Tokyo Tycoon, Start as a Writer

Chapter 125: Snow Country fever rises, breaking records, and Ikezawa Takaki is so angry that he is hospitalized
Snow country?

Where is the Snow Country?
Readers gathered in the bookstore, holding the "New Wave" monthly magazine, immersed in the beautiful and sad words.

Snow Country consists of ten chapters, and the first two were published in the monthly magazine.

At the beginning of the first chapter, Mishima used only two short paragraphs, using a tunnel and a train, to instill in every reader the impression that the "Snow Country" is an isolated place.

The reader's heart follows the train as it moves into the tunnel.

Under the white snowy night, we walked out of the tunnel and entered a pure, lonely, sad and illusory world.

It is hard to distinguish reality from illusion, like a dream.

A dreamlike world of ice and snow, isolated from the outside world, but also like a huge prison.

This feeling makes almost everyone shudder.

As the train slowly approached the shore, Shimamura got out of the carriage, and the warmth on his body was quickly eroded by the cold of the snowy country.

"I felt like my soul was being sucked out of me when I looked into the mirror on the train..."

"This writing is so beautiful, it feels so real and sad..."

“Reading Snow Country feels like appreciating a painting…”.

"Komako's red cheeks contrast with the white snow, and the sad and beautiful sound of leaves cuts through the sky..."

"When I took the tram in the morning and rushed out of the tunnel, the feeling was just like what was described at the beginning..."

"Damn it, why are there only two chapters? How can I sleep at night without a sequel..."

"Damn it! Hurry up and publish the single volume!"

"God, please hurry up Mishima and let him release the next chapter as soon as possible..."

The readers’ heated discussion is just the beginning.

The so-called layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

After the first two chapters of "Snow Country" shocked ordinary readers, those book reviewers gradually emerged.

But what is different from usual is that this time no one is speaking ill of Mishima.

It's not that he is overpraised so no one is pessimistic about him, but his status in the literary world is no less than those long-established celebrities. Simply speaking pessimistic about him is completely useless, and the quality of "Snow Country" is so top-notch.

The writing was so powerful that it was hard to believe that it was written by someone who was only two months away from turning twenty-two.

The beauty of mono no aware that permeates between the lines completely penetrates and touches the deep core of Japanese aesthetics.

For a time, people spread the news by word of mouth.

One person tells ten people, ten people tell a hundred people, a hundred people tell ten thousand people…

On the afternoon of February 2st, Shinchosha's mailbox was filled with readers demanding updates.

Most of the emails are asking for the next issue to be published as soon as possible, or for a single volume to be published directly, or for the president to commit seppuku to apologize.

The customer service hotline was flooded with calls again.

All the customer service ladies were holding their phones, constantly bowing and apologizing to the readers who were urging them to update their books.

Compared with the bustling atmosphere of Xinchao, the situation of Bungeishunju was gloomy and desolate.

"Bastard!"

Inside the office, Editor-in-Chief Tojo angrily slammed the table and shouted, "This country is hopeless because we don't even respect the kamikaze warriors who fly planes into aircraft carriers..."

The editors below all lowered their heads and dared not speak.

...In fact, everyone knows that in this peaceful era that has lasted for so long, who would still believe in the rhetoric of the right wing?

On the day of release, the winner between the two books was already decided.

"Dive In" is told from the perspective of the Kamikaze soldiers, calling on young people to be brave, loyal to the emperor and patriotic. No matter what happens, they should remember the passion of their ancestors and do their best to fulfill their ancestors' last wishes.

As for "Snow Country", it does not make the young people who are already tired to struggle anymore.

"Snow Country" presents an illusory world and tells young people that since reality is so bad, they might as well put it aside and hide in the snow country.

Is it an escape?
Yes, although escaping is shameful, it is useful.

When a person is exhausted by life, and there are still people pulling you and telling you to work hard, to struggle, to sacrifice your life, then you would probably want to sacrifice his life first.

But at this time, another person comes over with happy water and potato chips, making you forget the pain and play games happily together.

Then you definitely won’t refuse.

"Snow Country" is a fantasy land.

The love for mono no aware is an instinct etched into the DNA of the Japanese.

Faced with unhappiness and oppression in life, they generally do not want to resist or work hard, but prefer to escape and degenerate.

This is how the Heisei otaku came about.

The February issue of Bungeishunju showed a trend of opening low and closing low on the day it went on sale.

Even with huge publicity and promotion resources, the film still failed to become popular, which led to Takaki Ikezawa suffering the biggest defeat in his life.

In the first three days of its release, sales of "Shincho" reached a terrifying 40 copies.

The Bungeishunju only has 7 copies.

The sales data of the two are completely on different levels.

