Chapter 327: Worry and Jealousy

The University of Tokyo, library.

Slap!

A chair overturned on the floor, making a sound.

Upon hearing the loud noise, the people nearby turned their displeased gazes toward the girl standing by the chair.

The girl righted the chair, then bowed her head to signal an apology, and immediately grabbed a newspaper and hurried out of the library.

Her heaving chest undoubtedly proved the unrest in her heart at this moment.

"How could Akiwara-sensei possibly hire a ghostwriter?!"

Toyama Miho was surprisingly angry.

As a student of Akiwara Yuto, she had a heartfelt admiration for him.

And for his talent, she admired him even more from the bottom of her heart.

In mystery literature, Akiwara Yuto not only taught her many techniques for designing tricks but also instructed her in many literary theories outside of mystery literature.

If he were just someone who hired a ghostwriter, it would be impossible for him to know these literary theories.

After all, besides having a certain guiding significance for writing, these literary theories could perhaps be called completely useless.

"No, I cannot just watch outsiders talk about Akiwara-sensei like this," Toyama Miho clenched her fists tightly, "Is there any way I can help him?"

Thinking of this, she found a place to sit down again, spread out the newspaper in her hand, and began to study it carefully.

The author of this article, Shimotake Kazuo, seemed to be a sociology professor at Kyushu University, previously famous for criticizing inactive politicians.

However, since the other party was a person in academia, perhaps her father might have some way.

She did not hesitate, immediately found a phone booth, inserted coins, and dialed her father, Toyama Shuichi.

After the call connected, she intended to quickly explain the cause and effect of this matter clearly.

But to her surprise, Toyama Shuichi already knew about it himself.

"Miho, regarding the reports of Akiwara Yuto hiring a ghostwriter, the literary world basically knows about it today, but don't worry, not many people in the industry actually believe this claim."

Seeming to be afraid that his daughter would worry, he explained further.

"If it were when Akiwara Yuto had just debuted and hadn't written many works, this claim by Shimotake Kazuo might still have had feasibility. But after Akiwara Yuto published so many works, the industry has basically recognized the authenticity of his talent.

After all, how could there be so many excellent writers willing to only accept money and write for him in obscurity? This does not conform to reality. Publishing it themselves would obviously yield greater profits."

After hearing her father's persuasion, Toyama Miho also felt a little more at ease.

However, she soon discovered a blind spot and continued to ask: "Then since it's unbelievable, why would big newspapers like the Yomiuri Shimbun publish it?"

"Miho, the things inside this are very complicated," Toyama Shuichi hesitated for a moment, then continued: "Akiwara Yuto, he has offended too many people's interests."

"Interests?" Toyama Miho was a little puzzled for a moment.

In her view, her teacher just wrote books and published them, so how could that offend anyone's interests?

"Miho, you only need to know that now, whether it is the mystery literature world or the publishing industry, there are enemies of Akiwara Yuto, and they can't wait to see Akiwara Yuto stepped on lower and lower.

And this so-called report is not for us insiders to see. The people he really wants to sway are the public in society."

"How can it be like this!" Toyama Miho was agitated; she really didn't understand why all this was happening.

"This society is just this cruel," Toyama Shuichi shook his head on the other side of the phone, then comforted her: "Don't worry, for Akiwara Yuto, this is just a small hurdle."

Seeing her father say this, Toyama Miho could only calm down. And Toyama Shuichi comforted her a few more words before hanging up the phone.

Toyama Shuichi left the room, took a cigarette from his pocket, looked at the scenery in the courtyard, lit the cigarette, and took a deep breath.

"Akiwara-sensei, you really have many enemies."

While Toyama Shuichi was lamenting, Funabiki Kyuji, who lived in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, was also reading the newspaper.

But unlike the worry in the Toyama family, his eyes held a kind of deep excitement.

He was a 35-year-old mystery writer, but unlike Akiwara Yuto, his life was full of "setbacks" and "failures."

When he had just graduated from university, he entered the mystery world as a winner of a literary award and obtained a serialization opportunity in a mystery monthly magazine.

And his status as a writer at that time even won the envy of his classmates, and later, he even started dating a beautiful junior.

But he didn't expect that after this, he would start going downhill.

When that mystery monthly magazine received reader feedback, they thought his work's popularity was too low, and thus used euphemistic language to "advise him to quit" the serialization.

After this, Funabiki Kyuji had to work odd jobs while maintaining his writer's dream.

And that junior, seeing him in this state, also quietly changed her address one day and cut off contact with him.

The occurrence of all this made the frustrated Funabiki Kyuji completely disappointed.

However, even so, he still persistently submitted manuscripts to publishing houses, trying to "prove himself" again.

And the sudden emergence of Akiwara Yuto gave him a different feeling.

At the beginning, when Akiwara Yuto released the *ZOO* series and emerged suddenly, Funabiki Kyuji only sighed at his talent after reading it, but didn't think much of it.

After all, there had already been too, too many talented writers in the Japanese literary scene who fell halfway.

And the fact that Akiwara Yuto was later suppressed by the Manga-sha made him feel indignant, associating it with the events of his own being rejected by publishing houses one after another.

During that time, he had a very good impression of Akiwara Yuto, and even saw his own shadow in him.

But this feeling began to deteriorate later on.

As Akiwara Yuto published more and more works and won more and more industry awards, Funabiki Kyuji felt a kind of emotion budding in his heart.

This emotion was naked jealousy!

Why could Akiwara Yuto, a high school graduate who had never been to university, write so many excellent works! And even win the Uemura Award!

While his own academic background was much higher than Akiwara Yuto's, yet he had no presentable works for a long time! And now he could only work odd jobs to make a living!

When the other party was living in a mansion and holding women while holding huge royalties, he could only live silently in a dilapidated house, eating discounted set meals bought from a convenience store!

This was undoubtedly unreasonable!

However, now there was finally an explanation, and that was that Akiwara Yuto achieved today's success by hiring a ghostwriter!

He was just a despicable person without talent and was not worthy of winning the Uemura Award at all!

Funabiki Kyuji was even more excited; he stood up, changed into a jacket, and hurried out of the house.

Next, he was going to an internet cafe to post online and continue to criticize the other party!

He wanted to prove that Akiwara Yuto was a despicable person!