Chapter 4: Market Situation

"Welcome!"

As soon as Yuya entered the store, a girl in a pink sakura flower kimono with a lazy bow and a smile greeted her, bowing with respect.

This is the "welcome" that some high-end stores will have. Young and beautiful women with sweet smiles will do this kind of work to add some subsidies to the family.

Looking at the dazzling variety of shelves, Yuya finally settled on the wine rack. Choosing a gift is a very challenging task. Middle-aged men in Konoha Village like to drink a little wine after dinner, so she decided to use "wine" to get the news.

There were three types of wine in the wine rack, Yuya looked around, took two bottles of the best quality shochu in white porcelain wine containers and weighed them in her hands. Looking back at the price, it turned out to be five thousand taels per bottle, and she had enough money on hand, so she turned around and went to the counter to pay.

As for sake, beer, etc., she believed that the uncle would not like them. Only a strong shochu can ignite the vigorous flame in the uncle's heart.

There is a street in the east commercial district of Konoha Village, with several shops, including a small and exquisite bookstore, which is very comfortable to decorate. Yuya used to do many errands issued by the system in this bookstore, and after going back and forth, she became familiar with the bookstore owner.

The bookstore owner is a ninja who has been on the battlefield. He lost a mission and was seriously injured, so he retired. When he was recovering in the Konoha Hospital, he had a long-term relationship with a ninja medic who took care of him, which became a good story. Now, in charge of a bookstore, the boss is happy every day.

Opening the door and entering the bookstore, Yuya heard the phrase "Welcome, take a look". The characteristic quiet voice of a middle-aged man, mixed with a little laziness.

To not dazzle, the lights in the bookstore are of a soft and warm orange color, and people feel comfortable and relaxed when they enter here. Yuya entered the store and, indeed, saw a middle-aged man wearing a Tibetan blue kimono with his cuffs resting on his chin, leaning against the table and resting his eyes.

Rolling her eyes, Yuya silently opened the cork of the wine bottle, then lifted the white porcelain bottle under the nose of the bookstore owner and carefully tapped it several times with her right hand.

"Eh?" The bookstore owner suddenly opened his eyes, grabbed the white porcelain bottle with his hand, took a sip, and the spicy taste instantly burned his throat and set his heart on fire.

"Good wine!" Satisfied, the bookstore owner looked at Yuya, who looked like a cat that had been stealing fish with a smile, raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh, little Yuya? I haven't seen you in almost a month. Why did you bring soju tonight?"

"Hey..." Yuya laughed twice, then lifted another bottle of shochu in her hand, shook it in front of the bookstore owner, then put it on the wooden table and said in a muffled voice, "Boss, don't you miss this? What's wrong? I haven't seen you in a month, don't you miss me?"

Touching his cheek on his chin, the bookstore owner also smiled and made a gesture of "please sit down". Seeing Yuya sitting on his knees, he reached out to pinch Yuya's face and said, "You really are strange, kid, this month has been miserable and the flesh on your face has lost a little."

Yuya didn't care about the actions of the bookstore owner, the two were old acquaintances and it was just a way for the elders to express their love for the younger generation. For example, the owner of the flower shop, Mrs. Yamanaka, also known as Ino's mother, likes to touch her hair. And the grandfather at the cutting tool workshop likes to pat her shoulder.

Yuya looked at the bookstore owner with sincere eyes and humbly asked for advice, "Boss, how is the publishing industry in our village? Can you tell me about the situation?"

After taking another sip of shochu, the bookstore owner looked at Yuya suspiciously and asked in confusion, "Publishing industry? Why are you asking about this? Do you want to open a bookstore like me?"

With an ironic smile, Yuya shook her head and said pitifully, "Boss, are you making fun of me? You know, I have to do tasks to solve my food and clothing problems. How can I have the money to start a family? What about the publishing industry? Just curiosity, please tell me."

In the huge Konoha Village, there are two leading publishing companies: Maruzendo and Iwanami Bookstore. Other publishers are just small companies with small markets.

As the saying goes, "One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers."

As the publishing companies in Konoha Village, they should be fighting to the death, but it can be said that Maruzendo and Yanami Bookstore are equal to each other.

After all, there is a common saying: "There cannot be two tigers on one mountain, unless there is a male and a female." Although there is no distinction between "male and female" in Maruzendo and Iwanami Bookstore, they do have different types of publications.

Yanbo Bookstore has a traditional style and is a bit old-fashioned. Most of the books they make are traditional literature. In modern terms, it is: revising the classics, inheriting culture, and realizing the continuation of Konoha Village's will of fire.

On the other hand, Maru Zendo has many laxatives, and the published content is also mixed and miscellaneous. Maru Zendo also publishes Jiraiya's "Icha-Icha Paradise," and other books such as comics, but of lower quality.

When the bookstore owner finished explaining, the wine bottle was already half gone and a drunk flush appeared on his cheeks, but he was still sober.

After listening to this, Yuya breathed a sigh of relief and understood the situation of the publishing industry in Konoha Village. After thinking about it, she looked at the still confused bookstore owner and quickly asked, "Boss, what do you think are the best-selling books in the bookstore?"

"Hic~," the bookstore owner hiccupped, pointed at Yuya with his right index finger, and said, "You're asking the right person! The most popular book in the bookstore is 'Icha-Icha Paradise' by a god-level author! Hehehe, I have a complete set of books hidden at home! This is a book that all the men in the village love to read! It's the first book in the sales department, and the second one I have hidden away. Little Yuya, do you want the uncle to give you some copies?"

"Ahem, boss, I'm still young! Don't teach bad things to kids!" Yuya coughed twice, saying nonsense in a serious manner.

"Oh, look at the uncle's memory, I forgot that you're still young!" The bookstore owner patted her head, took a sip of wine, and continued, "The other best-selling books are a collection of poems at Yanbo Bookstore. In addition, the Ninja Autobiography series and 'Intimate Paradise' follow-up are doing well. After all, the author of 'Intimate Paradise' is a bit slow in publishing books."

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