Chapter 129: Two Plans!

Tokyo, Adachi Ward, *Adachi Shimbun* editorial office.

"Chief Nishizawa, what is the problem with this article? Why can't it be published?!"

Sakaguchi Keito gripped the manuscript, his face full of dissatisfaction as he questioned his superior.

His behavior was already somewhat overstepping; after all, the Japanese workplace emphasizes the hierarchy of status.

But Sakaguchi Keito could no longer concern himself with that.

After interviewing Akiwara Yuto the day before yesterday, he had returned to the library and consulted a large amount of relevant material to supplement the manuscript, using it to prove the reasonableness of Akiwara Yuto's remarks.

In doing so, he had also harbored some personal motives, increasing the proportion of Akiwara Yuto's comments regarding the "Burakumin."

After writing the entire manuscript, he had repeatedly edited and trimmed it multiple times, finally managing to get it down to half a page, which was about 4, 00 characters.

But he hadn't expected that after submitting it to the Chief today, it would be rejected immediately.

This left his heart full of resentment, even anger—is it really that hard to speak up for one's own people?

The Chief Reporter sighed; he did not reprimand his subordinate, as he could understand his current mood to a certain extent.

After all, when reporters find that the manuscript they spent three or four days working on fails to pass review, they will all be somewhat indignant.

"Sakaguchi, your manuscript being rejected has nothing to do with its content."

Hearing this explanation, Sakaguchi Keito calmed down and asked, "Then what is the reason?"

"The problem lies with your interviewee."

"Akiwara-sensei?"

"That's right," the Chief Reporter nodded. "I just spoke with the Editor-in-Chief. Mantansha has notified all the newspapers in Tokyo, asking us to try our best not to report on Akiwara Yuto or his published work, *The Devotion of Suspect X*."

"Mantansha? Why would they do that?"

Sakaguchi Keito was somewhat puzzled. According to the reports he had previously collected, although Akiwara Yuto debuted with Mantansha's *New Fiction*, they had long since parted ways.

What reason would Mantansha have to suppress him?

The Chief Reporter shook his head. It could be factional strife, or it could be other reasons; in any case, only the parties involved know.

Sakaguchi Keito lowered his head and fell into silence.

Factional strife? That doesn't seem likely; after all, Akiwara-sensei is not an employee of Mantansha, just a collaborating author.

If they do this, aren't they afraid of disheartening other authors?

Other reasons?

For example, doing this because they discovered Akiwara-sensei is a Burakumin—although the probability is low, is it not impossible?

Thinking of this, Sakaguchi Keito gritted his teeth for a moment. He was a proud graduate of Tokyo University, yet because of his Ainu and Burakumin status, he had failed the screenings of major newspapers and could only come to *Adachi Shimbun*, a bottom-tier paper.

And if Akiwara Yuto was being suppressed by Mantansha for the same reason, then he must help him.

No, even if it wasn't, he still had to help this author who was speaking up for the Ainu.

If things continue like this, the voice of the Ainu in Japanese society will only grow smaller and smaller!

After making this decision, Sakaguchi Keito turned around, bowed respectfully to the Chief Reporter, and said in a very sincere tone, "Chief Nishizawa, I really want to publish this article. Is there any way?"

His request seemed somewhat unreasonable, but he knew that no matter how strict the regulations were, there was actually some room for maneuver.

Besides, there was very little business interaction between Mantansha and *Adachi Shimbun*, so they didn't necessarily have to follow the other party's opinion completely.

The Chief Reporter looked at his subordinate helplessly, feeling a bit of a headache.

In his view, if an article couldn't be published, it couldn't be published; at worst, they could just change the topic.

But he hadn't expected Sakaguchi Keito to insist on it.

However, he could partially understand the other's thoughts.

To be honest, he didn't know whether to admire or feel helpless about this kind of thinking.

