He spoke with such conviction, as if he were truly running a startup with unlimited potential.
Kawamoto Kazuki listened intently, his eyes even showing shock and admiration.
He never imagined that these seniors, who were not much older than him, already had such clear and ambitious business plans, and had already begun to put them into practice!
He immediately bowed slightly and earnestly requested:
"I see! My apologies! Senior Murasame, if it doesn't involve trade secrets, would you mind showing me around your business?"
"I'm also very interested in business and would like to learn more about it."
"Visit?"
Murasame's heart skipped a beat, and she stammered, "Well... our current office location... uh, it's still in the confidential stage, and since our business is just starting out, it's a bit messy and not very convenient for receiving outsiders."
He doesn't have an office. He was kicked out of his stall before, and the warehouse he rented was a temporary cubicle, which he terminated long ago.
Upon hearing Kawamoto showed an understanding expression and bowed again, saying, "I was being presumptuous. I apologize."
But he didn't give up. Instead, he immediately made another request. "You seniors are so successful and experienced. I wonder if you could give me some guidance? I also have a preliminary business idea recently, based on market observation and analysis, and I think the prospects should be good. I would like to ask you seniors for your advice."
Do you also have plans to start a business?
Murasame's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed.
On the surface, however, he feigned composure, adopting the posture of a senior mentoring a junior, and said with feigned contemplation, "Hmm... since you played ball quite well today and sincerely invited me, then we successful predecessors of entrepreneurial pioneers will mercifully offer you some advice!"
"Tell me, what's the plan?"
"That's great, thank you so much!"
Kawamoto thanked him sincerely, then said, "However, I may not be able to put together a detailed plan until after the battles of Kainan and Ryonan, and after summer vacation. I can then ask my seniors for their detailed advice, is that alright?"
Summer vacation? No problem!
Murasame readily agreed, overjoyed.
There's a buffer period, which is perfect.
He immediately took out paper and pen. "Here, leave your contact information. Contact me anytime you're ready."
The two exchanged phone numbers.
After thanking him again, Kawamoto took his leave and headed towards the locker room.
Once Kawamoto was out of sight, Murasame immediately dropped his air of a successful person.
He excitedly grabbed Araki and Miyamoto by the shoulders and said enthusiastically:
"See that? I told you, Kawamoto might look expressionless on the court, but he's got a lot of clever ideas. He actually wants to start a business and has even done market analysis. What are our little ventures compared to that? Let's go listen to his plans together this summer."
He seemed to see a glimmer of hope:
"If his plan is sound and has potential, we absolutely have to stick with him. Working with him is definitely better than us messing around on our own, you hear me?"
Araki, Takatsu, Kawasaki, Miyamoto looked at each other in bewilderment.
Recalling his previous crushing defeats, and then thinking about Kawamoto's frighteningly calm mind and execution on the court...
It seems like we might have stumbled upon the right person by accident.
"Yes!"
The group responded in unison, their eyes regaining their light.
At night, only a desk lamp was lit in Kawamoto Kazuki's small room.
The lamplight cast a warm yellow glow on the open pages of books, notebooks, and the thick " Chinese-Japanese Dictionary ".
The air was filled with the distinctive smell of ink from old book pages.
He was hunched over the table, his brows slightly furrowed, his gaze shifting back and forth between the original Chinese version of " The Ode to Gallantry " in his hands and the open dictionary beside him.
With his left fingertips tracing the complex and beautiful Chinese characters, he held a pen in his right hand and slowly and painstakingly recorded them in his notebook.
The reading process was unusually slow.
He doesn't recognize many Chinese characters; he needs to look them up, compare them, and confirm their structure, pronunciation, and meaning one by one.
The opening poem alone took him nearly two hours to recite.
Zhao's guest wears a silk tassel on his hat, and Wu's hook sword shines like frost and snow.
A silver saddle shines on a white horse, swift as a shooting star.
He can kill one person in ten steps, and leave no trace for a thousand miles.
He left after accomplishing his task, concealing his identity and name.
When he finally used a dictionary to translate, understand, and connect these vivid and powerful lines of poetry into a complete image, word by word...
He put down his pen and leaned back in his chair.
The room was completely silent, with only the faint sound of the wind coming from outside the window.
Kawamoto's eyes shone with an unprecedented sense of awe and enlightenment.
China characters...
This wasn't his first time encountering Chinese, and he had a basic understanding of the beauty of poetry.
But I have never encountered a novel like " Ode to Gallantry," where a mere hundred-odd words so vividly depict the carefree spirit of a chivalrous hero retiring after achieving his goals.
It was as if a richly colored painting was unfolding before my eyes, or as if a battle song of clashing swords and galloping horses was playing in my ears.
This art of language, so concise yet brimming with explosive tension, gave him an almost chilling shock.
"Kill one man in ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles. After the deed is done, dust off your clothes and disappear, concealing your identity and name."
He repeated his translation in Japanese in a low voice, each syllable carrying immense weight.
