Chapter 263: This is Fraud Against Readers

The work Akiwara Yuto was writing now was Kawabata Yasunari's *Snow Country*.

This piece mainly tells the emotional entanglement between Shimamura, a dance art researcher from Tokyo who went to the snow country's hot spring inn three times, Komako, a local geisha, and Yoko, a girl he met by chance.

Shimamura was a middle-aged man with a wife and children, living off his inheritance, doing nothing, and occasionally researching and commenting on Western dance through photos and text materials.

He came to the snow country's hot spring inn, met the geisha Komako by chance, and was attracted by her clarity and simplicity, even feeling that "every bend of her toes was very clean."

And Komako, as a geisha, was actually originally a humble waitress.

To repay her teacher, she was engaged to Yukio, who suffered from an incurable disease, and in order to treat Yukio's illness, she was forced to become a geisha.

For her environment and status, Komako was very painful, but she still constantly pursued her own love; even knowing that her love with Shimamura had no result, she was like a moth to a flame, and was willing.

But during his second visit to Komako, Shimamura fell in love with the "girl" Yoko beside Komako and had a desire for her beauty.

But at the end of the story, Shimamura, as a married man, didn't take "Yoko" with him to Tokyo, and Yoko died falling from a building in a fire.

The deep meaning inside this work would be mentioned later, but many sentences were very beautiful.

For example, "The vast Milky Way hung before his eyes, as if it wanted to embrace the night-dark earth with its naked body."

Or for example, "Human feelings are not as good as the most fragile crepe silk. Because those silks can be preserved for at least 50 years, while human attachment is far shorter than this."

These sentences made people immediately think of the cold weather in the article, the snow mountains in the distance, the village inn, and the moths dying one by one on the tatami.

These scenes made people very hard to forget!

The word count of *Snow Country* was about 80,000 words, so Akiwara Yuto spent a full week or more to finish writing it.

After finishing, he immediately contacted Ankyu Bookstore, preparing to publish it immediately.

Ankyu Bookstore.

"Akiwara-sensei, how about setting the first edition at about 30,000 copies?" Ankyu Tsugaoichi asked in a hesitant tone.

"So few?!" Akiwara Yuto asked back.

"After all, this is traditional literature."

Ankyu Tsugaoichi said helplessly.

He didn't know that Akiwara Yuto wanted to prove himself in traditional literature; he just felt that he was simply brain-dead, actually not writing the hot detective fiction, but changing to write some traditional literature.

How many people still read that stuff now!?

Akiwara Yuto frowned, and finally shook his head, saying, "50,000 copies for the first edition; if they can't be sold out, leave them all in the warehouse, I have other uses for them."

The plate-making and printing costs for a few tens of thousands more or less didn't count as anything in his view, but 30,000 copies for the first edition was still too low in his view.

In fact, he planned to send a batch to some cultural institutions and book reviewers after printing.

He didn't believe that these book reviewers could turn a blind eye to books sent to their door?!

And this book *Snow Country* had won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was more in line with the Japanese traditional "mono no aware" thought.

So he didn't think those book reviewers could pick out any faults.

In fact, he was also prepared to find Yoshikawa Yuichiro's home address and send one to the other party, hoping he would publish two comments.

He didn't believe it; after the other party read *Snow Country*, what confidence would he have to take him as a disciple!?

Ankyu Tsugaoichi looked at Akiwara Yuto's determined expression and could only accept it helplessly.

Now Ankyu Bookstore had almost become an appendage of the Akiwara Yuto Foundation, and its business could only rely on the other party, so he couldn't say any opposing opinions.

Being able to say the words of printing only 30,000 copies for the first edition was just his rare faithful advice.

After making the decision, Ankyu Tsugaoichi immediately arranged for subordinates to start proofreading this manuscript.

Soon, a week passed quickly.

During this period, *Snow Country* completed proofreading, plate-making, cover design, and many tasks, and the rest was just channel sales.

However, during channel distribution, *Snow Country* encountered an awkward situation.

Bookstore trial reading meeting.

Ankyu Tsugaoichi looked at the many bookstore owners sitting in the audience and subconsciously wiped the sweat on his forehead.

A bookstore owner wearing glasses held up the trial reading copy of *Snow Country* and said, "President Ankyu, this is Akiwara-sensei's new work, but this isn't detective fiction, right?"

Another person took over the conversation, "Yeah, if it were detective fiction, we would have ordered it, but let's forget about traditional literature!"

"That's right, it definitely won't sell."

"Who still reads traditional literature now."

"President Ankyu, you should also properly persuade Akiwara-sensei!"

"Don't let him not attend to his proper duties!"

Facing everyone's questioning, Ankyu Tsugaoichi wiped his sweat while loudly persuading, "I hope everyone can take a look at it before making a decision!"

While speaking, he complained about Akiwara Yuto in his heart again.

You, you don't do your proper detective fiction, what traditional literature are you messing with, making me look like a person who is not a person inside and out now.

Just at this time, a middle-aged man stood up and said in an impolite tone, "Sorry, I represent Shimoda Bookstore, and I don't intend to order a single copy!"

Ankyu Tsugaoichi panicked, subconsciously sizing up the other party, and suspected whether he and he had a grudge.

But he thought about the other party's information for a while and found that it wasn't like that.

Before this, the cooperation between him and Shimoda Bookstore was very pleasant, and Shimoda Bookstore even ordered a large number of Akiwara Yuto's other works.

Just at this time, the middle-aged man bowed deeply again and continued, "President Ankyu, let me explain the reason why I don't order."

"In the eyes of many readers, Akiwara Yuto has become a synonym for high-quality detective fiction; in such a situation, if a pure literature work is launched, these readers are very likely to buy this work home as detective fiction."

His emotions became agitated, "But in my view, this is fraud! Fraud against readers! So sorry, please forgive me for not being able to accept it!"

He knew that these words of his might offend Ankyu Tsugaoichi, but he was after all the store manager of the bookstore and had the obligation to be responsible to the readers.

So he didn't even bother to do the face-saving work of ordering 50 copies, and directly stood up to express his protest!

He bowed again, then turned and pushed the door open and walked out.

When walking out of the door, he said another sentence, "If possible, I suggest Akiwara Yuto use other pen names to create pure literature works! This is the responsibility to the readers!"

After he left, some other bookstore owners also stood up one after another, declaring their departure one after another.

Looking at the few bookstore owners in the field, Ankyu Tsugaoichi rarely revealed a wry smile... ===== CHAPTER 264 =====