In the Kadokawa Bunko Editor-in-Chief's office:
"Editor-in-Chief, here are the manuscripts for the two recently signed novels." Sonoko Machida handed over the revised manuscripts from Hachiman and Utaha.
The middle-aged editor-in-chief read through the manuscripts provided by Sonoko Machida.
"The content isn't bad, especially this 'Sword Art Online' novel. It's already of a decent quality and could be considered for publication."
"But this 'Koisuru Metronome' is..." After reviewing Utaha's novel, the editor-in-chief reached the same conclusion. The writing is well-done, but the plot lacks depth.
"Editor-in-Chief, I believe the author of this novel still has a lot of room for improvement. It might be worth giving her a chance!" As an editor, Machida Sonoko naturally strives for opportunities for her authors.
"Alright, let's proceed with the publication of these two novels."
"How many copies should we print for the first run?" Machida Sonoko inquired.
"For 'Sword Art Online,' we'll start with an initial print run of 10,000 copies. As for 'Koisuru Metronome,' let's begin with 3,000 copies." After a brief consideration, the middle-aged editor-in-chief finalized the decision.
Hachiman's novel is finally on its way to publication, though he remains unaware of these developments.
In the days that followed, Hachiman found himself occupied with contacting Yuigahama each morning and dedicating his evenings to writing. With less than ten days remaining before school started, time was running short.
Amidst his busy schedule, he managed to enjoy some outings with Komachi, making his days fulfilling.
The day before the start of Golden Week, a Friday.
"Wakamono-sensei! Your novel will officially start selling tomorrow!" Machida Sonoko informed Hachiman casually over the phone.
After a week's wait, Hachiman's novel was finally on the brink of being released. During this period, he had not only finalized the illustrations for the light novel but also undertaken several rounds of revisions.
"I understand. Thank you, Editor Machida!" Hachiman expressed his gratitude with a smile.
Aware of the rapid progress in publishing his novel, Hachiman recognized the substantial effort that Machida Sonoko had put into making it happen.
"Well, let's leave it at that for now! The rest will hinge on your novel's sales tomorrow, so I'll get back to my work!" Machida Sonoko concluded their conversation briefly and ended the call, knowing she had more tasks to attend to.
"Starting tomorrow, huh?"
With the call over, Hachiman felt a tinge of excitement. The fate of his work depended on how well it sold on its first day.
With these thoughts in mind, Hachiman revisited his Kadokawa Bunko blog and composed a post: "Tomorrow marks the release date of my light novel, 'Sword Art Online.' I hope to have everyone support!"
In Komachi's room, she excitedly remarked, "Tomorrow is the day when Onii-chan's novel gets released! I definitely need to buy a copy to show my support!" Determined, she read the blog post Hachiman had made.
The following morning, just as he always did, Hachiman prepared breakfast for Komachi and headed out. He arrived at a nearby bookstore owned by Kadokawa, eager to get started.
The bookstore opened right at eight o'clock. Hachiman entered and began to search for the section where his novel would be displayed.
In the section dedicated to newly published light novels, Hachiman located his own creations. The display held about fifty to sixty copies of his novels.
As his eyes fell upon his work neatly arranged on the shelf, Hachiman's heart raced with excitement. The fact that his novels were physically present on a bookstore shelf was a surreal and thrilling experience.
Since it was still early on a Saturday morning, the bookstore was relatively empty. Hachiman didn't mind. He picked up a book from the shelf and started reading to pass the time.
As the morning progressed, more and more people began to trickle into the bookstore.
As Hachiman anxiously waited, a person eventually approached the bookshelf displaying his novels.
"Sword Art Online? I've never heard of this. Is it a new one? Let's see what this light novel is about first."
Hachiman concealed himself at a distance, his heart racing as he listened to the man's muttered words. The mixture of tension and excitement he felt was reminiscent of the moments before receiving exam results—an overwhelming blend of nervousness and anticipation.
"Kirito, Death Game, Group Strategy, and Rescue Players... this is really cool! I want to buy three copies!"
With those words, the man picked up three books and made his way to the checkout counter.
Hachiman was surprised to see someone buying three copies at once—one for reading, one for collecting, and one for sharing. It was a pleasant shock to realize that his light novel had attracted such interest.
Not long after that person left, a few more people gathered around the bookshelf.
"This book is really great, you have to buy it and give it a read."
"Absolutely, I didn't expect this new release to be so appealing. Look at that title, it's so intriguing!"
