I am a literary giant in Japan

Chapter 145: Those who fall into immorality, those who strive for success! (Two in one)

Muramatsu Tomoshi walked quickly through the extremely familiar editorial office area, and Kashiwamura Takeshi, who was holding a pile of documents and had a sullen expression, passed by him.

In the past, the two would at least stop and nod to each other.

But now, Kashiwamura Takeshi just walked past him with a gloomy face and went back to his office, without any intention of greeting him.

Muramatsu Tomoshi felt more and more that something was wrong with the atmosphere in the company. He quickened his pace, turned the blind corner, and headed straight for the elevator.

After the elevator door opened, the person who walked out was Editor-in-Chief Noma Kawaya, who looked relaxed.

This guy had just graduated from college and was parachuted in from the Noma family to replace his original position. Then he used gender discrimination in the workplace to sideline and force Saito Rena away.

Although they were colleagues, Muramatsu Tomomi disliked him.

Noma River didn't expect to run into him head-on. When he saw Muramatsu Tomoshi, the smile on his face immediately faded, his eyes wandered, and he bowed and greeted him first, "Good afternoon, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Muramatsu. You've worked hard!"

After saying hello, he looked evasive and without waiting for Muramatsu Tomoshi to return the greeting, he hurriedly trotted to the editorial office.

Muramatsu Tomo watched his slightly bent body straighten up again, swallowed the greeting that was about to come to his throat, and walked into the elevator in a depressed mood.

When did this kid become so polite?
He adjusted his uniform and tie facing the smooth walls of the elevator, and adjusted his spirit to the best state.

No matter what, at this time, President Noma came to me most likely to discuss how to end the joint essay contest. This is a sign of regaining power, and the opportunity cannot be easily missed.

The sixth floor of Kodansha headquarters.

In the president's office.

Noma Sawako had been waiting for a long time.

"Muramatsu, you're here, please sit down." There was a yellow envelope on her desk, and next to it was a thick stack of personnel transfer forms.

"Yes." Muramatsu Tomoshi bowed slightly, then found a suitable place to sit down, with his back straight, waiting for Noma Sawako's next words.

"Sorry for calling you here so suddenly. Please take a look at this first." Noma Sawako forced a faint smile on her slightly old face, pushed the yellow envelope to him, and then asked casually,
"I remember you seem to have diabetes, right?"

"Well, yes. But I'm pretty good at controlling my sugar intake. There's been no change in almost five years." Muramatsu Tomoshi opened the envelope and suddenly had a bad thought in his mind.

Inside the envelope was a personnel transfer order signed by Sawako Noma.

"Remember Amano-kun from the Modern Study Room in Yamanashi? You two were classmates, right?" Noma Sawako looked worried for him. "I heard he also has severe diabetes, but there is a specialist hospital for diabetes treatment in Yamanashi, and he seems to be recovering very well."

Noma Sawako paused, then continued with a smile, "Don't worry, Muramatsu-kun, the medical expenses will be taken care of."

"But my illness is not that serious, President." Muramatsu Tomoshi looked at the transfer order and interrupted Noma Sawako in a hurry. He originally wanted to say, "But I'm still young, I'm only 52 years old, and I can continue to work for the company." Fortunately, he finally stopped talking.

"Really? But I heard your 'disease' is very serious." Noma Sawako showed a surprised expression, "It seems to be in the middle or late stage?"

"President, you remembered it wrongly. I discovered it through a physical examination in the early stages and have been controlling it very well for the past five years." Muramatsu Tomomi quickly shook his head.

"Really? Then it seems that I remembered it wrongly." Noma Sawako put away her surprise and changed her expression to a calm one. "But I heard that Amano-kun's health is getting worse and worse. The Modern Study Room may be short of manpower. You should reconsider it."

".I understand." Muramatsu Tomoshi held the transfer order and squeezed out these words from between his teeth.

