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"Who would like to go first?"
Sonoko Machida's gaze swept across Kai and Utaha Kasumigaoka.
As for Yui Yuigahama standing right beside Kai... with Machida's years of experience, it took her exactly one second to recognize that the young girl was just there to keep her boyfriend company.
Must be nice, having a partner at that age.
Unlike her, pushing thirty and still completely unmarriageable. Working herself to the bone was exhausting enough, but seeing them triggered an immediate, intense spike of resentment in Machida's eyes.
"Senpai got here before I did, so it's only right she goes first."
"Senpai?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka shot Kai a look of pure surprise. She scrutinized his face for a moment, absolutely certain she didn't recognize him.
Kai maintained his calm, unbothered composure as he smoothly explained.
"I had the privilege of seeing you around campus before, Senpai. Nice to meet you. I'm Kai, a second-year at Sobu High. And this is my friend, Yui Yuigahama."
He seamlessly introduced Yui as well.
"Friend? More like girlfriend, right?"
"S-Senpai...!"
Utaha's blunt observation made Yui duck her head in massive embarrassment.
Kai just chuckled, not bothering to correct or deny it.
Under normal circumstances, Utaha Kasumigaoka would have absolutely fired off a few more venomous, razor-sharp remarks. But she was here for actual business today. She took a deep breath, recalibrated her mindset, pulled out her manuscript, and slid it across the table to Sonoko Machida.
"Please take a look."
"I will read it thoroughly."
Seeing the title Koisuru Metronome (The Metronome in Love) printed across the cover, Machida's expression remained perfectly professional. It was safe to assume this was a standard youth romance novel.
Her reading speed was blistering.
Which was completely normal. She was a seasoned professional editor, reviewing manuscripts at breakneck speed was basically a prerequisite for the job.
It took less than half an hour for Machida to blow through the several-thousand-word draft. However, the moment she closed the manuscript, her brows furrowed into a tight knot.
That single micro-expression instantly caused Utaha's tension levels to skyrocket.
"Tell me, Kasumigaoka-san... you've never actually been in a relationship before, have you?"
"..."
Utaha's eyebrow twitched violently. She felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of pure malice radiating toward her.
"Does my personal life have anything to do with my book?"
"Ah! My apologies, my apologies!"
Realizing her phrasing had caused a massive misunderstanding, Machida quickly backpedaled.
"It's just that certain parts of the narrative in this book are incredibly idealized. Only someone who has literally never experienced a real romance would write a dynamic like this."
Utaha instantly understood the underlying critique. It was a severe lack of real-world experience.
"So... does this mean my manuscript is rejected?"
Her hands subconsciously balled into tight fists.
For her entire life, Utaha Kasumigaoka had always possessed absolute, unshakeable confidence. She succeeded at literally everything she attempted. She spent practically every single class sleeping on her desk, yet she permanently held the absolute number-one rank in her entire grade.
So when she suddenly decided on a whim to try writing a novel, the concept of failure had genuinely never even crossed her mind.
"Not at all!"
Machida smiled and shook her head.
"While certain aspects of the plot are undeniably weak, it's incredibly obvious that your actual prose and writing mechanics are exceptionally high-level. This draft has absolutely met our publishing standards. However, if you're aiming to release a second volume, the narrative structure is going to require some serious adjustments!"
Whew.
IT PASSED!
A massive jolt of relief and energy surged through Utaha's mind.
"Understood. I'll make sure to carefully consider the issues before starting volume two."
Right now, her primary focus was simply getting the first volume officially approved. The terrifying prospect of getting completely axed later on hadn't even registered as a possibility yet.
"In that case, on behalf of Fujikawa Fantastic Bunko, I'd like to officially welcome you aboard."
Machida stood up and offered Utaha a professional handshake.
"W-Wait, that's it? She just passed??"
Sitting on the sidelines, Yui Yuigahama was completely shocked by how seamlessly Utaha Kasumigaoka's manuscript had been approved. She hadn't expected the process to be this straightforward.
