Inside the Editor-in-Chief's office at Crimson Maple Literature, Akira sat reviewing the progress reports submitted by her staff. The documents focused heavily on the intellectual property development plan for Anohana. She circled key points and jotted down several recommendations for the company's upper management.
Although the recent serialization contract had failed to lock Haruto into a long-term exclusive deal with the house, Akira was not a petty woman. She realized that since she hadn't prioritized him initially or secured a binding contract before he became famous, it was foolish to play underhanded games now.
No one in this industry was an idiot.
If they continued to cooperate fairly, Haruto might stay; if they tried to manipulate him, it would only backfire. The anime adaptation of Anohana was inherently beneficial to the publisher, so she was throwing her full weight behind it.
Furthermore, the company was counting on Haruto to participate in the Ascent of New Gods event to bring prestige to the brand.
In the light novel industry, the Minamijo region was considered a mid-tier hub for creative talent. The undisputed centers of power were Tokyo and Osaka. In previous years, the top fifteen spots of the Ascent of New Gods were almost exclusively swept by rookies from those two metropolises. Out of the fifty-one national seeds, Minamijo's representatives usually failed to even crack the top twenty-five. The region's best performance on record was a twenty-eighth place finish eight years ago.
Haruto, however, was a different breed. His raw talent surpassed any rookie Minamijo had seen in years. He had achieved a number-one ranking in Crimson Maple with his very first serialization in the flagship magazine, a feat without precedent and unlikely to be repeated. If he competed as a Crimson Maple partner and broke into the top twenty or even the top fifteen, it would put the publisher on the national map.
Akira knew that if Haruto could produce something on the level of Anohana for the competition, his final ranking would be limited only by his imagination.
Of course, she kept her expectations grounded. A masterpiece like Anohana is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement for most; the odds of him producing something of that caliber back-to-back were slim.
Even legendary creators in parallel worlds, like the author of Naruto, saw their follow-up works get unceremoniously axed due to low popularity despite having a massive, built-in fan base. This sophomore slump was a standard reality in the literary world as well.
Akira believed that Anohana showed the ceiling of Haruto's potential, but she didn't expect him to stay at that peak forever. If his next work reached even half the quality of Anohana, he would still be considered a top-tier, consistent talent.
August bled into September.
During this time, Haruto adapted the theatrical film's plot into a side-story novel and handed it over to Yukino.
Crimson Maple Literature officially announced the release date for the Anohana tankōbon: Sunday, October 8th, with a nationwide launch. While the primary marketing push remained centered in Minamijo, the books would be available for sales across the rest of the country.
The announcement included a tantalizing detail. the tankōbon would feature exclusive side stories written by Shiori Takahashi. To read this new content, fans would have to purchase the physical volumes. This news sent the local fan base into a frenzy.
"There really is a side story! It was worth standing outside Minamijo Third High with those banners after all!"
"She really is a lovely girl. She loves her readers so much!"
"Kind and beautiful! Shiori Takahashi-sensei is perfect."
The fans' idealized image of Shiori Takahashi as a beautiful, benevolent girl was becoming an unshakable article of faith.
Meanwhile, Reina's Star Sea held a firm grip on the number-two spot in Crimson Maple. However, the gap between her and the long-running king, Winter Lake, remained significant. Overtaking a series that had accumulated a hundred issues of loyalty was nearly impossible without a similar investment of time.
Star Sea concluded its run after twenty-three chapters. It finished its serialization at second place in votes with 14,269 and first place in ratings with a solid 9.0.
By mid-September, after a month of deliberation, Crimson Maple Literature finally settled on a partner for the anime adaptation.
Haruto accompanied Yukino to a high-security conference room at the publisher's headquarters.
"KyoAni Studios."
Haruto muttered the name while reading the profile on the production house. He scanned the founding date, company scale, employee count, and past works with focused intensity. They were a medium-sized studio based in Tokyo.
"Oh, KyoAni," Yukino remarked, glancing at the name before setting it aside.
"You know them?" Haruto asked.
"Sure. I told you my father runs a production house. Our company has collaborated with KyoAni several times. When we're short-staffed or have too many projects on the stove, we outsource some of the key animation work to them. They might be mid-sized, but their technical skills are actually quite solid."
"Your family really is something else, running a firm in the heart of Tokyo," Haruto noted.
"It's Tokyo. You can't throw a stone without hitting a dozen corporations. You should come up to the city sometime to see the world; then you'll realize my family's place isn't that big of a deal."
As she spoke, the conference room doors swung open. A group of seven people walked in, led by a vigorous, fit-looking middle-aged man. His eyes lit up the moment he saw Yukino. He strode forward, hand outstretched.
"You must be the genius author of Anohana, Shiori Takahashi-sensei," he said warmly. "I am Ren Hirose, an animation director at KyoAni Studios. It is a pleasure to meet you. The rumors in the industry were true; Shiori Takahashi-sensei is as beautiful and talented as they say."
Since no one outside of Crimson Maple knew the truth, the industry assumed Shiori Takahashi was a girl. Seeing Haruto and Yukino alone in the room, and seeing Yukino dressed in professional attire but looking strikingly young and beautiful, the director had made a snap judgment. He had mistaken her for a high schooler in business clothes.
Yukino stared at the director's hand, falling into a stunned silence.
"Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you," Haruto said, standing up. He stepped in front of Yukino and shook his hand with a warm, polite smile. "I am the author of Anohana, Shiori Takahashi. My real name is Haruto."
The room went dead silent.
Aside from the Crimson Maple staff who had escorted them in, the employees from KyoAni Studios looked like they had just seen a ghost.
They stared at Haruto in total disbelief.
The "Genius High School Beauty Author" was... a boy?
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