Tokyo life starting with painting.

Chapter 20 Selling the dream for firewood, rice, oil and salt

To Konoe Lianghua's surprise, Higashinoji did not attend the art club's activities this afternoon.

So she can only look at the empty space next to her all day long, scratching her head from time to time, holding the painting tray and brush in a daze

Of course Higashinoji will not show up in the studio today.

He has an agreement with Hosokawa Koharu, and today he will go to Urashima Publishing House to talk about "Midnight Ring".

So he left the school directly after class and headed for the Hitotsubashi area in Chiyoda Ward.

Chiyoda District, Tokyo, which has been the political and economic center of Tokyo from the past.

And this Hitotsubashi area can be regarded as a place where Tokyo news and publishing houses are relatively concentrated.

Not only Urashima Publishing House, but also the equally famous Iwakaku Publishing House and Mozhu Bookstore-their headquarters are located in the Hitotsubashi area of ​​Chiyoda-ku.

Entering the first floor of Urashima Publishing House, there is a receptionist in charge of the counter and a smile in front of you.

Dong Yesi stepped forward and said simply:

"I am Higashinoji who has an appointment with editor Koharu Hosokawa of Urashima Press."

"Please fill out this form." The lady in charge of the reception confirmed the itinerary, and then took out a form.

Higashino took a cursory look at it, and it was probably the kind of very common visitor form where you fill in your name and contact information.

"By the way, I still don't know what the lady's name is? I'm Dongyesi." Higashinosi asked with a smile while filling out the visitor form.

Well?

The reception lady was stunned for a moment, she didn't expect Dong Yesi to ask herself such a question.

"Maybe I will visit here often in the future, it's always good to get familiar with it."

Dong Yesi smiled and handed the completed form to the other party, and added: "And sister, you are so beautiful, it is reasonable for me to ask for a name after consideration, isn't it?"

Hearing these funny words, the reception lady also laughed cheerfully:

"You can just call me Miss Uzaki, Brother Higashino."

After another exchange of pleasantries, Higashino smiled and waved to Ms. Uzaki, who was already half-acquainted, and a set of procedures was considered complete.

This is also a kind of interpersonal communication.

I might come here from time to time in the future, how troublesome is it to fill out the form every time?

Higashino guessed that the next time he came back, he would bring Miss Uzaki some more fruit and he would be able to get acquainted completely.

but want to return

The most important thing now is to negotiate all the follow-up matters of "Midnight Ring".

After entering the editorial office, Higashino Si revealed his identity, and was then taken to a small cubicle for conversation.

There is the same cubicle next to it, and some editors and authors are chatting in it.

Some of them are authors celebrating their newcomer awards from the weekly magazine "Aversion to Chill", and some are authors who have lost their souls because of the decline in popularity of their works.

Among them, what impressed Higashino the most was undoubtedly the middle-aged author and editor who talked in front of him.

"Please, Editor Oshima, I really need this serialization, and I have two children waiting for my tuition fees."

The middle-aged author suddenly stood up emotionally, his eyes were red, his nose twitched, and his palms were pinched to death.

The middle-aged author's eyes glowed, as if he wanted to tell the editor——

Give him another chance, give him another chance and he can change his destiny.

But for this, the male editor opened his mouth, unable to utter a word, but pressed the other party's manuscript with his fingers, and clenched it tightly.

He didn't speak.

The wordless silence calmed down the excited author.

The flames dancing in his eyes gradually went out, and his soul seemed to be pulled away, leaving him with nothing.

It’s the kind of people who are obviously still that person, but they don’t look like that person anymore——

The middle-aged author sat down in a daze.

Only then did he know that this was not a matter of the editor's willingness to give himself a chance to change his fate.

It's that the world doesn't care about his fate at all.

Yes.

Is reality as beautiful as comics, novels, and animations?

adult world.

It has nothing to do with dreams or fate. It is normal for many people to sell their dreams and exchange them for daily necessities.

This middle-aged author was never the first in this industry, nor will it be the last.

At this moment, a voice came from beside Dong Yesi.

"That's Mr. Tamura and editor Oshima."

Higashino turned around.

I saw a young female editor holding a stack of manga manuscripts, looking heavily at editors Tamura and Oshima in front of her.

"I called Mr. Tamura over today to discuss with him about cutting in half. His manga has been ranked fifth and sixth from bottom three times in a row. And his manga is mandatory to end"

The female editor looked at Dong Yesi: "It's Mr. Dong Ye, your "Midnight Ring" has been serialized in the magazine."

When Hosokawa Koharu said this, he was still very strange in his heart.

She was a little surprised.

Higashinoji in front of him looked like he was in his teens, and he was still wearing his high school uniform.

Young people of this age painted "Midnight Ring"?

For a moment, Hosokawa Koharu even wondered if he had made a mistake.

"I'm Hosokawa Koharu, editor of the weekly magazine "Bad Chill."

She sat down, poured a cup of coffee for Higashinoji, and introduced herself.

"I'm Higashinoji, hello."

The two shook hands, even if they met each other.

Looking at Division Higashino, Hosokawa Koharu said, "Before we talk, I would like to ask one thing first. Is "Midnight Ring" created by Mr. Higashino alone?"

Being able to draw such high-quality originals, she never thought that a teenager would have that kind of free time.

"I created it independently."

Higashino didn't know what Hosokawa Koharu was thinking, so he nodded and admitted.

"Is the manuscript of that quality created by Mr. Higashino alone?"

Hosokawa Koharu's heart became more and more strange.

"Yes." Higashino still nodded.

"May I ask if Higashino-sensei has any experience in drawing manga before?"

"No, this is the first time."

"Uh"

Seeing that Higashinoji was very calm, without any guilty expression, Hosokawa Koharu couldn't help opening his mouth.

It's the first time to draw comics, and I drew "Midnight Ring" without any experience before?

Could it be that there are really geniuses in this world?

Hosokawa Koharu couldn't help thinking, then took a sip of coffee and didn't continue to ask.

Dong Yesi is a newcomer author, and she is a newcomer editor, which can be regarded as "combining each other and complementing each other".

"Well, I've already read the first chapter of "Midnight Ring", and there are generally no problems. It has also passed the serialization meeting, and the official serialization will start next week. The price we offer here is [-] yuan per manuscript. One thousand yen, I wonder what Higashino-sensei wants to say?"

Hosokawa Koharu flipped through "The Ring at Midnight" and explained.

But after a long time, she didn't hear Higashino's reply, so she raised her head subconsciously.

It turned out that at some point, Tamura, whose manga had been cut in half, was already standing beside him.

Oops!

Hosokawa Koharu's heart skipped a beat.

You must know that it was Higashino Division who squeezed out the place for Tamura's serialization.

If he heard the conversation just now, would he attack Dong Yesi in a fit of anger?

The atmosphere instantly became anxious and stiff.

　Thanks to the store manager Shi Er, Chang'an Little Talent, Yan Qingya, Strange Thief Funny, Dirty Qiushui, Happy Fanta, Fei Hongjian, Desolation, Leng Aqi, Book Friends 20180110213039515, Tongchenggu, Mengbiao, Xingzhuan Storm, Tian-tian, book friend 2019204001217282, tipping!Thank you so much!

　　

　

(End of this chapter)