Chapter 521 It's My Turn Now!

"The Dream and Death of Writer K"

This is the name of Hojo Kyosuke’s new work.

"This time, have you seen through my trick?"

This is the first sentence of the new work.

"This time, are you satisfied with my trick?"

This is the second sentence at the beginning of the new work.

It is undoubtedly a mystery novel.

As early as the first time when President Kenzo Konno and Tsuyoshi Aisaka discussed winning the award with him, they heard that two socialist judges felt that his work did not look like socialism and would actually encourage this kind of socialism. At that time, Hojo Kyosuke said that he would write a standard socialist novel to express his yearning for socialism.

He, Hojo Kyosuke, has no interest in factional disputes. He even made his fortune by drawing comics, but his status is quite low compared to noble "sensei (teachers)" such as mystery writers. This is still now when the influence of comics is increasing day by day. If the time were pushed forward another twenty or thirty years, people would laugh at him if he called himself a teacher.

So he doesn't care about any faction at all. Just like he said when he first met Eiri, he just wants to write light novels because he wants to make money, and the same goes for drawing comics.

In a sense, it is more beneficial to him for the judges to maintain the status of the award. If one day the appointment of Prime Minister Neon had to be voted on by mystery novel writers, he would laugh out loud, then immediately cut out all the comics and light novels, and copy out all the mystery novels in his memory in one go.

Originally, he jumped in because of the high social status of mystery novel writers. He is a person with vested interests, and it is his duty to maintain the circle.

If he could win the support of the two judges by writing a socialist mystery novel, then he would definitely be moved without hesitation. Anyway, it would just be a matter of copying one more book. Those writers are not in this world at all. To some extent, what they are doing can probably be regarded as representing another earth culture's invasion of another world? It’s quite embarrassing for people on earth.

Of course, you have to have the nerve to say this if you hit your conscience like a ball and hit a home run.

At that time, Chairman Kenzo Konno and Tsuyoshi Aisaka stopped him, saying that if he did such a thing now, it would be considered provocative.

"Huh? You bastard, you want to say that socialist mystery novels are nothing more than that. You can easily write one. Are you provoking us? Do you still take your seniors seriously? You are seeking death. Bar."

That was probably the case, and it seemed to be the same for Hojo Kyousuke when he thought about it. Just like the last time Akane Benisaka came to see her, didn't she just imitate Eiriri's work and make a provocation?

Hojo Kyosuke admits that although he is not a good person, he still treats people well every day and cannot do such evil things, so this idea was strangled in the cradle. He honestly waited for Tsuyoshi Aisaka and Chairman Konno Kenzo to lobby for him, and was even prepared to pay lobbying funds.

There is a reason why he is willing to spend so much energy on this award. The first thing is of course money.

Neon is a country of books. When the whole world strides into the Internet era, it is the only one that still looks like an antique. The newspaper group still has a decisive influence. This status is naturally not earned for nothing. Neon's most influential TV stations are all run by newspaper groups. In addition to constantly suppressing emerging Internet forces, they are also constantly consolidating their own territory.

From the earliest days, serialized novels were the most powerful means newspapers used to attract subscriptions. A good novel can completely support a newspaper company. With subscriptions, people will be willing to advertise, and with advertising fees, high royalties can be provided. This is a virtuous circle. It is not uncommon for newspapers to fold after a novel is completed.

And how do we let readers know that the novels serialized in our newspapers are excellent and beautiful novels? It’s simple, just tell them!

"Literary Award"

The Yomiuri Shimbun Award, as you can tell from the name, is an award set by the Yomiuri Shimbun. Daily Arts Awards, awards set by the Daily News. The Edogawa Ranpo Award, Japan's highest honor for mystery novels, was not founded by a newspaper, but the winning works were published by Kodansha.

Not just novels, the comics industry also follows suit. You can judge and publish by yourself. If you want to win awards, submit your articles to our company. If you want to see good-looking works, please look for the awards I have judged, that is, come and buy the newspapers and books I publish.

