I am a literary giant in Japan

Chapter 97 Life is full of troubles, and you can’t be without a house, a car, and a girlfriend!
On the desk that exuded the subtle fragrance of mahogany, a fat figure was staggering, and his four paws were moving carefully along the edge of the desk.

When passing by the steaming coffee cup, the fat figure was more cautious and almost brushed past the cup.

Then, when it came in front of a piece of manuscript paper, the cat's claws suddenly stabbed out like a sharp blade!
"Meow~"

Pete let out a low growl of dissatisfaction, and the pads on his paws were suddenly pressed down by a white hand. He thrashed around wildly, and saw that he was getting further and further away from the manuscript paper, but he could do nothing about it.

"Stupid cat, why are you still so noisy after being castrated?"

Kitagawa Hide picked up the British shorthair fat blue cat Pete, who had lost his "cat man" identity, and with his other hand, he tore off the piece of manuscript paper that was blown by the breeze in a lightning speed.

A brand new piece of manuscript paper with wet ink on it was pasted on with a "click".

"Each piece of manuscript paper is worth 2 yen, and each haiku is worth 10 yen"

The fixed salary for the Japanese government’s anti-cult ambassador is 15 yen per month before tax (0/12).

Fixed salary for the honorary president of the "National Inspirational Commercial Law Strategies Lawyers' Liaison Association": 10 yen per month before tax (0/12).

"Hear the Wind Sing": A total of 4 words, serialized royalties before tax 6 yen (already received).

"Pinball in 1973": A total of 6 words, serialized royalties before tax 3 yen (already received).

"A Wild Sheep Chase": A total of 14 words, serialized royalties before tax 6 million yen (already received).

Royalty income from "Hear the Wind Sing": 2794 yen before tax (already received).

Royalties from "No Longer Human": 2.14 million yen before tax (already received).

Copyright income from the film and television adaptation of "Youth Trilogy": 1 million yen before tax (not yet received).

Group Portrait Newcomer Award: Prize money of 200 million yen before tax (already received).

Taxes paid: 9352 yen!!!
当下存款税后总计1.25亿97万7535.9円，负债本息总和为1亿零336万円。

Kitagawa Hide took a look at the new manuscript paper, nodded with satisfaction, and then pondered over the words "pay taxes" for a long time.

Then he became more and more angry as he looked at it, and his brows couldn't help but frowned tightly.

More than 9300 million in taxes were paid in just half a year!

According to the current exchange rate, it is 930 million when converted into the neighboring RMB!
1995 was the peak era of Hong Kong's entertainment industry. Aaron Kwok, who ranked tenth in the overall income list among Hong Kong and Taiwan artists, had an annual income of about 900 million yuan, which was not as much as the tax paid by Kitagawa Hide!

He did some mental calculations and found that the combined tax rate was over 39%, which was too high.

Originally, Kitagawa Hide felt that he could enter a semi-retirement state after writing "No Longer Human", but he didn't expect that once the money came in, it was offset against his debts. Wow, it turned out that he had paid off all his foreign debts in one go.

If he went directly to the bank to pay off his debt, he would only have a little over 2500 million yen left.

A few days ago, Kitagawa Hide specifically checked the housing prices in Minato Ward, Tokyo's wealthy area. The total price of an idle large villa like Noma Airi's is about 1.2 million yen, and the annual miscellaneous maintenance and management fees are about 300 million yen.

There are some slightly inferior ones as well. There are many Western-style villas in Shibuya and Shinjuku. They are smaller in square footage and generally cost around 5000 million yen.

If the situation is a little worse, you will have to move to Bunkyo Ward, or the west and east areas outside the six non-central wards (Bunkyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chuo, and Minato). The garden houses there are capped at 4000 million yen, and if you are lucky, you can get one for around 3000 million yen.

