Chapter 180 Unless the little princess's hobby is [asking for monthly tickets]
It was just past one in the afternoon when we arrived at the cafe.
After pushing the door open, Zeshan Haruno noticed that there were quite a few guests here, but most of them were younger.
There were also many high school students in uniform, who obviously went out on a date during the school lunch break.
Riho Morikawa was sitting in a long row of seats by the window inside. When she saw Haruno Sawayama, she waved.
Instead of rushing over, Sawayama Haruno ordered a cup of coffee at the front desk, then took the ticket and sat next to Morikawa Riho.
Editor Morikawa, who had been wearing an OL uniform a few days ago, changed into a more casual and fashionable outfit today.
There is a brown bear pattern printed in the center of the white T-shirt, but the high cleavage destroys the cartoon feel.
She was wearing a pair of blue and white women's denim shorts, exposing her beautiful and round thighs without any concealment, and her white and tender pink skin looked very tempting.
However, Sawayama Haruno didn't have much mood to appreciate it at the moment.
"How was your rest?"
As soon as she saw Sawayama Haruno sitting down, Morikawa Riho couldn't help but rub her brows and said with a wry smile, "Did you make up for the energy you spent on writing the manuscripts over the past two days?"
"About 11 or 12."
Sawayama Haruno said vaguely.
Um.
His getting up so late has nothing to do with the manuscript.
But I definitely can't tell this to Riho Morikawa.
"That's great. I also want to sleep this late. It's rare for me to come to Kyoto, but I have to get up at seven in the morning to prepare for the editor's training."
Morikawa Riho took a big gulp of coffee and then complained, "It's okay to get up so early, but the official start time is still 8:30, and I sat in the conference room in a daze for a full hour and a half."
"It's not easy for editor Morikawa either."
"Indeed, but I also took the time to read the subsequent contents of your book."
Morikawa Riho paused and gave a slightly satisfied smile.
She patted Zeshan Haruno's shoulder and praised: "It's very good, both the story and the writing style are very good, and even the conception is profound."
She really thinks that Sawayama Haruno's writing is good.
Compared with other contestants, Sawayama Haruno's strength is at least in the top three.
Of course, the reason why she didn't make too many promises was that she hadn't seen the writers brought in by other publishing groups, and it was hard to say whether there would be anyone more talented than Sawayama Haruno.
What's more, she didn't want him to be too complacent. If the first book achieved too high a result and the second one was not so good, the sense of disappointment could easily ruin his writing career.
She has seen countless similar examples in her years as an editor.
For the long-term development of Sawayama Haruno, it would be better to let him learn the habit of being humble.
Originally, the editor didn't have to worry about such things, but there are exceptions to everything. Sawayama Haruno is really too young. Not only is he young, he also has enough strength, which forces her to think about some things more.
"The preliminary round will begin this afternoon. Although it's called the preliminary round, it's actually similar to an audition. The editors from our four major publishing groups will score and decide which works will be shown to sponsors next week."
"After all, in order to deal with the group's senior management, shareholders, and sponsors, we also need to publish the call for papers online to attract as many people as possible to submit their works."
Morikawa Riho paused for a moment, shrugged and said disapprovingly: "Only in this way can this event appear to be "necessary" and they can continue to hold it. However, the online submissions will basically not enter the competition next week. I guess only those who are brought to Kyoto will be eligible."
"I feel like I've heard some bad news without realizing it." Sawayama Haruno smiled bitterly.
I have to say, the group is really dark inside.
But if you put yourself in their shoes, it seems that this is the normal side. In this era, no matter what industry or profession, there must be shameful secrets. It would be strange to say that there are none.
Fortunately, with his almost cliff-like leading strength, even if he encounters unfairness, he still has a chance to stand up. It can only be said that it is a blessing in disguise. What's more, the group should not deliberately suppress him.
"Norwegian Wood" is a gem after all, and it will only be covered in dust temporarily. Sawayama Haruno has full confidence in it.
After all, in the previous life, this book had an extraordinary influence, not to mention its popularity.
That's an average of one in five people having one copy.
"If you want to continue writing, there are some things that are better to know in advance."
Looking at his wry smile, Morikawa Riho sighed instead.
"You are not famous yet, so even if you know these things, your exposure is limited. But when you become successful, you will be restricted in many areas."
"Nothing"
She suddenly changed the subject and said with a smile, "It's not like you don't have your own relationship. Just from this point of view, I am probably worrying too much."
Sawayama Haruno smiled and said nothing.
The waiter has brought the coffee we just ordered.
While he was still adding sugar, Morikawa Riho took another sip of her coffee and then said leisurely, "How is it like living in Ginkaku-ji? I've never even been to a place like that, let alone living there."
"Ginkakuji? That's about it."
