Tokyo Tycoon, Start as a Writer

Chapter 3 You...are pretty good at judging people!

In Japan, there are two ways for new writers to make their debut.

The first is to participate in various literary awards for newcomers. After winning the award, naturally there will be publishing houses who will commission you to write, and you can use this as an opportunity to officially debut.

The second way is to submit your work directly to various literary magazines. Once you are appreciated by the editor, you will have the opportunity to have it serialized.

When he decided to make a living by writing, Kiyoaki Matsueda had already checked the industry situation. The award that is most likely to be awarded now is the New Wave Literature Award, where the submission deadline is June 15 and the results will be announced on July 7.

“New trend…”

This name made Matsueda Kiyoaki laugh.

Things like fate are sometimes really inexplicable. Is this an alternative intersection of two parallel time and space?

In his original world, Yukio Mishima published the novella "The Sound of Waves" in 1954 and won the first Shincho Literature Award.

In today's world, there is no Yukio Mishima and "Sho Sao", and the first grand prize was won by someone else. The Shincho Literature Award, which has been developed for many years, is still the first of the five major public new literary awards.

Nowadays, when Kiyoaki Matsueda wants to make his debut, the first literary award he encounters is Shincho.

Moreover, his current name just happens to be the same as the protagonist in Yukio Mishima's "Spring Snow"... All these coincidences collided together, making Kiyoaki Matsueda feel inexplicably emotional.

He thought to himself, it was a good thing that his debut work was not "The Waves of Tide", otherwise he would be afraid that after he became famous, a young man named Mishima would say to him, "I always feel like I'm living in his shadow."

The taxi pulled over to the side of the road and slowly stopped.

"Here we are, sir." The driver turned around and said, "2260 yen."

"..."

Kiyoaki Matsueda was startled.

I've heard before that taxis in Japan are expensive, but I didn't expect them to be so outrageously expensive. It cost more than 2000 yen for just five kilometers.

"Guest?" the driver asked with a smile.

Kiyoaki Matsueda took out his wallet with a painful look on his face, took out some banknotes and handed them to the driver, deciding to take the tram back later.

There was only 60,000 yen left in his wallet, which was the household allowance given to him by Shinsako Matsueda, and it was not even enough for a month's living expenses.

So he can't leave the Matsueda family at all now.

There is a photo in the mezzanine.

The original owner took a photo with a girl with a cute smile and long chestnut hair, standing in front of the teaching building.

The girl is pure and sweet, with a first love face.

Kiyoaki Matsueda had no memories of the original owner and did not recognize this person at all.

In the photo, the two people are standing side by side, with a distance of two fists between them, and they don’t seem to be very close.

He looked at it for a while, turned the photo over, and saw a line of words written on the white background.

【You must survive in this city! ——2009.2.28】

This photo was taken almost a year and a half ago.

"Here's your change, sir." The driver handed over the change.

Kiyoaki Matsueda took the change, put away his wallet, opened the car door and got out.

It was an evening in mid-June in 22.

In front of the Shinchosha headquarters building in Yakicho, Shinjuku District, Oshima Isamu sat in the security booth, paying close attention to people entering and leaving the door to confirm whether they were wearing their work badges correctly.

A taxi stopped at the door.

Out of professional habit, Oshima Isamu looked over subconsciously.

A young man got out of the taxi. He looked to be in his early twenties, a bit thin, between 1.75 and 1.8 meters tall.

Under the slightly messy hair, there is a handsome face full of literary and artistic atmosphere. At first glance, he is obviously a well-read person.

And his eyes...

His eyes were indifferent, and he had a sense of alienation as if he was detached from the earth.

Is there a glimmer of wisdom on the surface of the eyeball?

Oshima Isamu didn't quite know how to describe it, but he just felt that this person looked very smart.

But no matter how smart a person is, he can't force his way in.

This is Shinchosha!
It is one of the oldest publishing houses in Japan.

I would even go so far as to say that this is the most professional pure literature publishing house in Japan.

"Stop!" Oshima Isamu stopped in front of the young man.

"Hmm?" Matsueda Kiyoaki looked at the security guard and asked, "What's up?"

"Of course I have something to ask. I..." At this point, Oshima Yong was stunned, and then he reacted, "No, I'm the security guard here. I should be the one asking you this! What do you want?"

"Hello, security guard. I'm Kiyoaki Matsueda."

"Oh, well, nice to meet you... No, when did I ask you..."

"The spring snow melts, and the pine branches become clear."

"What a great name!" Oshima Isamu couldn't help but exclaimed, then he was stunned again, "Even if the name is good, you can't force your way in, because this is Shinchosha, the best publishing house in Japan, and countless famous writers were born here!"

When talking about the glorious achievements of Shinchosha, even the security guard at the gate would puff out his chest with pride.

...even though his monthly salary is only 25 yen.

"Oh, I knew this before I came here." Songeda Qingxian nodded lightly.

His nonchalant look made the excited Oshima Isamu feel a little unsure about what to do next. He glared at him and shouted, "Tell me, what are you doing here?"

"It's a submission." Kiyoaki Matsueda said calmly.

"The one who submitted the article..." Oshima Isamu was a little confused.

Most contributors would choose to mail their work to you, and few would come in person. Could this be a blank slate?

"Have you ever voted before?" he asked tentatively. Matsueda Kiyoaki shook his head: "No."

