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Kasumigaoka Utaha, pen name Kasumigaoka Utako, is a first-year high school student at Toyosaki Private Academy. Unknown to most, she is also a budding light novel writer currently serializing a work titled "Love Metronome" in Fuzugawa Bunko.
Before entering high school, Kasumigaoka led a seemingly ordinary life as a top student in junior high. She enjoyed reading literary works in her spare time and was known as a quiet, literary girl. With high academic achievements, she was on track to be admitted to Chiba Municipal Sobu High School with top grades. Although maintaining her position among the high achievers there would be more challenging, she aimed to remain at the top and hoped to gain admission or recommendations for Hayashi University after three years of education.
However, everything changed last October. As a literary enthusiast, Kasumigaoka subscribed to the leading popular literature magazine, All Reading, where she encountered a novel titled "Confessions." She was struck not only by its high quality and delicate writing but also by the fact that the author, Mr. Hachiman, was even younger than she was.
This revelation shifted something in her; she realized that someone her own age could produce such captivating writing. Although she had previously thought it was satisfactory to remain a reader and enjoy others' work, Hachiman's success ignited a strong desire in her to try her hand at writing. Fueled by this newfound motivation and not wanting to fall behind in her passion for learning, she quickly began creating her own stories.
Kasumigaoka recognized her limitations when it came to developing strong plots like Hachiman's, so she resolved to leverage her writing skills instead, focusing on a love story. She believed that love stories, which often require more words to create atmosphere and explore psychological nuances, could become her strong suit.
The creative process was challenging and often left her feeling discouraged. She frequently experienced embarrassment after reviewing her own writing, feeling as if she couldn't measure up. The more she wrote, the more she became aware of the significant gap between her skills and those of Mr. Hachiman. When she submitted her work to publishers and magazines, she often received dismissive feedback, such as, "You write very well, but keep working for next time."
Then, one day, she received a different response from a magazine: "Have you ever considered submitting a light novel?" In the literary world, this was almost an insult, but for a junior high school girl dreaming of debuting as a writer, it was a valid and constructive suggestion.
While Utaha Kasumigaoka did not see a stark divide between literature and light novels, she understood that their writing styles differed significantly. With a mix of skepticism and curiosity, she submitted her work "Love Metronome" to Fuzugawa Bunko.
Before long, she received feedback: Fuzugawa Bunko appreciated her writing but noted that its style was somewhat misaligned with typical light novels. They assigned one of the few female editors at the company, Machida Sonoko, to assist her in adapting her novel to fit more closely with the light novel format.
Kasumigaoka Utaha is quite satisfied with her editor, Machida, who allows her creative freedom and only gives concise suggestions. He focuses on her work-life balance and doesn't pressure her to submit manuscripts too hastily.
"Love Metronome" was completed quickly and was promoted by the Fuzugawa Library under the catchy title "Genius Girl." While there were doubts about whether she was benefiting from her popularity, she felt her work truly merited the acclaim. Kasumigaoka thought that if she was considered a genius, then Hachiman-sensei must be the embodiment of the Star of Literature.
At this stage, Kasumigaoka had finished her junior high school career. Once she began writing, she decided against attending Sobu High School, which had a reputation for strict management. This environment would be challenging for an author like her who often experienced bursts of inspiration at night and preferred to sleep during the day.
Despite facing opposition from her junior high school teachers, relatives, and friends, Kasumigaoka successfully enrolled in private Toyosaki Gakuen, the top-ranked high school in Chiba City in terms of academic performance. The school is known for recruiting art students, with many graduates going to prestigious institutions such as Tokyo University of the Arts, Tama University, and Musashino University. However, Toyosaki Gakuen values freedom. As a private school, as long as students pay the tuition, it can truly feel like a second home.
Kasumigaoka needed an environment where she could afford to sleep in class. She had also researched that Toyosaki Gakuen had opportunities for students to be recommended to Zaoying University, although very few students were able to apply. Her academic abilities quickly outshone those of her peers at the school.
Thus, in this already unconventional school, another maverick student emerged. However, teachers who tried to correct her quickly discovered that this girl who slept in class was, in fact, a complete academic powerhouse, and they soon ceased their attempts to redirect her.
Despite finding the perfect environment, Kasumigaoka soon realized that creating the second volume of "Love Metronome" was not as smooth as she had hoped. She kept writing and revising but struggled to finish a single chapter in over two months. Light novels require sustained enthusiasm, and long intervals between releases can frustrate both writers and publishers. The patience of the Fuzugawa Library was wearing thin.
During her writing process, Kasumigaoka also witnessed a different side of her editor, Machida Sonoko. She experienced persistent reminders for updates, including numerous phone calls, unexpected visits, and even confrontations at school. In the end, she had to compromise and submitted her incomplete second volume to the library, which was ultimately rejected, along with a warning to deliver more content.
"It's so hard, writing a novel or something..." Kasumigaoka thought as she curled up in her computer chair, hugging her legs and fiddling with her small toes.
She knew that Machida was feeling anxious but was struggling to meet his expectations. He had invested significant effort into helping her debut, and she would genuinely feel bad if he gave up on her this early in their collaboration.
Despite her struggles, Kasumigaoka decided to turn on her computer again. Even if it was to fulfill someone else's expectations, she knew she shouldn't give up just yet. However, at that moment, her editor Machida called.
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