A super great writer in the second dimension

　The author receives a share of the profits based on the number of copies printed.

　According to Nishikawa, Sword Art Online will be released tomorrow, and the first batch of printings was completed today. The royalties for this part can be given to Sanzenin Arashi now.

　This is undoubtedly good news for him.

　Now we can buy a server. Last night, Sanzenin Arashi's Nico Nico Douga account had several issues and couldn't handle the overwhelming number of enthusiastic readers. It was completely overwhelmed, and we had to stay up all night resolving DNS.

　Sanzenin Arashi's computer is no joke either, it's definitely high-end, but it still failed miserably last night.

　If we can purchase a small server, it can handle at least around 100,000 visitors.

　In this way, I won't have to worry about the website for the next year.

　One year later, haha.

　There's no problem buying the combined unit.

　Then Nishikawa continued on the phone, "Regarding the teachers' revenue sharing, the planner has drafted two plans. The first is to share according to the normal ratio, with the teacher receiving 50 yen for each copy of 'Sword Art Online' printed. As for the second, we can discuss it after you arrive at the site and review the contract."

　Nishikawa paused for a moment: "But all I can say right now is that the second option will be more profitable than the first, but the teacher needs to agree to a few conditions."

　Sanzenin Arashi said, "Okay, this isn't the place to talk business over the phone. I'll be there in half an hour."

　This money was a timely help. Sanzenin Arashi glanced at Mashiro, who was still fast asleep and hadn't gotten up yet, so she didn't disturb her. She made a simple breakfast and headed straight to the Shinazugawa editorial department.

　Xi Chuan happened to be waiting for him downstairs.

　However, Nishikawa was not the only editor present this time.

　Standing beside him was a high-ranking leader in Shinazugawa, the editor-in-chief of the Shinazugawa editorial department, Hikaru Midorikawa.

　Simply put, he is the top leader here, and he has veto power at editorial meetings.

　No matter what the proposal is—whether it's a sales strategy or a contract signing—he can veto it outright, cutting it in half with a single vote.

　Afterwards, Sanzenin Arashi learned that Sword Art Online was the project proposed by Midorikawa Hikaru for comprehensive promotion.

　Banners were hung in Akihabara, promotional posters were put up in the subway, and bookstores were filled with posters... and so on.

　Hikaru Midorikawa single-handedly made the decision on the promotion of Sword Art Online, persuading several hesitant editors. And now, it's him who's approaching Arashi Sanzenin.

　This instantly improved Sanzenin Arashi's impression of him.

　He also presented two proposals.

　The three quickly arrived at the conference room. Editor-in-Chief Midorikawa Hikaru pulled Sanzenin Arashi to sit down on the side. He did not sit in the main seat, but wanted to make a good impression on Sanzenin Arashi.

　It gave him a friendly impression.

　In this way, Sanzenin Arashi can be more firmly bound to Shinazugawa's chariot.

　In fact, Arashi Sanzenin was also surprised to see Hikaru Midorikawa. It was too unusual for an editor-in-chief to seek out a new author like himself. It was like an emperor suddenly finding a county magistrate and wanting to sit down and have a chat with him. It was unbelievable.

　In Japan, the difference between a new author and an editor-in-chief is like that between an emperor and a county magistrate.

　Even the boss behind the scenes doesn't have the authority to interfere with the editor-in-chief's decisions regarding novels.

53. Time is money.

　"Mr. Aoyama, the main reason I've called you here is to have two plans for you to review."

　Two contracts were laid out in front of Midorikawa Hikaru. He picked up one of them and said, "I believe Editor Nishikawa has already told you that there would be an additional revenue sharing plan. This one is the standard revenue sharing plan. Don't worry, not only is there a revenue sharing, but the royalties we give you are all after tax. You don't need to pay any additional fees."

　As Midorikawa spoke, he placed the contract in front of Sanzenin Arashi, and then picked up another document.

