— — — — — —
With Clannad's release date drawing near, Oikawa was getting phone calls from Chris Yamada almost every day.
Most of them revolved around one thing: Sales numbers.
Yes. Sales numbers.
Even though Clannad hadn't officially gone on sale yet, they were already talking about its sales figures.
It sounded completely absurd.
And yet... it was true.
After the post titled "An Apology From A Fan" spread across the internet, many bookstores that had been sitting on the fence finally joined the wave of Clannad preorders.
Unfortunately for them, they were destined to be disappointed. Full-Drive Bunko had started printing additional copies of Clannad quite some time ago, but printing took time.
Shipping took even longer.
Which meant that by January 2nd, the official release date, most bookstores wouldn't have any extra copies of Volume One beyond their preorder allocations.
...
..
It was the third day of winter break. The Service Club had once again gathered to work, this time in a café.
By the time Oikawa arrived at their usual meeting spot, Yui and Yukino were already enjoying fragrant coffee and slices of tiramisu.
"Yahallo! Oikawa-kun, you look exhausted," Yui said. "Were you up all night?"
Oikawa nodded.
He walked over to the counter, ordered two lattes and a few donuts, then returned to the table.
"Have you been especially busy lately, Oikawa?" Yukino asked. "What could someone as unmotivated as you possibly have to work so hard on?"
Her voice was as calm as ever.
The first question sounded innocent enough. The second was unmistakably a jab.
"I think you should put that novel down and start studying." Oikawa fired back without missing a beat. "Final exams are coming up soon, after all."
Right on cue, a flicker of irritation crossed Yukino's normally composed face.
Academics were the thing she took the most pride in. And Oikawa had just managed to put a crack in that armor.
"Hmph." She shot him an annoyed look before returning to the novel in her hands.
But now, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't focus on the words anymore.
"Okay, okay! You two don't have to start bickering the second you meet." Yui stepped in to play peacemaker, as she so often did in the Service Club.
Without her, this little group would definitely fall apart.
"So... when's Zaimokuza getting here?" Yukino asked, breaking the silence.
"He messaged me a little while ago," Oikawa replied with a yawn. "He should be on his way."
After the previous event, Oikawa no longer had any obligation to help the Service Club. But this time, it was Zaimokuza asking for help, and he'd come because of Oikawa.
They were friends. There was no way Oikawa could turn Zaimokuza down.
Besides, on so many days, while Oikawa neglected his duties as Literature Club president, Zaimokuza had been the one faithfully keeping the club alive all by himself.
Compared to Oikawa, who barely deserved the title of club president, Zaimokuza was the real pillar of the Literature Club.
"Sorry I'm late!" Not long afterward, a figure burst into the café at full speed. The moment he spotted the three of them, he happily called out.
Zaimokuza looked exactly as he always did: a tan trench coat, a dark T-shirt, and those fingerless gloves that screamed chuunibyou.
"I ordered you a latte." Oikawa pointed at the untouched cup waiting on the table, then yawned again. "So... what's so important that you couldn't just tell me on LINE?"
"Uh... well... it's..." Zaimokuza fidgeted awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.
He took a deep breath, gathered his courage, then straightened his posture and looked Oikawa in the eye, "Oikawa... I told you before, didn't I? I wanted to become a writer."
The word "writer" made Yukino's brows knit together almost imperceptibly. She lifted her black coffee and took a slow sip.
Zaimokuza continued, "But honestly... even more than becoming a writer... I think I want to become an editor."
"I'm just... struggling to decide whether I should really go down that path. And you know how it is. The novels I write are... well... They're terrible."
Oikawa looked at him helplessly.
When Zaimokuza had first announced that he wanted to become a light novel author, Oikawa had even spent some time mentoring him.
Then, not long ago, he'd declared he wanted to be a game scenario writer.
And now, before long, he'd switched again to wanting to become an editor.
"Oikawa," Zaimokuza said, folding his arms across his chest and looking at him with complete seriousness. "This time... I'm serious."
Oikawa, however, remained unimpressed.
"Don't you want to be a light novel author anymore?" Yui asked. She still remembered that had once been his dream.
"I do." Zaimokuza nodded. "But light novel authors just don't get any respect. Seeing what happened to that damn bastard Copycat made me realize that no matter how good your work is, writers from the traditional literary world will still dismiss it as trash."
