Crossover: Pen name: Dazai Osamu, Omega Kasumigaoka

This is really incredible.

It's worth noting that Shinchosha has done this several times: preferring to leave things blank rather than accepting inferior quality.

A high school student managed to gain the approval of the discerning and trendy club.

This piqued the interest of many readers.

I want to see what kind of work "No Longer Human" is.

Suddenly, the attention given to "No Longer Human" soared.

Although it hasn't reached the point of becoming a hot topic before it even starts.

But this also brought in a new group of expectant readers.

……

……

September 15th.

It was the day Shinchosha released its new issue.

After getting off work, Akamatsu remembered that today was the day Shinchosha was published.

So he turned around and went to the bookstore next to the station, and bought a copy of Shinchosha's new weekly magazine.

He has always been a loyal reader of Shinchosha, and since he started working, he has read almost every issue of Shinchosha's weekly magazine.

"Winning entry in the New Trend Talent Award: No Longer Human!"

"A groundbreaking work by a genius high school student author, a dialogue with the depths of the soul, directly confronting the cowardice of human nature!"

"what?"

I noticed the line in bold and large font among the many titles on the cover.

Akamatsu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, feeling quite surprised.

As a lover of pure literature.

He knew how difficult it was to write pure literature.

The fact that it possesses 'superb writing skills' alone has deterred countless people who lack talent.

Without talent, one cannot make a living in 'pure literature'.

Now, a high school student has written a book of pure literature.

He also won the prestigious Shinchosha Newcomer Award, the most difficult award to win.

In his memory, the literary masters who wrote their famous works were mostly over thirty years old.

Now a high school student...

This aroused his intense curiosity.

With this curiosity in mind, Akamatsu slowly opened the magazine.

I never expected that the first page after the table of contents would be "No Longer Human".

“I once saw three photos of that man. The first one could be described as a photo of him when he was a child…”

Concise and clean writing seems to possess a kind of magic.

As he read, Akamatsu seemed to transform into a person named 'Oba Yozo,' who was treated as an outcast from a young age, entangled among several women, betrayed by his wife, and deceived by his family...

In an attempt to escape reality, he descended into depravity, experiencing self-exile, alcoholism, suicide attempts, and the use of drugs to numb himself, ultimately leading step by step towards self-destruction...

"I'm sorry for being born a human!"

"hiss!"

Upon reading this sentence, Akamatsu couldn't help but gasp, feeling a chill run down his spine and his whole body go cold, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

He subconsciously touched the corner of his eye, the wetness was so obvious.

Looking at the magazine in my hand again, it was as if I were seeing a beautiful mirror.

But now this mirror is shattered, broken into countless shards of glass that fall densely onto people's hearts, causing unbearable pain and almost plunging them into endless darkness.

Looking at the book again, there was no longer a trace of doubt in Chishong's eyes, and he spoke from the bottom of his heart.

"This book……"

"Amazing!"

……

Mizushima is a book reviewer whose daily work involves recommending various books online and writing reading reflections.

Because of his serious attitude and sharp, sarcastic style.

This made him stand out among a group of book reviewers.

They have accumulated a considerable number of fans.

It is quite famous among various readers.

Today, as is customary, Mizushima picked up the latest weekly magazines from various publishing houses.

Shincho-sha, Kodansha, Bungei Shunju... they all exist.

Because of his work, his family has been subscribing to these magazines for years.

The first thing Mizushima brought out was a weekly magazine from Shinchosha.

As the leader in pure literature.

Shinchosha's articles often represent trends and popular styles, making them a key focus for many book reviewers, and he is no exception.

"what!"

When I saw the title on the cover, such as "A groundbreaking work by a high school student author,"...

Mizushima, a professional, raised an eyebrow.

My first feeling was disbelief.

Newcomers often represent inexperience and are full of flaws.

In the realm of pure literature, which is at a hellish level.

It is very difficult for a newcomer to achieve the same level of expertise, insight, and maturity as an experienced author.

