The call with Miyuki ended with a soft click, and for a few seconds, Ren stood still in the building's hallway as if the sound had left a physical echo in the air.
Minami's coldness that night was clean, sharp, the kind that seeped into your collar and reminded you that the world wasn't interested in your emotions. He climbed the stairs, his backpack weighing him down strangely, not because of the magazine, but because of the words.
Fourth place in votes. First in score. 9,2.
That was… big. But what really stuck with him wasn't the number. It was the warning.
"Don't let those numbers go to your head."
In truth, Ren didn't need an editor pointing a finger. After all, he was submitting mature commercial works from parallel worlds, and making random changes would be superfluous.
He sat down, placed the 'Momentary Blossoms' magazine next to the keyboard, and breathed, trying to organize his thoughts. "If I change too much, I might ruin it."
Like taking a recipe that already works and inventing ingredient swaps on a whim. Still… Miyuki's call had made it clear that, for the publisher, "leaving the author alone" wasn't an option.
And she had reasons for that.
But, as if the universe wanted to answer even before its time, Miyuki called again shortly after, and this time, the conversation didn't have the same lightness as the first congratulations.
"Given the success of your novel, I need to take it seriously; otherwise, the publisher's superiors will criticize my professional conduct. As a student, you don't have time to frequently come to our company to discuss the novel's plot. Starting this week, I will visit your house periodically to review your manuscript, seeking to improve it as much as possible. I don't want 'Ao Haru Ride' to start well and end badly."
Ren remained silent for a moment upon hearing this. The proposal fell with a strange weight.
Going to his house. It wasn't a threat, but it was too much professional intimacy. It was the publisher crossing the boundary of "work" and entering the author's space.
"Um, can I ask another question? If the plot of my completed novel differs from your opinion, what will happen?"
"I will explain my opinions, based on market trends, the novel's flaws, and the mistakes made by previous authors in plot development, and I will argue with you, allowing you to revise the plot," Miyuki said softly.
Ren clenched his fingers.
"And if I insist on my opinion?" Ren said in a grave voice.
This time, there was a pause.
"Your opinion will prevail. But, in this situation, if the novel's popularity declines and the reviews become negative, the responsibility falls entirely on you. If the publisher decides to cancel your novel, I will not be able to intercede for you."
Ren swallowed hard and, surprisingly, didn't feel offended. He felt… respected.
Because, deep down, Miyuki was saying, "I'll warn you. I'll guide you. But I won't pretend the consequences don't exist."
He took a breath and replied,
"Understood, we'll do it your way."
The sentence came out with a bit of resignation but also pragmatism. He didn't reject Miyuki's suggestion. In any case, if she asked Ren to revise the main plot, he certainly wouldn't.
But Miyuki's occasional visits to his house to revise manuscripts weren't entirely useless. At least she had a lot of experience in writing style and developing plot details. When the first three chapters of his novel, 'Ao Haru Ride,' were revised and slightly altered after hearing her suggestions, the reading experience was actually much better.
He himself had noticed this in the first chapters. When she made small comments, the text became better. Cleaner. Easier to read. Less "noise."
Sometimes, the danger wasn't changing the recipe, it was serving a poorly presented dish. And in that, Miyuki had experience.
The call ended soon after.
Ren stared at the blank screen of his cell phone for a second, feeling that his life had just gained a new layer of complexity.
Miyuki stretched languidly in her office, her long black dress outlining the beautiful curves of her bust and abdomen.
"It's already 7:20 PM. Another night of overtime," she murmured, with a tired smile.
But she didn't have time to complain. One thing that the statistics panel had made clear was that she officially had two promising bombs in her lap.
And the promising bomb is the most dangerous.
Miyuki, not wanting to waste any more time, dialed another person's number: Shiori Haruki.
Shiori's house was in a luxury condominium in the northern part of the city. Many famous and wealthy people from the southern part, and even from the southern province, lived in that area.
That night, she lay on her bed in her room, her gaze fixed on the book in her hands, but it wasn't a "school" book.
It was the magazine 'Momentary Blossoms,' and she had already read the first chapter of "Ao Haru Ride" three times.
Scenes kept returning like images from a film: the first rain, the shy encounter, the confusion that turned into a wound, the inevitable separation, and then… the reunion years later, with that conversation that seemed simple on the surface and, underneath, had the brutality of a phrase you never forget.
