Chapter 250: The Barefoot Are Not Afraid of Those Wearing Shoes

Whether it was Akiwara Yuto or the person in charge at Toei Film, both were very dissatisfied with this negotiation.

From Akiwara Yuto's perspective, it was highly unreasonable for Toei Film to use the box office performance of a film that had already been "drastically adapted" as a benchmark to evaluate the copyright value of *The Devotion of Suspect X*.

Toei Film, on the other hand, believed that since the box office for films adapted from the *Zoo* series was mediocre, Akiwara Yuto should accept the fact that their offer was lower.

With both sides holding different opinions, the negotiation ended on a sour note.

However, as they were leaving, the person in charge at Toei Film left behind a remark: "Akiwara-sensei, if you haven't found a suitable partner yet, please remember to contact us."

The implication was that the terms they could offer were the best available.

Faced with this "provocation," Akiwara Yuto didn't even offer any polite pleasantries; he simply watched them leave.

"Akiwara, if things go on like this, it will likely be difficult for the work to be adapted for film and television," Asano Aiko said in a worried tone.

Akiwara Yuto pondered for a moment, recalling the large film companies that had previously rejected his demands, and realized that using "box office revenue sharing" as a condition was indeed difficult, so he suggested, "Would it be more suitable to look for some mid-sized film companies?"

In Japanese society, the larger the company, the more they tend to care about so-called industry rules, even forming a "cartel" model to a certain extent—reaching a consensus on cooperation terms within a specific scope to form a monopoly.

On the contrary, there would be more room for negotiation with mid-sized companies.

Asano Aiko saw that Akiwara Yuto's attitude was firm, so she nodded to indicate she understood.

She took this matter quite seriously; after all, if it could be adapted for film and television, it would inevitably boost the sales of the collected volumes once again.

Having made the decision, she made several phone calls and began contacting friends who were well-versed in the film industry.

After a week of running around and selecting, she finally found one.

"It should be here," Asano Aiko said, getting out of the car with Akiwara Yuto in Setagaya Ward, then pointing to a building not far away. Akiwara Yuto looked from the other side of the car and discovered it was a 6-story building.

The building was white overall and didn't look much like a film company.

Akiwara Yuto took a few quick glances before walking over with Asano Aiko; after all, this was the result of Asano's hard work, and she had even consulted several headhunters.

If it wasn't suitable, the worst that could happen was rejecting them.

As they approached, Akiwara Yuto noticed three men in loose suits already waiting at the entrance. One of the older middle-aged men took the initiative to step forward, bow politely, and introduce himself: "Hello, I am the president of Yoshikawa Co., Ltd., Yoshikawa Wataru. It is a pleasure to meet you; please treat us well."

Akiwara Yuto and Asano also responded politely, then took the elevator upstairs with the other party and sat down in a reception room.

Inside the reception room, the president's female secretary served tea to everyone. After some polite exchanges, Yoshikawa Wataru quickly got to the point: "Akiwara-sensei, Asano-san, I have a general understanding of your intentions, but I am very sorry, we cannot accept."

Akiwara Yuto revealed a puzzled look, while Asano Aiko asked in confusion: "President Yoshikawa, when we contacted you by phone earlier, didn't you indicate that we could discuss this in detail?"

She had found this film company through a headhunter and had made several phone calls beforehand, confirming that the other party could initially accept the requirement for box office revenue sharing, which was why she had arranged for Akiwara Yuto to meet with them.

Yoshikawa Wataru sighed and said helplessly: "We have our own hidden difficulties."

Following that, he talked about issues regarding copyrights and scripts, then added that he was different from Toei Film and didn't have much experience with scripts adapted from such literary works.

While he was speaking, although Akiwara Yuto was frowning, he had been observing his expressions the entire time.

He discovered that this President Yoshikawa was stuttering while speaking, and many of his words seemed to have been uttered only after careful consideration, as if they were deliberately fabricated lies.

But he didn't quite understand what factors would make this president do such a thing, or even change his initial intention.

Asano Aiko tried to persuade him further, but Akiwara Yuto waved his hand to stop her. Seeing Akiwara Yuto's action, Asano Aiko's expression shifted, and she had no choice but to abandon the plan.

That President Yoshikawa even tried to invite the two to stay for lunch at a nearby restaurant, but neither Akiwara nor Asano were in the mood for pleasantries; they feigned having other business and left in a hurry.

Upon returning to the car, Asano Aiko took the initiative to say: "Akiwara, this matter is very strange."

When they were in contact by phone earlier, Yoshikawa Wataru's attitude had been very enthusiastic, even showing a kind of joy as if a pie had fallen from the sky. She hadn't expected that meeting him today would feel like he was a completely different person.

Akiwara Yuto nodded and then said: "I suspect he was coerced."

Asano Aiko asked in confusion: "Coerced?! Who could coerce him?"

"Asano, you're thinking about it the wrong way," Akiwara Yuto continued: "Think about it, if our copyright remains unsold, who would benefit the most?"

Asano Aiko frowned and considered it for a while, then said in an uncertain tone: "Toei Film?"

Akiwara Yuto acknowledged this point, saying: "Judging from the motive, Toei Film and several other large film companies are all possibilities. Judging from their capability, they certainly have the ability to coerce Yoshikawa Co., Ltd."

Although Yoshikawa Co., Ltd. is a mid-sized film company, both its production capabilities and its resources within the industry are far from those of a large company like Toei Film.

And such a gap makes it very likely that Yoshikawa Co., Ltd. would abandon the cooperation with Akiwara Yuto if faced with threats from Toei Film.

"Akiwara, what should we do now then?" Asano Aiko pressed, "Are we going to accept Toei Film's terms?"

Akiwara Yuto shook his head and said: "Please continue to contact other interested companies."

The film and television copyright for *The Devotion of Suspect X* was, after all, a very large "cake," and he didn't believe that all film companies would refuse his requirements out of fear of Toei Film.

Right now, the things he lacked the least were time and patience.

After Akiwara Yuto left, a young man named Nagayama Yoshito, who had been standing behind Yoshikawa Wataru, excitedly clenched his fists.

During his lunch break, he returned to his office, waited until there was no one around, and used the landline to make a call.

After the call connected, he said excitedly: "Utsumi, aren't you looking for a suitable script? I've discovered a great opportunity here!"

"Don't hang up! Let me tell you, do you know that Akiwara Yuto? He came to our company; it seems he was discussing the film and television copyright for one of his works!"

"Of course it didn't succeed, otherwise why would I be telling you? How about this, let's talk in detail at that izakaya tonight!"

Hanging up the phone, a joyful expression appeared on his face.

Regarding the matter of Akiwara Yuto's film and television copyright, he roughly knew the specific reason behind it.

It was because Toei Film had spread the word through the industry association, demanding that other film companies act according to "industry rules," and especially not to overstep.

Therefore, their company president had compromised and conceded under this threat, abandoning his original intention.

But as a veteran screenwriter, Nagayama Yoshito had also read *The Devotion of Suspect X* and was very confident in adapting this work into a film.

So he believed this was the best opportunity possible!

Besides, those who have nothing to lose have nothing to fear; for some people, Toei Film's threats were absolutely worthless.

So he prepared to urge his friend, who was an independent producer, to negotiate for this copyright, and then take this copyright to find a few investors to cooperate and secure funding.

He didn't believe that with the banner of Akiwara Yuto, he wouldn't be able to attract a few investors!

If he really missed this opportunity, he estimated he would regret it for half his life!