Chapter 10: If you have to choose, choose the best!

Chapter 10: If you have to choose, choose the best!

Chapter 10: If you have to choose, choose the best!

After one hour.

Kodansha, Gunzo editorial office, large conference room.

The manuscript submitted by Saito Reina was unexpectedly good, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that.

But there are two problems.

First, this newcomer is a complete blank slate writer, the kind of newbie who can’t be more newbie.

Before this, he had neither any submission experience nor any other works.

This represents a huge amount of uncertainty.

Even if they are only on the shortlist, all the writers on the list will receive much attention from the industry. If handled improperly, "Group Portrait" may become a laughing stock in the industry.

Second, judging from some of the previous content, the style of this manuscript and the core ideas it conveys are completely contrary to the current literary scene.

This is the point that Muramatsu Tomoshi is most unsure about.

Putting such a novel on the shortlist for their own newcomer award is very risky and may easily lead to attacks from the industry. Can they afford the consequences?
The editors below silently looked at the twelve bigwigs on the review committee. It was the first time they saw Editor-in-Chief Muramatsu look so embarrassed.

How is the manuscript?
They are all curious.

You definitely can’t finish watching it in just one hour, but you can still learn something from the first part of the content.

In the past, manuscripts recommended by editors would generally be approved quickly, and making the shortlist would definitely not be a problem.

As for the final result, it will depend on the most detailed and professional review process in the next stage.

This is the first time that the entire review committee was forced into a blank period because Editor-in-Chief Muramatsu did not express his opinion.

"Let's pass it, it's still quite interesting." Muramatsu Tomoshi finally spoke.

Saito Reina below suddenly loosened her clenched fists and let out a long sigh of relief.

Sure enough, the bigwigs on the review committee were also worried that Mr. Kitagawa’s writing style and content were not in line with modern trends.

This is also inevitable.

When she watched "Hear the Wind Sing" for the first time, she herself was shocked.

However, she believed that as long as they read the entire novel, they would definitely agree with her gamble.

Judging from the quality of the manuscript, "Hear the Wind Sing" is undoubtedly far superior to Yomiuri Okamoto's "The Remaining Epidemic" and is not at the same level at all.

The only uncontrollable factor lies in its content and writing style.

Whether this will be accepted by the literary world and readers can only be verified by the data after it is released.

But at least give it a chance, right?

Before Saito Rena could relax, a discordant voice rang out.

“Is it too hasty? This year, the number of submissions to the Newcomer Award is estimated to exceed 5000, and only 50 can make it to our shortlist. I think it is a bit inappropriate to let such a blank slate writer occupy such a precious spot.”

The only person who dared to publicly question Muramatsu Tomosuke's decision at this time was Yasuhara Akira, who brought out a group of well-known new-generation writers such as Oshima Hikaru.

He was a good friend of Tomomi Muramatsu and was introduced to "Gunzo" by Muramatsu. However, after joining the editorial department, as his influence expanded, Akira Yasuhara gradually became dissatisfied with the position of deputy editor-in-chief and began to try to shake Tomomi Muramatsu's position.

Tanaka Aoi was able to recruit Yomiuri Okamoto, and he also played a role in that.

This is equivalent to publicly kicking Saito Rena out of her own small circle. Who made this little bitch so lack tact?
Now that this decision has been made, An Yuanxian will naturally carry it out to the end.

He didn't read the manuscript carefully. The handwriting was terrible, he worked as a security guard, and he only had a high school education. Could such a person be a writer?

Are we underestimating these editors?

After saying this, Yasuhara Akira looked at Saito Rena and found that her eyes were filled with anxiety.

now it's right.

If I could push her to the bottom and then lend a helping hand when she is on the verge of collapse, I should be able to conquer her easily, right?
"Editor-in-Chief Muramatsu, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Yasuhara, I want to say something." Saito Rena knew that she had to stand up and speak for Kitagawa Hide. If she didn't do something, the people on the review committee would be led away by Yasuhara Akira.

Muramatsu Tomoshi nodded slightly at her.

"My dear seniors on the review committee, I have already communicated with the author. He clearly told me that the American writer Heartfield mentioned at the beginning is fictional, and that 'I' and 'Rat' are the same person."

This kind of thing involving core writing ideas should not be laid out so carelessly.

But there is no way.

Rena Saito was worried that if this continued, the manuscript would really be rejected.

If even the internal recommendation is rejected, then it will definitely not win the award!

After all, no one wants to slap themselves in the face!

Although it was a big gamble, she still hoped for a tiny possibility in her heart.

After saying this, she clearly felt that the conference room fell into silence.

Editors who can enter the review committee are either extremely experienced or extremely capable. They can be said to be a small group of people standing at the top of the pure literature publishing industry.

They are not stupid.

After reading the novel for a few seconds and considering what Saito Rena added, a sense of horror rushed to their heads and made several people unable to sit still.

Muramatsu Tomoshi was even more shocked. He had read the first two chapters carefully and knew the weight of Saito Reina's words. If that was the case, then his evaluation of the novel was quite interesting and could be raised a little higher.

