The meeting lasted until nearly noon, stretching close to three full hours. As for the final outcome, Yukino returned with a haul that could only be described as overwhelming. Based on her initial expectations, given the quality of Blue Spring Ride, there was a very high probability that it would secure a serialization slot in Fleeting Blossoms.
The only real risk had been the other editors fixating on Haruto's status as a student and a complete newcomer, using that point to repeatedly attack the proposal and potentially sink it.
However, judging from the actual proceedings, all of those objections were completely crushed by the novel's quality during the meeting.
After all, decisions ultimately came down to the work itself. Only when two competing novels were of roughly equal quality would factors like the author's past record, stability, and popularity come into play.
Yukino had spent some effort defending her position, but the successful approval of Blue Spring Ride had still been well within her expectations.
What truly surprised her was Reina's submission, Yesterday's Starlight.
The quality of Yesterday's Starlight was solid, but its first chapter progressed at a slightly slower pace. The real highlights were in Chapters Two and Three. Yukino had originally believed that proposing it for Fleeting Blossoms would be quite difficult, and that the editorial department would most likely assign it to Searching for Sound instead.
What she had not anticipated was that, in this particular meeting, five novels were competing for the two open slots in Fleeting Blossoms. Aside from Blue Spring Ride, none of the other four stood out in any decisive way when compared head to head.
Yesterday's Starlight might have been slow, but the other three were not significantly stronger either.
Those three novels, however, were written by veteran authors who had previously collaborated with the publisher. On paper, that gave them a clear advantage over Reina, who was also just a student.
But reality was unpredictable. Advantages and disadvantages could flip in an instant.
An experienced author submitting a new work naturally held an edge over a newcomer, but that advantage evaporated if the author carried a troublesome past.
Among the three competing authors, one had previously serialized a novel with Crimson Maple Literature. During that run, her husband had cheated on her, causing her mental state to collapse. She had completely given up on the novel, rushed the ending with nonsense, and left it unfinished. The publisher had received hundreds of complaint letters from readers as a result.
Another author had serialized four novels with Crimson Maple Literature in the past. Three of them had collapsed in quality midway through, losing popularity so badly that the publisher had forcibly canceled them. He had even been placed on an internal blacklist and was infamous for strong openings and disastrous endings.
The third author had gone missing during serialization the previous year. Editors could not reach him for manuscripts, and the novel was forced to suspend publication for three issues. It was later discovered that he had lost heavily in gambling, lost all motivation to write, and had gone off traveling without a care in the world.
When these histories were exposed during the meeting, Akira's expression darkened immediately.
She made a decisive call. She would rather trust another high school newcomer than gamble on those three again.
After all, with Haruto already setting a precedent by passing as a student author, the idea of approving Reina's work became far easier to accept.
As a result, Yukino's gains from this meeting were enormous.
Fleeting Blossoms, Crimson Maple Literature's third-highest-circulation magazine, had exactly two open serialization slots. Both of them went to her.
Her black stockings carried her forward in light, confident steps. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun, and a satisfied smile played on her lips. Her fair, delicate face radiated confidence. She was beautiful, and her bearing was just as striking.
"Yukino, you haven't eaten yet, right? Let's go have lunch together."
As lunchtime approached, Akira stopped Yukino with a smile.
Yukino's expression stiffened slightly.
Still, with the editor-in-chief extending such a gracious invitation, she could hardly refuse. After all, Akira had arranged her position at Crimson Maple Literature, and Yukino worked directly under her.
At a mid-to-high-end restaurant near the company, the two took their seats. Before long, wine and sishes were served.
"Come to think of it, you've been at Crimson Maple Literature for a year now," Akira said, taking a light sip of red wine as she looked at Yukino.
"Your father has called several times, telling you not to waste time in Minamijo City and to come work at his company instead."
"No, no, Akira-san," Yukino said quickly. "I'm only interested in novels and otaku culture. Being a light novel editor is already fun enough for me. I really don't want to go back and get scolded by that old fossil."
