I am a literary giant in Japan

The Asahi Shimbun is one of Japan's three major comprehensive Japanese broadsheet newspapers.

On January 25, 1879, Kimura Teng and Murayama Ryuhei founded the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun in Osaka.

In its early days, the Asahi Shimbun was just an illustrated tabloid. Ryuhei Murayama and his co-founder adopted a policy of "non-partisanship" in running the newspaper. After nearly fifty years of industrialized management, the Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, and Mainichi Shimbun formed a three-way rivalry in Tokyo.

The most important reason why the Asahi Shimbun has been able to thrive for over a century is its unique target audience and its distinctive publishing style.

The Asahi Shimbun primarily caters to middle- and upper-level intellectuals, and its news reports and articles are imbued with liberalism and journalistic professionalism.

Whether before or after the war, Japan was in a relatively oppressive environment for a long time.

Against this social backdrop, the Japanese people, especially those with some money and some knowledge, actually yearn for that American-style sense of freedom.

At the same time, this group of people also consider themselves superior and always like to use high-class and sophisticated things to flaunt themselves.

Asahi Shimbun accurately identified the pain points of this group, who in turn controlled considerable wealth and influence. With their assistance, Asahi Shimbun quickly became one of the three giants of the Japanese newspaper industry.

As is well known, the top of Japan's entertainment industry is the newspaper group, with Asahi, Mainichi, and Yomiuri newspapers almost monopolizing the entire entertainment industry in Japan.

Currently, apart from Kitagawa Entertainment, which was created by Kitagawa Shu, other entertainment companies have received investment from these three major companies to varying degrees.

Besides the Mitsui Group, the largest group shareholder behind Kawade Shobo is the Asahi Shimbun.

Rena Saito proposed submitting "Lolita" to the Asahi Shimbun in the hope that Hideaki Kitagawa and Kitagawa Bunko would use this opportunity to truly establish a connection with the Asahi Group.

Kitagawa Entertainment is valued at approximately 2700 billion yen, placing it in the mid-tier of Japan's entertainment industry. However, it still lags behind industry leaders like Kawade Shobo, which boasts a market capitalization of over 5000 billion yen.

Kitagawa Group, which includes Kitagawa Entertainment, is valued at approximately 760 billion yen, equivalent to the Golden State Warriors of the NBA, but still some distance from the 1 trillion yen of Japan's top conglomerates.

Asahi Shimbun, a subsidiary of the Asahi Group, has a staggering total market capitalization of 2.7 trillion yen!

Prior to this, the Asahi Shimbun had repeatedly commissioned articles from Hideki Kitagawa, hoping that this "number one" writer in the Japanese literary world could provide them with articles that met their needs.

Kitagawa Hide is not an arrogant person. He knows that his talent is not yet real talent. He is willing to make money if he can.

However, the Asahi Shimbun editorial department takes revisions very seriously, and even his manuscript would probably have to go through three or five rounds of review before it would be approved.

Kitagawa Hide would never accept having a group of mediocre editors pointing fingers at his novel. If the original authors knew, they would probably jump over from a parallel universe to beat him up.

As a result, the cooperation has been shelved until now.

But it must be said that among the three major newspapers, the Asahi Shimbun, with its strong liberalism, truly best met his needs.

People at Asahi are not particularly afraid of the censorship by the Ministry of Education and the Japan Literature Society.

"Yes. The Asahi Shimbun is currently considering starting a literary serial section in the newspaper. I reckon even if you hadn't mentioned it, they would have sent someone to talk to you about it."

Rena Saito nodded and stated her thoughts directly.

"After we liberated the Japanese literary market from its stagnant state, they gradually realized that this market was also very large and closely related to the film and television industry, which they value."

Now your "Beichuan Library" is doing very well, attracting a large number of readers who didn't read books before.

They definitely want a piece of the pie in this mature yet revitalized market.

The plot of "Lolita" is in a minefield in the world of pure literature. If it is forced to be published, neither "Wenyi" nor "Beichuan" may be able to bear the blame after the novel is attacked.

Our core business will always be in Heide Bookstore and Kitagawa Entertainment, so we definitely can't do something so risky.