Oh, some people might ask why you don't choose a house in Chiyoda Ward or Chuo Ward. One is the economic center of Tokyo, Japan, and the other is the political center. They are full of people who make Kitagawa Hide feel sick. He would rather take Yumeko to Hokkaido or Shikoku Island to eat marine fish and oranges than live next to those people and see them every day.

In addition, Kitagawa Hide is busy getting his driver's license. Now that he has money, he naturally can't ride a bicycle around like before. He still has some pursuit of luxury cars. Once his driver's license is in place, he will at least buy himself a BBA (BMW Mercedes-Benz Audi) and a Beetle for Mengzi.

With this calculation, the core problem becomes obvious.

Money, money, money, and more damn money!

In addition to the headache of money, Kitagawa Xiu now has another worry that needs to be solved urgently -

The progress of my relationship with Yumeko-chan.

After the lecture at the University of Tokyo, Aum Shinrikyo was instantly destroyed by the Murayama Tomiichi cabinet with overwhelming force. Kitagawa Hide and others paid tribute to Takuya Itsuki's family on the 49th day of the memorial service, and then another week passed.

With the arrival of new royalties and the resolution of the annoying cult problem, "Peter Cat" also got back on track. The relationship between the two heated up rapidly this week, but Kitagawa Hide always felt that something was missing.

Mengzi-chan was very gentle, cute, and virtuous. She obeyed him in everything. There had hardly been a single conflict between the two in the six months they had been together.

This should have been a sweet love story like a dream.

But I just feel like something is missing!
In the second half of the week, Kitagawa Hide went to Ginza to buy something and happened to pass by a Nikon store. He bought a Nikon camera and gave it to Yumeko. Yumeko loved it very much and they took many photos together and in the store.

It happened that Jabami Rei, who had not yet recovered from her social death, was going to Kyoto University for an exchange, so Yumeko moved into Jabami Rei's rental house and has lived with her ever since.

During the half week that Yumeko was away, Kitagawa Hide finally understood what the lost "football" was.

In order to make more money, he has been concentrating on revising the manuscript of "I Am a Cat" these days, carefully polishing and selecting haiku that conforms to current trends, and by the way, he has completed the outline of "Literature Award Serial Murder Case".

Occasionally, when guests came to visit, he would entertain them warmly. Most of the time, he was typing away at the computer desk in the cafe.

Besides working during the day, Mengzi would take advantage of her free time after class to send various heartwarming text messages. Sometimes she would complain about Lijiang's cuteness and share the fun of school life, and sometimes she would just send short love words like "I'm so lonely~ I miss you, Xiujun~".

When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, when Jabami Rei was sound asleep, Mengzi would call him on time and chat with him for a long time.

It can be as short as half an hour or as long as two or three hours.

Sometimes, while they were chatting, the starry sky would turn slightly white and the breathing of Kitagawa Hideo in his deep sleep would be heard, and she would hang up the phone reluctantly.

Then the cycle repeated itself for half a week.

He found out.

Mengzi-chan is both very dependent on herself and inexplicably resistant to herself. When they are together, she tries her best to love him, but sometimes she dodges and evades, hoping to keep a small distance.

This time, rather than accompanying Jabami Rei in preparing for the exchange project and comforting her wounded heart, it would be more accurate to say that Yumeko-chan was actively distancing herself from him.

She wanted them to separate a little bit, just to stay connected, and it seemed like breathing would be smoother.

This period of separation actually made Kitagawa Hide feel even sweeter than if they were in love, as if their love story was finally on the right track.

But Kitagawa Hide knew it in his heart.

This "football" seems to be coming back, but in fact it is moving away.

"Damn it, why am I not that common sea king scumbag in novels, the guy who is extremely proficient in love?" Kitagawa Hide scratched his head, unable to find the reason.

While he was worried, Pete next to him suddenly became excited and kept meowing at the door of the cafe.

The way it looked, it was obvious that someone it knew and liked had come over.

"Jingle Bell--"

The wind chimes on the door made a crisp sound, and Saito Reina, who was wearing an office lady's uniform, pushed the door open and walked in. "Excuse me, Kitagawa, long time no see."