　Taking advantage of this short time, Sanzenin Arashi glanced at it a few times. In his opinion, it was indeed an ordinary profit-sharing contract.

　So he calmly continued listening.

　"This contract is actually related to our strategy. It doubled your income, which was originally 50 yen per book. This contract increases it to 100 yen."

　Midorikawa paused for a moment: "But there are conditions for signing this contract. The teacher must produce five volumes of manuscript within this year, that is, within three months."

　Sanzenin Arashi asked, "Are you worried about imitators? Or do you want to shorten the time?"

　Midorikawa nodded and said, "Teacher, you are insightful. Time is money. If you can save this time, we will provide corresponding contracts to share the workload. It's a win-win situation."

　When Sanzenin Arashi spoke, Midorikawa Hikaru's pupils contracted.

　Midorikawa couldn't help but wonder, if these words came from the mouth of a sixteen-year-old boy, was he a monster?

　Sanzenin Arashi nodded. "In that case, I'll sign this contract."

　Seeing that Sanzenin Arashi was straightforward, Midorikawa clapped his hands.

　The most valuable thing in the world is time. Every minute and every second creates or destroys huge waves of profit in the financial world. If there were no time limit, even a pig could make a hundred million US dollars.

　If you deposit just $100 in a bank, it will turn into $100 million after many years.

　But to ask someone to make a hundred million dollars from $100 in a few years is nothing short of a pipe dream; at least 99% of people in the world couldn't do it.

　This is the value of time.

　Earning the same amount of money in a shorter period of time means being ahead of others.

　Hikaru Midorikawa's way of thinking is undeniably intelligent.

　The reason I say this is because he is willing to exchange benefits for time.

　90% of people in the world understand this, everyone knows it, but less than 1% actually put it into practice.

　Everyone knows how to eat, but some people earn millions a month by live-streaming themselves eating.

　This is the gap.

　Sanzenin Arashi couldn't help but feel a bit wary of Midorikawa.

　Without a doubt, Midorikawa will be his enemy from now on. Once his paperback is established, not only Shinazugawa, but also the other major paperbacks in Japan will become enemies of Sanzenin Arashi.

　The short meeting ended with everyone enjoying themselves.

　Sanzenin Arashi received more funding, and Midorikawa Hikaru saved time in the development of the paperback.

　All are happy.

　Afterwards, Sanzenin Arashi declined Midorikawa's invitation to dinner and went directly to the finance department with Nishikawa to collect her royalties.

　I glanced at the printing report. The first batch of Sword Art Online prints totaled 200,000 copies.

　This number is unprecedented and will likely remain so in the Japanese light novel industry.

　"It would be impossible for any library to print 200,000 copies in the first batch."

　When Nishikawa saw this number, he was quite moved: "This is the first time I've encountered a book like Sword Art Online. Including the other editors, I even took the book home to show my younger brother. No one disliked the book. Everyone liked it. The other editors also did a survey together and showed the book to others. Basically, no one disliked it."

　This is the first time I've read a light novel, and I don't dislike it at all.

　Sanzenin Arashi commented that it takes reading several books before you start to get tired of it.

　Since the paperback printed 200,000 copies, Sanzenin Arashi happily accepted 17 million yen after tax.

　His personal assets suddenly increased from 450,000 to 17.45 million, transforming him from a penniless young man into a wealthy young tycoon.

　Having received the money, Sanzenin Arashi certainly wouldn't stay in the library any longer.

　Every second that passes, NICO might crash once. The most urgent thing is to buy a small server.

　Akihabara is Japan's largest e-commerce city and also a mecca for anime and manga fans.

　If you never come here even once in your life, how can you say you like anime?

　Driving an Aston Martin supercar, attracting envious and disdainful glances along the way, Sanzenin Arashi arrived in Akihabara, the holy land of otaku.

　On one hand, Sanzenin Arashi is planning to buy a server here; on the other hand, he naturally wants to enjoy the scenery of Akihabara.

　This place is simply paradise!

