Looking at the contract, Robert couldn't believe how good the terms were. Everything favored his son. The advance Kyo would receive was 400,000 yen—an excellent amount, especially for someone so young.
At Kyo's age, Robert had been in England, running around the streets and riding his bike. He had never even thought about earning that kind of money. In fact, it would have been impossible—he wasn't as intelligent as his son.
Ever since Kyo was born, Robert had noticed that his son was different.
He started speaking and walking very early, which wasn't normal.
By the time he turned three, Kyo was already speaking almost perfectly. Sometimes he would stumble over words, but the way he spoke was far too mature for his age.
It was so surprising that both Robert and Haruna were frightened at first.
A three-year-old acting and speaking like an adult? What the hell was that?
They even considered seeking treatment for him—taking him to a doctor to see if something was wrong—but they didn't go through with it. When Kyo realized they were thinking about it, he made it clear that he wasn't sick.
He simply said,
"I'm just smarter than normal, that's all."
It was another very adult statement, said in a tone that left an uneasy feeling in Robert's chest.
But as time passed, Robert and Haruna got used to their son's behavior. They began treating him like someone older, even though he was only four years old. That made everything easier.
They started to find him fascinating. They loved him even more.
"And now that same son is signing a contract with a publisher… God really gave me a gift."
Even though Robert had initially been unsettled by how different his son was, he now saw it as a blessing.
A smart, talented boy who caused no trouble for anyone. Someone incredible to live with. The perfect son.
Robert smiled, and Kuroda asked,
"Is something wrong?"
"No, I was just thinking about my son."
"You must be very proud," Kuroda said with a smile.
With tears in his eyes, Robert replied,
"Yes… I'm very proud of him."
After saying that, he signed the contract.
400,000 yen as an advance, and 12% royalties per volume sold—one of the highest percentages in the market.
In exchange, the publisher would acquire all rights to Overlord, including the novel and any future manga or anime adaptations.
Kyo would not be allowed to publish it anywhere other than Shōsetsuka ni Narō. He could continue the web novel if he wanted—the publisher wouldn't ask him to delete it or stop posting.
After all, the site had many readers, and it essentially worked as promotion for future light novel sales.
Once Kyo announced that the first volume had been released, many readers from the site would surely go to their nearest store to buy it.
Kuroda took the signed contract and extended his hand.
"Thank you, Mr. Robert. I will contact the author, Aoi Haruki, by email later today."
And just like that, the contract with the publisher was sealed.
####
POV: Kyo
Time passed, and my father still hadn't come home. I was getting impatient. Even though I spent most of the time writing to make time pass faster, it felt like everything was moving in slow motion.
Three hours had passed since he left, and there was still no news.
'Is he okay?'
I let out a sigh and looked at the third chapter I had written just today. I planned to get ahead on chapters, since I wanted to focus on the first volume of the light novel once the contract was signed.
Speaking of which, did my father tell the editor to contact me?
He probably did.
"Ugh, I'm anxious to know if the contract was signed or not."
Just then, the front door opened and my father walked in.
I ran up to him holding my iPad.
On the screen, it read:
[How did it go? Did you sign the contract? Tell me!]
I was probably acting like a real child for once, because my father said,
"It's been a long time since I've seen you act like an actual kid." He ruffled my hair and took off his coat.
Wait—you still haven't answered my question!
I followed him to his room, where my mother was on her computer working.
"You're back. So, how did it go?"
My mother stopped typing and turned her chair to face us.
"It went very well. There's a copy of the contract in my coat. It's a really good contract, you know? I was even a bit surprised."
Hearing that, I clenched my fist and threw it into the air in celebration.
Even though I knew it would work out, it was still something worth celebrating.
"Look how happy he is. It's been a while since I've seen you smile like that. Isn't it great, Kyo?" My mother opened her arms, and I ran to her. She pulled me onto her lap and hugged me tightly from behind.
"But don't overdo it, okay? Your father and I let you sign this contract, but that doesn't mean you should push yourself too hard, alright? If you overwork yourself or get sick because of this, I'll cancel the contract—even if I have to give up our house!"
Those were some scary words.
"Don't say that, Haruna. Our son knows his limits, despite his age, right?" My father gave me a thumbs-up.
I returned the gesture with a big smile.
Later that night, during dinner, I received a new notification on my iPad.
I looked at the screen and saw it was a Gmail notification.
'The editor contacted me!'
But just as I stood up, my mother said,
"Not so fast. Finish your meal and take a bath first."
I sighed and sat back down.
####
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