Tokyo Literary Masters: Starting from the Late 1980s

"Oh."

Hearing Kitahara Iwao's words, Kadokawa Haruki chuckled softly.

As a seasoned veteran in the business world, he saw through Kitahara Iwa's plans at a glance.

This kid is using himself to negotiate with Shincho-sha!

However, he admired this composure of waiting for the right price.

"You're trying to use my name to put pressure on those old fogies at the Shincho-sha, aren't you?"

The next second, Haruki Kadokawa waved his hand magnanimously, then straightened his exaggerated white suit and said nonchalantly, "Whatever. Go ahead, let them see what's what."

"If they don't know how many people are lining up outside waving checks, they'll never know how valuable the jewels they hold in their hands are."

At this moment, Kadokawa Haruki stood up and looked at Kitahara Iwao, his tone exuding absolute confidence as he said, "However, Kitahara-kun, don't keep me waiting too long."

"My patience, like my checks, is plentiful, but it has its limits."

Haruki Kadokawa gave Kitahara Iwao one last, deep look and said, "As long as I get the last movie, I don't mind playing the villain who will make you even more valuable."

"clear."

Kitahara Iwao also stood up and politely replied, "Please rest assured. If Shincho-sha cannot provide a solution that satisfies me..."

"When the time comes, I will bring 'Confession' and personally visit you."

This is an extremely cunning promise.

It neither ruled out the possibility of a definitive answer nor denied Kadokawa Haruki a great deal of hope.

After saying that, Kitahara Iwaya walked out of the private room.

Watching Kitahara Iwa's departing figure, Kadokawa Haruki took a deep drag on his cigar, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and revealed the excited smile of a hunter spotting his cunning prey.

"What an insatiable wolf..."

"However, only people like this are worthy of my film."

Before Kitahara Iwa sat in the Rolls-Royce, at the Shinchosha editorial department.

"Editor-in-chief! Something terrible has happened!!"

The editor, Machida, who had been assigned to deliver sample copies, now clutched the microphone tightly with one hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with the other, hurriedly saying, "I saw it clearly! There's absolutely no mistake!"

"It's Haruki Kadokawa's Rolls-Royce! Shinagawa 33's 88-88!"

On the other end of the phone, Editor-in-Chief Sato was leisurely sipping tea, pleased with the sales figures of the confession.

But when he heard the name Kadokawa Haruki, he was so frightened that he dropped the teacup in his hand and it shattered on the ground.

"What did you say?! Who did you see pick up Kitahara-sensei?!"

"It's Kadokawa himself! I saw it clearly, that madman in the white suit, smoking a cigar, was in the car!"

Machida's voice trembled with tears as he cried, "Editor-in-chief, this is blatant robbery! Kadokawa is trying to poach Kitahara-sensei!"

"That bastard Kadokawa!!"

Editor-in-Chief Sato roared and hung up the phone, not bothering to clean up the broken pieces on the floor or even to put on his suit jacket, before rushing out of the office and heading straight for the president's office on the top floor.

There's no way we'll have to wait for tomorrow's gossip magazine to break this.

If we don't take immediate action now, by the time Kitahara Iwao and Kadokawa Haruki finish their talks, Kitahara Iwao will probably have already signed a contract with Kadokawa!

Ten minutes later.

Shincho-sha, President's Office.

boom!

The heavy mahogany door was suddenly pushed open, and the panting editor-in-chief, Sato, disregarded etiquette and barged into the ongoing high-level meeting.

The room was filled with smoke as the president and several managing directors discussed the publishing plans for the next quarter, teacups in hand.

"President!"

Editor-in-Chief Sato wiped the sweat from his forehead and said anxiously, "Machida just called. He saw Kadokawa Haruki pick up Kitahara-kun with his own eyes, and his whereabouts are unknown now."

As the words "whereabouts unknown" were uttered, the air in the conference room froze for a moment.

But then, there was no panic as Sato had anticipated.

The directors sitting on either side of the long table exchanged glances before resuming their suffocating composure.

"Sato-kun."

At this moment, the managing director in charge of finance, sitting to the left of the president, slowly closed the document in his hand, frowned slightly, and said, "You're also a veteran of Shinchosha."

"It's a sensitive matter that an author is invited to dinner by another publishing house, but it's not so serious that you would storm into a boardroom, is it?"

"This time is different!"

Editor-in-Chief Sato said urgently, "That's Haruki Kadokawa! A madman who'd write a blank check just to poach talent!"

"If we just sit here and wait, by the time they finish their talk, Kitahara-kun will probably already be working for Kadokawa Shoten!"