"I don't deny Editor Saito's opinion. Judging from the content currently shown, this novel has no problem making the shortlist." An old editor soon expressed his opinion.

Saito Rena's heart finally settled down.

"In that case, then I have no objection." An Yuanxian actually didn't care whether this novel could be shortlisted or not. Every year, 50 novels would be shortlisted for the Newcomer Award, but the difference between being shortlisted and winning is a thousand miles apart.

Judging from the internal opinions of the judging committee, the article "The Residual Epidemic" is most likely to win the award this year.

He just wanted to suppress Saito Rena.

Tanaka Aoi, who was sitting on the other side, was feeling very unhappy.

She really succeeded!
There seems to be something to that novel.

But there isn't much to say. Otherwise, why would everyone take so long to discuss something that can be decided in just one sentence?

Tanaka Aoi is just unhappy that things have changed a little bit. Saito Rena, the senior who is about to be promoted, should just quietly watch Otsutake-san's novel win awards. Wouldn't it be nice to see her win this year's New Editor Award?

You have to do some weird things!

On the other hand, after Tomomi Muramatsu and Akira Yasuhara both made the final decision, "Hear the Wind Sing" naturally passed the judging committee and was shortlisted for the Group Portrait Newcomer Award.

After the matter was discussed, new meeting rules were put forward.

For the next hour, Saito Rena was unexpectedly absent-minded.

It was almost, just almost, that Mr. Kitagawa’s manuscript was rejected.

Fortunately, the final result was good.

But this way, I seem to be more deeply bound to him.

When signing the contract in the evening, ask him for some detailed information to enhance the relationship!
It rained a little today, and the weather was wet and cold.

Standing outside King Records, Kitagawa Hide shrank his neck, already feeling that tonight would be another cold night that was difficult to get through.

Pete sheds, probably because the cheap cat food that costs 800 yen a bag is not good enough, so Kitagawa Hide can't hold him in his arms to keep him warm while he sleeps.

As for Agatsuma Yumeko, although the two of them have reached a relationship of "more than friends, but less than lovers", the shy Yumeko still resists further physical contact.

The only thing I can accept right now is a hug.

Kitagawa Hide, who does not have much emotional experience, cannot grasp the little thoughts of Japanese girls, and currently cannot spend too much time on love issues.

I can only let Mengzi be a life-size pillow for the time being.

But then problems arise.

There was only one bed in a room, so he had to lie on the sofa, which was not warm enough.

Thinking about all these messy things in my mind, before I knew it, it was time to get off work.

A large number of white-collar workers who strictly abide by the "9 to 5" rule poured into the company, and many female employees waved and greeted him.

This is the advantage of being a handsome guy. He is always popular with the opposite sex wherever he goes.

Kitagawa Hideichi responded one by one, but in his heart he urged these people to get off work quickly so that he could go to Kodansha earlier to complete the signing.

Just then, there was a sound of quarrel at the door. Upholding his professional ethics, Kitagawa Hide swung out the telescopic baton, but before he could take a step, he was stopped by an elderly colleague beside him.

"No need to go over there, Mr. Kitagawa. I guess this poor singer has offended the screenwriter." The old security guard stopped him very experiencedly.

At the door, the petite female singer kept bowing to several men in suits, her forehead almost touching the ground.

The man opposite her was spitting everywhere and completely ignored the singer's apology. After scolding the singer, he turned around and began to bow and apologize to the short and fat man behind him.

This nesting doll-like scene is quite funny.

Kitagawa Hide vaguely deduced the whole story from the fragments of conversation between the few people.

A new female singer named Tamura XXX (Kitagawa Hide didn't hear her specific name clearly) sang the theme song for a TV Asahi drama, but the recording process was very difficult and the TV station questioned her ability to do the job.

This time, in addition to the people from the TV station's production department, those who came to question the TV series also included the screenwriter and the author of the original novel of the script - the short and fat man.

It seems that this short and fat male writer is quite famous in the industry, and everyone in the TV station's production department bows and nods to him.

As expected, this new female singer had to use mugwort at night.

This scene also reflects the chain of contempt in the Japanese entertainment industry.

Literature is greater than TV dramas, greater than movies, greater than singing and dancing and other messy things.

Unlike the Eastern countries on the other side of the strait, singers, stars and idols in Japan have a very low social status, while writers, on the contrary, are at the top of the contempt chain.

After watching the show for a while, Kitagawa Hide sighed and said that it was fortunate that he chose to be a plagiarist instead of following the path of a celebrity idol.

Although idols, as cheap consumer items, gradually became popular after the bursting of the bubble economy after 95, their social status has always been very low, making them a relatively poor choice after traveling through Japan.

Since you have the ability and conditions, you must choose the best!

Finally, when he saw the new female singer being stuffed into an imported luxury car, Kitagawa Hide sighed again. It was almost time, so he turned back to the security booth, packed up his things, and prepared to leave for Kodansha.

(End of this chapter)