Tokyo Literary Masters: Starting from the Late 1980s

"Are you kidding me!"

A gray-haired, conservative writer slammed his hand on the table, causing the water in his teacup to spill: "This is fantasy? This is pure malice!"

"How could something so dark, malicious, and physically disturbing win a major award?"

"It's spreading panic! Especially the part about dying from watching the videotape—it's written so realistically!"

"If this kind of book were published, it would cause social problems!"

"This is a major award jointly presented by Mitsui Fudosan and the Yomiuri Shimbun! What we need are beautiful, dreamlike works like 'Night on the Galactic Railroad,' works that enhance the company's image! Not this... this vicious curse!"

"No matter how well it's written, we can't afford to scare the readers to death!"

"That's because you're old!"

At the other end of the table, a radical critic with round glasses and a somewhat unruly demeanor stood up; he was none other than Hiroshi Aramata, known as a "polymath".

He clutched Kitahara Iwa's manuscript tightly in his hand, his face flushed with excitement: "Look at the other things you've chosen!"

"A cliché like Dragon Quest, or a poor imitation of Western fantasy stories!"

"Only this work! Only 'The Ring' captures the pulse of the Heisei era!"

"What pulse? This must be a nightmare!"

The conservatives retorted.

"That's right, it's a nightmare!"

Hiroshi Aramata roared, "This is the real modern ghost story! It implants fear into the most familiar everyday appliances! Isn't this the pinnacle of imagination?"

The two sides have once again fallen into a vicious cycle of neither side giving way.

Just then, a middle-aged man who had been sitting silently in the corner slowly raised his hand.

He was a representative sent by Mitsui Fudosan, a powerful executive who had dominated the bubble economy and handled real estate deals worth hundreds of billions of yen.

Throughout the three-day literary debate, he remained silent, feeling he was an outsider.

But at this moment, his face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and there were deep dark circles under his eyes.

"Um... teachers."

Mitsui's voice sounded somewhat hoarse.

However, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to this big spender.

"I know absolutely nothing about literary structure or narrative techniques. I'm just a businessman who sells houses."

He gave a wry smile, pointed to the stack of manuscripts titled "The Ring" on the table, his fingers trembling slightly, and said, "After the meeting the day before yesterday, out of curiosity, I took a copy of this book home."

"I want to see what kind of story Aramata-sensei would praise so highly."

The meeting room fell silent.

"result……"

The Mitsui representative took a deep breath, as if suppressing his inner fear, and said, "After reading it, I looked at the 40-inch TV I just bought in my living room and felt a chill for the first time."

"The feeling wasn't that I thought the story was really well-written, but rather that it felt like it was happening right next to me."

At this point, he raised his head, looked around at the literary giants present, and said something that shocked everyone: "That night, even a real estate project worth hundreds of millions didn't keep me awake."

But this novel did it.

"Even... before going to bed, I would unplug the phone line at home like a cowardly child."

At that moment, the entire conference room fell into an unprecedented silence.

A real estate tycoon, who had weathered many storms in the business world, was so frightened by a novel that he unplugged the phone line.

This is more shocking than any literary review.

This is not a victory of skill, but a surrender of instinct.

At that moment, Hiroshi Aramata seized the opportunity, took a deep breath, stared intently at everyone present, and said in a low, powerful voice, "Everyone, did you hear that?"

"What we're looking for aren't dusty hardcover books on the bookshelf, but monsters that can be driven into the reader's mind like nails."

"If we miss this work because of fear, then there is no need for this fantasy novel award."

As Hiroshi Aramata finished speaking, the entire conference room fell silent once again.

The rain outside the window was getting heavier and heavier, as if it were trying to wash away the stubbornness of the old era.

Finally, the presiding judge, sitting in the main seat, let out a long sigh.

The stubbornness that had persisted for three days finally crumbled at this moment.

"Let's go with this one."

The presiding judge reached out his trembling hand and picked up the red seal that represented the highest honor.

Snapped.

The red ink was heavily pressed onto the cover of The Ring.

……

February 1, 1989.

This is a day that will be recorded in Japanese history.

The consumption tax law, which was forcibly implemented by the cabinet, officially came into effect today.

The word "tax," which once existed only in the dictionary of the rich, suddenly spread like an indiscriminate flu, infecting everyone on this land.

Tax rate: 3%.

The air in the Koenji shopping street was filled with a sense of unease in the early morning.

Kitahara Iwa stood in front of the vending machine, holding a few light aluminum coins in his hand.

A one-yuan coin, which people usually toss into their piggy banks without a second glance, has become a scarce strategic resource today.

"Damn it! Why do I have to add coins again!"

An older man in front of him angrily kicked the vending machine.

A can of coffee that was originally 100 yen now costs 103 yen.

If it weren't for those three annoying one-dollar coins, the machine would spew out warm coffee as usual, providing energy for every worker's day.

The convenience store was in complete chaos.

A long line formed in front of the checkout counter, and the cashier was frantically pressing the calculator, trying to figure out those dizzying odds and ends.

A housewife pointed her finger at the cashier and complained loudly because of a few extra yen in taxes, as if the cashier had pocketed the extra 3%.

"How ridiculous!"

Kitahara Iwa finally managed to buy cigarettes after leaving the convenience store; the Seven Stars that were originally 200 yen were now 220 yen.

He stood on the chaotic street, flicking a coin between his fingers.

The aluminum coins tumbled in the sunlight, shimmering with a cheap silvery sheen.

People haggle and argue fiercely over this meager 3% profit, yet they remain blind to the enormous bubble that has already inflated tens of thousands of times and is about to burst.

"This can be considered a magnificent spectacle of a prosperous era."

Kitahara Iwakawa curled his lips in a mocking smile, then spat, his eyes turning cynical: "But honestly, making poor people like us spend more money... those guys in the cabinet should commit seppuku!"

Despite the criticism, life goes on.

Kitahara Iwa clenched the coin in his hand, turned around, and went into the dilapidated apartment that smelled of mildew.

Immediately afterwards, Mrs. Ota, the landlady, rang out with her booming voice that could penetrate the walls.

"Kitahara! Mr. Kitahara! It's your phone!"

Mrs. Ota poked her head out of the manager's office, looking impatient. "Hurry up and answer it! It sounds like some newspaper is calling. It's been ringing nonstop since early this morning, it's such a nuisance!"

Newspaper?

What was bound to happen has finally happened.

Kitahara Iwa walked to the red public telephone at the end of the corridor and picked up the greasy receiver.

"Hello, this is Kitahara."

"Ah! Is this Kitahara Iwa-sensei? I've finally gotten in touch with you!"

The voice on the other end of the phone was unusually respectful, even carrying a hint of barely suppressed excitement and awe.

"I am an employee in the cultural department of the Yomiuri Shimbun."

Regarding your entry for the '1st Japan Fantasy Novel Award'—'The Ring'…

The other person paused for a moment, seemingly catching their breath, before solemnly announcing, "Congratulations."

"After three days of intense debate by the judging panel, your work has been unanimously approved and has won this year's Grand Prize!"