Chapter 106 Competing on the same stage as Haruki Murakami!

"Kadokawa Shoten is currently planning a special literary issue and would like to discuss it with you in person."

"I wonder if you're available these next few days? If so, I'd like to pay you a visit in person."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Can."

Kitahara Iwa's voice was as gentle as ever, without the arrogance that Kadokawa Haruki had imagined after winning two awards.

Then Kitahara Iwa gave an address.

Just as Haruki Kadokawa picked up the gold-plated fountain pen on the table to take notes, the pen suddenly stopped on the memo when he heard the first half of the address, spilling a blob of ink.

Minato-ku, Minami Azabu 5-chome...

Ok?

This address looks familiar. Isn't it my home?

Haruki Kadokawa's most prized luxury property is located in this area!

The entire Tokyo business community knows that this is the most private and extremely secure area for the wealthy in all of Japan.

Those who can live in that security facility are either diplomats from various countries or the core leaders of conglomerates.

After a brief moment of surprise, Haruki Kadokawa suppressed the turmoil in his heart and quickly put on a warm smile, saying into the microphone, "Minato Ward, Minami-Azabu 5-chome... Kitahara-sensei, you live here too!"

"It just so happens that my private residence is also nearby, so it seems we're neighbors now!"

"Yes, we just rented it a few days ago to avoid the media."

Kitahara Iwa responded on the other end of the phone.

Hearing Kitahara Iwao's response, Kadokawa Haruki gripped the receiver, his eye twitching involuntarily.

As a media tycoon who frequented that area, he knew all too well the staggering astronomical rent there, and that it was not a place that money could easily buy; it required extremely rigorous background checks on assets and identity.

What's worse is that it's only been a short time since they last met.

All in all, it's only been a few months!

Moreover, Kadokawa Haruki had previously investigated Kitahara Iwa. A year ago, this young man was huddled in a dilapidated apartment with poor soundproofing.

And today, a year later, he has casually moved next door to me, the media tycoon, and is breathing the same air that belongs to the top echelons of Japan!

This terrifying speed of progress even made Haruki Kadokawa envious.

An hour later.

Haruki Kadokawa, accompanied by Otani, the editor-in-chief of the special issue, stood in the private elevator of the apartment building.

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open silently to both sides, revealing an extremely spacious private entryway paved with a single slab of marble.

A heavy, double-leaf, dark solid wood door was tightly closed, highlighting the absolute privacy of this residence.

Haruki Kadokawa stepped forward and pressed the doorbell.

Just a few seconds later, with the sound of the mechanical latches popping open, the door was pulled open from the inside.

Kitahara Iwao stood behind the door, wearing a soft, dark-colored home knit sweater.

Before Kitahara Iwa could speak, Otani, the editor-in-chief, spoke up first: "Teacher Kitahara, I'm sorry to bother you. I am Otani Kami, the editor-in-chief of Kadokawa Shoten. It's nice to meet you."

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Iwa nodded slightly to the two and said, "President Kadokawa, Editor-in-Chief Otani, please come in."

However, just as Editor-in-Chief Otani changed his shoes and followed Haruki Kadokawa into the room, he involuntarily stopped in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat.

The space in front of him was extremely open, with a very high ceiling. The huge floor-to-ceiling window that stretched from the floor to the top unreservedly and forcefully brought the magnificent daytime panorama of Tokyo Bay into his field of vision.

The clear winter sun poured in unrestrainedly, illuminating the vast gray-blue sea and making it sparkle.

The Rainbow Bridge in the distance resembles a giant silver-white steel dragon, stretching across the water and sky with great visual impact.

In the distance, the city skyline stretches endlessly under the dazzling sunlight, with countless skyscrapers appearing like miniature models bowing down at your feet.

Just standing here gives you a sense of oppression, as if you have the heart of the entire Japanese economy under your feet.

Da Gu Shen Ying was completely stunned by the visual impact of being above the clouds, and it took him a long time to recover.

Kadokawa Haruki, who was walking ahead, looked perfectly normal and walked naturally toward the reception area.

After all, his own private residence was not far away, and he was already tired of seeing such an unbeatable sea view.

What truly caught the media tycoon's attention was the furnishings of this penthouse duplex.

Logically, when a young person from a poor background suddenly becomes rich and moves into such a top-tier mansion, they will most likely be eager to buy a bunch of expensive artworks, leather sofas, or antique paintings to fill the space, in order to show off their social class leap.

But it's not here at Kitahara Rock.