When everyone saw that you were actually doing this, I couldn’t lag behind, so Neon’s literary awards started to bloom everywhere.

There are hundreds of literary awards, enough to keep the literary world open all year round. Even if it takes readers a year to read a "grand prize work" every day, the next year's awards will be welcomed without any gaps. There is probably no other country in the world that operates literary awards as shamelessly as Neon, but this has also given rise to the strange phenomenon of the "Land of Books".

As for being able to win among so many awards, the Neon Mystery Writers Association Award, which is as famous as the Edogawa Ranpo Award, is naturally of great influence. As long as you win the prize, it will not be the printing press but the money printing machine that will be turned on when printing.

Therefore, the publishing house hopes that he will win the award even more than Hojo Kyosuke himself, and is now actively helping him contact him.

The second is fame, or social status.

In Neon, people generally call people who can help them "sir (teacher)" to show respect. Such as teachers, lawyers, doctors, and writers.

The first three professions are easy to understand. Teachers can impart knowledge to students, lawyers can save clients from trouble, and doctors can cure patients' diseases. So what can writers do? Just help people kill time?

No!

People can understand the truth of the world. In addition to the words and deeds of their parents and their own observations, most of the other things are learned through books.

One of the functions of novels is to explain the heterogeneity of daily life for people. Even if I have never hired a detective, I can know what a detective can do. Even if I have never killed anyone, I can know how terrible it is to kill someone. Even if I have committed a crime, I can know how miserable life will be after committing a crime.

So in Japan, the definition of writers is to open up people's wisdom and improve national literacy.

So writers have become respected objects.

And as writers, why is my status as a writer of functional novels not as high as your mystery novelists?

This is to talk about the founder of the Japanese social mystery novelists-Matsumoto Seicho.

To exaggerate a little, it was he who single-handedly pushed the Japanese mystery novels to the altar.

After the war, Japan, which was beaten to death, fell into chaos. The crazy and unjust war brought only destruction and poverty.

Just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor in the United States, the enemy actually occupied Japan. The people around me were either veterans who had killed people, widows whose husbands died on the way to kill people, or homeless orphans.

Who is a good person? Who is a bad person? Why do I have to suffer all this?

Neon, the country, and the entire society cannot answer this question.

If even the most basic good and bad cannot be defined, how can society operate?

At that time, some people also wrote related novels to describe the current situation and think about it. But they were not enough, either too shallow or hard to swallow. Do I not know that I am a bad person? Do I want you to poke my scars again? Do I want you to tell me what to do, whether to repent and atone for my sins or simply commit suicide to apologize.

In this situation, Matsumoto Seicho appeared.

The word "social" in "socialist" comes from here. He uses his works to constantly question his readers all over the country: I killed people and committed crimes for such reasons. What do you think? What kind of person do you think I am? What kind of punishment do you think I should receive? !

In thirty years, Matsumoto Seicho published 800 works.

In that era, the status of mystery novels and socialist mystery novels was pushed to an exaggeratedly high position by him.

This is also the reason why writers of the social school can occupy two seats in the selection committee. Their ancestors are really strong.

When Hojo Kyosuke first thought about what book to copy, he had already considered all these things. And the reason why he copied "The Devotion of Suspect X" was also carefully considered and investigated.

Yes, yes. What editor Shimomura does now, Hojo Kyosuke also did at that time.

"The Devotion of Suspect X" is indisputably a classic mystery novel, and the tricks are quite exquisite. But at the same time, it also accurately targets the current social problems in Japan, the increasing number of homeless people, and the social problems of women.

Is it really right for a homeless person who no one cares about to be killed as a puzzle piece and disappear from the world without anyone noticing? Do you have to endure this kind of thing just because you become a homeless person? Why do you become a homeless person? Why do you wear a suit when living in a shanty?

Women's family problems, husband-wife relationships, and social status. Why does Hanaoka Shizuko, who raised her daughter alone after divorce, have to endure the bullying of her ex-husband? Why not seek help from the outside world?

