My second life is a bit strange?

He finished the last sip of wine, put the bowl and chopsticks in the sink, pulled his pajamas up, turned off the light, and went into the bedroom.

I lay down carefully, but even though I moved very gently, I still woke the other person up.

"husband?"

The editor-in-chief hugged her and whispered in her ear, "It's so wonderful to be able to marry you."

Their love story, like the one in the book, is both wonderful and ordinary.

Many parts of the book resonated with him, so he planned to have the novel directly included in the evaluation list.

Chapter Forty-Seven: Dreams Take Flight

The next day.

After the editorial meeting, the other editors congratulated Machida Sonoko.

"Editor Machida is about to have an author with a million-selling book."

"Could you send me a copy of the novel? I'm really curious."

"They've invited us to dinner."

"Not at all," Machida Sonoko said politely. "Of course, I'll send you a copy of the novel later, and you can treat me to a meal if you wish."

She readily agreed to treat everyone, after all, finding such an excellent author would greatly benefit her performance.

Kasumigaoka lay on the bed, leisurely enjoying the breeze from the fan, with a sliced ​​watermelon on the table.

She was in a chat group called Pigeon Nest.

"Cheer up, the list of winners for our platform's Newcomer Award is coming out soon."

"I'm ready!"

"I'm ready!"

Indeed, the essence of humanity is to repeat itself; an inexplicable impulse led him to press +1.

Someone interrupted the student's recitation: "Who lives in the deep sea..."

The chat suddenly went off-topic.

This group is an official chat group created by the author, and it's a mixed bag. There are people who want to write novels and come in to inquire, as well as casual onlookers, and of course, a few great writers who use alternate accounts.

She had originally intended to ask about how to submit her work but then declined. However, the person inside was talented and spoke pleasantly, so she decided to stay.

"I've lost so many times already~ (sad)"

"This is my first time, I'm a little nervous."

"There seem to be quite a few new faces this year."

"Indeed, but apart from a few exceptional individuals, it's impossible for newcomers to pass the evaluation, let alone win an award."

Seeing how serious the elderly people in the group were talking about it, Xia Shizi became nervous and took a few bites of watermelon.

"There were too many participants in this year's Shinazugawa Newcomer Award, making the competition extremely fierce. However, one work was directly included in the judging list during the submission stage."

The person speaking was the author who had sold hundreds of thousands of copies in the group; he had learned some information through chatting with the editor.

While enjoying the show, Kasumigaoka waited for the list to be announced.

Finally, the administrator posted a link in the group. After clicking on it and refreshing the page several times, I finally saw the title.

Proposed list of candidates for evaluation

Kasumigaoka was surprised to find that her name wasn't in the first ten results. She sat up nervously and scrolled down until she finally found her name on number 17.

——17. Love Metronome

—Are you ready for your autumn love journey? (Note: The order of the names is not significant.)

Kasumigaoka happily gripped her phone, cheered, and collapsed onto the bed, rolling around on it.

After calming down, she sent a message to Feng, wanting to tell him about her joy.

But he didn't get a reply from the other party for a long time, so he went to chat in the group again.

"So, has anyone made the list yet?"

"The ship has sunk!"

"Big break!"

"Damn it, did we fail again this time?"

"The world has rejected me!"

"Waaaaah, year after year, I really have no talent."

The administrator saw the wailing and lamenting in the group and quickly came out to comfort them. Amid the comforting and wailing, something strange suddenly appeared.

"We have a traitor among us! @XiaShizi?"

"Really? I remember she just joined the group."

"No way, which book is it? Please let me read it."

"It's her? I remember when she came in she was asking how to submit articles, and she's already in?"

Seeing the group chat buzzing with excitement, she decided to go offline, eager to find Feng and confide in him.

Just then, her phone rang, showing it was a stranger calling.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Xia Shizi?"

"Yes."

"Sorry to bother you, but our editorial department thinks that the book 'Love Metronome' has great potential for publication, so we hope to communicate with you in advance."

Kasumigaoka couldn't help but feel a little confused, because she had heard from people in the group that only those who won the gold or silver prize could debut.

"Immortality is happy to publish excellent works, regardless of whether they win awards or not. We value market value and potential more."

To put it bluntly, what she heard were all rumors; those works that made the evaluation list but were not published were simply poorly written.

I was worried that she might be snatched away by another platform, so I communicated with her in advance.

"When is Ms. Xia Shizi free? Let's talk in person."

"Today."

Her home is not far from the River of Immortality.

"Then I will look forward to your arrival."

After hanging up the phone, Kasumigaoka changed into a slightly more mature outfit and set off, verifying her information with the staff at the Shinazugawa reception desk.

"We have found your reservation here. Please take the elevator to the sixth floor. I have already notified Editor Machida."

"Thank you." Kasumigaoka tucked her hair behind her ear and took the elevator to the sixth floor.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw a mature woman wearing a suit, with short hair and a name tag hanging around her neck.

"Hello, Editor Machida."

"Are you Ms. Xia Shizi?" She looked at the other person, whose clothes were rather mature, but whose face still had a childlike and immature look.

[High school student?]

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Kasumi is too young. Which high school do you attend?"

"Third year of junior high school at Shuchiin."

[A middle school student so mature! Are young people these days fed animal feed?!]

The two chatted as they walked into a conference room.

"Please sit down. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, barley tea, cola, juice. I'll be your editor from now on, so don't be so formal."

"Please give me your guidance, barley tea is fine."

After exchanging a few polite words, the two got down to business.

“I have high hopes for your work. I have done my best to secure an 8% royalty rate for you, with an initial print run of 30,000 copies and a price of 725 yen. Do you have any other requests?”

"May I see the contract?"

Kasumigaoka didn't know much about these things, so Machida gave her enough personal space to go out and take care of other things.

She did some research and simple calculations. She could get 174 million yen from the first print run alone. Of course, she would have to pay a lot of taxes. You should know that many white-collar workers only earn 30 yen a month.

The contract clearly stated that I was signing a book and a pseudonym, not a person. After confirming there were no loopholes, I signed my name.

When Machida returned, Kasumigaoka handed him the contract, along with a photocopy of his ID card and a seal he had secretly brought from home.

"Pleasant to work with."

Kasumigaoka stepped out of the building and looked up at the azure sky.

The ship named Kasumi Shiko, carrying her dreams, has officially set sail!

I wonder what that guy is doing right now.

They should be on a train right now.

Rumble!

The train sped along the tracks, and the surrounding scenery kept rushing past.

By sheer luck, they were all assigned to the same spot, and Fujiwara Chika magically produced a variety of snacks from her bag.

"Why did you bring out the lunchbox? What are we going to do now that we've eaten lunch?"

"It's okay." Fujiwara Chika ate a rice ball one after another, her eyes slightly narrowed. "I left in such a hurry this morning that I didn't have time to eat breakfast, so I'll just have this as breakfast and lunch."

Would you like to try some?

No, they quickly shook their heads. After all, who would refuse a sumptuous lunch to eat rice balls?

"So boring~" Fujiwara Chika finished her rice ball and lay back in her chair, hands on her chest: "I'm already a salted fish."

"We'll be there in an hour."