[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-literary-master-of-tokyo":3,"chapter-literary-master-of-tokyo-literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-230":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},2355079,4607,"Chapter 230: Erotic","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-230",230,"\u003Cp>At 7:00 PM, Akiwara Yuto arrived at a club in Ginza, riding in a private car driven by his bodyguard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After having the bodyguard wait downstairs, Akiwara Yuto followed a hostess to the room designated by Kawai Shinta.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hostess pushed open the door and gestured for Akiwara Yuto to enter; as he walked in, he took a look around—it was vastly different from the clubs he had visited before, with an environment as luxurious as a five-star hotel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the center of the room, Kawai Shinta, dressed in a kimono, sat on a sofa chatting with a slightly chubby man in a deep red suit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside the two men, two beautiful hostesses were helping pour drinks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing Akiwara Yuto, the two men stood up, and Kawai Shinta smiled as he introduced them, \"Akiwara, this is Mr. Shida Daxi, the executive director of the *Chishi Shimbun*.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slightly chubby man named Shida Daxi also smiled and bowed, \"Nice to meet you. I am Shida Daxi, please take care of me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the other man's sincere attitude, Akiwara Yuto immediately returned the bow and introduced himself; in the process, he couldn't help but size the man up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Mr. Shida was probably in his 40s, a bit stout, with a round face. When he smiled, his eyes squinted completely shut, making him look a bit like a comedian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for some reason, even though the man smiled very kindly, Akiwara Yuto always felt the smile was \"fake,\" giving him a feeling similar to seeing Takei Kohei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto subconsciously became vigilant, but he immediately reminded himself that he was no longer the obscure writer he once was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this meeting was arranged by Kawai Shinta, and the other party had a request for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, from any angle, there was no need for him to be so guarded against this person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He relaxed his mind, exchanged a few polite pleasantries with a smile, and then sat down on the sofa at Kawai Shinta's invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shida Daxi wanted to ask the mama-san to arrange another hostess, but Kawai Shinta, familiar with Akiwara Yuto's temperament, waved his hand to politely decline on his behalf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto took the glass handed to him by a hostess, took a sip, and asked, \"Executive Director Shida, may I ask if there is anything special regarding your invitation for me to come here today?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During their previous phone call, Kawai Shinta had only said someone had entrusted him to help with an introduction, without specifying what it was about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that they were getting to the point, Shida Daxi took his hand off the hostess's shoulder and said politely, \"Akiwara-sensei, how much do you know about our *Chishi Shimbun*?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto had a deep understanding of the publishing industry, but his knowledge of newspapers was only average.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking for a moment, he said, \"I apologize, I only know that your publication has a large circulation, but I haven't looked into the specifics in depth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shida Daxi was stunned; he had assumed that as a writer, Akiwara Yuto would be well-versed in his newspaper, and he hadn't expected this response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his embarrassment, Kawai Shinta took over the conversation, \"Akiwara-sensei is busy with his writing and doesn't pay much attention to the outside world. Let me explain...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through his introduction, Akiwara Yuto finally understood the specific situation of the *Chishi Shimbun*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As one of the world's largest newspaper-publishing nations, Japan occupied four of the top 10 spots for newspaper circulation globally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the *Chishi Shimbun*, where Shida Daxi worked, happened to be ranked 4th, with a daily circulation of 1.6 million copies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three ahead of it were the *Yomiuri Shimbun*, the *Asahi Shimbun*, and the *Nihon Keizai Shimbun*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto couldn't help but feel slightly surprised; looking at it this way, this Mr. Shida's status as an executive director of the *Chishi Shimbun* was quite extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He figured that even some politicians would have to be respectful in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto took the initiative to pour a drink for the other man—this was the Japanese etiquette of offering a drink, showing respect and making up for his previous \"rudeness.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shida Daxi was also a \"shrewd operator\"; he downed the drink in one gulp and then took the initiative to pour one for Akiwara.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he was the one asking for a favor today, so there was no need to put on the airs of a newspaper executive director.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his view, for Akiwara Yuto to achieve such great success at such a young age, it was hard to say how far he would go in a few years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since that was the case, it was better to do the superficial work well and leave a good impression on the other party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Kawai Shinta finished explaining the situation, he coughed and reminded Shida Daxi, \"Executive Director Shida, I've finished; why don't you discuss the specifics with Akiwara-sensei.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shida Daxi nodded and took over, \"It's like this, Akiwara-sensei, I hope you can serialize a column in the culture section of the *Chishi Shimbun*.