She killed someone, should she die? If she doesn't, who should die? His ex-husband? Why didn't anyone stop his ex-husband when he made mistakes again and again? Then is it society that is wrong? Or is it this country? !

These are the thoughts that can be seen in this novel, so this novel can undoubtedly be classified as a social school.

This is because Hojo Kyosuke is not famous enough now. If he holds a book signing event now, the queue can stretch from Shinjuku to Hokkaido, then tomorrow's morning news should be that the prime minister and the cabinet will collectively step down and swear to pay attention to the problems of homeless people and women immediately. If the homeless people in Tokyo are not eliminated, then they will disappear! If domestic violence men cannot be eliminated, then please use violence against us!

If the problem is not solved in half a year or a year, and it happens that Hojo Kyosuke's novel is adapted into a movie and becomes popular all over the world, then the prime minister should get out immediately.

If he really becomes a "national teacher"-level writer who can whip the prime minister with a pen, let alone saying that Hojo Kyosuke is "just" a little fickle, even if he says in a TV interview "I just don't want to selfishly give all my love to one person", there will be a lot of people who come out to praise his great mind, and no one will say he is shameless.

When he visits the Miyamizu family again, Hojo Kyosuke will change his submissive style and stand up to let Miyamizu Toshiki take a good look at who married his daughter!

Therefore, in order to create a happy life, Hojo Kyosuke must win the Neon Mystery Writers Association Award. This is an important puzzle to a better future, no worse than being a homeless person!

Fame and wealth, these are the benefits that this award can bring to Hojo Kyosuke, which has already included everything in the world except love.

Therefore, when Kenzo Chino said that he would help him hold a banquet to invite the two judges, Hojo Kyosuke was ready to say a few good words. What? I have been a loyal supporter of the social faction since I was a child. When I was still in my mother's belly, I was taught by the novels of Mr. Matsumoto Seicho. Anyway, it doesn't cost money to say good things. After becoming famous, I don't believe that these old guys dare to say another word.

As mentioned earlier, although these people engage in factional struggles for their own interests, they are far from being as noble as they say, but Hojo Kyosuke is happy to see them burn themselves to illuminate themselves. As a vested interest who has entered the circle, this self-awareness is still necessary.

But now the situation has changed. He can't be a vested interest! ? These old guys actually want to exclude themselves from the fruit? Uncles can tolerate it, Hojo Kyosuke can tolerate it, but fathers-in-law can't tolerate it!

Since you can't be the shady, just expose him directly, don't eat it!

"The Dream and Death of Writer K"

Mystery novel.

It tells the story of a boy who has loved mystery novels since childhood. When he grew up, he worked overtime while persisting in writing. Finally, one day, he successfully wrote a novel that was favored by a publishing house. The shocking good news was followed by even greater good news. The editor told him that this book has a good chance of winning an award.

"The award that Japanese mystery writers want to win the most"

Well, this is the name of the award in the novel. It not only scolds the Japanese Mystery Writers Association Award, but also other awards. Whoever is guilty and wants to take the credit will be scolded.

The protagonist was ecstatic, but the editor told him that he needed to work harder to win the award, that is, canvassing and lobbying.

Although the protagonist didn't know whether a novel was good and whether it should win an award, why he needed to do so many unnecessary things, he still did it for his dream.

Judge A was the most open-minded. He gave his vote to whoever gave him the most money. The price was clearly marked and fair. Although he gave him all the hard-earned royalties and hard-earned money from work, the protagonist liked him the most.

Judge B was the most open-minded. He was a pervert. It was a very ordinary setting. It was either money or sex. While cursing in his heart, the protagonist borrowed a large sum of money from the loan company introduced by Judge B, and helped Judge B to get an annual ticket at the luxurious club in Ginza.

With the editor's comforting voice, "As long as you win the prize, you can earn back this money in a few minutes", the protagonist went to Judge C's house again.

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