Zongman: I box in my daily life

He even didn't give up writing novels. During this period of time, he even finished the new volume of "A Certain Magical Index"!

On Saturday, he turned on his computer early in the morning, which was rare. He checked his manuscript one last time and then sent it directly to his editor, Sonoko Machida.

Logically speaking, this matter is almost over.

Because of the firewall, Wu Su did not participate in any book signing events. After learning that he could send the manuscript to Machida Yuanzi at home, he did not go to the editorial department for a long time.

Machida Sonoko has been his editor for almost two years. She knows that Wu Su is a loner and works hard to update his works, so Machida Sonoko usually won't bother him unless there is a problem with what Wu Su wrote.

But this time is an exception.

After Wu Su sent the manuscript to Machida Yuanzi, Machida Yuanzi immediately sent him the following message as soon as she received it.

[Machida Yuanzi: Teacher Wu Su, if you are free, can you come over? I will treat you and another teacher under my name to a meal. If you are not free, forget it.]

Seeing Machida Wanzi say this, Wu Su thought for a moment.

If it were before the firewall was broken, he would never go.

But now... he replied to Machida Sonoko quickly with a smile on his face.

[Wu Su: OK, I got it. Please send me the address and time. I will be there on time.]

...

The time that Machida Yuanzi sent him the message was Sunday afternoon, so Wu Su was completely free.

The agreed location was a restaurant that was neither big nor small, but seemed to have good reviews.

When Wu Su arrived here and took the seat reserved by Machida Sonoko, he soon saw Machida Sonoko coming over with another person.

There's not much to say about Machida Sonoko. She's still wearing the same OL outfit with her short hair intentionally made to look fluffy.

However, the girl next to her seemed to be more eye-catching than her.

She was wearing a white headband, long straight black hair, and simple casual clothes. There was nothing special about her, but when she wore such common clothes, it was as if the whole set of clothes was elevated by her, making her look extremely beautiful.

Machida Sonoko took the girl to a seat and then took the initiative to introduce her.

"Teacher Wu Su, this is Xiao Shi... ah, that is, Teacher Xia Shizi who wrote "Love Metronome"."

"Xiao Shi, this is Mr. Wu Su, who wrote "God Slayer" and "A Certain Magical Index"."

After hearing Machida Sonoko's introduction, Wu Su and Kasumi Shiko, also known as Kasumigaoka Shiyu, nodded to each other and greeted each other, but didn't say anything.

Although if you are familiar with Kasumigaoka Utaha, sometimes you will have the impression that she is a bit dark and a little bit sharp-tongued, but that is the side she shows to acquaintances. When dealing with strangers, Kasumigaoka Utaha is undoubtedly the type of person who doesn't like to talk much, just like when she was in school, she either slept or ate lunch alone on the rooftop.

Although Wu Su was a little curious about this famous heroine whom he knew in his previous life, even the current Wu Su would not take the initiative to get close to strangers.

They both felt the same way, which made the atmosphere suddenly become cold.

In such an atmosphere, the person who felt the most pressure was Machida Sonoko.

Because whether it was Wu Su or Kasumigaoka Utaha, after they greeted each other, they both turned their eyes directly to her.

After all, she was the one who suddenly called them over today.

"We have ordered the dishes, and while they are being served, I will tell you about the current situation."

Seeing the atmosphere like this, Machida Sonoko felt a little helpless but still spoke directly.

"Although I still have a lot of teachers under my name, some of them didn't plan to continue writing, and some of them thought that even if the book they were working on was suddenly cut off, it would not have much impact on them, so in the end I only found you two under my name."

After hearing what Machida Sonoko said, Kasumigaoka Utaha started to become concerned.

After all, the writing of her "Love Metronome" was not smooth sailing.

There was a crisis of having her book cancelled very early on. If it hadn't been for Machida Sonoko's support for her book at the time, and hadn't saved her book on the grounds that she was a talented newcomer and had the label of a beautiful high school student writer, and had tried hard to teach her how to write, and even helped her build momentum so that she could slowly come out of the trough, her book would have been lost at that time.

But what's going on now?

It hasn't been long since she came out of her low period, and now she's facing the crisis of being cut short again?

But...there haven't been any problems with her recent plots!

There is no problem with sales!

Why is this happening again?

