The following morning, the Editor-in-Chief of Crimson Maple Literature received word from Yukino regarding Haruto's final decision.
"So, he actually agreed to it?" Akira murmured, staring out at the cityscape through the windows of her office building as she fell into deep thought.
In truth, the safest course of action would have been for Haruto to agree to serialize Anohana in Fleeting Blossoms. That path would have allowed the publisher to retain the talented novelist without risking her own professional reputation.
However, every major endeavor comes with its share of risks. If Akira lacked the courage to take those risks or the resolve to stand by her choices, she never would have risen to the position of Editor-in-Chief at Crimson Maple Literature.
The meeting held later that afternoon was brief and to the point.
"The third serialization slot for the upcoming issue of Crimson Maple has been awarded to AnoHana by the author Shiori Takahashi," Akira announced.
As soon as the words left her mouth, a wave of restless murmuring rippled through the gathered staff of the editorial department.
Anohana?
The Editor-in-Chief had spent the entire night deliberating, only to give the final slot to Anohana?
Many of the editors who had been confident that their own projects would secure the spot looked visibly crestfallen.
At the same time, a cloud of confusion descended upon the room.
Why had she chosen Anohana?
Among the manuscripts submitted for the meeting, Azure Flame Tail and Star Sea were the clear frontrunners in terms of objective quality. If they were to grade them on a scale of one to one hundred, almost everyone would have given the opening chapters of those two works a score of ninety or higher. The other submissions generally hovered between seventy and ninety points.
Among the drafts submitted yesterday, there were at least three other novels that the staff felt reached an eighty-point standard.
Yet, Akira had bypassed them all to give the slot to Anohana, a story that most of the team felt only earned a seventy due to its slow pace. Akira held immense prestige within Crimson Maple Literature.
None of the editors were foolish enough to stage a dramatic protest or shout their opposition now that a final decision had been reached. However, the atmosphere shifted the moment the meeting adjourned.
"Hey, do you think Yukino has some kind of special connection with the Editor-in-Chief?" one staff member whispered.
"I heard that Yukino's father is a big shot who owns a massive corporation, involved in film and gaming. Apparently, he and Akira were close back in university. That's supposedly how she managed to get a senior editor position so quickly. If that's true, then..."
"Where did you hear that?"
"There are always ways to find out these things. It must be nice being a rich heiress. She comes here just to play editor and rig the system. A serialization slot in Crimson Maple might not mean much to someone like her, but for us, it's our entire career and our future!"
"Watch your mouth. Don't go throwing around accusations of inside deals. You never know who's listening."
"But think about it! Out of three slots, two went to authors under Yukino. I can accept Star Sea getting in because it's genuinely good, but Anohana feels like it's lacking."
"There were clearly better choices. I have no idea what the Editor-in-Chief is thinking."
"Forget it. She must have her reasons. We might think Anohana will have mediocre popularity once it starts, but maybe she sees some hidden potential in it that we missed."
"As ordinary editors, our job is just to propose works. Let's not overstep. If you talk too much, you'll only end up inviting trouble."
Throughout the day, a strange, uneasy energy permeated the editorial department. Out of the three available slots and over a dozen competing manuscripts, two had been awarded to authors managed by Yukino.
While it was true that Haruto's previous work, Blue Spring Ride, had been a massive success, he was still a newcomer.
A first-time hit could easily be attributed to luck.
The fact that Akira was offering him such unwavering support made it impossible for the staff not to suspect that Yukino's personal connections were pulling the strings.
In the past, Yukino had proven her worth through her own hard work and professional competence, which had kept her colleagues from gossiping about her family background. But today was different.
Inside her office, Yukino pulled the blinds shut. She didn't need to listen to the whispers outside to know exactly what people were saying.
"You'd better work hard, Haruto," she sighed, looking down at the two manuscripts on her desk: Anohana and Star Sea. She pushed the negative thoughts out of her mind.
This was simply the reality of the professional world. The process didn't matter nearly as much as the results. If Anohana and Reina's Star Sea both became massive hits after they began serialization, then neither she nor Akira would ever have to justify themselves to anyone.
In this industry, success is the only argument that counts.
Crimson Maple Literature moved with practiced efficiency. By the end of the day, the schedule for the new releases had already been finalized.
Anohana was set to debut its first chapter on Sunday, June 25th. Star Sea would also premiere on the same day. Meanwhile, Azure Flame Tail was scheduled for the following week, July 2nd.
Because these were coveted spots in the flagship Crimson Maple magazine, the publisher always selected new series at least a month in advance.
A new serialization required a significant lead time for promotion, character poster designs, cover art, and the actual printing process. It was a complex and meticulous undertaking.
After all, Crimson Maple was the third highest-selling magazine in the region, with a circulation of over eight hundred thousand copies per issue. Compared to a secondary publication like Fleeting Blossoms, the level of investment and attention the publisher gave to these stories was on an entirely different level.
The following day, both Haruto and Reina were notified of the final results. For Haruto, it felt as though a small weight had finally been lifted from his chest.
Reina, however, learned the full story from Yukino over the phone, including the controversy surrounding Anohana's approval.
To be honest, a part of her had thought that if Anohana failed to get serialized, her personal rivalry with Haruto would have been decided then and there.
Yet, as she held her breath and listened to Yukino confirm that his work had passed the board, she couldn't suppress a sudden surge of joy and excitement.
"Back in the same magazine, competing in the same issue again..."
The world truly was a small place. Over the following week, Crimson Maple Literature began its promotional blitz across the region.
Stories in the secondary magazines never received this kind of treatment, but the flagship titles were a different story. The publisher posted an official announcement at the very top of their website's homepage. It detailed the upcoming changes: one series had reached its natural conclusion, another had been canceled, and a third, which was losing popularity but still held value, was being moved to a different magazine.
Information about the three new successors to these slots began to spread like wildfire through the light novel community of Minamijo.
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