"By the way, Muramatsu-kun, Kashiwamura-kun, the general manager of the joint essay project, has agreed to go to the Kanda branch as a manager. I have also transferred other employees who have contributed to the project to positions that meet their expectations."

Noma Sawako raised her eyes and glanced at him deeply. Her slender fingers gently tapped the mahogany table, making a continuous "tap, tap, tap" sound.

"As the second-in-command of the project, you deserve to be the vice president of Yamanashi Modern Bookstore. Don't think about it for too long, okay?"

Second in command of the project?
Deserved treatment?
Muramatsu Tomoshi's eyes changed from confusion to enlightenment.

He suddenly remembered that he had run into Noma Kawaya in the elevator, and now he finally understood why the other person had such an evasive look in his eyes.

It turns out that in order to keep him, a member of the Noma family, the company planned to let him take the blame and be punished!
"I understand." Muramatsu Tomoshi stood up and bowed 90 degrees, then walked out of the president's office with a staggering gait.

He came to the bathroom door alone, washed his face with water first, then walked into a cubicle casually, locked the door, took out a cigarette and started smoking.

The main work of the Modern Bookstore in Yamanashi Prefecture is to publish reference books that are not valued by the Kodansha headquarters. I heard that its business performance is not ideal.

And as far as he knew, the company had only about fifty employees in total. Even a president like Amano-kun's social status and salary were far from comparable to the editor-in-chief of "Gunzo", not to mention that he was transferred there to be the vice president.

If he wants to be promoted from a deputy position to a full-time position, he has to wait for Amano-kun to die. Amano-kun is three or four years younger than him!
The transfer order said it was a "reward" for him, but in fact it made him responsible for the failed joint essay writing project!

He smoked one cigarette after another until the entire cubicle was filled with smoke, and then Muramatsu Tomoshi staggered out.

He coughed dryly a few times, and suddenly wanted to find someone to talk to, to vent all the depression and dissatisfaction in his heart.

Looking at the old face in the mirror at the bathroom door, the first figure that came to his mind was his lover Rinko Matsubara.

But Muramatsu Tomoshi quickly shook his head.

We have already said that we will never see each other again, so I shouldn’t bother her anymore.

The next person he thought of was Mr. Kitagawa.

Because more than half a year ago, Kitagawa-sensei came to Ledansha for the last time to discuss the adaptation rights of "Youth Trilogy", and the two of them had a brief chat here.

Looking back on the past, he suddenly realized that every decision made by Teacher Beichuan was extremely correct.

From submitting to the Newcomer Award, to supporting the hardcover paperback edition of Hear the Wind Sing, to resolutely leaving Kodansha, to the adaptation of the trilogy, to the publication of Borderland
If it were him, he would probably be able to give me the most correct advice.

But Muramatsu Tomoshi was unable to take out his cell phone to dial the number.

At this time, Mr. Kitagawa was probably celebrating the victory with the people from Kawade Shobo.

I am an executive of a rival company, and it is very rude and self-aware to disturb others at this time.

He hesitated for a long time and decided to drag his tired body straight home.

Drive back home.

Muramatsu Tomoshi's first reaction was unfamiliarity.

After being promoted to deputy editor-in-chief last year, he frequently went to various social venues with company executives. It was also at that time that he met Rinko Matsubara at a calligraphy training center.

After that, he and his wife, who had no interest or affection, became increasingly alienated.

Just like "Chu" and his wife in "Border".

However, Muramatsu Tomomi's wife is even more unsympathetic. She only complains about this and that at home every day. She is completely different from what a virtuous wife should be.

After their relationship became distant, Muramatsu Tomoshi even rented a house outside to meet with Rinko frequently. Later, he felt that this was not romantic, so they frequently went to Kamakura and other places.

"Why are you back in the afternoon?" His wife was watching TV in the living room and had no intention of getting up to help him get his clothes and change his shoes.

A chat show of the "Fireside Chat" type was playing on TV, and it seemed to be talking about Kitagawa Hide and Okatake Yomiuri.

