Tokyo: Oreimo

"What's wrong, Aoi? You look like it's the end of the world."

A male voice came from the side. Morikawa Aoi looked up and saw that the editor next to her, Urayama, was leaning back in his chair, twirling a ballpoint pen in his hand, looking at her with the eyes of someone who had been through it all.

Masashi Urayama, 32 years old, has been with Dengeki Bunko for nearly seven years. He has managed two authors who barely made it into the top 20 monthly bestsellers, and several long-running serials that have been struggling to stay afloat.

They might not be considered top-tier editors, but they're definitely not just coasting along; they're the kind of middle-level staff who've "seen it all."

"It's nothing, I just missed out on a good author." Morikawa Aoi tried to keep her tone calm.

"Missed out? How exactly did you miss out?"

"I saw a doujinshi I liked at Winter COMI yesterday and gave the author my business card. Today, the author came to Kadokawa, but he already has an editor he wants to talk to."

Masashi Urayama twirled the ballpoint pen between his fingers. "I thought it was something serious, but it's pretty normal."

"That's perfectly normal?"

“Of course it’s normal.” Pu Shan put his pen on the table, picked up his mug, and took a sip.

"Do you know how many editors browse Winter COMI every day? Kadokawa, Shueisha, Kodansha, Shogakukan, each of them has dedicated people to scour for doujinshi authors. Authors who can write good stuff aren't stupid. Before submitting a work, they will definitely find out which editor is reliable."

He put down his cup and gestured with his finger towards Morikawa Aoi. "You handed over your business card, and they accepted it, which means your judgment is sound. But they chose another editor, which means that editor secured the author before you. That's how it is in this industry; whoever gets it first gets it."

"But I should have..."

"What should we have done yesterday? Call and follow up?"

Masashi Urayama shook his head, his expression somewhere between "the tolerance of someone who's been there" and "the helplessness of seeing a newcomer make a mistake."

"Don't think too much about it. You've only missed out on one fanfiction author. When I first entered the industry, I missed out on an entire popular series. That was truly tragic. I can still slap myself when I think about it now."

Aoi Morikawa looked up. "What series?"

"Kino's Journey".

"Huh?" Morikawa Aoi blinked. "Isn't that Hayakawa-senpai...?"

"correct."

Masashi Urayama stopped twirling his pen, his tone carrying a subtle sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing regret, regret, and a sense of loss). "I think that work has potential for the Newcomer Award this month, but I'm busy with other manuscripts and I'm thinking of talking about it in a couple of days."

"Then Hattori took it and gave it to Hayakawa, who was sitting next to me."

He finished his coffee and gently placed it on the table.

"Later, I bought every volume of Kino's Journey that was released. The more I read it, the more uneasy I felt. What kind of work is that? It is recognized in the industry as one of the most stable debut works after the Newcomer Award."

"That should have been my author."

Aoi Morikawa listened, somewhat stunned.

She had been with the company for half a year and only knew that Hayakawa-senpai was very talented and had a steady stream of authors under her management, but she never knew that she had also experienced times when she was envied and jealous by those around her.

"So you've just missed out on a fanfiction author, it's no big deal."

Masashi Urayama spun his chair back to his workstation and patted Aoi Morikawa on the shoulder. “You’ll get used to it. Not everyone is Rumi Hayakawa, able to sign an author of the caliber of Keiichi Sigsawa during their internship.”

"What you see is their current success, what I see is that they have good fortune and strong luck, so we can't envy them."

Masashi Urayama's tone was not malicious, but rather a kind of resigned sarcasm. Having been with Kadokawa for seven years, he was already used to the idea that "some people are just luckier than you."

Aoi Morikawa looked down at the table; she understood the reasoning that Urakuyama had given her.

But even though I understand, the inexplicable unease in my heart still hasn't dissipated.

It wasn't out of jealousy towards Hayakawa-senpai; she knew better than anyone how amazing Hayakawa-senpai was. Yesterday, when she took her shopping at Winter COMI, every single one of Hayakawa-senpai's judgments was so accurate that it left this newbie in awe.

She's annoyed with herself. If she had been more proactive and decisive, could she have finalized the deal at the Winter COMI?

The sound of a conference room door opening came from the other end of the corridor, and a group of people filed out.

Aoi Morikawa subconsciously turned her head and saw Rumi Hayakawa walking quickly from the other end of the corridor, looking somewhat hurried.

She was clutching her phone, as if she was in a hurry.

"Hayakawa-senpai..."

"Aoi." Hayakawa Rumi walked to her workstation and paused. "Why are you looking so down? Still thinking about that fanfiction author?"

Aoi Morikawa opened her mouth, unsure of where to begin.

She wanted to tell Hayakawa-senpai that the author had come today and was in the rest area, but she felt that it would be pointless to say it.

Since I've already made an appointment with another editor, telling my senior won't help.

"It's alright, they'll contact you if they're interested in publishing it."

Hayakawa Rumi tapped her desk lightly with her fingers, a slight smile playing on her lips. "By the way, cheer up, I've got a surprise for you in a bit."

"surprise?"

"Okay, I'll take you to meet someone."

