My anime/manga fandom can't be that lazy.

"It's over..."

……

"Although I don't know exactly what happened, it's great that things have turned around. When the argument started, I felt it would seriously affect tomorrow's sales, and I almost called for the higher-ups to intervene."

Kagurazaka Ayame still didn't understand what was going on. She was really startled just now. Judging from the intensity of the online argument on the forum, at least several thousand people were online at the same time.

"But I don't know if God is on your side, but it seems that this time not only did it not affect sales, but it also greatly boosted your popularity. I am now looking forward to tomorrow's sales."

Kagurazaka Ayame rested her hands on the table. She and Dongfang Bai had been sitting there for more than two hours, discussing the follow-up to their writing.

Kagurazaka Ayame originally wanted to offer some advice to Dongfang Bai, but she didn't expect that he didn't need it at all. The plot that he had already fully conceived in his mind was much better than her own suggestions.

"Well, isn't this good? If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

After saying goodbye, Dongfang Bai left the coffee shop and turned to walk towards his home.

Dongfang Bai yawned. Although he had eaten some sweets and coffee, he was really feeling the strain. Since he had already taken the day off, he decided to just go to sleep.

Chapter 80 Where Did This Long, Straight Black Hair Come From? [Please Subscribe Automatically]

The first place winner of the 20th Dengeki Bunko Newcomer Award, the dark horse author 'Yakumo Shiro', won the championship with the light novel 'Fate/Stay/Night'.

Today is Saturday, which is also the release date for this book, "Fate". From being featured in the Newcomer Award to its release, it only took a little over a week, which is unprecedentedly fast.

However, the popularity was not inflated at all; it had definitely accumulated a considerable following! Now it was time to see just how much popularity this had, and the sales officially began.

Dongfang Bai walked into the nearby bookstore at a leisurely pace. He looked to be in excellent spirits today because he had been resting since he got home yesterday and had gone to bed early.

Because it's Friday, which is also the start of the students' weekly holiday, there were already many students at the bookstore entrance, but most of them seemed to have a specific purpose in mind.

Because Fate has been incredibly popular lately, it wasn't just about winning first place by overwhelming majority; the promotion from various Twitter bloggers, plus the famous 'Fate War' event, added even more buzz.

Today is also a day when most bookstores receive new stock. Not only light novels, but also traditional literary novels, some promotional books, and weekly magazines are displayed in the new publications section, arranged very neatly.

Fate has gained considerable popularity due to the hype surrounding it, and the bookstore near Dongfang Baijia chose to place the book in the most prominent recommended position.

"I remember this used to be where the fairy's 'Explosive Flame' was kept, right?"

Dongfang Bai looked at the recommendation section, where stacks of Fate books were neatly arranged, their exquisite covers very eye-catching. He felt a slight twitch in his right eyelid. If the fairy saw that he had taken the spot that originally belonged to him, she would definitely come over and complain about him.

She might even demand compensation from him, such as for emotional distress.

"Boss, I want this one."

A boy who looked somewhat like a nerdy guy and appeared to be a high school student walked into the bookstore, glanced around, and spotted Fate on the recommended shelf. Without saying a word, he picked it up without even looking at it.

"Oh."

Dongfang Bai couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. It was very gratifying to have people buying his book. He had to admit that he felt quite accomplished.

But the biggest feeling is that with another book sold, I can earn a little more money.

I signed an A-level contract. Because I didn't sign a 'pen name' with Dengeki Bunko, I didn't get the best commission. If I had signed a pen name, that pen name would likely have been tied to Dengeki Bunko.

Moreover, signing a pen name means keeping the content updated. Most light novel authors choose to sign a pen name because they can earn more money that way, but Dongfang Bai is an exception and insists on signing this book.

Light novels sold in Japan are quite expensive.

Based on the commission structure of Dongfang Bai's current A-level contract, I can receive 10% of the royalties. Since I won the first-place gold award, I have the right to publish a standalone light novel.

Collectible volumes are different from paperback volumes. Collectible volumes are hardcover, with very high quality in both the cover and the book itself, and each one comes with some small gifts.

Paperbacks are more like magazines, with updates mixed in and sometimes interrupted. A paperback costs about 300 Japanese yen, which is about 19 to 20 yuan in China.

However, single-volume editions are completely different. A single volume can cost at least 800 to 1,000 Japanese yen, which is about 50 yuan in Chinese currency. Such an exaggerated figure can generate enormous profits if sales increase.

Of course, there are even more extravagant super deluxe editions, including single volumes with author signatures or even rare gifts, which can sometimes sell for two or three thousand Japanese yen, which is nearly one or two hundred Chinese yuan per book.

That's just too outrageous...

Of course, it also depends on popularity. If it is a particularly talented author, it is very easy for a signed copy of the book to sell for three thousand or even more.

If you're a relatively unknown author, even if you sign autographs non-stop until your hand breaks, you'll probably only sell them for around 1,000 Japanese yen at most...

0 ····Requesting flowers···· ········

What Dongfang Bai is selling is naturally the standalone volume, which is priced at 800 Neon Coins. As more volumes are released, the price will gradually increase.

If we calculate based on 10% of the contract, for a copy of "Fate" that costs 800 Japanese yen, I can get about 80 Japanese yen, which is equivalent to 5 Chinese yuan.

Each book sold earns 80 Neon Coins. So, what about selling 10,000 books? That's 800,000 Neon Coins. Selling 1 million books would earn 80 million Neon Coins... which is roughly equivalent to 500,000 Chinese Yuan.

Therefore, light novel authors in Japan earn a lot of money. This is just the profit from selling physical copies; there are also profits from adaptations into manga, anime, games, etc., and they also receive royalties...

... .... ......

