Chapter 53: Celebration Banquet
The night was like fine ink, slowly spreading across the vast canvas of Tokyo, smudging away the day’s clamor and order into a dazzling sea of countless lights.
Inside a restaurant in Akasaka, wooden partitions separated the surrounding prosperity from the tranquility within.
The air was filled with the gentle, mellow aroma of sake, mingling with the sizzling sound of top-grade wagyu beef being seared by high heat on the griddle, and the subtly milky scent of rendered fat. This combination made the atmosphere in the retro-styled room even more rich and fragrant.
This was a celebration banquet, a feast truly befitting victors.
At the head of the table, Deputy Director Asumi held a small celadon sake cup. His face, usually refined and composed, now had a gentle flush from a few drinks.
He looked at Hiroshi Nohara, seated beside him, his admiration almost undisguised.
“Nohara-kun,” he said, his voice mellow and carrying the familiar warmth of an elder towards a junior. “I heard from Kiyoto that the Dark Theatre, both the first and second seasons, was entirely your work from start to finish. Honestly, when I saw the first ratings report, even I was sweating for you. But you, in a way no one understood, fought a battle… a beautiful victory that will go down in our television station’s history.”
He raised his cup, gesturing slightly towards Hiroshi Nohara, “This cup, I, on behalf of the Production Bureau, offer to you, a genius.”
“Yes! Deputy Director Asumi!”
Hiroshi Nohara immediately put down his chopsticks, picked up his cup with both hands, leaned slightly forward, and with an extremely humble posture, lowered the rim of his cup even lower than Asumi’s and lightly clinked them together.
Having been from the north in his previous life, he truly understood these social niceties. He scoffed at those who claimed foreigners lacked such customs.
It’s just that for foreigners, it’s *too* much about customs.
If you’re not one of them.
Then there’s no need to engage in any customs with you.
So, at this moment, he had to show respect, humility, and great politeness! Besides, the man was in his forties, about twenty years older than him, almost the same age as his father, Ginnosuke Nohara, who was still in Omagari City, Akita Prefecture.
However, when Hiroshi Nohara thought of his own father, Ginnosuke Nohara’s personality, the corners of his eyes twitched slightly.
If Misae were to have Shin in the future…
He absolutely had to keep his son away from his own unreliable father!
“You flatter me, Deputy Director.”
Yet, Hiroshi Nohara’s voice was calm, betraying no hint of pride from the praise or the complex emotions churning within him. “If not for you and Section Chief Suzuki overriding objections and giving me, an intern, such great trust, Dark Theatre would have been nothing but a few sheets of waste paper. This cup should be mine to offer to you, to Section Chief Suzuki, and to all my colleagues who contributed to this work.”
He tilted his head back and downed the sake in his cup in one go.
A spicy warmth slid down his throat, but his face showed no change. Only his eyes, under the warm lighting of the restaurant, seemed even clearer.
What an upright and humble young man.
Asumi’s admiration deepened.
He knew that in this circle, talent was important, but knowing how to position oneself and find one’s role in the higher-stakes game was the key to going further.
Therefore, Hiroshi Nohara’s words were neither arrogant nor excessively fearful.
He attributed the success to the team and adopted an extremely humble posture, yet subtly, through his words, he bound himself together with Asumi and Kiyoto Suzuki on a ship called “us.”
This was no longer the skill of a newcomer; it was a keen sense for the rules of power.
“Well said!”
Kiyoto Suzuki, standing nearby, was now beaming. He slammed his hand on the table as if to release the immense passion in his chest. “Deputy Director, you don’t know, this kid is the future hope of our Kanto Faction! When you promoted me back then, I said that people from our Kanto Stage are tough and have ideas! Now, look, we have someone even tougher!”
His words were half drunken sentiment, half genuine feeling.
He was both praising Hiroshi Nohara and showing his loyalty and stance to Asumi, his old leader.
Upon hearing this, Asumi burst into laughter, a laughter filled with the uninhibited joy of long-suppressed emotion.
He pointed at Kiyoto Suzuki, then at Hiroshi Nohara, and said to all the members of Suzuki’s Classroom present, “Did you all hear that? From now on, at our Kanto gatherings, Nohara-kun will be a core figure who must attend!”
“Yes!”
Hiroshi Nohara stood up again and bowed deeply, deeply to Asumi.
He knew that from this moment on, he had truly entered the core circle of power of this television station, paid his respects, and become a pawn entrusted with great expectations under Deputy Director Asumi.
“Hiroshi Nohara, keep working hard. After some more time, I will give you a surprise. A big surprise for you as a rising star of our Kanto Faction!”
Deputy Director Asumi did not stay long. After a few more drinks and offering some words of encouragement, he departed in high spirits.
His parting words left everyone immensely excited.
However, as soon as he left, the atmosphere in the restaurant’s private room instantly relaxed.
Hoshi Minamimura and Roji Hase seemed to have finally shed an invisible burden and began loudly playing dice games, while Yō Kitagawa sipped her juice, her face flushed with satisfaction.
Kiyoto Suzuki looked at the joyous scene before him, his eyes filled with gratification.
He picked up his wine cup and stood up, a touch of post-drinking emotion on his aged face.
“Everyone,” he cleared his throat, and only after everyone had quieted down did he slowly say, “There is something else I need to announce. The station’s appointment for my promotion to Second-Class Director has officially come through.”
“Oh!” A wave of sincere cheers erupted in the office.
“However,” Kiyoto Suzuki waved his hand, signaling for quiet, “I have also received a new transfer order. Next month, I will be going to Kanto Television Station to serve as the Deputy Director of the Director’s team, responsible for several key proposal projects there.”
This news stunned everyone.
“Section Chief… you’re leaving?” Hoshi Minamimura’s voice held a trace of disappointment.
Kiyoto Suzuki smiled, a smile carrying the understanding that comes from having seen much of life. “All good things must come to an end. For this old body of mine to have reached this point is thanks to all of you. Tokyo belongs to you young people now.”
His gaze slowly swept over the faces of Hoshi Minamimura, Roji Hase, and Yō Kitagawa, finally resting on Hiroshi Nohara, who sat quietly in the corner.
“I hope the three of you will continue to stay in Tokyo, in Nohara-kun’s special production team.” His voice became extremely solemn. “By following him, you will learn far more than you would by coming with me to Kanto Stage. Your future will also be much broader.”
Hearing this, the three of them felt their eyes welling up. They looked at Kiyoto Suzuki, then at Hiroshi Nohara, and nodded heavily.
Only Ichiro Hashishita, from beginning to end, simply kept his head down, silently drinking the wine in his cup.
His face, illuminated by the lights, was indistinct and unreadable.
