Ever since he came up with the idea of writing a novel, Kirito had lost all interest in eating barbecue.
Soon, the barbecue trays piled up into a small mountain. Several people covered their stomachs and breathed a sigh of relief with satisfaction.
Kirito looked at his empty wallet!
I miscalculated, I didn't take Chōji's fighting ability into consideration at all!
Ino was thoughtful. She glared at Chōji, who ate the most, and said, "Kirito, thank you for treating us to barbecue, but how are you going to pay for your living expenses?"
Seeing Ino's expression, Chōji felt a little embarrassed and said to Kirito, "Kirito, next time I'll treat you to potato chips!"
"Okay, then please let me have the last piece of potato chips!" Kirito said jokingly.
"Ah…" Chōji's face was full of confusion. The last piece? This is too embarrassing!
The four of them laughed for a while, and Kirito stood up and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go pay the bill."
Kirito walked to the checkout counter and the total amount was 40,000 ryō.
At this moment, behind the partition, a pair of eyes were staring at Kirito and the boss. They waited until Kirito put away his wallet before turning around and leaving.
After paying, Kirito returned to his seat and said to the three of them, "Let's go, let's take our lovely Ino home first!"
Under the light, the four of them walked and talked, feeling very comfortable, and soon arrived at Ino's house.
Ino winked playfully at the three of them and said, "Okay, we're home now. Thank you, Kirito, for your hospitality today."
Kirito immediately waved his hand and said, "Oh, we're friends! Okay, you should get some rest early. The three of us will go home soon."
The three of them were about to turn around and leave. Kirito was still thinking about his "novel career," so he said goodbye to Shikamaru and Chōji.
Kirito was walking alone on the busy commercial street and walked into a brightly lit shop. He wanted to buy some gifts to get some information!
Now that I have decided to write a novel, I must first understand the current situation in this world.
Walking into the shop, Kirito looked at the dazzling array of goods on the shelves and finally set his sights on wine. The men in Konoha Village liked to have a drink after dinner, so "wine" was a good gift.
There was a bookstore in the commercial district of Konoha Village. Kirito had been to this store many times when he was running errands and was quite familiar with the owner.
After buying the wine, Kirito came to the bookstore and walked in.
The lights in the bookstore were soft. An unkempt middle-aged man was resting with his eyes closed, his chin supported by his hand, at the table.
Kirito rolled his eyes, quietly opened the bottle, and put the bottle mouth under the boss's nose.
"Huh?" The bookstore owner suddenly opened his eyes, saw Kirito, snatched the bottle of wine, and took a big gulp.
"Good wine!" The boss raised an eyebrow at Kirito and said, "Little Kirito? I haven't seen you in a long time. You brought wine tonight. You don't come here for no reason."
"Hehe…" Kirito laughed twice, then picked up the other bottle of wine in his hand and shook it, saying, "Isn't it because I miss you? Why can't I come to see you?"
The boss smiled, reached out and pinched Kirito's face, and said, "I really miss you, kid."
The two were old acquaintances, and this action was just a way for elders to express their affection. Kirito didn't care.
He looked at the boss sincerely and asked humbly, "Boss, what is the situation of books in our village? Can you tell me about it?"
The boss took a sip of his wine, looked at Kirito suspiciously, and asked, "Why are you asking this? Are you planning to open a bookstore too?"
Kirito gave a wry smile and said pitifully, "Boss, I can barely make ends meet, how can I afford to open a bookstore? I'm just curious, so just tell me."
A man of honor is grateful for what he has received.
The wine had already been drunk, and this was no longer a trade secret, so the bookstore owner told Kirito about the relevant situation in the industry while drinking.
The leading book publishers in Konoha Village were Shueido and Iwanamisha. The others were just small businesses.
Most of the books produced by Iwanamisha were traditional literature, which in modern terms meant: reviewing classics and passing on culture.
The content of Jieitang was numerous and diverse, for example, Jiraiya's Intimate Paradise was published by Jieitang.
After the bookstore owner finished speaking, Kirito finally understood the current situation of the book industry in Konoha Village.
After thinking for a while, he continued to ask, "Boss, which books in your store sell better?"
"Burp~" the bookstore owner burped and said, "You've asked the right person! The most popular book is undoubtedly Intimate Paradise! It's a masterpiece, all men love it! Hehehe, I even have a set in my private collection! Do you want me to give you a few copies?"
"Boss, I'm still young!" Kirito said nonsense seriously, and he really disdained it in his heart.
Can Intimate Paradise be considered a masterpiece? I don't even feel moved.
After all…
"Oh, look at that uncle's memory. Don't teach the kids bad things!" The boss took a sip of his wine and continued, "Other popular books, like autobiographies and follow-ups to Intimate Paradise, are selling better. After all, Intimate Paradise is publishing way too slowly."
After Kirito learned about it, he felt happy.
Such a weak book market was a good opportunity to make a big splash!
Kirito thanked the boss and left the bookstore.
On the way home, Kirito kept thinking about a question: What should I write about in my first book?
It would be best if he could become an overnight success and gain fame with his debut work so that he could seize the market.
The cultural poverty here was terribly poor, which gave Kirito an opportunity.
What kind of book should he write? A classic? An online novel? Or a romantic story? Kirito was undecided.
Classic works reflected reality, and with different social backgrounds, they would not resonate with readers at all!
Online novels often had millions of words, which was quite difficult for a newcomer to read.
If you followed the trend and wrote explicit stories, but your fan base was a bunch of creepy uncles and men who picked their toes, you would always feel weird.
Suddenly a cold wind blew, and Kirito suddenly remembered Ino wearing a purple skirt.
Woman?!
Kirito slapped his forehead. "The women's market… my brain… women's novels aren't long, and the group is quite large!"
Most of the women in Konoha Village were already wives and mothers when they reached the appropriate age.
As housewives, they had very few entertainment options.
It seemed that no one would write a book specifically for women.
Kirito knew that his chance had come!
Before he knew it, Kirito had walked to the door of his house, sat down at the desk, and took out a notebook and a pen.
He thought about works related to women, opened his notebook, and wrote down the names of a few works.
Tokyo Love Story, Full House, Descendants of the Sun, My Fair Princess, Neighbors...
They were all TV series that were once very popular.
End of the chapter.