— — — — — —
After JUMP's official forum released its annual light novel sales rankings, the news spread like wildfire.
Within hours, screenshots were all over social media. Every forum, every LINE group, every fan community seemed to be talking about the list.
[LN_Geek]: "Just as expected. Tensura is miles ahead of everyone else. But what really surprised me is that Your Lie in April is doing so well! It's only been a few months, and it's already approaching a million copies sold?"
[Hades] : "Copycat-sensei is seriously incredible."
[Kaori_Didn't_Die] : "That damn Copycat somehow became a million-selling author overnight? Seriously, Copycat, you bastard. Are you even worthy of all the money your readers spent?"
[Kaori_Didn't_Die]: "Awoo! My Kaori... my dear Kaori... sob... this is your success. You did great..."
[Reminiscing]: "Hiss. Bro really got broken by Copycat-sensei."
...
Oikawa couldn't help twitching as he read through the comments.
These readers were hopeless.
One moment they were showering him with praise, and then somewhere deep in the thread someone would steer the conversation completely off the rails. Before long, the replies would be nothing but complaints and curses.
Was he really that hated?
Shaking his head, Oikawa decided he simply didn't understand internet culture anymore.
And the discussion wasn't limited to readers. Editors across the industry had their own private group chats, and the rankings quickly became the hottest topic among them as well. However, the atmosphere there was far from hostile.
Some editors congratulated Chris Yamada on his future success, while others joked with Ayame Kagurazaka and envied her 0.5% royalty bonus from Your Lie in April.
Sure, they were competitors, but the light novel industry wasn't exactly large. People constantly exchanged opinions on market trends, discussed promising new titles, and shared advice on mentoring rookie editors.
Everyone knew everyone else.
...
..
For Oikawa, making the annual bestseller list genuinely made him happy.
For a brief moment, he found himself harboring the ambition of overtaking the number-one title, but the thought vanished as quickly as it came.
Tensura had sold four million copies.
The light novel audience was only so large.
Selling one million copies of Your Lie in April was achievable.
Two million? Three million? That was another story entirely.
To get there, the novel would have to break out of the light novel niche and reach mainstream readers.
And that was exactly why Full-Drive Bunko had poured so much effort into promoting Clannad beyond the usual fan circles. They wanted people who had never touched a light novel before to know the title.
Looking at the results so far... their marketing budget had clearly been worth it.
The funny part, though, was that the biggest boost to Clannad's popularity hadn't come from the marketing campaign at all. It had come from Kentaro and his little gang.
Their stunt had earned Oikawa plenty of insults online, but it had also introduced far more people to the name "damn bastard Copycat." At the very least, they now knew there was an author called Copycat.
And in the process, countless readers who had never even heard of Clannad before suddenly became aware that a new novel was on the way.
A classic case of how the best opportunities sometimes come from the most unexpected places.
The whole thing reminded Oikawa of those bizarre viral internet incidents where someone became famous for the most unexpected reason imaginable.
Sometimes... fame really was impossible to predict.
After spending a while browsing forums and chat groups celebrating the rankings, Oikawa finally opened Twitter.
As always, his inbox was flooded with 99+ unread messages.
He ignored them.
After thinking over his wording for a moment, he posted a new tweet.
"It's an incredible honor to appear on JUMP's light novel bestseller rankings with nearly one million copies sold. Even now, it still doesn't quite feel real. The journey of Your Lie in April has been filled with criticism, doubts, and plenty of ups and downs. But thanks to every single reader, I was able to tell this story.
My philosophy will never change: bring joy to my readers and keep all the sadness for myself.
Please continue supporting my upcoming new novel, Clannad! Thank you, everyone."
---
"...Does this sound like I'm provoking people?" Oikawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
A second later, he dismissed the idea.
He had already provoked everyone he could, so there was no point worrying about it anymore.
...
..
The next morning—
After washing up, Oikawa headed straight for the station where he'd agreed to meet Zaimokuza.
