Chapter 21: Should I Help?

Hearing this answer from Akiwara Yuto, Igawa Akemi was stunned for a moment; she didn't expect to get this reply.

In her impression, as long as she asked someone for help, that person would often agree very easily.

Didn't expect that now...

Akiwara Yuto saw the other party's reaction, glanced at her a bit surprised, and turned to leave directly.

He was not some kind-hearted person, and he wouldn't easily agree just because someone asked casually.

He was planning to go home and ponder which work was suitable for adaptation—although there was still some distance from the submission deadline for the Detective Literature Newcomer Award, he didn't intend to waste a single minute or second and was prepared to find a piece to practice first.

Igawa Akemi saw Akiwara Yuto's action and suddenly became anxious; she didn't expect Akiwara Yuto to show her any gentlemanly demeanor and actually walked away without even turning his head.

No, Akemi, you can't give up so easily.

She thought for less than two seconds, immediately made up her mind, ran directly in front of Akiwara Yuto, bowed deeply, and said in a very sincere tone: "Please, my theater troupe really needs help."

Akiwara Yuto saw that he was blocked and could only stop his steps, looking speechlessly at the girl who was bowing in front of him.

The two were strangers and not related by blood; he really didn't want to waste a bit of time on the other party.

People were coming and going at the library entrance, and many people noticed the actions of the two of them; seeing Akiwara Yuto's cold expression, they thought he was breaking up with this beautiful girl and cast him looks of disdain as if he were a scumbag.

Although Akiwara Yuto felt the pressure of everyone's eyes, he was still prepared to walk around and leave; at worst, he would change to another library to find books to read in the future; anyway, no one knew him.

He took a step forward, but only walked half a step when he felt something was wrong; looking down, he found that the corner of his clothes was pulled by a fair and tender hand.

He frowned, prepared to continue forward, but found that the strength of the hand pulling his clothes was getting bigger and bigger.

Turning his head, he glanced at this beautiful girl who was pulling his clothes, but found that the other party put on an "innocent and pure" expression.

What is this? He thought helplessly, and could only stop his steps, saying in an official tone: "This Ms. Igawa, briefly tell me your request."

Igawa Akemi became happy immediately after hearing this; very good, the plan succeeded.

She straightened her body and brushed her bangs with her hand, "Um... if you don't mind, can we talk elsewhere? I know a cafe nearby that is..."

"Sorry, I don't..." Akiwara Yuto responded expressionlessly, but found that the girl's eyes became "tearful," and her mouth pouted, making the surrounding crowd look over with the eyes of a scumbag again.

Akiwara Yuto ignored the surroundings, glanced at the other party, and signaled the other party to let go.

Although Igawa Akemi let go, she still looked at him with a pleading expression and said in a more sincere tone: "Please, I really need help!"

"Sorry, I have something else to do..."

"It won't trouble you for too long, please!"

As soon as the words fell, she bowed deeply again.

Do Japanese people like bowing so much? Akiwara Yuto wanted to complain in his heart, but seeing the other party's actions, he began to ponder.

Should I agree? If it's just consultation, it shouldn't take much time and energy, but it still feels a bit troublesome.

Igawa Akemi saw his hesitant expression, raised her head and said: "We will provide a certain reward and won't let your hard work be in vain, so, can you listen to me talk about it first..."

Hearing this suggestion, Akiwara Yuto was a bit surprised, stopped the steps he wanted to take, looked at Igawa Akemi, found that her expression was unusually serious, and began to ponder.

How much is appropriate? Why not calculate it according to the manuscript fee of a 20,000-word manuscript; after all, the other party is just a club, and this money is not small.

He also pondered another question at the same time; if the other party is the screenwriter of this stage play, is it really reliable?

As a screenwriter, one must not only have a certain writing foundation but also have a very careful quality. As a result, this Ms. Igawa not only didn't ask his name but even didn't examine his detective level; it was simply incredible to find him to help in such a hurry.

Having said that, besides the monetary reward mentioned by the other party, what other benefits are there for him?

He thought for a few seconds, feeling that going to a public place like a cafe shouldn't encounter any pyramid schemes or preaching, so he responded: "Alright, let's talk about it for now, but I can't make any more guarantees."

He said this first, so that if there were any unreasonable requests, he would have a reason to refuse.

Igawa Akemi saw Akiwara Yuto agree to go to the cafe to talk, and her smile became bright again; she reached out and led Akiwara Yuto toward the cafe.

Paddlescoffee is a cafe closest to the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library; the cafe is not big, with about 6 tables. The two entered the door and sat at a table near the bar.

Igawa Akemi ordered coffee, then looked at Akiwara Yuto with her beautiful eyes; she had made up her mind to prove her charm well.

However, she clearly hit a wall today.

"So, this Ms. Igawa, can you inform me of your purpose." Akiwara Yuto ignored the other party's slightly aggrieved expression and said unceremoniously: "Please inform me as quickly as possible what trouble your club has encountered, and what kind of detective consultation you need."

Igawa Akemi was a bit frustrated; after all, she was a beautiful girl, couldn't the other party have a little more gentlemanly demeanor? But she also heard the other party's impatience, so she said, "Um..."

"Don't um um, my name is Akiwara Yuto."

"Sorry, Akiwara-san." She immediately realized and found that she didn't even ask the other party's name, so she immediately said in a slightly apologetic voice: "I am the vice president of the Tokyo Women's University Drama Club; for the upcoming school festival, we are preparing to rehearse a stage play."

Akiwara Yuto was a bit puzzled and asked suspiciously: "What does this have to do with detective work?"

Stage play can also be considered one of the national cultures of Japan, with a large fan base, similar to Western musicals, adopting the form of "singing + dancing + dialogue."

Among the many stage play troupes in Japan in the past life, the most famous is the Takarazuka Revue, which has many well-known stage play actors such as Amami Yuki.

But because stage plays require actors to express extremely exaggerated tones and large-scale movements, it is inconsistent with the calm protagonist image of many detective novels. So generally speaking, only a very small part of detective novels are suitable for adaptation into stage plays.

Seeing Akiwara Yuto's confusion, Igawa Akemi hurriedly explained: "If it were before, our stage plays were all performed using existing foreign scripts. But this year's school festival is different; a very famous detective writer is coming to our school to visit the school festival, and the school hopes that we can use local detective work as the theme."

After a pause, she also made her reason clear; in order to complete the school's request, their club let her write this detective script. She, as a screenwriter, hoped that Akiwara Yuto could provide some opinions on detective work.

Akiwara Yuto realized; no wonder the other party wanted to find a detective fan to help. However, he thought for a while and frowned; after all, he hadn't had much contact with this area before and didn't have much confidence, but he could try.

Seeing Akiwara Yuto's expression, Igawa Akemi became nervous.

At this time, the waiter brought coffee; she said "Thank you," then turned to look at Akiwara Yuto, and continued to say sincerely: "For delaying Akiwara-san's time, we can use the club's funds to compensate. As for how much the cost is, we can negotiate specifically."

Akiwara Yuto heard the other party take the initiative to mention the reward and began to calculate.

How much is appropriate? Why not calculate it according to the manuscript fee of a 20,000-word manuscript; after all, the other party is just a club, and this money is not small.

He also pondered another question at the same time; if the other party is the screenwriter of this stage play, is it really reliable?

As a screenwriter, one must not only have a certain writing foundation but also have a very careful quality. As a result, this Ms. Igawa not only didn't ask his name but even didn't examine his detective level; it was simply incredible to find him to help in such a hurry.