Chapter 88 The Scream Released

With Shincho Publishing's relentless marketing blitz, everyone's appetite was whetted to the extreme, from students in the ivory tower and weary office workers commuting to high-end salons.

On the eve of the release, long lines formed outside bookstores across Tokyo, a rare occurrence.

Despite the slightly chilly winter night breeze, the people queuing showed no signs of fatigue; instead, bursts of excited conversation filled the air.

"Excuse me, is everyone queuing up here so late at night for the Shinchosha magazine's 'New Tide of Fiction' tomorrow morning?"

A young white-collar worker, who had just finished working overtime and was carrying a briefcase, approached the end of the line and leaned out to strike up a conversation with the person in front of him.

The male college student in front of him nodded vigorously, rubbing his frozen hands as he said confidently, "Of course!"

"When Professor Kitahara published an article in 'Literature' last time, I went to bookstores on several streets for three days in a row, but I couldn't buy it. They were all sold out."

"Having learned my lesson that time, I brought hot coffee and queued all night this time, determined to get it as soon as possible!"

These words immediately resonated with those around them, and readers who were originally strangers to each other in the group started talking one after another.

"Me too! Shinchosha's GG was so bad this time, if we come back tomorrow morning, we definitely won't even get a glimpse of the magazine."

"What kind of story do you think 'The Scream' will be this time? The title sounds exciting."

"Since it's Kitahara-sensei involved, it'll definitely be an extreme psychological battle, like in 'Confessions,' where human nature is manipulated at will, right?"

A stylish young woman, her eyes sparkling, imagined, "Shinchosha's promotional campaign is so extravagant this time, maybe the stage will be set up in the glitz and glamour of Ginza or Roppongi!"

"The protagonist uses the most elegant and cruel methods to push those seemingly virtuous hypocrites step by step into the abyss... The pure evil depicted by Kitahara-sensei always carries an irresistible and fatal attraction."

"I think so too! Or like in 'Love Letter,' where a poignant flower finally blooms amidst extreme darkness and despair..."

Amidst this near-nationwide anticipation, people gathered in the streets, eagerly awaiting Kitahara Iwao's new book.

As the bookstores slowly opened their shutters at dawn, the crowds who had been waiting all night poured in like a tidal wave.

Stacks upon stacks of "New Tide of Fiction," still smelling of fresh ink, were snapped up by countless eager hands within just a few hours.

Many bookstores have even skipped the step of shelving the books.

The bundles of new magazines had just landed when the packing tape snapped as it was cut, and in the next second they were devoured by countless arms.

The long queue in front of the cash registers snaked all the way to the street corner, even blocking traffic.

Not only ordinary enthusiastic readers, but even those important figures who had grudges against Kitahara Iwa and who usually considered themselves superior were not immune to this phenomenon.

Tadashi Nijo, the chief editor of the Kyoto Taisei Shimbun, has been secretly watching Kitahara Iwao's every move with gritted teeth ever since he was outmaneuvered by Kitahara Iwao's article in the last clash with Bungei.

Meanwhile, Katsuragi Yoichi, on the other hand, was even more reluctant to mention Kitahara Iwao's name.

For these influential figures in their respective fields, this is where their dreams begin and where they come true. Although they would never stoop to queuing with ordinary people on the street, they still specially instruct their secretaries or assistants to rush to the bookstore to buy the new issue and deliver it to their desks as soon as it goes on sale.

They stared intently at Kitahara Iwao's new work, using magnifying glasses to try and find flaws in the words that could bring him down from his pedestal.

As "New Tide of Fiction" was opened.

The opening scene features only an ordinary woman named Yoko Suzuki.

She died in a cramped, moldy, cheap rental room, meeting a tragic end known as dying alone.

The corpse was highly decomposed, with blackened bodily fluids seeping into the tatami mats, and was even devoured by dozens of starving wild cats.

Then, the book takes a sudden turn.

Kitahara Iwao uses an almost ruthless, descriptive style to brutally dissect how an extremely ordinary middle-class Japanese family suddenly falls into an abyss amidst the seemingly prosperous economic tide, driven to the brink of despair by massive debt.

The brutal mutual harm among the lower classes, the chilling details of how people would sell their morals and dignity for a mere few thousand yen, are like a rusty, dull knife, slowly cutting into the reader's nerves between the lines.

For readers still immersed in the fantasy of money, these words are like a bucket of dirty water mixed with ice shards and sewage, splashed abruptly and disappointingly onto the face of an era at the height of its frenzy.

Surprisingly, after this bucket of icy water was poured on them, there was no immediate outburst of intense anger and insults from the readers.

Instead, there is an extremely strong sense of separation and an absurd questioning of this untimely suffering.

With the Nikkei index gradually approaching the 38000-point mark, and even taxi drivers on the street excitedly discussing which stock could double in value, this story of extreme poverty, where even survival is a luxury, seems extremely surreal to ordinary readers, and is even considered completely detached from reality.

Therefore, on the afternoon of the serialization's release, the most common type of call Shinchosha received from readers was one of bewilderment and disappointment:

"Has Kitahara-sensei been secluded in writing for too long and become detached from society?"

"Japan is now the world's largest economy, how could anyone possibly starve to death in a moldy apartment?"

"While the writing and atmosphere are still top-notch, the plot is just too surreal!"

"Even university students are earning shockingly high hourly wages for part-time jobs these days. The streets are full of young people who spend lavishly. How could anyone sell their dignity for a mere few thousand yen?"

"This kind of suffering at the bottom of society, which is forcibly fabricated in order to deliberately create tragedy, is really hard to relate to and is very disappointing."

"Although the writing style has improved and the descriptions are top-notch, this sense of incongruity still makes it too jarring to immerse the reader."

Under the filter of a nationwide frenzy, readers felt that Kitahara Iwao's story this time was too detached from reality, like a dark fairy tale contrived for the sake of sensationalism.

However, in the eyes of critics and enemies who had long coveted Kitahara Iwa, the readers' simple doubts and unease became the most fatal flaw.

The Kyoto faction, led by Tadashi Nijo and Yoichi Katsuragi, along with countless government writers and economists who made their fortunes by praising the economy, felt a surge of ecstatic joy upon seeing the readers' feedback, like sharks smelling blood, as if they had finally found a handle to exploit.

Kitahara Iwao messed up!