Chapter 32: A Torrent of Abuse

After the mama-san brought this person over, she bowed and left. The latter stepped forward and greeted him with a very familiar expression.

"Akiwara-san, how does it feel to be famous?"

Akiwara Yuto was somewhat puzzled; he didn't remember knowing this person, so he subconsciously sized him up.

This person’s appearance was rather unremarkable, with a pair of exceptionally small eyes, though his gaze looked quite sharp. His height was average, around 1.7 meters, and he had a rather thin build. However, his financial status should be quite good; not only was he wearing a luxury watch, but even his suit was custom-made.

At this moment, Imamura Yuto seemed to recognize the other party and stood up immediately to bow politely: "Kadowaki-senpai, good evening."

Akiwara Yuto was a bit surprised; he had just been discussing the man's work, and now he was seeing the person in the flesh. He reacted immediately and also stood up to bow in greeting—although he and the other party were both contracted writers for *New Novel*, the other party was, after all, a senior who had been writing for many years.

Seeing that Akiwara Yuto’s movement to stand up was slow, Kadowaki Yuzuma seemed a bit "dissatisfied." He let out a light snort and said in a contemptuous tone: "Akiwara-san seems to have an opinion of me?!"

Akiwara Yuto sensed the other party’s ill intent and subconsciously frowned. Just as he was about to reply, Imamura Yuto, who was by his side, immediately stepped in to smooth things over: "Kadowaki-senpai, please forgive us. Akiwara-san and I have had a bit to drink tonight and didn't recognize you just now."

Kadowaki Yuzuma narrowed those eyes of his, stared fixedly at Akiwara Yuto, and said in a condescending tone: "Then, as for seniors, Akiwara-san should also be very well-versed in etiquette, right?"

Akiwara Yuto was getting impatient; he felt he had encountered a lunatic who kept spouting "senior" and "junior" at every turn. Just as he was about to retort, Imamura Yuto secretly tugged at his sleeve.

He was just wondering about Imamura Yuto’s intention when the latter took the initiative to smile and say to Kadowaki Yuzuma: "Kadowaki-senpai, of course Akiwara-san is very well-versed in etiquette."

After saying this, Imamura Yuto signaled his female companion nearby to bring over a wine glass, then continued to say to Kadowaki Yuzuma: "Kadowaki-senpai, since we’ve met by chance here, why don't you sit down and have a couple of drinks with us?"

He wanted to ease the atmosphere, but Kadowaki Yuzuma had no intention of accepting the gesture, his expression remaining arrogant: "No need for drinks. Akiwara-san, I came to find you this time because of a matter."

Akiwara Yuto felt that he couldn't keep playing dumb, but he didn't want to ruin Imamura Yuto’s good intentions, so he responded with feigned politeness: "Kadowaki-senpai, may I ask what advice you have for me?"

Kadowaki Yuzuma’s attitude seemed to improve slightly, but his tone remained stern: "Tell your editor to give up the cover position."

Akiwara Yuto was stunned. He hadn't expected the other party to make such an unreasonable request; it was as absurd as someone pointing at a road while driving and claiming it belonged to them.

Imamura Yuto reacted immediately. He also saw that this Kadowaki-sensei had come to stir up trouble, so he tried to smooth things over again: "Kadowaki-senpai, we are here to drink tonight, let's not talk about work..."

Kadowaki Yuzuma glanced at him and said in an impolite tone: "Imamura-san, or should I say Imamura-sensei, this is currently an internal matter for our *New Novel* editorial department. Please do not interfere."

Seeing Imamura Yuto struck dumb, Kadowaki Yuzuma continued speaking to Akiwara Yuto: "Akiwara-san, since you know the rules of seniors and juniors, as a newcomer, you should be more honest and not always think about things you shouldn't have."

He said this without any ambiguity. Today, Editor Matsushima had informed him that the cover position for the next few issues was to be given to Akiwara Yuto’s work, because the other party’s articles had driven a sharp increase in the magazine's sales.

He had questioned it at the time: why should he have to make way for a greenhorn? How many years had he been active, how much had he contributed to *New Novel*, and yet, just when he finally had a serialized work that could receive key support from the editorial department, he had fallen to this state.

He just looked at Akiwara Yuto like that, took a cigarette case out of his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep breath, and exhaled a layer of smoke like gauze.

Akiwara Yuto felt the smoke exhaled by the other party was almost blowing into his face, and he felt increasingly displeased.

But what he found even harder to understand was the other party’s shameless request.

As a writer, shouldn't one use the pen in their hand to win everything they deserve?

Yet this Kadowaki Yuzuma was trying to rely on his status as a senior to make others give up their own interests. What was this, brain-dead?

The cover, the promotion—these were all results that he and Asano Aiko had fought for together; they weren't things that could be obtained so easily.

Looking at it from another angle, if he were to give up the cover, how would he face Asano Aiko, whom he was trying to repay?

He made up his mind in an instant, let go of his concerns about the other party, and said with a smile: "Kadowaki-senpai, may I ask if you have heard a proverb?"

Kadowaki Yuzuma looked puzzled: "What proverb?"

"Incompetent dogs only know how to bark."

Kadowaki Yuzuma lost face; he hadn't expected Akiwara Yuto to be so tactless, even going so far as to insult him, a senior.

His tone became even sharper, and he said angrily: "Akiwara-san, please don't ruin yourself. If you apologize now, I might still..."

"I will not apologize!" Akiwara Yuto interrupted him directly and said sternly: "Kadowaki-sensei, as a writer, you don't think about how to improve your writing and design articles that readers appreciate more, but instead spend all day on these crooked paths! Let me tell you, this cover position is something Asano Aiko and I fought for together, and I won't concede a single bit to trash like you!"

His voice became even colder: "To be honest, compared to the male protagonist in your work, you look like a clown right now, only knowing how to bare your fangs and brandish your claws to intimidate others—it’s disgusting! I think for your next serialization, you could write yourself as a murderer; it might be much more interesting than what you're writing now!"

After saying what was on his mind, he greeted the stunned Imamura Yuto and turned to leave. Because his voice was quite loud, many of the surrounding guests heard him, and the mama-san in the distance even hurried over.

Kadowaki Yuzuma’s face turned blue and red, just like a monkey’s backside; it was obvious at a glance that he was furious. He wanted to shout a few insults, but he held them back.

In the club they were currently in, there were many people related to publishing houses; if he made a big scene, rumors would surely spread quickly.

He stared at Akiwara Yuto’s retreating back, his expression turning ferocious, and he lowered his voice.

"You impolite brat, I will make you regret this sooner or later!"