Chapter 66: Social Death

"I'm home."

Kikuchi Tai called out at the door, changed into indoor slippers in the entryway, walked into the living room, stretched his weary body, and sat on the sofa.

His wife, wearing an apron, quickly walked over, took the briefcase from his hand to put it away, and asked in confusion, "Dear, why are you home so early today?"

Kikuchi Tai waved his hand and said with a smile, "There wasn't much going on at the editorial department, so I came home early to have dinner with you all."

His wife smiled, nodded in agreement, and turned back to the kitchen to continue cooking. Watching her back, a satisfied smile appeared on Kikuchi Tai's face.

The reason he could smile so contentedly had everything to do with the recent string of successes for *New Novel*.

As a middle-aged man in his 40s, his status at Mantansha had always been rather awkward.

Some outsiders thought he was an editor-in-chief, a middle manager at a publishing house. But he himself considered this position to be utterly tasteless and extremely embarrassing.

Before this, the sales of *New Novel* couldn't even reach an average of 30,000 copies, placing it firmly at the bottom of the four major publishing houses, let alone compared to the 150,000 copies of *Tokyo Literature*, also under Mantansha.

This caused many editors from *Tokyo Literature* to often show him little respect when they met, and some would even badmouth him behind his back as an incompetent editor-in-chief.

When he first heard these rumors, he was so angry his lungs felt like they would explode, and he swore he would achieve some results to show them. But as time passed, *New Novel*'s sales remained half-dead, forcing him to abandon that idea.

Just as he was planning to resign himself to working honestly until retirement, an editor he hadn't valued, Asano Aiko, dug up a genius named Akiwara Yuto.

After that, *New Novel* was like it had boarded a Shinkansen; the sales of every issue grew at a speed visible to the naked eye. His own status, income, and bonuses rose along with it.

Not only that, whether it was *Tokyo Literature*, the distribution bureau, or other departments, everyone now greeted him respectfully as "Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi" when they saw him. Although some still badmouthed him, saying he just got lucky, he didn't mind anymore, knowing those words were merely out of jealousy.

Because of these reasons, he was very grateful to Akiwara Yuto, and even allocated an extra 2 million yen to him from the bonuses Mantansha had granted to *New Novel*.

However, he himself had also found a channel to earn quite a bit of money.

Speaking of which, the general manager must have seen *New Novel*'s recent results, right? Could my position be moved up a little...

Kikuchi Tai was lost in thought when suddenly the phone rang. He walked over and picked up the receiver: "Hello, this is Kikuchi. Who is this?"

"This is Takei Kohei. Sorry to bother you, Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi."

Hearing this name, Kikuchi Tai was a bit confused, but still said, "Editor Takei, what can I do for you?"

"Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi, sorry to disturb your rest time, but could you please come to Misaki Club in Ginza tonight?"

Hearing this request, which sounded like a "command," Kikuchi Tai was so angry he laughed. *Tokyo Literature*'s sales had been surpassed by *New Novel* by a full 50,000 copies; where did the other party get the confidence?

He sneered and responded impolitely, "Deputy Editor-in-Chief Takei, sorry, if you have business, please come to the office to see me tomorrow."

When saying this, he deliberately emphasized the word "Deputy."

But to his surprise, Takei Kohei did not get angry, only saying indifferently, "Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi, I want to ask you a question. Do you know someone?"

"Who?" Kikuchi Tai replied in confusion.

"Yamanaka Narumi. Do you still have an impression of this name?"

Hearing this, Kikuchi Tai froze, and a massive storm surged in his heart. However, he quickly calmed his mood and pretended to be "composed," saying, "She is the president of a design company. I had business dealings with her before. Is there a problem?"

"Is it the cover design for *New Novel*?"

"That's right, nothing more."

Takei Kohei on the other end of the phone sneered, "Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi, then why would someone tell me that this President Yamanaka has sat on your lap?"

Hearing this, Kikuchi Tai could no longer keep up the act. He lowered his voice and asked, "Takei, this has nothing to do with you, right? And what exactly do you know..."

"I don't know much, but I have some photos in my hand that I'd like you to take a good look at. Please arrive at the club promptly at 7 PM!"

After saying this, Kikuchi Tai heard the sound of the other party hanging up. He looked at his wife's back in the kitchen as she cooked, a blank expression on his face.

Around 6:45 PM, Kikuchi Tai arrived at the Misaki Club in Ginza. He was led into a small private room by the mama-san, where he saw Takei Kohei sitting and smoking.

Only Takei Kohei was in the room. Upon seeing Kikuchi Tai, he said with a "politician-style" smile, "Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi, please sit. Don't be a stranger."

The mama-san bowed and left. Kikuchi Tai could only sit down to the side with a livid face, asking in a low voice, "Where are the photos?"

Takei Kohei casually took out an envelope and pushed it in front of Kikuchi Tai. Kikuchi Tai immediately picked it up, opened the envelope, took out the photos inside, and verified them.

These photos were real; the other party hadn't lied...

Although he didn't show it on the outside, he was not calm at all on the inside.

Once these photos leaked, his affair with a married woman would inevitably be exposed, and it was even more likely that someone would investigate his corruption through the abuse of his position.

At this point, he would face a true "social death," and both his career and family would suffer devastating blows.

He couldn't imagine how he would face his wife and children when that time came. Moreover, once kicked out of Mantansha, it would be difficult for him to find a suitable job at his age. Because of such a scandal, no company in the industry would accept him.

Therefore, he had to get back all the photos and negatives in the other party's hands.

Seeing Kikuchi Tai's reaction, Takei Kohei revealed a slightly mocking smile: "Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi is truly good at calculating. By outsourcing the publishing house's business, you got both the beauty and the money. That luxury sedan must have cost quite a bit, right?"

Kikuchi Tai's brow furrowed even tighter, "Takei, you..."

"Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi, don't pretend. I already know everything."

Hearing this answer, Kikuchi Tai felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over him. He glanced at the other party, slumped powerlessly on the sofa, sighed, and said, "There is no conflict of interest between us, right? Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

He was confident that this whole series of events had been handled very discreetly and shouldn't have been easily known by the outside world. But Takei Kohei knew, which meant the other party had at least spent a lot of effort.

Although they were not in the same editorial department, they had collaborated many times after all. He considered himself to have a deep understanding of Takei Kohei, knowing the other party was someone who wouldn't get up early without profit.

Seeing the other party cave in, Takei Kohei was satisfied. He handed over a piece of paper with a few lines written on it, "Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi, the matter is very simple. I just need you to make these arrangements for Akiwara Yuto and Asano Aiko..."

Kikuchi Tai took the paper in confusion and read it carefully. After finishing, he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat, muttering, "This is impossible..."

Takei Kohei did not answer immediately, only stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray in front of him. At the same time, the smile on his face became even more sinister...