Chapter 202: Explosive Hit Late-night Diner! Manga Adaptation Premiere Review! Sub-golden Slot 9 Pm Arrangement!
The night is Shinjuku’s best makeup artist.
In just two or three days, as the lights come on and once again cast ambiguous colors on Kabukicho’s streets, filled with desire and hormones, that originally deep alley, which only seasoned drinkers and late-night foodies would seek out, was, for the first time ever, completely submerged by a surging crowd.
“Hey, hey! Is this it? Is this really it? The filming location for that 《Late-night Diner》 mentioned in the newspaper!”
“It has to be! Look at that blue cloth curtain! And that small lantern by the entrance! It’s exactly like it’s drawn in the manga!”
“Wow—! It really is! I feel like I’ve walked into a manga! It’s so real!”
“Hurry, hurry! We’re in the front! Maybe we can still grab a spot in the first batch!”
At the alley entrance, a group of stylishly dressed female university students, still bearing a touch of youthful innocence on their faces, were excitedly standing on tiptoe, peering inside, their excitement almost breaking through the night.
Behind them were several office workers in sharp suits, seemingly just off work. Though they tried to maintain adult composure, the keen glint in their eyes behind their glasses betrayed their equally excited inner selves.
“Senior Yamada, do you think… we’ll really get to eat that thick rolled omelet from the manga today?” asked a young employee, who seemed new to the company, with a face full of anticipation, to the middle-aged man with a receding hairline beside him.
“Shut up, Kobayashi!” The man called Senior Yamada shot him an annoyed look, but couldn’t help but swallow hard: “We’re just passing by! Just passing by! We’re only here to take a look! Don’t you dare say anything that might get back to other departments, making them think people from our Section 3 are slacking off during work hours and just chasing idols!”
“Yes! Yes! I understand!” The young employee nodded quickly, his bobbing head like a pecking chick, eliciting a round of kind laughter from those around them.
Even on the outer fringes of the crowd were several foreigners with blond hair and blue eyes, who looked like tourists in Japan. They held up their mobile phones, taking pictures of the scene in the alley while excitedly conversing with the people around them in broken Japanese.
“This is amazing! It’s just like the manga I read online! So cool!”
“Sumimasen! Excuse me! May I ask… may I ask if the boss with the scar on his face is inside?”
The entire alley, at this moment, felt like a highly anticipated theme park about to open, filled with the clamor of anticipation, curiosity, and excitement.
And at the core of the park, in that small shop without even a proper signboard, a “war” belonging to Xiang Shuishang was in full swing.
“Screeech—”
The golden egg batter quickly solidified in the scorching hot iron pot. With a flick of his wrist, Xiang Shuishang sent the thick yet fluffy omelet through a perfect arc in the air, landing it steadily back in the pot.
Without pause, he picked up another pot, poured in the pre-prepared rice and ingredients. The spatula collided with the iron pot, producing a crisp and rhythmic sound. Rice grains danced in the flames, perfectly blending with soy sauce and chopped scallions, emitting a mouth-watering aroma.
“Honey! Is the cat food ready yet? That table in the back has already asked three times!”
Outside the bar counter, Xiang Shuishang’s wife, Misaki Shuishang, was holding an empty tray, as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof.
She wore a white apron identical to her husband’s. Her always gentle face was now etched with fatigue and… a hint of exasperation.
“Almost! Almost ready!” Xiang Shuishang replied without looking up. He plated the fried rice and the freshly made cat food into two clean porcelain bowls. Then, with almost juggling-like speed, he took several red octopus sausages from the refrigerator nearby and threw them into the frying pan.
“Misaki! The octopus sausages for that table outside are also almost ready!”
Xiang Shuishang responded again, his voice carrying a barely perceptible wry smile.
While frying the sausages, he swiftly dragged out an empty beer barrel from under the counter and then, from the corner, he carried in a new, heavy beer barrel, laboriously swapping it out with his hands and feet.