"I propose that a new contract be drafted immediately! The royalties should be increased to 15%, and substantial concessions should be made regarding adaptation rights!"

"absurd."

A cold rebuke interrupted Editor-in-Chief Sato's words.

The speaker was the managing director in charge of publishing.

He removed his glasses, gently wiping them with a soft cloth, and said with an undeniable air of authority, "15%? Sato, do you know what you're saying?"

"This is the treatment given to top masters like Ryotaro Shiba and Seicho Matsumoto."

"If you give this kind of privilege to a newcomer who has only been in the industry for six months, what do you expect the other Naoki Prize-winning authors in the publishing house who receive 13% royalties to think?"

"Does Shincho-sha still care about maintaining internal balance?"

"But his talent and commercial value are undeniable!"

Editor-in-Chief Sato argued forcefully, "That night's live broadcast is the best proof! Faced with attacks from the PTA and Kyoto media, he single-handedly fought them off, turning public opinion into a confession phenomenon!"

"This kind of charisma and presence isn't from an ordinary newcomer; it's from a once-in-a-century genius!"

"genius?"

Another senior PR executive sneered, as if he had heard some childish joke.

He picked up his teacup, blew on the tea leaves floating on top, and his eyes were filled with condescending arrogance: "Sato, you don't really think that just because he talks a lot on TV, those mad dogs in the PTA will shut up, do you?"

Editor-in-Chief Sato paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean?"

The PR executive glanced at the president, who remained silent in the main seat, and said calmly, "If it weren't for the president using his old connections in the Ministry of Education to personally call the Vice Minister of Education..."

"If it weren't for the publishing house contacting several literary giants to put pressure on the Kyoto Municipal Board of Education..."

He put down his teacup and said in a very realistic tone, "Do you think that so-called blacklist will just disappear out of nowhere?"

The board members nodded in agreement, their faces bearing the self-satisfied air of patriarchs: "That's right. This kid does have some talent, but his success today is largely due to the resources and protection he receives from the company."

"If it weren't for Shincho-sha protecting him, he would have been torn apart by public opinion long ago."

"He's a smart man; he should know how to be grateful."

"He's willing to switch jobs for a little money now? Hmph, if he really does that, he'll be cutting himself off from the literary world."

"But……"

Editor-in-Chief Sato opened his mouth, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.

This is the arrogance of traditional publishing houses.

In their eyes, writers are merely dependent on the publishing house.

Because they possess the channels and power, they take it for granted that the writer's success is a gift from them, thus ignoring...

In this era, what is truly scarce are content creators who can create miracles, not gatekeepers like them.

"President..."

Editor-in-Chief Sato placed his last hope on the elderly man with a full head of white hair.

If even the president thinks this way, then Shincho-sha is truly doomed.

At this moment, the president, who had been silent all along, finally raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the directors who were still grumbling about the newcomers not knowing the rules, and finally settling on Sato's face, who was covered in sweat.

Although he also felt that offering a sky-high contract to a newcomer would disrupt the company's salary balance, he knew better than anyone else present what kind of shark Haruki Kadokawa was.

"alright."

The president raised his hand, without using force, but instantly silenced the noise in the conference room.

"Let's all keep quiet."

"You say he got through because of the organization's political maneuvering? That's only half true."

"Methods and connections can indeed shut the PTA up, but they can't get a million readers to buy a book."

"Moreover, Kitahara-kun is a smart man, and also a very talented writer."

"If he didn't perform well on the night of his live stream, my connections wouldn't be enough to shut those people at the Kyoto Ministry of Education up."

These words caused the high-ranking officials present to exchange bewildered glances, and their arrogant expressions softened considerably.

The president ignored their reactions and turned to look at Sato, his eyes showing a hint of approval and reassurance: "Sato, I understand your concerns."

"But from a business perspective, we can't afford to lose our composure now."

The president glanced at the clock on the wall and made the final decision: "Since we don't know where they went, giving out quotes like headless flies will only make us look weak and allow them to take advantage of us."

"Let's wait until this afternoon."

"I will speak with Kitahara-kun in person when he arrives."

"I believe Kitahara-kun is a visionary; he knows what Shincho-sha can offer him..."

At this point, the president paused, his tone still authoritative, but he left Sato an opening: "In this industry, no one will refuse Shincho-sha's goodwill... After all, I'm not the kind of old-fashioned person who can't adapt."

Upon hearing this, Editor-in-Chief Sato breathed a sigh of relief.

Because he understood the president's hint.