It was immediately obvious that this was not an official publisher-sanctioned event.
Whenever Crimson Maple Literature organized a promotional campaign, they never did it so poorly, tucked away in a cramped, peripheral booth.
"What exactly are you all doing here?" Reina asked, stepping forward after a moment of hesitation.
"Oh, we're fans of the novel Star Sea! We wanted to take advantage of the convention to help promote Airi sensei's work," one of the girls replied.
There were three girls at the booth, all of them cosplaying characters from the cover art of Star Sea. Based on the texture of their costumes, the outfits appeared to be high-quality handmade creations. They smiled warmly as they handed Reina a promotional flyer.
Nearby, Haruto noticed another small setup: a promotional booth for Anohana.
Since both novels had only launched a week ago, the publisher hadn't yet produced any official merchandise. These fans were working entirely off their own passion, crafting their own costumes and handouts. At the Anohana booth, two girls in white sundresses were handing out photocopied flyers to the passing crowd.
Haruto glanced at Reina, who stood there in silence. He could empathize with what she was feeling because his own heart was stirred by the sight.
"Hey, Reina, Haruto! Isn't that the promotional booth for the novels you two wrote?"
Yukino had just finished greeting a group of her own friends when she turned back to see the posters. She recognized the character designs from Star Sea and Anohana instantly, especially since she had personally provided input on the final illustrations.
However, the words had barely left her mouth before she realized she had made a terrible mistake. She had spoken much too loudly.
The three girls at the Star Sea booth and the two at the Anohana table froze. Their eyes darted toward Yukino, flickering with sudden suspicion.
What did she mean, the novels you two wrote"?
The identities of both Airi and Shiori Takahashi were supposed to be strictly confidential. Yukino's slip of the tongue made it sound as though the beautiful girl dressed as the Elven Hero and the boy dressed as the Knight Gaius were the actual authors behind the series.
"Oh, this... this must be a personal project by our fans. I didn't expect this at all," Haruto started to say, but he realized he was digging a deeper hole. The two girls cosplaying Menma were now looking at him with an increasingly intense gaze.
"Wait... what are you saying? Could it be..." one of the girls asked, her voice trembling as she looked at Haruto.
At the Star Sea booth, the three cosplayers were looking at Reina with similarly wide-eyed wonder. Haruto saw the panic rising in Reina's expression. Deciding there was no time for explanations, he reached out and grabbed both Reina and Yukino by their hands.
"Wait a second! You two, what did you mean by that?"
The girls' voices grew frantic behind them as they tried to give chase.
"Excuse us, coming through!"
Haruto ignored the calls. He pulled the two women through the dense crowd, weaving around other cosplayers until they were a safe distance from the booth. Only then did he let go and turn back to face them.
Both Reina and Yukino were rubbing their wrists, looking at him with strange, unreadable expressions.
"I didn't realize you were so bold," Yukino teased, breaking the silence. "I thought you were the quiet, honest type. I didn't expect you to just grab two girls' hands without a word."
"It was an emergency," Haruto replied, trying to stay calm. "The popularity of Anohana isn't high enough yet. If it gets out at a convention that Shiori Takahashi is actually a guy, I might lose half my female readership instantly! But more importantly, Reina's identity cannot be exposed. If word spreads through the fan groups and reaches her family, she'll be in serious trouble."
"Relax, I'm just messing with you. I know you didn't mean anything by it, otherwise I would have been genuinely angry," Yukino said, giving him a playful smirk.
Reina gave a small, silent nod of agreement. She wasn't angry either. Besides, since they were in costume, those five girls probably wouldn't be able to definitively link their faces to the real authors. If a stranger on the street claimed to be a famous reclusive author, most people would just think they were crazy. Still, a lingering sense of unease remained in her chest.
"I just never imagined... that my work would have fans so dedicated they would come to a convention and promote it on their own without any organization from the publisher," Reina murmured. Her hand tightened around her mage staff. Her face was slightly flushed, and her heart was racing.
"That's the joy of being a writer," Yukino said softly.