Because of the news that Mishima was going to compete with Takaki Ikezawa, the public opinion in the past few days has basically been mocking Takaki Ikezawa. This leader of the right-wing camp doesn't even dare to raise his head when he goes out.

On February 2th, Takaki Ikezawa came to Kyoto to attend a lecture at the Faculty of Literature of Kyoto University.

Before the lecture began, teachers and students of Kyoto University, led by Kyoto faction leaders Keisuke Takahashi and Noboru Watanabe, discussed the book "Snow Country" in the large classroom.

As Mishima's number one fan, Takahashi Sonoko still played the role of making tea.

The fragrance of tea filled the entire classroom. A group of respected professors were flipping through magazines. The light scent of tea and the scent of ink complemented each other perfectly.

A trendy journal with top-notch quality in both paper and ink.

Japan's oldest publishing house is not just a nice name. Every reader who buys Shincho will be attracted by the unique scent of ink as soon as they open it.

The moment you smell the fragrance, the words are no longer just content, but also have their own unique flavor.

Smelling the scent of ink, even the most impetuous person will calm down inside.

For example, Keisuke Takahashi.

Once upon a time, he was Mishima's enemy, and he suffered the biggest setback in his life at the hands of Mishima.

With his identity and status, he would definitely retaliate at all costs to regain his face.

However, the unparalleled talent of "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" directly overwhelmed Takahashi Keisuke's desire for revenge.

He knew that he could not write The Temple of the Golden Pavilion and that he would never be Mishima's rival...

Keisuke Takahashi, who was filled with gloom and depression, even felt completely hopeless and might even commit suicide.

Fortunately, with the persuasion of Watanabe Noboru, Takahashi Keisuke gradually changed his mentality.

Give up hatred and feel the beauty of words with the mentality of a writer...

"It's really amazing." Watanabe Noboru took a long breath and kept muttering, "I haven't seen this writing style for many years. It's really delightful..."

As he muttered, other professors and students also walked out of "Snow Country", their eyes filled with shock and nostalgia.

“I have never read such a beautiful article.”

"It feels like a painting drawn with words..."

"A sad, lyrical book with a touch of sadness in its writing..."

Hearing the people around him praising Mishima, Takaki Ikezawa had a gloomy face and sat in the corner without saying a word.

"Teacher Watanabe, what do you think?" someone asked.

So everyone turned their attention to Watanabe Noboru.

The Kyoto School is the most respected and proficient classical aesthetic school in the Japanese literary world, and Watanabe Noboru is the writer who best understands writing about beauty.

Takahashi Keisuke also took a sip of tea and looked at his old friend intently.

In the field of beauty, old friends have more say.

Takahashi Sonoko also quickly poured the old man a cup of fresh tea and looked at him with bright eyes.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Watanabe Noboru pondered for a while. At first, his eyes were a little uncertain, but in the end, he gradually became firm and said openly: "Although I haven't seen the rest of the story, I can be sure that Mishima's understanding and description of beauty are better than mine. If "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" is a masterpiece of philosophical speculation in the Japanese literary world, then this "Snow Country" will undoubtedly become a representative work of the beauty of mono no aware. In the future, when people talk about the core of Japanese aesthetics, they will definitely not be able to avoid "Snow Country."

“Is it really that amazing?”

"Teacher Watanabe, are you exaggerating too much..."

A young writer who is not even 22 years old can surpass the best writer of beauty in Japan. The students taught by Watanabe Noboru cannot accept this fact.

Takaki Ikezawa, who was sitting in the corner without saying a word, was almost gritting his teeth.

...Every time someone praised Mishima, he felt like he had been slapped in the face, and it hurt like hell.

Looking at the students who were unwilling to believe, Watanabe Noboru took a sip of hot tea and said slowly: "I am not exaggerating on purpose. Think carefully, before Mishima came out, who else could describe the fixed perspective on the train so beautifully and delicately?"

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Watanabe Noboru looked at the silent crowd, smiled, and continued: "The opening of "Snow Country" obviously has the shadow of the New Sensationalism in it, but he also added his own understanding of the aesthetics of mono no aware, creating an almost materialized illusory beauty. Mishima seemed to be able to see into people's hearts and accurately grasped the core of Japanese aesthetics. What we like is this kind of illusory and sad beauty, and what we yearn for is the beauty that cannot be pursued. Anyone who tries to find this kind of beauty will end up in vain..."

In the spacious classroom, everyone was silent.

Only Watanabe Noboru was talking about his understanding of Mishima and beauty. "We classicists often have a misunderstanding that if we want to write great literature, the text should focus on skills and gorgeousness, and it is best to be obscure and difficult to understand. Hmm... just like Mishima's "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion". Only works that ordinary people can't understand at first glance can be called classic masterpieces..."