“Misaki! The draft beer is ready! Pour the drinks for the guests first! Let them have a drink while they wait!” he called out, a fine sheen of sweat already forming on his forehead.
“Yes! Yes! Got it!”
Inside the bar counter, it was already packed.
A dozen or so customers were squeezed shoulder to shoulder at the small L-shaped counter, each face radiating a genuine sense of satisfaction and happiness.
“Wow—! Boss! Your cooking is simply divine!” a young girl in a pink sweater, looking very kawaii, said with a look of ecstasy as she ate the thick rolled omelet in front of her. Her sparkling big eyes seemed to be about to pop with stars: “This omelet is fragrant and sweet, soft and smooth! It’s even more delicious than any five-star hotel I’ve ever eaten at!”
“Yeah! Yeah!” Her stylishly dressed friend beside her chimed in, taking small sips of the seemingly simple yet magically potent cat food: “And this cat food! The bonito flakes on top are so fresh they’d make your eyebrows fall off! Paired with rice and soy sauce, it’s simply… the taste of heaven!”
“What do you guys know!” A middle-aged man in a suit, looking like a company executive, sitting opposite them, said with an “experienced person” expression. He lifted his beer mug and took a sip, his confidence making him seem like the owner of the establishment: “This place isn’t about taste, it’s about… sentiment! It’s about the atmosphere! It’s about that warmth that can heal everything late at night!”
“Exactly! Exactly! Uncle is right!” A young boy wearing a baseball cap, looking like a university student, said excitedly: “Let me tell you, sitting here, I feel like a character in a manga! Everyone around me seems like a passerby with their own story! And the boss is that ferryman who silently listens to all our stories!”
“Yes! Yes! Especially the boss himself! He’s exactly like he’s drawn in the manga!” another boy wearing glasses chimed in. He pushed his glasses up, and in his usually calm eyes, there was a glimmer of what could only be described as “worship.” “That scar on his face, that taciturn demeanor, and those eyes that seem to see through everything! It’s simply… a perfect rendition!”
Hearing these heartfelt compliments, Xiang Shuishang, busy in the kitchen, showed a shy smile tinged with helplessness.
He carried a plate of freshly fried octopus sausages out of the kitchen. His composure and calm formed a peculiar, yet incredibly intimate, contrast with the frenzied atmosphere around him.
“You flatter me,” he placed the sausages gently on the table in front of the two girls. His voice was deep and magnetic. “I’m just a cook, making simple home-style dishes.”
His humility, his nonchalance, and the story-filled scar on his face were especially charming under the dim, yellowish light.
“Wow—!”
“So handsome!”
“Oh my god! The boss looks so gentle when he smiles!”
“I… I think I’m in love!”
The two girls, who had been chattering incessantly, instantly fell silent. They covered their mouths, their sparkling big eyes instantly filling with pink hearts!
They looked at Xiang Shuishang, their gazes like they were looking at a perfect lover straight out of a manga!
Misaki Shuishang looked at the scene of “all beauties smitten” before her. A wry, helpless smile flickered across her always gentle face.
She reached out and playfully pinched her husband’s waist.
“Ouch—”
Xiang Shuishang gasped, and the halo of “idol” instantly evaporated, pulling him back to reality.
He looked at his wife’s “fierce” gaze and put on a flattering smile.
However, before he could beg for mercy, the shop door was pulled open again.
“Jingle—”
The wind chime rang, and several young people, who also looked like they had come by reputation, peered inside with expectant faces.
“Boss! Are there any empty seats?”
Hearing this, Misaki Shuishang let out a long sigh. Her back felt like it was about to break.
She quickly put on a professional smile, hurried to the entrance, and bowed apologetically to the young people.
“I’m very sorry, everyone, we’re fully booked today.” Her voice carried a hint of fatigue, but was still polite. “Perhaps you could come again tomorrow?”
“Eh? Fully booked?” The young people’s faces showed disappointment.
“Then… then can we come in and take a look?” asked one of them, who seemed to be the leader, his eyes desperately trying to peek into the shop over Misaki Shuishang’s shoulder. “We’ll just take a quick look! Just one look at the legendary boss! I heard he looks exactly like he does in the manga!”
