Tokyo: Oreimo

Why change your pen name?

Hayakawa Rumi found it difficult to understand Ryosuke's demands.

Keiichi Shigaze has already made a successful debut. Any author who has achieved such success would not easily change their pen name, as that would mean giving up their newly established fan base.

The distribution department might also reject proposals from the editorial department because of the brand's reputation.

Abandoning a pen name means returning to being a newcomer.

No matter how you look at it, it's something with only drawbacks.

"It's because of a little personal selfishness on my part."

Ryosuke made this decision out of safety concerns.

This work is completely different from my previous works.

The reputation of 'Warrior of Love' in my memory can be described as 'excellent'.

The entire story of Fate/Zero can be described as a "heartwarming work," and I recall that the original author was reportedly sponsored with razor blades by fans offline.

While it's quite rare for an otaku to take such extreme actions, it's always good to take precautions.

"In short, please discard the name Sigsawa Keiichi for this work, and please do not tell anyone else about this."

"Is it okay if this book has to be re-entered the arena?"

As an editor, Hayakawa Rumi has certain recommendation rights. She can initiate projects and try to publish directly, as long as it passes the distribution meeting.

However, the exposure gained through this method is nowhere near the level of an established author's new work.

She had confidence in Ryosuke Takashiro's work, so she skipped that option and went straight to asking the question.

"It's ok."

"To play it safe, it would be better to participate in the newcomer award, but we should wait until the end of the year."

Ryosuke shook his head.

"I heard that the Dengeki Bunko Headquarters Grand Prize will be held in the middle of the year, so I'll just participate in that."

"Huh?"

Should we directly challenge established authors who already have a fan base?

Hayakawa Rumi was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"Teacher Shi Yuze is still so confident."

The Dengeki Bunko Awards, distinct from the Newcomer Awards, is one of the most prestigious literary competitions in the light novel field.

Similar to competitors like Fujimi Shobo, the Fantasia Novel Prize accepts submissions from all authors to compete for the best work.

A significant portion of the previous works received tremendous exposure; even when published, they were placed in the most prominent positions in bookstores.

Many of them have also been adapted into films and television series.

"There's no faster way, is there?"

If a smoother publication process were possible, Ryosuke wouldn't mind choosing that option, but participating in the Bunko Awards is currently the best option, and he is confident in the novel he has submitted.

"Then, please tell me about the author's pen name, Mr. Shi Yuze. I will submit the work under the new pen name."

Rumi Hayakawa gave up trying to persuade the writer.

After working together for six months, she knew very well that Ryosuke Takashiro was not an arrogant person. If it were Takuya Hattori, he would never have managed the writers under his supervision at the same time and made such a self-destructive move.

Ryosuke took the pen from the other person and wrote his name on the cover of the file folder.

— Gen Urobuchi.

Chapter 60 tells the story of a man.

After saying goodbye to Ryosuke Takashiro, Rumi Hayakawa returned to her seat with the manuscript from him.

"Have you met that prodigy young writer?"

Hattori Takuya took a sip of coffee and turned his seat slightly to the side.

"Yes, Shi Yuze's work has been officially completed."

"Not bad, you now have a serious work that's about to finish, which is a pretty good start. Keep up the good work, and it will be much easier to recommend new authors to you in the future."

Hattori Takuya regarded Hayakawa Rumi as a key member of his team and had taken good care of her for the past six months, providing her with plenty of resources.

But sometimes, it's not that he can simply hand over authors to Hayakawa Rumi and expect her to accept them.

As a new editor, you are basically considered 'inexperienced' by authors. Some new authors worry that their work will be overlooked and find it difficult to trust you from the outset.

Even when Hattori Takuya makes a recommendation, the author sometimes refuses.

"Thank you for your help, Editor Hattori."

I am truly grateful to Hayakawa Rumi.

Hattori Takuya waved his hand, showing that he didn't care. He was already too busy to handle everything himself, and since he regarded the other party as his confidant, it was only natural to offer help.

"Did you commission other new writers as well?"

"Huh?"

"What are you surprised about? Aren't you holding other manuscripts?"

Hattori Takuya pointed to the two document bags that Hayakawa Rumi was holding. The one with the name Shigsawa Keiichi on it had a different signature on the other one.