The room was furnished very simply, without any ostentatious decorations, and the furniture was just the most basic configuration it had when the house was handed over.

The only trace of the owner's life can be seen in a large desk by the window.

Several open paperback books and a stack of blank manuscript paper were casually spread out on the table.

Clearly, Kitahara Iwa was sitting there alone, deep in thought, before they knocked on the door.

"Please have a seat, both of you."

Kitahara Iwa led them to the spacious sofa area and casually asked, "What would you like to drink? I just moved in a few days ago, so for now we only have coffee, tea, and water."

"Coffee is fine."

Haruki Kadokawa and Otani took their seats on the sofa in the reception area.

A moment later, Kitahara Iwa brought two cups of black coffee from the open kitchen and placed them on the glass coffee table in front of the two of them. Then, he took his own cup and sat down on the single sofa opposite them.

"Good afternoon, I apologize for disturbing you, Kitahara-sensei."

Haruki Kadokawa accepted the coffee and thanked him, but didn't drink it right away.

At this moment, his gaze passed over the rising steam from the rim of the cup and landed on Kitahara Iwa's face across from him.

The last time we met was in the upscale apartment that Kitahara Iwa used to rent.

While that house might seem quite luxurious to ordinary people, it was nothing more than an ordinary residence that barely reached the threshold of the middle class in the eyes of a true zaibatsu like Haruki Kadokawa.

At that time, Kitahara Iwa was also dressed in simple home clothes, sitting on the sofa in the living room with a calm expression.

And now, the same person is sitting in the most secure and most expensive residential building in all of Japan... and his expression is exactly the same as last time!

There was no arrogance after achieving upward social mobility, no pride from being famous, and not even the slightest bit of anxiety or excitement.

"Perhaps... that's why I was able to write 'The Scream' and 'Love Letter'..."

Kadokawa Haruki thought to himself, then said directly, "Kitahara-sensei, let's get straight to the point."

Haruki Kadokawa put down his coffee cup, leaned forward slightly, and succinctly explained the purpose of this special issue.

At a time when the economic bubble has completely burst, Kadokawa Shoten, entrusted by the Japan Literature Promotion Association, will take the lead in publishing a special literary issue that can truly respond to the times.

Author Kiichi personally recommends: I hope you enjoy the story of "Tokyo Literary Masters: Starting from the Late 1980s".

This special issue aims to bring together some of Japan's top writers to use words to record the suffering of this country.

At the same time, we also hope to provide some spiritual healing and encouragement to the people who are in despair.

"Currently, the remaining articles for the special issue have been basically collected."

Kadokawa Haruki paused deliberately at this point, then turned to look at the editor-in-chief, Otani, beside him.

Editor-in-Chief Otani understood and immediately took over the conversation.

"Teacher Kitahara, to be honest..."

At this moment, Da Gu Shen Ying's tone was tinged with bitterness as he spoke of something that was causing him a great deal of trouble.

"We've received quite a few submissions from renowned authors, but the content..."

After carefully considering his words, Da Gu Shen Ying ultimately decided against using any euphemisms and stated bluntly, "They're all writing about stock market investors jumping off buildings, families breaking apart, and loan sharks harassing them with exorbitant interest rates."

"Moreover, their writing style is the same: piling up the most tragic scenes and using the most direct approach to stimulate the reader's tear ducts."

At this point, Da Gu Shen Ying shook his head, his wry smile deepening as he said, "To be honest, each of these manuscripts, taken individually, is quite well-written."

"But put them all together, and it becomes a thick compilation of social news. It's full of cheap tears, and it doesn't live up to the weight of the word 'era' at all."

He looked at Kitahara Iwa, his tone almost pleading.

"Therefore, we would like to ask Mr. Kitahara to write a foreword."

"A piece that sets the tone for this special issue."

"With your name at the beginning, the entire special issue can stand up to its weight."

Haruki Kadokawa added from the side, "To put it bluntly, Kitahara-sensei, we need you to keep things in order."

At this point, the media mogul leaned forward slightly and revealed Kadokawa Shoten's true trump card for this national-level project: "Moreover, in order to completely reverse the gloomy tone of this special issue, I personally approached Mr. Haruki Murakami to invite him to contribute, and he has already agreed to do so."

Upon hearing the name Haruki Murakami, the air in the living room seemed to sink a little heavier.

In an era when "Norwegian Wood" sold millions of copies, this name also represented an extremely terrifying dominance in the Japanese publishing industry.

"Mr. Murakami's writing has a unique texture and is very good at comforting the loneliness of modern urbanites."

