Tokyo: My Best Actor Gear List

Chapter 153 The Shadow of the Empire and the False "Special Skills"

Chapter 153 The Shadow of the Empire and the False "Special Skills"

Roppongi, the headquarters of Johnny & Associates.

The blinds in the conference room were drawn tightly shut, and the air conditioning was on full blast, but it couldn't cool down the anxious and oppressive atmosphere in the air.

At the end of the long table, a middle-aged woman (Mary Kitagawa) dressed in an expensive suit and with impeccable makeup is flipping through the monthly new employee recruitment report in her hand.

The sound of papers turning over was particularly jarring in the quiet room.

"Can someone explain this?"

She slammed the report on the table, her voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Why is it that this year's trainee selection, in both quantity and quality, has decreased by 30% compared to the same period last year?"

%?

'

The executives on either side of the table looked at each other, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

The head of the artist development department swallowed hard and stood up with a stiff upper lip.

The person in charge said, "Vice President, actually—we've done our best. But recently we've encountered a lot of resistance in recruiting new talent."

Mary: "Resistance? You mean to say that Johnny's reputation is no longer effective?"

The person in charge said, "It's not that the signboard isn't effective, it's just that—the competitors are too 'that' kind of..."

He hesitated for a moment, but still said the name: "Kitahara Office".

The temperature in the conference room seemed to drop several degrees instantly.

The person in charge stated, "Based on feedback from our talent scouts, many promising individuals who are excellent in both appearance and talent, when approached by us, don't react with excitement but instead ask if they can act," or they directly refuse, saying their goal is to audition for Kitahara Agency.

Mary sneered, "That small workshop with only a few people? I heard their attrition rate is incredibly high, and their resources are nowhere near ours."

The person in charge said, "That's right. But the problem is—those kids seem to have been brainwashed. Even when we promised them a debut spot, they weren't interested. They said—only at Kitahara Agency can they become real actors, not just idols who can only dance."

"and----"

The person in charge paused, then lowered their voice even further: "There's a strange kind of loyalty over there. Apparently, it's because of the Nakamori Akina incident back then, which made many young people wanting to enter the industry think that Kitahara Shin was a boss who would stand up to capital for his artists. This 'protector' image is incredibly appealing to today's youth."

"Snapped!"

Mary slammed her hand on the table.

It's Kitahara Shin again.

It's Akina Nakamori again.

The press conference hosted by Masahiko Kanai a few years ago was the biggest public relations humiliation in Johnny & Associates' history. Although they later managed to suppress the incident with their strong media control, the thorn in their side has remained there ever since.

Originally, it was thought that arrogant young man would soon disappear from the entertainment industry, but unexpectedly, he not only did not die, but climbed higher and higher, and now he has even begun to shake the foundation of Johnny's Entertainment—the talent pool.

This is no longer a personal feud; it's a business war.

A senior executive in charge of public relations adjusted his glasses and began to speak:

Executive A: "Vice President, we can't let him continue like this. He now holds Fuji TV's top resources and is making his own investments. If he succeeds in making 'The White Tower,' it will be even harder for us to get involved in the drama industry in the future."

Mary: "What are your thoughts?"

Executive A: "That young man has been having too much luck lately. Does he really think he has the power to back it up? Since he wants to climb higher, let's make him fall. Fall hard."

The executives exchanged glances, clearly having been prepared.

Executive B: "We've analyzed it. 'The White Tower' is a medical drama, and these kinds of dramas value professionalism and a sense of authority the most. They used the Naniwa University Hospital as a model for this filming—that large private general hospital in Chiba."

"These large private hospitals are also places of fame and fortune; it's impossible for them to be clean."

"I've already arranged for people to dig. As long as we can uncover some dirty secrets about that hospital, such as concealing medical malpractice, bribery by pharmaceutical representatives, or unethical conduct by doctors—then we can contact the production team about these things through a weekly magazine."

Executive B chuckled sinisterly: "I've already thought of a title—'Is Kitahara Shin's New Drama Filmed at a Corrupt Hospital? Did the Production Team Know and Participate in the Exchange of Interests?' As long as we muddy the waters, viewers will watch the show with prejudice and think the drama itself is hypocritical."

Mary nodded slightly, her expression softening somewhat: "Anything else?"

Executive C: "There's also the counter-strategy. Fuji TV puts 'The White Tower' in the Thursday 10 PM slot, so we'll also bring up our prepared police drama and put it in the same time slot, or at a slightly different time, to capture the male audience market."

