That was a banner their Kanto Faction managed to plant with great difficulty. It was the only well that could gush out sweet spring water, cultivated by that young man named Nohara Hiroshi on this piece of barren land monopolized by the 'Tokyo Faction'!
Right now, what the Bureau Chief was doing, was to hand over the ownership of this well to the opponent who always wanted to thirst them to death.
"This is for the sake of the big picture." Within Sakata's voice carried a trace of exhaustion allowing no room for interference: "I hope, you guys can understand my painstaking efforts."
Takada Toshihide slowly stood up at this moment, respectfully bowing deeply towards Sakata.
On that face, that signature genial and humble smile hung up once again: "Please rest assured, Bureau Chief." His voice was so sincere it seemed capable of dripping water: "We definitely live up to your expectations, strengthening cooperation, and uniting against the outside."
Asumi looked at that face of his written full of hypocrisy, then looked at Sakata's face written full of 'the big picture comes first', that fire in his heart suppressed for many years, at this moment, almost rushed out of his chest.
He slowly closed his eyes, forcefully suppressing back down that anger capable of incinerating everything.
He knew he had no choice.
Moreover, the authority of the Executive Deputy Director for half a year... truly was too important!
When he opened his eyes again, all emotions within those elegant eyes had faded away, leaving only a bottomless calmness.
"I understand, Bureau Chief." He slowly spoke.
That voice, was so calm, like a sea about to welcome a storm.
But at this time, Asumi nonetheless slowly opened his mouth once again: "Bureau Chief Sakata, if possible, regarding the right to choose the director to carry out this S-class live-action horror project this time, can it be handed over to me?"
Inside Asumi's mind, he thought of that young man. The young man possessing that agile thinking and imaginative ability that even made him marvel.
And also the young man who left a good impression after chatting deeply with him a few times——
Nohara Hiroshi!
"You can."
At this time, Bureau Chief Sakata finally opened his mouth, speaking very seriously to Asumi: "Asumi, our TV Tokyo has not broken past our previous viewership ratings for three years. This time truly places the big picture first. I also hope you can discard past grudges, letting the Kanto Faction penetrate deeply into every link of the Production Bureau, instead of being like before, still keeping to yourselves."
What he said was very sincere. Asumi thus didn't have any refusal, merely standing up, lowering his head and bowing: "Hai."