Shiori Haruki raised her pale arm and covered her eyes, blocking the light from the ceiling. In the darkness, with her eyes closed, a scene formed in her mind.
The rain in the novel, the shy boy, the innocent girl, the misunderstanding the girl let slip, the reunion three years later, and the boy's words: "Things have changed, everyone's gone!"
And then, the time jump.
Everything in the story seemed to form a clear image, filling Shiori with a slight sadness.
"He writes so well," she thought, getting out of bed and looking at herself in the mirror.
Wearing a black and white school uniform, her figure was graceful, her features delicate and beautiful, but at that moment, a touch of defeat lingered on her pretty face.
Because she knew that, in terms of pure enjoyment from just the first chapter, 'Ao Haru Ride' far surpassed her own 'The Light of Yesterday's Stars'. And that hurt terribly.
"But... he's a boy! How can he write a romance like this for girls?" A flash of confusion and resentment shone in the girl's eyes.
Ren Yamamoto's 'Ao Haru Ride' was more delicate than any romance she, a girl, had ever written. The female protagonist was even more adorable and captivating than any character she, a girl, had ever created. She found it hard to accept. It was a specific kind of humiliation: losing in an area you believed to be your natural advantage, and Shiori Haruki didn't want to accept it.
"No! Don't be discouraged. The novel has just been serialized; we haven't lost yet." Looking at herself in the mirror, encouraging herself.
"Knock knock knock." The soft knock on the door made her heart race immediately.
"Shiori, if you're tired, go to bed early. Don't study late." Outside the door, her mother's greeting echoed after knocking.
"Okay." Shiori replied quickly, her heart still pounding.
She stood still for two seconds, listening for approaching footsteps. She still had the manuscript of the novel on the table. If her mother came in and saw it, she wouldn't know how to explain.
But sleep was definitely out of the question. According to her writing plan, she needed to write five thousand words of the novel tonight.
"Ring ring ring!" The phone rang on the bed. Seeing that it was Miyuki calling, Shiori grabbed the phone with lightning speed and answered immediately.
The call was the same one she had made to Ren before. However, the results for Shiori's novel had changed:
"Good evening, Shiori," Miyuki said. "I'm calling to discuss the initial data for 'The Light of Yesterday's Stars'."
Shiori held her breath.
"Currently, among the thirteen novels in this edition, it's seventh in votes and third in ranking."
"What's wrong? You don't seem very happy with these results," Miyuki said from the other end of the line.
"Nothing, I'm very happy!" Shiori replied too quickly, softening her voice, trying to sound lighthearted.
But, in truth, she wasn't interested in any data beyond first place.
Third, seventh? What a terrible ranking! It was unimaginable. This was a ranking she had never seen in her more than ten years of study. But writing wasn't a test with an answer key. The work environment isn't so simple either.
Although Shiori's mood was low, a wave of combative spirit immediately washed over her. "Um, Hime Editor"
"I've told you several times, you can call me Miyuki. I'm used to hearing people call me that."
"Miyuki, I wanted to ask, how is the novel 'Ao Haru Ride' doing, which, like 'The Light of Yesterday's Stars', is doing in this edition?"
"To be honest, this novel is impressive. It came in fourth place in this edition's voting, with a score of 9.2, placing first among thirteen novels." Miyuki paused before offering words of comfort.
"But don't be discouraged. A good start doesn't guarantee you'll be able to maintain it. I'm optimistic that 'The Light of Yesterday's Stars' will catch up with and surpass 'Ao Haru Ride'".
But hearing the precise number was worse, as if someone had written the defeat in permanent ink. She closed her eyes and took two deep breaths.
She really did lose to that novel. And although she had expected it, hearing the exact news still left her a little disheartened.
"Understood. I'll do my best."
The conversation then shifted to the subject Miyuki had already presented to Ren: more active editorial review.
"A home visit to review the novel manuscript?" Hearing this suggestion, Shiori immediately panicked.
If Miyuki came to review it, what would happen? Her whole family would know that she, Shiori Haruki, was neglecting her studies, secretly writing a serialized novel at home every night! That would be the end.
"Um, Miyuki, can we postpone this until the weekend? I'll take the novel manuscript to the publisher myself to discuss and revise the plot with you," she said.
Miyuki sighed. "What's wrong?"