“Yes! Yes!” His companions behind him echoed, their persistence making Misaki Shuishang feel a bit overwhelmed. “We just want to see what the live-action ‘Late-night Diner’ looks like! Please! Just let us see it for a moment!”
“This…” Misaki Shuishang gave a helpless wry smile. She looked at the group of young people filled with youth and vitality. Her heart, which had been hardened by reality, couldn’t help but feel a hint of softness at this moment.
She knew that refusing them would be akin to refusing their longing for that warmth.
“Honey!” she called out helplessly in the direction of the kitchen.
Xiang Shuishang, busy in the kitchen, poked his head out from behind the dark blue cloth curtain again.
He looked at the young people at the door, who were gazing at him with anticipation. A helpless yet doting wry smile once again appeared on his usually stern face.
“Wow—!”
“It’s really the boss!”
“Oh my god! It’s exactly like in the manga! Even that helpless expression is the same!”
“Boss! Can… can we take a picture with you?!”
“Yeah! Boss! We’re your biggest fans!”
The moment the young people at the door saw Xiang Shuishang, they erupted into earth-shattering screams like fireworks being ignited!
They were so excited they were speechless, even wanting to rush into the shop for a closer encounter with their “idol.”
“Everyone! Everyone! Please calm down!” Misaki Shuishang quickly spread her arms to block them. Her aura as the mistress of the house made her seem particularly reliable at this moment. “The shop is still open for business, please do not disturb other customers’ meals!”
“But… but we…”
“The kitchen is a restricted area, no unauthorized personnel allowed.” Xiang Shuishang’s voice sounded again, calm yet full of strength. “I appreciate your feelings, everyone. However, I still need to prepare food for the customers. If you truly like my little shop, please wait patiently outside.”
His words, like the gentlest spring breeze, instantly soothed everyone’s restless hearts.
The young people at the door exchanged glances, seeing the same “understanding” in each other’s eyes.
They knew this was how the “boss,” filled with mystery and distance, should be in their hearts.
“S-sorry! Boss! We were just too excited!”
“We… we’ll wait outside! We definitely won’t disturb you!”
“Thank you for your hard work, boss!”
With Misaki Shuishang’s persuasion and guidance, the young people finally, with full satisfaction, retreated to the alley entrance.
But they didn’t leave. Instead, along with more fans who arrived successively, they spontaneously formed a long queue at the alley entrance. Their persistence and enthusiasm created a warm, unique scenery for this late night.
…
As the clock hands slowly pointed to three in the morning, and the last customer, with full satisfaction, put down their bowls and chopsticks, bowed deeply to Xiang Shuishang, and then disappeared into the night at the alley entrance.
Xiang Shuishang and Misaki Shuishang finally let out a long, long sigh of relief.
They supported each other, their bodies utterly exhausted, and slowly sat down in front of the bar counter.
“My… my back… it’s about to break.” Misaki Shuishang slumped onto the bar counter, her usually gentle face now wearing an expression of utter despair.
“You’ve worked hard, Misaki.” Xiang Shuishang reached out and gently massaged his wife’s back, his concern evident.
“Oh, right, dear.” Misaki Shuishang suddenly remembered something. She abruptly lifted her head, her always gentle eyes filled with worry. “You’ve been busy all day today. Tomorrow… do you still have to go to the film crew to shoot? Can your body handle it?”
“Don’t worry, I don’t have to go tomorrow.” Xiang Shuishang smiled and shook his head.
“Don’t have to go? Why?” Misaki Shuishang asked, puzzled.
“Because…” A helpless yet admiring smile appeared on Xiang Shuishang’s face. “The first seven episodes of 《Late-night Diner》… are already completely finished.”
“Eh?!” Misaki Shuishang’s eyes widened again. She covered her mouth, her always gentle face etched with disbelief and shock. “Seven… seven episodes?! In just a few days?! I remember when you used to film, finishing one episode in two or three days was considered fast! How on earth did that Mr. Nohara manage it?!”
