Chapter 59: Petty Tricks

Hideki Awazu’s expression was very sincere, his voice was very forceful, and the depth of his bow was significant, making him appear very earnest.

Seeing this gesture, Akiwara Yuto was a bit surprised, but not overly so. Although a deep bow often signifies a sincere attitude, it is used so frequently in Japanese society that it was hard for him to take it seriously anymore.

Just like in his past life, when the Prime Minister and relevant officials bowed deeply to apologize for the Fukushima nuclear accident; anyone with a clear head understood exactly how much sincerity was behind it.

Akiwara Yuto decided to refuse, but seeing Hideki Awazu covered in sweat from waiting under the sun, he felt he should at least let the man have a cup of tea before politely declining.

He took out his keys to open the front door and said politely, "Editor Awazu, please come inside first, and then we can talk."

Hideki Awazu also realized his gesture might have been too pushy, so he ended his bow, accepted Akiwara Yuto’s invitation, and responded politely with a slight nod, "Excuse the intrusion."

Afterward, he and Akiwara Yuto went to the Xuanguan to change their shoes and walked to the living room on the second floor. Akiwara Yuto invited him to sit and placed a cup of tea in front of him.

Hideki Awazu took the tea, first expressed his gratitude, and after watching Akiwara Yuto sit opposite him, continued in a candid voice, "Akiwara-sensei, please consider it. We at 'April Youth' are sincerely inviting you."

He had come prepared today.

To obtain Akiwara Yuto’s address and information, he had spent a great deal of effort, even pulling strings within Mantan Publishing to do some things that were not exactly above board.

But he believed that everything he had done was well worth it.

Although some still thought Akiwara Yuto did not have many works and was just a flash-in-the-pan genius, he felt that since he was a genius, they should recruit him first; if the other party happened to write even more excellent works, wouldn't that be a huge profit?

Thinking of this, his voice became even more earnest.

"I am aware of your current compensation, so our terms are to increase your book royalty to 16%, with a manuscript fee of 10,000 yen per page. If there are any other losses, we are willing to bear them entirely."

Akiwara Yuto was actually a bit surprised; these terms were significantly higher than his income at "New Novel," or rather, nearly double, which could not be considered a small amount of money.

But he was not tempted. After all, he had even rejected "Tokyo Literature," so he certainly wouldn't run off to a literary journal from another publisher.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to be honest: "Thank you very much for your journal's kind offer, but I still hope to cooperate with 'New Novel,' so I am sorry."

But to his surprise, Hideki Awazu’s expression did not change; instead, he smiled and said, "Akiwara-sensei, can you tell me the reason for your refusal?"

"Sorry, it's not convenient to disclose," Akiwara Yuto refused. After all, the other party was not an insider at Mantan Publishing, and he did not want them to know too much.

Unexpectedly, Hideki Awazu spoke directly, "Is it because of Editor Asano?"

Hearing this, Akiwara Yuto was momentarily stunned and suspicious.

How did he know?

Just as he was about to ask, Hideki Awazu continued, "Akiwara-sensei, do you really think your collaboration with Editor Asano is a good thing?"

Akiwara Yuto was even more confused; he thought the other party was making a threat.

However, he thought about it again—the other party wasn't even an employee of Mantan Publishing, so it couldn't really be called a threat, could it?

Hideki Awazu picked up his tea and took a sip. "Akiwara-sensei, to 'New Novel,' you are currently the hottest writer, and your talent is irreplaceable. But Editor Asano is not the same; there are plenty of people who can replace her, so..."

Akiwara Yuto frowned, "So?"

"It cannot be ruled out that someone might be jealous of Editor Asano and pull some petty tricks."

Hideki Awazu set down his teacup, locked eyes with Akiwara Yuto, and said solemnly, "When that time comes, what will you do?"

"May I ask how Editor Awazu came to know about this?" Akiwara Yuto was still a bit skeptical.

"Akiwara-sensei, as competitors, we always have some small methods, but I cannot disclose the specifics. Please forgive me."

Akiwara Yuto looked up and studied Hideki Awazu carefully for a few moments, finding that the man's expression was natural and did not seem like he was just spouting nonsense. He thought for a moment and began to seriously ponder the other party's words.

He had originally thought that as long as his results improved, it would be a help to Asano Aiko, but he hadn't expected this complication.

If someone really wanted to target Asano Aiko, what would they do?

Hideki Awazu seemed to see through his thoughts and said bluntly, "Akiwara-sensei, regardless of what you intend to do, your status is that of an author, and you only have a cooperative relationship with the publisher. If you intervene rashly, it will only be more disadvantageous for Editor Asano."

He lowered his voice: "In the process of you helping 'New Novel,' what kind of feedback has 'New Novel' given you? Have they offered you higher concessions on manuscript fees and other bonuses?"

Akiwara Yuto shook his head and countered, "The editorial department has promised to discuss it with me later, and they also gave me a bonus."

Hideki Awazu nodded, revealing a somewhat meaningful expression, "So, the formal manuscript fee has not been determined yet."

He paused, then said with a tone of certainty, "Akiwara-sensei, there are other matters closely related to your interests that I am not in a position to tell you. However, please believe that as long as you are willing to come to 'April Youth,' all the terms I promised remain valid."

"In short, as long as you decide, Akiwara-sensei, you can call the number on my business card at any time. 'April Youth' will always keep its doors open for you!"

His words were very grounded, and Akiwara Yuto couldn't say much. Although he was very concerned about the "other matters" mentioned, he felt embarrassed to press for details and could only nod and say, "I understand."

After finishing these words, Hideki Awazu stood up to take his leave. His goal had been achieved; he had planted a seed of doubt between "New Novel" and Akiwara Yuto.

As for whether Akiwara Yuto would come to "April Youth" in the future, it would just have to be left to fate.

Akiwara Yuto also stood up to see him off, then returned to his desk, sat in his office chair, and looked out the window, lost in thought.

This Editor Awazu had said a lot today; while he couldn't believe everything, he couldn't ignore it either.

His address, logically speaking, should only be known to Mantan Publishing insiders, yet the other party had obtained it—this was a question worth pondering.

However, what the other party said had some truth to it. If someone were jealous of Asano Aiko and used some petty tricks, how should he respond?

And who would be most likely to do such a thing?

At this moment, two names suddenly came to his mind...