"Knowing your work is loved and recognized, even if it's only by one person. That's why so many authors stay in the industry even when they aren't famous or making money. They can go their whole lives without a single person in their real life understanding them, but as long as they are an author, there will always be someone out there who supports their vision. As long as even one such fan exists, many authors find it impossible to give up on the path."
The words resonated deeply with both Haruto and Reina.
"But don't get too satisfied just because you met a few fans here," Yukino said, her smile turning challenging as she pointed toward the far end of the hall. "There's a reason I brought you here today beyond just having fun."
Haruto and Reina followed her gaze.
About fifty meters away, a massive, snake-like line had formed. At the very front of the queue sat a handsome young man at a table, flanked by towering stacks of light novels. He appeared to be around the same age as Haruto and Reina.
Behind him hung a vibrant red banner.
[Special Signing Event for Genius High School Author 'Konning' – Celebrating the Release of Volume 4 of 'Clouds of the Uncanny']
"That guy is Konning," Yukino explained. "He's a rising star discovered by one of the publishing giants. He's seventeen, only slightly older than you, but he's already written three series. Two of them have reached an average of over a million copies sold per volume across Japan. He isn't at the very top of the industry yet, but among authors under twenty, he is undoubtedly one of the elite."
Haruto and Reina watched the young man and the hundreds of fans waiting patiently for his signature.
"Remember the 'Ascent of New Gods' awards I mentioned? There are fifty-one seed spots across the country. He will definitely be representing Tokyo in that competition. Given his current popularity and the sheer size of his fan base, he's almost guaranteed to make it into the top five finalists," Yukino said.
She placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"You two are certainly talented newcomers here in our region, but Tokyo and Osaka are where the true heavyweights of the light novel industry congregate. If either of you manages to secure one of the three seed spots for our region... Konning will be one of the rivals you have to face."
Yukino didn't want their vision to be limited to just their local prefecture.
As an editor, her professional ethics prevented her from telling them to leave their current publisher for Tokyo, but as a friend, she wanted them to see the scale of the world. She wanted to give them a jolt of reality. Here, they had found five fans; Konning had found hundreds.
"How does it feel? Does it feel like the pressure just doubled? Even if you're the best in Minamijo, you have to face monsters like him next," Yukino said, looking at Reina with a grin.
"It doesn't feel like anything. I'm not interested in him," Reina replied, her eyes shifting toward Haruto.
Haruto looked at the long line and gave a small shrug.
"I don't feel any pressure either. If anything, he and my other potential rivals are the ones who should be worried. After all, they're the ones who are going to have to go up against me during the awards next spring."
Yukino laughed at his bravado.
"Where do you get that confidence? Your series is currently dead last in Crimson Maple! If Anohana keeps underperforming, you won't even be able to rely on the success of Blue Spring Ride to get a seed spot. The judges from the other publishers will attack you, saying your first hit was just a fluke or a lucky break."
"My confidence comes from the quality of the work itself," Haruto said, looking at both of them.
A few days ago, he might not have been able to say that with such certainty. But two nights ago, he had finished watching every single episode of the Anohana in Shiori Takahashi's memories. He finally understood why the series was so beloved in his previous world. He finally realized how kind the friend was who had recommended it to her. It was a truly healing masterpiece.
"Right now, it's at the bottom of the rankings," Haruto said with a smile. "But in a month... I think the success of Anohana will surpass anything you can imagine."
Reina felt a sudden jolt in her chest. A sense of professional crisis began to rise within her. She had never once looked down on Anohana despite its low numbers, because every time she saw Haruto, he carried a strange, unshakeable faith in the story.
Yukino looked at him with curiosity. "What exactly happens later in this book? 'Surpass my imagination'? Are you saying it's going to get canceled so fast it sets a record? Because that would certainly be a surprise."
She shook her head, seeing that he wasn't going to budge. "Fine, keep your secrets. But if Anohana stays in the basement and gets the axe, don't blame me when I laugh at you for the rest of your life. I'll make sure this becomes your permanent 'black history'!"
_______________________
Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
Support me at patreon.com/CulturedOne and read 50 Advanced Chapters