[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-literary-master-of-tokyo":3,"chapter-literary-master-of-tokyo-literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-67":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Literary Master of Tokyo",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2354916,4607,"Chapter 67: Forgive Me","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-67",67,"\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Kikuchi Tai deeply agrees in his heart with the \"genius\" label that many critics have bestowed upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He believes Akiwara Yuto already has sufficient capital to obtain his own column and cover at any literary magazine of any publishing house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the reason Akiwara has chosen not to leave is simply because of Asano Aiko.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is why he delayed assigning any writers for her to manage, letting her only handle minor tasks like serving tea and water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, he looked at the paper in his hand and revealed a helpless, bitter smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If nothing goes wrong, he will never see the other's work on the pages of *New Novel* again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Takei Kohei said this, he felt nothing but disdain for Kikuchi Tai in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether he could keep his seat as editor-in-chief at that time would be another matter entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked up the paper, read every word on it again, and silently made a choice in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kikuchi Tai was shocked; he did not understand what the other meant, but before he could ask, Takei Kohei explained the reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"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.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Akiwara, forgive me; I had no other choice but to do this...\u003C\u002Fp>",1291,"2026-06-21T03:58:01.347Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","c65061e9a4c03e52a3373a0b0c13467271dd6a297e1f545f09d9a3ac86b09df3","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-68","literary-master-of-tokyo-chapter-66",334,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fliterary-master-of-tokyo-cover.jpg"]