[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-literary-master-of-tokyo":3,"chapter-literary-master-of-tokyo-literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-3":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},2354852,4607,"Chapter 3: The Story is Poisonous","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-3",3,"\u003Cp>The story is about a pair of twins named Koshi and Yoko.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite being twins, the two were treated completely differently at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mother’s attitude toward the older sister, Yoko, was atrocious; not only did she make her sleep in the corner of the living room, but she only let her eat leftovers. Furthermore, the mother had broken her teeth and burned her body with cigarette butts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mother doted on the younger sister, Koshi, favoring her in every aspect of life and buying her whatever gifts she wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under this differential treatment, the younger sister, Koshi, also held Yoko in contempt; even when she saw Yoko suffering from school bullying, she would simply pretend not to know her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, Yoko sat alone on a bench in the small park downstairs from their apartment building. She felt very sad, not knowing why she was being treated this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a stray dog ran to her feet and rubbed against her. Yoko was a bit surprised when she saw it; she felt as if she had seen this dog before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After struggling to recall, she remembered seeing a \"lost dog\" notice on a utility pole earlier, and it was looking for this very dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking it over, she picked up the dog and delivered it to the address on the notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon reaching the destination, she knocked on the door, and an elderly woman named Mitsuko came out to greet her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was the dog’s owner. Seeing Yoko bring the dog back, she was very happy and invited her inside as a guest, treating her to snacks she had made herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko took a bite and found she had never eaten such delicious food before, so she couldn't help but wolf it down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how Yoko ate, the old woman’s heart was filled with sympathy, and she invited Yoko to visit again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko was deeply moved; she had never been treated like this before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the old woman’s house, Yoko returned to her normal life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, she was taken by her younger sister, Koshi, to eat with two other classmates. Except for Yoko, who had nothing, everyone else had a burger and a side of fries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Koshi took a bite of her burger, found it unpalatable, and spat it into her palm with a \"ptui\" sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She saw Yoko sitting across from her, reached out, and held the vomit mixed with saliva in front of Yoko’s mouth, signaling for her to eat it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The classmate next to them felt disgusted and stood up to dissuade her, but Koshi just laughed, \"Yoko eats anything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing her younger sister’s words, Yoko took the lump of vomit, closed her eyes, opened her mouth wide, and ate it with a \"contented\" expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this scene, everyone felt exceptionally disgusted and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When only Yoko was left, her face revealed an expression of both pain and loneliness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That evening, Yoko went to Mitsuko’s house and found that the old woman had prepared a sumptuous dinner to welcome her. After the meal, the old woman helped her change into clean clothes and combed her messy hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko was very happy; she had never felt so fortunate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two talked about life. Yoko expressed that she was not liked by anyone, and after listening, the old woman encouraged her: \"You must know that if you want to change, you can definitely change.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko was lost in thought after hearing this. Could she really change?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When leaving, the old woman gave Yoko a book and a key, telling her she could come whenever she wanted, and made a promise with Yoko: \"One day, let's go on a trip together!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing these words, Yoko couldn't help but smile; she felt that for the first time in her life, there was sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thanking her, she began to return home, only for her mother to see the book in her hand. The mother’s first reaction was that Yoko had stolen it, so she immediately beat her severely. She berated her for how difficult it was to give birth to her while raining down blows and kicks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The younger sister, Koshi, said from the side, \"It was just a momentary impulse.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sounded like an attempt to persuade, but it tacitly admitted the fact that Yoko had stolen the book. Hearing this, the mother hit her even more viciously, even tearing at Yoko’s hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko covered her head with both hands, and in her grief and indignation, she passed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After waking up, she found that her book had been confiscated by her mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mother glanced at her and said coldly, \"If you dare enter my room, I will kill you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko remained silent, but she was determined to get it back; that book was very precious to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tucked inside it was the key the old woman had given her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, taking advantage of her mother being away, Yoko snuck into her room and began searching everywhere. Because the room was messy, it took Yoko half a day to find the book by the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening the book, she couldn't help but feel relieved, as the key was still there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a sound came from the doorway. Unable to escape in time, Yoko immediately hid under the bed. No sooner had she hidden than she saw her younger sister enter the room, seemingly looking for something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While rummaging, Koshi accidentally knocked over all the CDs and overturned a vase nearby, causing the water in the vase to spill directly onto her mother’s laptop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was bad!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Koshi was momentarily panicked. She knew that both the CDs and the laptop were her mother’s prized possessions, and even though she was the one her mother doted on, she might still face punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of the methods her mother used to beat Yoko, she couldn't help but feel terrified and decided to shift all the blame onto Yoko.