In this crossover anime, Yoshikage Kira longs for a peaceful life.

"Although there are many, the number of works that each editor has to review is very small when spread out among themselves."

"Although the results of the first round of selection will be announced on May 10, the relevant work has actually been completed ahead of schedule."

"As for why I approached Shimazaki-sensei."

Kagurazaka Ayame feigns mystery:

"To give an analogy, the Dengeki Novel Prize process is like panning for gold."

"Most of the submitted works are about chalcopyrite, and only a small portion are about gold ore."

"The purpose of the first round of selection is to filter out the chalcopyrite and leave the gold ore which is more valuable."

"The second and third rounds of selection were to repeatedly screen these gold ores."

"Remove gold ore with excessive impurities and retain gold ore with higher purity."

Only the batch with the highest purity can enter the finals.

"But Shimazaki-sensei's works are not gold mines, but real gold, gold that shines with a brilliant luster!"

"Gold ore needs to be screened and purified to determine its purity, but real gold can be seen with the naked eye, so you can basically lock in your spot in the finals in advance."

"However, there is a lot of real gold this time, so there may be some discrepancies in the rankings."

Kagurazaka Ayame said, then added comfortingly:

"The final ranking of a work is actually closely related to the editor's preferences."

"Even if it only wins the gold prize in the end, it does not mean that Shimazaki-sensei's work is not as good as other works."

"Will Shimazaki-sensei understand what I'm saying?"

Shimazaki Yuna nodded thoughtfully and asked curiously:

"If Accel World can only win the Gold Award, which works are qualified to win the Grand Prize?"

Kagurazaka Ayame's lips curled slightly; she wasn't surprised by the question.

Although this behavior was tantamount to leaking secrets, Kagurazaka Ayame didn't care.

She's already met with the author in private, so why would she care about these trivial matters?

Kagurazaka Ayame thought for a moment and explained:

"Among this year's Bunko Awards, there are four works that are most likely to compete for the grand prize."

"Due to confidentiality, I cannot tell Shimazaki-sensei his name directly."

"but……"

Kagurazaka Ayame paused for a moment, then smiled sweetly:

“I’ve arranged to meet three other teachers here; they might be willing to tell you in person.”

"Three people?"

Yuna Shimazaki murmured something under her breath.

Kagurazaka Ayame thought she was a little discouraged and was about to comfort her.

But then he saw the girl looking down at her phone, operating something. Suddenly, he pointed the screen at her and asked:

Is this it?

"Huh?"

Kagurazaka Ayame glanced at the girl's phone, then looked at the contacts on her own phone.

Kagurazaka Ayame froze on the spot when she saw the exact same profile picture and username.

"You're the last gentleman in the Qiao family?"

Kagurazaka Ayame's tone was somewhat incredulous.

"Ah."

Shimazaki Yuna silently switched to another account and showed the screen to Kagurazaka Ayame again.

"You're the one who said, 'At 15, I wanted to be a Yangko dance star'?"

Kagurazaka Ayame's expression froze, and she couldn't help but ask:

"You're not the other one either, are you?"

She only invited four people in total, and now three of them are the same person...

Yuna Shimazaki put down her phone and gently shook her head:

"No, I only have these three accounts."

No?

Kagurazaka Ayame was not disappointed at all; on the contrary, she was invigorated and extremely excited.

Even if this one isn't hers, there are still three books in total that are hers!

Each of these three works is worthy of a major award.

Even if there can only be two Grand Prize winners, that's still two Grand Prize winners and one Gold Prize winner!

In the past two years, she has only signed three books that have made it to the finals.

In other words, once we sign Yuna Shimazaki, her performance this year will surpass the total of the previous several years!

This would give her the opportunity to become Dengeki Bunko's top editor-in-chief and gain access to more resources.

Only with enough resources will more authors seek to sign her.

This is a virtuous circle.

Of course, this is all predicated on successfully signing Yuna Shimazaki.

Thinking of this, Kagurazaka Ayame couldn't help but feel a little curious:

Why does Shimazaki-sensei use three different pen names?

Not only were there three different pen names, but there were even three different email addresses and three different LINE accounts.

Is it really necessary to make it so complicated?

"I do not know either."

Shimazaki Yuna muttered to herself, then produced the prepared statement:

"I don't want to be too famous."

This is also why Kira-kun asked her to submit these three light novels.

Don't you want to be too famous?

Kagurazaka Ayame took a sip of the cocktail that Kira Yoshikage handed her, her eyes flashing slightly.

indeed.

Having three books by the same author simultaneously win Grand Prize and Gold Prize will indeed make one very famous. The benefit is a surge in sales, as readers of all three books will be drawn to the other two simply because they are by the same author.

For most authors, this is a welcome development.

Otherwise, so many authors wouldn't insist on using the same pen name.

Changing pen names frequently is something only struggling authors do.

Although Yuna Shimazaki said she didn't want to be too famous, the fact that she said that meant she was confident that her work would win awards, just like she knew all along that these three works would definitely win the Grand Prize and the Gold Prize!

On the surface, she appears to be a gentle and obedient literary girl with glasses, but is she actually this proud inside?

But it's okay.

Given the quality of these three works, they would have been bestsellers even without the pen name.

So she's determined to win over Shimazaki Yuna today, no matter what!

For her performance and for her future!

Kagurazaka Ayame stared intently at Shimazaki Yuna:

"Mr. Shimazaki, would you like to sign a contract with me?"

"Huh?"

Kagurazaka Ayame took a sip of her cocktail and tempted him:

"Does Shimazaki-sensei know about 'Fantasy Demon Blade'? Senju Muramasa-sensei is my author!"

"If you sign a contract with me, you'll have the opportunity to exchange writing experiences with Mr. Senju Muramasa!"

The girl's violet eyes shone brightly, and her tone held a hint of anticipation:

Is it really possible?

"Of course!"

Kagurazaka Ayame smiled slightly and said:

"Is Shimazaki-sensei also a fan of Senju Muramasa-sensei's books?"

Yuna Shimazaki nodded excitedly:

"Yes, I have drawn fan art of Senju Muramasa's 'Fantasy Demon Blade' before."

"Fan art?"

Kagurazaka Ayame paused for a moment, then said in surprise:

"Can Shimazaki-sensei still draw?"

As Kagurazaka Ayame spoke, she seemed to remember something and blurted out:

"Speaking of which, there seems to be an illustrator on YouTube named Setsuna Shimazaki..."

That's me.

Shimazaki Yuna's eyes dimmed slightly.

"..."

Seeing the girl's expression, Kagurazaka Ayame also recalled the online insults and rumors about 'Shimazaki Setsuna's plagiarism,' and immediately changed the subject, deliberately complaining: