Chapter 75: The Attribution of Honor

On the dais, amidst the expectant and curious gazes of the crowd, Kihara Daigo announced the result: "Teacher Seto Tamae's *Summer Night Manhunt*."

Upon hearing this name, the lights shone on Seto Tamae, and applause erupted throughout the hall.

Akiwara Yuto, standing beside her, felt a complex mix of emotions.

Although he had prepared himself mentally, he could not help but feel a bit disappointed upon hearing the news.

However, he quickly composed himself; after all, even in failure, one must have the grace to face it calmly and strive to win it back next time.

Though he thought a great deal, only a few seconds had actually passed. He immediately straightened his mindset, smiled slightly, and said to Seto Tamae, "Teacher Seto, congratulations on winning the Grand Prize once again."

But to his surprise, Seto Tamae shook her head: "Teacher Akiwara, I believe this award is more suited for you."

She did not mean this as a mere pleasantry; it was entirely her true opinion.

In her view, while her *Summer Night Manhunt* surpassed Akiwara Yuto's *ZOO* series in cumulative readership and prose style, she considered her own work to still follow the conventional orthodox mystery route, falling far behind Akiwara Yuto in exploring new directions for literature.

After that gathering, she had read Akiwara Yuto's works several more times, and each reading brought different insights. At first glance, there were not many mystery elements, but in reality, this was to allow the story's narrative to focus on the characters.

Perhaps this was what Akiwara Yuto called the exploration of human nature?

Akiwara Yuto smiled and expressed his thanks, but he felt that Seto Tamae was just being polite; after all, when it came to awards, no one would complain about having too many.

Amidst the applause, a staff member soon approached and told Seto Tamae that she would need to go on stage later with the Gold Prize winners to deliver an acceptance speech.

Seto Tamae nodded, shook hands with Akiwara and Imamura respectively, bowed to the venue, and then left with the staff member.

Imamura Yuto, standing to the side, stepped forward and patted Akiwara Yuto on the shoulder. Akiwara Yuto knew the other was trying to comfort him and returned a confident smile.

At this moment, the applause gradually subsided, and Kihara Daigo on the dais spoke again: "Next, we will announce the two Gold Prize winners of this Mantan Society Literary Award. They are..."

Hearing this, Akiwara Yuto revealed a smile, while simultaneously pondering the acceptance speech he would give later. But just as he was full of joy, he heard an unexpected result.

"The Gold Prize winners are Teacher Ishii Right's *Hidden Poison* and Teacher Madoi Yuma's *Searching Footsteps*."

Akiwara Yuto could not help but be stunned, doubting for a moment if he had misheard, as according to Kikuchi Tai's assurances and the market performance and reader feedback of *New Fiction*, he should have at least received a Gold Prize.

So why was the winner Madoi Yuma?!

In an instant, his mood was like a raging sea, with anger, unwillingness, and dissatisfaction all churning together. Despite this, he did not show it on his face, instead pretending to be very calm.

No matter what, he absolutely could not let others see his vulnerable side. He had to figure out what exactly had happened that he did not know about!

On the other side of the venue, Asano Aiko's heart was also filled with disbelief. She subconsciously looked up, trying to find Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi Tai in the venue, but after scanning the area, she did not see him.

Many people in the hall were also in an uproar, as in their original expectations, even if Akiwara Yuto did not win the Grand Prize, he should have been the recipient of this Gold Prize. As a result, they had not expected the judging committee to give such a result.

For a time, the venue fell into silence, and it was only after a while, driven by a few people, that scattered applause broke out.

Seeing the reaction from the floor, the General Manager on the dais was unperturbed, as if he had been prepared for this. He exchanged a few polite words, handed the microphone to the female host, and then left the dais.

The female host stepped forward and said with a forced smile, "Everyone, let us first invite Teacher Seto Tamae to the stage to receive her award and deliver her acceptance speech."

Seto Tamae walked onto the dais and took a copy of *Summer Night Manhunt* handed to her by the female host. She held the book in her left hand, took the microphone in her right, looked around, and then made a decision in her heart.

She first said with a smile, "First of all, I am very grateful to the judges of the Mantan Society committee for their recognition of me."

At this point, she suddenly changed her tone, "But I am sorry, I also have some other things I would like to say."

Amidst the confused gazes of the crowd, Seto Tamae continued: "I believe many people here have very deep memories of the Mantan Society Literary Award. In the 90-plus years since the founding of the Mantan Society, it has presented corresponding awards for literary works every year. Under the principles of openness, fairness, and justice, many writers have received this honor. For being able to be one of these writers, I also extend my heartfelt thanks to the committee here."

Just as everyone thought she was speaking pleasantries, Seto Tamae said something unexpected.

"But I am sorry, I personally do not agree with the results of today's Grand Prize announcement."

The audience was immediately in an uproar; this was practically a public attack on the judging committee!

As the most senior writer present and the winner of this Grand Prize, Seto Tamae had always maintained a certain tacit understanding with the Mantan Society. Why would she jump out to dissent today?

Takei Kohei, who had been watching everything with great interest, was also stunned; this was not in his plans for today. Kihara Daigo also frowned. As the executor of this awards ceremony, the other party's phrasing was undoubtedly a public accusation against him.

But now, the area below the dais was filled with the cameras of the media, and it was not appropriate for him to interrupt her speech in full view of everyone.

Seto Tamae did not care about the thoughts of others and responded directly: "I believe that the Mantan Society Literary Award should be presented to the work with the most influence and the most literary value. And recently, one work has reached such a level."

"In terms of influence, this work helped a magazine sell from about 30,000 copies to 200,000 copies. In terms of literary value, it broke through the traditional orthodox mystery style and instead carved out its own path, receiving praise from many book critics."

Amidst the camera flashes of the media, she coughed lightly and continued: "The work I am speaking of is Akiwara Yuto's *ZOO* series."

"I believe he is more worthy of the honor of this Grand Prize than I am!"