Chapter 89: Make Kitahara Iwa apologize.

As Chief Editor Sato had predicted, shortly after the release of the first chapter of "The Cry," the unrealistic criticisms from readers quickly escalated into a violent backlash that affected the entire society.

Countless well-known economists, court writers, and television commentators, like sharks smelling blood, keenly sensed this antagonistic sentiment among the public.

They rushed to appear during prime time on major television stations, seizing the opportunity to launch a barrage of baseless verbal attacks against Kitahara Iwa.

On a highly-rated evening political talk show on Fuji TV, a renowned scholar wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who had just made hundreds of millions of yen by reselling real estate in central Tokyo, arrogantly tore a magazine page with the opening of "The Scream" to shreds in front of a national audience.

"Kitahara Iwao is a complete shrewish madman who can't stand seeing Japan prosper!"

He casually tossed the scraps of paper onto the table, his face full of condescending mockery, and said, "Suzuki Yoko's so-called tragedy is nothing but the persecution complex of a third-rate writer!"

"Everyone, look out the window! Japan is now the world's number one economy!"

"Our Nikkei index is about to break the unprecedented 38,000-point mark. The land value of Tokyo alone is enough to buy the entire United States!"

"This unprecedented prosperity will continue for at least another hundred years!"

He spread his arms in front of the camera, looking extremely arrogant, and said, "Even homeless people on the streets of Shinjuku can find expensive seafood bento boxes discarded by high-end restaurants."

"Poverty? Despair? These words were long ago erased from our Japanese dictionaries!"

At this point, the scholar, who had just become rich by reselling land, suddenly leaned close to the camera, his eyes gleaming with extreme arrogance, and in front of a national audience, confidently made a highly provocative bet:

"I'm saying this right here on this nationally televised program!"

He reached out and forcefully tapped the torn copy of "New Tide of Fiction" on the table, saying, "If Japan's economy really does decline as this novelist who writes to make money imagines..."

"If one day in the future our people really do end up like those described in this tattered book, dying alone in moldy rented rooms because of bankruptcy due to debt..."

He paused, a cold, utterly contemptuous smile playing on his lips: "Then I will not only immediately resign from all my positions at the university and research institute, I will also personally walk to the gates of Shinchosha, and in front of all the Japanese media cameras, bow deeply to Kitahara Iwato in apology, and swallow these torn pieces of waste paper on the spot!"

"Now, I urge everyone to join in the protest!"

"We demand that Shinchosha revise the content and make Kitahara Iwao issue a public apology!"

This extremely arrogant bet and call to action perfectly catered to the public's arrogance at the peak of the bubble, instantly igniting the frenzy in the studio. It not only drew thunderous applause from the live audience but also won thunderous applause from countless television viewers across the country.

However, for Shinchosha, the economist's rant on television was merely a superficial phenomenon.

An even more deadly crisis comes from the real masterminds hidden behind the scenes—Tadashi Nijo and Yoichi Katsuragi.

The economist's outrageous act of tearing up a magazine in front of the camera and calling on readers with a strong sense of national pride to protest was exactly what these two industry giants wanted.

They wouldn't let go of this golden opportunity to utterly destroy Kitahara Iwa.

When the storm first began to emerge, Tadashi Nijo, the chief editor of the Kyoto Taisei Shimbun, immediately joined forces with political heavyweight Yoichi Katsuragi behind the scenes, becoming the core mastermind behind this boycott frenzy.

They mobilized their vast resources in traditional print media and the cultural and educational sectors, launching a relentless, all-media matrix attack against Kitahara Iwa.

Nijo Tadashi instructed a large number of court writers overnight to produce lengthy editorials, which were then published on the front pages of major newspapers in a series of critical articles.

Yoichi Katsuragi, on the other hand, used his influence in the political arena to tacitly approve of and even encourage various commentators to stir up trouble on television.

With their tireless efforts, Kitahara Iwa was quickly portrayed as a sinister historical figure with ulterior motives who smeared the prosperous era.

Ordinary readers who initially felt extremely alienated and uncomfortable by the plight of the lower classes in the book have completely lost their ability to think independently in the face of this overwhelming, carefully crafted brainwashing by power and the media.

They were quickly swept up by this immense force, transforming their doubts and confusion into an extremely blind and fanatical rage.

Within just a few days, Shinchosha's reader hotline was completely overwhelmed and almost paralyzed.

Protest letters and petitions of boycott were poured into the desks of the sales and editorial departments by the postman every day, like snowflakes.

Countless enraged readers protested vehemently by phone and letter, demanding that Shinchosha immediately cancel the unlucky work "The Cry" or force Kitahara Iwao to revise the subsequent plot and turn the pesky Suzuki Yoko into an inspirational story set against the backdrop of the bubble economy.

Otherwise, they will not only cancel their subscription to "Shosetsu Shincho," but also boycott all publications under Shincho-sha.

On one side, cultural power brokers are bombarding the public with media resources; on the other side, hundreds of thousands of readers, caught up in the frenzy, are vehemently denouncing the issue.

This immense public pressure, which threatened to lift the roof off the organization, plunged Shinchosha into unprecedented turmoil.