This is what Kasumigaoka Utaha said, while Wu Su simply asked a question.

"Is something wrong?"

Hearing what Wu Su said, Machida Yuanzi nodded with a wry smile, and then sighed at Wu Su's straightforward attitude.

"Teacher Wu Su is really straightforward. I thought you would be afraid of being beheaded like Xiao Shi."

Wu Su shook his head slightly.

"After all, Kasumi Shiko's Love Metronome had experienced a similar situation before, so it's normal for her to be a little sensitive. However, my Magical Index is still a new book, and I don't think I will face the problem of being cut off under normal circumstances."

"So you better just speak frankly."

After hearing Wu Su's words, Machida Sonoko just sighed, while Kasumigaoka Utaha gradually calmed down after hearing Wu Su's words.

Yes, she is too sensitive.

So she let out a long sigh and looked at Wu Su with gratitude, then returned to her original state and waited for Machida Yuanzi's reply.

Machida Yuanzi didn't say anything more at this moment, and directly told them the reason why she was looking for Wu Su and Kasumigaoka Utaha today.

"Hey, Xiaoshi's book has just come out of the trough, and Teacher Wu Su's book has just started, and it already has the potential to be a big hit. Logically speaking, it should be a rising period for your careers, and you both have a bright future."

"But the problem now is... Fuzugawa Bookstore is going to be ruined. It has been suppressed by Nogi Publishing, a subsidiary of the powerful Nogi Group. The other party intends to acquire Fuzugawa Bookstore at a low price. Nogi Publishing and Fuzugawa Bookstore have different operating models, and the other party has different requirements for its subordinate bookstores. So, we editors in charge of the light novel category in the library may be unemployed, and most of the light novels in the library will be forced to be cut short."

……

47. Machida Sonoko: The opponent is a member of Kengankai!

After hearing what Machida Sonoko said, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had just returned to normal, became panicked again.

She couldn't show it on the surface, but Wu Su could actually feel her legs starting to shake, and quite violently. Then she didn't even care about the waiter serving the food, she just looked at Machida Sonoko and asked directly.

"Then there is nothing we can do?"

In response to Kasumigaoka Utaha's question, Machida Sonoko picked up the wine glass, poured herself a glass of beer, drank it all in one gulp under Kasumigaoka Utaha's nervous gaze, and then sighed deeply.

"Xiao Shi, this kind of question is indeed easy to ask for someone your age, but when you grow up a little bit more you will know that there are too many unreasonable things in this world, and when faced with such things, no matter how unreasonable they are, you can only accept them silently. Not all problems can be solved."

Machida Sonoko poured herself another glass of wine as she spoke.

Then she looked at the foam in the transparent beer glass, which kept rising and finally bursting, and her eyes became a little blurred.

"You will eventually understand. If life slaps you in the face, what can you do?"

"Hold on."

Machida Sonoko asked the question first, and then gave the answer immediately. She just looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha and forced a not-so-pretty smile on her face.

"…The most gentle part of this situation might be that if life doesn't slap you in the face again, you can still find a way to apply some medicine to stop the pain."

Seeing Machida Sonoko like this, Kasumigaoka Utaha held back what she wanted to say.

It's not that she really accepted these things that only people in society would deeply understand after listening to what Machida Sonoko said, but she realized one thing at this moment.

That means she is not the only one who is unlucky.

Machida Sonoko, who was about to be promoted to deputy editor-in-chief of the editorial department and was a working adult at a rising stage in her career, will also face the crisis of unemployment due to this sudden situation!

She, Utaha Kasumigaoka, can choose not to write books. Although she will feel uncomfortable about it, it will not have any impact on her life.

Even though she is still young and hasn't really entered society, her academic performance is good and she can still get into a good university and then find a good job - she still has a future.

But if Machida Sonoko loses her job, the impact will probably be quite big.

After figuring this out, Kasumigaoka Utaha could no longer ask Machida Sonoko any more questions.

At this moment, she could only do as Machida Sonoko said.

Hold on!

When Machida Sonoko saw Kasumigaoka Utaha's reaction, she sighed again.

However, she did not comfort Kasumigaoka Utaha, because since the problem could not be solved, it was not appropriate for her to comfort her at the moment.

"I see."

And Wu Su's voice rang out at this moment.

