Haruto hung up the phone.
It had been over a year since he debuted as a novelist, and with four serialized works under his belt, this was the very first time one of his manuscripts had been rejected during an editorial meeting.
He gave a small shake of his head. He didn't mind wasting a little time or making several attempts; it was a far better alternative than being shackled by a ten-year contract.
Kiyozawa Library wasn't exactly overflowing with authors who had signed exclusive long-term deals. He believed that if he waited for a meeting where the competing manuscripts were also from non-exclusive writers, Parasyte would not lose to any of them under fair conditions.
August faded away, and September arrived.
Haruto's university life officially began.
The warm summer breeze brushed against the campus of Minazuki University, a place where the landscape was dominated by majestic maple trees.
The entire school seemed to be awash in a sea of red and orange leaves.
However, the melancholy Haruto felt on his first day was abruptly interrupted by the appearance of someone he had not expected to see.
Reina Fujimoto.
On that first morning, Haruto had been assigned to the Department of Literature, specifically Class 1 of the Language and Literature major.
The moment he stepped into the lecture hall, he became the target of intense scrutiny from all one hundred and two of his new classmates.
The career prospects for Literature major were quite broad. Graduates could become teachers, novelists, literary critics, editors, copywriters, or even journalists. Yet, despite being the academic elite who had secured a spot at Minazuki, most of the students were still very much within the realm of ordinary people. Some came from comfortable middle-class backgrounds, but the presence of true "silver spoon" heirs was rare.
In such a environment, Haruto, a top-tier talent already famous in the light novel world, stood out like a crane among chickens. He had mentally prepared himself to be a center of attention upon entering university, but he hadn't realized that he wouldn't be the only one being stared at. Reina was there too.
Haruto spotted her immediately. Carrying his bag, he walked straight toward the desk where she sat.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. Just like in high school, she sat with a cold expression that was enough to attract every boy in the room while simultaneously ensuring none of them dared to approach her for fear of being rejected. Haruto, however, was far beyond that stage. Being so familiar with her, he naturally pulled out the chair beside her and sat down.
In a tiered lecture hall like this, though each desk was technically separate, the distance between them was minimal.
"I passed the entrance exams, obviously. Please refrain from asking such questions in the future," she replied. Reina looked at Haruto sitting beside her and then noticed the stunned, open-mouthed expressions of the classmates. She felt a slight pang of embarrassment.
"I mean..." Haruto said, looking a bit dazed. "Are you actually interested in this major?"
"I have already decided to become a professional light novel author. Is it really that strange for me to want to deepen my understanding of literature?" she asked after a brief pause.
"No, I suppose it is not strange at all," Haruto said, turning the thought over in his mind.
In his memory, Reina was the kind of science track prodigy who should have been studying advanced mathematics or theoretical physics. But that was just a narrow-minded stereotype.
The world was full of brilliant minds who dropped out of university entirely; in comparison, her choice was perfectly reasonable. Furthermore, her obsession with writing was undeniable. Since the two best universities for literature in Japan were Tokyo University and Minazuki, it made sense that she would end up here.
The sight of the two legends chatting familiarly shattered the hearts of many students in the room. Haruto was handsome, famous, and rich. Reina was his equal in talent, and her beauty was even more striking. Seeing them so close forced many people with romantic hopes to give up before they even started.
Haruto had no intention of living in the student dormitories, but he made sure to drop by to greet his roommates and bring them some gifts.
He had rented a apartment near the campus to ensure he had a quiet environment for his writing.
However, he knew that many college-related matters required the help of peers, so maintaining a healthy social circle was a necessity.
Still, having Reina as a classmate felt like a lot of pressure. He had a sinking feeling that as a special admission student, he was going to be ruthlessly crushed by her academic performance over the next four years.
A month passed quickly.
During this period, Haruto's manuscript for Parasyte was submitted to the editorial board at Kiyozawa Library three separate times between August and October. Each time, it was rejected. This repeated failure was starting to get under Haruto's skin.
He understood the prestige of the platform, but the Big Three were not the only titans in the publishing industry. Seisawa and Hoshizora were known for their nepotism, and since Haruto refused to sign an exclusive deal, they weren't likely to treat him any better than Kiyozawa. But beyond those three, there were still the other four of the Big Seven: Dawn Publishing, Genshu Books, Minazuki Press, and Hamon Novels.
He figured he might as well take his work to them; any home was better than being stuck in a loop of rejections at Kiyozawa.
If he were submitting generic isekai "trash" with the same old tropes of goddesses, harems, and demon kings, he could have accepted the rejection.
But Parasyte was a near-masterpiece, and seeing it treated this way made him feel as though he were failing the story itself. It had been born into this world through him, and yet it was being looked down upon.
Ultimately, he knew it came down to the fact that his current status in the industry wasn't high enough to dictate terms.
It wasn't until early October, Parasyte was brought before the Kiyozawa committee for the fourth time. Haruto had already decided that if it failed again, he would stop being stubborn. He planned to spend the next day visiting the branch offices of the other four publishers.
That evening, however, the phone rang.
"It passed," Hime said. She offered only those two words.
Haruto's grip on the phone tightened. He took a long, deep breath before speaking. "Thank you for everything, Ms.Hime."
"Do not thank me. This is simply my job," she replied with a casual tone. "If you truly want to show your gratitude, then put all your effort into making Parasyte as perfect and engaging as possible. After all, my commission is directly linked to your sales performance."
Haruto knew she was downplaying her role. She had spent the last two months lobbying on his behalf and using her internal connections to push for a fair vote. If he hadn't felt a sense of loyalty to her, he probably would have walked away after the second rejection.
"The four candidate works in this meeting were all from non-exclusive authors," Hime explained. "Because there was no bias, Parasyte won the slot with a landslide vote. The release date for the first chapter has been set. You will be debuting in the November 1st issue, which falls on a Friday."
"Haruto, you need to be ready," she continued, her voice turning serious. "This is not like Minamijo. Azure Kiyozawa has a circulation of about six million copies per issue. Almost every series serialized in that magazine becomes a million-seller once the standalone volumes are released. The competition you will face there is on a completely different level than anything you have encountered before."
"You are incredibly talented, but I want you to save your pride for the day you truly become one of Japan's top-tier authors. For now, set a goal. Based on the quality of your first few chapters, I want you to maintain that standard. Aim to reach the top three in the magazine's popularity rankings before the story concludes."
"If you can achieve that..."
"As a non-exclusive author, your next project will be given the right to compete for a serialization slot in our flagship magazine, Kiyozawa."
"I understand. Top three, then," Haruto said softly.
"Ms.Hime... you could actually afford to have a bit more confidence in me. My goal for this story is definitely not just the top three of a secondary magazine."
Haruto didn't have the patience to crawl through the ranks of Kiyozawa Library. His plan from the beginning was to exploit the company's internal promotion system. He wanted Parasyte to rely on its own popularity and critical acclaim to force the editors' hands. He intended for the series to be promoted from Azure Kiyozawa to the flagship Kiyozawa magazine midway through its run, finishing its climax in the one of the most prestigious magazines in the country.
He had achieved per-volume sales of five and six million copies with almost zero marketing budget in the past.
If Kiyozawa Library wanted to withhold their best resources because he was a "freelancer," then so be it.
A masterpiece only needs a platform with enough traffic. Whether or not there was a marketing push, a story of that caliber was destined to rise. It was simply a matter of how fast the world would take notice.
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