His wife was also very dissatisfied with this matter, and felt that if Muramatsu Tomo was not stupid, Mr. Kitagawa would definitely not have been forced to leave.

"I just received a notice from the president that I may have to go to the modern study room soon." Muramatsu Tomo watched himself change into indoor shoes.

"Did the president tell you that in person?" The wife still didn't turn her head.

"The president just mentioned it to me at noon. He said that Amano-kun is not in good health and there is a shortage of manpower, so he asked me to go there at all costs."

“Where is the modern study?”

"In Yamanashi Prefecture."

"Oh, you're leaving Tokyo? It looks like you're going to be the president?" The wife was excited for once. She turned her head and saw that there were cucumber slices covering her face.

"It's the vice president. Amano-kun, don't move for now."

"What? So it's actually 'exile'? What did you do to irritate the president? You weren't careless at work and got discovered! You didn't agree, did you?" The wife began to speak like a machine gun.

Muramatsu Tomoshi could imagine the disgusting trembling of the sagging old face under the cucumber slices as he spoke.

Why would he be willing to marry her when he seems so disgusting now?
Muramatsu Tomoshi was confused and became even more annoyed by her series of questions. He instantly lost the desire to talk and said perfunctorily, "I haven't done anything wrong, why would I agree so easily?"

He really didn't make any mistakes at work, so even if Noma Sawako had already made this decision in her heart, she could only ask him to "consider it."

His wife didn't seem to feel his mood at all. She smacked her lips and said to herself, "In the end, you just don't work hard enough. You're so old, and you finally got promoted to deputy editor-in-chief. You thought you could move on to the position of editor-in-chief or department head.

Now it seems that the president thinks I am useless and will be thrown away like waste paper."

"Shut up!" Muramatsu Tomoshige rarely got angry at her, then he locked himself in the room while his wife was jumping up and down and calling her "crazy".

He sat down at the desk, took out his cell phone as if possessed by a ghost, and dialed a number that he should never contact again.

It's afternoon now, and unless there's something special, Rinko should be at home at this time.

"Dududu-"

The phone rang several times before someone answered.

Muramatsu Tomoshi thought it was Rinko, but he didn't expect a man's voice to come out of the microphone: "Hello, hello?"

Muramatsu Tomoshi involuntarily held the phone away and held his breath.

After a while, he heard the "Hello" voice again and quickly hung up the phone.

Rinko has no children, could this person be her husband?

The question is why is he at home at this time?

He is a professor in the medical department and generally he is not at home during the day except on holidays.

Maybe he came back for some urgent matter, or maybe he had a cold and was resting at home.

But the sound of her voice didn't sound like she had a cold. Could something have happened at Rinko's home?

Muramatsu Tomoshi became more and more uneasy as he thought about it. His head began to wander, imagining all kinds of possible situations.

Could it be that the two of them are arguing at home?

Maybe he kept asking Rinko why she was always out before, and the two started arguing. Rinko burst into tears and couldn't answer the phone, so he came to answer it.

As a result, the caller hung up without saying anything, so he became even more suspicious and questioned Rinko again!

As if he were in the same situation himself, Muramatsu Tomoshi didn't know why he kept thinking the worst.

"Let's wait and see." He comforted himself.

After another agonizing thirty minutes, Muramatsu Tomoshi climbed out of bed and quickly picked up his cell phone.

I think Rinko can come pick me up this time!
What if it was her husband who answered the phone again?
Then just hang up.

As he thought about this, he held the phone tightly.

Just like last time, the phone rang for a long time but no one answered.

Just now the man came to answer the call during the fifth time, but this time no one came to answer the call until the tenth time.

What's going on?

Muramatsu Tomomi always thought that he could contact Rinko anytime he wanted.

He never thought that one day he would not be able to contact her.

It turned out that the connection between Rinko and himself was so fragile that it was only maintained by a telephone line.

Once this line is broken, it will be impossible to track the other party.

It turns out that extramarital affairs are so vulnerable.

Muramatsu Tomoshi suddenly missed Rinko more than ever and longed to see her.