With the New Year just around the corner, the streets were growing more crowded by the day.
Everywhere he looked, people were smiling, laughing, and enjoying the festive atmosphere.
For some reason, though, Oikawa felt strangely lonely.
Emotions really were odd things.
Just a few days ago, seeing the same lively streets had filled him with happiness.
Now... a trace of sadness welled up inside him for no reason at all.
Fortunately, it didn't linger. He shook the feeling off and hurried toward the Keiyō Line platform.
"Oikawa! Over here!" Zaimokuza had clearly arrived long ago. The moment he spotted Oikawa entering the station, he waved frantically and ran over.
He looked ridiculously excited.
Not only was he dragging an enormous suitcase, but he also had a travel backpack slung over his shoulders, as if he were leaving home forever and marching off to war.
"Do you really need to bring all that?" Oikawa asked. "I told you, it's only a three-day trip. Full-Drive Bunko already arranged a place for you to stay."
"I know!" Zaimokuza puffed out his chest proudly. "But what if Full-Drive Bunko realizes I'm editor material? They might discover my incredible talent and ask me to stay a few more days!"
Oikawa had to resist the urge to answer with a sarcastic, 'Yeah, sure.'
Once they boarded the train to Tokyo, Zaimokuza kept rambling excitedly about his grand plans for the future.
He'd even thought through what engagement gifts he'd prepare when he eventually married a voice actress.
"..."
Oikawa sincerely believed letting Zaimokuza experience an editor's daily life would do him some good.
You could call it a very unconventional character-building exercise.
Just then, his phone buzzed.
『Utaha』: Senpai, are you in Tokyo yet?
『Oikawa』: Not yet. Just got on the train.
A smile appeared on his face as he typed back.
『Oikawa』: So? Want to meet up?
『Utaha』: Sorry... I'm going back to my hometown with my parents today
After a short pause, another message appeared.
『Utaha』: How about... after New Year's? The day after your autograph session... after you've treated your fans to dinner?
『Oikawa』: Guess that's all we can do.
He'd originally planned to check out the venue for his autograph session, then spend the rest of the day with Utaha.
Even if they did nothing but sit together quietly, that would've been enough.
Instead... it looked like he'd be wandering around Tokyo alone.
...
..
Tokyo never seemed to stop running.
People hurried through the streets with their heads lowered, briefcases in hand, wearing tired, expressionless faces.
Even with the New Year approaching, plenty of office workers were still on the job.
The closer they got to Ginza, the more obvious it became.
"There are so many people," Zaimokuza muttered. "Oikawa, I think Chiba's nicer. Are all big cities this competitive?"
"Maybe." Oikawa didn't elaborate.
He led Zaimokuza through the streets with practiced ease toward Full-Drive Bunko's offices, where Chris Yamada was already waiting eagerly.
"Oikawa-sen... um... Oikawa-kun, right?" Chris corrected himself just in time. "I'm Chris Yamada, Copycat-sensei's editor. Nice to meet you."
Before coming, Oikawa had already asked him over LINE not to reveal his identity.
His cover would inevitably be blown once the autograph session started, but he'd rather Zaimokuza not find out quite yet. It still felt a little embarrassing.
"Nice to meet you, Editor Yamada. Sorry to trouble you with this. This is the friend I mentioned on LINE, Yoshiteru Zaimokuza. He wants to experience what an editor's job is really like." Oikawa introduced them.
Whenever Zaimokuza met strangers, he instantly transformed into the textbook definition of a socially awkward introvert.
"H-Hello... I-I'm Yoshiteru Zaimokuza. P-Please... t-take care of me..."
Watching him struggle to finish a sentence, Oikawa almost laughed.
He quietly shot Chris a meaningful look.
"Don't worry, Oikawa-kun," Chris said with a knowing smile. "I'll make sure Zaimokuza-kun experiences the most authentic editor life imaginable."
The two exchanged a glance.
