Chapter 31: How to Slice the

"Akiwara-san, don't look so glum." The one speaking was none other than Imamura Yuto, a friend Akiwara Yuto had met at the publishing house.

He was dressed in a pink floral suit, wearing a black bowtie and brogue leather shoes, looking incredibly flamboyant. He urged Akiwara Yuto, "We're here to have fun today, you can't wear a face like that."

Akiwara Yuto stood beside him, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, looking just like an ordinary university student.

He replied irritably, "Weren't we supposed to discuss business? Why come to a place like this?"

He had received a call from Imamura Yuto the day before yesterday; the latter had asked him out today to discuss a matter, and after thinking it over, he had agreed.

He had assumed they would find a simple place to chat, but he hadn't expected to be led all the way to a high-end club called "Misaki."

High-end clubs in Japan are essentially upscale nightclubs; they are the places most frequented by the powerful in Japanese politics and business, and even the cultural circles are no exception.

Cultural celebrities in Japan such as writers Mishima Yukio, Kawabata Yasunari, and Shiba Ryotaro, as well as manga artists Tezuka Osamu, Akatsuka Fujio, and Fujiko Fujio, were all regular guests at such clubs.

Fujiko Fujio even jokingly claimed that the name Shizuka in "Doraemon" came from a certain mama-san, which gave him, upon learning this inside story at the time, a feeling of having his childhood ruined.

Akiwara Yuto felt a bit of a headache; although he didn't like such places, he didn't have any moral hang-ups either, as the purpose of coming was simply to talk.

However, it seemed the fees here weren't cheap, and having just donated two installments of his manuscript fees to charity, he was a bit short on cash.

Imamura Yuto seemed to notice his embarrassment, patted him on the shoulder, and winked, saying, "Don't worry, it's my treat today."

Akiwara Yuto helplessly offered a suggestion: "Actually, we could have talked at my place."

Upon hearing this, although the expression on Imamura Yuto's face remained cynical, his tone became slightly more serious: "Akiwara-san, as a writer, if you want to continue moving up in the future, you must integrate into this circle."

Seeing Akiwara Yuto was somewhat confused, he continued to explain: "The club I brought you to is one frequently visited by many writers and executives from the Mantan Society, and you can meet a lot of useful connections here. Think about it, if you publish a standalone volume or win an award in the future, wouldn't it sell better if you had a few friends in the newspapers saying nice things about you?"

Akiwara Yuto hadn't expected this to be what Imamura Yuto meant, and he was momentarily surprised.

However, he didn't entirely agree with this in his heart; he believed that what a writer should truly do is perfect their work, rather than spending all day networking.

After all, if the quality of the work is limited, no amount of networking will be of any use. Conversely, if the work is excellent to an extreme degree, those connections will naturally flock to you.

But the other party meant well, so he didn't refute him.

The two walked through the revolving door and were spotted from afar by a young woman wearing a white, tight-fitting camisole dress.

This woman walked up quickly and greeted Imamura Yuto warmly, "Imamura-sensei, it's been such a long time. I thought you had forgotten about Miyu."

Imamura Yuto immediately returned to his sleazy persona and said exaggeratedly, "How could that be? Even if Japan were to sink, I would never forget someone as cute as Miyu."

"You're awful~ always saying such sweet things~"

Although the young woman said this, her expression showed not a hint of impatience. She even walked up and hooked her arm into Imamura Yuto's. She looked at Akiwara Yuto and asked curiously, "And this handsome guy is..."

Before Akiwara Yuto could answer, Imamura Yuto immediately introduced him: "This is Akiwara-sensei, who is publishing a serialization in 'New Novels.' Don't let his youth fool you; he will definitely be a big shot in the literary world in the future~"

The young woman knew how to play along with the "atmosphere" and immediately opened her mouth slightly to praise him, saying, "That's amazing."

She was indeed a bit surprised; seeing Akiwara Yuto dressed like a university student, she had assumed he was Imamura Yuto's student or relative, not an author who had already debuted.

Watching their "flirting," Akiwara Yuto regretted coming; he would have been better off writing at home.

Fortunately, the two didn't chat for long before heading toward a booth inside. Akiwara Yuto walked to the side, constantly observing the place—the decor was slightly luxurious and exaggerated, clearly designed to suit the aesthetic of the economic bubble era. However, the environment was relatively quiet, making it a good place for conversation.

The young woman arranged for them to sit in a corner booth, and she sat down next to Imamura Yuto.

At this moment, another mama-san came over, exchanged a few polite words with them, and then summoned a hostess who looked somewhat innocent to come over and sit next to Akiwara Yuto.

Akiwara Yuto intended to refuse, but he knew the importance of "reading the air," so he had to pretend nothing was wrong, though he subconsciously shifted his seat a little further away.

The new hostess's expression stiffened for a moment, but she immediately put on an "innocent" smile again, acting as if nothing had happened.

Akiwara Yuto didn't care about her thoughts and intended to get straight to the point.

He coughed lightly, looked at Imamura Yuto, who had just finished ordering drinks, and asked directly: "Imamura-san, tell me now. What was it you wanted to tell me earlier?"

Imamura Yuto hadn't expected Akiwara Yuto to be so oblivious to the mood, so he shrugged helplessly and began: "Akiwara-san, how much do you know about the Mantan Society Literary Award?"

"I generally understand it."

"Then do you know the selection rules?"

Hearing this, Akiwara Yuto was a bit confused: "Isn't it awarded to whoever has the best writing and the highest popularity?"

Imamura Yuto's expression became somewhat playful, "Akiwara-san, you really are too naive. If it were that simple, it would be great. You have to know that the judges are human, and as long as they are human, they are influenced by the interests and relationships behind them."

He took the drink handed to him by the young woman next to him, took a sip, and continued on his own: "Although I am also a newcomer, my family has elders in this circle, so I know a thing or two about the inside story. How about this, let me explain it to you simply."

Seeing the other party's expression become slightly more serious, Akiwara Yuto listened carefully.

"The Mantan Society Literary Award is a big cake. Because of the gap in sales, this cake is mainly divided between 'Tokyo Literature' and secondly 'New Novels.' However, the way this cake is sliced is also very particular; it is often decided according to the wishes of the higher-ups, sometimes more, sometimes less."

Imamura Yuto finished the overview and sighed: "But this year is different."

"How is it different?"

"The person cutting the cake has different ideas."

Seeing that Akiwara Yuto didn't understand what he meant, Imamura Yuto smiled, then put his arm around his companion's shoulder and said: "Akiwara-san, you should have read 'Footsteps of Seeking' by now, right?"

Akiwara Yuto nodded; after all, since it was in the same magazine, he had naturally been reading it.

Imamura Yuto wore an inscrutable expression, "What do you think of this piece?"

Although Akiwara Yuto didn't want to speak ill of others, he told the truth: "To be honest, I think it's mediocre; there's nothing about it that attracts me."

Imamura Yuto laughed and poured himself a drink: "Akiwara-san, you really are too young. Haven't you noticed that the scenes in it are very suitable for adaptation into film and television? And it depicts Hokkaido, doesn't it?"

He took a sip of his drink and continued: "The Mantan Society has been wanting to expand its business into other markets in recent years, and for this reason, they really want to have a good relationship with the local government. And 'Footsteps of Seeking' just happens to describe the local customs of Hokkaido. Would you say that's a coincidence?"

Akiwara Yuto pondered for a moment, still confused: "But what does this have to do with the Mantan Society Literary Award?"

Imamura Yuto shook his head and analyzed further for him: "Akiwara-san, it's all about interests! The Mantan Society wants to have a good relationship with Hokkaido, so 'Footsteps of Seeking' is undoubtedly a bargaining chip. Whether it's publishing a standalone volume or being adapted into a film or television show, it can increase the local profile and bring a certain amount of traffic to the tourism industry. And these benefits can all be counted as the political achievements of those local politicians."

After hearing the analysis, Akiwara Yuto's heart sank, and his brow furrowed.

If that were the case, then the publishing house would certainly have to award at least a Gold Prize to "Footsteps of Seeking" to increase its value.

In other words, unless his work could bring greater benefits to the publishing house, it would be difficult to compete with it for the award.

Seeing Akiwara Yuto's heavy expression, Imamura Yuto could only comfort him: "Akiwara-san, actually, you don't need to care too much about awards. After all, you're still young; if you wait a few more years, you'll have them."

He joked again: "Of course, if you could single-handedly boost the circulation of 'New Novels' to exceed 'Tokyo Literature,' then your editor-in-chief would probably kneel to help you beg for the Gold Prize. No, even the Grand Prize might be possible!"

Akiwara Yuto heard that this was a joke and rolled his eyes at him, but he knew that this was the other party's way of comforting him. Although "New Novels" had been reprinted, its sales still had a huge gap compared to "Tokyo Literature," and it wasn't something he could boost in a short time with just a few works.

But if he were given more time, that might be a different story.

It was just that when he thought of Asano Aiko constantly working hard for his work to win an award, he couldn't help but feel a bit melancholy.

Just then, the club's mama-san brought over a man he didn't recognize...