Akira studied Yukino carefully for a moment, then smiled gently.
"Well, I respect your choice. But your father said that if you keep disobeying him, he'll cancel your credit card starting tomorrow. He didn't want to argue with you, so he asked me to pass the message along."
"What?" Yukino's beautiful face went completely blank.
"Is he a demon or what? That's cruel."
She clenched her fists.
"Then I'll go max out that credit card this afternoon. Hmph. I earn a salary here anyway. I won't starve. I'm not giving in."
Seeing this, Akira calmly raised her wine glass, elegantly sipping it while enjoying the seafood on her plate.
---
The morning ended, along with homeroom teacher's long-winded speech.
Today was just the opening ceremony. Actual classes would begin the next day.
After dismissal, everyone prepared to head home and brace themselves for the new term.
"Uh, Haruto."
Just as Haruto was about to leave school, someone patted his shoulder.
"Kaito? What's up?" Haruto asked.
Kaito Moriyama was a classmate of his. They got along fairly well.
"Well… do you know Reina Fujimoto?" Kaito asked.
"Of course I know her," Haruto replied without hesitation. "She's the top student since enrollment. First place in every subject from day one. Not just finals, even the monthly exams, she's never dropped to second."
"She's good-looking, her family's rich, and she's a famous young lady at school. Who doesn't know her?"
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But why are you asking?"
"That's not what I meant," Kaito said quickly. "I mean, do you and her have any contact? Like knowing each other privately, or being friends?"
"No," Haruto said, puzzled. "Why do you ask? If you're secretly into her and too embarrassed to pass her a love letter, I can help you deliver it. But I really don't have any connection with her."
"It's nothing," Kaito laughed awkwardly. "Just curious. Forget I asked."
With that, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and hurried away.
Haruto was left looking confused.
Walking off in the distance, Kaito was just as baffled.
"That's weird," he muttered to himself. "If Haruto doesn't know Reina, why would she ask me about him?"
Kaito and Reina had been classmates in middle school. After entering high school, they barely interacted anymore.
At most, they would exchange greetings in the hallway.
Yet after the opening ceremony, Reina had mysteriously stopped him, asking about Haruto.
"No way… Reina couldn't possibly have a crush on Haruto," Kaito's gossip instincts flared for half a second before dying out.
"Forget it. That's impossible. Her standards couldn't be that low. Maybe she actually likes me and was just too shy to say it directly, so she used Haruto as an excuse to start a conversation. Heh."
A strange smile crept onto his face.
Around two in the afternoon, Haruto was at home reviewing the next parts of Blue Spring Ride.
At the same time, Rein sat in her family's villa, playing the piano to calm her nerves as she waited for a certain result.
Almost one after the other, they received a call from Yukino.
"Blue Spring Ride has passed the serialization decision for Fleeting Blossoms. Come to Crimson Maple Literature when you have time to complete the contract signing."
"Yesterday's Starlight has passed the serialization decision for Fleeting Blossoms. Come to Crimson Maple Literature when you have time to complete the contract signing."
After hanging up, Haruto let out a long breath.
He knew that once the contract was signed, he would receive a substantial manuscript fee. At least in the short term, both his studies and his living situation would be secured, and the immediate survival crisis would be averted.
On the other side, Reina's heart pounded wildly after she hung up. Her fair cheeks flushed red. Just a minute ago, her fingers had flown steadily across the piano keys. Now, they trembled slightly.
"It passed… serialization… a contract."
The sense of achievement welling up inside her was something she could not suppress. It was stronger than the satisfaction she felt from repeatedly crushing her competition in exams over the past year, from firmly holding the top academic position in her grade.
Being first in exams had been her normal since first grade. For her, first place was routine. Falling to second would have been a disaster.
But having her novel accepted for serialization so smoothly was different.
This was an unexpected surprise in her life.
She gently clenched her fist.
_______________________
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