Finally, several managing directors and heads of the distribution department, unable to withstand the pressure, pushed open the door to the president's office of Shinchosha, carrying a thick stack of cancellation notices and a mountain of letters of protest from readers.

"President, we can't let Kitahara Iwao continue writing like this! This is practically pushing Shinchosha to the opposite side of the entire nation!"

The executive in charge of overall distribution wiped the cold sweat from his brow and anxiously suggested, "The cancellation calls these past few days have paralyzed the customer service department. We must intervene immediately and force Kitahara Iwao to revise the subsequent plot!"

"If we give Yoko Suzuki an inspirational ending in the later plot—riding the wave of the bubble economy and making a fortune—we can quell this storm of public opinion and win back the readers we're losing!"

The executive in charge of distribution, wiping away cold sweat, anxiously added, "At the very least, we can forcibly change the social background of 'The Cry' to a fictional world unrelated to reality! In short, we absolutely cannot let it continue to provoke the public's sensitivities!"

At this point, the head of the distribution department suddenly turned to Editor-in-Chief Sato, his tone filled with undisguised anger and accusation: "Ultimately, Editor-in-Chief Sato, you also bear undeniable responsibility for this incident!"

"If you hadn't defied public opinion and used such massive resources for such a high-profile publicity campaign, artificially inflating public expectations to the heavens, readers wouldn't have experienced such a severe sense of disappointment and anger!"

Editor-in-Chief Sato, who was also called into the office, stood aside, facing the angry glares and relentless pressure from his colleagues, but only frowned and remained silent.

He knew very well that in the face of this massive, nationwide boycott, deliberately instigated by experts, pure literary faith often appeared extremely fragile under the heavy pressure of corporate survival.

At this moment, he had already mentally prepared for the worst.

If the president is truly pressured by reality and issues a death order to forcibly change the setting of "The Cry," he must fight to the bitter end for Kitahara Iwa and this work, even if it costs him his position as editor-in-chief.

However, to everyone's surprise,

The president of Shinchosha, who was sitting behind his desk, did not immediately express his opinion.

He glanced at the agitated executives, then at the silent Sato, and slowly extended his hand to Editor-in-Chief Sato, saying, "Give me the full manuscript of 'The Cry' that Kitahara-sensei submitted."

Upon hearing the president's order, Editor-in-Chief Sato took a deep breath and solemnly handed over the complete manuscript of "The Cry".

The moment he received the manuscript, a profound glint flashed in the eyes of the president who held sway over the Japanese publishing industry.

Those high-ranking officials outside may only see the darkness and the surging public opinion crisis at this moment.

But the president did not forget that Kitahara Iwa had promised him before the new book was released that he would use this work to compete for the highest honor in Japanese popular literature, the Naoki Prize!

How could a brilliant and talented writer possibly submit a work that is purely intended to disgust readers and is devoid of any logic for the Naoki Prize?

Therefore, the president made an extremely decisive move.

Ignoring the anxiety of others, he directly pressed the internal phone on the table, had his secretary cancel all the afternoon meetings, and asked all the senior executives who were clamoring to change the plot to leave.

As the executives exchanged bewildered glances and left the room, the president slammed the door shut behind him, then locked himself completely inside his office with a click.

Time ticked by, and the protest calls outside continued to ring incessantly in the corridor.

More than four hours later, with a click of the latch, the wooden door to the president's office was finally slowly pulled open from the inside.

The executives and senior executives outside the door, who were sweating profusely and ready to rush up and continue their speeches, froze on the spot the moment they saw the president's face, swallowing back the words that were on the tip of their tongues.

This helmsman, who has seen countless storms and schemes in the publishing industry, had his tie slightly loosened and his eyes frighteningly red.

He clutched the manuscript, which had been crumpled from being turned over so many times, his expression revealing a shock that came from being washed by utter despair.

Feeling the gazes of everyone, the president ignored the expectant and anxious looks in the eyes of the executives and instead let out a long breath.

His gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing on Editor-in-Chief Sato, who remained silent in the corner. He then said, "No need for revisions."

These four simple words carry an undeniable weight.

"President! But what about the readers and media outside..."

Upon hearing this, the head of the distribution department turned deathly pale, still trying to make a last-ditch effort.

"I said, no changes are needed!"

The president suddenly raised his voice, his sharp gaze instantly suppressing all the noise in the corridor.

The president then handed the manuscript back to Sato, and as he turned to face the executives again, his tone revealed the undeniable authority and decisiveness of a top publisher: "You have no idea what kind of monster Kitahara-sensei has written!"

"This is not some venting of anger detached from reality; it is clearly a scalpel capable of ruthlessly dissecting this entire hypocritical era!"

The president surveyed the crowd and delivered his final, resounding verdict: "Go tell those clamoring critics outside, and those readers blinded by false prosperity who are clamoring to unsubscribe, let them unsubscribe as they please!"

At this point, the president looked at editor-in-chief Sato again, his tone returning to its usual calm as he said, "Even if Shinchosha has to face criticism from all over Japan, even if the sales of 'Shosetsu Shincho' suffer for several months, we will persevere."

"We will continue to serialize Kitahara-sensei's original manuscript as usual, word for word."

"No one can write a single stroke."