Hayakawa Rumi glanced down at her phone screen. It was a message from Ryosuke saying "I've arrived." Almost twenty minutes had passed. "An author has come to the company. You should be very interested."

Aoi Morikawa paused for a moment, "Which author?"

"You'll see when you meet him." Hayakawa Rumi put her phone in her pocket, a rare bright smile on her face. "Didn't you tell me before that you really wanted to meet him?"

Aoi Morikawa's mind raced.

There aren't many authors she wants to meet, and among the authors signed with Dengeki Bunko, the number she says she "really wants to meet" can be counted on one hand.

"We'll talk about it later."

Hayakawa Rumi waved her hand and started to walk out. "I'll go and greet them first. That person has been waiting in the rest area for twenty minutes. We can't keep them waiting any longer."

"After I've met with him, I'll call you to the conference room."

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the visitor rest area, her pace much faster than usual.

Aoi Morikawa stood there, the words she was about to say stuck in her throat.

She watched Hayakawa Rumi's figure disappear around the corner of the corridor, then slowly sat back down in her chair.

The number of authors who could earn such attention from Hayakawa-senpai, who even came to notify her in advance, is very small, perhaps only a handful, among Dengeki Bunko's contracted authors.

Adding the condition that "you really want to see him," the answer is almost obvious.

"Is this Teacher Shi Yuze?"

Aoi Morikawa patted her cheeks with both hands and took a deep breath.

Although I failed to sign the author of "Kara no Kyoukai", I think I had pretty good luck today.

.....

As Hayakawa Rumi strode into the visitor lounge, Ryosuke was putting a sample copy of "Kara no Kyoukai" into his canvas bag.

When he was spotted by Morikawa Aoi, the book was lying open on the coffee table, cover up, making it easily recognizable. Although being recognized by a new editor wasn't a big deal, he had come to Kadokawa today to discuss serious matters with Hayakawa Rumi and didn't want any unnecessary complications.

"Teacher Shi Yuze, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Hayakawa Rumi pushed open the glass door to the rest area, her face clearly apologetic. "Editor Hattori suddenly called for an emergency meeting, and my phone was on silent. It's really..."

"It's alright." Ryosuke stood up. "I just arrived recently too."

Hayakawa Rumi looked him up and down, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she made sure he wasn't getting impatient while waiting.

She has known Ryosuke for three years, from high school student to college student, from a newcomer award winner to a light novelist with a stable readership at Dengeki Bunko.

But every time they met, she still felt a subtle sense of unease. This person was too young, so young that it was hard to associate him with the author who wrote such a heavy story as "Fate/Zero".

"Is there something you need today?"

"Well, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

Ryosuke didn't state his purpose directly, but waited until the two sat down before explaining.

Hayakawa Rumi nodded. "Then let's go to the conference room inside. It's too noisy here."

She led Ryosuke through the corridor and pushed open the door to a small conference room. It was quiet inside, with a clean oval conference table and sunlight streaming in from the window.

Ryosuke sat down by the window, and Hayakawa Rumi poured him a cup of tea and placed it in front of him.

“By the way,” Hayakawa Rumi didn’t sit down immediately, but stood by the table with her hands folded in front of her, “I have a junior colleague with me today. She’s a new editor who has been with the company for more than half a year and has not yet been in charge of an author on her own.”

Ryosuke picked up his teacup, waiting for her to continue.

“She wants to sit in on the conversation with the author and has mentioned before that she really wants to meet you.” Hayakawa Rumi gave a pleading smile. “It’s nothing troublesome. Just make sure she sits quietly and doesn’t make a sound. I’ll let her gain a little experience in communicating with the author.”

Ryosuke didn't think much of it and nodded, "No problem."

He didn't see this as a big deal; he understood that new editors needed to grow through practical experience.

Moreover, a junior whom Hayakawa Rumi would specifically ask for help from must be a serious and reliable person.

"That's great, thank you!" Hayakawa Rumi clasped her hands together. "I'll go call her over, you can rest for a bit."

She turned and walked quickly out of the conference room, closing the door behind her.

......

At her workstation in the Dengeki Bunko editorial department, Aoi Morikawa was staring blankly at her notebook.

After being rejected by the author of "Kara no Kyoukai" in the rest area, she had been feeling listless. Although Urayama-senpai offered some words of comfort, the dull feeling in her chest still lingered.

"sunflower."

Aoi Morikawa looked up and saw Hayakawa-senpai walking quickly toward her, her expression even brighter than when she had passed by earlier.

She quickly closed her notebook and stood up. "Senior."

"Come with me, I'll take you to see someone."

Aoi Morikawa's eyes lit up for a moment.

Hayakawa Rumi noticed that the lingering disappointment on her face had vanished, replaced by an expectant look.

"You told me before that you wanted to see Teacher Shi Yuze, right?"

"Is it really Mr. Shigaze?!" Aoi Morikawa's voice rose uncontrollably by an octave before she realized they were in the office and quickly covered her mouth.

Hayakawa Rumi nodded with a light laugh, "He just happened to be here today, it's a rare opportunity."

Aoi Morikawa took a deep breath, feeling that her emotions had been fluctuating too much today.

Shigure Zekiichi.