Xiang Shuishang merely shrugged helplessly at her words, his eyes filled with a deep-seated reverence for the young man.
“Who knows.” He spoke softly, his tone carrying a hint of emotion and an undeniable sense of composure. “After all, he’s the one universally recognized by the entire neon television industry… as a genius and a monster.”
Misaki Shuishang nodded in agreement.
She knew that besides the words “genius” and “monster,” she couldn’t find any other words to describe the young man who had changed their family’s destiny.
“But speaking of which.” A brilliant smile suddenly bloomed on Misaki Shuishang’s face. She pulled out a thick envelope from her apron pocket, her ecstasy almost bursting out of her.
“Dear! Guess what! How much money did we earn tonight?!”
“How much?”
“Seventy thousand yen! A full seventy thousand yen!” Misaki Shuishang was so excited she was almost incoherent. She looked at her husband, her eyes filled with irrepressible joy. “Oh my god! We used to work hard for several days and couldn’t earn this much! This… this is simply incredible!”
Xiang Shuishang also showed a simple, honest smile at her words.
“Yes, this is the advertising effect Mr. Nohara brought us.” He spoke softly, his tone filled with emotion.
“No! This isn’t just advertising effect!” Misaki Shuishang said excitedly, looking at her husband with eyes full of infinite longing for the future. “This is… this is the beginning of our new life! With this money, we can give Sayuri a better life! We… we can also, like those rich people, go on vacation to Hawaii and go shopping in Paris!”
Xiang Shuishang looked at his wife’s face, flushed with happiness. His heart, which had been hardened by reality, was at this moment completely filled with an unprecedented emotion called “responsibility.”
“Yes, Misaki.” He reached out and pulled his wife tightly into his embrace, his resolve as firm as a rock.
“In the future, I will definitely ensure you and our daughter have a good life.”
He paused, his tone carrying an indescribable pride. “The site rental fee and my appearance fee alone are one hundred thousand yen a day. Add to that the store’s daily income of seventy thousand yen now… we… we’ll soon be rich.”
“Mmm!” Misaki Shuishang nodded heavily. She buried her head deeply in her husband’s broad and warm chest. The happiness from the bottom of her heart made her feel as if she possessed the whole world.
“It’s so good to have met Mr. Nohara.” She murmured, her voice filled with unyielding sweetness and gratitude.
“Yes.” Xiang Shuishang also sighed in agreement. He looked at the sky outside the window, which was gradually turning the color of fish belly. His heart, which had been dormant for twenty years, beat violently again at this moment.
“It’s really good.”
…
The next morning, on the floor of the audit department in the Tokyo Television Production Bureau building, the air seemed to be filled with an unusual sense of anticipation and restlessness.
In the corridor, Asumi, Toshihide Takada, Hiroshi Nohara, and Kenji Sato happened to meet at the elevator entrance. Behind them followed several middle-aged men with excited expressions – they were Ken Minamino and other veteran actors from the Kanto Faction who had participated in 《Late-night Diner《.
“My, my! Hiroshi-kun, Director Sato! You’ve arrived too!” Asumi’s signature booming voice was the first to ring out. He enthusiastically patted Kenji Sato on the shoulder with such force that the latter stumbled. “I heard you’ve been living in that alley in Shinjuku with Minister Nohara these past few days? How was it? Were you completely taken aback by our Minister’s ‘Hiroshi speed’?”
A wry smile appeared on Kenji Sato’s face. His eyes, always filled with fatigue, now shimmered with an almost fanatical light. “Deputy Director Asumi, please stop teasing me. It’s more than just being taken aback; I feel like my entire worldview has been reshaped.”
“Hahaha! I knew it!” Asumi burst into laughter, his voice filled with shared pride.
“Hmph, nothing to be so surprised about.” Managing Director Executive Deputy Director Toshihide Takada, though his lips curved into a slight smile, maintained his superior’s composure in his tone. “We’ve known Hiroshi-kun’s capabilities for quite some time. As for Director Sato, you’ve finally seized an opportunity. You must perform well and not disappoint Hiroshi-kun’s recommendation.”