In that case, let's just hand "Lolita" to the Asahi Shimbun, just like you handed "Paradise Lost" to the Nikkan Sports News.

And think about it, neither Kawade Shobo nor Kitagawa Bunyu can live in your shadow forever.

This issue of "Literature" magazine did not feature any of your serialized novels, resulting in a significant drop in sales. It's clear that a group of readers who only read your novels have been lost.

You can't tie yourself to these two magazines forever.

The time is ripe. Let Kitagawa Entertainment connect with the Asahi Group, and in the future, your literary magazines will gradually learn more professional operational concepts.

"I understand what you mean, that's what I think too." Kitagawa Hide was a little touched after listening to Saito Rena's long speech.

In fact, forcing "Lolita" to be published in "Literature" was the best outcome for Kawai Shobo.

For several months now, the journal "Literature and Art" has failed to produce a single novel that is strictly speaking a pure literary work.

As a leading player in the Japanese publishing industry, failing to produce top-tier works for an extended period is a very damaging situation.

If this continues, other literary magazines will start to challenge its position in the literary world.

At this time, Rena Saito, who was under the most pressure, actually started to consider the issue from Kitagawa Bunyu's perspective.

This person truly treats Kitagawa Hide's matter as their own!
"That's good. I was worried you would force the Japanese Literature Association and the Ministry of Education to approve it."

Although we have a good relationship with them, this kind of thing can happen once, twice, but not three times. I think it would be better to use this approach for pure literary novels with a Japanese background in the future. Saito Rena breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that Kitagawa Hide would be too stubborn and insist on making the Japanese literary world give way to her.

Kitagawa Hide smiled and said, "I know. I will naturally use this hard-won friendship where it is most needed."

In fact, he already had a literary work in mind that could consume this precious friendship, namely Kenzaburo Oe's Nobel Prize-winning book, "The Football Team of the First Year of Man'en".

This novel is extremely politically sensitive. If the Ministry of Education refuses to approve it, the difficulty of publishing it will be even greater than publishing "Lolita" in the United States!
"Good that you understand. I'll hang up now. See you tomorrow." Saito Rena said and then hung up the phone.

On the other side, Kitagawa Hide put down his phone, glanced at the bewildered Nishiguchi Haruka beside him, and called her over to explain things to the little girl.
1999 6 Month 3 Day.

The Lagos Tower complex in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is a tiny country that you can't even find on a map without looking carefully.

After breaking away from the Russian bear, it remained economically and militarily dependent on Tsarist Russia.

Although the entire country was dirt poor, the Lagrange Building complex, which houses the capital Sofia, the presidential palace, the prime minister's office, and the Tsar's bedroom, was exceptionally luxurious and grand. This morning, the last Tsar Simeon II, who usually dawdled for a while before getting out of his soft, comfortable bed, unusually got up early.

Simeon II, 61, is a distant relative of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. His grandfather was a cousin of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and the King of Belgium, and his mother was Princess Giovanna of Italy.

During World War II, Bulgaria chose the wrong side. The three regents of Bulgaria were later executed for treason and collusion with the enemy. On September 16, 1946, Simeon II, who was only 9 years old, was forced into exile.

His personal experience is very similar to that of Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty. However, he was luckier. After the internal war in Bulgaria ended, Simeon II was welcomed back to the country and continued to be the nominal president, but the de facto tsar.

His life in Bulgaria was like that of a god. Except for the occasional need to bow to the Tsarist Russian forces that supplied him with the economy, he basically didn't have to consider anyone's opinion.

But today, his idyllic life was shattered.

"Your Majesty, this is a preview of the latest issue of the magazine 'Book Sea.' Once you approve it, it will be published this afternoon."

A beautiful woman dressed as a classical maid handed the magazine to Simeon II.

She could clearly see the extent of Simeon II's twitching lips and could also directly feel his anger and dissatisfaction.

She really didn't want to do this kind of tricky and annoying thing if she could.

"I understand." Simeon II took the magazine, and the eye-catching words "In the World" on the cover made his face twitch again.

The autobiographical trilogy of Alyosha, written by Hideki Kitagawa, considered the "best writer in Japan," resonated throughout the former Soviet Union, but due to the sensitive nature of the plot, "Childhood" only circulated underground in Bulgaria.

