Chapter 4: A Phone Call

While Asano Aiko was reviewing the manuscript, Akiwara Yuto, who had already returned home, was feeling somewhat restless. The success or failure of his submission was tied to his future circumstances, and he found it difficult to set his mind at ease.

He spent a long time feeling anxious, but realized that fretting was of no use; after all, instead of having time to dwell on such messy thoughts, he might as well plan his next steps early. That way, even if the submission failed, he wouldn't be caught in a panic.

After making up his mind, he made do with instant noodles for dinner, took out paper and pen again, and began to ponder other methods while chewing on the end of his pen.

Should he submit the same manuscript to multiple places?

No!

Submitting the same manuscript to multiple places was somewhat taboo in the industry; if this were exposed, it would have a significant impact on his future. He could not afford to leave behind such easy leverage just because of a temporary predicament. Not to mention, he was just a newcomer who hadn't even debuted yet; blacklisting him would be as simple as a single word from someone.

It seemed he would have to wait for a response from Tokyo Literature before submitting to other publishers.

But based on his understanding of publishers, getting a response could take anywhere from a few days or a week, to as long as a month. If that were the case, he would never be able to pay his rent in time.

Should he beg the landlord to let him delay the rent?

Although the law was somewhat biased toward the interests of tenants, he lived in the poorest and most chaotic Sanya district, and his housing wasn't even a formal listing found through a guarantor; who knew if the landlord would find someone to kick him out.

Akiwara Yuto pondered for a long time and decided to check the roadside for odd jobs first, while also planning to write another short story so that if the submission failed, he could immediately seek other targets. If all else failed, he would try his best to persuade the landlord to delay the rent.

Having finished his thinking, he washed up briefly, pulled the light cord, and lay down on his futon, falling into a deep sleep.

……

The next day, Akiwara Yuto got up early, shoveled down a few bites of instant noodles, and headed out; time was tight, and not a single second could be wasted.

He walked along the street deep into the Sanya district where he lived, staring at utility poles and walls, looking for any suitable job flyers.

Since the Edo period, the Sanya area had been a place where prostitutes, vagrants, and butchers walked; in modern times, it was also a recognized slum, so there were many laborers and job flyers here.

Unfortunately, after searching all the way, he found very few jobs suitable for him, and even when he occasionally found one, he would go over to ask only to find they had stopped hiring.

This made him understand the original owner's pain even more; how difficult it was to find a good job when the streets were full of "fellow sufferers."

He searched for three whole days like this, wasting another half a week, and before he could even start writing his second manuscript, he received a notice from the building manager upon returning home: "Akiwara-san, there is a phone call for you."

After saying this, the manager added in a joking tone: "It's a call from a young lady."

Akiwara Yuto was instead plunged into confusion; he didn't know any women in Tokyo. Could it be that there was news from the publisher?

Thinking of this, he hurried to the management office with the manager, took a deep breath, picked up the receiver, and said in a polite tone: "Hello, this is Akiwara Yuto."

"I am Asano Aiko, an editor at Mantansha's New Fiction magazine." A crisp female voice came through the receiver.

"I am very sorry to disturb you, but the magazine would like to publish your manuscript. May I ask what your intentions are?"

Hearing this news, Akiwara Yuto subconsciously gripped the receiver tightly.

His manuscript had finally been recognized, which meant he didn't have to worry about being kicked out of his home for failing to pay rent.

He felt a bit excited, but also somewhat confused; wasn't the target of his submission Tokyo Literature? How did it become New Fiction from the same publisher?

However, he didn't ask for the reason; after all, the most important thing now was to find a platform to earn manuscript fees.

As for the future, he believed that he would definitely be able to stand out step by step by relying on the numerous literary works in his mind.

Settling his heart, Akiwara Yuto tried hard not to let his voice sound too desperate and responded calmly.

"No problem at all. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity at New Fiction. Is there anything else I need to do?"

"That's wonderful." After hearing Akiwara Yuto's answer, Asano Aiko also breathed a sigh of relief; she had been worried that the other party would be single-mindedly focused on Tokyo Literature.

"Akiwara-san, are you free tomorrow morning? If you don't mind, I would like to invite you for a cup of coffee to have a brief talk."

She decided to invite Akiwara Yuto to meet in person; although she believed the other party was rich in literary talent, she also wanted to specifically understand what kind of person he was.

As an editor, she had to be responsible for the author's words and actions, so she felt it was necessary to communicate with him first and make further confirmation.

Although Akiwara Yuto was impatient to get the manuscript fee, he suppressed his feelings and responded with a smile: "That's fine, I am free all morning tomorrow."

"Then at 9:30 tomorrow morning, please come to the Double Cafe next to Mantansha, Akiwara-san. It's a green cafe, very easy to find."

"Understood, I will arrive on time tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing Akiwara Yuto's response, Asano Aiko exchanged a few more polite words, finally said "excuse me," and hung up the phone.

She had to think carefully about how to talk tomorrow. In fact, she was very curious about what kind of reason Akiwara Yuto had that allowed him to write such an article.

Akiwara Yuto put down the phone, the expression on his face very joyful, which surprised the apartment manager nearby.

According to his observations, this Akiwara-san was always frowning, as if he had something on his mind; he didn't expect a single phone call to make him beam with joy.

The manager had a secret guess in his heart, but he didn't show it, only smiling as he watched Akiwara Yuto.

Akiwara Yuto calmed his mood, saw the manager's smile, and bowed to express his gratitude.

He hadn't bothered the manager little recently; not only did he frequently borrow newspapers and the phone, but he also often asked about information in the surrounding area, causing the other party quite a bit of trouble. Fortunately, this manager was a good person and didn't mind these things.

However, the debt of gratitude had to be repaid. Since someone had helped him, he must return the favor properly. Once he received the manuscript fee, he would buy a bottle of shochu as a gift.

The manager looked at Akiwara Yuto's beaming face and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Love, it really is a panacea for all illnesses.

But he really wanted to see what that young lady who made Akiwara-san's mood change so drastically looked like; just hearing her voice made him feel she was a beauty.

Akiwara Yuto was completely unaware of the manager's misunderstanding; he prepared to return to his apartment to organize the manuscript again and prepare well for the upcoming meeting.

Although he had succeeded halfway, it wasn't a total success yet; it was far from the time to slack off!