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After getting to know each other a little, Sonoko Machida sat down across from Andrew.
"Well then, Mr. Twilight Skies, I've gone through your submission in detail.I think your work has a lot of potential, so we'd like to sign you. Do you have any special requests regarding your work?"
Faced with the editor's question, Andrew smiled calmly and replied,"I just want to keep the adaptation rights for both the manga and any live-action versions. And if it ever gets turned into a manga, I want to be the one who chooses the mangaka."
Hearing that, Sonoko Machida raised an eyebrow."Of course. We highly respect the rights of our authors. Those adaptation rights naturally belong to you, Mr. Twilight Skies."
"Seeing how confident you are in your work, I think we're going to have a great partnership."
"Haha, I'll take that as a blessing, Miss Machida."
Andrew smiled and slid his laptop over to her."I've actually already started working on Volume 2. You can check out the intro and outline to get a feel for where the story's going."
"This is my first time writing, so I'll be counting on you for things like the contract, promotions, and all that."
"No problem at all! That's exactly what a lead editor is here for. Alright, let me take a look at Volume 2."
And the moment she did—whoa.
Andrew's light novel focused heavily in Volume 1 on building up two main heroines: the seductive black-stockinged senior and the tsundere blonde twin-tailed classmate.Both girls get invited by the male lead to join his game development project.
That's where the chaos begins—full-on love triangle drama and a high school rom-com packed with jealousy, rivalry, and sweet tension.
But in Volume 2, a third heroine gets introduced, adding even more fuel to the fire.The love triangle turns into a love square.
Even Sonoko Machida couldn't help getting caught up in it, dying to know who the male lead would choose in the end.
It was just so sweet!The kind of heartache that makes you smile through the pain. And then there were those classic "But I was here first!" scenes—pure "white school" drama (as fans would later call it).
She felt her heart twist in all the best ways.
Honestly, at that point, Sonoko didn't want the male lead to choose anyone.Because Andrew had written every heroine so well.
Each girl had her own charm, each one lovable in her own way—you couldn't stop reading.You almost wished you were the male lead so you could choose your own favorite.
When she finally hit the end of the document, she looked around, confused.
That's it?
Andrew noticed her expression and saw that something felt off in her eyes.
Her gaze was sparkling—full of burning passion. It was honestly making him a little uncomfortable.
"Is something wrong, Miss Machida? Does anything need to be changed?"
Sonoko let out a sigh and shook her head.
"We can talk about edits later… Mr. Twilight Skies, I just wanna lock you in a room and make you write nonstop! Hurry up and give me the rest already!"
"Uh… even if you believe in my work that much, I can't just sit in a dark room and write 24/7, can I?"
Andrew looked at her helplessly and threw in a little jab.
Sonoko scratched her head and quickly coughed to regain her composure.
"Ahem! I was just joking. Mr. Twilight Skies, I've gone through what you've got for Volume 2—and honestly, if you just keep going at this pace without falling off, it's gonna blow up, no doubt."
"If every rookie author were as easy to work with as you, I'd have way less stress."
She said that with a bit of implication, clearly thinking about someone else—a black-stockinged beauty with a very strong personality.
After her debut volume sold 500,000 copies, Kasashiko's Love Metronome totally stalled.Volume 2 just didn't have the same soul. It lost the magic.
Sonoko, though reluctant, had sternly advised her to end the series early.It was better to preserve a good legacy and move on to a fresh story.
Once an author's reputation takes a hit, it's super hard to get back up.Readers won't stick around just out of loyalty.
The frustrating part was, no matter how much she coached her, Kasashiko just couldn't recapture the magic of Volume 1.
Sonoko even told her, "Maybe you need to actually fall in love before you try writing Volume 2."
But now—there was someone even better who might inspire her.
Andrew.
A lot of what he wrote in his light novel could serve as perfect reference for Love Metronome.
Thinking of that, Sonoko's eyes lit up even more as she looked at Andrew.
"Ahem, anyway, back to the main point—Mr. Twilight Skies, your work is excellent. I'm really optimistic about it."
"But if we just publish it straight away, it probably won't sell much at first. So usually, we'll start with a promo phase—release some sample chapters and build hype. Once there's enough buzz, we go full release."
"Our company will handle all the promo stuff. All we need from you is to make a Twitter account, pop in now and then, respond to reader comments, and maybe show up at a signing event if needed."
"I'll follow up with you on the details later."
"To give your work the biggest launch possible, I also recommend submitting it to our company's Light Novel Rookie Award. That way, you can go viral faster."
Sonoko explained the entire process to Andrew carefully and patiently, breaking down all the key steps.
Finally, they decided on a price for the book.
Since he was a first-time author, he couldn't set his price too high—unlike the big-name writers.
But even so, Sonoko gave him the highest rate possible for a debut author. She really believed in Andrew's potential.
Hehe. With this kind of treatment, if he keeps producing hits, she—his editor—will benefit too.It's a win-win for both of them.
"..."
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