Even though Simeon II ruthlessly suppressed all possibilities of publishing "Childhood," it still became a huge hit throughout Bulgaria through underground channels.

Tsarist Russia in the 1870s and 1880s was very similar to modern-day Bulgaria, where the revolutionary historical event of abolishing serfdom also took place.

This was the first awakening of the Bulgarian people, and one of the things that had troubled his father, Boris III, the most.

In order to prevent the people from having a second or third awakening, Simeon II and his court tried every means to keep the people ignorant, and the effect was indeed quite good.

When Tsarist Russia sent him "My Apprenticeship," he didn't even look at it, but he knew that this novel would most likely enlighten the people for the second time.

Therefore, he immediately rejected the demands from Tsarist Russia.

Although the country and I are being controlled by that side, it is only a very small number of individuals who can point fingers at me.

If any random high-ranking official could command him, then he, the Tsar, would be too frustrated and incompetent.

However, not long after he refused, a man who could actually command him came from Tsarist Russia!

Now, recalling Vladimir's face, Simeon II felt a bitter taste in his mouth, suddenly realizing that he was indeed "nothing at all."

Since Vladimir personally intervened, how could he refuse? He had no choice but to agree.

After watching "My Childhood", he felt terrible.

"This isn't about enlightening the people of our country, it's about destroying me and my family!"

When Simeon II saw Kitagawa Hide's sharp criticism of the Tsarist autocracy in "My Childhood" and his unreserved satire of the Tsar of Russia at the time, he almost burst into a tirade of profanity.

Why do these writers always have nothing better to do than write things that are annoying?
If Kitagawa Hide was a Bulgarian writer, Simeon II would have made him disappear from the earth forever long ago!
Unfortunately, the other party not only holds absolute power in Japan, but also enjoys a stellar reputation and countless fans in the world of literature.

In any case, Vladimir alone was enough to make Simeon II only dare to hurl insults at Kitagawa Hide behind his back, and dare not openly insult him.

"Alright, release it like this." King Simeon II didn't even have the desire to open the magazine.

Whether he reads it or not, whether he agrees or not, those bastards at *Book Sea* will still publish the magazine.

All he can do now is pray that "In the Human World" suffers from acclimatization issues and collapses into the sea!
"Understood, Your Majesty, I will arrange it immediately." The classical maid didn't know why Simeon II had such a strong opinion about this issue of "The Sea of ​​Books." In the past, "The Sea of ​​Books" had also published some annoying works, but she had never seen His Majesty so worried.

Moreover, this is the first time that His Majesty has personally reviewed and approved the publication of a mere literary magazine!

The problem is that it seems His Majesty doesn't have much real decision-making power.

The classical maid carried the magazine outside.

Her inner doubts fueled her curiosity.

Before she reached the main gate, she could no longer contain herself. She looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, secretly opened the book "The Sea of ​​Books" in her hand.

This issue of "Book Sea" basically devoted all its resources to a novel called "In the Human World".

She doesn't usually read or understand novels, but when she saw the author's name, "Kitagawa Hide," a strange name she had never seen before, she immediately became curious.

"And so, I came into the world and became an apprentice in a 'fashionable shoe store' on the main street of the city."

My boss is a short, fat man with a rough, brown face, green teeth, and wet, dirty eyes.

"Remember this: you're working in a top-tier shop on the main street of the city! An apprentice is to stand at the door like a statue."

You're just a scavenger, worse than a beggar or a homeless person on the street, and as lowly as a thief!

I took pity on you and gave you food; you must remember that!

The manager's words made Alyosha very uncomfortable, but what made him most uncomfortable was the manager's attitude towards the female buyer.

Facing the female buyers adorned in gold and silver, he plastered a sweet smile on his face, revealing his wrinkled features. He straightened his posture, arms tucked to his waist, and respectfully extended his hands, as if afraid of defiling them.

The classical maid had never read "Childhood," but she was deeply captivated by "My Apprenticeship."

After Alyosha entered the city, the manager of the shoe shop looked exactly like the head maid in the Tsar's bedroom.

She was arrogant and haughty when facing them, but cautious and timid when facing the powerful and wealthy.

"This is not a novel, this is a world!" (End of Chapter)