Chapter 331: How I Wish It Were a Nightmare

In the eyes of Akiwara Yuto, Kazuo Shimotake and Kuji Funabiki were undoubtedly nothing more than puppets pushed forward by the Jingfan Company.

Even if they proved their abilities this time, it would be very difficult to strike at the Jingfan Company behind the scenes.

Therefore, during this period, he also had Asano Aiko visit the detective agency they had previously collaborated with to see if they could obtain effective evidence.

Tokyo, Setagaya Ward, Yamashita Detective Agency.

In a reception room, Asano Aiko sat face-to-face with an unremarkable middle-aged man.

The other party was the very detective she had hired previously.

"Detective Yamashita, regarding the previous commission, do you have any progress on your end?" Asano Aiko asked.

The middle-aged man opened a drawer, took out some photos, and placed them in front of Asano Aiko.

The latter took the photos and examined them carefully, a look of joy appearing on her face.

However, she hesitated for a moment before continuing to ask, "Is there any more?"

At present, this evidence was not yet sufficient.

The middle-aged man shook his head.

But just as Asano Aiko’s eyes filled with disappointment, he spoke up: "Ms. Asano, we can do this..."

On the afternoon of the third day, Kuji Funabiki sat in his cramped apartment, constantly looking at the news in the newspaper.

In this issue of the *Yomiuri Shimbun*, a column had been opened to report on Akiwara Yuto’s daily writing progress.

Looking at the content in the column, a look of panic appeared on Kuji Funabiki’s face.

According to previous reports, Akiwara Yuto would complete the creation of three books totaling 500,000 characters within the agreed-upon time.

And just today, the other party had already taken the lead by completing the first work, a courtroom-style piece titled *Witness for the Prosecution*.

After this work was finished, it underwent relevant review by Shinta Kawai, Vice President of the Mystery Writers Association, and Rika Ojo, Editor-in-Chief of *April Youth*.

Both of them believed that this work fully met the standard of excellence!

Shinta Kawai even remarked with emotion: "It has pioneered a new line of thought for the creation of courtroom-style works."

It was precisely upon seeing Shinta Kawai’s evaluation that Kuji Funabiki’s inner resolve began to crumble.

When he initially posted the attack on Akiwara Yuto online, someone had quickly approached him and arranged for him to put on a show.

He had been a bit hesitant at the time and did not agree.

After all, compared to Akiwara Yuto, he was just an unknown writer; what if he were sued in court?

But soon, that person brought out a substantial fee and promised to help him publish his previous works afterward.

Under this temptation, he quickly agreed and began following the script provided by the other party, claiming that Akiwara Yuto had obtained his manuscript from the Mantan Publishing House and had "plagiarized" it.

All of this was supposed to be foolproof; after all, for rejected manuscripts from many years ago, publishers could not keep backups, so even if the Mantan Publishing House had evidence, they could not produce it.

What’s more, there was already some bad blood between the Mantan Publishing House and Akiwara Yuto.

Therefore, he was not worried at all that someone would expose him. Even if the other party stood up, he could just claim that the editor and Akiwara Yuto were in cahoots.

In fact, he had even prepared a manuscript with a plot structure similar to *The Devotion of Suspect X* to use in responding to reporters' questions.

According to the subsequent development, he only needed to nail Akiwara Yuto to the pillar of shame as a "plagiarist," and he would be able to collect the final payment in addition to the deposit.

While gaining financial benefits, he could also win the public's sympathy in the name of a "victim" and make his work a bestseller!

But before he could hand the manuscript in his possession to the reporters, Akiwara Yuto announced during an interview that he would be writing three books simultaneously! And under the supervision of all the reporters!

"How could anyone possibly reach this point?!" Kuji Funabiki could not believe it for a moment.

But he also realized a very serious consequence.

If Akiwara Yuto actually succeeded, it would prove that he was just a liar, and it would also mean that he would be blacklisted by the literary world.

Then, what would be the point of the literary creation he had painstakingly persisted in for so many years?

So Kuji Funabiki was afraid, even hiding in his apartment and not daring to accept interviews. This formed a sharp contrast to his previous eagerness to accept interviews.

Over these few days, he had been pinning his hopes on Akiwara Yuto failing or writing some trash.

But he never expected that the thing he feared most would happen anyway.

By now, more and more people were criticizing him!

Damn it, he should have just cursed a couple of times online; why did he have to stand out himself?

Just as he was panicking, a phone rang. He picked it up and replied directly: "I am not accepting interviews."

But just then, a man’s voice came from the receiver: "Mr. Funabiki, I am not here to interview you; please check your email."

Email?! What did that mean?

But before he could ask, the phone hung up.

Kuji Funabiki was confused, but he still opened the computer he had just bought to check his email. Just then, with a "beep," an envelope icon flashed in the taskbar.

He clicked on it hesitantly and discovered that there were three pictures inside.

The first photo was of him chatting in a coffee shop with that nameless contact person; his face was captured very clearly, but the contact person was wearing sunglasses.

The second photo showed him excitedly holding a stack of money and counting it. In the photo, he looked excited to the point of being ridiculous.

The third photo also captured him indulging in debauchery at a nightclub...

Kuji Funabiki was stunned. He really hadn't known that someone had been following him all this time, but just then, the phone rang again.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Kuji Funabiki asked angrily.

"Mr. Funabiki, please watch your attitude," the middle-aged man said indifferently. "You need to consider the consequences if these photos of yours are exposed."

"What consequences?" Kuji Funabiki tried to argue. "It was just one of my readers providing me with financial support because they appreciate me!"

"Heh," the middle-aged man laughed. "But why did he give you money two days before you made those remarks?"

"Mr. Funabiki, as long as Akiwara-sensei can prove his talent, you will transform from the status of a victim to that of a liar. Once it reaches that point, if you are sued by Akiwara-sensei again, what kind of end will you have?"

Hearing these words, Kuji Funabiki’s face turned completely pale.

He might even end up in prison.

And according to the current situation, the possibility of him winning the lawsuit was very low.

"If you don't want to be sued, then do this..." the middle-aged man continued, and stated his demands.

Before hanging up, he also demanded that Kuji Funabiki do as he said as soon as possible, otherwise the agreement would be void.

Kuji Funabiki listened to the "beep-beep-beep" sound after the receiver hung up and stood there... his whole person falling into a state of stupor.

How he wished that everything he was experiencing was just a nightmare.