Tokyo: Oreimo

She was all too familiar with that feeling of her heart warming over the words of a stranger.

"Aoi." She pulled her scarf down a little and spoke in a slightly more formal tone than usual, "Do you know what the most common mistake is when you're an editor?"

Aoi Morikawa paused for a moment, then shook her head.

"He thought his relationship with the author was closer than it actually was."

Hayakawa Rumi's voice was gentle, but it carried a certain certainty that came from experience.

"After reading his words, I felt moved and thought that the person who could write such words must be very talented. I wanted to get to know him, sign him, and recommend his works to more readers. This feeling was genuine and very precious."

"But conversely, to the author, you are just a stranger who is only appearing today."

Aoi Morikawa opened her mouth, but did not refute.

"Trust between editors and authors cannot be built with just a business card. If you hand over your business card today and express your sincerity, that is enough."

"If he thinks commercial publishing is something worth considering, he will contact you. If he doesn't, chasing after him with calls will only make him feel pressured."

"Moreover, works that are officially recognized by Aniplex mean that the author's vision will not be limited to the fan fiction circle. Even if he doesn't contact Kadokawa, he will eventually appear in front of you in other ways."

Aoi Morikawa lowered her head and thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"I understand. When I get back, I'll organize the contact information I collected today and then follow up gradually."

"That's right." Hayakawa Rumi smiled and swiped her card to enter the station.

...

When Hayakawa Rumi stepped into the Rinkai Line carriage, the twilight outside the window had completely fallen.

As the train passed the approach section of Rainbow Bridge, the night view of Tokyo Bay flashed past the window. She leaned against the partition next to the door and took out her phone to check her unread messages for the day.

Several work schedules for Hattori Takuya, and a message from his younger sister Shizuka.

"Sister, I'm home today."

Hayakawa Rumi blinked.

Because Shizuka was busy with idol group affairs, SP Company rented a luxury apartment not far from the agency so that it would be convenient for them to rehearse and manage their schedules. All four members of Dream Chaser lived there.

She goes home every few months to once every six months, and when she's busy, she doesn't even have time to come back for the New Year.

Why did you suddenly come back today?

She replied with a message saying she was on her way back, then put her phone back in her coat pocket, leaned against the partition, and closed her eyes to rest.

When Hayakawa Rumi opened the door, the light in the entryway was on, and the deep sound of the television came from the living room.

Shizuka sat on the sofa in the living room, wearing a loose-fitting hoodie, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders.

The TV was replaying a music program, showing a hit song from an idol group that had been popular earlier this year. She held the remote control in her hand, and the volume was turned down so low that she could barely hear the lyrics.

"I am back."

Shizuka turned her head and smiled, "Sister, it's been a long time."

Hayakawa Rumi put down her canvas bag and went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.

She sat down on the single sofa next to Shizuka with her water glass and found a cup of instant coffee that had long since gone cold on the coffee table, and next to it an open pillbox containing several vitamin tablets and throat lozenges.

"Why did you suddenly come back?" Hayakawa Rumi took a sip of water. "Aren't you busy with rehearsals?"

Shizuka put the remote control on the coffee table, hugged her knees, and huddled in the corner of the sofa.

"I just suddenly wanted to come back."

Hayakawa Rumi glanced at her.

My younger sister has never been able to hide her feelings. Even though she says she's fine, she's clearly not in a good mood.

However, Liu Mei didn't press the matter. Her younger sister wasn't one to readily confide in others, and the more she pressed, the more she would back down.

"Have you got a meal yet?"

"I ate it. I bought it at the convenience store."

Liu Mei opened the sparkling wine, took a small sip, and then a new group of guests appeared on TV, starting some kind of guessing game.

"How was the Winter COMI exhibition today?" Shizuka asked. "Didn't you take the newcomers to the exhibition?"

"Not bad, that kid worked pretty hard." Liu Mei pulled her feet up on the sofa and shifted to a more comfortable position. "She looked at about a dozen booths and handed out the last few business cards."

Have you encountered any good works?

“There’s one that’s quite good.” Liu Mei thought for a moment and gave a relatively conservative evaluation. “Although it’s fan fiction, it’s very well-made and the narrative style is very mature. I asked Aoi to hand over her business card.”

"You handed over your business card, and then what?"

"Let's wait for a reply."

Shizuka gave a soft "hmm" and didn't ask any more questions.

The guessing game on TV was in its second round. The guest answered the question wrong and was sprayed with dry ice. Laughter filled the studio. The two of them watched quietly for a while, neither of them saying a word.

"That author of yours," Shizuka suddenly spoke, her tone casual, as if chatting about everyday things, "the teacher my sister mentioned before, how's she doing lately?"

Which author?

"That one, the really amazing one, the one my sister always mentions as 'Teacher Shi Yuze'."

Liu Mei paused for a moment while holding the sparkling wine can.