"But his slightly detached murmurs alone were not enough to pull the people out of the mire."

"We need a sharper, yet warmer force to act as the anchor for this special issue."

Haruki Kadokawa stared intently at Iwao Kitahara sitting opposite him, his voice revealing an undeniable fervor and ambition: "If you are willing to pick up your pen and work alongside Mr. Murakami as the two pillars of this special issue."

"I believe that when the two most influential writers of this era appear on the cover together... the power woven from your writing will surely wash away the sadness and despair that currently hangs over the entire nation of Japan!"

Kitahara Iwa listened quietly to the two men's purpose.

At first, Kitahara Iwao wanted to refuse, as he didn't want to write any short stories.

But the moment Kitahara Iwao heard the name Haruki Murakami, his original thoughts vanished instantly.

If I participate in this short story competition, it will be like competing against Haruki Murakami.

How could Kitahara Iwa refuse under such circumstances?

With this in mind, Kitahara Iwa asked, "Is it possible to contribute to the same magazine as Murakami, the author of 'Norwegian Wood'?"

Kitahara Iwa paused slightly before continuing, "This is indeed a suggestion that is hard to refuse and very interesting."

Upon hearing this, Haruki Kadokawa and Hideaki Otani finally relaxed completely, their eyes bursting with uncontrollable elation.

This means that the most popular and legendary author in Japan has officially accepted the invitation!

"So, Kitahara-sensei, regarding the deadline... the special issue will be officially printed and published in half a month. Do you have enough time?"

Da Gu Shen Ying asked cautiously.

"That's enough."

Kitahara Iwa responded.

"I will finish writing the manuscript in the next few days. Once it's finalized, I will have someone submit it directly to the editorial department of Kadokawa Shoten."

Upon hearing Kitahara Iwao's answer, Kadokawa Haruki immediately nodded and did not ask any further questions.

Because he knew very well that someone of Kitahara Iwa's caliber would definitely give him the manuscript before the deadline once he made a promise.

Furthermore, even if Kitahara Iwa submitted the manuscript a second before the printing press started printing, Kadokawa Shoten would absolutely stop the rotary press at all costs and force him to leave the frontispiece blank.

The two then got up to say goodbye, and Kitahara Iwa also got up and politely escorted them to the spacious private entrance.

"Then, I won't disturb Kitahara-sensei's rest any longer."

Haruki Kadokawa bent down to change his shoes, stood outside the door, and gave a very solemn, slight bow.

Take care.

Kitahara Iwa stood inside the door and nodded politely in return.

The elevator doors closed, and the two began to descend rapidly.

As Kadokawa Haruki watched the constantly changing floor numbers on the display screen, his tense nerves finally relaxed.

At that moment, Haruki Kadokawa suddenly turned to Eiji Otani beside him and said, "Believe it or not, Kitahara-sensei will start writing as soon as we leave."

Upon hearing this, Da Gu Shen Ying was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "How did you know? Didn't he say it would be a few more days...?"

Haruki Kadokawa did not answer, but simply shook his head slightly.

He did not state the reason.

When Kitahara Iwa agreed to contribute the manuscript, he saw an extremely pure, even somewhat burning, creative desire in Kitahara Iwa's usually calm eyes.

That anxiety was definitely not caused by commercial contracts or deadlines.

Rather, it is the intense competitive spirit that is instantly ignited when one learns that they are about to compete against another giant of the era.

After seeing the two off, Kitahara Iwa closed the door and returned to his study.

Since the theme of this special issue is to respond to the pain of this era, to use words to record this country that is constantly falling, and at the same time, to provide a glimmer of healing and encouragement to the people who are in despair, so that they can see the light.

More importantly, it also involves confronting Haruki Murakami's extreme loneliness—a loneliness that could drown countless urban dwellers—within the same magazine.

Therefore, simply imitating suffering and extracting cheap tears is a completely inferior approach.

Deep in my mind, countless classic works from later generations flashed through my consciousness like streaks of light.

Finally, Kitahara Iwa came up with a story.

It's a story that takes place on a remote branch railway line in Hokkaido, where heavy snow is falling.

This story is devoid of the clamor and stench of a bursting bubble; instead, amidst the swirling snow, it reveals a humble yet warm glimmer of ordinary life, forgotten by time yet steadfastly held on.

Compared to Tokyo, which is currently struggling painfully in the quagmire of money, the heavy snow in Hokkaido is enough to wash away all the pain and restlessness.

The moment the pen tip touches the paper, the words pour out like water from a burst dam.

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