Arakawara Tarō Izakaya
The manager was a middle-aged man, a beautiful middle-aged woman. There were a few people sitting around him, drinking wine.
Izakaya was a unique culture in Japan. It was different from ordinary taverns that only served alcohol. It also served quality food, but it was different from restaurants and noodle shops.
Because of the chain of izakaya, not only did it increase the variety of alcohol, but it also made the price more affordable. It became a gathering place for friends to meet after work. Even students often held simple banquets in the izakaya.
The white-collar workers in the city would go to the izakaya after work. They would go to two or three izakaya in a night and go home drunk. This was their happy life.
In a corner, the atmosphere between Fukamatsu Mitsuki and Taniguchi Kenichi was very heavy.
Fukamatsu Mitsuki saw that Taniguchi's glass was empty, so she went up to pour some. In Japan, when the wine was empty, friends, whether familiar or unfamiliar, would help, instead of pouring it themselves. This was a social culture.
"Thank you very much." Taniguchi Kenichi thanked her out of habit and took a big gulp. His expression was not good. Not only that, even Fukamatsu Mitsuki looked very tired. The ashtray was full of cigarette butts.
Now that the smoking ban in Japan was getting stricter, people could still smoke freely in izakaya.
After taking a sip, Fukamatsu Mitsuki and Taniguchi did not speak. They just looked at each other with serious expressions.
Fukamatsu Mitsuki thought for a moment and spoke first. Her voice was slightly hoarse. "Kenichi, this doesn't look good."
After saying this, she put the cigarette in her mouth and took a deep drag.
In fact, after Fukamatsu Mitsuki and Taniguchi Kenichi met, they decided to investigate the truth behind Yamada Shinichi's Oka Prize.
It was now the seventh day.
The development of the situation and the results of the investigation shocked them.
First of all, they couldn't find any information about Yamada Shinichi. In Japan, it was very easy to find information, but they couldn't find any detailed information about Yamada Shinichi. This was a bit scary.
Fukamatsu Mitsuki and Taniguchi Kenichi changed their way of thinking and began to investigate who was supporting Yamada Shinichi. The information they found made their hair stand on end.
Just the clues that the two of them had detected involved important figures such as Oda Lin Takashi, Kikuchi Hara Hiroshi, and Kanehisa Akihiko.
Oda Kobayashi's pen name was Yoshiaki Joe. Although he was only a top writer, his background was extraordinary. His father was the late founder of the Xiwu Group and the former speaker of the House of Representatives, Oda Jiro. His half-brother was the former chairman of the Xiwu Railway Company, Toshio Tatsuo.
As a writer, Takashi Odabayashi's representative works included Rainbow Scorpio, which won the Oka Award, and Words of the Father, which described his father Jiro Oda, which was nominated for the Ogawa Award.
But now, Oda Lin Takashi was not only a top writer, but he was also elected as Japan's "Cultural Meritorious Person." His status in the entire Japanese literary field was very high.
According to an in-depth investigation, it was discovered that the person who nominated Yamada Shinji's Nocturnal Ghost for the Osaka Prize was Takashi Oda!
Kikuchi Hara Hiroshi was a big entrepreneur born in Kagoshima, Japan. He founded the Kyoto Jewelry Corporation and Crimson Telecom. He was inextricably linked to Japan's top property group, the Banto Group.
According to Kouki Fukamatsu and Kenichi Taniguchi's investigation, Kikuchi Hara Hiroshi visited the judges of the Osaka Prize a few days before the Osaka Prize was announced.
Akihiko Kanehisa was a famous critic and director. The year before, his work The Flying Man won the Best Director Award at the Japanese Film Critics Awards.
Akihiko Kanehisa was one of the judges for the Osaka Prize.
Kouki Fukamatsu and Kenichi Taniguchi found out that he was related to Yamada Shinji. It was related to Akihiko Kanehisa's Nocturnal Ghost.
Kouki Fukamatsu learned from a friend that the Nocturnal Ghost directed by Moriki Ueda was distributed by Hino Sumitomo Pictures. Akihiko Kanehisa was a shareholder of Hino Sumitomo Pictures, holding 5% of the shares. That was not all. The key was that Akihiko Kanehisa took the initiative to nominate the project and quickly pushed for the actual shooting. Moriki Ueda only agreed to be the director after he visited him.
He even rushed to release the movie before the Osaka Prize.
"What's more frightening is that many media outlets have downplayed the negative news about the Osaka Prize. Even the internet is no exception."
"From the looks of it, the Banto Group, Yoshida Group, and Hino Group are all involved."
"Maybe the Shogunate is also involved." Kouki Fukamatsu and Kenichi Taniguchi spoke to each other. Their faces were pale, and their backs were cold. They didn't know when, but the wine in their glasses had been emptied again. Kouki Fukamatsu finished the cigarette in her hand and pressed the butt into the ashtray. She swallowed her saliva and calmed herself down. Then, she said in a hurried voice, "Kenichi, no matter what, we are classmates and have the conscience of the media. I think we should continue to investigate!"
Kouki Fukamatsu looked at Kenichi Taniguchi with anticipation.
Kenichi Taniguchi didn't plan to run away. He thought about it and said, "You're right. We can't give up now. I still have a friend. He should be able to give me more information!"