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko, under the bed, witnessed everything and was filled with fear. She knew Koshi would definitely shift the blame to her and worried that her mother would really kill her. So, after Koshi left, she immediately ran to the old woman’s house for help, only to receive shocking news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The owner of the house had passed away from a stroke yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this news, Yoko found it hard to accept and finally couldn't control herself, bursting into tears. This meant she had lost the only person in the world who cared about her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst her sobbing, she couldn't help but think of the words Mitsuko had warned her with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She swore that she must change her own destiny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way home, Yoko saw her younger sister, Koshi, and summoned the courage to call out to her: \"You broke Mom’s computer, didn't you? Mom... already knows it was you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mom will think it was you, right? Anyway, you’re used to being scolded by Mom, aren't you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Koshi glanced at her and replied unhurriedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko lowered her head and said in a low voice, \"Mom already knows it was you; she was shouting about how the order of the CDs was different.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Koshi couldn't help but panic. She didn't know that Yoko had seen everything from under the bed and assumed her mother knew she had broken the computer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko circled around her, as if having made a great resolution, and proposed that they swap identities so she could take the punishment in her place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Koshi accepted as a matter of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two went to the nearest public restroom to swap clothes, and Yoko helped Koshi mess up her hair to look like her usual self. Koshi looked at Yoko, who looked exactly like her, and said, \"The identity swap is only for tonight, okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the two walked to the bottom of their apartment building together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They decided to play rock-paper-scissors to determine who would go upstairs first to talk to their mother. But perhaps due to the telepathy of twins, they kept tying, and it wasn't until the end that Yoko won a round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Koshi, disguised as Yoko, had to go home first, while Yoko waited downstairs. She took out the key Mitsuko had given her and looked toward the house, her heart filled with trepidation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Asano Aiko couldn't help but feel nervous, completely forgetting her original intention to review the manuscript and find faults.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the reading process, her entire range of emotions had been stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From her sympathy upon learning of Yoko’s unfair treatment, to her sadness upon learning of Mitsuko’s passing, and now her nervousness regarding the consequences Koshi would face upon returning home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt her nerves stretched tight at every moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where exactly was the problem with such a work?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart was full of doubt, yet her hand couldn't help but continue turning the pages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure fell from a great height and crashed heavily onto the ground nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko quickly ran over to look and discovered that it was Koshi who had fallen. She lay in a pool of blood with her eyes wide open in terror, not moving at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Koshi’s corpse, her heart was filled with lingering fear and panic!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although afraid, she still returned home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once home, her mother looked at Yoko, who was disguised as \"Koshi,\" and told her to write a suicide note in Yoko’s tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mother pretended to be helpless, saying that Yoko had suddenly climbed onto the balcony railing and jumped off, and that she hadn't been able to grab her in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko directly exposed her: \"Mom pushed her, didn't you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Koshi, are you serious?\" the mother responded with a smile, but she gradually withdrew it: \"Don't say such heart-chilling things.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoko looked at her mother with disappointed eyes, \"Yoko liked Mom very much. She always said that she and Mom were very much alike.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mother sitting across from her glanced at her, as if realizing something, and revealed a strange expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subsequently, the police came to the house to question them and only left after a long time. The mother went back to her room to rest, and Yoko also went to Koshi’s room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the middle of the night, Yoko took her packed luggage, put on her old running shoes, hung the key Mitsuko had given her around her neck, and left the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was determined to pursue her own life!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing the entire piece, Asano Aiko put down the manuscript in her hand and wiped the thin sweat from her forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since she started working at the publishing house, she had rarely seen such a soul-shaking work, let alone from a newcomer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire story, from beginning to end, depicted the different fates of a pair of sisters under the same circumstances, as if it were something happening right next door, making it unforgettable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The abused older sister finally used her younger sister’s death to water the flowers of her own rebirth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their mother might have realized she had killed the wrong person, but she showed no sign of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How should she put it? The ending was overly cruel, yet so matter-of-fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took a deep breath, then calmed down, letting her mindset shift from reader to editor, considering whether or not to accept this manuscript.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This manuscript had already been rejected by *Tokyo Literature*; it shouldn't be a big problem for her to take it, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While thinking, she flipped to the page with the author’s personal information.\u003C\u002Fp>",1933,"2026-06-21T03:58:01.347Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","11ac59e9023920a3523d9ccf98ab5a0824c121a7e4e96980b7be93693eb94525","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-4","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-2",334,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fliterary-master-of-tokyo-cover.jpg"]