"Kimura (Takuya) is doing really well lately, so let him play this role. It's a clash between police and doctors, a head-on confrontation. We want the TV stations to know that without Johnny's, their ratings are not guaranteed."

Mary: "Kimura definitely has potential. This arrangement is acceptable."

At this moment, one of the intelligence-gathering personnel, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

Intelligence agent: "Besides his work, I think his private life is also a potential breakthrough."

He took out a document with several somewhat blurry photos pasted on it.

The informant said, "Although he is usually very cautious, he is, after all, a hot-blooded young man. He and Akina Nakamori have not lost contact, and there are even suspicions that they are living together. In addition, Izumi Sakai from ZARD is also very close to him."

"A popular male actor is simultaneously juggling relationships with two female celebrities."

"If we can get solid evidence, such as the three of them in one frame, or evidence that he spent the night at two women's houses—as soon as Bunshun publishes it, his reputation will be ruined."

"Once an actor is labeled a 'scumbag,' will housewives and female fans still watch him play devoted male characters? They'll definitely feel instinctively disgusted."

Mary picked up the photos and looked at Kitahara Shin's blurry profile.

Her eyes were as cold as ice.

"Then let's do it."

She threw the photos back on the table and gave her final instructions: "Paparazzi, private investigators, whatever the method, there's no budget limit. I don't want baseless accusations; I want irrefutable evidence that will nail him to the pillory of shame."

"Let him know who sets the rules in this circle."

Meanwhile, in a small studio at TBS television station in Minato Ward.

Although unaware that a large net was being spread in the distance, Kitahara Shin was indeed preparing to "deceive the audience" at this moment.

This is the recording site of the first episode of his first self-sponsored variety show, "Kitahara Shin Can Do Anything!"

The show's plan was simple: find an expert in a field, have them demonstrate their skills, and then have Kitahara Shin learn and replicate them in a short period of time, thus creating the gimmick of a "genius".

It sounds exciting, but in reality—it's all about technology and grueling work.

In the dressing room, the director was holding the script and explaining the next steps to Kitahara Shin with great enthusiasm.

Director: "Kitahara-san, today's first episode's theme is knife skills. We've invited a master chef who claims to have practiced Chinese culinary knife skills for thirty years."

Kitahara Shin listened while putting on his makeup.

Director: "Of course, for the sake of the show, this chef" is actually a character actor we hired named Sato. His persona is that of a very arrogant, disdainful, and dismissive "stubborn craftsman" who thinks the entertainment industry is all just for show."

"He will demonstrate advanced techniques on the show, such as carving radishes and making cucumbers into 'straw raincoats' (a traditional Chinese custom of wrapping cucumbers in straw raincoats)."

At this point, the director lowered his voice, giving a knowing look: "As for your challenge, don't worry. We've prepared three camera angles. You just need to hold the knife, make a couple of cuts as a gesture, and then we'll cut to a close-up shot of the real chef's double cutting the finished product, before finally cutting back to your shot."

"Through post-production editing, what the audience sees is: you pick up a knife, and with a few quick strokes, a perfect carving is created."

"That's the magic of television, haha."

The director smiled smugly, clearly very familiar with this fakery process.

Kitahara Shin looked at himself in the mirror and smiled helplessly.

This is the truth about variety shows.

To maintain his "all-around genius" persona, the TV station spared no effort in using all sorts of editing techniques. If it were an ordinary celebrity, they would probably just go along with it; after all, it's easy and allows them to show off, so why not?

But he doesn't need to.

Because he has cheat codes.

"director."

Kitahara Shin interrupted the director's rambling, "How's that stunt chef's skill?"

The director was taken aback for a moment: "Huh? Oh, he's a master craftsman specially brought in from Yokohama Chinatown, his skills are definitely top-notch."

"That's good."

Kitahara Shin stood up and straightened his apron. "But we don't need to go through all that trouble with the editing. Let's try to make it a one-shot film; that way, it'll look more realistic to the audience."

Director: "—Huh?"

Before the director could react, Kitahara Shin had already pushed open the door and walked out.

"I'll go say hello to Mr. Sato."

The photography studio was set up like an open kitchen.

The actor who specializes in portraying characters, Sato, was dressed in a white chef's uniform and wearing a tall chef's hat, standing in front of the cutting board, preparing his emotions.

He was a big, burly man with a face full of fat, which certainly fit the persona of a "stubborn and arrogant chef".

Sato visibly tensed up when he saw Kitahara Shin approaching.

Although in the script he was supposed to look down on Kitahara Shin, in reality, the person opposite him was the most popular top star at the moment, and also a big shot in the capital market.

