The show's staff told me they had already selected ten contestants for the week and would instruct me as to where and when to gather after getting the approval from the board meeting. So what happened next? Actually, nothing happened. Sorry to leave you hanging, but I was left hanging the most. I suddenly stopped hearing from Fuji television. They didn't even tell me, but I realized I didn't get the executives' approval. That was the final answer from Fuji television. I was so depressed that I ended up staying in bed for a few days. It was hard to accept that I had missed the chance to win the 10M yen.

I'm laughing as I write this final installment. I couldn't accept it back then, but I now totally understand. I had strong negative feelings because it wasn't a serious quiz show, and they were exploiting the private lives of their contestants. However, first of all, if it had been a serious quiz show, was I good enough to win the top prize? Absolutely not. Fuji television carefully screened out experienced contestants who had won on other quiz shows. I knew that and intended to take advantage of the fact that it wasn't a serious quiz show. And I was trying to get what I wanted without giving them what they wanted. Just a couple of minutes of my camera test tape would have made it clear to anyone that I was really uncomfortable. I'm not an actor; I can't lie with my body language, even if I can with my words. It's no wonder the executives didn't think I was good. I rather wonder why the staff who actually dealt with me one-on-one ever even chose me in the first place.

Furthermore, to be objective, even if I had actually appeared, there would have been less than a 5% chance of winning the top prize. I fell into tunnel vision at the time and thought I could get at least half of it, but I now know the reality isn't that easy. The worst-case scenario would have been to have my private life exposed and end up with no prize money. That may've been sour grapes on my part, but looking back, I'm kind of relieved I didn't make it through.

After that, I worked steadily and somehow managed to raise my son to adulthood. It was a tough road, but full of enjoyable moments. All the trivia I learned for the quiz show has completely faded from my memory.