Chapter 117: It's Not What You Think

10:00 AM, Mantan Publishing headquarters, Proofreading Department.

Asano Aiko sat at her desk proofreading manuscripts, just as she did every day.

The work of the Proofreading Department is very dull, yet at the same time, it requires staff to ensure not a single error exists. Otherwise, once a book is published, the mistakes would be exposed to the eyes of tens of thousands of readers.

Asano Aiko outlined the errors she found with a red pen, scanned through them once more, and then closed the manuscript.

She stood up, preparing to take the manuscript to the Sebas Library of Mantan Publishing.

The Sebas Library is affiliated with Mantan Publishing, but its functional duties differ from the *New Novel* and *Tokyo Literature* editorial departments; it is a department specifically for publishing standalone volumes and does not publish corresponding magazines.

According to work procedures, after Asano Aiko hands the proofread manuscript to the Sebas Library editor, the other party must have the relevant author review it once more and revise any corresponding writing issues.

Holding the documents, Asano Aiko walked toward the elevator area. But just as she was about to leave, she heard a burst of whispering coming from the desk on her right.

She subconsciously glanced over and discovered it was two newly hired female employees whispering to each other.

She didn't pay it any mind and was about to leave, but then she heard some words that made her very concerned.

"Hey, did you know? The new editor-in-chief over at *New Novel* has submitted a transfer request."

"Huh, really? I remember the previous editor-in-chief didn't leave long ago; are they changing people again?"

"Yeah, their signature authors have all left, and now they don't have any decent works. It's said that besides the magazine sales being poor, the sales of the standalone volumes they've released recently are also declining."

"What a pity. If things go on like this, they might change from a weekly to a bi-weekly or monthly magazine."

Hearing this discussion about *New Novel*, Asano Aiko felt somewhat conflicted; after all, she had worked at *New Novel* for so many years, and she still had some lingering feelings for it.

Just as she was about to take another step, the discussion over there started up again.

"Do you know about that awards ceremony incident at the Mantan Publishing Literature Awards before?"

"I know, didn't it cause quite a stir? There were rumors at the time, weren't there, saying it had something to do with Editor-in-Chief Takei of *Tokyo Literature*?"

"No, that's just a rumor. It's said there were other reasons."

Asano Aiko's heart became even more confused. Rumors? Other reasons? What exactly were they?

She couldn't help but pretend to lower her head to organize her documents, then pricked up her ears to keep listening.

"There's a new theory recently, saying that the author named Akiwara Yuto became arrogant after being reported on by book critics and took the initiative to terminate his cooperation with Mantan Publishing. That's why the higher-ups awarded the Gold Prize to someone else."

"Huh, really? Then you can't blame anyone else."

"Yeah, relying on the Mantan Publishing platform to get famous, and then wanting to leave as soon as he is famous—isn't that just being a traitor?"

The two were still discussing, but Asano Aiko could no longer listen; her heart was already churning with turbulent waves. In an instant, many emotions like anger, dissatisfaction, and doubt were all mixed together.

"Slap."

She walked over and slammed the documents heavily onto the desk between the two chatting female employees. "Koyama, Shimamura, it's not break time right now, is it? Please do not discuss irrelevant matters."

The two female employees who were talking were startled. They looked up and saw Asano Aiko, who was frowning with a very serious expression.

The two immediately stood up and bowed in apology: "Senior Asano, we are sorry."

Asano Aiko had worked at Mantan Publishing for nearly four years, while they were only newly hired employees, so their rank was a notch lower than hers.

Moreover, they were indeed discussing other topics during work hours, so they were in the wrong to begin with. If they didn't apologize, it might make others think they didn't respect the hierarchy between seniors and juniors.

The female employee named Shimamura snuck a glance at Asano Aiko, feeling a bit incredulous.

In her impression, this Senior Asano had always been quiet, and her attitude was usually amiable. As far as she knew, the other party didn't have the habit of reprimanding juniors like other seniors did.

But now, the other party seemed like a different person.

Could it be that she had just said something she shouldn't have?

Seeing the two apologizing, Asano Aiko felt a sense of helplessness in her heart.

She could make these two juniors stop discussing this topic, but she couldn't make everyone do so.

After finishing this sentence, she picked up the manuscript on the table and turned to walk toward the elevator area again. While Koyama and Shimamura were left bewildered, she added one more sentence in a firm tone from a distance.

"Akiwara-sensei's character is absolutely not what you imagine!"

Leaving the office and entering the elevator, Asano Aiko pressed the button for the 16th floor.

As the elevator doors closed and it slowly started moving, she sighed and began to think about other problems.

When she worked in the *New Novel* editorial department, her ideal was to help *New Novel* successfully reach the top with Akiwara Yuto and become the No. 1 in the literary magazine world.

But this ideal became a thing of the past after the results of the Mantan Publishing Literature Awards were announced.

After that, Takei Kohei's conversation, Kikuchi's sudden transfer, the rumors of a mastermind behind the scenes, and other events happened one after another.

And now, rumors of Akiwara Yuto being arrogant had spread.

She vaguely felt that there seemed to be a mastermind manipulating everything.

At this moment, the elevator arrived at the 16th floor. Asano Aiko walked quickly to the Sebas Library, handed the manuscript to the corresponding editor, briefly explained the relevant issues, and then left.

Immediately after, she returned to her workstation, looked at the phone in front of her, and fell into hesitation.

Not long ago, after she decided she was a burden, she had intended to stop having contact with Akiwara Yuto. After all, if they were to work together again, she didn't think she could help him with anything.

Since making that decision, she had cut off contact with Akiwara Yuto, and in the last three months, she hadn't even made a single phone call.

Only when it was late at night would she take out the poem Akiwara Yuto had written for her and read it softly under the moonlight.

So, is it still appropriate to contact Akiwara now?

After hesitating for a while, she picked up the receiver and dialed the number according to her memory.

She had to inform Akiwara Yuto about these rumors at Mantan Publishing; after all, no matter what, she had to let him be prepared to deal with them.

If the reputation of being arrogant spread, even if Akiwara Yuto went to another publishing house, he would suffer a certain amount of criticism, and it was even more likely to cause setbacks in his literary career.

The matter was of great importance, so she shouldn't be hesitant anymore. As for her own little feelings, she should put them aside for now.

After dialing the number, Asano Aiko waited for a while and heard the receiver being picked up.

Immediately after, a familiar male voice came through: "Hello, this is Akiwara Yuto."

Asano Aiko suppressed the thoughts and emotions in her heart and then said: "Akiwara, it's Asano. Are you free tonight? There is something very important I want to tell you."