Since becoming an entertainer and a debut author, Michiya Gōshin found that he was spending significantly more time on Twitter.
On one hand, he could browse reviews for Love Letter, and on the other, he could keep up with news about Johnny & Associates and the entertainment industry.
Under the hashtag #MichiyaGōshinLoveLetterRaveReviews#, new comments were constantly refreshing.
["I'm in Dean Onishi's class right now, and he was just analyzing the metaphors of unrequited love in Love Letter. I've decided to go buy a copy at the bookstore as soon as class is over!"]
Please pay attention in class!
["I wasn't interested in a book by a scandal-ridden entertainer, but my friend forced me to read the first two chapters... It's actually really interesting. Now I'm in line at the bookstore waiting for a restock!"]
Let's say thank you to our friends.
["Teachers in the literary world are all sharing and recommending it, so this isn't just marketing hype! I bought a copy and stayed up all night to finish it. My eyes are swollen now, it was such a tearjerker!"]
Promise me you won't stay up all night again, okay?
In the comment section, the trolls who had been frantically stirring up trouble were long drowned out by a sea of sincere praise. The occasional skeptical comment that popped up was quickly shot down with retorts like, "Have you even read the book?" and "Would Dean Onishi recommend a bad book?"
"My follower count has already broken one hundred thousand..."
A few days after Love Letter's release, Michiya Gōshin's Twitter follower count had surged from tens of thousands past the six-figure mark. Although it was still no match for Sakurajima Mai's millions of followers, he now had a considerable audience.
Just then, his phone suddenly rang again.
He picked it up and saw it was an unknown number. The young man hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Is this Michiya-sensei?"
A gentle male voice came from the other end of the line. "This is Ayatsuji Yukito. I got your contact information from Editor Machida. Congratulations on the massive success of Love Letter!"
"Uh, thank you."
"This might be a bit forward, but I'm calling to invite you, Michiya-sensei, to join our group chat. It has many up-and-coming writers, and I'm sure you'll be interested."
"Join a group chat?"
Michiya Gōshin thought about it. This was indeed a good thing; a network of writers was an important connection, and he hoped to discuss stories with some excellent authors.
"Then send me an invite. My Line is..."
"Got it."
After hanging up, he was immediately added on Line by someone whose profile picture was a four-colored pinwheel. They then sent him a link to join the group.
"Ding!"
After joining the group chat named [New Writers Tokyo Branch!], Michiya Gōshin tried sending a self-introduction.
"Hello everyone, I'm Michiya Gōshin."
The next moment, the group chat instantly came to life.
"Welcome, Michiya-sensei! The scene in Love Letter where Fujii Itsuki discovers the sketch really got to me. I've reread it so many times!" — This was from Asada Mao, a rising author who won the Naoki Prize last year.
"Michiya-sensei's descriptions of snowy scenes are incredible. We should exchange tips on describing settings sometime~" — Historical novelist Sasaki Kaoru added an emoticon at the end of her welcome message.
"Dean Onishi was just talking about you yesterday. He said, 'There are too few young people these days who can settle down and write about such delicate emotions.' You have to keep up the great work, Michiya-sensei!" — This message from mystery writer Miyamoto Miyuki carried a gentle, senior-like warmth. She was a former student of Dean Onishi, and her mystery novels sold in astonishing numbers.
"Thank you, everyone. I'll continue to do my best."
Michiya Gōshin smiled slightly as he watched the messages scroll up the screen.
He then told his agent, Nakahara Kazuya, about it, who naturally praised him again and told him to seize such a great opportunity.
After all, these people held the copyrights to a large number of works, and there might be opportunities for collaboration in the future.
Standing up and stretching, Michiya Gōshin glanced at his system's light screen.
[Production Queue 1: Long-Distance Runner]
[EXP: 93/100]
"I can finish this entry tomorrow. Once the [Entry Library] reaches Lv. 2, I should be able to see the synthesis paths for purple entries, right?"
That was certainly something to look forward to.
------------------------------------------------------------------
At eight in the evening, Kasumigaoka Utaha sat in the bedroom of her apartment. She had her long, slender legs crossed in front of her chair, and the gentle curves, wrapped in black stockings, gleamed softly under the incandescent light.
Because the bedroom was heated, she wore only a loose-fitting white knit sweater on her upper body. The collar had slipped slightly, revealing her delicate and lovely collarbones, creating a rather alluring sight.
However, the girl's mood at the moment was anything but beautiful.
Her fingers were tapping irritably on her laptop's keyboard. On the screen, the latest chapter of Love Metronome was stalled halfway through.
The cursor blinked incessantly before her, as if mocking her for her writer's block.
"Tsk..."
The beautiful, first-year college student author clicked her tongue softly and reached up to massage her temples.
She had been staring at this part of the plot for three straight hours but couldn't make any progress. The interaction between the hero and heroine, which she had envisioned as incredibly sweet, came out dry and tasteless, like formulaic dialogue forcibly pieced together.
"Why... can't I write it?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha muttered to herself in confusion, a hint of frustration flashing in her red eyes.
After another half hour of sitting in vain, she decided to find something else to do to change her mood.
Getting up and walking to her bookshelf, the girl spotted the still-unopened novel on the right side—Love Letter.
"This book has been all over the internet recently. Editor Machida even mentioned this Michiya-sensei to me..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha recalled the story Editor Machida had told her a few days ago. The editor had also been the one to give her this book. Because she had been so focused on brainstorming for Love Metronome, the girl hadn't even had a chance to open it yet.
"Well, since I can't write anything right now, I might as well take a look."
The cover of Love Letter was remarkably plain, with no fancy illustrations—just the title in light blue and the image of a yellowed library card.
Kasumigaoka Utaha picked up the book. When she read the opening line about "Watanabe Hiroko sending that letter," her expression tensed slightly, and then she became completely and seriously engrossed.
The story of Love Letter had no melodramatic misunderstandings, no exaggerated emotional outbursts, only the simplest words to gradually unfold the secret feelings of a crush hidden in the annals of time.
The young Fujii Itsuki repeatedly wrote the name "Fujii Itsuki" in unpopular library books, and the girl, who had assumed it was a prank, only discovered the sketch on the back of the library card many years later.
Stories about unrequited love always tug at the heartstrings.
There wasn't a single courageous confession of "I love you" in the entire story, yet those subtle actions were more moving than any direct declaration.
Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly realized the crux of her writer's block—
She liked to use intense conflicts and dialogues to drive emotions, but she had forgotten that the most touching feelings are often hidden in these "unspoken" details.
"I've got it!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes lit up. She closed Love Letter, preparing to put it back on the shelf.
For some reason, as if a thought struck her, the girl suddenly opened the book to the title page again, her gaze locking onto the author's photograph.
Michiya Gōshin sat smiling gently for the camera, the light tracing the sharp line of his jaw. His blond hair, in particular, though somewhat frivolous and rebellious, blended perfectly with his overall temperament.
A pair of black eyes, clear and bright, held a gentle warmth yet also maintained a perfectly measured sense of distance.
She couldn't help but reach out and gently touch the photo on the page, murmuring softly.
"...To be able to write a story like this at such a young age?"
"What kind of person could he be?"
"So amazing..."
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🎯 Reward for all: +1 bonus chapter at 100 Powerstones.
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 10 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
👻 Join the crew by searching Ms. Medusa on (P). You know the spot! 😉