This made Machida Sonoko and Kasumigaoka Utaha look over.

Wu Su had a faint smile on his face from the beginning, and it was the same now as before, as if such things could not shake him at all.

In fact, this is indeed the case.

For Wu Su now, writing books is just an entertainment activity. If he doesn’t want to write anymore, then he won’t write anymore.

But if the problem lies with Fuzugawa Bookstore...

"Editor Machida, if I acquire Fuzugawa Shoten before Nogi Publishing, and then withstand the suppression from Nogi Publishing, then all these problems can be solved, right?"

Hearing Wu Su say this, Machida Yuanzi's reason told her that this kind of thing was unlikely to happen.

But when she looked into Wu Su's eyes, which were so calm that there was not even a hint of joking in them, she nodded slightly.

"…if this is all possible."

When saying this, Machida Sonoko herself felt that she might be a little stupid.

However, Wu Su responded to her directly.

"It's not a big problem. Although I didn't take the initiative to learn about the value of the Fuzugawa Bookstore, I still learned about it passively. There will be no problem in acquiring it."

Previously, in order to let Wu Su have some exposure to this aspect and to give him a clear idea of ​​the current joint investment company and the 50% shares in his hands, Yukinoshita Haruno specifically used the example of the Fuzugawa Bookstore to which Wu Su had submitted his article.

"If that's it, then you can go back today. Tomorrow at the latest, or tonight at the earliest, you will definitely receive news that I have acquired the Fuzugawa Bookstore."

Seeing Wu Su like this, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt that there was a... unexpected turn of events?

She had just felt the cruelty of society, and now she immediately saw hope. The ups and downs during this period of time made her heart pound.

At the same time, the way she looked at Wu Su was different.

It's not that she would look down on others just because they are rich, but among the 'powerless victims' she just considered, apart from herself and Machida Sonoko, the one who suffered the most should be Wu Su, whose work, which was originally on the verge of becoming a big hit, was forced to be cut short.

But now looking at it... I originally thought he was just a poor person who suffered together with me, but now he has revealed his true identity!

The impact is still a bit too great.

And seeing that Wu Su really didn't seem to be lying, Machida Yuanzi pursed her lips.

"Teacher Wu Su, since you said so, I believe you have the ability to do so - but acquiring the Undead River Bookstore may cost you a lot of money."

Although Machida Sonoko was a little conflicted, she still kindly told some of the inside information she knew.

"I've heard the boss of our Fushigawa Bookstore talk about similar issues before."

"If we only face the suppression from Nogi Publishing, then Nogi Publishing may not be able to put our Fushigawa Bookstore into a desperate situation."

"The biggest problem lies with the Nogi Group behind Nogi Publishing."

Having said that, Machida Sonoko looked around and lowered her voice.

"I also learned some inside information about the Nogi Group from our boss. If you want to acquire the Fuzugawa Bookstore, I will tell you, but don't spread it to others, or you'll get into trouble!"

Seeing Machida Sonoko like this, Kasumigaoka Utaha also shrank back, a little curious.

And Wu Su also looked at her.

Then Machida Sonoko spoke again.

"Among the businessmen in this country, if they are wealthy enough, they are likely to be exposed to things that small businessmen cannot."

"The world those things live in is called the underground world or the inner world. Many of the rules there are different from the surface world we live in."

"According to our boss, the Nogi Group is a large organization in the underworld. It is a member of the Kengankai with an unknown number of years of history, a lot of wealth, and a lot of connections."

"So, Mr. Wu Su, maybe you or your family are very rich, but buying the Fuzugawa Bookstore will not only make you lose money, but you may also offend a large company like the Nogi Group that is involved in the underworld. It's totally not worth it. I think if your family knew about it, they might stop you, so don't be impulsive."

After hearing what Machida Sonoko said, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt as if all her three views had been shattered and reshaped.

Especially the underground world and the Kengan Society... It made her feel that these "high-end" things were too far away from her. It also made her feel that the world she lived in might not be so peaceful. She was not the protagonist of the world, but just an insignificant supporting role without even a name, who could not even appear next to the protagonist.

After Wu Su heard what Machida Yuanzi said, the smile on his face became more obvious.

"If that's the case, then you don't have to worry. After all... I'm also a member of the Kengan Society. If we want to solve the problem internally, it will be much easier."