"But from Snow Country, I discovered that a simple story, hazy characters, blurred mountain scenery, erratic words... just with these, you can write a great work. Everyone has their own aesthetics. You can praise or criticize Snow Country. This is all personal preference and there is nothing wrong with it. But no matter what attitude you take, Snow Country is a unique monument in the history of modern Japanese literature..."

"Asshole!!!" Takaki Ikezawa growled, scaring everyone around him.

Fortunately, the sound was not loud and did not attract too many people's attention. The roar could not change the fact that he was crushed by Mishima.

Under the lights, everyone was still looking at Watanabe Noboru.

The room was very quiet, and the ice flowers on the windows began to solidify.

"Snow Country" is undoubtedly great, but the students never expected that their teacher, Watanabe Noboru, an authority on beauty in Japanese literary writing, would praise it so much. Subconsciously, some people looked at Takahashi Keisuke, hoping that he could say something about it.

"Takahashi, you should also teach them a lesson." Watanabe Noboru said with a smile.

Takahashi Keisuke drank his tea silently. He was not very willing to speak at first, but looking at the expectant eyes of the students, he thought about the fact that he had spoken for Mishima once before, and he was not hostile to Mishima, so praising Mishima this time would not be considered as surrender...

So, the leader of the Kyoto faction adopted his old-fashioned style in class.

"Regarding the book "Snow Country", it should not be difficult for everyone to analyze it with what they have learned in daily life. His writing style is the style of the New Sensationalism, and he also added a little of his own understanding to it."

Listening to his words, everyone nodded silently.

"Many writers in the Japanese literary world basically started with The Tale of Genji, and are accustomed to using lengthy descriptions and plots to express core ideas. In this regard, you can still refer to Mishima's The Temple of the Golden Pavilion. This is certainly very beautiful, but the reading threshold is very high, which is not conducive to the promotion of literature. Therefore, the new sensation school, which is not known for its complex and lengthy storylines, uses simple descriptions to achieve harmony and unity of many factors such as movement and stillness, scenery and objects, scenery and people, psychology and objectivity, etc., and is easier to spread..."

"It is not easy to use just a few strokes to depict the sense of picture and the delicate psychological changes of characters. Mishima has a solid foundation in writing and meticulous observation. In this respect, none of us can compare to him. Moreover, he is the only writer who can bring both the classical and new sensationalist styles to their extreme..."

Having said that, there is basically no need to say more.

Everyone here is either a university professor or a talented student of liberal arts from a top university, so basically everyone can understand it.

"So, I think Mishima has been deified." Watanabe Noboru said cheerfully, standing up and looking at the white snow and red walls outside the window, "True and false, real and fake. Neither hot nor cold, neither close nor far. He wanted to advance but then retreated, he wanted to speak but stopped. The clouds are like clouds, flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water... The delicate and exquisite poetry of the snow country makes me yearn for it."

"Everyone, please remember what Mr. Watanabe and I said, and submit a 5000-word book review tomorrow," said Keisuke Takahashi.

"what?"

"please do not……"

"I hate Mishima..."

A loud wailing sound was heard in the classroom.

"Asshole!!!" Takaki Ikezawa couldn't help but roar again.

These people from Kyoto University invited him to give a lecture, but here they are praising Mishima to their heart's content...

What does this mean?
Are you going to slap yourself in the face?

At this moment, Takaki Ikezawa felt that his face was swollen.

"Eh? Ikezawa, why are you here?" Takahashi Keisuke was surprised to find him and walked towards him quickly. "There's still half an hour before the lecture. You're here too early. Come and prepare for the lecture..."

"Humph!"

Takaki Ikezawa's face turned pale and he was about to get angry.

At this time, Takahashi Sonoko hid behind the crowd and said sarcastically: "What lecture? Are you holding a lecture at this time to talk about how you were stepped on by Mishima?"

"..."

For a moment, the classroom was silent.

Takaki Ikezawa stood there in a daze, his eyes twitching.

He is nearly seventy years old this year. He is always high up and respected. How could he have suffered such humiliation as today...

Anger and shame surged up layer by layer, and veins bulged on his forehead.

But before he could get angry, he felt his vision gradually going dark, his body swayed a few times, and then he fell headfirst!

"Teacher Ikezawa? Teacher Ikezawa!"

"Oh no, Teacher Ikezawa fainted..."

"Call an ambulance quickly..."

The entire Kyoto teacher class was in chaos.

This incident was soon posted on the Internet, and Takaki Ikezawa's embarrassed appearance once again triggered public ridicule, and even another leader of the right-wing camp, Shintaro Ishihara, was so angry that his liver hurt.

Watching his old friend's embarrassing appearance on TV, he angrily shouted to his grandson: "At all costs, Mishima's movies must be suppressed. Suppress him directly and make him unable to stand up again..."

