Early in the morning, while Minami still seemed to breathe slowly under a pale spring sky, the Red Violet Literature building was already awake inside.
It was the kind of morning where silence didn't truly exist, replaced by clicks, whispers, and the invisible tension of people who live by numbers but feel as if they were dealing with hearts.
Inside the Red Violet Literature editorial office, a group of editors gathered around their computers early in the morning to check reader feedback data on the books and periodicals recently published by the publisher.
The company's flagship magazine, "Red Violet," was relatively quiet. The performance of the novels published there was stable; the audience was loyal, the brand was strong, and the authors who published at that level already had the muscle to withstand any fluctuation.
However, the data from the novels published in the publisher's second-tier periodicals, such as 'Momentary Blossoms', were the real focus of discussion among the editors.
It wasn't the leading magazine, but it was the kind of publication that carried weight in Minami's publishing market. Excellent sales, great influence, demanding readers. Those who stood out there weren't just "good." They were people who could, with time and strategy, reach "Red Violet," the top.
After all, it was understandable that, among the five main publishers in the Southern Province, besides benchmark periodicals like Red Violet and Sakura Library, all the other second-tier periodicals essentially served to form a pool of novelists for the publishers' flagship periodicals.
Especially at a publishing house like 'Momentary Blossoms,' which had excellent sales and great influence, if a novelist's work could be serialized in a periodical of that size and achieve a certain level of success...
The focus of the discussion at that moment was the high school student who wrote novels and used the pseudonym "Mizuki Ito."
"If this person continues sending his novels to Red Violet Literature, the chances of them being recommended for serial publication in 'Red Violet' are extremely high."
"Is he really a newcomer?"
"Indeed, newcomers are monsters. The publication data for 'Ao Haru Ride' indicates that he has a great chance of reaching the top of the 'Momentary Blossoms' charts!"
An editor, who had the spreadsheet open, gestured calmly, as if controlling an informal meeting that no one had called:
"It's difficult to say. In terms of book ratings, 'Ao Haru Ride' is undeniably on the rise, but in terms of reader votes, it's still well behind the top two. 'Summer Fireworks,' which came in second this week, received 4,236 votes yesterday alone. And 'The Day of Farewell,' which came in first, has an impressive 5,682 votes. The difference is quite significant."
"But the rating is what matters; the rating of 'Ao Haru Ride' represents its reputation. As for the novel's popularity, it will increase with the number of chapters published."
"With the increase in votes, and considering the current moment, the probability that it will end up leading both the ratings and reader votes is actually quite high."
The discussion began to take on layers, as always happened when the numbers seemed to tell a bigger story.
An older editor, known for always bringing up the "but," tilted his head and spoke calmly:
"But, unfortunately, this novel seems to be just a short story, with only a dozen chapters planned, ending in less than two months. To be honest, in such a short time, it's quite difficult for this novel to increase its popularity to the point of surpassing 'Summer Fireworks' and 'The Day of Farewell'."
"Do you really think that the third part of 'Ao Haru Ride' will be able to maintain an increase of more than a thousand votes and dethrone 'Summer Fireworks' from second place?"
This sentence made some silently agree.
"A short story with only a dozen chapters? 'Summer Fireworks' and 'The Day of Farewell' were serialized for forty or fifty issues, accumulating an unwavering number of fans. The readership of 'Momentary Blossoms' magazine is generally quite stable; any increase in reader votes for a novel is basically due to loyal fans of other novels 'deserting' the magazine."
For one work to grow significantly in votes, another needed to lose. That is, the growth of a novel almost always came from "conversion" of readers who abandoned their old "team" and migrated. And migrating wasn't easy when the leaders already had fans accumulated over months.
"If 'Ao Haru Ride' continues for a long time, it might even cause the fans of 'Summer Fireworks' and 'The Day of Farewell' to switch sides. But if this novel only has a dozen issues, the story is different."