While adding sugar, Sawayama Haruno casually said, "Editor Morikawa, if you want to visit, how about I take you there this afternoon? The car that brought me here is still parked outside, so it's just a matter of passing by."
"Forget it. I still have to deal with company matters in the afternoon. I really can't spare a moment."
Riho Morikawa stretched lazily, and the proud capital in front of her fluctuated a few times.
She smiled lazily and charmingly, then took out her tablet from the side. "I called you here this time just to show you the works of other contestants in our group."
As she spoke, she pushed the tablet over and whispered, "Because we can't let the author watch it alone to avoid leaks, I specifically asked you to come out and watch it."
"is it?"
Sawayama Haruno took the tablet with some surprise.
He was actually a little curious about the level of his competitors.
After all, by observing other people, you can better judge what place you can get.
Sawayama Haruno clicked a few times on the tablet, and soon the works of other colleagues appeared.
"Only eleven?"
"That's a lot, okay? Do you think there are still many people writing this kind of physical literature?"
Morikawa Riho said unhappily, "Just look at the Internet department next door and you'll see that most young people still prefer to publish serials on the website."
"Yeah."
Sawayama Haruno responded casually.
Holding the tablet, he just took a quick glance and couldn't help frowning.
Most of them are suspense themes. It is said that suspense novels do have a market in the island country, and they are still so popular even in the parallel world.
It made him want to copy a few suspense works, just as a pseudonym to make some quick money?
"You don't have to watch all of it, just focus on the beginning and you'll be able to judge the level of others. If there's something you're really interested in, watch more."
Morikawa Riho shrugged and said indifferently: "Anyway, it's still a long time before we return to the group hotel in the afternoon. If you hurry up, you will definitely make it in time."
"It's troublesome." Sawayama Haruno said casually.
Let's put suspense novels aside for now. He is more interested in books with more love elements.
After all, on the way to Kyoto, Morikawa Riho also said that the main purpose of this competition was to please a certain little princess, and love themes would be given priority.
Rather than asking the editors of the four major publishing groups to give the scores, it would be more accurate to ask the little princess to give the scores alone.
Only other editors can say that a work is good if she thinks it is good; other editors certainly cannot say it directly even if they think a work is good if she thinks it is bad.
After all, these days, the rich are the sponsors, and the four major publishing groups were not really established for some crappy literary world. Isn't it all about money?
For the next hour, Sawayama Haruno spent time in the cafe with a tablet in hand.
During this time, Morikawa Riho was by his side. They ordered several cups of coffee. After Sawayama Haruno had glanced through all the documents on the tablet, he put it down and breathed a sigh of relief.
"How about it?"
Seeing that he seemed to have finished reading, Morikawa Riho supported her face with her hands and said with a smile: "Have you made a rough judgment?"
"Ah."
Sawayama Haruno nodded.
"The level gap seems to be a bit uneven. Some are very good, but some make me feel very bad."
"Indeed, you are already one of the best among them." Morikawa Riho took the tablet back and praised it slightly, "From your perspective, you can naturally see more of them."
"Ms. Morikawa is exaggerating. I also have a lot to learn."
Sawayama Haruno stroked his chin and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "There are still one or two books that I think are better, those are the two books about youth literature, they also have a lot of content about love elements, and the descriptions are very delicate."
He was not being modest, but really felt that those two people might have a greater advantage in this competition.
After all, the person you want to please is only a junior high school student. Even if "Norwegian Wood" has a good idea and depth, it is unlikely that the other party can fully understand it, right?
Moreover, the other party has not experienced that very depressing period, so it is even more difficult for him to understand it.
As for the two people he thought were good, their love scenes were all quite good, and perhaps this aspect could attract the little princess more.
Unless the little princess likes to read large-scale descriptions, in that case his "Norwegian Wood" might still have a chance to beat those two.
But how is this possible?
A junior high school student, right?
Well, definitely not.
"Anyway, I have to thank Ms. Morikawa today for bringing the manuscript over to let me take a look."
Sawayama Haruno smiled and said, "On the weekend, a few of us plan to go for a walk around Kyoto. Would you like to come with us, Ms. Morikawa?"
He planned to invite Suguha Ezaki and Shiori Mine out for dinner on Saturday and Sunday, and if possible, he could also bring Riho Morikawa along.
After all, the other party was very caring towards me and revealed the inside information of the competition in a timely manner. This time, he even took out time from his lunch break to come over and let me read the script.
In addition, we will inevitably continue to deal with each other in the future, so normal interpersonal exchanges are still inevitable, or we should have more of them.
"Are you not satisfied with just those two girls, Kiriyama-sensei?"
Morikawa Riho joked, "I don't want to spoil the mood by following you around, and I have other things to deal with over the weekend."
"You're joking, Ms. Morikawa."
Sawayama Haruno felt a little helpless.
(End of this chapter)