“Yes! Please rest assured, Executive Deputy Director!” Kenji Sato bowed quickly, his attitude respectful and resolute.
However, Kenji Sato still felt a bit awkward as he spoke. After all, he had previously been Toshihide Takada’s spy, a mole specifically planted within the Kanto Faction.
Now, the two factions had merged.
His past experiences had become somewhat awkward.
Therefore, Kenji Sato felt truly awkward seeing Toshihide Takada and was also a bit apprehensive, fearing that if disputes arose again in the future, Toshihide Takada might still threaten him.
However, Toshihide Takada could sense Kenji Sato’s unease at this moment, and couldn’t help but smile slightly, nodding faintly and praising him, “Keep up the good work. Following Hiroshi Nohara is indeed the best way for anyone to get promoted, and you can learn a lot.”
“Yes!” Kenji Sato nodded again.
As the two were talking, Asumi’s gaze fell on the veteran actors again, his smile growing even brighter. “You seniors look really well today! It seems working with our Hiroshi-kun makes one happy and spirited!”
“Deputy Director Asumi, please don’t tease us old folks.” Ken Minamino replied with a chuckle. His face, always bearing a kind smile, was now also etched with genuine admiration. “It’s not just that we’re spirited, we feel twenty years younger! Filming with Minister Nohara is incredibly satisfying! One word: refreshing!”
“Exactly! Exactly!” The veteran actors behind him echoed, their heartfelt admiration evident.
They had all undergone the baptism of Hiroshi Nohara’s storyboard drafts. In the past few days, they simply had to shoot according to the storyboard, and they encountered almost no problems.
This simple filming process left them feeling incredulous.
And it also inspired genuine reverence for Hiroshi Nohara.
This was the capability of a god-level director.
He didn’t require actors to overexert their acting skills; as long as they performed according to his arrangements, perfect results could be achieved.
Wasn’t this the ability of a god-level director?
Just then, the door of the audit department was pushed open from the inside. A woman in a professional suit, appearing capable and elegant, stood smiling at the entrance.
It was Aiai Takeshita, the Director of the Audit Department.
“Deputy Director Asumi, Managing Director Takada, Minister Nohara, you all have arrived.” She first bowed slightly to everyone, her courtesy so perfect that no fault could be found, and then turned her gaze to Hiroshi Nohara. In her always calm eyes, there was a flicker of appropriate respect and… a hint of helplessness.
“Minister Nohara, we have received your proposal plan and master tape.” She said with a smile, her voice carrying a hint of self-deprecation. “Honestly, our audit department wouldn’t dare have any opinions on your proposal; it’s just a formality. Even Director Sakata has praised you highly, so we subordinates just need to stamp it.”
Her words were flawless, both flattering Hiroshi Nohara and subtly clarifying the audit department’s stance, causing everyone present to share a knowing smile.
“Director Takeshita, you are too kind.” Hiroshi Nohara simply smiled calmly, his humility and composure perfectly balanced.
“Alright, everyone, let’s not stand at the door anymore.” Aiai Takeshita stepped aside and gestured, “The screening room is ready, and the colleagues from the audit department are waiting. Let’s begin.”
She personally led everyone through several bright corridors, finally stopping in front of a spacious and professional screening room.
Pushing open the door, they saw that the screening room was already filled with auditors from the audit department. Upon seeing Deputy Directors Asumi and Toshihide Takada, as well as Hiroshi Nohara, who was currently at the height of his popularity at the station, all stood up from their seats and bowed respectfully.
“Alright, alright, please be seated.” Asumi waved his hand magnanimously, his superior aura making the entire screening room seem to quiet down a notch.
“Let’s begin the screening and review,” Toshihide Takada said, looking at Aiai Takeshita, a faint smile on his face. “We’re all eager.”
“Yes, please wait a moment,” Aiai Takeshita replied.