Saito Reina sat down at the bar with ease, and took out a pile of documents and a small gift from her handbag.

"These are the new earrings for Yumeko. Hey, isn't Yumeko here today?"

The calendar on the wall showed September 9th. When Kitagawa Hide went to the wine cabinet to get a beer, he tore off a page and revealed the real date, September 16th (Sunday).

"Yes, Yumeko is staying at Jabami-san's house for a few days. Thank you for the gift, Saito."

Kitagawa Hide pushed the prepared "Cuba Libre" to her. He didn't know why Saito Rena liked this drink so much, and then he picked up the documents.
"Is this the information for "Group Portrait"? "

"Hmm" Saito Reina was almost choked by the spicy taste. She covered her mouth with her hands, and a little liquid flowed out from the corner of her mouth. She quickly took out a tissue to wipe it clean, and then nodded.

"Yes. These are the materials related to "Gunzo" that you asked me to get before, as well as the sales statistics for the past year."

"Ah, thank you, Saito, you've worked hard."

Kitagawa Hide hurriedly sat down and carefully looked through the pile of rather confidential information.

He realized at a glance that the information was extremely valuable. Many of them were obviously not real data that could be obtained from the Internet or by simply asking people. They were most likely either investigated by professional private detectives or dug out from the archives of "Group Portrait" through strong connections.

Seeing him looking so seriously, Saito Reina, who originally wanted to ask him something, felt embarrassed to interrupt, so she supported her chin with her hand and looked around.

The cafe was a little dirty, with various manuscripts scattered on the table, and Kitagawa's clothes were not so neat and clean. Has Mengzi been away from home for several days?
He still looked so serious and dedicated, even more motivated than myself, a career-obsessed person. But I always felt that his face looked a little tired and listless.

"Meow~" Pete came over and nudged her with his head.

"Little guy, you've lost weight." Reina Saito picked it up and gently stroked its fur. Pete enjoyed her touch and cried even more aggrievedly.

The reason why Pete likes her as much as he likes Yumeko is because Saito Reina always makes some snacks for him every time she comes.

"You are the male lead of 'I Am a Cat' and you will be on screen in the future." Saito Reina teased it, then took out some cat strips from her bag, tore them apart and fed it a few.

Kitagawa Hide on the side didn't pay any attention to these. He used these data to accurately determine the approximate number and distribution area of ​​the real readership of "Gun Portrait".

Kodansha has disgusted me many times, plus the black manuscript fees. Even if I jump out of it and give them the big pit of adaptation of "Youth Trilogy", it is still not enough to vent my anger.

Since he has decided to compete with Gunzo in haiku and novels, Kitagawa Hide is prepared to accurately target readers and write a few novels that can attract their core readership. This will not only strengthen his new employer Wen Yi, but also make Gunzo fall from the altar and roll to the bottom of the list!

Ten minutes later, he finished reading all the information and had a preliminary idea. He looked up and found Saito Reina helping Pete comb his hair. She smiled and asked, "Saito, can I have a copy of these materials?"

"Ah. Never mind. Just take the original."

Saito Reina quickly replied,
"Have you finished reading? The reason you want this information is."

Kitagawa Hide expressed his thoughts truthfully.

Hearing that he was actually planning to dethrone "Gunzo", Saito Rena couldn't help but sit up straight with a look of shock on her face.

The publication of haiku and serialization of "I Am a Cat" was, on the one hand, intended to compete with "Gunzo" for the haiku market and boost the sales of "Wenyi", and on the other hand, to satirize and criticize the current literary world.

She could understand the frustration and dissatisfaction in Beichuan's heart after he was not selected. She had already read the first draft of "I Am a Cat", which was a very excellent novel with a unique perspective. It felt like something from another track.

Anyway, she couldn't give any suggestions after reading it. After approval by the editor-in-chief and the president, it has been decided to serialize it in tomorrow's "Wenyi" - together with the new haiku column.

