I am a literary giant in Japan

"Passed!"

“Failed”

"Eh?! Ishida-kun, what did you say?"

When Tomoyo Kobayashi, who was still in a state of surprise, heard Ishida Taijun's voice, she was completely stunned.
"How, how could it be?"

In her impression, Ishida Yasujun is a gifted child from Kyoto, the one who can pass the "initial test" without any suspense among this group of approved doctors.

Ishida Yasujun was shocked and found it hard to believe the news, so he read the "test results" sent by the Faculty of Literature of the University of Tokyo over and over again.

The big red words "Failed the exam" hurt his eyes deeply.

The two of them had been worried about one issue before.

If Ishida Yasujun passes the entrance exam but Kobayashi Tomoyo is rejected, how will their relationship continue?

Just like the saying that has been widely circulated in later generations, "The first sword you strike when you get ashore is to kill the person you love."

The same is true in Japan.

For such a couple of prospective doctoral students, once one of them continues to stay in school for further studies and the other is forced to enter society, as time goes by, their social circles and living habits change, and even the strongest love will be shattered by reality.

In today's Japanese society, the "0.39%" in Japan and the not-so-rare master's degree holders are two different types of people, or even two different classes.

The former can at least become a lecturer at a university like the University of Tokyo, but the latter may only be able to work part-time at an ordinary company affiliated with a foundation.

After going there, the income level, the people around you, and the future prospects are all worlds apart.

Of course, Tomoyo Kobayashi has only passed the first step, the "initial test". There are five more stages to come: a written test, a second written test, a first round interview, a second round interview and a final interview with the principal.

But passing the "initial test" means that she has a future, while failing to pass means that Ishida Yasujun has no future.

Lies won't hurt, the truth is the sharpest knife!

When the naked result was laid out before them, the atmosphere between the two suddenly became subtle.

Readers coming and going around squeezed past them.

Everyone excitedly went to get the "Wenyi" on the front stage, wanting to get a glimpse of the subsequent plot of "Snow Country", but they stood still, as if time had stopped.

"Ishida-kun"

"pat-"

"Da da da--"

Kobayashi Tomoyo's slightly raised right hand and the words she had yet to finish were all turned into nothingness by the sound of Ishida Yasujun's hurriedly fleeing footsteps.

She stared blankly at the figure disappearing in the crowd. She was distracted for a moment and had no idea how to react.

Ishida Taijun ran all the way, no matter how the people around him looked at him, no matter how his already weak body protested, he felt that as long as he ran fast enough, he could forget this unexpected defeat.

He had imagined the scenario after the results of the "initial test" came out countless times.

How should I face Tomoyo Kobayashi, and what words should I use to comfort and encourage her.

did not expect.

In the end, the person who needs to be comforted and encouraged is yourself.

This joke is not funny at all!
"Whoohoo-"

The panting Ishida Taijun finally reached the limit of his body. He didn't know where he had run to. At this moment, his whole body was trembling, his eyes were black, and he could only struggle to hold on to the wall and slowly slide down.

As soon as he stopped running, all the accumulated emotions poured over him like a tidal wave, making it difficult for him to bear it.

"Why is this happening?"

Ishida Taijun covered his face, tilted his head back, and tried his best to prevent the tears from flowing out of his eye sockets.

In a trance, he seemed to recall the journey he had taken.

Since kindergarten, he has been in poor health. He could not run freely in the sun like everyone else, and he had to take leave most of the time from physical education and health classes.

After countless examinations, the doctor could only say that the patient was born weak and had insufficient energy and blood, and that it would be best to reduce activity and rest more.

Then his childhood was spent reading one thick novel after another.

When he was in elementary school, his first writing assignment was selected by the teacher and read aloud in front of the whole class.

Ishida Taijun still remembers that day. When his composition was read aloud by the teacher, the admiration in his classmates' eyes was like a flickering light in the dark night, so beautiful and so attractive.

At that moment, he seemed to understand why he was born.

When he was in junior high school, thanks to his excellent Chinese language grades, Ishida Taijun successfully became the leader of the literature club. He was highly regarded by his teachers and won the national junior high school literature award many times.

It was also at this time that his first pure literary novel was included in a magazine and caused a sensation.