"However, given the popularity and reviews of the novel, the publisher will likely begin preparing the release of a single volume of 'Ao Haru Ride' soon. The content should be sufficient for three single volumes."
"And volume is another matter," replied an editor.
"The popularity and support of a novel in its serialized magazine are affected by the magazine's sales and the duration of the serialization. But single volumes are different; they are independent publications, and readers don't worry so much about these factors when buying. Judging by the reviews of 'Ao Haru Ride', I believe that the sales of this single-volume novel will be quite considerable."
The conversation, which had been somewhat technical, began to turn into speculation with gusto.
"Perhaps in the Southern Prefecture alone, it could sell 100,000 copies in total?"
"If you really want to predict that number, be bold! Don't be so imaginative. If 'Ao Haru Ride' is indeed published as a single volume, I think total sales will exceed 150,000 copies."
"Forget it, there's no point in worrying about individual volumes now. What's most important is the current performance of this novel's serialization."
"As long as the plot of 'Ao Haru Ride' doesn't fall apart and its popularity remains stable, this rookie high school novelist will have no problem publishing his future works in Red Violet, provided the quality is good enough."
It was then that someone, more attentive, brought up another memory:
"Hey, why is everyone talking about 'Ao Haru Ride'? Another newcomer, 'The Light of Yesterday's Stars' by Daiki Watanabe, is also doing well in its second edition, with a score of 8.2, still in fourth place, but reader votes have risen to 1993, placing it first in this edition."
"Fifth place out of thirteen novels. Actually, that's an incredible achievement, considering Daiki Watanabe is a newcomer too."
Some turned their faces away, as if the person had remembered an important piece of the puzzle.
"In that case, it's true. Two new monsters have emerged: the great monster Mizuki Ito and the little monster Daiki Watanabe?"
"I feel a little envious of Miyuki. How lucky she is to have found two such promising talents. With a little encouragement, they might have a chance to publish their new works in Red Violet in the second half of the year."
Within Red Violet Literature, there were many editors. Some are excellent. Some mediocre. Some who had never encountered a truly promising author.
Most editors spent years without managing to place a single work in the main magazine. After all, serialization slots are limited. Most editors compete fiercely, hoping to have a keen eye and select a novel to be published in Red Violet.
This would bring them status within the company, performance bonuses, and much more. Therefore, Miyuki's situation, having hired two clearly talented new novelists consecutively, inevitably evokes envy and jealousy.
And that morning, when Miyuki arrived at work, she naturally noticed the change in the company's work environment atmosphere.
It wasn't open hostility. It was that kind of subtle change: slightly longer greetings, glances that lingered half a second longer, a pause before someone spoke, as if everyone was calculating where she stood on the board now.
Of course, her reason for working as a novel editor at Red Violet Literature was purely out of interest and passion for the field; she didn't care much about salary and bonuses.
However, if she could personally mentor a new novelist and have their work published in Red Violet, her sense of accomplishment would be immense.
After sending the results of the second edition of 'Ao Haru Ride' and 'The Light of Yesterday's Stars' to Ren and Shiori via text message, Miyuki got to work. She knew that, for an author, these numbers were like heartbeats measured in public: you can't pretend it doesn't matter.
And on the other side of Minami, in a much more ordinary and far less glamorous reality, Ren was going to school.
The school was located in a residential neighborhood, with narrow streets and small shops that opened early. The gate had that typical metallic creak of an old place, and the courtyard was already full of students in impeccable uniforms.
Spring made everything beautiful, but it also made the routine more cruel. The sun seemed gentle, but the pressure in his chest was the same. Ren entered the room with his backpack light and his head heavy.
He still hadn't gotten used to the weight of being two things at once.
Student and author.
He tried to act normal. He sat down, took out his notebook. But right away, even before the teacher appeared, he heard:
"Hey, hey, have you guys read it yet? Yesterday's 'Momentary Blossoms' was great! I really loved that romance 'Ao Haru Ride', it's the best of the thirteen romances I've read."
"Me too, I got really emotional after reading the second chapter."
