"In short, 'White Album' is exactly like that. Introduce a second female lead to make the path of the protagonists' relationship more winding. You can even go as far as spending a large amount of descriptive text to build her up, prompting the readers to start a 'waifu war'."
The famous series from his past life, We Never Learn and The Quintessential Quintuplets, were prime examples of this—factions flying everywhere.
Hearing Cao Shuang's words, Utaha Kasumigaoka had a sudden epiphany! This actually seemed feasible!
In an instant, Utaha pulled out her phone and began frantically recording the inspiration Cao Shuang had just provided. She'd type it all out on her computer when she got home.
Seeing her like this, Cao Shuang knew she had entered a "creative trance."
Truly a natural-born writing machine.
Cao Shuang figured it wouldn't be good to disturb her right now. He cleaned up the trash and glanced at the time on his phone.
"Holy crap! It's 2:30!"
He had been so engrossed in his chat with Utaha that he hadn't even heard the school bell.
I'm screwed! Shizuka Hiratsuka has a class this afternoon! I'm definitely going to get an earful.
Sigh, since I've already ditched, I might as well stay out until the next period starts.
With that thought, Cao Shuang immediately left the rooftop and headed toward the infirmary to lie down for a bit.
By the time Utaha snapped out of her state and wanted to thank him for the inspiration, she realized he was long gone. She pursed her lips and subconsciously murmured:
"I haven't even asked for his name yet."
Unsurprisingly, during the afternoon, he was summoned to Shizuka-chan's office for a lecture.
Cao Shuang could only silently endure the criticism; after all, he was the one in the wrong. Fortunately, his attitude was sincere and he admitted his mistake quickly. Shizuka-chan merely tapped his head with a book and let him go.
"Tomorrow I'm going to Dengeki Bunko to sign my contract, so..."
Shizuka Hiratsuka raised an eyebrow. You just made a mistake and you're already asking for leave?
"You're making things very difficult for me~"
Damn! Is this old woman going to try and negotiate terms with me?!
Affection for Shizuka Hiratsuka: -10!
Seeing Cao Shuang's conflicted expression—looking like he wanted to speak but didn't dare—Shizuka burst out laughing. She only wanted to tease the kid; who told him to ditch her class?
"Fine, I won't make it hard on you. Once your novel is published, just give me a signed copy."
"You got it! My dearest Hiratsuka-sensei! When it's out, I'll present the signed edition to you with my both hands."
Anyway, once the novel is published, the label will send him several author copies. He wouldn't even have to buy them; he'd just sign those and give one to her.
Should I give one to Utaha Kasumigaoka too?
"Beat it, beat it. Stop being a smart-mouth in here."
Receiving his orders, Cao Shuang immediately bolted from the office.
"Alright! I'm going to grind out the rest tonight!!!"
Upon arriving home, Cao Shuang sat at his desk full of motivation and began typing away.
Time ticked by. Finally, at 10:00 PM, he completed the remaining manuscript. He packaged the files and sent them to his editor. As long as the rest passed, the Grand Prize was undoubtedly his.
Late at night! Ayame Kagurazaka, who was still working overtime, received a notification.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! It's the rest of the Your Lie in April manuscript from 'Loli-con Sensei'!"
Ayame shouted in excitement! She had been feeling quite resentful about the overtime, but seeing the full content of Volume 1 made her feel that today was worth it.
"What? Loli-con Sensei's manuscript? Ayame, send me a copy!"
"Where is it? Quick, give me a copy too!"
"This is way too fast. I thought he'd need at least half a month to finish the volume, and it's only been a few days."
"Maybe he had it written already?"
"Unlikely. Most new authors don't send a full volume. They give ten or twenty thousand words as a test for the editor to evaluate, then decide whether to continue based on the feedback."
"A true... tentacle monster (fast typer)."
"Alright, stop crowding my desk. I'll post it in the group chat, look at it yourselves," Ayame shouted irritably before uploading the file.
The crowd immediately sat back at their stations to savor the work. After all, anyone who becomes an editor loves light novels; otherwise, they wouldn't touch this exhausting, messy job with a ten-foot pole.
The entire editorial studio went dead silent, which startled people from other departments passing by.
Is this... an office haunting? Possession?
"Sniff... this is too good. This delicate prose and plot... as expected of Loli-con Sensei."
"Sigh, Ayame really hit the jackpot this time."
Editors generally read very quickly. Within a few hours, they had finished the rest of the manuscript and fallen into a state of total withdrawal.
Ayame was currently debating whether to call the author now to discuss the contract signing. She checked the time: 1:00 AM. Most office workers would be asleep by now. Would a call be too intrusive?
After a thought, she sent a message to his email first. Almost immediately, a LINE ID was sent back from the other side.
"So fast! Is Loli-con Sensei a complete shut-in? He hasn't slept yet at this hour."
Ayame added the ID and initiated a voice call.
"Hello, is this 'I Love Lolis But I Love Legal Lolis More' Sensei? Hello, I am your editor."
Even though the pen name was just something he threw together, hearing the editor say it out loud... it made Cao Shuang's face burn with embarrassment.
"Cough, cough. Yes, that's me. There shouldn't be any issues with the manuscript, right?"
So young! Just from the voice, Ayame felt the author wasn't very old.
With that in mind, she asked over the phone, "Excuse me, Sensei, how old are you this year?"
"I'm an adult, why?"
My goodness! A literal genius!
To be honest, Ayame felt that with a style like Your Lie in April, it would be hard to pull off without significant life experience. She couldn't think of any word better than "genius" to describe him.
Suppressing her shock, Ayame replied:
"I've read the rest of your manuscript. The quality remains top-tier. If possible, we'd like to arrange the signing as soon as possible. When are you free?"
"Let's do tomorrow then."