Oikawa smiled calmly.
A direct hit... Friendly fire really hurts.
"Zaimokuza has a point," Yukino said, the corners of her lips lifting ever so slightly.
Everyone at the table froze.
It was the first time she'd ever agreed with anything Zaimokuza had said.
"Right?" Zaimokuza beamed. "So I figured it out. Being an editor suits me better. It's a stable career, and I'd get opportunities to work with the anime industry. Which means..." He grinned from ear to ear. "...I'd be one step closer to my dream of marrying a voice actress! Hahahaha!"
There it was.
His real motivation had finally come out.
Oikawa instantly understood why Zaimokuza's dream kept changing.
Light novel author. Game scenario writer. Editor.
Different jobs, same destination.
All of them offered the chance to meet voice actors.
Of course... meeting one and getting one to marry you were two very different things.
Oikawa looked at him with genuine pity.
Wake up, kid. Reality's waiting.
"Um..." Yui hesitated. "Zaimokuza-kun... you don't actually think becoming an editor means you'll get to marry a voice actress, do you?"
"N-Not exactly." Zaimokuza scratched his head awkwardly. "I just mean... it'd improve my chances."
The two went back and forth.
But judging by the look on Zaimokuza's face, Oikawa was convinced the guy genuinely believed that becoming an editor would eventually lead to marrying a voice actress.
Sigh~ the poor fool hadn't been beaten down by society yet.
The atmosphere at the table suddenly grew heavy.
Yukino silently returned to her novel.
Yui clearly had no idea how to respond.
While Oikawa let out a sigh, "So, Zaimokuza... what exactly do you want us to help you with?"
"I want to experience what an editor's job is really like. I looked it up online, and getting hired by a publishing company seems pretty difficult. So I was hoping you guys could help me come up with a long-term plan." He explained earnestly.
"Is being an editor really that hard?" Yui asked. "Don't they just read whatever the authors submit every day? It doesn't sound that difficult. Or maybe they just pick the top-ranked stories off Shōsetsuka ni Narō, contact the authors, and ask if they want to publish?"
She looked hopefully toward Oikawa.
ut he could only smile helplessly.
Still, it was a perfectly understandable assumption. To outsiders, being an editor sounded like a glamorous office job. Sit in an air-conditioned office, drink coffee, read novels all day.
Just like how plenty of people imagined authors spent their days traveling and having fun, casually writing whenever they felt like it.
The reality couldn't have been further from the truth.
And on this topic... Oikawa had every right to speak. Especially after talking with Chris Yamada almost every day lately.
Only then had he realized just how ridiculously complicated an editor's workload really was.
A lot of aspiring writers entered the industry convinced they'd written the next masterpiece. The kind that would knock legendary web novel authors off their thrones.
In reality... most of it was complete garbage.
The worst part? Editors couldn't simply tell them, 'This manuscript is garbage.'
Because if they did, the author would probably run straight to some writers' forum and make a huge scene out of it.
Chris Yamada dealt with people like that almost every single day.
And "reading manuscripts" didn't mean skimming a few pages. It meant painstakingly reading through mountains of mostly terrible submissions... then somehow coming up with thoughtful, constructive feedback.
Just imagining it made Oikawa's stomach turn.
"Editors have it rough," he said. "At least the editor I know used to work until the middle of the night every day."
He was talking about Ayame Kagurazaka.
Well... before accepting Oikawa's so-called commission.
A few days later she'd run off sightseeing instead. And at this very moment, she was probably soaking in a hot spring somewhere in Hokkaido.
That woman... she was happily traveling around Japan on the royalties she'd earned from Your Lie in April.
Oikawa was honestly a little jealous.
"But editors aren't all the same," he continued. "I think the only way to know whether the job suits you is to actually experience it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zaimokuza wore a look that clearly said 'I don't buy it.'
He probably thought the same thing Yui did. That editing was an easy job.
Oikawa suddenly felt a little annoyed.
An idea flashed through his mind.
"Normally, if you want to become an editor at a major publishing house, you'd at least need to be a fresh university graduate from a prestigious school."
"But... I do have a way to let you experience what it's like working as an editor at Full-Drive Bunko ahead of time. What do you think?"
Zaimokuza shot to his feet. His eyes sparkled with admiration as he grabbed Oikawa's hand. "Oikawa... you mean THAT Full-Drive Bunko? The one where Copycat-sensei publishes his books?"