Just then, his cell phone rang by itself.

"Hello? Is this Youshi-kun?"

As soon as he heard the voice coming from the phone, Muramatsu Tomoshi's tears instantly came out.

The sound of the mobile phone was not clear. Rinko's voice could be heard amid the hissing noise. The voice sounded far away, yet it felt so close.

Muramatsu Tomomi couldn't help but ask, "Where are you now?"

"I'm in Yokohama."

"Rinko, wait for me a moment!"

Muramatsu Tomoshi glanced at the door. It was too close to the living room and he could even vaguely hear the sound of his wife watching TV.

He quickly put the microphone to his ear, got on the bed, crawled into the thick quilt, covered his body with the quilt, and then quickly said "Hello" a few times into the phone.

"I am here."

Hearing Rinko's voice, Muramatsu Tomoshi felt relieved and complained like a child: "You know what? I called your home many times, but no one answered. I was very worried about you. You should call me back, even if it's just a text message."

"I'm sorry, my father passed away." Rinko's voice was a little choked.

"Your father passed away?" Muramatsu Tomoshi was shocked. "Yes. My family called me this morning to tell me. So I immediately went back to my mother's house in Yokohama."

"Is there some kind of emergency?"

"Heart attack. He was fine last night, but suddenly this morning." Rinko's voice became more choked.

I didn't expect that such a big thing would happen, but I kept thinking about other things. Muramatsu Tomoshi suddenly felt extremely ashamed of his thoughts just now.

He didn't know how to comfort Rinko, so he could only say, "Don't be too sad."

"Yes, I know. So Youshi-kun, why are you calling me in such a hurry? Is there something urgent?"

Muramatsu Tomomi knew it was inappropriate to meet with Rinko at this time, but he couldn't help but say, "Actually, I want to meet you."

“But now I am.”

"Rinko, I have something to say to you in person."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's not convenient to talk over the phone. By the way, how long will you stay in Yokohama?"

"Today is the wake, and tomorrow is the funeral. I can't spare the time for these two days."

"Is that so?" Muramatsu Tomoshi held the microphone tightly, as if afraid it would slip away. "Tonight, I'm coming to Yokohama. Can I meet you?"

"How can that be possible? Didn't we clearly agree not to see each other again? And my father just passed away."

On the other end of the phone, Rinko suddenly clenched her phone and her breathing became rapid.

She has had a lot of troubles lately and has no one to talk to, especially after reading the final chapter of "Border".

But after listening to "South of the Border" that day, the two agreed not to meet again.

"I really want to see you, Rinko! I have something very important to tell you."

"But I have to keep vigil tonight."

"It won't take you long, just an hour, or even thirty minutes."

Muramatsu Tomoshi didn't know why he suddenly became so desperate. Rinko was immersed in the grief of suddenly losing her father. It was really baffling why he made such an unreasonable request.

But he just wanted to see her.

He felt that the enormous pressure was about to crush him.

"Okay. Then, then it will take at most thirty minutes." Rinko sighed.

After hanging up the phone, Muramatsu Tomoshi suddenly felt like he was alive again!

He crawled out of the quilt, already sweating profusely, but he didn't even bother to take a shower. He opened the door and ran out of the house.

"You're crazy." The wife had just taken the cucumber slices off her face and kept cursing her husband who had already left the house.

Muramatsu Tomoshi casually ate two seaweed rice balls at a nearby convenience store, and couldn't wait to get on the train to Yokohama from Tokyo Station.

It was just dinner time when we arrived in Yokohama.

Muramatsu Tomoshi knew that this was the busiest time of the funeral, so he did not disturb Rinko. Instead, he sat alone on a park bench, watching the children after school playing hopscotch and dodgeball, running around and making noises.

He had never realized before that waiting for someone could be such an torment.

At ten o'clock in the evening, he picked up his phone, but felt it was a little early, so he put it down again.

At eleven o'clock, he picked up the phone again, and this time without hesitation, he directly dialed Rinko's number.

