Chapter 51: View on Choosing a Partner

Akiwara Yuto and Asano Aiko walked out of the campus, walked along the road, and soon found a sushi restaurant that looked standard.

He lifted the door curtain, walked in with Asano Aiko, and was soon greeted by a clerk in work clothes to a seat near the aisle.

He picked up the menu, ordered the dishes after asking about Asano Aiko's preferences, and picked up the white towel sent by the clerk to wipe his hands—this was specially provided for customers to grab sushi with their hands.

Asano Aiko looked at Akiwara Yuto, who was wiping his hands, but didn't know how to speak for a moment.

All along, because both of them were official, she didn't think too much.

But after Akiwara Yuto told her that he was going to "turn himself in" that day, her heart panicked. She never thought that she would worry about someone to this extent.

At that time, she thought of everything Akiwara Yuto had experienced with her.

Saying they would fight together at the entrance of the Mantan Society, rushing over the first time he learned she was in a bar, sending her home without complaint after being vomited on...

All of this made it hard for her to let go easily.

So after learning that Akiwara was just "joking," she was so angry, but also felt lucky.

She knew that she already had different thoughts.

However, she was unwilling to break "this layer of paper"; after all, if the other party didn't have this intention, saying it out would only make both sides feel embarrassed...

Akiwara Yuto put down the towel and was surprised to find that Asano Aiko didn't speak, so he looked at her curiously a few times and found that her dress today was different from before.

Under the dim light, Asano Aiko's skin looked as white as jade, with a feeling that it could be pinched out of water. Her short hair hung on both sides of her ears, making her features look more exquisite. No wonder Imamura Yuto asked him to pursue her.

Akiwara Yuto looked twice and then shifted his gaze.

Do not look at what is improper; the other party is just his work partner, don't think too much.

The service boy brought the appetizers at this time, and Asano Aiko came back to her senses. Looking at Akiwara, who was putting his hands together and preparing to eat, she decided to clarify her doubts.

When Akiwara Yuto picked up his chopsticks, she fiddled with her hair and asked casually: "Akiwara, have you and Miss Ikawa made any progress?"

Akiwara Yuto was eating appetizers and almost choked when he heard this. He wiped his mouth with a paper towel and asked back: "Asano, do you mean I am pursuing Ikawa Akemi?"

Asano Aiko asked "puzzled": "Eh, isn't it? Then Akiwara, why did you help her write the script?"

As a responsible editor, she naturally has the qualification to care about the writer's life. So even if this question was slightly over the line, she felt that Akiwara wouldn't guess anything.

Akiwara Yuto didn't know Asano Aiko's thoughts and thought she was really gossiping about him and Ikawa Akemi, so he said speechlessly: "Asano, you think too much, are the other party and I just in an employment relationship?"

"Employment relationship?"

Akiwara Yuto was a bit helpless, but still explained to her, including how he and Ikawa Akemi met and how he was asked to write the script.

After a pause, he added: "The copyright of the script is in my hands. If they need to use it for commercial purposes, they must obtain my consent."

Asano Aiko suddenly realized; she found that everything was just her misunderstanding, but she subconsciously asked again: "Then... Akiwara, what do you think of Ikawa Akemi?"

Once the words were out, she regretted it a little; she was worried that Akiwara would really consider pursuing the other party.

Akiwara heard this sentence and laughed instead: "Asano, do you know what I value most in a girl?"

"What is it?"

"It's intelli..." he blurted out subconsciously, but felt it was not polite to say so, and immediately changed his words: "Uh... it's maturity, I prefer mature and reasonable girls."

Asano Aiko was speechless; she had already heard Akiwara's evaluation of Ikawa.

She wanted to ask Akiwara about his evaluation of herself, but didn't say it; after all, it was not appropriate.

The clerk boy brought other dishes, and the two chatted about the subsequent promotion plan of the editorial department while eating.

On the other side, Miyagawa Yosuke sat on the sofa with tea, looking at the 4 copies of "New Novel" at hand, and pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

After communicating with the school of the women's university, he entrusted the vice president to find the instructor of the drama department and learned that the stage play script was created by a writer named Akiwara Yuto.

He was a bit disappointed at the time; he had originally admired the talent and had the intention of taking the other party as a disciple, but since the other party had already debuted, it was not appropriate.

However, as a senior in the literary world, he was also very happy that there could be new blood in the literary world, rather than those old faces he had seen.

So he arranged for his assistant to go to the bookstore to buy the works Akiwara Yuto had released since his debut, which were the "New Novel" copies in front of him.

He took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, picked up one of them, opened the table of contents, found "Little Decoration and Yoko" written by Akiwara Yuto, and prepared to take a good look.

If the other party's work could satisfy him, he wouldn't mind writing a book review in his column to praise the other party.

However, although today's stage play made him feel shocked, he still maintained a suspicion about whether the other party's work was excellent.

After all, novels and stage plays are completely two different forms.

Some poorly written novels can often surprise people under the wonderful performance of stage actors. Conversely, some novels are very exciting but not suitable for performance on stage.

Besides that, he had heard a little about the journal "New Novel" where this Akiwara Yuto was serialized, knowing that it was just a bottom-tier small magazine in the industry.

If he could only serialize in this kind of journal, how good could the other party's level be?

With a half-believing attitude, Miyagawa Yosuke put down his thoughts and began to read carefully.

But as he read, he became immersed in it.

Time passed slowly, and the wind outside the window blew the leaves "rustling," but Miyagawa Yosuke didn't feel it.

He picked up a book and finished it, then put it down and picked up another one to open, carefully reading all the works Akiwara Yuto had written.

From the earliest "Little Decoration and Yoko" to the latest released "The White House in the Cold Forest," none were missed.

During the time he was reading, his posture was like a freeze-frame. Except for the almost instinctive page-turning, there were basically no other movements. It wasn't until he turned to the last page that he realized that a full 3 hours had passed.

Putting down the magazine, he couldn't help but exclaim: "This Akiwara-san is a bit powerful!"

When he first started reading, he felt that the other party's writing was a bit immature, but as the story deepened, he found that under this immature writing, there was a thought different from the current mainstream literary world.

The first story, "Little Decoration and Yoko," is about a sister using her sister's death to pursue a new life.

The second story, "sofar," is about the influence of parents on children.

As for "Seven Rooms," it is about a sister using her life to save her brother.

After reading the original version of "Seven Rooms," he found that the novel itself was even more exciting than the stage play performance, which made him feel deeply surprised.

A sentence couldn't help but appear in his mind—"See benevolence in absurdity, find warmth in sadness."

To be honest, he didn't dare to treat the other party as a newcomer anymore; he felt that as long as there were no accidents, this writer named Akiwara Yuto would sooner or later make a name for himself in the Japanese literary world.

He scratched his head, looked up at the leaves outside the window, and made a decision in his heart.

When that Akiwara-san releases a new work, he will write a book review and put it in his column.

The Japanese literary world really needs such a newcomer who doesn't follow the rules! ===== CHAPTER 52 =====