"Is that so? Is it Akitani Koho? "Kouki Fukamatsu gulped down a mouthful of wine to calm herself down.
Both of them knew each other well. This couldn't be hidden.
"Yes, Akitani Koho is my senior. When we were in university, he was the president of our club, and I was the vice president. We've been friends for three years!
Plus, he's from the Katsura Group. He won't be any weaker than the Banto Group! "
The Katsura Group was also one of the Japanese conglomerates. It was comparable to the Banto Group in terms of strength. It mainly operated in the automobile and machinery industries. It was a multinational automobile manufacturing and sales group. Its automobile production and scale were among the top ten automobile manufacturers in Japan.
Other than automobiles, they also produced generators, agricultural machinery, and other agricultural machinery products. Overall, the Katsura Group was a leading group in the automobile and machinery industry.
Akitani Koho was the fourth son of the Katsura Group.
"So it's the Katsura Group!" Hearing this, Kouki Fukamatsu breathed a sigh of relief. She raised her glass and took a sip. Then, she heard the phone ring.
A call came in. Kenichi Taniguchi picked up the phone. At first, he used a respectful and intimate tone to greet the caller. Then, his expression changed. "What? Not only did you get the Oka Prize, but you've also started the nomination process for the Ogawa Prize? How, how is this possible? "
"Yes, Taniguchi, please give up. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect you." After saying this, the call was hung up.
The two were dumbfounded. They looked at each other and saw the fear in each other's eyes.
One had to know that the three Grand Prizes were the highest awards in Japanese literature!
So far, no one had won a grand slam. Moreover, they had won the three Grand Prizes without accepting the prize personally. This situation would cause an uproar in Japan!
No one could cover it up. Not the conglomerates, not even the shogunate!
There was no way the other party didn't know about the risks, but they still did it. This could only mean that they had no fear!
It was easy to say that they had no fear, but to be able to do it in society, the power behind it was too terrifying.
"I'm really sorry!" Kenichi Taniguchi downed his glass. His face was full of frustration and shame. He bowed. "Kouki, I can't continue."
Hearing Kenichi Taniguchi's words, Fukumatsu Mitsuki understood. She patted his shoulder and smiled. "Kenichi, it's okay. I understand."
Kenichi Taniguchi's shame deepened. He mumbled, "Kouki, I know you've always been strong, but it's too dangerous to continue investigating."
"My wife is pregnant. I can't lose my job, and I can't let anything happen to me."
"If something happens to me, my family will be finished. Please forgive me. I'm sorry!" Kenichi Taniguchi bowed again and lowered his head to tidy up his documents. These documents couldn't be kept. They had to be burned.
Then he bowed deeply, paid the bill, and left without looking back.
Fukumatsu Mitsuki looked at his back and shook his head. He glanced at the door and took a deep puff. When the cigarette was finished, he poured himself another glass of wine. Because he drank too quickly, even Fukumatsu Mitsuki, who had a high tolerance for alcohol, started coughing.
When he finished coughing, his face was ferocious. He said in a determined voice, "I won't lose. Even if it's like this, I'll continue investigating!"
It wasn't just a matter of gambling debts. The key was that he had gone against the orders of the minister and higher authorities to investigate privately. He had used a lot of resources and connections. Such a matter couldn't be completely hidden.
Now, Fukumatsu Mitsuki couldn't back down.
He wasn't Kenichi Taniguchi. He had powerful friends and could stop at this time.
In a hidden room.
Takashi Onoki received a call. "Is that so? Even the Ogawa reward has been settled? "
The voice on the other side of the phone said with some worry, "Yes, it's settled, but it's too easy to blow up!"
"If Yamada Shinichi can't handle it, he'll be smashed to pieces!" The person on the other side of the phone was an important figure on Takashi Onoki's side. He had a high position in the Japanese government and was mainly in charge of education and literature.
Obviously, this person didn't know that Yamada Shinichi was an enemy. Since Takashi Onoki had put in a lot of effort to promote this matter, he thought that the author was on his side.
"To be honest, I've read the book. The quality of the book is very high. It's qualified to receive the Three Great Rewards. If we can delay it for a few years, even if it's just three to five years, the Ogawa reward will come naturally." The person on the other side of the phone continued to suggest sincerely, "Then there won't be any risk!"
"If we do it now, we won't be able to suppress it. It'll blow up."
When Takashi Onoki heard this, he coldly interrupted and said, "Thank you very much for your support. However, you don't have to worry about this matter!"
Unlike Kenichi Taniguchi and Fukumatsu Mitsuki, who were scaring themselves, Takashi Onoki didn't care if Pei Zi Yun could withstand the backlash of the Three Great Rewards. He had no plans to deal with the aftermath.
"Hey, don't you want the Three Great Rewards?"
"I'll give it to you, but if you blow it up, it's none of my business." After hanging up the phone, Takashi Onoki was in a good mood. He took a stroll in the room. The gloominess of being forced to support Yamada Shinichi dissipated a lot. He thought to himself, "When the time comes, we might be able to blow Yamada Shinichi up."
"However, there might not be a need for this." Thinking of this, Takashi Onoki called Keisei Ichino. "Keisei, the succession ceremony must be completed quickly."
"We must not give Yamada Shinichi a chance to decline."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