After everyone was seated and the lights in the screening room slowly dimmed, and the giant screen lit up, all eyes were uniformly cast upon the world of light and shadow where a miracle was about to unfold.
The familiar opening music began to play. The melodious yet slightly melancholic guitar sound, like the gentlest evening breeze, instantly transported everyone into that late-night world full of stories and the warmth of everyday life.
Episode one, “Red Sausage and Tamagoyaki.”
As Xiang Shuishang, playing the “Boss,” prepared ingredients in the compact kitchen with a deliberate pace, his back to the lens, a chorus of hushed amazement erupted from the screening room.
“My god! That silhouette… that atmosphere… it’s exactly like in the manga!” a young female employee in charge of image review couldn’t help but exclaim softly.
“Right! And the kitchen set! It’s so realistic! Those pots and pans, those spice jars, it’s like being in a real little shop!” A colleague next to her, responsible for prop review, chimed in.
However, as the camera slowly panned, and Toshihide Takada’s face, with a scar running from his left eyebrow to his cheek, appeared clearly on the big screen, the entire screening room instantly fell into a deathly silence!
“Hiss—”
Immediately after, came a collective intake of breath!
“Is this… is this not a person who walked straight out of the manga?!” Asumi jolted upright in his seat, his shrewd eyes wide, his face a mask of incredulous horror!
“It’s… a perfect recreation!” Ken Minamino couldn’t help but sigh, his typically somber face now etched with shock: “Whether it’s the scar on his face, his taciturn demeanor, or even those eyes that seem to see through everything! It’s… exactly the same!”
“More than just the same!” Ken Minamino, looking at the “Boss” on screen, who was acting opposite him, felt a bone-deep shock that even this veteran actor, accustomed to grand spectacles, found himself somewhat flustered: “Let me tell you, when we were filming on set, I was disoriented several times! I always felt like I wasn’t acting, but had truly stepped into that late-night diner full of stories!”
Amidst the rising tide of amazement, the plot slowly progressed.
A Long, the yakuza boss played by Ken Minamino, swaggered in, but ordered a red octopus sausage, a stark contrast to his fierce appearance.
“Hahahaha! This contrast is brilliant!” Asumi couldn’t help but laugh: “A yakuza boss who looks like he could fight ten people loves octopus sausages, something only kids like! Hiroshi-kun, your setting is a stroke of genius!”
“Yes, using food to reveal the most tender side of a character’s heart is a very clever technique.” Toshihide Takada nodded, a shrewdness that belonged to a strategist flickering in his deep-set eyes.
Soon, the first episode concluded, and the ending theme began.
Yet, the screening room remained silent.
Everyone was still immersed in the warmth and emotion found in the profound truth of the ordinary, unable to break free.
“That’s… it’s over?” Aiai Takeshita murmured, feeling a slight wetness in her eyes.
Next, episode two, “Cat Food.”
As the disheartened female singer, at the lowest point in her life, ordered a simple bowl of cat food, ate it while shedding tears, and sang a song that represented her initial dream, many emotional female employees in the screening room couldn’t help but sob quietly.
“Wuwuwu… it’s so moving…”
“This bowl of cat food isn’t about eating rice, it’s about dreams…”
“Yes… whose youth didn’t have a period of confusion and helplessness like this?”
Episode three, “Ochazuke.”
As the three older single women ate ochazuke late at night, complaining about their failed relationships, their seemingly carefree yet deeply lonely and longing dialogue precisely hit a pain point for all the urban dwellers present.
“The dialogue is so real, it’s exactly what those older single women around us would say,” a veteran editor in charge of script review couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Yes, even though they say ‘men are all pig trotters’ on the surface, deep down they still long for a pure love. This contradiction, this struggle, it’s just… so heartbreaking!”
The three episodes aired back-to-back, and when the lights in the screening room came back on, everyone still had tear streaks on their faces.
They looked at each other, seeing the same shock, the same emotion, and a sense of being utterly conquered… fanaticism!
“Clap! Clap! Clap!”