"I'm definitely getting a copy. I need to tell Yuji and the others about it later."
"Count me in too! I'm going to recommend it to all my friends."
As those readers left, Hachiman breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared that his writing had managed to capture the attention of readers.
Before he crossed over, the "Sword Art Online" series had already achieved global sales exceeding 30 million copies. With such a massive success in the original world, Hachiman wondered if it would somehow diminish the significance of its presence here in this new world.
Just as Hachiman was about to leave, he caught sight of a familiar figure.
"Komachi, what are you doing here?" Hachiman asked, a sense of surprise evident as he reached out to pull Komachi closer.
"Whoa... oh, it's Onii-chan." Startled by the sudden tug, Komachi turned around and locked eyes with her own beloved Onii-chan. "Of course, I'm here to support your novel, Onii-chan."
"My silly little sister," Hachiman said with a soft smile, his heart warming at her words. He embraced her, feeling a rush of emotion. Indeed, his sister Komachi was truly something special.
"It's a blessing to have you as my sister," he added, his voice filled with genuine gratitude.
Embraced by Hachiman, Komachi's eyes squinted with happiness. In her heart, her Onii-chan was the most important person.
"Onii-chan, about your novel..."
"Don't worry, Komachi. Onii-chan's novel is doing well. Let's head back home. I'll whip up something delicious for you today," Hachiman said with a proud smile.
"Sure thing. I want to eat meat."
"Haha, got it. Meat it is, then."
Kadokawa Bunko!
"Hey, it's really tough! Do we have to work even on weekends?" Machida Sonoko sighed helplessly as she continued to handle her work.
"Editor Machida, here's the sales performance report for yesterday's novel," a female clerk entered the room and handed a document to Machida Sonoko.
"Thank you, Kyoko," Machida Sonoko expressed her gratitude and then started reading the report.
"Let's see, the sales volume of 'Sword Art Online' is 450 copies?" Machida Sonoko was pleasantly surprised as she looked at the sales figures. "I didn't expect the results to be this good!"
It was impressive that the novel managed to sell nearly 500 copies in a single day without any significant publicity.
Machida Sonoko could sense the potential rise of a phenomenal light novel.
"Let me check the sales volume for 'Koisuru Metronome'. Oh, there are only one hundred and ten copies sold, is that correct?"
Seeing the sales figures for Utaha's novel, Machida Sonoko fell silent for a moment. She realized that this result wasn't particularly favorable. However, she decided to wait and see, as it was only the first day.
Meanwhile, back at home, Hachiman had prepared a delicious meal for Komachi. Even though it cost him most of his pocket money, he didn't mind. He believed that his novel would become a success and bring a steady stream of income.
As Hachiman and Komachi enjoyed their celebration, the number of followers on his blog suddenly increased by several hundred. Unaware of this, Hachiman continued his day.
After typing the final word, Hachiman released a sigh of relief. His gaze shifted to the completed manuscript on the computer screen, and a satisfied nod followed suit. With a sense of urgency, he rushed to complete the second volume before the holiday ended.
"Compared to other light novelists, I am remarkably diligent," he mused. Completing two volumes in a month filled Hachiman with a surge of pride. True, he was primarily a copywriter, but he had skillfully revised the original work, earning his due credit.
It's worth noting that these Japanese light novel writers are renowned for their hard work, often taking two to three months to finish a single volume. Each volume typically spanned around 100,000 words. This led to Japanese light novelists being capable of producing between 500,000 to 600,000 words per year under regular circumstances.
The authors of these light novels in Japan often faced the persistent nudges of their editors. The thought of striving to write 400,000 to 500,000 words a year while still requiring editorial prompts left Hachiman slightly astounded.
Naturally, this was influenced by Japan's unique circumstances. Most Japanese light novels were still rooted in physical books. The journey from submission to revisions, followed by securing an artist for illustrations, and finally culminating in the printing process, consumed nearly a month for each installment to hit bookstore shelves.
Furthermore, publishing houses handled not just one author's work, but a multitude of them. With limited capacity, releases were scheduled in succession.
Although Hachiman will return to school in two days, his daily routine didn't allow for extensive writing time. Yet, maintaining an output of 5,000 to 8,000 words per day. This regimen enabled him to produce up to 200,000 words within a month.
Hence, Hachiman's capability to craft a volume every month remained unhindered, setting a noteworthy benchmark within the industry.
After saving the manuscript, Hachiman stretched his waist and directed his attention to his current attributes.
