Yukino did not mention the discussion about "The Ascent of New Gods" from the editorial meeting to either Reina or Haruto. Six months into the future was simply too far away.
Talking about it now would be meaningless.
Still, the publishing house's willingness to tilt some resources toward Haruto and Reina was undeniably a good thing. After all, any increase in influence for their two novels was a gain.
In truth, the performance of a serialized novel was not determined solely by its quality.
Capital, platforms, and exposure often played an equally decisive role. When Yukino first read the opening three chapters of Blue Spring Ride, she already felt its quality surpassed most of the works serialized in Crimson Maple.
After finishing chapters seven and eight that Haruto later submitted, her opinion evolved even further.
She believed that Blue Spring Ride was stronger than every single novel currently serialized in Crimson Maple.
Of course, that was her personal taste and judgment.
That said, her instincts for the market were sharp.
In Shiori's original world, Blue Spring Ride had been considered a top-tier romance anime among countless Japanese youth romance titles.
The original manga had explosive popularity, the anime adaptation scored highly with viewers, and it had even been adapted into a live-action film.
It was a mature, polished work with tremendous commercial value.
Unfortunately, having it serialized in Fleeting Blossoms felt somewhat like making a legendary general ride a small dog. Its full potential simply could not be unleashed.
Because the serialization platform was Fleeting Blossoms, the ceiling of the novel's performance was capped by the magazine's circulation.
A magazine with only three hundred thousand paying readers, even factoring in copies borrowed and passed around among friends, could never realistically generate a million devoted fans.
That was the harsh reality of external limitations imposed by capital and platforms, no matter how outstanding the work itself might be. Now that preparations were underway for releasing a standalone volume, Yukino found herself thinking quietly.
"Maybe once it breaks free from the constraints of a magazine, Blue Spring Ride will truly shine in the tankōbon market."
She gazed out at the city skyline through the window as the thought crossed her mind.
For Haruto, his daily routine this semester had become monotonous. Wake up, wash up, go to school, come home, then write novels during class breaks and after school.
It was a dull life by most standards.
However, the manuscript payments for Blue Spring Ride were deposited twice a week, and that steady income continuously refueled his motivation.
Before the semester began, he had been anxious about basic survival. Now, barely a month into school, his total savings were approaching two hundred thousand yen, and the pressure on his shoulders had finally eased.
Even if he were forced to move out of his current place tomorrow, factoring in the remaining unpaid manuscript fees, the money would still be enough to cover all his living expenses through the rest of high school.
At school, the number of fans for both Blue Spring Ride and Yesterday's Starlight continued to grow.
What used to be the occasional overheard conversation had turned into frequent discussions of plot developments among classmates.
By midday, after a dull morning of classes, Haruto finished lunch in the cafeteria and returned to the classroom to rest with his head down.
He had barely been resting for five minutes when a burst of shocked chatter erupted among the girls.
"Is this for real? Look at what it says on the cover of the new issue of Fleeting Blossoms."
"'Genius high school light novel authors from Minamijo Third High School, Airi and Shiori Takahashi.'"
"What does that even mean?"
A few girls had gone to the bookstore near the school gate during lunch to buy the latest issue of Fleeting Blossoms.
They had planned to binge-read a chapter or two, only to be stunned by the cover.
Illustrations of the male and female leads from Blue Spring Ride and Yesterday's Starlight dominated the center of the cover.
But what truly caught their attention was the tagline printed beside them.
"Does this mean that the author of Blue Spring Ride, Shiori Takahashi, and the author of Yesterday's Starlight, Airi, are students at our school?"
The moment one girl voiced the thought, nearly everyone in the classroom, boys and girls alike, turned to look.
Not everyone cared about Fleeting Blossoms.
But everyone cared about gossip.
Two light novel authors emerging from their own school was irresistible news.
The classroom instantly buzzed.
"Seriously? Who are they?"
"Let me see."
"That's it? It just says they're students at our school and that their debut works performed exceptionally well. Nothing else?"
"Damn it, I hate publishers who only tell half the story."
"No way. There's no way Blue Spring Ride and Yesterday's Starlight were written by students from our school."
"Impossible. Which class does this monster belong to?"
"I love reading novels too, and I've always wanted to write one. I even tried. Forget submitting to a top publisher like Crimson Maple. Even third-rate magazines rejected me outright. And now these two are high school students, first submission, signed by Crimson Maple, and performing this well?"
"By the way, serialization in Fleeting Blossoms should pay pretty well, right?"
"If I remember correctly, depending on performance, one chapter pays anywhere from around forty thousand yen to two hundred thousand yen. With eight chapters a month, that's at least four hundred thousand yen, possibly over a million."
"Four hundred thousand? I only get fifteen thousand yen a month in allowance."
"My dad only makes about five hundred thousand yen a year. Are you telling me someone at our school is making my dad's annual salary in a month?"
The discussion grew more animated by the second.
"Haruto, are you interested in this kind of news too?"
Kaito grinned as he spoke to Haruto.
"Not really. I was just bored and listening to what they were talking about," Haruto replied calmly, revealing nothing.
This guy's mouth was enormous. If Kaito learned something, the whole class would know within minutes.
"Hey, you've been writing stuff with your head down in class lately. Don't tell me…" Kaito joked.
"Don't tell me you're actually one of them, Shiori Takahashi or Airi."
Haruto rolled his eyes and laughed.
"Yeah, I'll come clean. I'm Shiori Takahashi, the genius high school novelist on the cover. So what, are you my fan?"
"Get lost. You, Shiori Takahashi? Have some shame. The person who wrote that novel has to be a once-in-a-generation beauty. The way the story portrays Futaba and Yuri, being ostracized out of jealousy because they're too cute, it feels painfully real. You think someone like you could write that?" Kaito's eyes sparkled.
"If I had to guess, only someone like Reina could understand what it's like to be isolated for being too outstanding."
"Come to think of it, Shiori Takahashi being her almost makes sense. But nah, forget it. Her family is rich. Why would she care about earning a few tens of thousands of yen from writing novels?"
Haruto froze for a moment.
This guy was surprisingly sharp.
He sounded like he was rambling, but he was actually hitting close to the truth.
"Wait, the way you're talking, it sounds like you've read Blue Spring Ride. You're a guy. You read shōjo romance novels?" Haruto asked, smoothly changing the subject.
"I just… happened to see it," Kaito stiffened.
"My little sister likes it, so I know a bit."
There was no way Kaito would admit that he himself was a fan of Blue Spring Ride.
Nor that every week, he and a few friends he had nagged relentlessly all voted in support of it on the official site.
What happened in Haruto's class was mirrored in other classrooms across the school, including Reina Fujimoto's.
Everyone was speculating about who Airi and Shiori Takahashi really were.
Reina sat alone by the window, feeling a mix of unease and quiet joy.
After all, no author could remain unhappy upon hearing people speak positively about their work.
What unfolded at Minamijo Third High School did not significantly affect fans elsewhere.
Readers were surprised to learn that the authors of Blue Spring Ride and Yesterday's Starlight were high school students, and even more surprised that they attended the same prestigious school.
But for most fans, the plot mattered far more than the authors. When chapter five of Blue Spring Ride was released, the reaction was stronger than for any previous chapter.
The reason was obvious.
A third party had clearly entered the emotional space between Futaba and Kou.
That third party was Futaba's classmate and close friend.
Yuri.
The chapter was gripping and compelling, but it also stirred intense emotions.
Because the story was sliding straight toward the outcome readers had feared the most.
As a result, the discussion heat for Blue Spring Ride on Crimson Maple Literature's official forums that day far exceeded anything seen after previous releases.
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