The call was quickly connected, and Rinko asked him to meet at a hotel in the small town, because she was afraid of being recognized by acquaintances because she would be too conspicuous in the park.

Muramatsu Tomoshi hung up the phone and drank all the beer he bought from the convenience store one after another.

Then he stood up suddenly and ran towards his destination.

It was a small hotel with a shabby sign, located at the very edge of the town.

The old lady at the front desk had cloudy eyes and even made mistakes when counting money. There were no other guests in the hotel, it was as empty as a cemetery.

Muramatsu Tomoshi walked into the ready room and found Rinko sitting quietly beside the bed.

She was wearing a black poplin mourning dress with a black belt, holding a coat in one hand, her hair was tied up, and her slender neck was revealed from the snow-white collar.

Hearing the movement, Rinko looked up, and when she saw him, her misty eyes suddenly lit up, but she quickly realized something and lowered her head again.

Mingming hadn't seen him for a long time, and before he came, his mind was full of the company's troubles. He was forced to transfer and take the blame. There was no comfort in his work, life, and family.

But after seeing Rinko, all that disappeared.

He opened his arms and couldn't help but hold Rinko in his arms.

Rinko also hugged him obediently.

At this moment, they completely forgot about the wake, mourning clothes, and job transfers, and they embraced and kissed passionately.

After a long kiss, Muramatsu Tomoshi let go of Rinko and looked at her carefully.

"It's really unique."

"Don't talk nonsense."

It is indeed inappropriate to describe such sad attire as charming.

But Muramatsu Tomoshi felt as if the thread in his head suddenly broke. What to say, what not to say, what to do, what not to do, after seeing Rinko, everything became a mess.

"So what's the urgent matter?" Rinko looked around, as if there was a pair of eyes watching her.

"The president came to see me at noon today."

Muramatsu Tomoshi took a deep breath and repeated what happened at noon.

Rinko felt distressed when she heard this, as she had been experiencing a lot of unhappiness in her life recently.

After saying this, Muramatsu Tomoshi sighed, but Rinko sighed faintly: "Tomoshi-kun, this is not your fault."

Yes, it’s not my fault, why should I bear the responsibility?

Muramatsu Tomoshi's emotions suddenly collapsed like a dam breaking.

He waited for a long time, at home, at work, and wandering around, just for this sentence.

The person who can understand him is not his boss, not his family, not his wife, but Rinko.

Rinko also started talking about her life.

As the two chatted, the topic shifted to the final chapter of "Border".

"I really want to take a look." Rinko said.

"what?"

"The place west of the sun that Mr. Kitagawa talked about should exist." She looked out the window with longing.

In the distance there were only endless mountains and a dark night sky.

"But 'Hatsu' and Shimamoto didn't make it in the end." Muramatsu Tomoshi sighed.

If he had the chance, he really wanted to go to "Peter Cat" again, to meet Mr. Kitagawa and ask him.

I want to hear from him personally what is west of the sun.

Can they see it too?

The two continued chatting, getting closer and closer, and then hugged each other.

It seems that I can get some spiritual comfort from each of them at this moment.

But that was not an antidote, but a highly toxic poison!
As she was about to fall onto the crib, Rinko seemed to realize the seriousness of the problem and hurriedly shook her head and said, "No, not at this time."

Muramatsu Tomoshi couldn't stop. He grabbed Rinko, who was trying to escape, and made her turn around.

After the madness comes the unusual silence. This deathly silence foreshadows the shadow of death that shrouds the ultimate love.

Only then did Rinko realize that she had committed an unforgivable sin.

After she entered the bathroom, she stayed in there for a long time, five minutes, ten minutes, until more than ten minutes later, the door opened silently.

She lowered her eyes, her face was pale, and she looked extremely regretful. Her kimono was tidy and her hair was not messy at all.

She seemed to have turned back into a dignified woman in mourning clothes.