Like a pair of old cats who'd been plotting for ages.
Meanwhile, the unsuspecting mouse named Zaimokuza had no idea he'd already walked straight into the trap.
Once Zaimokuza had been properly "taken care of," Oikawa left with Chris for the autograph session venue.
The two chatted casually as they walked.
"I'm getting ready to write the second half of Clannad. If things go smoothly, I should finish it before February."
The sudden announcement nearly made Chris lose control of the steering wheel and veer into the guardrail.
"...Huh? Oikawa-sensei, you're joking, right? The first volume of Clannad hasn't even been released yet, and you're already writing the second? There's no need to rush like this!" Chris already knew Oikawa wrote at an incredible pace. But this was too incredible.
'Don't tell me...Is he planning to release one volume every school break? Winter, spring, summer, autumn?'
Looking at Oikawa through the rearview mirror, Chris's mind was in complete turmoil.
"I'm not rushing," Oikawa replied. "My plan from the start was to release the first volume during winter break, then the second during spring break. I've already worked out the entire story. All that's left is getting it out of my head and onto the computer."
Chris had guessed correctly.
That really was Oikawa's schedule. One volume every vacation.
After all... what else was he supposed to do?
He had an entire library of stories sitting in his head. There was no way he'd ever finish publishing them all.
In fact, he was already wondering what to write next.
To be honest... Clannad still wasn't tragic enough.
He thought it over.
A few titles immediately came to mind, but one in particular stood out.
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas.
His eyes suddenly lit up.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica would work too.
Hook readers with sweetness first. Then rip their hearts out afterward.
Perfect.
The more he thought about it, the better it sounded.
Decision made. His next light novel would be one of those.
However, he needed a way to mislead the readers. If he released two novels this time, no one would be able to guess which one was the real surprise.
Perhaps it was time for Overlord to make its debut.
_ _ _
Meanwhile, Chris had no idea how he was supposed to respond.
For some reason, he suddenly thought of his hopeless younger sister.
'If only she were even half as hardworking as Oikawa...'
After a moment of silence, he spoke. "Oikawa-sensei, Full-Drive Bunko will fully support whatever schedule you decide on. If you can deliver the second half of Clannad before spring break, we'll put everything we have into promoting it."
An author who could produce books this quickly was nothing but good news for a publisher. Who didn't want to make more money?
Of course, Chris still had one lingering concern.
Could Oikawa really maintain the same level of quality while writing this fast?
"Sounds good. I'll do my best to finish the second half of Clannad before February." Oikawa smiled.
The conversation drifted naturally after that.
Most of it revolved around novels and literature. The rest was spent discussing the best places to eat in Tokyo.
Before long, a massive bookstore with the sign TSUTAYA came into view.
What stood out even more, however, were the twenty-plus men in black suits standing outside.
"...What's all this?" Oikawa turned toward Chris.
"The security team we hired for you." Chris smiled proudly. "Thirty bodyguards in total."
"Ten will guard the entrance, another ten will patrol the surrounding area, eight will stay close to you at all times, and the last two will remain inside the store in case anything unexpected happens."
He looked thoroughly satisfied.
Hiring thirty professional bodyguards hadn't been cheap.
But the sense of security? That had shot through the roof.
Oikawa's eye twitched.
After getting out of the car... every single bodyguard turned in perfect unison to look directly at him.
His scalp instantly went numb.
He appreciated the concern.
But wasn't this a little excessive?
The whole scene looked less like an autograph event and more like a mob boss stepping out of his mansion with an army of henchmen waiting outside.
And it was unbelievably embarrassing.
"Everyone, attention!" One of the men raised his voice. "This is the person you'll be protecting from this point forward. Our number one priority is the client's safety!"
The roar came back in perfect unison, "YES, SIR!"
The shout echoed through the entire street.
At that moment, Oikawa wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
If this was what fame looked like... he'd almost rather have a reader stab him.
Being alive had never felt so painfully awkward.
.
.
.