บท 12: Looks Very Soft~Delicate
"By the way, I don't know your name yet, sister," Izumi Kotomi asked casually as she filled out the visitor form.
"Eh?"
The receptionist, Saka Sakura, was momentarily stunned. She wasn't sure how to respond or what was going on.
Was she... being chatted up by a little sister?
"I'll be visiting Dengeki Bunko often, so I wanted to get to know you. This way, I won't have to fill out the form every time I come," Kotomi explained with a charming smile. After completing the form, she added, "Besides, with how beautiful you are, I'm sure both guys and girls would want to know your name after meeting you."
The receptionist chuckled at Kotomi's playful yet flattering words.
"My name is Saka Sakura. You can just call me Saka-san, little Izumi."
"Cherry blossoms fluttering in the night sky, with the moon visible in your eyes. Your name is as beautiful as you are, Saka-san."
"Are you flirting with me, little Izumi?" Saka Sakura joked. "It's a good thing you look so young. If you were my age, I might really fall for you, and then you'd have to take responsibility."
After some lighthearted conversation, Kotomi and Saka Sakura had become semi-acquainted. This familiarity meant that in the future, Kotomi wouldn't need to fill out the form every time she visited Dengeki Bunko.
It was a small but useful social connection. Filling out the form every time would be a hassle, so engaging in a bit of friendly conversation and building rapport made things easier for her future visits.
Moreover, Saka Sakura seemed like a good-natured and attractive person, so it was nice to know her.
However, Kotomi hadn't forgotten her primary reason for coming to Dengeki Bunko: to discuss the signing of her contract. She waved goodbye to Saka Sakura and took the elevator to the second-floor editorial department.
As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, Kotomi saw Yukinoshita Haruno waiting for her not far away.
Haruno, with her short, dark hair and blue-gray eyes, had a tall, graceful figure, reminiscent of a perfect older sister with a devilishly alluring charm. Kotomi recognized her immediately.
Although they had spoken on the phone yesterday, Kotomi knew Haruno hadn't yet seen her in person. Her slightly youthful face would likely make her seem just like a typical high school girl.
Approaching quietly, Kotomi saw that Haruno was checking the time on her phone, wondering why Kotomi hadn't arrived yet. At the same time, Haruno was also imagining what kind of girl could have written something as impressive as Sword Art Online.
Honestly, when Haruno first saw that the author's gender was listed as female in the database, she thought it might have been filled out randomly. But when she made the call and realized the author was indeed a girl, she was surprised.
It wasn't surprising that Haruno had doubts—there weren't many female authors in the light novel industry. Even counting Kotomi, Haruno could only think of around a hundred or so.
While Haruno was lost in thought, a slightly childish voice sounded beside her.
"Hello. Are you Editor Yukinoshita?"
"Yes, I am. And you are…?"
Haruno instinctively responded, but when she turned around, she was met with the sight of a beautiful girl with snow-white short hair and eyes like pink jewels. Her delicate, youthful face naturally evoked a sense of affection.
"Little one, is there something you need?"
Haruno composed herself and asked with a smile. But inwardly, she was screaming, Where did this adorable little cutie come from? She's so young, so precious!
Kotomi smiled and replied, "Nice to meet you, Editor Yukinoshita. I'm the one you spoke with yesterday—Izumi Ki, pen name Izumi Kotomi. Are you going to be my editor? Please take care of me."
"You're Izumi Ki?!"
The usually calm and composed Haruno couldn't help but exclaim in the hallway upon learning that the charming girl in front of her was indeed the author of Sword Art Online.
"Yes," Kotomi answered with a smile, showing Haruno her profile on the Dengeki Bunko website as proof.
Haruno took a moment to process this revelation before regaining her composure. She smiled confidently and said, "Nice to meet you, Izumi-sensei. I'll be in your care as well. Let's move to a private room to discuss further."
Haruno led Kotomi to a small meeting room within the editorial department, specifically designed for editors and authors to have discussions. It was a place where newly signed authors could celebrate, and experienced authors could brainstorm ideas with their editors.
They entered the innermost room, where a contract and two steaming cups of tea were already laid out on the table.
After Kotomi sat down, Haruno pulled out a chair and joined her, saying, "I asked you to come today to discuss the details of the Sword Art Online contract. I'm sure you saw the incredible response it received yesterday, right?"
Kotomi nodded and smiled, "Yes, after uploading the entire volume, I didn't check on it for a while and spent half the day gaming. It wasn't until you called that I went online to see the popularity of Sword Art Online. Honestly, when I saw it, I was shocked. 1.8 million views—something I never dared to imagine before."
"This morning, Sword Art Online's popularity on the Dengeki Bunko website continued to rise. We expect it to surpass 2 million views within a week. Congratulations, Izumi-sensei."
As Haruno spoke, she placed the A-level contract in front of Kotomi.
"Yesterday afternoon, Chief Editor Hiratsuka held a special meeting about Sword Art Online and decided to offer you an A-level contract. If the sales of the physical volumes are strong, this A-level contract can be upgraded to an S-level contract."
Kotomi nodded and began reviewing the A-level contract.
"Before we finalize the contract, I have a few questions. Could you answer them for me, Izumi-sensei?" Haruno asked.
"Of course," Kotomi agreed, setting the contract aside to focus on Haruno.
"How old are you, Izumi-sensei?"
Haruno couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer. Based on Kotomi's voice, she had guessed she was a young girl, but seeing her in person made it clear—she was really young!
"I'm sixteen. I'll officially start high school in a few days," Kotomi replied candidly.
Sixteen?!
Haruno was glad she hadn't taken a sip of tea, or she might have spit it out.
To think that at sixteen, someone could write a light novel as impressive as Sword Art Online—this wasn't just talent; it was a rare, extraordinary gift!
While it wasn't unusual for high school students to write novels, a high schooler with writing skills as mature and refined as Kotomi's was practically unheard of.
Or rather, unprecedented!
Sword Art Online, with its unique plot, characters, and world-building, was nothing short of a groundbreaking work. It was hard to imagine that such a phenomenal light novel was written by a girl who hadn't even started high school yet.
The only other high school author Haruno could think of who was equally talented was Utaha Kasumigaoka.
Now, there was another—Izumi Kotomi.
"Did you create the entire setting, characters, and plot for Sword Art Online by yourself?"
"Yes, it was all done by me," Kotomi confirmed, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Have you ever published a novel before?"
"Nope, I'm a complete newbie," Kotomi said, meeting Haruno's gaze without any hint of insecurity.
"Do any of your family members work in the literary field?"
"No, my dad's a section chief at a company, and my mom is a full-time housewife. I also have a younger sister who's still in middle school," Kotomi replied calmly.
After getting answers to all her questions, Haruno found herself momentarily speechless, inwardly taking a deep breath.
A sixteen-year-old girl, writing her first light novel, with no guidance or assistance from any family members in the industry.
Without any prior writing experience, she had produced Sword Art Online.
Is a genius living right under my nose?!
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