In high school, due to his outstanding performance in all subjects, he was directly admitted to the special entrance department, majoring in the literature departments of three universities: the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Osaka University.

In the end, he lived up to everyone's expectations and was admitted to the Faculty of Literature of Kyoto University with amazing results.

In fact, that year, his goal was to enter the Faculty of Literature at the University of Tokyo.

Unfortunately, the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University were recruiting students on the same day, and the high school he attended focused on the Kyoto University entrance exam. After much hesitation, he decided to apply for Kyoto University, which had a higher chance of admission.

Therefore, after entering the Faculty of Letters of Kyoto University, he quietly set his next goal at the University of Tokyo.

While studying at university, Ishida Taijun had a day that changed his life.

Mr. Kitagawa debated with literary giants such as Ichiko Masashi at the exchange meeting.

When it was revealed that the master of haiku at the University of Tokyo was Mr. Kitagawa, who was sneered at by these great men, Ishida Taijun in the audience trembled completely.

He never thought that a young writer who had just started out and was being targeted in various ways could debate with so many scholars in such an occasion, leaving more than 30 professors from the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University speechless, leaving the former haiku champion Mutsuro Takahashi dumbfounded, and making the judges of the "Akutagawa Literary Prize" lose face!
"I want to be a brilliant writer like that!"

He clenched his fists and said this to himself.

After quietly setting the goal in his mind, Taijun Ishida worked harder, became more motivated, and became more determined.

As expected, he graduated from Kyoto University with outstanding performance, and then was admitted to the Faculty of Literature of the University of Tokyo with even more amazing results, becoming a prospective master's student.

During the two years he studied at the University of Tokyo, he remained the best among the group.

Many quasi-masters like Tomoyo Kobayashi who were promoted from the main campus of the University of Tokyo are simply not comparable to him.

Professor Osamu Takeuchi also regards him as one of his successors.

Originally, all of this should have gone in the direction he hoped for.

But why.

When it came to the most important and seemingly simplest step, he suddenly failed.

why? !

Was that speech really that much worse than the others? !

Yasujun Ishida carefully recalled every detail of that "first test".

The content he carefully prepared should be impeccable.

If I have to say something bad about him, it's that he is probably the only one who finds fault with "Snow Country".

Maybe it was my inner vanity that was at work, or maybe I really felt that "Snow Country" was not so perfect at the time.

Anyway, when he recalls it now, Ishida Taijun can no longer distinguish his own feelings.

The pain of failure penetrates my whole body.

It feels like I'm going to die.

"It must be hard to have your carefully prepared things rejected out of hand, right?"

A familiar and gentle voice sounded in his ears. Ishida Taijun opened his eyes and looked at the person in front of him in disbelief.

An opened can of Coke was handed to him, and the other party's smile was gentle and warm.

It was a cold March in Tokyo, and he was shivering with cold, but when he looked at the other person's cheek, it seemed as if all the cold air had been blown away.

"Bei I." He was so uncomfortable that he couldn't speak.

It's more than just something carefully prepared.

He felt that the two years of hard study during his master's degree and the more than ten years of study before that had all been completely negated!
"Ah, is it too cold? You can't drink this iced Coke?"

Beichuan Xiu patted his head awkwardly and said apologetically,

"I should have brought you a cup of hot coffee, sorry."

"No, no, no, I-I'm fine!"

Ishida Taijun took the Coke and took a big gulp, which choked him so much that his tears and nose flowed, but his mood inexplicably improved.

"Ahhh, you guy, be careful."

Kitagawa Hide quickly took out a tissue and handed it to him.

Ishida Taijun was even more embarrassed. He didn't dare to look up at him. He took the tissue and silently wiped his messy cheek.

"S-Sorry! Ahem. Sorry to have troubled you!"

Ishida Yasujun maintained the etiquette of a junior, but in fact, he was the same age as Kitagawa Hide.

When he took the tissue and recalled Teacher Beichuan's experience and life, he suddenly realized.

The person I have been chasing after all my life seems to be someone of the same age as me.

In an instant, the pain just now turned into an indescribable loss.

So what if you got a PhD from the University of Tokyo?

So what after graduation?

In front of Teacher Beichuan, I will always be like an ant on the ground. No matter how hard I crawl, I can never compare with the dazzling brilliance of the sun.