Shiori swallowed hard. Then, carefully, she explained her situation without revealing too much, but enough: her family didn't support her, she wrote in secret, and it was impossible to allow a visit.
Miyuki was silent for a few seconds.
"Your family probably doesn't support your writing, so you've been writing in secret?" Miyuki frowned at this.
"But our company doesn't work on weekends, and I also have other things to do on weekends!"
"However, your novel is going so well. As an editor, I can't just ignore it and collect manuscripts at a fixed time every week. That's too risky, especially since you're a beginning novelist. The risk of the plot going off track and falling into plot holes later is even greater."
Miyuki thought for almost half a minute. On the other end of the line, Shiori Haruki stood motionless, waiting for the verdict as if she were in a hearing.
Finally, Miyuki had an idea. "Can you go out tonight?"
"Go out?" Shiori thought for a moment.
"Well… no problem. I can use the excuse of having extra lessons with my piano teacher, my painting teacher, my flower arranging teacher, and my tea ceremony teacher to go out and study until I get home before midnight."
"Eh, how flexible!" Miyuki was surprised.
"My family trusts me a lot, and that's how I've always been raised. Besides school classes, my free time is filled with private math lessons, competitions, singing, art, and kendo. My family is used to it."
Miyuki fell silent again, and Shiori Haruki could almost imagine her gaze.
"Don't you have any other hobbies?"
"Yes, I do. I read novels secretly in my room. And I write novels secretly in my room. After all, watching anime or playing video games makes noise and can be discovered. But reading novels is different; it's safe, discreet, and easy to hide." The sentence came out lightly, and she even smiled a little.
Since the other person was the only reliable editor who knew she wrote light novels, Shiori shared a little more about herself.
"You... you had a truly unfortunate childhood." Miyuki's expression froze, but she swallowed the painful words.
"Right, I understand your situation. You can't accept my visits in person. But during the week, you need to go to school and can't come to the bookstore to discuss the content and creative direction of the novel with me. On weekends, I don't work and I have other personal matters."
"In that case, the only time we can work together on the novel is on weekday evenings. If you can come in the evening, finding another place to discuss these matters isn't impossible, it's just a matter of scheduling... let me think about it."
Miyuki thought for a moment and then her eyes lit up.
"You don't mind having someone else with you when we discuss the novel's plot, do you?"
"The other person? Who is it?"
"The author of 'Ao Haru Ride'. He's one of my contracted authors, just like you. I need to review both of your novels and give you some guidance on the plot direction. Also, his working hours are only Monday to Friday evenings. If you agree, it will undoubtedly save me a lot of time and effort, preventing me from running around like crazy."
Shiori Haruki stood completely still. The name "'Ao Haru Ride'" seemed to have turned into a shadow in the room.
"You… are you talking about Mizuki Ito?" she asked, because that was the author's name in the system.
"Yes, that's right. Anyway, you two are beginning light novel authors, you're about the same age and both…" Miyuki interrupted herself quickly, almost revealing that Ren and Shiori were schoolmates.
Shiori Haruki squeezed her phone.
The idea of sitting next to the author who had just "surpassed" her… was unbearable and fascinating at the same time. She wanted to say "no."
But the smart part of her knew: this could be useful. A meeting with an editor, serious revision, exchange of experience… and, above all, the chance to see firsthand how that "rival" thought.
But there was a bigger problem: She couldn't be exposed.
"Is he a difficult person to deal with?" she asked.
Miyuki answered honestly:
"No, I think he's quite easy to deal with. Although he's not particularly enthusiastic, he's actually quite pleasant to be around. Besides, two aspiring authors meeting and exchanging ideas can improve their writing skills. What do you think? If you agree with my suggestion, I'll talk to him and make sure he keeps his identity a secret before I decide to do this," said Miyuki.
"I… I…" she hesitated for a moment before finally deciding. "Okay, we'll do it."
"Great. Then I'll talk to him and get back to you with the time and place. And don't worry: if he doesn't agree to the confidentiality, I won't go through with it."
Shiori closed her eyes. When the call ended, the room was silent again.
But the silence was no longer the same. It was as if, in the middle of that controlled routine, a door had opened to a world she didn't control, a world where she would have to fight for every victory.
Shiori sat in the chair, pulled out the hidden manuscript, opened the file on her notebook, and began to write.
Because now she had a target.
End of chapter 19