"Does that mean I might actually get to meet Copycat-sensei? Please! You have to let me try working as an editor!"
"That's right." Oikawa pulled his hand back with visible disgust.
The guy really was shameless. A few minutes ago it had been "bastard Copycat." Now it was "Copycat-sensei."
"I'll make a call. Hang on." Oikawa stood up with his phone and stepped outside.
Yukino quietly rolled her eyes at his retreating back.
Yui, on the other hand, looked genuinely stunned.
She scooted closer to Yukino and whispered, "Yukinon, Oikawa-kun is that close to Copycat-sensei? He can even pull strings like this?"
"Oh, they're close," Yukino replied. "So close they're practically... the same person."
She put particular emphasis on the words the same person.
Yui, however, didn't catch the hidden meaning.
...
Outside the café, Oikawa called Chris Yamada.
The line connected almost immediately.
"Oikawa-sensei, what can I do for you?"
"It's like this," Oikawa said. "A friend of mine wants to experience what it's like to be an editor. Could you arrange something for him?"
"Of course." Chris agreed without the slightest hesitation. It was hardly any trouble.
"No problem, Oikawa-sensei. When's your friend coming? I'll make sure he has a wonderful day and leaves thinking editing is the most interesting job in the world."
"Editor Yamada... That's not what I mean." Oikawa's tone became much more serious. "When I come by tomorrow, I'll bring him with me. I want you to show him the absolute worst parts of being an editor. Give him every miserable, exhausting task you've got."
"...Huh?"
Chris blinked in confusion.
His brain suddenly felt like it had stopped processing.
"That guy completely looks down on editors," Oikawa continued. "He thinks all you do is sit around the office drinking coffee and eating snacks. Says anyone could do the job."
"So when he gets there... Don't go easy on him. Keep him there for three full days if you have to. Let him go home right before New Year's. Give him the ultimate customized editor experience."
Oikawa was determined to teach Zaimokuza a lesson.
Marry a voice actress? What outrageous ambition.
Even Oikawa hadn't dared dream that beautiful.
"Understood." Chris laughed. "I know exactly what you mean."
Then the call ended.
Through the café window, Oikawa saw Zaimokuza waving excitedly at him from inside.
Smiling, Oikawa gave him a thumbs-up.
Everything was set.
With Zaimokuza's request settled, the Service Club called it a day.
...
..
After leaving the café, Oikawa originally planned to stop by the shopping mall and buy a few things for the New Year.
He took a couple of steps. Then turned around and started walking home instead.
The problem was... he had no idea what to buy.
He racked his brain. The only thing he could think of was food.
As for buying ingredients and cooking something himself... that was beyond him.
It was all Kawasaki's fault. If she hadn't spoiled him by feeding him every day, Oikawa was convinced he'd be a world-famous chef by now.
After walking a little farther, he changed his mind again.
Seafood market.
He'd buy some crab, shrimp, and whatever else looked fresh, then just boil everything at home.
"Perfect." Grinning to himself, he headed toward the seafood shopping district.
Before long, however, a familiar figure caught his eye. It was Yukino.
She was leaning against the display window of a pet shop, secretly watching the kittens inside.
"Why don't you just go in?" Oikawa walked over and stopped beside her.
"There are dogs."
That contrast was strangely adorable.
Yukino absolutely adored cats. But she was also terrified of dogs.
Oikawa didn't say anything after that.
He simply stood beside her in silence.
After a while, he finally voiced the question that had been bothering him, "Aren't you cold?"
Her outfit always puzzled him.
She had layer upon layer of clothing on her upper body... But below that, she was wearing nothing but a short skirt and black thigh-high stockings.
To be fair... it looked amazing.
"Yes." She answered honestly.
"Then why dress like that?" He asked again.
"Because it looks good." Yukino finally tore her gaze away from the kittens and looked at him.
A faint smile curled at the corner of her lips.
"So you'd rather be fashionable than warm?" Oikawa asked, genuinely confused.
Without answering, she turned back toward the kittens.
The tiny smile vanished as though it had never existed.
The two stood there quietly for another moment.
Then Oikawa spoke again, "Yukino. Want to grab dinner together?"
"Okay."
Her answer came without the slightest hesitation.
.
.
.