I, Aki Tomoya, will not be a simp.

"I know, I know!"

Eriri pouted and replied with a hint of resentment.

At the same time, she was also very surprised that Kasumigaoka Utaha would say such a thing.

To be her wingman?

Are you sure you won't stab her in the back?!

Eriri suspects that Kasumigaoka Utaha is a tough wolf!

=

Chapter 275 Suspect Taki (1/?)

Eriri doesn't believe Kasumigaoka Utaha's nonsense.

He's a real wolf in sheep's clothing; don't fall for his tricks!

But we should still help those who need it...

Eriri has already contributed to sales on the release date.

I just haven't had a chance to watch it yet.

On a whim, she even asked, "Have you read that book?"

"...Which book are you talking about?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha countered with a question.

God knows what Eriri is referring to.

Eriri chuckled and then asked her if she had read any of Kudo Sayaka's novels.

That girl's novel has been on the market for a month now, and it's selling quite well.

Of course, Eriri wasn't saying it was because she had helped promote it or had any merit; she was simply curious whether Kasumigaoka Utaha had seen it.

"How was it?"

I've read it and know what story it's about, but is there a problem?

They were classmates from the same university and the same department. After Sayaka Kudo's novel was released, Kasumigaoka Utaha read it.

Eriri is now deliberately bringing this up, which is slightly affecting her mood.

"Can't I even read other people's novels?"

When Kasumigaoka Utaha said these words, she was utterly helpless.

"You're not going to ask me how I felt after reading it, are you?"

"...No, I was just asking out of curiosity. That's all, I'll help you!"

Eriri replied guiltily.

Eriri was indeed a little curious about what to write about after reading the book.

But now that Utaha Kasumigaoka has started to make things difficult for her, Eriri doesn't need to walk right into the line of fire.

The slight guilty conscience in her tone was easily noticed by Kasumigaoka Utaha.

However, Kasumigaoka Utaha did not pursue the matter further.

Utaha Kasumigaoka didn't want to think too much about Eriri's little thoughts at that moment.

"No need for wingmen or anything like that. Come find me for tea or a meal sometime!"

Incidentally, Eriri also mentioned that she didn't need Kasumigaoka Utaha as her so-called wingman.

Having Kasumigaoka Utaha as a wingman is a complete waste of her talent.

And it's not appropriate either.

Eriri doesn't need any wingmen right now; having a strategist like her mother, Sayuri Sawamura, is enough.

Then it's up to her to see how she does it.

"Thank you, Ms. Kashiwagi Eri!"

Finally, Kasumigaoka Utaha solemnly added a sentence.

Instead of talking about things properly, she insists on rambling on about random things, which is making Kasumigaoka Utaha a little uncomfortable.

Hearing the other person's thanks, Eriri could only manage a couple of dry laughs.

After hanging up the phone, Eriri looked at the call time and the contact name displayed on her phone and muttered a couple more words to herself.

She turned to look at the bookshelf in the room; she had already bought Kasumigaoka Utaha's new work.

And right next to it was the movie "Flying Colors," which I bought last month.

I've read Sayaka Kudo's novels several times, but I haven't even started reading Utaha Kasumigaoka's yet.

Before recommending a book, it's definitely necessary to check how well it's written.

After Eriri finished watching Kasumigaoka Utaha's new work, which represented a transformation in her career, she updated her homepage with a new recommendation.

Unlike a certain former popular blogger, Eriri's homepage is thriving.

As a popular artist who successfully made it ashore instead of being thrown back into the sea, her fans are very active.

After recommending Kasumigaoka Utaha's new book, Eriri didn't pay any more attention to it.

And thanks to Eriri's recommendation, the deputy editor-in-chief of Shinazugawa Publishing finally learned what Kasumigaoka Utaha had been doing behind her back.

"My dear teacher Xia Shizi, if you're going to make a career change, you don't have to hide it from me, sigh..."

Machida Sonoko was feeling a little down.

How could she not be worried when she discovered that one of her popular authors was using an alternate account to try and change his career path?

She had sensed something was wrong a long time ago.

Now, if we keep an eye on Eriri's movements, we'll find something.

It's rare to see Eri Kashiwagi recommending books to others!

When Eriri recommended a book for the first time last month, Machida Sonoko was immediately inspired and went to buy the novel written by Kudo Sayaka. She was relieved to find out that it wasn't the one.

Now that Eriri has delivered this surprise, Machida Sonoko has mixed feelings.

The departure of big names is something every publishing house worries about.

He switched from writing light novels to writing popular fiction under a pseudonym.

Temporarily setting aside existing popularity to pursue this path is indeed a challenging task.

Machida Sonoko didn't know what to say because she knew Kasumigaoka Utaha.

If it's already decided, there's no going back; we'll just have to see how it goes.

If you encounter a major setback with popular novels, you might give up.

Writing light novels now offers almost anything you could want, while popular novels are the complete opposite.

Using an alias can also be seen as a form of self-protection.

If you write under Xia Shizi's name, the publisher will hype it up, and you can use it as a publicity stunt to guarantee buzz.

However, poor results would be a significant blow to the pen name "Xia Shizi".

Now, Machida Sonoko is unsure whether she should consider the possibility of collapsing into a major controversy with Kasumigaoka Utaha's new work.

As the deputy editor-in-chief of Shinazugawa, it's understandable that he thinks this way from this perspective, given that there are vested interests involved.

As someone who has known Kasumigaoka Utaha for so long, Machida Sonoko doesn't actually want Kasumigaoka Utaha to fail, which is only natural.

The mood is a bit complicated.

I even felt a bit betrayed.

But thinking like that is going too far; it's not actually that exaggerated.

That person had her own ideas, and transitioning to popular fiction might not necessarily be a bad thing for her.

So let's see how it goes.

Anyway, Kasumigaoka Utaha is still working hard on her book in Shinazugawa, and it doesn't seem like she's neglecting it because of her transition.

Machida Sonoko is pretending not to know about this for the time being and won't go to the editor-in-chief to say anything.

As for whether she knew about it but didn't report it, Machida Sonoko will pretend she knows nothing for now.

Then prepare two versions of the story, for different situations, so you can use them later.

On Kasumigaoka Utaha's side, Machida Sonoko also prepared two versions of the story.

One is to offer congratulations, and the other is to offer comfort; we'll decide which one to use based on the situation.

"Anyway, I won't talk about renewing my contract with Ms. Kasumi until next year, so there's no rush."