"How come the Shincho Society has also learned these crooked tricks?"

"Honestly, I'll have to give them a good talking to later!"

"As a leading figure in pure literature, how can you take these shortcuts..."

Mizushima frowned and slowly opened the weekly Shinchosha magazine.

The first one is "No Longer Human".

"Perfect timing! Let me critique what kind of article could possibly earn such a scathing review from Shincho-sha!"

With a critical eye, Mizushima continued reading.

“I once saw three photos of that man. The first one could be described as a photo of him when he was a child…”

"Hmm, this writing style... doesn't seem like that of a newcomer?"

"Could this be an alternate account used by some veteran writer?"

Mizushima raised an eyebrow. He found it hard to believe that such concise and clean writing could be done by a newcomer.

But he couldn't recall any words with that kind of flavor.

I could only continue reading with this lingering doubt.

As he read, Mizushima's expression gradually turned serious, and shock slowly appeared in his eyes.

The initial thought of finding fault vanished without a trace.

She felt as if she had become the protagonist of the book, experiencing the ups and downs, the hopes and despairs, the joys and the pains, alongside Yozo.

After thoroughly reading the latest chapter.

Mizushima felt as if a huge boulder weighing ten thousand pounds was pressing down on his heart.

The atmosphere of despair, like murky black water, suffocated him, making it hard for him to breathe.

Then I looked at the four large black characters on the book: "No Longer Human".

Mizushima's eyes held an incredibly complex expression.

"This time, Shincho-sha has actually struck gold!"

.......................................

Please continue to vote! Brothers, please cast more votes if you have any!

Please add to your favorites, give flowers, leave a review, vote for monthly tickets, urge me to update, and donate!

...........................................

Chapter Eleven: A Work That Saved the Japanese Literary World

"Hello everyone, I'm Mizushima."

"As is customary, I checked the weekly new issues from each publishing house today..."

"I stumbled upon a newcomer's work published by Shinchosha, and it even won a newcomer award. It's called 'No Longer Human'..."

"A work written by a high school student is described as a masterpiece. To be honest, I didn't believe it at first. I thought it was a sign that Shinchosha had fallen from grace and was resorting to such sensational marketing tactics..."

"So I started reading the book with a critical mindset, wanting to find countless loopholes and flaws, and then criticize Shinchosha to the point of being completely torn apart..."

"But after reading the whole book, I changed my mind..."

"Although the author says he is just a high school student, his writing style and techniques are very mature and skillful, not at all like a novice. The whole book takes the style of mono no aware to its extreme..."

"After reading this book, one feels a suffocating, drowning sensation, as if locked in an atmosphere of despair..."

"..."

"In this era where the old guard is fading, new talent is not emerging, and there is a lack of successors!"

"The appearance of Osamu Dazai and 'No Longer Human' is definitely a bombshell."

"I would call it a masterpiece that will save the literary world of Japan!"

……

In the cramped rented room.

Kitahara Makoto looked at the review of this guy named 'Mizushima' online.

His eye twitched violently a few times.

Isn't this too exaggerated?

Did Shinchosha bribe this guy?

While inwardly grumbling, Kitahara Makoto continued scrolling through the webpage, reading online reviews of "No Longer Human".

Although I have confidence in the quality of "No Longer Human".

But this was the first time I'd ever faced something like publishing a serialized book.

He inevitably felt a little uneasy.

I'm afraid of not getting the readers' approval.

So after the new book was released, he kept a close eye on readers' reviews.

"Buzzing..."

My phone suddenly vibrated. I picked it up and saw it was my editor, Nagai Ikumi.

"Hey, Editor Nagai, what's up?"

"It's a hit! It's a hit! Author Kitahara's novel 'No Longer Human' is a bestseller!"

From the other end of the phone came Ikumi Nagai's excited screams.

Kitahara Makoto quickly moved his phone away and waited a while before asking questions in detail.