[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-literary-master-of-tokyo":3,"chapter-literary-master-of-tokyo-literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-167":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},2355016,4607,"Chapter 167: Are You an Idiot?","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-167",167,"\u003Cp>While Sugihara Aisa was reading, book critic Yashiro Toshihiro was also holding a copy of *April Youth*, flipping through Akiwara Yuto’s work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing the entire first installment, Yashiro Toshihiro fell into deep thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this, when he saw the title *The Invisible Guest*, he had assumed it was a work of the \"henkaku\" (unconventional) school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after reading it all, he realized he had been wrong; this book should be a work of the \"honkaku\" (orthodox) school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What surprised him even more was that this work actually reconstructed the crime scene through flashbacks and conversations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was vastly different from other \"honkaku\" works where the detective participates directly in solving the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked up the coffee at his side, took a sip, then took out paper and a pen and began to scribble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he read, he wrote down all the clues on the paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the story, the crime scene was a hotel room with the doors and windows completely locked, and it had been investigated repeatedly by the police.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, it could be proven that this locked room was in a completely sealed state, with no secret passages or mechanisms for entry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the question arose: how did the murderer stun Sugō Nobuyuki and kill the victim in this sealed room?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, how did the murderer escape from this room without being seen by witnesses?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yashiro Toshihiro looked at the clues written on the paper, thought for a long time without finding an answer, and couldn't help but sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Sigh*, Akiwara-sensei, you really know how to keep people in suspense!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tore off that sheet of paper and began writing on a new one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he hadn't finished the entire serialization and couldn't be sure how the story would unfold,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he believed that Akiwara Yuto’s previous series of works had already proven his talent, so he figured this story wouldn't be bad either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the name Akiwara Yuto had been a hot topic of public interest recently, so he assumed quite a few readers would be paying attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, this time, he prepared to write a quarter-page book review to briefly promote it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what would be a good title?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yashiro Toshihiro thought for a long time, then wrote the title \"I Am Not the Murderer—Akiwara Yuto’s New Work Released\" on the paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After writing the title, he organized the outline in his mind, leaned over, and began to write furiously...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chiyoda Ward, Mantan Society Headquarters, *Tokyo Literature* Editorial Department.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newly appointed editor-in-chief, Matsushima Kazuhiro, sat on a leather sofa, looked around at the office furnishings, and felt a complex mix of emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt a bit proud, but also somewhat incredulous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half a year ago, he was still the deputy editor-in-chief of *New*, running around all day trying to secure promotional resources and racking his brain for how to advance his career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he never expected that in these six months, his life’s circumstances would undergo such a earth-shattering change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Kikuchi Tai was \"exiled,\" he was first promoted to editor-in-chief of *New* by Kihara Daigo, but due to the sharp decline in *New*’s sales, he had to request a departmental transfer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was communicating with his superiors about the transfer, a \"public opinion war\" broke out between Mantan Society and Akiwara Yuto.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following that, Kihara Daigo and Takei Kohei were \"exiled,\" and another deputy editor-in-chief of *Tokyo Literature* was also given a corresponding punishment for failing to submit a proper report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After various considerations, his superiors issued a transfer order, requiring him to take up a post at *Tokyo Literature* and cooperate with the Public Relations Bureau to handle the market promotion for *Tokyo Literature*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, he became the new editor-in-chief of *Tokyo Literature*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Matsushima Kazuhiro was reflecting on his life's fortunes, a knock at the door suddenly sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after, the door opened, and a female office worker in professional attire walked in, holding a book in her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Editor-in-Chief Matsushima, this is the latest issue of *April Youth*. Please take a look.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Matsushima Kazuhiro nodded and took the book from her, though he felt somewhat dismissive in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the literary journals of the four major publishing houses, *April Youth* had the worst sales performance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, he also knew the specific reason; after all, Kejiaoguan had been trying to transition to other more profitable businesses in recent years, and there was a certain amount of controversy over whether to put great effort into managing literary journals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This also meant that in recent book reviews and newspaper promotions, *April Youth* received the least amount of space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this, even if *April Youth* did that, it wouldn't have been a big problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, as long as there were excellent works, a group of \"loyal\" readers would still purchase the magazine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem lay right there: their signature author, Nakata Keito, had actually jumped ship to *Tokyo Literature* because he wanted to challenge Akiwara Yuto, which caused a large number of originally loyal readers to drift away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to think of it, he had to thank Akiwara Yuto for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it weren't for him, how could he have become the new editor-in-chief of *Tokyo Literature*!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he thought this, he lowered his head to look at the cover of *April Youth*, but the moment he saw it, Matsushima Kazuhiro was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the cover, the line \"*The Invisible Guest*, by Akiwara Yuto\" was written.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Matsushima Kazuhiro’s expression turned serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was going on? Why had Akiwara Yuto popped up again? Hadn't he just released a standalone book? Was there no downtime for him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And why was he mixed up with *April Youth* again? Did he want to establish a long-term partnership with Kejiaoguan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more Matsushima Kazuhiro thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, and his brow furrowed tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although, according to common sense, the boost an author provides to a magazine requires long-term accumulation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Matsushima Kazuhiro had served at *New* and had watched Akiwara Yuto use serialization to push *New*’s sales from less than 30,000 copies to over 200,000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his view, Akiwara Yuto could not be judged by common sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such a precedent, how could he possibly set his mind at ease?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, the female office worker, seeing her new editor-in-chief looking uneasy, asked tentatively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Editor-in-Chief, I’ve read the first installment of his serialization, and personally, I don't think there’s anything particularly brilliant about it. So, should we arrange to publish some articles saying his talent has declined?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her view, if they were too worried about this work, it would be better to smear it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the public, especially, loved to read about topics like whose talent had fallen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to her surprise, this Editor-in-Chief Matsushima put down the book and looked at her with an expression as if looking at an \"idiot.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after, Matsushima Kazuhiro said in a loud voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Editor Kawamoto, are you an idiot?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you know how much money Mantan Society spent to appease Akiwara Yuto? How much public relations expense was consumed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not counting the 300 million yen paid for the settlement, the public relations expenses alone exceeded an additional 1 billion yen. And that doesn't include the losses suffered by other departments of the publishing house!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With your salary, even if you worked for another 500 years, you wouldn't earn that amount of money!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he berated his subordinate, he also felt a sense of frustration at her lack of insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt that she must have water in her brain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current Akiwara Yuto was no longer the fledgling newcomer he had been at the start; he had the \"backing\" of the Mystery Writers Association and the Burakumin political groups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, he was practically a \"hedgehog\"!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although small, whoever touched him would get pricked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mantan Society had finally managed to pull out the \"thorn\" that had pricked them, so why bother provoking him again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female office worker was stunned after hearing this reprimand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was \"at a loss\" for a moment and didn't know how to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, she finally reacted and immediately bowed deeply to apologize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm sorry! It was my oversight, please forgive me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Mantan Society had made personnel adjustments to its literary journals, she had only recently been transferred to *Tokyo Literature* and didn't know much about the taboos in this area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn't expected that such a simple suggestion of hers would be so harshly rebuked by her superior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Matsushima Kazuhiro ignored his subordinate and focused on thinking of a countermeasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed he would have to go find the newly appointed general manager and request more promotional budget and space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked up the book again, looked at the \"Akiwara Yuto\" line on the *April Youth* in his hand, and muttered to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Akiwara-sensei, this time, let us have a fair and square showdown!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1492,"2026-06-21T03:58:01.347Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","43140c6b616a37712b839d1a2392866577b3a4a0df5220105e719322a231627a","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-168","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-166",334,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fliterary-master-of-tokyo-cover.jpg"]