Sato quickly wiped the sweat from his hands and was about to bow in greeting when Kitahara Shin reached out and helped him up.

"Sato-san, right? Thank you for your hard work."

Kitahara Shin smiled and shook his hand. The hand was warm and strong, without any airs. "I've read the script. Your character is very interesting. When we start filming, please don't hold back. The fiercer you are, the more you look down on me, the better. That'll make for a more entertaining show."

Sato was flattered and stammered, "This—this is too much trouble—what if I offended you—"

"That was acting."

Kitahara Shin patted him on the shoulder, his tone relaxed: "We're all actors, and in front of the camera, we only care about the role. Just think of me as some arrogant kid who's here to cause trouble, and feel free to use your 'professionalism' to humiliate me."

Seeing Kitahara Shin's kind and friendly smile, Sato finally felt relieved.

He had initially worried that this big star would be difficult to deal with, but he was surprised to find him to be so approachable.

"Understood! Kitahara-san! I will give it my all!"

Sato straightened his back, his eyes filled with enthusiasm.

Kitahara Shin nodded, his gaze sweeping over the several kitchen knives neatly arranged on the cutting board.

That was a prop knife prepared by the group itself. Although it had been sharpened, the steel was of poor quality.

His mind stirred slightly.

In the equipment inventory, the [Abandoned Chef's Knife from Midnight Diner] and [God's Left Hand - Sterile Touch (Purple)] were quietly flashing.

Although the knife's primary attribute is to enhance the deliciousness of food, when combined with the absolute precision control provided by the "Left Hand of God," it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut when dealing with a few radish carvings.

"Since we're going to film this, let's do it for real."

Kitahara Shinichi thought to himself, a playful smile curving his lips.

Editing? Stunt double?

That kind of thing would only insult his equipment inventory.

"All departments, prepare!"

The director's voice came through the loudspeaker.

「《北原信什幺都能做得到！》第一期，第一次录製，倒计时！5、4、3、2、1！

Action!

The spotlight suddenly shone, focusing on the stainless steel cutting board in the center of the stage.

"ha!"

With a deep, resonant shout, the kitchen knife in Sato's hand transformed into a silver afterimage.

"Tap tap tap tap tap tap—"

'

The rapid chopping sounds, like machine gun fire, echoed throughout the studio. A mere dozen seconds later, the blades disappeared. Sato gently pushed the white radish in his hand, and the seemingly intact radish instantly unfolded like an accordion, transforming into a thin, continuous "radish net."

"Great! That was fantastic!"

The host exclaimed in surprise at the opportune moment, leaning in with the microphone: "Chef Sato, I heard you've been studying knife skills in Chinese cuisine for a full thirty years? Do you think such incredible techniques can be easily replicated by others?"

Sato wiped his hands, his chubby cheeks twitching, revealing an extremely arrogant expression. He didn't even look directly at the camera, but instead sneered at the air: "Copy? Don't be ridiculous."

He pointed at the net hanging on the ground, his tone full of disdain: "This is thirty years of blood and sweat, muscle memory built up from countless cuts. Don't think you can test my limits with some greenhorn just starting out. To be honest, the reason I'm here today is to expose your frauds."

At this point, he abruptly turned his head, his gaze sweeping defiantly across the guest seats: "It's time for this kind of boring program, which insults the dignity of us 'professionals' through editing and sensationalism, to end."

The atmosphere on set instantly "dropped to freezing point" (although it was scripted, Sato's acting was too realistic).

The host chuckled awkwardly twice, then turned to Kitahara Shin, who had been sitting to the side with a smile on his face: "Oh dear, Master Sato's words were quite harsh. Kitahara-kun, look at what he said—why don't you want to come up and try? Or are you just going to give up already?"

The camera suddenly zooms in on a close-up of Kitahara Shin.

Kitahara Shin was neither angry nor did he show the slightest displeasure at being offended.

He slowly straightened his cuffs, stood up, and walked calmly to the cutting board.

"Master Sato is right, thirty years of skill is truly admirable."

Kitahara Shin smiled gently, his gaze falling on the cleaver still stained with radish juice, his tone as sincere as a student humbly seeking knowledge: "However, since you're here, you have to make me give up."

He looked up, staring directly into Sato's hostile eyes: "Sato-san, could I borrow this knife for a moment? Or—could you demonstrate that move again? I want to see it more clearly."

Sato was taken aback.

"snort."

Sato snorted coldly, picked up the radish again, and slammed it heavily on the cutting board: "Want to see? Fine."

He raised the knife again: "Then you'd better keep your eyes wide open. I'll only demonstrate once, and—I won't slow down."