[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-literary-master-of-tokyo":3,"chapter-literary-master-of-tokyo-literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-151":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Literary Master of Tokyo",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2355000,4607,"Chapter 151: Works Further Explode in Sales!","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-151",151,"\u003Cp>Half a week passed again, and during this time, the public opinion storm caused by the Burakumin grew ever larger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the protest at Mantan Publishing, Burakumin groups across Japan launched protests of varying sizes, ranging from a few dozen people to several thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slogans of these protests also shifted from protesting Mantan Publishing’s discrimination against the Burakumin to demanding that the government and society face the interests of the Burakumin squarely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this process, the other three major publishing houses also kicked them while they were down, claiming they would never discriminate against the Burakumin, and even some assembly members looking to win the Burakumin vote spoke out on television programs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These successive developments left Mantan Publishing in a state of desperation; they even called several times, raising the 80 million yen settlement offer to 300 million yen and indicating that it was negotiable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Akiwara Yuto’s response to them remained the same: wait a little longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, no matter what, even if he dragged it out, he wouldn't suffer much of a loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, by dragging it out, he could even gain unexpected benefits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto stood up, sat at his desk, and began to think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This morning, Akutsu Koichi called to inform him that due to the storm caused by the Burakumin groups, many members of the public had become curious about *The Death of a Mystery Writer*, which featured a Burakumin protagonist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days after the protests ended, it was already difficult to find the book on the shelves of bookstores across the country, including in Tokyo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant that the 50,000 copies of the reprint of *The Death of a Mystery Writer* had sold out once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To restock and place orders, bookstores everywhere had called Akutsu Bookstore to request increased orders for *The Death of a Mystery Writer*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Tokyo Distribution, acting as the distributor, had sent a section chief again; while paying for the previous shipment, they requested an additional order of 100,000 copies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the statistics from Nishijima Sota, who was in charge of sales, combined with the order sheets from bookstores everywhere, the total number of orders for the third batch of *The Death of a Mystery Writer* had reached a full 150,000 copies!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was exactly five times the initial print run of 30,000 copies!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, but the book *The Devotion of Suspect X* also sold quite a few more copies thanks to this storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition to the books selling well, his related works were also being noticed by more book critics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto picked up a newspaper, spread it out on his desk, and began to read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The headline of this newspaper was still about the Burakumin protests, but in the culture section, a critic had written a review analyzing *The Death of a Mystery Writer*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Although it is currently believed that this work depicts the unfair treatment suffered by the Burakumin, in my personal opinion, the substance of this work is reflected even more in the issue of the wealth gap in society.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After World War II, all the wealth in Japanese society was accumulated by the working class and citizens through frantic overtime, but through stocks and real estate, the zaibatsu and capitalists could very easily transfer this wealth into their own hands...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After transferring the wealth, the rich then passed it on to the next generation through inheritance; it is becoming increasingly difficult for the children of ordinary families to get ahead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...And the work *The Death of a Mystery Writer* describes these related social issues. In my view, the deeper meaning of this work is to satirize the problem of class solidification in Japan today!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No matter how you look at it, Akiwara Yuto-sensei is truly a writer with society at heart!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading the entire review, Akiwara Yuto nodded subconsciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed there were still smart people who knew the true meaning of this work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The work *The Death of a Mystery Writer* was adapted from *Knives Out*, and the latter was intended to satirize the wealth gap and political correctness in American society.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his own adaptation, the issue of political correctness was greatly diminished, while the issue of the wealth gap was highlighted instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for implying that the Burakumin suffered unfair treatment or anything of the sort, he had actually never thought about it at all...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he certainly hadn't expected it to lead to such a huge social controversy...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It just goes to show that what a writer writes is often viewed from a different perspective by others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto couldn't help but think of news he had seen in his past life, where a writer helped their child with a reading comprehension question on a language exam, and the article for the reading comprehension happened to be the writer's own work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the result was unexpected: the writer finished writing everything and found they had scored less than half...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, the writer sighed, \"I don't even know what I was trying to express myself...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto shook his head, flipped through the newspaper briefly to look at some other related reviews, then stood up, changed into his outdoor clothes, and walked out the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, he had to meet an important person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chiyoda Ward, Double Cafe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seto-sensei, I didn't expect Mantan Publishing to move you to act.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto looked at Seto Tamae sitting across from him and gave a helpless, bitter smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the morning, Seto Tamae had called, hoping to have a brief talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the other party's proposal, Akiwara Yuto immediately understood that she had come to act as a lobbyist for Mantan Publishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were someone from Mantan Publishing, he could naturally refuse them without mercy or find an excuse to keep dragging it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Seto Tamae, he could not do that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the previous Mantan Literary Awards, because of the questioning of the award results, Seto Tamae had taken the initiative to stand up for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, whether it was out of gratitude or personal favor, he had to find an opportunity to repay her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seto Tamae picked up her coffee, took a sip, and shook her head. \"Akiwara-sensei, I hope you don't think I'm being meddlesome. However, you should already know the reason for my visit today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had come this time because Furukawa Kento had begged her to; besides that, even the former editor-in-chief of *Tokyo Literature* hoped she could help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the series of storms, the sales of the two magazines *Tokyo Literature* and *New* had dropped by a full 40% compared to a month ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, she was still a contracted writer serializing in *Tokyo Literature*, so the drop in sales had a certain impact on her as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Akiwara Yuto nod, Seto Tamae sighed again and then said, \"To tell you the truth, this time Mantan Publishing entrusted me with this, but I also have some selfish motives. So, whether you can accept the reconciliation or not is something you must weigh yourself, Akiwara-sensei.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused and added, \"The matter of the blacklisting was always handled privately by Takei Kohei, so I never heard any news about it. However, this matter is indeed very excessive, so even if you don't accept their conditions, Akiwara-sensei, I don't think there is anything inappropriate about that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto was silent for a moment and then replied, \"Actually, I didn't want to reach this point either; I can only say that many things are very difficult to predict.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked up his coffee, took a sip, and said, \"Seto-sensei, if possible, out of respect for you, I am willing to accept Mantan Publishing's reconciliation. But because of the current public opinion, if I agree to reconcile, I might be considered a 'traitor.' So, I am very sorry...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter which country or society it is, when it comes to political groups, things become extra complicated. For example, the \"white left\" and \"white right\" in the United States from his past life were a vivid case in point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The actions and moves of any key figure will be constantly magnified by the groups that support them. If these actions do not meet the wishes of the supporters, they are often immediately abandoned or even spurned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, although he had gained quite a few benefits by using the Burakumin banner, he was also somewhat stuck in a difficult position, not to mention issuing any \"statement of understanding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seto Tamae nodded understandingly and handed over a document. \"Furukawa-senmu only entrusted me with handing this document to you for your review; as for whether to accept it, that is up to your opinion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto thought for a moment and then took the document to look at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, just taking a quick look wouldn't take much time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he read, he couldn't help but feel surprised...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Furukawa-senmu was worthy of being a public relations expert for many years; according to his proposal, not only could he solve his current dilemma, but he could also resolve Mantan Publishing's current crisis...\u003C\u002Fp>",1524,"2026-06-21T03:58:01.347Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","16d27d3bae2508745ed826326aad7d38cedf9de34055a45cf7850c8ddcb11ebe","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-152","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-150",334,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fliterary-master-of-tokyo-cover.jpg"]