"It's been almost half a year since I've released a new book," Liu Mei said. "My last book was 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya' last year, and there's been no news since then."

"Haven't written anything in half a year... Even writers do this."

Liu Mei gave a bitter smile to herself.

If it were someone else's author who hadn't written anything for six months, she would probably just think it was a normal creative cycle. But that person was different. He never stopped writing because he couldn't write anymore, but because he had too much energy to devote to other things.

“His situation is a little different.” Liu Mei twirled the wine jar in his hand. “His creative state should be fine, but he doesn’t have any new works to release for the time being.”

Shizuka didn't reply, but simply placed the empty sake jar on the coffee table.

The man who had studied in the US asked her in return, "How are things over there? How have you been lately?"

“The new album is being recorded.” Shizuka’s voice regained some energy. “The producer said that the style this time will be bolder than before, allowing the group to try some different things. Two of the new songs were composed by the company, which cost a lot of money.”

The man who had studied in the US looked at her intently and asked, "Can you adapt?"

“No problem,” Shizuka said, her tone brimming with the confidence of a lead singer. “It’s all about singing anyway.”

Rumi smiled. Shizuka's attitude towards work was never ambiguous. After recovering from that low point, she seemed like a completely different person. Her singing skills became more and more stable, and her stage presence became more and more mature. The idol group Dream Chaser has come a long way and is no longer just a rookie group relying on a debut song.

"Seeing you like this now, Mom will feel at ease," Liu Mei said softly.

Shizuka turned her head to look at her, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just hummed in agreement.

.....

It was late at night when Hayakawa Rumi returned to her room after taking a shower. There was an unread message on her phone.

Keiichi Shigsawa: "Editor Hayakawa, I'll be going to the Kadokawa building tomorrow afternoon. Let's meet if you're free."

When Hayakawa Rumi saw this message, her eyes lit up.

She stared at the screen for several seconds.

Then he started typing, typed halfway through, deleted it, retyped it, and finally only sent one sentence: "Okay, what time will you arrive? I'll make you some coffee."

After sending the message, she placed her phone on the bedside table, crawled into bed, and stared at the ceiling.

The last time we met was about six months ago, when he suddenly said he wanted to come to the Kadokawa Building.

Could it be that he finally has a new work? Or is he just passing by and stopping by? No, since he took the initiative to contact me, it means he really has something to say.

"It must be something related to the work."

Chapter 263 I'm Not Here to See You

At 2 p.m. the following afternoon, Ryosuke arrived at the Kadokawa Building 15 minutes earlier than agreed.

He dialed Hayakawa Rumi's number in the lobby on the first floor. The phone rang six times before going to voicemail.

Five minutes later, I dialed again, but still no one answered.

Ryosuke put his phone back in his pocket, registered his visitor information at the front desk, and received a temporary pass which he hung around his neck.

He'd been to this place many times before, so he knew the way well. The receptionist recognized him, so they let him through.

The elevator stopped on the 32nd floor. As soon as the doors opened, a flurry of hurried footsteps rushed down the corridor.

Two staff members carrying cardboard boxes brushed past him, followed by a middle-aged editor in a suit and tie, who was holding a mobile phone and speaking in a low voice as he walked.

The sound of telephones ringing and printers humming came from the end of the corridor.

Ryosuke walked into the visitor lounge, sat down on the sofa by the window, and dialed Hayakawa Rumi's number again.

This time it rang twice before being disconnected.

A few seconds later, Hayakawa Rumi sent a message: "Sorry! Editor Hattori suddenly notified me of an emergency meeting, so my phone is on silent. It will probably take another twenty minutes. Can you wait for me?"

Ryosuke replied "No rush," put his phone on the coffee table, and pulled out a sample copy of "Kara no Kyoukai" from his canvas bag to start flipping through.

This was a copy that Tian Zhongxue insisted on giving him last night, saying it was "an extra copy from the reprint, for the author to keep as a memento." He brought it to Dengeki Bunko today to give to Hayakawa Rumi.

People came and went in the corridor outside the rest area, and the sounds of footsteps and conversations drifted in intermittently.

About ten minutes later, a young woman's voice rang out in the corridor.

"Senior, I've placed the sample copy of 'Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh' in the art design department. Is there anything else we need to do?"

"That's enough, go and rest for a bit. You've been busy all morning."

"Okay! Thank you for your hard work, senior!"

Ryosuke looked up from the pages of the book.

A young woman with a low ponytail and round-framed glasses emerged from the corner of the corridor, carrying a thick notebook in her hands.

Aoi Morikawa was looking down at the notes in her notebook, her face showing the relief of being freed from work.

As she passed the visitor rest area, she glanced at the sofa area out of professional habit, and that one glance made her stop in her tracks, as if she had been nailed to the spot.

A young man was sitting on the sofa, wearing a thick dark gray coat, flipping through a book.