In August, the weather is very hot.

Higashino Qiang, who came back from the crew, kept revising the book "Secret".

In order to achieve perfection.

To be honest, my heart is very messy.

Originally, I wanted to make it clear to Masami and Yui, but now everyone is still young.

But who would have thought that at the beginning of the holiday, I got two kisses.

But there doesn't seem to be any real progress.

Is there anything different about relationships?

Higashino is really unpredictable.

He really wanted to wait a few more years.

Trying not to think about it, he still focused more on writing.

Mr. Onigo's "Secret" is already finished, so naturally Hisaki has to treat him again.

This time it was very different.

Go eat sashimi.

"Teacher, I haven't been to this store before, but this time I heard that it was good, so I wanted to share it with the teacher. ”

"Hisagi, did you win the lottery?"

"Haha...... Of course not, but I'm looking forward to the teacher's work. ”

"I didn't finish it before, this situation ......"

"No problem! The teacher can break the chapter at will, it's fine. ”

Hisagi's attitude towards Kigo, that is, Higashino Qiang, is really respectful of a god.

In fact, he was really looking forward to this "Secret".

For this matter, Higashino Qiang is naturally clear.

He doesn't want to break the chapter, but according to the regular operation, he should show the manuscript to the editor.

But now.

There is a large pot of sashimi, tuna, salmon, sea bream, etc.

"Did you really win the lottery?"

"Haha...... Teachers don't need to be polite. ”

This pot costs 5,000 yen, which is really not cheap.

With some others, this meal is estimated to cost more than 20,000.

But since Hisaki is so gracious, Higashino Qiang is not welcome.

A piece of tuna, dipped in some wasabi and soy sauce.

Well~

Not bad, not bad.

"If you like it, please eat more. ”

"Hisagi, if you say that, I'll have to think about it more. ”

"Oh, doesn't the teacher already know?"

"You don't mean to apologize, do you?"

As soon as these words came out, Hisagi's face turned straight.

"The teacher is really the teacher, I'm sorry for the previous incident, and I ask the teacher to understand. ”

What does this mean exactly?

In fact, today's meal is so hearty, Dong Yeqiang can see it more or less.

"I didn't take the matter of Naoki to heart. ”

At this sentence, Hiagi nodded and praised: "The teacher is really broad-minded. ”

That's right, it's because of the Naoki reward.

His own manuscript was directly rejected, and in this matter, Onigo's face was not actually damaged.

At least not many people know about it.

But that's not a good thing.

Make an apology, absolutely yes.

In fact, it was the editor-in-chief Tanaka who lost face.

"Hisagi, it's really nothing, I've just made my debut, and I should have many opportunities in the future for such a supreme award as the Naoki Award, I'm not in a hurry at all. ”

Higashino Qiang: That's the truth.

But Hiagi said: "The teacher is generous, but this matter is ...... Let's put it this way, Naoki is not so godly. ”

Hearing this, Higashino wanted to laugh.

That's right, people in the industry, many people are complaining about the problem of Naoki Reward.

Even, Akutagawa was complained about.

The Naoki Awards are awarded in February and August, which are the off-season for the book market.

The prize money for this award is not much, but the advertising effect is very strong, just like a yellow robe.

It has a great effect on sales.

There is clearly a suspicion of hype.

Of course, this is what many people in the industry say, but even so, it is still considered the highest prize.

The name of the Literature Promotion Association represents the national team, and the people in it are all at the level of the literary industry, and there are many active elites.

Therefore, the award they judged, then the blessing effect is absolutely not said.

Generally speaking, the promotion level is more than 100,000 units.

As an insider of Literature and Art, Hisagi thinks that this kind of award, which seems to be the highest award to the outside world, is like that.

There are details this time.

"Editor-in-chief Tanaka personally sent it to Watanabe-sensei, but the reason given by Watanabe-sensei ......"

"I remember the public reason given, isn't this one already out of time?"

What Higashino Qiang said is really true.

The Naoki Award in the first half of the year is counted until the end of May, and June is the second half of the year.

However, he also understood the details of this.

His own half of "Secret" was sent by the editor-in-chief Tanaka.

This Naoki Award was originally owned by the Literary Spring and Autumn Publishing House, and now the national team has taken over, but the office is still in the Literary Spring and Autumn Period.

Then, the editor-in-chief of Literature and Art Spring and Autumn, such a powerful figure, send a work over.

Directly dismissed.

It was Tanaka who lost a lot of face.

Small details like time, in Tanaka's capacity, can be ignored at all.

So, there is a contradiction in this.

Hisagi saw very clearly that the people of the Literature Promotion Association wanted to be free from interference, or to further expand their power.

Tanaka just wanted to intervene in this award.

The editors-in-chief of the Spring and Autumn Period of Literature and Art will want to do this.

Such an award, which was originally his own, is now taken away by the national team, but how good it is to award it to the work of his own publishing house.

These pieces of information, Hiagi is a sip of wine, and a sip of sashimi is intermittently spoken.

After Higashino heard this, he didn't drink today.