[Host: Hikigaya Hachiman]
[Age: 16 years old]
[Module loaded:
Cooking level 3 (2140/10000)
Learning level 3 (350/10000)
Kendo level 3 (340/10000)
Writing level 3 (1850/10000)
Physique level 3 (1080/10000)
Conversational level 3 (120/10000)
Acting level 3 (120/10000)
Fighting level 2 (1240/5000).]
Most of my skills have been elevated to level 3. While I haven't dedicated much effort to skills beyond cooking, physique, and writing—skills that find frequent use—I've managed to accumulate proficiency naturally. And surprisingly, even the most recent addition, the fighting skill, has ascended to level 2.
Reveling in a comfortable stretch, his gaze shifted, landing upon a bag of premium dog food resting in the room's corner.
This bait was initially set up to lure Sable, yet after Hachiman grew acquainted with Yuigahama, even the allure of Sable faded, not to mention the bag of dog food.
"It's a shame to just discard it, especially considering the amount of money I spent on it. I'll offer it to Sable tomorrow as a token of appreciation for being a loyal companion. Thanks to that dog, I got to know Yui," he mused, a smile gently curving his lips.
Following a month of unwavering dedication, he and Yuigahama had blossomed into close friends.
As for Yui, the innocent yet somewhat naive, even she couldn't escape the subtle influence of Hachiman's increasingly adept conversational skills.
As expected, Yui is too young to perceive the true nature of someone like me, a scoundrel.
Bright and early the following morning, Hachiman embarked on his routine morning jog, accompanied by the bag of high-quality dog food.
While waiting at the traffic light intersection, he coincidentally crossed paths with Yuigahama, who was out for her customary morning jog with Sable.
"Good morning, Hikki."
"Morning, Yui-san."
Hachiman and Yuigahama exchanged greetings simultaneously. After a month of spending time together, their bond had grown strong enough for them to address each other by name.
"Woof woof!"
At that moment, the once-composed Sable grew became excited, catching the scent of the coveted high-quality dog food.
"Hikki, did you buy something?" Yuigahama inquired with curiosity upon seeing what Hachiman held in his hand.
"Ah, this, well, it's a bag of dog food!" Hachiman raised his right hand, the bag of dog food swaying within his grasp.
"Dog food? Hikki, do you have a dog at home too?" Yui's inquiry carried a note of puzzlement.
"No, this was left behind when a relative's dog was placed in our care temporarily. Since I don't have a dog, I have no use for it. But then I realized that you have Sable in your family, so I thought maybe this bag of dog food would be suitable for you." Naturally, Hachiman refrained from revealing that this was initially part of his scheme to get closer to her. Instead, he concocted a reasonable explanation.
"Wow, woof, woof!" Sable, at Yui's feet, wagged its tail even more enthusiastically upon hearing this.
"I'm not so sure about this..." Yui hesitated, observing that the dog food in Hachiman's hand was of a high-end variety.
"It's alright. I don't have a dog either. If you don't take it, I'll end up tossing it out, and that feels like such a waste. It makes more sense to give it to Sable, especially since I also like Sable." Anticipating her potential refusal, Hachiman had rehearsed his speech. Thanks to his adept level 3 acting skills, Yui, the naive one, failed to see through his artful deception.
"Well... I guess so!" Eventually, Yui agreed to take it, swayed by the notion of not letting it go to waste. If it was as Hachiman suggested, better to offer it to Sable than to discard it, even if receiving dog food from a guy was quite odd.
Observing Yui consent, Hachiman grinned, extracting a few pieces of dog food from the bag and fed them to Sable.
"Crack! Crack!"
Sable, finally indulging in the high-grade dog food it had longed for, wagged its tail with fervor and lovingly licked Hachiman's hand after its meal.
Witnessing this scene, Hachiman's smile deepened as he gently patted Sable's head.
"Sable seems to really like you, Hikki!" Yui, standing to the side, couldn't help but beam with delight.
With the dog food exchange accomplished, Hachiman and Yui continued their morning run, their connection growing stronger with each stride.
Unbeknownst to Yui, the sweet yet gullible girl, she remained blissfully unaware of Hachiman's ulterior motives.
"See you tomorrow, Hikki!"
"Yeah, goodbye, Yui!"
Back at the traffic light junction once more, the two engaged in a brief chat before parting ways, each heading home.
The next day would mark the start of school, with Hachiman advancing to Sobu High School, embarking on his high school journey.
What sort of youth-oriented romantic comedy awaited him?
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