But the ultimate goal of all these is to boost the sales of the half-dead "Wenyi" magazine.

Neither Shizuko Kawaide nor she thought they could defeat "Gunzo", that was too unrealistic.

"Stars", which ranks fourth, is far ahead of "Wenyi". You have to eat one bite at a time, right?
"So. Are you serious? Kitagawa." Saito Rena swallowed and asked in a low voice. The goal she and Kawaide Shizuko set at the time was to surpass "Stellaris" by the end of the year.

"Yes, and I have a general idea." Kitagawa Hide discovered that the main audience groups of "Group Portrait" are still three categories, the rich, office workers, and students, with a ratio of about 2:5:3. In addition, after observing the recent fluctuations in its sales, he had a plan for another new book in his mind.

But he is not in a hurry, as he still has a lot of things to do. He will try to get the next book out before the end of the year. Now he is just throwing an introduction to Rena Saito as usual, and a lot of preliminary work has not been done yet.

Even if he had a huge advantage, it would take at least half a year for him to lead a last-place publishing house to make a comeback and defeat a behemoth that is 10 times larger than himself.

"This..." Saito Rena felt like she was a little numb now.

She has always felt that she is an enterprising type in the workplace. After coming to "Wenyi", her colleagues jokingly said that she was the real editor-in-chief, and her ambition and competitive spirit were stronger than those of men!
But compared with Kitagawa Shuichi, Saito Rena just felt that she was not working hard enough!
"By the way, didn't President Kawade say last time that he was considering making some small peripheral products for No Longer Human? How is the planning and preparation going? And the single volumes of Ball and A Sheep Chase, will they be released next month?"

Kitagawa Hidemasa was short of money and couldn't stand the feeling of being forced to move forward, so he took the initiative to ask.

After the popularity of "No Longer Human", Kawaide Shobo naturally increased the price of his serialized manuscripts.

Shizuko Kawaide was very generous in this regard and directly offered him a royalty payment that exceeded that of "middle-class" writers, "2 yen per sheet of manuscript paper", which was already the royalty payment level for "upper-class" writers.

But even so, the serialized royalties from "I Am a Cat" are far from comparable to the royalties from physical books.

Moreover, the royalties are still distributed monthly according to the number of serializations, which is a drop in the bucket.

"Ah, I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it." In fact, the main reason she came here was to talk to Kitagawa Hide about the issues of surrounding development, and then invite him to Kawaide Shobo to sign a contract and discuss the profit sharing - he is a freelance writer, and all the income sharing issues of derivative products require new contracts one by one.

As she spoke, she pulled out another plan from her bag, "A plan to develop and produce daily necessities such as 'No Longer Human' peripheral products - 'No Need to Apologize' Oolong tea."

Seeing this title, Kitagawa Hide was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He was about to reach out to take it, but was suddenly held down by Saito Rena.

The two were friends, but this kind of close contact still made him feel a little uncomfortable.

He looked down and found that Saito Rena had put away her smile and was looking at him seriously, with an expression that didn't look like admiration.

"Besides this, Beichuan, I think we should have a good talk about you."

Hoo, hoo, a new volume. I wonder how many friends are still following this book. I’m so worried that everyone will leave.

ps:

Regarding the name of the day of the week, I still want to use the Japanese term, which will be more immersive, but in this way, everyone will not know what day of the week it is.

So here is a little trick for everyone to remember.

Sunday: Sunday (both days)

Monday: Moon Day (the day after the moon comes, and there is only one moon)
Tuesday: Fire Sunday (Fire has 2 points)
Wednesday: Water Sunday (water at three o'clock)

Thursday: Thursday (no four strokes)
Friday: Friday (Welcome to the hardware store)

Saturday: Earth Day (shopping on Sunday, eating dirt on Saturday)

Or remember Sunday, Monday and month, 2-5, gold, wood, water and fire in reverse order, and the other one is earth.


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(End of this chapter)