Sure enough.

Oshima Isamu told him: "A blank slate writer can only submit his manuscripts by mail. No editor will respond to a manuscript submitted directly to a publishing house."

"I don't know about that, but it doesn't matter. I can just submit it to any editor. After the editor reads it, he will come to me on his own initiative." When saying this, Kiyoaki Matsueda's tone was so calm, as if he was saying 1+1=2.

"That's impossible. Editors are so busy nowadays, how can they care about you? You know the New Wave Awards, right? Now is the final stage of selecting the shortlisted works. You are a blank writer, no one will pay attention to you. You should come back later."

"No, I'm here just to get the newcomer reward."

"..."

Oshima Isamu was stunned for a moment and uttered "eh".

It's no wonder the security guard was surprised.

After all, the New Trend Award is the most valuable among the five major awards.

The five major awards are the five major public pure literature awards for new writers, which refer to literary awards that five major publishing houses offer to the public and accept submissions from the general public.

"Shincho" by Shinchosha, "Gunzo" by Kodansha, "Pleiades" by Shueisha, "Bungeikai" by Bungeishunju, and "Bungei" by Kawaide Shobo.

Among these five companies, Xinchao has the greatest value.

The judging tendency of the New Trend Award is the most conservative among the five awards, and it focuses most on literary skills. Its credibility and level are both top-notch, and the selection is so strict that it is not surprising to see a vacancy for several consecutive years.

The proportion of writers selected by Shincho for the Newcomer Award who eventually win the Akutagawa Prize is also the highest among the five major awards.

"Do you really know the Shincho Award?" Oshima Isamu looked angry.

This guy seemed so confident, as if the New Trend Award was as easy as a composition competition for kindergarten and primary school students. This really annoyed him, a security guard.

"Let me in, we're in a hurry."

Kiyoaki Matsueda looked at the watch. It was already five o'clock in the afternoon, so he had to go home and cook.

"You can't come in without an invitation!" Oshima Isamu shook his head with a businesslike expression.

At this point, Matsueda Kiyoaki was in a bit of a dilemma.

I wanted to try my hand at it, first win a Newcomer Award, and then use "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" to win the next Akutagawa Prize, but I never expected to be stopped by a security guard...

The deadline for submissions to the New Trend Award is June 6th.

Today is the 13th. Due to my lack of trust in the business capabilities of Japan Post, it is safer to submit the article myself.

After thinking for a moment, Kiyoaki Matsueda decided to learn some worldly wisdom.

He didn't have the original owner's memories, and didn't know much about the social customs and etiquette in Japan, so he could only give it a try.

"This opportunity is very important to me, please do me a small favor."

"No, follow the rules! Either you go back and submit your manuscript by mail, or you contact an editor and ask him to register your visitor information with me before I let you in."

"Just help me submit an article."

"Humph! I, Oshima, will never compromise. I remember every detail of the security work rules by heart. I'm not the kind of person who... What, what do you mean, you... are quite good at judging people!"

Oshima Yong quickly put a 10,000 yen bill into his pocket, looked sideways, and saw that there were no colleagues around him. He immediately smiled and said, "Wait a minute, I'll inform our captain."

"Okay!" Songeda Qingxian breathed a sigh of relief.

Oshima Yong ran to the security room and said to the security captain in a flattering manner: "Captain, I want to take my cousin to submit an article. You know the deadline for submissions is approaching, and I'm afraid there will be problems during the mailing process. This is a small token of my appreciation..."

As he said this, he took out a 1000 yen bill.

Just the price of a pack of cigarettes.

For colleagues at the same level, it is just enough to help with such small matters of turning a blind eye.

"Come out quickly after submitting your manuscript and don't walk around." The security captain took the banknote very naturally.

Oshima Yong turned around and said, "Cousin, follow me."

"Okay, cousin..."

■

"Boom~"

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Naoto Oguri said without raising his head.

The door opened and a man in security uniform walked in.

He held a folder in his hand and bowed respectfully: "Mr. Oguri, this is my cousin's manuscript. The deadline for submissions for the Newcomer Award is approaching, and I'm afraid something might go wrong if I mail it, so I personally brought it to you for his review."

After that, before Oguri Naoto could speak, the security guard quickly forced out a flattering smile on his face and added: "My cousin is very much looking forward to new trends. As long as Mr. Oguri can personally review it and give you a comment, he will be very satisfied."

This humble attitude made Naoto Oguri feel very useful.

The security guard in front of him was called Oshima Isamu. He was usually very hardworking and helpful in moving things. He also spoke nicely. Most of the editors at Xinchao knew him and had a very good impression of him.

"Leave it there, I'll take a look at it later."

For such a small matter as helping to read a manuscript, if it is not appropriate, just refuse it. It is not a secret operation. Naoto Oguri has no reason to refuse. After all, he often asks Oshima Isamu to help deliver the mail sent to him from the security room to the office.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Oguri. You are so kind. I'll tell you, Mr. Oguri is the most handsome man in the whole trend!"

Oshima Isamu bowed deeply again to express his gratitude, and while bending back with a flattering smile, he straightened up when he reached the door and gently closed it.

humble!

Very humble!

This scene made Songzhi Qingxian sigh with emotion.

Money is hard to make and shit is hard to eat.

There is really no such thing as easy in the adult world.

(End of this chapter)