Someone, unaware of who, was the first to applaud.
Immediately after, thunderous applause swept through the entire screening room like a tsunami!
“Amazing! It’s simply amazing!”
“I even feel… the live-action version is more brilliant than the manga!”
“Yes! The manga is two-dimensional, it requires us to imagine it ourselves. But the live-action version has brought everything to life! That Boss, those customers, those dishes… I feel like they are living right beside me!”
“Exactly! Especially that Boss! Mr. Shuishang’s acting is absolutely incredible! He’s not acting at all, he *is* the ‘Boss’ full of stories himself!”
“And the supporting actors! Senior Minamino and the others have breathed life into their characters! I even feel they are just the ordinary, yet most real, people around us!”
“Most importantly, this drama is not just moving, it has profound social significance! It provides a ‘spiritual sanctuary’ for us modern people who are toiling and exhausted in the jungle of steel and cement!”
The screening room was filled with intense discussions.
Everyone was so excited they were speechless, vying to express their love for the drama, their admiration for Hiroshi Nohara, and their infinite longing for the drama’s future prospects.
Hiroshi Nohara sat there calmly, a faint smile on his face.
None of this had surprised him.
Because in his previous life, the live-action drama “Late-night Diner” was a rare exception that surpassed its original manga. It had healed countless lonely souls with the most authentic emotions, the simplest cinematography, and the warmest stories.
And now, all he had to do was bring this healing to this world, which also needed warmth.
“This guy… he’s practically a monster.” Asumi, looking at the young man who remained so calm and composed amidst the overwhelming praise, couldn’t help but whisper to Toshihide Takada beside him.
“Indeed.” Toshihide Takada nodded, a genuine admiration appearing on his usually somber face: “I originally thought that manga adaptation into live-action was his most unlikely field of success. But I never expected he could… he could do it so well. I even feel he understands how to touch people’s hearts better than us old guys who’ve been in the production bureau for half a lifetime.”
“Hiroshi-kun, you’ve truly… given us another huge surprise!” Asumi turned his head, looking at Hiroshi Nohara with irrepressible ecstasy in his eyes.
“Adapting my own manga, how could I possibly not be good at it?” Hiroshi Nohara replied with a light smile, dismissively.
That nonchalant confidence made everyone present share another knowing smile.
“Alright, since everyone thinks it’s good, let’s discuss the broadcast time for this drama,” Aiai Takeshita said with a smile, looking at Hiroshi Nohara with admiration and trust in her eyes.
“Broadcast time? Is there even a need to discuss it?” Asumi suddenly slapped his thigh, his voice filled with undeniable authority: “It must be the late prime time slot! Friday night at 9 PM! This time slot is perfect for office workers who have just finished a week of hard work and need some warmth to heal!”
“I agree!” Toshihide Takada also nodded, a strategist’s shrewdness flashing in his deep eyes: “Moreover, we will go head-to-head with Nan Dao A Feng and His Beloved Dog from that Tokyo City Television! I’ll show those guys what ‘warm healing’ truly means!”
“That’s right! Let’s do it!”
“Let them witness the strength of our Tokyo Television Station!”
“Let them know who is the true king of this Tokyo Metropolitan Area!”
The screening room was once again filled with passionate discussions.
Everyone knew that a new war was about to begin.
A “war” concerning ratings, glory, and… factional struggles!
And they would personally participate in and witness the final outcome of this “war”!
But Hiroshi Nohara sat in his chair, watching everyone enthusiastically discuss “Late-night Diner,” his smile widening.
For others, it was a war.
But for Hiroshi Nohara, this was undoubtedly the beginning of another period of fame and fortune.
“After all, Tokyo Television Station is giving me five million yen per episode for my manga adaptation, plus my own filming and production costs. Just thinking about it feels wonderful.”
Hiroshi Nohara pursed his lips, and thinking about his growing savings and the increasing amount of land he owned in his hometown of Omagari City, he felt even more relaxed: “Now, let the economic crisis come even fiercer!”
He had no fear whatsoever now!