"I prefer 'The Light of Yesterday's Stars', it's more interesting."
"Oh, come on, I'm a fan of 'The Day of Farewell'. A die-hard fan, don't come praising another one in front of me."
In class, Ren overheard some discussions about the romance "Ao Haru Ride" among the girls early on.
He was the author of "Ao Haru Ride," and hearing people talk about his work without knowing it was him… it was a strange feeling. It was like he was watching someone talk about their own heart aloud.
But, on the other hand, he also heard some discussions among the boys in the class.
"I really don't understand what's so interesting about these romance novels about young girls? Girls love reading them. The king of romance novels has to be 'Transmigrated to Another World, the Demon King is Actually My Long-Lost Father!'"
"It's great! This novel is a true masterpiece of harem romance for real men."
"Harem? Ha! If we're talking about light harem romances, 'The Last Man in This World!' is the real deal. A world where all the ugly men and women are dead, leaving only a bunch of beautiful women and the male protagonist, that's what makes it exciting."
"The author's values are distorted! Isn't this pure perverted fantasy? How could this novel have been published?"
"Published? It's more than just published! This novel is a small success throughout the country. It's being sold in every province, and its national sales are very good."
Ren listened attentively for a while, then shook his head.
I meant that it was empty and soulless, that it was proof of how the market sometimes rewards the loudest, not the best.
Although the anime and manga industry is indeed expanding, the sheer variety of popular genres often leaves you speechless.
It was no surprise that the light novel and otaku culture market in Japan was enormous and, at the same time, full of strange fads. Some successes seemed more a product of collective impulse than real quality.
And yet, that's what dominated the shelves.
"I don't know when I'll be able to find some of those world-class works in Mizuki Ito's memoirs, to see how those top-tier works from that parallel world would fare in my world. Would they be incompatible with the local culture? Or would they change and guide the direction of anime and manga culture and genres in my world? At least those 'toilet paper' type isekai (another world) light novels are praised by so many people in the light novel industry, I really can't stand them."
The existence of Mizuki Ito in his life was a detail that no one at school imagined, and that he himself was still trying to understand. It was as if he carried within his head a closed archive, a collection of stories from another world and another level.
Even so, Ren couldn't stop fantasizing about the idea of change.
Before, as a reader, he could only swallow reality; now, as an author, he at least had the chance to try. He squeezed the pencil between his fingers and thought, with a kind of irritation that was almost hope:
"If this kind of generic isekai is called a 'masterpiece' by so many people… I can't stand it. I really can't stand it. There must be something better. Something that makes the audience truly feel. Something that changes the pattern."
His cell phone vibrated in his uniform pocket.
When he looked, he saw the name: 'Miyuki Hime'
The message was direct, objective, in her own way, and yet, it carried enormous weight: the numbers for the second chapter.
The high rating and growth. The impact was incredible.
There was no exaggeration, no empty praise. Just information. He slowly put his phone away and stared at the empty blackboard.
But Ren was no longer fully present.
He was somewhere else, within an invisible line connecting a literary magazine, an editorial office, anonymous readers, and life itself. He imagined a future scene: his name printed in a major magazine.
Miyuki smiling with that discreet gleam of victory and readers discussing the work as if it were too big to ignore.
Ren took a deep breath. He didn't know if he was a "rookie monster" as they said, and he didn't know if he deserved the title.
But one thing he knew: he couldn't let the story break down or let the pace drop, and he couldn't, under any circumstances, deliver something mediocre now that people were watching.
In an entire publishing world that, unknowingly, was waiting to see if he would continue to grow or if he would be just another short-lived flash in the spring. But now that he himself has become a light novel author, to be honest, Ren still has some fantasies. Even being just an insignificant person, he wanted to try and see if he could change the industry landscape through some excellent works of parallel worlds.
End of Chapter 22
**The expression "toilet paper novels" is a pejorative metaphor used to describe mass-market literature books, specifically paperback or newsstand novels, which have very specific characteristics of quick consumption.