Tokyo: Oreimo

"I heard that the judging panel this year also includes well-known writers Kojiro Takahata and Kohei Kawakami, as well as animation director Mamoru Shinbo. It's practically hell."

"Well, the quality of the shortlisted works this time is quite high. It would be difficult to judge their merits without a certain level of expertise. Perhaps the higher-ups invited these individuals for this reason."

"That's right. I'm quite optimistic about Nakamura-sensei's 'Demon-Descendant Special Police.' The story is quite good, and it should have no problem winning a silver award, right?"

"Indeed, that book has a pretty good premise, but I still have higher hopes for Professor Rongsi's 'Interstellar Adventure Merchant'."

"However, I was quite surprised to hear that there were two works by completely new authors shortlisted this time."

"Ah, I read those two books carefully, 'The Wizard's Tale' and 'Fate/Zero,' right?"

"Both are excellent works with similar themes, but the latter is better, isn't it? It doesn't look like a newcomer at all. I think it has the potential to win this big prize."

"It's truly spectacular, summoning ancient heroes to compete for the Holy Grail that can grant any wish. The characters' perspectives unfold very quickly, and most of the characters have very distinct personalities."

"It's supposedly adapted from a game, but I haven't heard of any similar games on the market yet."

"My colleagues in the publishing department said that a small group came to collaborate on promotion a while ago; it's the game based on this novel."

"Huh? Is that so? I'm really curious about what the original work is like. I can take a look when I have time."

Although Hayakawa Rumi was busy with her own work, the discussions among her colleagues were quite loud, and hearing familiar names inevitably distracted her.

The entries for this grand prize received excellent feedback during the initial screening process conducted by the junior editors in the department.

She was also involved.

Although she had confidence in Ryosuke's work and believed he was absolutely capable of winning at least a silver medal.

However, there is an inevitable concern that the award might not suit the jury's taste, thus missing out on a higher award.

"Hope everything goes well..."

.....

"Excellent! I'm thrilled!...Where are we on the map?"

"The opposite of a spherical earth... Now the strategy is set."

"...What is the policy?"

"First, I'll circle half the world, westward, ever westward, conquering every country I pass through. Then I'll return triumphantly to Macedonia, letting my homeland celebrate my resurrection! Heh heh heh, isn't that exciting?"

"puff!"

Upon reaching this point, Kojiro Takahata couldn't help but cover his mouth.

"What's wrong, Mr. Takahata?"

The judge next to him, Mamoru Shinbo, cast a curious glance at him and also took a look at the artwork in his hand.

—Fate/Zero

The ambiguous title held no appeal for him; Shinsuke was currently reading "Interstellar Adventure Merchant."

"It's nothing. You'll understand what I mean once you've read this book."

Kojiro Takahata waved his hand and continued reading.

This novel is so addictive, I can't put it down!

Putting aside the novelty of the setting, a great deal of effort was put into the character portrayal.

Iskandar Alexander.

It's truly remarkable that they can portray deceased historical figures so vividly.

Despite accepting the summons to participate in the Holy Grail War, what he's thinking about is how to conquer the world?

After winning the war and obtaining the Holy Grail, one could probably achieve this by making a wish, right?

However, based on the descriptions of this historical figure between the lines, Kojiro Takahata judged that his desire was definitely not something like directly seizing world hegemony.

"So focused?"

After finishing reading the manuscript, Mamoru Shinbo couldn't help but glance at Kojiro Takahata beside him, who seemed completely absorbed in it.

As judges, we should objectively evaluate each submitted work.

In his view, this kind of complete immersion in the work should be avoided.

Even if he felt that the book in his hand was of good quality and could attract his attention, he could still withdraw from it at any time.

From the perspective of an animation director, "Star Adventure Merchant" is of quite good quality overall, but it still has many shortcomings.

If I had to rank it by level, I'd say it barely deserves a silver medal.

He put the manuscript aside and prepared to select the next work for the competition.

His gaze swept across several works before he reached out to "Fate/Zero".

The cover of the manuscript is very simple, with the work and author's name clearly printed on it.

"Gen Urobuchi... a pen name with similarly ambiguous meaning."

The new housekeeper frowned, but still patiently opened the homepage.

.....

An hour later.

Shinbo Mori closed the manuscript in his hand and let out a long sigh of relief.

"How is it? Isn't it great?"

Kojiro Takahata raised an eyebrow at him.

He had already read the first volume of Fate/Zero in its entirety and was currently reviewing the remaining manuscripts.

"That's right, it stopped in a really bad place."

Mamoru Shinbo had to admit that the other manuscripts he had reviewed were quite different from the one in his hand.

Even just as the beginning of a work, the author has already managed to fully portray so many characters with sufficiently concise language, ultimately leading to the climax of the chaotic battle.

"If I'm not mistaken, the tone of this novel should be tragic, and I always feel that there is a kind of malice etched into the bone."

"Really? I still lean towards a theme of self-redemption?"

"Or is it because Director Shinbo likes that type of story, so he hopes this work will develop in that direction?"

Kojiro Takahata couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

This well-known animation director is said to have a unique quirk: he feels quite happy when his works bring tears to the eyes of the audience.

"That's not true. I've always treated all excellent works equally."

Shinbo Shou denied it without hesitation.

These are all baseless rumors; it just so happens that the job he received was a good fit for the script.

"is it?"

Kojiro Takahata chuckled softly, said nothing more, and continued reviewing the manuscript.

Mamoru Shinbo picked up a piece of art and began to flip through it.

But after seeing the first page, his brows furrowed.

The text before me seemed somewhat dull, and I couldn't stop wondering about the future development of the work I had just read.

"Tsk, have you been affected?"

.....

When Hattori Takuya returned to his workstation, it was already 8 p.m.

The office lights were off, with only a few desk lamps on, because employees were working overtime due to their busy schedules.

Rumi Hayakawa was one of them.

"Thank you for your hard work, Hattori-senpai."

Upon noticing that the other person had returned, she immediately greeted them.

"Aren't you off work yet? If you're too busy, I'll help you out tomorrow. It's getting late, go home and rest."

Hattori Takuya put a file folder into the drawer next to his seat, shut down his computer, and prepared to leave.

Rumi Hayakawa hesitated to speak.

Since the other party went to the review with the editor-in-chief and has now returned, the results must be out by now, right?

Should we confirm this in advance?

"Um... Hattori-senpai...."

"You want to know the result, right? We should be able to see it tomorrow."

Hattori Takuya said nonchalantly.

In literary competitions like the Bunko Awards, the editorial staff typically don't find out until a week after the judging is completed.

"All right..."

Hearing this, Hayakawa Rumi felt a little discouraged, realizing that she had been too hasty.

"However, you can prepare in advance."

"Huh?"

"Finish the book signing as soon as possible; you'll be quite busy next week."

Hayakawa Rumi's eyes lit up.

"Hattori-senpai! Thank you so much!"

Hattori Takuya waved his hand, turned around, and walked out of the office.

He had a smile on his face.

"He's starting to understand some ambiguous words. Hayakawa is finally making some progress."

Chapter 75 Goodbye Saori

August 9th, Fire Sunday.