Chapter 329: I Admit That I

The next morning, Akiwara Yuto woke up early.

After putting on a tailored suit, he got into the car sent by Asano Aiko, who had come to pick him up.

The two arrived at the Mikasa Hotel in Tokyo; they had rented out the hotel's top-floor auditorium to serve as the venue for today's press conference.

After Akiwara Yuto appeared, a large number of reporters swarmed forward, snapping photos frantically with their cameras.

"Akiwara-sensei, you've finally appeared. Do you have a rebuttal to Professor Shuangzhu's accusation that you hired a ghostwriter?"

"Akiwara-sensei, Chuanyi Jiusi has publicly accused you of plagiarizing his work. What is your take on this?"

"Akiwara-sensei, what is your relationship with the Mantan Society? Did Miss Asano bring you Chuanyi Jiusi's manuscript?"

"Akiwara-sensei...?! Akiwara-sensei!"

Faced with their increasingly aggressive questions, Akiwara Yuto said nothing.

Under the protection of security guards, Akiwara Yuto glanced at them calmly and said, "Everything will be made clear during the press conference. Please make way."

Some reporters remained relentless, but Akiwara Yuto, Asano, and their party ignored them, taking the elevator directly to the top floor and entering the front of the auditorium from a side door to sit at the head table.

Beside him, in addition to Nishijima Sota, sat Kawai Shinta and Ojiro Rika.

Seeing Akiwara Yuto sit down, they each gave him a worried look; Kawai Shinta even asked hesitantly, "Akiwara, are you really sure about this?"

"Please rest assured," Akiwara Yuto bowed slightly to express his gratitude, then said earnestly, "I have troubled you both this time."

This time, in order to clear his name, he had specifically invited these two.

Their identities, to a certain extent, represented the Mystery Writers Association and the mystery literature publishing industry, respectively.

Seeing him like this, Kawai Shinta could only pat him gently on the shoulder, while Ojiro Rika nodded.

"President Nishijima, let the reporters in," Akiwara Yuto said to Nishijima Sota, who nodded and spoke into his walkie-talkie.

Soon, under the arrangement of the security staff, a large number of reporters flooded into the auditorium and took their positions.

Immediately after, many began asking the same questions they had posed in the lobby, making the scene very noisy.

"Please, everyone, quiet down."

Akiwara Yuto stood up and scanned them with an expressionless look. Seeing him speak, the other reporters quieted down.

Even if they wanted to write a report now, they needed Akiwara Yuto to say something—if they kept up the commotion, they would likely be kicked out of the venue by security.

Seeing this, Akiwara Yuto nodded with satisfaction and pointed to a reporter, saying, "You ask first."

The reporter was stunned for a moment, then immediately said excitedly, "Akiwara-sensei, Professor Shuangzhu believes you hired a ghostwriter. What do you think?"

"I don't think much of it," Akiwara Yuto replied, "I did indeed hire a ghostwriter."

Hearing this, everyone was stunned. They had expected Akiwara Yuto to offer a rebuttal and denounce Professor Shuangzhu; they never expected him to admit it.

But just as Nishijima Sota and the others were worried and wanted to dissuade Akiwara Yuto, he continued.

"I ghostwrote for myself," Akiwara Yuto said with a smile, "Not only that, I even plagiarized myself."

Hearing this, the reporters who had just been excited were left speechless and deflated.

They had thought it was a big scoop, but it turned out to be just a joke.

However, they didn't take it too seriously; after all, many Japanese writers were known for shocking statements, and some had even wished for their own newspapers to go bankrupt during interviews.

It was just that the reporter who had been called upon was a bit unwilling, feeling his chance to ask a question had been wasted, so he continued to press.

"Then how do you explain that the writing style of your works is inconsistent? Both the style and the phrasing are different."

Akiwara Yuto replied dismissively, "That's simple. It's because I'm a genius!"

He answered nonchalantly, but most of the reporters in the audience could only offer a wry smile.

Japanese society has always valued humility, and most writers would often claim their works had shortcomings; they had never seen anyone praise themselves like this.

But they had to admit that the answer Akiwara Yuto gave was quite logical.

If he were a genius, it would explain everything.

Seeing that the groundwork was laid, Akiwara Yuto continued, "My reporter friends, do you believe in past lives?"

"Past lives?" Everyone was puzzled, not knowing what Akiwara Yuto was getting at.

"Yes, the past lives in Buddhist terminology."

Akiwara Yuto said "in all seriousness," "My past life was in another world, and I read many books in that world. So, as long as I am willing, I can write down the works I remember at any time."

He said in a helpless tone, "This is the reason why I can write so many works in different styles."

Hearing this explanation, all the reporters complained inwardly. Because they had been "teased" earlier, no one believed this claim of Akiwara Yuto's.

Plagiarizing himself? Memories of a past life? It would be more reliable to just say he was a genius.

However, some began to wonder what the purpose of Akiwara Yuto's press conference was. If it were just for this nonsense, wouldn't it have been better not to hold it at all?

Doing so would only offend all the reporters who had come specifically today.

Just then, seeing that the timing was right, Akiwara Yuto raised his voice.

"Although I have no need to prove whether I plagiarized or used a ghostwriter, I want Professor Shuangzhu and Mr. Chuanyi to realize their own shallowness. Therefore, I intend to create three works simultaneously under the supervision of all my reporter friends."

"For the next week, apart from normal rest periods, I will be writing in this auditorium every day. Any interested reporter friends are welcome to come and supervise me."

His approach was simple and crude, but actually very effective.

For example, when Han Han was accused of plagiarism in his past life, if he could have quickly produced a work superior to *Triple Gate*, it would undoubtedly have refuted all claims.

Unfortunately, Han Han's later works were rarely superior to *Triple Gate*.

But he was different; he had too many works in his head. And creating three works at once could also explain why his writing styles differed.

Upon hearing this decision, all the reporters in the audience were in an uproar.

They had wondered how Akiwara Yuto would prove himself, but they never expected him to do this! Writing under everyone's supervision—this was something no one had ever done before!

But it had to be said, if he could really pull this off! Perhaps he really was a genius! Then all the current rumors would collapse on their own!

"Akiwara-sensei, Akiwara-sensei..."

Immediately after, these reporters raised their hands to ask questions, but Akiwara Yuto had lost interest; he handed the microphone to Nishijima Sota and left.

At the same time, some reporters took out their phones and hurriedly called their newspapers or television stations to report this shocking news.

Soon, this news made it into the evening papers...