An idea sprung up.

"Hisagi, do you know which is the biggest hit of the Naoki Award this time?" Higashino asked with a smile.

"Teacher, there are a few people, Megumi Yuikawa, Yoshinaga Fujita......" Hiagi said a few names.

Higashino listened and slowly recalled who this was.

Yuikawa Megumi, obviously, her real name should be Huichuan Yuma.

A female writer who is not young.

Fujita Yoshinaga...

"Could it be Mariko Koike's husband?"

"Yes! That's him. ”

"Oh, that's, that's, what is his work?"

"It's called 'The Field of Love.'" ”

"Huh?"

"Reasoning. ”

After Hisagi said this, he saw that the teacher did not move.

Higashino was thinking.

The names he heard seemed to be relatively famous.

Especially this Yoshinaga Fujita.

This is a famous writer and a reasoner, but his fame is not as good as his wife, Mariko Koike.

Koike had already won the Naoki Prize 5 years ago.

And the book "The Field of Love", Higashino Qiang doesn't have any impression no matter how he thinks about it.

What does this mean?

The most intuitive thing should be that with the book "Secret", even if it is half a book, it should not lose to "The Field of Love".

Of course, this definitely does not mean to disparage Yoshinaga Fujita.

Although this is not as famous as his wife, his level is absolutely sufficient, and he is a frequent visitor to various Japanese literary awards.

In comparison, I and Mr. Keigo's "Secret", not to mention far better, but will I lose?

So this is against me?

No, probably not.

Or, it's a seniority-based award cycle.

His own work was rejected directly because of time problems.

It seems that everyone's face is still passable.

The editor-in-chief of Tanaka, of course, was damaged.

So......

Hisagi said at this time, "The reason why the editor-in-chief Tanaka is so active in sending the teacher's work in it is also because Fujita Yoshinaga's work this time was published by Kodansha. ”

As soon as Higashino Qiang heard it, he understood everything.

At that moment, he took a bite of meat and said with a smile: "Hisagi, there is one thing, I don't know if you dare to do it." ”

Hisaki was already slightly drunk at this time, and even if he went up the mountain to fight tigers, he dared to try, "Teacher, what am I afraid of? Not to mention the teacher's business." ”

Higashino Qiang then smiled: "It's my business, yes, but it's also your business, this matter...... You just take this manuscript back, and then tell Tanaka, and say, "It's better to add it, and Naoki will not be selected." Uh-huh, a few words should be enough. ”

When I said this, Hiagi sobered up.

"Teacher, why? Why do you add these words? Isn't this detrimental to the teacher's prestige?"

Hisagi's statement is very clear, it's a matter of face.

Tanaka's action of submitting the manuscript, in fact, not too many people in the Literary Spring and Autumn Publishing House know about it, and it is nothing that he was refuted, and the work of Mr. Onigo was rejected as exceeding the time, which is quite acceptable.

Now, there's really no reason to write about this defeat.

But Higashino Qiang smiled, "Hyagi, are you going to help me make a decision?"

When Hisagi heard this, he was suddenly shocked, "I'm sorry!

He did drink too much just now, and this is Cami in front of him!

If you already treat your teacher as a god, why doubt it?

So, this treat ended in many apologies.

Of course, Higashino Qiang was not angry, he ate a good meal, thought it was good, and strolled through the streets of Tokyo.

There's a ghost who can't help it.

"Saikyo, why are you doing this? You're not drinking too much, are you?"

Mr. Keigo was in a hurry.

Higashino Qiang didn't drink, and he definitely didn't get confused, but just whispered, "Mr. Keigo, you should have thought of it, right?"

Keigo nodded.

Higashino then whispered, "Actually, I was thinking about why Junichi Watanabe wanted to invite Kigo to be a judge? ”

"He wants to take care of Kigo's face, but in fact, what he really wants to fight is Tanaka, the force that the Literary Promotion Association is always disrupting from. "Mr. Keigo is a reasoner.

"That's right, that's it. So, why don't I take advantage of it?" Higashino had a confident smile on his face.

"Utilization?" Keigo said worriedly, "You want to challenge the Literature Promotion Association, right?"

Higashino Qiang immediately shook his head, "Mr. Keigo, let me tell you the truth, I am not interested in challenging the Literature Promotion Association at all, what benefits can I get from this? But now, I have a chance to take advantage of this event, and I can profit from it, so why don't I do it?"

Keigo pursed his lips and said, "But this is very dangerous, won't it lose the face of the Literature Promotion Association? Those old men are very small-minded and hold grudges." ”

Higashino Qiang was not afraid, "Don't talk about others, what is the original manuscript material of Junichi Watanabe?"

"This ......"

"50,000 yen a piece. How much am I now? 5,000 yen a piece, I'm really not a strong man compared to him, but if I don't even have the courage, how can I become a strong man? ”

After Higashino finished speaking, Mr. Keigo also nodded, and smiled.

Of course, it is not easy to become a strong person, but if you don't even dare to take the first step, you will never have a chance.