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto was not surprised; this was likely the only thing someone would ask of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was still a bit puzzled, so he asked, \"Executive Director Shida, why choose me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In all of Japan, the number of mystery writers was certainly not small; the Mystery Writers Association alone had hundreds of members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in terms of seniority, his debut hadn't been long, and he hadn't even won a Uemura Prize for any of his works.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to other veteran writers, his foundation was indeed a bit shallow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shida Daxi smiled and said, \"That's because I'm a fan of the *Furuhata Ninzaburo* series!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the massive popularity of the *Furuhata Ninzaburo* series, more and more middle-aged men and women had become fans of the show, and he was naturally no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Shida Daxi's view, just by putting out the name that this was a new work by the author of the *Furuhata Ninzaburo* series, many loyal readers would likely pay for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides that, Akiwara Yuto had been at the center of public opinion since his debut, and his name was very topical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this explanation, Akiwara Yuto felt a bit speechless, while Kawai Shinta on the side laughed, \"Akiwara, isn't this a good thing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto was about to say something, but noticed Kawai Shinta giving him a meaningful look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt a bit confused, thought for a moment, and said earnestly, \"Executive Director Shida, I am very honored to be invited by you, but I would like to consider it first before giving you an answer, is that alright?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shida Daxi didn't show any disappointment and laughed heartily, \"Akiwara-sensei, of course that's no problem. As long as you've decided, just call me immediately.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying this, he tacitly stopped mentioning the topic and instead hugged his female companion again, chatting about romantic affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kawai Shinta seemed to be an expert in this as well, and the two chatted quite happily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Akiwara Yuto, although he wasn't interested and was just pretending to \"listen,\" his eyes were still opened wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a newspaper executive, Shida Daxi often socialized with the powerful, bringing female celebrities who were in the public eye to spend the night at these gatherings, including one who was considered a pure and innocent actress by the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Kawai Shinta, although he was older and had a wife, he still had the interests of \"Cao Aman,\" favoring mature, older women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relying on his accumulated fame, he often went to love hotels with female fans to spend the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While his bottom line was being refreshed, Akiwara Yuto thought of the \"erotic\" culture within Japanese culture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Japan's earliest historical record, the *Kojiki*, to the poetry anthology *Man'yōshū*, and the folk classic *The Tale of Genji*, all of them advocated for the love between men and women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Haruki Murakami's *Norwegian Wood* contained extensive descriptions of the \"bed\" affairs between men and women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three chatted until the early hours of the morning before ending the gathering. Akiwara Yuto had wanted to ask Kawai Shinta about the meaning of that \"look,\" but he hadn't expected the man to leave directly while hugging the beautiful hostess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sighing, Akiwara Yuto reunited with his bodyguard and got into the private car for the return trip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the bustling nightscape receding outside the car window, Akiwara Yuto pondered this matter from today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was naturally no major problem with cooperating with Shida Daxi; after all, as an executive director of the *Chishi Shimbun*, he was exactly the kind of \"connection\" in the media circle that he most wanted to cultivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what worried Akiwara Yuto was that he might not be able to achieve the same level of consistent relationship with him as he had with *April Youth*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First was the scale; as a literary journal, it was not easy for *April Youth* to maintain a circulation of 300,000 copies, and that was only achieved with his help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the circulation of the *Chishi Shimbun* was 1.6 million copies, five times that of the former, and it was published every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he started a serialization, the most likely scenario would be one piece per week.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, there was the target audience; the readers targeted by *April Youth* were mainly those interested in literature or mystery literature. His works happened to be able to pique their interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But among those who read newspapers, what percentage would be interested in mystery?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at it this way, it would probably be difficult to bring about a surge in sales, right?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akiwara Yuto frowned and began to think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his \"help\" couldn't bring any substantial benefits to the *Chishi Shimbun*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what use would his favor be? He couldn't just post a classic article from his past life and end up making no impact at all, could he!?\u003C\u002Fp>",1662,"2026-06-21T03:58:02.196Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","ea0fc3656aa2a73ea8b7eb55827795bbdc3cb75016a80f94475b4da51bc7a5f3","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-231","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-229",334,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fliterary-master-of-tokyo-cover.jpg"]