Noticing his sudden loss, Beichuan Xiu was stunned for a moment, then smiled and sat down next to him against the wall, and took out a copy of "Beichuan" and a copy of "Literature and Art".

"I heard about you from Kobayashi-san. My wife and she were classmates in college."

Kitagawa Hide took a sip of Coke and handed him both magazines.

"I've also read your resume and the speech you gave that day."

Is this really the reason?

Ishida Taijun held the can, lowered his head and said nothing.

I really shouldn't have shown off my knowledge in front of an expert and said bad things about "Snow Country" just to attract attention.

"I like that manuscript very much. You are the only one who said something bad about Snow Country."

Kitagawa Hideru said truthfully.

He remembered that day vividly because Ishida Yasujun was the only candidate doctor who found fault with "Snow Country", and because of his relatively famous resume and the experience of being stuck in the end.

"Ah?"

Ishida Taijun thought he would be scolded, but what he heard seemed not to be the case?
"Is it surprising?"

Beichuan Xiu spread his hands and said with a smile,

“Do you think that losing the election means your speech was wrong?”

"Yeah," Ishida Taijun nodded slightly.

“Sometimes, many things are not what they seem.

Indeed, the professors at the University of Tokyo are not optimistic about your radical remarks and literary aesthetics. They think you are too arrogant, and what you say is superficial and useless, and you need to calm down.

But, good is good, bad is bad.

At least in my opinion, you said it well. "

Kitagawa Hide patted his shoulder gently.

Kobayashi Tomoyo and others made it to the top, while Ishida Taijun and others were unexpectedly eliminated. These are the things that always come out after the chaotic Japanese literary and academic circles grind against each other.

Kitagawa Hide cannot take care of everyone on his own.

Ishida Yasujun was stuck and even Takeuchi Osamu was helpless. This is the power of the deeply rooted Todai University clique.

Indeed, if Kitagawa Hideki had recommended him, he would have been able to get in.

But what should we do with the thousands and thousands of Ishida Taijun?

After thinking carefully for a long time that day, Kitagawa Hide finally gave up recommending Ishida Yasujun and chose to approach him in another way.

Sometimes, talents don’t have to be reserved for higher education institutions such as the University of Tokyo.

"Teacher Beichuan, are you really not angry? In fact, many things in the speech were indeed written by me to attract attention."

Ishida Taijun didn't have the courage to say anything when facing Kitagawa Hide.

Kitagawa Hide waved his hand to interrupt him: "What's there to be angry about? When I first debuted, countless people said that my novels only sold well but had no substance. They didn't even give me the Akutagawa Prize, oh no, but I didn't care.

Moreover, a writer will certainly be praised and criticized. If you can't stand even a little bit of criticism, how can you write a book?"

"You" Ishida Taijun looked at him and nodded continuously. He wanted to say something but didn't know how to express it.

He could feel that Teacher Beichuan really recognized him.

Maybe it's just bad luck.

"What are your plans for the future?" Kitagawa Hide asked, moving the two magazines in front of Ishida Taijun.

"Should I continue to study for a doctorate or go out to work?"

".Work." Ishida Yasujun had already thought about this.

His family conditions are average. The current economic environment is so bad that the pressure at home is also very high. It is already very hard for his parents to support his studies, and he has younger brothers and sisters at home who are crying for food.

There wasn't much room for error for him to keep trying.

Besides, there are still five rounds of tests after the "initial test". After this one, he really doesn't have much confidence that he can pass it all in one go next year.

If you lose again.
"In fact, you can have your cake and eat it too."

Kitagawa Hide picked up two magazines and slapped them all in his palm.

“This is a proverb in ancient Chinese.”

"Can you have your cake and eat it too?"

Ishida Taijun chewed it over and over again, and couldn't help asking,

"what do you mean?"

"Prepare for the exam and work at the same time." Beichuan Xiu opened the Beichuan and pointed to a piece of news on it. "If it were you, I think you could do it."

[The supplement "Dazhong" of "Beichuan" is recruiting editors-in-chief!
Recruitment requirements:

1. Must have a certain literary appreciation ability, graduates of the Faculty of Literature of various universities are preferred

2. Understand both popular literature and pure literature, and those with writing experience are preferred

】(End of this chapter)