Chapter 67: Forgive Me

For *New Novel*, Akiwara Yuto’s importance is beyond doubt; it can be said that the magazine’s growth from selling fewer than 30,000 copies to over 200,000 now is at least 90 percent due to his contributions.

Therefore, Kikuchi Tai deeply agrees in his heart with the "genius" label that many critics have bestowed upon him.

He believes Akiwara Yuto already has sufficient capital to obtain his own column and cover at any literary magazine of any publishing house.

However, the reason Akiwara has chosen not to leave is simply because of Asano Aiko.

To be honest, Kikuchi Tai did not pay much attention to Asano Aiko at first; after all, in his view, she was just a woman, and according to the customs of Japanese society, she would go off to marry and have children once she reached a certain age.

That is why he delayed assigning any writers for her to manage, letting her only handle minor tasks like serving tea and water.

But what he did not expect was that Asano Aiko would give him such a huge surprise, unearthing an author who could change the fate of *New Novel* magazine.

By today, he has come to highly value this female editor he once disregarded. He feels she is like a long rope that can effectively help *New Novel* tether Akiwara Yuto, ensuring the latter will not be poached by other magazines.

As for what kind of relationship exists between Asano Aiko and Akiwara Yuto, he does not care at all; even if the two announced their marriage tomorrow, he would only say "congratulations" and rejoice in his heart that this rope had become even more secure.

However...

Thinking of this, he looked at the paper in his hand and revealed a helpless, bitter smile.

If he follows the conditions Takei Kohei wrote on the paper, Asano Aiko will completely lose her utility, and Akiwara Yuto will inevitably part ways with the editorial department.

If nothing goes wrong, he will never see the other's work on the pages of *New Novel* again.

He was silent for a moment, then raised his head to look at Takei Kohei: "Editor Takei, what will happen if I don't agree?"

Takei Kohei’s expression remained "hypocritical," but the content of his reply was not polite at all, to the point that he couldn't even be bothered to use honorifics: "Kikuchi Tai, please think clearly—is *New Novel* important, or is your own life important?"

He then said, as if thinking for Kikuchi Tai’s sake: "As long as you agree to my request, I will hand over the photos, negatives, and everything else. That way, you will remain the editor-in-chief as always..."

Although Takei Kohei said this, he felt nothing but disdain for Kikuchi Tai in his heart.

Without Akiwara Yuto, *New Novel* would likely soon revert to its original state under Kikuchi Tai, the recognized incompetent editor-in-chief, and would pose no threat to the status of *Tokyo Literature*.

Whether he could keep his seat as editor-in-chief at that time would be another matter entirely.

Kikuchi Tai did catch the underlying meaning of Takei Kohei; if he did not agree to the other's demands, these photos would likely appear elsewhere—for instance, in his home, his office, or in the hands of his superiors...

If it reached that point, he would face the destruction of his family and unemployment; if Mantan Publishing was still not satisfied, he might even be sued and end up in prison...

He picked up the paper, read every word on it again, and silently made a choice in his heart.

He raised his head, met Takei Kohei’s gaze, and said in a low voice: "I know what to do, but Takei, although Akiwara Yuto is very talented, is he worth you doing this?"

Takei Kohei withdrew his smile, gave him a cold look, and said in a tone as if ordering a subordinate: "That is not for you to worry about; I have my own considerations."

He knew full well what Kikuchi Tai was saying, but resorting to these tactics even at the cost of offending Kikuchi Tai was a helpless choice.

As the sales of *New Novel* climbed higher and higher, Akiwara Yuto’s status within the publishing house undoubtedly rose as well. And all of this was like a slap, ruthlessly striking his face.

During this time, he had heard many sarcastic remarks about him being blind, both openly and behind his back. But even so, he could not refute them; after all, he was the first editor to meet Akiwara Yuto.

To make amends, he had personally visited, giving Akiwara Yuto plenty of face and benefits to get him to transfer from *New Novel* to *Tokyo Literature*. He thought his sincerity was sufficient, but unexpectedly, he was still rejected!

In the past, he would have just given up; after all, it wasn't as if he hadn't seen so-called "genius" writers fall.

But the situation now is different from before; the editor-in-chief of *Tokyo Literature* is about to retire, and there is someone else besides himself competing for the deputy editor-in-chief position.

So, for the sake of his professional interests, he had to find another strategy to get Akiwara Yuto to transfer to *Tokyo Literature*. Once that happened, he could logically become the author's responsible editor, leaving others with no reason to criticize.

To achieve this goal, he had to make Akiwara Yuto and the *New Novel* editorial department grow estranged, and then use this as an excuse to step in and appease the author while smoothing things over with the higher-ups.

In all of this, Asano Aiko is an unavoidable factor; as long as she remains in the editor position, Akiwara Yuto will inevitably refuse to let anyone else be his responsible editor... therefore, she must be transferred to another department.

However, the person requesting her transfer must be Kikuchi Tai, which can then become another reason for Akiwara Yuto to harbor resentment toward *New Novel*.

Thinking of this, Takei Kohei suddenly seemed to remember something; he sat up straight and asked Kikuchi Tai: "Kikuchi, for how many years is the contract you signed regarding the copyright for publishing Akiwara Yuto’s stand-alone books?"

Kikuchi Tai did not know why he asked this, but he answered truthfully: "Three years; for three years, it can only be authorized to Mantan Publishing for release."

Hearing this answer, Takei Kohei revealed a satisfied smile; this way, he could block Akiwara Yuto’s path if he wanted to leave the publishing house out of dissatisfaction.

After all, if he were to leave Mantan Publishing, the stand-alone books would inevitably not be released, and this income of 20 million yen would have nothing to do with the author for at least three years.

Kikuchi Tai looked at the other's expression, fell silent for a moment, glanced at the paper in his hand, and raised another question: "Editor Takei, regarding the literary award, if there is no permission from the judging committee and the general manager, even if I have objections here, it might not work."

But to his surprise, the smile on Takei Kohei’s face grew even broader: "How do you know the general manager hasn't already tacitly approved?"

Kikuchi Tai was shocked; he did not understand what the other meant, but before he could ask, Takei Kohei explained the reason.

"Editor-in-chief Kikuchi, you really don't understand the authors under you; you don't even know that Kadowaki Yuzhen and the general manager’s daughter are dating."

Hearing this, Kikuchi Tai no longer held any hope; he lowered his head and let out a long sigh. At the same time, his inner emotions were extremely complex.

Teacher Akiwara, forgive me; I had no other choice but to do this...