　The left side has shops related to anime and manga, and the right side also has shops related to anime and manga. There is only one color throughout the entire area.

　Anime/Manga.

　Sanzenin Arashi was a homebody in his previous life, so of course he wouldn't miss out on these things, even though he is now one of the biggest winners in the world.

　I like what I like.

　That will not change because of the world's opinion, that is Sanzenin Arashi.

　..

54. So these yaoi fans are really something else!

　Without a doubt, Sanzenin Arashi is a true recluse. You can see people dressed in cosplay outfits walking around the streets of Akihabara, and there are maids soliciting customers on the roadside.

　Although the animation industry in this world of Japan is not as developed as in the previous generation, you can still see your own kind everywhere.

　These are what people call "otaku" (geeks), and even the rarer "otaku" (female otaku) are plentiful here.

　While this face is very attractive to female fans of male-male romance, these female fans are being far too enthusiastic.

　Sanzenin Arashi couldn't help but complain, "What the heck is that look? I'm not food, don't stare at me like that!"

　He was quickly defeated.

　Let's take care of our own business first, and then play for a while.

　Sanzenin Arashi first purchased a small server, the kind that could handle 100,000 visits, and then entrusted the store to deliver it directly to his home. The NICO problem was solved. The delivery person would help with the installation, and the service was absolutely top-notch.

　Then he completely relaxed.

　Lately, I've been either writing or doing illustrations. Now that I've finally relaxed, Sanzenin Arashi couldn't resist buying a cosplay outfit and indulging in the feeling of being a cosplayer.

　Arashi Sanzenin bought a set of Uta no Prince-sama outfits from the 2D ANIMETE shop, put them on, and then started looking for a makeup artist.

　Even without makeup, many people stared at Sanzenin Arashi. When he walked down the street, almost every woman would turn around and glance at him.

　—Because he's even more handsome than the protagonist in the original story.

　No one can ignore Sanzenin Arashi, not even men or women.

　The cosplay of Sanzenin Arashi is like a precious work of art, making people want to take a second look.

　The costumes worn by Uta no Prince-sama cosplayers all show off their abs.

　Arashi Sanzenin's eight-pack abs elicited several screams, and when he puts on makeup, it creates an even more exhilarating effect.

　Many people took out their cameras and started taking pictures of Sanzenin Arashi.

　Uta no Prince-sama is incredibly popular among otaku girls, with the Blu-ray alone selling tens of thousands of copies. This level of popularity is undeniable; it's absolutely phenomenal within the otaku community.

　For female otaku, this anime is just as well-known as Dragon Ball.

　Meanwhile, there were also many people on the street cosplaying characters from the anime, such as the character from Uta no Prince-sama.

　But compared to Sanzenin Arashi, they are worlds apart.

　Fireflies and the blazing sun are simply incomparable.

　Although their cosplay was good enough, it couldn't overcome the overwhelming difference in appearance. After all, the Sanzenin family has the most outstanding bloodline in the world.

　Who can blame us for living in a world that judges by appearance?

　Looking at the people around her who were following her without her noticing, most of them were girls, and Sanzenin Arashi just chuckled.

　As for those men... it's clear that Japanese sexual fetishes have developed in a direction that even the earth cannot stop, leaving Sanzenin Arashi speechless.

　As more and more people gathered around, Sanzenin Arashi seized the opportunity, found a board, asked a maid by the roadside for a marker, and began to write. Then she put down the pen and held it high above her head.

　—Looking for a makeup artist!

　Suddenly... the atmosphere around them changed.

　"So he wasn't wearing makeup?!" came a voice from the side.

　"Ahhh, this must be fake! She's not even wearing makeup, that's amazing!"

　She already outshines cosplayers with makeup even without it, so what about with makeup?

　Many people started getting restless, eager to satisfy their curiosity and rush up to do Sanzenin Arashi's makeup.

　Ah, this is so much fun!

　Your way of looking at people is quite interesting.

　“Um…” a girl came up to speak.