Chapter 149: A Sudden Turning Point

The temperature in Tokyo in mid-November is only around 10 degrees, and because it is surrounded by the ocean, one can feel a distinct damp chill even indoors.

Akiwara Yuto was wearing a thin sweater; he lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Three days had passed since Mantan Publishing demanded he issue a "statement of understanding," and during these three days, he had been thinking about whether to accept it, and if not, how to resolve the situation.

After much consideration, he still intended to refuse to issue the statement.

After all, once the statement was released, his "image" in the public eye would undoubtedly be seen as bowing to capital, and this would be extremely detrimental to the future development of his career.

After all, once readers form a negative impression of an author, they are very likely to stop buying his books.

Besides, Asano Aiko would also be even more troubled by public opinion...

Akiwara Yuto stood up, paced back and forth in the room a couple of times, then walked to the window and looked at the pedestrians walking on the street outside, continuing to think.

But the meaning of that Mr. Furukawa was also very clear: if he did not accept, Mantan Publishing would inevitably have some follow-up moves.

After all, as a publishing group, Mantan Publishing still had many cards to play. If they were willing, they could probably spend even more on public relations.

When that time came, what means would he have to cope with it?

Akiwara Yuto frowned and thought for half a day, but in the end, he decided to "drag it out" for now.

After all, no matter what, the "blockade" against him by Mantan Publishing had effectively been lifted. And he had also taken advantage of this public opinion hype to do a good wave of personal promotion.

If nothing unexpected happened, even if he suffered a setback for a while, he could slowly climb up step by step later on the strength of his many works.

By that time, no matter how much "dirty water" Mantan Publishing splashed, it would be of no use.

It was just a bit stifling, that's all...

Having made his decision, Akiwara Yuto felt relieved, stretched, and prepared to go to Anjiu Bookstore to ask about recent sales.

Because of the recent public opinion storm, he hadn't been paying attention to his two works, *The Suspect X* and *Death of a Mystery Writer*.

He walked to the entryway and was just about to put on his shoes to leave when the "ring-a-ling" of the telephone suddenly sounded.

Akiwara Yuto stopped putting on his shoes and picked up the phone, "Hello, this is Akiwara Yuto..."

Before he could finish speaking, Asano Aiko's voice came from the other end of the receiver, "Akiwara, hurry and watch TV, turn to Tokyo Channel!"

"What's wrong?" Akiwara Yuto was still a bit confused.

"No time to explain, you'll know once you turn it on..." Asano Aiko's voice was somewhat anxious.

Hearing this request, Akiwara Yuto was a bit baffled for a moment, but he still put the receiver aside, walked straight to the adjacent room, turned on the television that he rarely used, and switched it to Tokyo Channel.

Immediately after, some images appeared that surprised him greatly.

On the television screen, it was packed with people; these people were uniformly wearing white shirts, with white or red headbands tied around their heads, and all were holding signs.

As they walked forward, they seemed to be shouting something loudly.

Akiwara Yuto listened carefully for half a day before he could faintly hear words like "equality... promote... rights."

But what was strange about this? Why did Asano Aiko want me to see this? Akiwara Yuto was somewhat puzzled for a moment.

Due to the special national conditions of Japan, protests among the public could be seen from time to time; for example, if the U. . military did something outrageous again, the public would protest; for example, if the government had a nuclear leak, the public would protest again...

He watched for a while, still feeling some doubt in his heart, but he continued to watch.

Just then, the protest group arrived in front of a building that looked extremely familiar to him, and then stood in a standoff with the security guards and police in front of the building.

Akiwara Yuto examined it carefully for half a day and confirmed that this building was the headquarters of Mantan Publishing!

What is going on?!

Why would the public go to protest in front of Mantan Publishing?

Could it be that it did something outrageous?

Akiwara Yuto thought for half a day and couldn't figure out the reason, nor did he think this matter had anything to do with him.

He still had a good sense of self-awareness; this messy business between him and Mantan Publishing was at most just a bit of small talk for the public after tea and dinner, and he estimated that in another month or so, not many people would care.

On the screen, after the protest group stopped, the scene changed to an interview room inside the television station—a man and a woman in suits and ties appeared in the venue and began to explain.

The female host held the microphone: "This protest is mainly organized by political groups representing the rights of the Burakumin, such as the Tokyo Rights and Equality Promotion Association, the Kyoto Chongren Residents' Joint Association, and the Hokkaido Ainu Ethnic Group."

While she was speaking, a box appeared in the upper right corner of the screen, containing information about these groups.

The male host took over: "According to our understanding, the relevant persons in charge stated that the purpose of the protest is mainly to safeguard the rights and interests of the Burakumin group. As for the explanation of the specific reasons, let's connect with Professor Sakata from Yokohama National University."

The scene changed again, and a middle-aged man wearing a loose gray suit appeared in front of the screen; he sat at a desk and said in a serious voice.

"Regarding this protest, the main reason is... it started because of Akiwara Yuto's work... and the heads of the relevant groups demand that Mantan Publishing, as a cultural entity... should apologize and make a promise, and..."

Akiwara Yuto listened while his mouth opened slightly.

According to Professor Sakata's description, this protest was indeed caused by him.

The reason made him feel even more ridiculous; it was actually because he published *Death of a Mystery Writer*, which talked about the unfair treatment received by the Burakumin, and as a result, he was suppressed by Mantan Publishing.

Where is this coming from?!

Mantan Publishing had already been suppressing him before he serialized this work on the forum.

And what kind of idiot publisher would suppress a writer because of something like this?

Just as he was confused, the Professor Sakata on the screen took out a newspaper and read a passage.

"I believe that all enterprises and schools should no longer stick to their own opinions and continue to discriminate against the Burakumin; furthermore, the government should also legislate to protect the interests of the Burakumin."

Hearing this, Akiwara Yuto immediately thought of the reporter who had come to his home for an interview earlier.

At that time, that report had never been released, and he thought it had been suppressed by Mantan Publishing again... but he didn't expect...

As a mystery fan, Akiwara Yuto immediately began to piece things together based on this series of clues.

No, these political groups representing the interests of the Burakumin might not be unaware of the real reason he was suppressed...

But because of this storm between him and Mantan Publishing, it provided a very good opportunity for these Burakumin political groups.

If they could grasp this opportunity well, the Burakumin group might be able to gain more benefits...

However, for himself, was it good or bad?

He closed his eyes and weighed the pros and cons.

After some thought, he found that this matter was entirely beneficial to him and had no drawbacks.

After all, according to what the host said on the program, these protesters were demanding that Mantan Publishing apologize to him and publicly promise not to discriminate against the Burakumin.

Therefore, the public relations crisis facing Mantan Publishing was undoubtedly greater!

As for himself, he only needed to occasionally show support from the sidelines and quietly wait for the result...

Having reached this conclusion, the gloom between Akiwara Yuto's brows dissipated quite a bit.

Mantan Publishing, after taking the blame for discriminating against the Burakumin, how will you handle it?