That realization instantly ignited a massive wave of hope for Kai.
"As expected of the number-one ranked student in our grade. You really are amazing, Senpai."
Kai offered a genuine, smiling compliment.
"Ahem."
The sheer euphoria of getting her manuscript officially accepted made Utaha feel slightly intoxicated with pride.
Hearing Kai stroke her ego, she instinctively fired back with her signature haughtiness.
"Well, if your manuscript happens to get rejected, Kouhai-kun, I really wouldn't mind giving you a few pointers. Don't read too much into it, just consider it the benevolence of a senior looking out for her junior."
"Kai is going to be totally fine."
Kai didn't take any offense, but Yui instinctively jumped to his defense.
In Yui's eyes, Kai was the absolute most amazing person in the room. If Utaha Kasumigaoka could pass, there was zero logical reason why Kai wouldn't.
"Tch..."
Utaha didn't bother arguing with Yui.
After all, she was still riding the high of her own victory.
"If I do end up failing, I'll definitely be sure to humbly seek your guidance, Senpai."
Kai laughed, stepping forward and sliding his own manuscript across the table to Sonoko Machida.
To be completely honest, Machida genuinely hadn't expected these two aspiring authors to not only be from the exact same high school, but to also be a senior and a junior. She seriously wondered if they had planned this together.
"Please wait a moment."
Relying on her ingrained editorial professionalism, Machida smiled, accepted the manuscript, and gestured for Kai to hold on.
'KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World!'
An Isekai novel?
Makes sense. Teenage boys basically worshipped the Isekai genre. Even though it was currently the absolute most dominant, mainstream trend in the industry, the sheer quality of Isekai submissions was incredibly volatile. The god-tier ones were absolute masterpieces, and the garbage ones were literally unreadable trash.
She began to rapidly skim through Kai's manuscript.
"Hmm?"
Unlike her read-through of Utaha's work...
Machida blasted through the first few chapters at her usual breakneck speed, but as the pages turned, her reading pace began to drastically slow down. Her entire posture shifted, her demeanor morphing into something incredibly intense and laser-focused at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Absolute gold! I've struck absolute gold!
As a veteran editor, she possessed the uncanny ability to instantly gauge the true quality of a manuscript with just a single glance.
Even before she had finished half of it, simply based on the opening act alone, Machida was absolutely certain she had stumbled upon a literal goldmine.
"..."
Yui obviously didn't understand the nuances of the editing process. Seeing the editor suddenly slow down so drastically made her panic, assuming there was a massive flaw in the manuscript.
She pressed her hands tightly together, desperately praying for Kai's success.
Even Utaha Kasumigaoka, who had been completely relaxed and aloof just a moment ago, found herself unintentionally sitting up straighter, her expression growing serious.
This time around.
It took Sonoko Machida over two solid hours to finish reading.
When she finally turned the last page, the expression on her face screamed that she desperately wanted more.
She shot up from her chair, staring at Kai as if he were the most priceless treasure on earth.
"PLEASE, YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST SIGN WITH FUJIKAWA FANTASTIC BUNKO!"
"!!!"
Utaha Kasumigaoka's eyes blew wide open. That was a completely different attitude compared to how the editor had treated her.
Even an absolute idiot could figure out that Kai's novel had to be an unbelievable, generation-defining masterpiece to provoke such an extreme reaction from a senior editor like Sonoko Machida.
Yui, on the other hand, practically exploded with joy.
"Did it pass?? Did Kai's manuscript actually pass?"
"Pass? That's putting it lightly!"
Machida nodded with intense, absolute conviction.
"Let me put it this way: in all my years working in this industry, this is without a single doubt the absolute greatest opening to a light novel I have ever laid eyes on. If he can maintain this exact level of quality throughout the rest of the series, I can personally guarantee you right now—this is a top-tier masterpiece that will easily sell millions, maybe even tens of millions of copies!"
(Note: So far, what do you think about the direction this fanfic is taking? Is it worth the read...?)
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