“Gen Urobuchi? Here you go. You should be busy with the publication of Shigaze’s new volume. I’ll take a look at this manuscript for you first.”

He happens to have some free time now, and he reviews new works quite quickly.

The fact that a manuscript can be submitted to Hayakawa Rumi's editorial staff means that it has at least passed her review. However, whether it is the monthly award or the newcomer award, it must be approved by him, the deputy editor-in-chief, before it can be officially submitted.

If Hattori, the editor, finds out that this is also a new work by Sigsawa-sensei, he'll probably get a good scolding, right?

When the same author changes pen names, one might be able to discern something from the perspective of a senior author; it's a common practice for authors to do this.

Hayakawa Rumi thought to herself.

But this was something she couldn't avoid. Since she had promised Ryosuke Takashiro to keep it a secret, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and hand over the manuscript.

"Go and do your thing."

Hattori Takuya pulled out a manuscript from the file bag, and seeing Hayakawa Rumi still standing there, waved to signal her to go do her own thing.

.....

Regarding the matter of asking the magazine's distribution department to promote Fate/stay night, Hattori Takuya acted as the contact person, but he was not impressed by Takashiro Ryosuke's actions.

He's been too distracted, constantly trying new things, and even started messing around with 18+ games.

He was familiar with this medium; it was nothing more than a clichéd novel disguised as a game, complete with character illustrations and salacious scenes.

To his relief, he later learned from his colleagues that the original work was not actually written by Sigsawa, but by an author named Nasu Kinoko.

Participating in clubs and managing games is probably just a teenage hobby. Once he hits a wall, he'll probably come back to writing novels.

That's why Hattori Takuya didn't ask Sigsawa Keiichi if he had any new works.

"After the CM exhibition ends in a while, we need to send Hayakawa to Chiba again. A rest of more than a month should be enough, right? There aren't many excellent authors. It would be a real loss if he went to other fields."

Hattori Taku stopped thinking about Ryosuke and looked at the manuscript in front of him, turning to the first page.

The handwriting at the beginning was quite messy, as if it was deliberately written like this to cover something up.

[—Eight years ago—]

Let me tell you a man's story.

The story of a man who was more idealistic than anyone else, and therefore more desperate than anyone else.

......

For the entire morning, Hayakawa Rumi was busy running between various departments in the building, submitting the publication process for the fourth volume of "Kino's Journey".

During her lunch break, she managed to grab a few bites of her sandwich, then grabbed a cup of coffee and returned to her workstation.

To her surprise, Hattori Takuya, sitting next to her, seemed to have never left his seat. He sat up straight at his workstation and slowly flipped through the manuscript in front of him.

"Hattori-senpai?"

Hayakawa Rumi tentatively struck up a conversation, as if she had flipped a switch. Hattori Takuya was taken aback for a moment before turning around.

"Are you back?"

"Hmm, it's already lunch break time. You didn't eat lunch, did you?"

Hayakawa Rumi noticed that the cup of coffee, now completely cold, was still on his desk, not yet empty.

Normally, if the other person has had lunch, there should be a steaming cup of coffee on the table.

"I was so engrossed. I'm sorry, it's been a long time since I've encountered a work that has captivated me like this. I've watched it several times."

"Who do you mean by 'senior'?"

Hayakawa Rumi's gaze fell on the manuscript in his hand, the very same Fate/Zero manuscript that she had taken from him.

Did you really spend the whole morning reading this? It's only one volume long.

Given my seniors' efficiency, it shouldn't have taken this long to read through this number of words.

Hattori Takuya picked up the manuscript on the table and said with great admiration:

“You’ve struck gold, Hayakawa. This kind of work is definitely not from a newcomer. It’s very likely written by a well-known author.”

"Is it that amazing?"

"That's right. Take Shi Yuze as an example. Although the types are different, in terms of the sophistication of the writing style, this work is definitely superior to his 'Kino's Journey'."

"Moreover, the subject matter is quite novel, and the description of the characters' psychological activities is extremely detailed. Young people cannot write something like this."

"Did the other party leave any contact information? Or could you describe their appearance? I can try to find out which writer in the department made the move."

“…”

Faced with this question, Hayakawa Rumi had no idea how to answer it.

She knew that Hattori Takuya would definitely agree with the content of the manuscript, but she didn't expect it to receive such high praise.