Chapter 69

"Hi, just wait for my news."

Fangcun Daoyou put down the phone, still a bit dazed.

Ito Shuichi asked from the side, "What's wrong? You look distracted~"

"Shuichi-san, has anything happened these past few days? Did I miss something?"

"Nani? Isn't it just filming 'The World of Wonders'?" Ito Shuichi was curious, "Did something happen to Naoki-san?"

Fangcun Daoyou chuckled and patted his head, "I almost thought I was in 'The World of Wonders' myself~"

"Tell me what happened, come on~" Ito Shuichi was intrigued by Fangcun Daoyou's words.

"Naoki-san, he—"

Fangcun Daoyou paused, "He said he wrote a novel and wants to find someone to publish it."

"Nani?!"

Ito Shuichi was genuinely surprised,

"Although Naoki-san always surprises us, writing a novel without a word is a bit too much!"

Fangcun Daoyou was also puzzled, "He should have been with us all this time, even planning 'The World of Wonders.' Where did he find the time?"

"It can't be like one of the stories in 'The World of Wonders,' right?" Ito Shuichi thought, "If it's a short, thrilling, and fantastical story, it's possible for Naoki-san."

"I'm not sure, but it seems to be a realistic novel for children."

"But if he wants to publish it, the quality should be good, right~"

"Ah, then we can only read the manuscript."

...

Ito Shuichi and Fangcun Daoyou's attempt to read the manuscript first definitely failed,

The original manuscript was kept for his own keepsake.

Nagayama Naoki first adjusted some parts of the novel that didn't fit the time setting,

Then he transcribed the story onto special manuscript paper,

In RB, there are certain standards for publishing submissions, and editors won't accept manuscripts that don't follow the format.

These steps took Nagayama Naoki two days, and his hand hurt...

Fangcun Daoyou helped arrange a meeting with a senior editor at Shogakukan, named Morikawa Koji.

The meeting day was still scorching hot,

Nagayama Naoki raised the convertible top of his sports car to get some shade,

The publishing house was located in Kanda, Ichigaya, a member of the famous Ichigaya Publishing Group,

The company wasn't large, but the greenery around it gave a sense of the smell of ink, and the scent of books wafted from the unassuming building, making the entire building feel sacred...

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Nagayama Naoki entered the publishing house.

The receptionist was an intellectual woman with glasses, who had been reading a book. When she saw Nagayama Naoki, her eyes lit up, and she immediately put down the book:

"Good morning, welcome to Shogakukan. I'm Nozawa Reiki at the reception. How can I assist you?"

"Good morning, I'm Nagayama Naoki, who made an appointment with Editor Morikawa Koji."

"Hi, since you have an appointment, please follow me." She led Nagayama Naoki to the meeting room.

Before leaving, Nagayama Naoki noticed the title of the book on the reception desk—'Masked Confession'!

Sure enough, girls with glasses have wild hearts!

...

After serving a cup of tea, Nozawa Reiki went to notify Morikawa Koji,

Nagayama Naoki looked around the meeting room, which was filled with books and magazines published by Shogakukan,

Including some weekly manga magazines.

From the titles and covers, it was clear that they were aimed at middle and elementary school students, just as Fangcun Daoyou had said.

While thinking, the door to the meeting room was knocked on, and a gentle middle-aged man with glasses walked in.

"Nice to meet you, I'm a senior editor at Shogakukan, Morikawa Koji."

He spoke very kindly, perhaps a common trait among writers~

"Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Nagayama Naoki." He bowed, a gesture he was very familiar with.

After the formalities, both sat down,

"Upon receiving Daoyou-san's call, I thought it would be an older friend, but I didn't expect Nagayama-san to be so young."

"Ha ha, it was a coincidence that I met Daoyou-san, and this time I'm grateful for his help in arranging the meeting with Morikawa-san."

"You're right, it's all about fate."

After some small talk,

"I heard you've already written a novel. What kind of novel is it?"

"Hi, it's a realistic novel, a short to medium-length one."

Nagayama Naoki handed over the file with the manuscript, "It's about the interactions between an elderly person and three elementary school students."

"Please allow me to take a look, Nagayama-san, please wait a moment."

Morikawa Koji took the manuscript and started reading immediately.

These writers are really straightforward, leaving Nagayama Naoki to the side.

Nagayama Naoki couldn't help but laugh, picked up a magazine nearby, and started reading,

The cicadas outside were still chirping, a gentle breeze blew, and the tea leaves in the cup occasionally floated,

The two quietly reading books seemed to be enjoying tea in a teahouse.

...

A short novel shouldn't take long to read,

But Morikawa Koji read very carefully, sometimes flipping back pages,

What was supposed to be a quick read ended up taking over an hour.

It wasn't until Nozawa Reiki knocked on the door to refill the water that Morikawa Koji looked up from the manuscript,

Glancing at the clock, he immediately said,

"Sorry, Nagayama-san, I got absorbed in the novel."

"It's fine, Morikawa-san, I was reading your publications too~"

After apologizing, Morikawa Koji said to Nagayama Naoki,

"Nagayama-san, your novel, to be frank, is the best I've read in recent years."

"That's too much praise, Morikawa-san."

"It's not an exaggeration, Nagayama-san. Choosing our publishing house and me as your editor, thank you very much!" Morikawa Koji stood up and bowed.

Although he knew the novel would be popular in the future, he didn't expect it to impress the publishing house editor so much.

Nagayama Naoki also stood up:

"Morikawa-san, you're making me feel awkward... Since the editor thinks it's good, let's discuss the publication."

Getting to the point, Morikawa Koji calmed down,

"We definitely want to publish this novel. Let me be honest.

The general copyright split in the industry is 5%-10%, but for high-quality books, it can be negotiated.

Nagayama-san's novel is definitely of high quality, but as a newcomer, you might not get a higher split."

Nagayama Naoki nodded, "I understand that, but I also trust your judgment and won't let this novel go to waste."

In other words, if the split is too low, it means the judgment isn't good enough.

Morikawa Koji thought for a moment, "Nagayama-san, I need to discuss your novel with my superiors, but I will ensure a satisfactory response."

"Hi, thank you, Morikawa-san."

After discussing the main points, they naturally talked about the creative philosophy and future plans, and Morikawa Koji remained very enthusiastic until he saw Nagayama Naoki out.

The manuscript, of course, was left at Shogakukan. Worried about the novel being plagiarized internally and published prematurely?

If that happened,

Shogakukan's reputation built over half a century would be ruined. What's there to fear?

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