No wonder that fairy was able to buy a big villa with her royalties. I remember her novel "The Dark Fairy of Blazing Flames" sold a total of 220 million copies, right? No one knows exactly how much money she made.

One of her statements was absolutely correct: "Sales volume is the writer's fighting power." The more Dongfang Bai thought about it, the more he realized how true that statement made sense.

"Boss, give me three of these."

Five books.

As more and more people walked to the cashier with their books, Dongfang Bai's lips curled up slightly. He was in a very good mood, already imagining the moment when he would receive his royalties.

I need to pay back Yukino's money first. Even though it's only been less than half a month, I still need to pay it back as soon as possible. He's a member of the Dongfang family, after all. It's really too much for him to owe a girl money and not pay it back...

After that, I had to buy a real computer myself. I borrowed Fairy's computer for a while and finally got to satisfy my gaming addiction.

"Ok?"

Suddenly, he saw a young girl with long black hair flash by, quickly pick up a copy of "Fate," and run away as if she didn't want to be seen, but accidentally bumped into him.

[PS: Chapter 10 complete. I stayed up all night writing this, releasing all my drafts at once. I'm completely drained! Please support my automatic subscription!]

Chapter 81 You actually look quite cute wearing it [Please subscribe automatically]

She has long black hair and is very petite and cute...

This was Dongfang Bai's first impression of her. She didn't say a word, but just glanced at him. Dongfang Bai looked at her and saw her face clearly from a very close distance.

Her long black hair reached her waist, her bangs were neatly trimmed, her skin was fair and delicate, and she had slender, clear eyes with a striking beauty mark under her left eye. She was a beauty with a Japanese-style charm.

She glanced at Dongfang Bai with her wine-red eyes, then quickly left, her expression seemingly indifferent. She hurried to the cashier and put down the books she was holding.

"Hmm...? That's..."

Because the woman with long, straight black hair looked very familiar, Dongfang Bai couldn't help but take a second look at her, only to discover that the book she was holding was actually his own work, *Fate*...

Moreover, she seemed to have trouble finding change, and after searching in her wallet for a while, she finally took out a 500-yen coin and three 100-yen coins.

"Please give me one."

The voice is very pleasant to listen to, with a clear and cool feel. It feels like it will leave a very deep impression after just one listen.

Just as Dongfang Bai was pondering where he had seen that girl before, the beautiful girl with long, straight black hair had already put the light novel into a white plastic bag and quickly left.

"They walk so fast."

Dongfang Bai grumbled and turned his attention to the bookshelf. As time went by, fewer and fewer guests came, and he was too lazy to stand there any longer.

Anyway, Kagurazaka Ayame will inform me of the light novel's sales results later, so I'll just wait quietly for the notification. I'll go back and play some games today.

……

"Waaaaah...!!! I can't take it anymore!!"

Yamada Elf was rolling around frantically on her princess bed, clutching her pillow and turning from side to side. She couldn't calm down at all, and what she had been suppressing finally exploded.

It was so uncomfortable; her cheeks were burning hot, not because of a fever, but simply because the thought of Dongfang Bai's face made her feel uneasy.

"Hu... huh."

Yamada Elf patted her cheeks, seemingly trying to cheer herself up, and planned to write a light novel all day to relieve her emotions through work.

Otherwise, I can't help but think of that bastard's face as soon as I close my eyes!

After returning from his house last night, I felt my heart beating unusually fast. Even though I fiddled with the beautiful headband he gave me for more than ten minutes, I still couldn't suppress my emotions.

"Wait, wait, wait! Could it be that I... I might actually have a little bit of a crush on that guy?!"

Yamada Elf took a deep breath, held it for a long time, and then exhaled gently, gradually calming down.

Indeed, Dongfang Bai was different from anyone who had ever treated her before. Whether it was her editor or fellow authors, everything they said to her was just polite talk and superficial.

She always uses all sorts of words to praise herself, but in reality, the distance between herself and herself is constantly shrinking, and she dropped out of school a long time ago and has no friends at all.

Moreover, her personality is far too self-centered. Not to mention friends, even light novel authors like her don't want to associate with her much.

The internet was the only place she could make friends; even though it was a game, she treated it like a social networking app…

Still not satisfied, she ended up playing games alone, rushing to finish her manuscript alone, and then being scolded by her editor for missing deadlines.

Even her online fans of her light novels didn't feel any sense of reality to her. She thought things would continue like this until she met that guy.

That guy was very straightforward. When we first met, even though he knew I was a famous writer, his expression didn't change at all. Instead, he chatted with me naturally and calmly.

Actually, I was quite annoyed with him at first. He was just a newcomer, yet Kagurazaka abandoned me to go find him.

Keep in mind that at the time, this guy was just a very naive newcomer. Even light novels hadn't been featured in any awards yet. Besides himself, the only other people who had read "Fate" were Kagurazaka Ayame and Yamada Elf.

After that, he didn't distance himself from me at all. In his eyes, I was just a friend who wasn't much older than him, and I didn't have any of the airs of a writer on me.

After that, he played games with her until late at night. Even when she couldn't sleep and sent him messages, he would reply quickly. Gradually, she grew to like this feeling.

The only one who was genuinely willing to play with her, who didn't care about her status, and who could still treat her peacefully and as an equal...

"Maybe... he really does like it... ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"

The fairy muttered a couple of words, then, realizing what she'd said, blushed and quickly swallowed them back, making sure to look around to see if anyone had heard her...

"No! Thinking like this won't work!"

Yamada Fairy cheered herself up, got dressed, and was about to go out when she silently retreated after a couple of seconds and put on the red headband that Dongfang Bai had given her.

She made a point of looking in the mirror, then walked to the neighbor's door after leaving home, took a deep breath, and simply took out her key and opened it in one smooth motion!

"You stinky Bai! I'm here to play with you again!"