The two stood face to face at the door. Muramatsu Tomoshi lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I don't know why. I just wanted to see you and talk."

The man who was once as crazy as a beast, after regaining his sanity, was shocked and horrified by his own shamelessness.

Rinko slowly shook her head and replied in an unquestionable tone: "No, this is my fault. It has nothing to do with you, Youshi-kun."

"It's not your fault, it's mine." Muramatsu Tomomi quickly shook his head.

Since love is mutual, mistakes must also be mutual.

"We're going to hell, right?" Rinko suddenly looked up at him, but there was no longer the fear in her eyes that she had when she first asked the question.

She is very ordinary, so ordinary that it’s not normal.

"Guys like Kitagawa Hide should go to hell!"

I saw on TV that Yomiuri Okamoto finally broke down and shouted these words after being bombarded with interviews from countless reporters.

Kitagawa Hide, the person involved, remained calm and patted Pete's head gently.

The fat cat stretched out his paw and clicked on the remote control, changing to a new channel.

Several young idol girls dressed in scantily clad clothes are singing and dancing hard. It seems to be a variety show called "Human Observation"?

Speaking of which, this year is 1996, and next year seems to be the Asian financial crisis?
Hide Kitagawa remembers that in 1997, Japan, which had finally taken a breath from the bursting of the bubble economy, was hit hard by the financial crisis again. The stock and housing markets plunged again, and there was completely no room for recovery.

The so-called lost thirty years should be caused by what happened next year.

Looking at the new manuscript paper posted on the computer desk, Kitagawa Hide's newly rising enthusiasm for investment was instantly extinguished.

Today the Industrial Central Bank sent the official bill.

The serialized royalties for "Border" were approximately 785.5 million yen before tax, and a bunch of peripheral revenues had also been received, approximately 379.1 million yen before tax. In addition, all other novels brought in an additional 4997.1 million yen in pre-tax income.

Three months into 1996 had already passed, but the income for March had not yet been received. Adding last year's savings, minus expenses and taxes, Kitagawa Hide now had 3 million yen quietly lying in his account!

If you think about it carefully, after traveling through time in March last year, Kitagawa Hide earned 3 million yen after tax in just one year!

This was in 1996! That’s more than 430 million dollars.

If Kitagawa Hide remembers correctly, the rookie contract of this year's NBA draft No. 3 pick Allen Iverson is only 890 million US dollars for three years.

Kitagawa Hide's current status in the Japanese literary world is at best a newcomer who has just entered the ranks of "upper-class writers". Since his debut last year, he can be said to be the "new star" in the Japanese literary world.

But the size of the Japanese literary market and the American professional basketball market is vastly different!
This shows how terrifying Kitagawa Hide's ability to make money is.

As time goes by, he will continue to climb to the top like those basketball stars, and his income will only increase.

After such a comparison, Kitagawa Hide suddenly found that he could be compared with historical celebrities in certain fields.

Before, I just listened to people around me and read what readers in the Tokyo metropolitan area said about themselves.

No matter how famous and powerful you are, you don't feel very real.

"It turns out that I am a well-known celebrity. It feels like a dream." Kitagawa Hide stroked Pete's fur with satisfaction.

However, the feeling of joy only lasted for a few seconds and was soon replaced by the ambition burning in his heart!
It’s been almost three months and I’ve only just written one novel. When did I become so lazy?

No.

After I take Yumeko to see the villas in Shinjuku tomorrow, I will immediately think of the subject matter for my new book!

This chapter took me a long time to write!

Damn it. I’ve never had an affair and I don’t understand extramarital affairs, so I have no idea how to write about the delicate emotional changes between two people!

The Japanese still have the twisted concept of "mono no aware" in their bones, which makes the emotions even more complicated.

But fortunately, it will be almost finished in one or two chapters, and Teacher Beichuan can start writing a new book!
Oh, thinking about the even more emotional "Confessions" later, I get a headache again.

In short, please subscribe, give rewards, and vote for me!
I will continue to work hard!

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(End of this chapter)