Although the mainstream of Japanese society looks down on the Ainu and Burakumin, in fact, many companies find it difficult to distinguish them and can only rely on the handbooks of Burakumin gathering places circulating in the market to judge.

This means that as long as one moves to a further place and tells a few lies, it is very difficult for many companies to tell, and in fact, many people do exactly that.

But his subordinate was very stubborn. He was clearly a Tokyo University graduate with a good hand to play, yet he applied for jobs without moving, resulting in repeated rejections and forcing him to come to a small newspaper like *Adachi Shimbun*.

But now that the other party was entrusting him with this, should he accept? The Chief Reporter fell into confusion.

He thought for a long time, weighed the pros and cons, and finally decided to help.

After all, Sakaguchi Keito was a Tokyo University graduate; even if he was a Burakumin, he would climb up sooner or later.

He sighed and replied, "Sakaguchi, I have a suggestion you can consider."

Sakaguchi Keito straightened up and replied earnestly, "Yes."

"Mantansha's request is not to report on Akiwara Yuto and *The Devotion of Suspect X*, but as far as I know, the manuscript for *The Death of a Mystery Novelist* has not been publicly released, so we can play a word game."

Sakaguchi Keito was thoughtful upon hearing this. After thinking for a while, he said, "Your suggestion is to describe *The Death of a Mystery Novelist* and the social opposition revealed within it without disclosing the author's name?"

"That's right," the Chief Reporter replied, "but in that case, I can't give you half a page; I can only compress it to a quarter. Besides that, you must be prepared to take responsibility if Mantansha pursues the matter. But rest assured, it will be at most a verbal reprimand."

"I understand," Sakaguchi Keito replied. He didn't care at all about verbal reprimands.

After all, Mantansha was only a business partner, so the newspaper only needed to go through the motions.

Just as Sakaguchi Keito was about to thank the Chief, the Chief Reporter added, "Besides this plan, I have another suggestion for you to consider."

"Hmm?"

"For a newspaper, the most important thing is profit. If your report can make the Editor-in-Chief feel that the profit is greater than Mantansha's business, then it can naturally be published."

Hearing this suggestion, Sakaguchi Keito fell into doubt instead.

Profit greater than Mantansha? That's not very likely, is it?

The Chief Reporter saw Sakaguchi Keito's confusion and explained, "What the newspaper cares about most is the sales of the paper. So if your report can attract more public attention and help the paper sell well, then I will take the initiative to explain it to the Editor-in-Chief regarding publication."

Sakaguchi Keito understood the Chief's meaning; the news needed to be more sensational. "Chief Nishizawa, what should I do?"

The Chief Reporter did not answer, but asked, "Does that Akiwara-sensei have any titles or awards now?"

Sakaguchi Keito replied, "He is called a 'thriller genius' by some critics, but in terms of awards, he has only won the Silver Prize of the Mantansha Literary Award once."

"No, that's not enough." The Chief Reporter shook his head. "The public doesn't believe in the so-called geniuses mentioned by critics; after all, there are many critics who take money to do jobs. If he could have a national-level, heavyweight award, then the public would acknowledge his name as a genius."

He paused and added, "Do you know about the Mystery Writers of Japan Award and the Mystery Literature Newcomer Award that will be announced soon?"

Sakaguchi Keito replied, "It seems the initial screening has just ended, and the results will be announced next month."

"That's right. If that Akiwara-sensei can win one of these two awards, we will have a lot of room to maneuver."

The Chief Reporter continued with a smile, "By then, you can write an article titled 'Akiwara Yuto: A Genius Author Suppressed by Mantansha,' and I can give you a full page of 9, 00 characters to work with."

"But the premise is that Akiwara-sensei participates in this selection and wins, right?"

Although Sakaguchi Keito was tempted, he showed a bitter smile after thinking carefully.

These two awards organized by the Mystery Writers of Japan include both new and veteran authors nationwide; breaking through and winning among them is undoubtedly full of difficulties.

However, perhaps, just maybe, it could happen?