"Yes!"

Ishihara Seiji didn't even dare to breathe.

■

While the enemy was in a panic and facing various problems, Kiyoaki Matsueda was not idle either, watching the joke.

Right now, there are two urgent things.

First, the release of the single volume of “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” will be expedited and is scheduled to be released on February 2, Valentine’s Day.

Secondly, the animation production team of "The Time-Traveling Girl" has been assembled and has officially entered production. In order to cover up the news of this animation, the film version of "Dancing Girl" must also speed up its preparation progress.

The current preparatory work has basically been completed.

The only thing left is the choice of the female lead.

Kiyoaki Matsueda had already chosen the person in his mind and was waiting for the personal interview.

On the evening of February 2, Naoko Kobayashi returned to Tokyo from Hokkaido. Kiyoaki Matsueda asked her and her sister to meet at a barbecue restaurant in Yotsuya at noon the next day to discuss starring in the movie.

At noon on the 5th, the mistress seemed to realize that he was going to meet another woman, and insisted on following him.

There was no choice but to take this jealous woman with me.

The yakiniku restaurant we went to was very famous in Yotsuya.

There are snowmen piled up at the door of the store, and it is steaming hot inside. Customers are eating barbecue and drinking ice-cold beer. The atmosphere is very appetizing.

The Kobayashi sisters hadn't arrived yet, so Kiyaki Matsueda and Masako ordered some food and chatted slowly.

The weather outside is fine, and the soft sunlight shines on the table, making people feel particularly warm.

The atmosphere is harmonious and comfortable.

The couple sitting next to each other were whispering sweet nothings.

Hearing those words, Matsueda Shinsako's eyes were eager to try.

Although she still wore a black kimono when going out as before, her makeup was much more charming than before.

The color of the lipstick is more sexy.

The nails on her slender hands are also painted with beautiful nail polish.

On a sunny winter afternoon, enjoying a romantic lunch with a handsome young writer is undoubtedly something that can make one's toes feel happy.

Shinsako Matsueda held the cup, looked at the light reflected by her bright red nails, and couldn't help but reveal a look of satisfaction.

Then she took out a small mirror and looked closely at it. After confirming that she was in good condition, she adjusted her hair, turned her head and put her mouth close to his ear, and asked in a sweet voice:

"Tell me, what is our relationship in the eyes of others? Lovers? Mother and son? Look at those two middle-aged women sitting opposite us, they are staring at us with contempt and envy."

"Let them think whatever they want." Songeda Kiyoaki said indifferently, "Even if they think of me as a gigolo, I don't care."

Hearing this, Matsueda Shinsako stared at the young man's handsome face in a trance.

She had never seen a more handsome man than him.

His handsomeness and his sturdy build, the black eyes under the thick eyebrows, the beautifully shaped nose, the lips like a male puppet, and the thick muscles that fully support his shoulders... the more I look at him, the more my heart beats.

Only a man like Ah Qing can make a woman feel true happiness...

Matsueda Shinsako sat next to him, looking at his handsome face. She plucked a sweet pea flower from the table with her bright red nails with interest, and made a disdainful sound as if to change the subject:
"So this store would use such cheap flowers to deceive customers..."

Hearing her say this, Matsueda Kiyoaki glanced at her and said, "Aren't you also pretending to be cheap to deceive yourself..."

"Hate it, stop talking." Matsueda Shinsako poked his face with her nails.

On the surface, she was angry, but in her heart, for unknown reasons, she felt a sense of happiness, and then she started to have strange associations: she imagined herself as a noble lady, enjoying a sumptuous Western meal with her son, who was dressed in exquisite clothes, and her son was a rogue man who relied on women to earn money to support his mother...

This kind of fantasy can really evoke a strange sense of excitement...

As she thought about it, Shinsako Matsueda wished she could take Kiyoaki Matsueda home right now.

That was Kiyoaki Matsueda's gaze, which was looking out the window. I don't know what was going on in her mind with such strange thoughts, otherwise I would definitely call her a pervert.

Outside the window, the Kobayashi sisters were walking over from across the street.

Naoko Kobayashi was dressed in white, a white skirt and white down jacket, and her skin was also very fair.

His whole body was white, which made his black hair look even darker and shinier, sparkling in the sun.

On the other side of the street, she covered her forehead with her hands and looked at the young writer in the cafe.

The sunlight fell through her fingers, kissing her beautiful fair face greedily but restrainedly.

When she saw Kiyoaki Matsueda in the barbecue restaurant, she smiled happily, with cute dimples on both sides of her cheeks.

A sweet and innocent younger sister, with a sunny and lively older sister standing beside her.

Two girls who came from the countryside to the big city, with long black hair, slender limbs, beautiful and simple...

(End of this chapter)