This is not just about the beauty of words.
These words contain a spirit, a grand vision, and a power that transcends time and touches the heart.
It is about acting swiftly and decisively, keeping one's promises, valuing righteousness over life, and not taking credit for one's achievements.
He sat quietly for a long time, letting the lingering charm of the poem resonate and stir within his heart.
Then he sat up straight, took a deep breath, and opened the novel to the main text.
Reading, searching, recording, understanding...
The process was still slow, but he was completely focused.
He wasn't simply drawn in by the story.
In fact, he has never been very interested in fictional stories themselves.
Instead, it is a calm analysis and research.
He has studied the current publishing and entertainment market in Japan.
He knew that the depression following the collapse of the bubble economy did not destroy people's need for spiritual comfort; on the contrary, it created a kind of spiritual void.
The booming industries such as comics, light novels, and games are products that fill this gap.
People yearn to escape reality, yearn for heroes, yearn for passion and legend.
China culture, especially martial arts culture, shares the same roots with the Han culture that Japan has absorbed since ancient times.
The core themes of chivalry, loyalty, filial piety, gratitude, and martial arts resonate naturally with the Japan public.
A somewhat ruthless business logic gradually took shape in his mind.
There is currently a huge unmet demand for spiritual and intellectual content in Japan.
China culture possesses mature and excellent stories and a core spiritual value.
There is a cultural affinity and the possibility of cultural transplantation between the two.
The key lies in how to adapt it to the local context, making it suitable for the aesthetics and reading habits of Japan readers, while avoiding copyright and original content issues.
His gaze returned once more to the opening lines of " Ode to Gallantry ".
A thought flashed through my mind like lightning.
You can't copy it verbatim, but you can rewrite it.
A complete and radical rewrite.
He picked up a pen and began to experiment on a blank sheet of paper.
It is a re-creation based on the original poem's imagery and core plot.
The original poem depicts chivalrous heroes from the Central Plains who roam the world with swords. In the Japan context, what is the closest equivalent?
Ninja?
warrior?
He chose ninjas as his entry point.
Words imbued with Japanese ninja imagery began to flow and combine under his pen.
Zhao's guest wears a silk tassel on his hat, and Wu's hook sword shines like frost and snow.
A silver saddle shines on a white horse, swift as a shooting star.
He can kill one person in ten steps, and leave no trace for a thousand miles.
He left after accomplishing his task, concealing his identity and name.
It became:
The mist conceals the ribbon binding the fading stars, while frost-covered blades whisper in the shadows of rain within sleeves.
Wood Release: A fleeting, illusory image appears, swift as the wind; even ghosts and gods are startled by its passing.
Ten steps of mossy steps are free of bloodstains, a thousand layers of torii gates still bear the lingering stench.
The robe is removed, and the clouds disperse like mayflies; the empty scroll and broken paper reflect the bright moonlight.
The artistic conception shifted from the expansive and heroic chivalrous deeds of warriors to the mysterious, swift, and deadly assassination of ninjas.
The visuals are still striking, but the color scheme and atmosphere have completely transformed into a Japanese style.
This is only the first version and has not been polished.
But Kawamoto looked at the sentences he had written, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.
feasible!
Not just poetry, but the core framework of the entire story.
The book may involve the protagonist's mysterious background, superb martial arts skills, grudges and affections, chivalrous spirit, final battle and destiny.
Both can undergo a complete replacement of form while preserving the soul.
Replace chivalrous heroes with ninjas, the Central Plains martial arts world with the chaotic Warring States period, internal energy techniques with ninjutsu, and the spirit of chivalry with bonds of affection...
Even the epic duel described in the original poem as "Two heroes of a thousand autumns, renowned throughout Daliang City" could be rewritten as two ninjas standing at the pinnacle of power in some legendary place.
For example, the final battles in the Land of Gods, the Valley of the End, and the Endless Sea become the climax of the entire story.
Comic adaptation...
Kawamoto's thinking went further.
If presented in comic book form, it would be combined with highly dynamic paneling and visuals.
This kind of passionate story, which is derived from China martial arts but has been thoroughly adapted to Japanese style, may have a greater impact and market potential than a simple novel!
Unfortunately, he didn't know any of his friends who drew comics.
He closed " The Ode to Gallantry " and his gaze fell on his notebook, which was filled with market analysis, cost estimates, and feasibility studies.
One of my previously vague business plans suddenly became clear and concrete, and full of exciting possibilities, thanks to this unexpectedly borrowed book.
Knowledge can indeed change one's destiny.
It's not just about survival skills learned from books.
It is this ability to discover cultural codes, creatively transform them, and foresee their market value that demonstrates insight and execution.
The night outside the window grew even darker.
But Kawamoto Kazuki was wide awake.
He reopened " The Ode to Gallantry," picked up a dictionary and pen, his eyes focused and bright.
Like a prospector who has discovered a precious mineral vein, they begin to excavate and analyze more systematically and purposefully.