"I'm back."
"Welcome home. Wash your hands and get ready to eat."
"Okay..."
After changing his shoes at the entrance, Akira headed straight to the kitchen. During dinner, he casually brought up the manuscript submission from the previous night to Miyamura Shizuka.
She agreed without hesitation. As his guardian, she understood what it meant—later she'd just need to sign the contract paperwork.
Under Japan's civil law, anyone under 20 still required a guardian's consent to sign contracts independently.
(The year in the story is around 2017. The amendment lowering the age of majority from 20 to 18 didn't take effect until April 2022.)
After dinner, Akira cleared the table and returned upstairs to continue writing, while Shizuka went to the master bedroom to rest.
When the afternoon heat shimmered off the concrete roads, copper wind chimes at a distant temple clinked in the breeze. Camellia petals drifted from branches still waiting for cherry blossoms, settling in the shadow of a vending machine.
"Akira, I'm back!"
Shouko pushed the door open happily, holding a paper bag printed with a dessert shop's logo.
"Shouldn't you knock first?" Akira leaned back in his chair, rubbing his slightly sore eyes with a helpless look.
"I forgot."
She set the dessert bag on the table, stuck out her tongue playfully, then grew serious:
"Akira, did you get a reply from that editor yet?"
"It's only been half a day. How could it be that fast?" He slipped his anti-blue light glasses back on and spread his hands.
Futaba Publishing was well-known. Dozens of manuscripts flooded in every day. How could his submission from nearly midnight last night get noticed so soon?
"Oh, okay then. Anyway, try this! I bought it for you."
Shouko reached to open the dessert box, but Akira stopped her.
"Put it in the fridge first. I'll eat it later—I'm not hungry right now."
"Alright."
She trotted downstairs to put it away, then came back and asked, "Where's Auntie?"
"Shopping with her friend," he replied, eyes fixed on the screen.
"Oh, okay."
She stopped asking, kicked off her slippers, and in two quick movements slipped under his blanket.
"Akira, wake me up when Auntie gets home. Good afternoon~"
"..."
He glanced back—she was already closing her eyes. Sighing, he returned to his writing, typing just a little slower than before.
Meanwhile, at Futaba Publishing.
"Knock knock..."
A colleague tapped the desk. "Jun, lunch?"
Kazeno Jun looked up from her monitor, where a light novel submission filled the screen. Her peripheral vision caught the group waiting behind—among them, the beer-bellied senior editor she had disliked since joining.
She forced a polite smile and waved her hand. "You go ahead, Komura-senpai. I'm not very hungry."
The senior's face stiffened, but Komura showed no reaction. Curious instead, she leaned slightly to glance at Jun's screen—just long enough to see a manuscript title, then straightened.
"Jun, there'll always be more submissions. Your health matters too. Why not eat first?"
"This one's different," Jun murmured, though she eventually closed the screen and agreed to join them. After all, she owed Komura-senpai for past help.
"Shouko, wake up."
Akira shook her gently. "Dinner's in thirty minutes."
"Five more minutes…" she mumbled, swatting his hand away.
He sighed. He knew she wouldn't sleep before midnight now—and would definitely be calling him later.
So he set ten alarms, one minute apart, and left the phone by her pillow before heading downstairs.
"Still not awake?" Shizuka asked as she chopped vegetables.
"She wants five more minutes," he said, peeling garlic.
Shizuka gave a small nod. Moments later, Shouko stormed into the kitchen, shoved his phone back into his pocket, and swatted his arm as the alarm blared.
Shizuka hid a smile at their little spat, pretending not to notice.
Later, Shouko feigned anger through dinner, but quickly forgave him when he brought out the dessert.
Twilight spread across the horizon. Shouko said goodnight, then left.
Moments later, his phone lit up with a video call—exactly as he expected. He answered and set the phone beside his keyboard.
"Akira, I can't sleep. Tell me a story?"
"Over the phone? Can you really hear clearly?" he muttered.
"What did you say? Point the screen at your face—I can read your lips."
He adjusted the camera. "Better?"
"Perfect."
They chatted late into the night—her shopping stories, his recounting of Shin-chan heartbreak. By midnight, Shouko was struggling to keep her eyes open.
"If you're sleepy, go to bed. Don't force yourself," he said softly.
"What about you?" she yawned.
"I'll sleep too."
He shut down his computer, climbed into bed, and only then did she hang up with a gentle, "Goodnight."
Morning light spilled over Mount Fuji.
Kazeno Jun sat huddled in her futon, glaring at her phone.
"That's it? Only one volume??"
She had forced herself last night to stop reading at work. But compared to the other messy, illogical submissions, this one was on a different level. She saved it onto her phone, planning to read later.
After being dragged out drinking with colleagues, she finally finished it at home—only to find there was no continuation.
Frustrated, she leapt from bed, shoved on her glasses, and booted her computer.
"Pen name… Shouko? Weird name."
She found the contact info and immediately dialed.
"Beep... beep... beep..."
No answer. She checked the clock. 7:36. Early. Still, she tried again. And again.
At that moment, Akira returned from his morning run. Hearing his phone ring upstairs, he picked it up—dozens of missed calls, all from the same unknown number.
The phone vibrated again. He answered. "Hello? Who's this?"
"Is this Shouko-sensei?"
The voice was excited but tired, like someone who'd stayed up all night.
"Yes. Are you from Futaba Publishing?"
"Yes, yes! Did I wake you? Sorry!"
"No, I just got back from exercising."
They exchanged small talk before Akira cut to the point.
"My submission—was it accepted?"
"Yes! Shouko-sensei, are you free this afternoon? Let's meet at a café to discuss. I'll bring the contract."
Normally, authors went to Futaba Publishing, but she was off today.
"How about the new café on Futaba Street at 3 PM?"
"Perfect. I'll wait there."
Just as he was about to hang up, she blurted:
"Wait! How many volumes have you written? Just one?"
"Volumes two, three, and four are already complete."
"...Really? Okay, see you later!"
The line cut off. Akira stared at his phone, suddenly unsure if she was reliable.
"Akira, who was that?" Shizuka asked curiously.
He hid a smile. "Mom, let's go to the café at 3 PM. My first book got signed."
Leaving her stunned, he walked off toward the bathroom, already imagining her reaction later.
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