After instructing Director Hoshino, Takuya Nakayama devoted the next few days to pouring over the massive research reports on the next-generation console.
Weekdays burned his brain, while weekends burned his energy.
On Saturday, Takuya proudly took on the role of full-time dad, spending the day crawling around the floor with his ten-month-old son, Nakayama Kazuki.
On the living room tatami mats, he had just finished building a crooked "Tower of Babel" out of building blocks. Before he could even bask in his accomplishment, a chubby little hand mercilessly knocked it all down.
Crash!
The blocks scattered across the floor.
"You little monster!" Takuya exclaimed, pointing at the culprit with mock indignation. "That was Dad's masterpiece! The crystallization of human wisdom!"
Little Kazuki paid no attention to his father's rant, grabbing a red block and cheerfully stuffing it into his mouth.
"Hey! You can't eat that!" Takuya quickly rescued the block from his son's mouth and replaced it with a teething ring.
Kazuki gnawed on the ring, his big black eyes fixed on his father as if to say: Next.
Takuya sighed resignedly and started rebuilding the tower.
"Don't have too much fun now, we have important business tonight," Eri Nakayama reminded, carrying a cup of barley tea from the kitchen.
"Important business?" Takuya Nakayama didn't even look up. "Is it some special day? No, your birthday, my birthday, Kazuki's birthday, our wedding anniversary—none of those are coming up yet."
Eri chuckled at his serious demeanor, placing the teacup beside him. "Stop daydreaming. It's about your show—the first episode airs tonight."
"Oh, that." Takuya finally understood, his expression turning mischievous as he pinched his son's chubby cheek. "Hear that, son? Tonight, your dad is going to lead all of Japan in a wild dream of getting rich quick."
Eri sat down beside him, watching her husband and son with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. "Your father called the other day and said everyone at the station is both excited and worried. After all, no one's ever done a show like this before."
"What's there to worry about?" Takuya leaned back against the sofa, taking a sip of tea with a relaxed tone. "Your father's Supermarket Showdown has been conditioning the audience for two years now. They've been watching people save money and fight over discounted goods day after day. It's time for a change of pace."
He paused, his gaze deepening as he watched the replay of GG on the TV.
"Saving money is a necessity when you're broke. But the poorer you are, the more you long for a fortune overnight. Our show takes that universal longing and puts it under the spotlight, then slaps a ten-million-yen price tag on it."
This project had been on the back burner since his first visit to Eri's house, nearly three years ago.
When Eri initially proposed the idea to her father, Nakagawa Junji, he found it groundbreaking but deemed the timing wrong.
Then, two years ago, after the bubble economy burst, Takuya Nakayama ordered him to launch Supermarket Showdown as an appetizer.
This move proved to be a masterstroke.
Supermarket Showdown not only shattered viewership records for TV Tokyo but also built a massive audience of budget-conscious viewers. This demonstrated the tremendous potential of the mass market to sponsors.
Now that the audience's appetite had been whetted, it was time to serve the main course.
Eri murmured, "Father mentioned that the station hired several university professors to develop the question bank. It took them months. And the studio was completely rebuilt at a huge cost."
"It's essential," Takuya Nakayama said with a smile. "To dream big, you have to dream extravagantly. If we made it too grounded, like Supermarket Showdown, that ten-million-yen prize wouldn't carry any weight."
As night fell, the family finished dinner.
Eri carried the drowsy Kazuki back to his room. By the time she emerged, Takuya had dimmed the main lights in the living room, leaving only a floor lamp lit. Snacks and drinks were arranged in front of the TV, creating a ceremonial atmosphere.
"You've prepared everything so meticulously?" Eri asked with a smile.
"Of course! This is our family's second hit show." Takuya patted the seat beside him. "Come on, it's time to witness a miracle."
At exactly eight o'clock, a fast-paced, futuristic theme song blared from the TV. Then, a massive question mark made of countless golden bills spun and exploded in the center of the screen, revealing the show's official title: Who Can Become a Ten-Million-Yen Millionaire?
To Takuya, who had seen countless cutting-edge stages in his past life, the studio set was undeniably crude and outdated, bearing all the hallmarks of early 1990s production values.
The lighting wasn't particularly dazzling, and the screen resolution was far from high-definition.
But the one thing he was most satisfied with, TV Tokyo had executed flawlessly.
Throughout the studio—behind the host and contestants' seats, and in nearly every corner visible to the cameras—the eye-catching logo of the main sponsor, Kirin Brewery, was prominently displayed.
"It's a little tacky," Takuya Nakayama said, crossing his legs and gazing contentedly at the omnipresent logo on the screen.
"Dad said that when the Kirin executives saw the rough cut, they were so pleased they immediately agreed to increase next season's sponsorship fee. They transferred the final payment faster than anyone else," Eri said, taking a sip of Kirin tea with a smile. "But... don't you think it's a bit too blatant?"
"That's exactly what we want," Takuya explained. "Supermarket Showdown teaches people how to save money—entertainment with a practical lesson. But this show is different. It's about creating a dream—the dream of becoming a ten-million-yen millionaire. If the dream itself looks shabby, who will believe it's real? These logos tell every viewer that a powerful corporation is backing this dream—that ten million yen is real!"
Eri nodded, though she didn't fully understand, her attention quickly drawn back to the show.
The first contestant to appear was an ordinary-looking middle-aged office worker. His suit was slightly ill-fitting, and he sat nervously in the contestant's seat, his forehead glistening with sweat.
The host, a seasoned veteran of the station, quickly put the contestant at ease with a few reassuring words.
"Question one: What is the animal that Japan's beloved cartoon character, Doraemon, fears the most? A) Lion. B) Mouse. C) Cockroach. D) Snake."
The moment the question was posed, not only the contestant but even Eri couldn't help but chuckle.
"This is way too easy."
Without hesitation, the contestant chose B, easily clearing the first round.
The subsequent questions were all common knowledge, such as "What is Japan's national flower?" and "Which is taller, Tokyo Tower or Skytree?"
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