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Chapter 19 – The Gamble Against Eromanga-sensei
The idea of a gamble—Eromanga-sensei against Yamada Elf's Fairy Ring!
Soon, the two editors informed the parties involved.
"Let the real results speak for themselves. If we can change Eromanga-sensei's mind, then I'll earn the ultimate illustrations!"
"To become the king of novels, I'm not afraid of any challenge!" Yamada Elf declared confidently.
But Ryuo Tenshin's reply left Fujii Yuuna puzzled.
"In this case, whether we win or lose, Eromanga-sensei won't suddenly turn against us and refuse to buy the volumes…"
Still—there were no objections.
"In that case…" Fujii Yuuna narrowed her eyes, adjusted her black-rimmed glasses, and slapped the table.
"Then we'll face off against that problematic girl author! I swear I'll help Ryuo Tenshin win over Eromanga-sensei!"
Her initial enthusiasm burned brightly, but after a moment, a wave of pressure sank in.
It was undeniable.
Yamada Elf wasn't just any writer—she was a bestselling author whose works were already being adapted into anime. For her to compete on the Dengeki Newcomer List was almost unfair.
The advantage was too great.
With such a strong foundation of hit works, even if her new series wasn't particularly outstanding, her fans would still vote without hesitation.
Thinking of this, Yuuna felt a headache forming.
"…Forget it. Let's see the first day's results before making any plans."
---
The Dengeki Newcomer List!
The rankings would be revealed at 6 p.m. on the first day of the Dengeki Novel Daily Newcomer Season Special Edition.
There were still more than ten minutes to go.
For some reason, those minutes felt unbearably long.
All Yuuna could hope for was that Your Lie in April wouldn't fall out of the top three.
If it did, the gap would be far too wide. Catching up would be close to impossible.
She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair, eyes shut tight.
"Ding, ding, ding…"
Six o'clock finally arrived.
Yuuna's eyes snapped open. She adjusted her glasses, inhaled deeply, and clicked into the official Dengeki Bunko website.
Not only her—every editor in Dengeki Bunko, and even those from rival publishing houses, were watching the update of this highly anticipated list:
—The Dengeki Newcomer List!
For the next week, the list would be updated daily in real time, based on reader votes.
Even strong entries that didn't win awards sometimes appeared on it, with detailed voting records to prove their worth.
Yuuna refreshed the page.
Her eyes immediately caught the results.
First place:
"Fairy Ring" series — Author: Yamada Elf
Votes: 1251
Normally, the top spot would be a heated battlefield, filled with rivalry and drama. But this year was different.
Authors like Yamada Elf were rare. Young, immensely popular, and with debut sales reaching 2.2 million copies under Dengeki Bunko—it was no surprise she dominated.
And with an anime adaptation already announced, her popularity was a tidal wave.
No one expected her to be signed to the Kagurazaka group anyway, so Yuuna wasn't particularly jealous.
She was already more than satisfied having Ryuo Tenshin.
---
Second place:
"The Sword of Reincarnation" — Author: Testament
Votes: 943
This was the gold award winner of the year. Testament, a college student from Tokyo Arts, had built strong hype after his award win. The school forums had been buzzing ever since. Clearly, the support carried over here.
---
Third place:
"Your Lie in April" — Author: Burning Ikaros
Votes: 789
Seeing the title, Yuuna let out a long breath of relief—but also felt the weight of crisis.
Yes, this was a strong result. In fact, it had been years since Kagurazaka's group broke into the top three.
Even so, Yuuna couldn't help worrying.
The gap between them and Yamada Elf was already 450 votes. And this was only the first day.
The competition would continue for six more days.
Still, getting this result without any publicity meant that reader feedback was strong. There was a real chance.
She quickly dialed Editor-in-Chief Kagurazaka.
"Editor-in-chief, we're in third place right now. We're 450 votes behind Yamada Elf's Fairy Ring. I'd like to apply for a recommendation slot for Teacher Ikaros."
The editor-in-chief on the other end already knew the situation.
She didn't want the promising newcomer she had discovered—Ryuo Tenshin—to be overshadowed or lured away.
And she, too, believed in Your Lie in April. Its market potential wasn't necessarily lower than Fairy Ring!
"Third place isn't bad. With only 450 votes behind, you should reach out to the reviewers you work with. Don't worry about the company side—I'll secure the highest recommendation slot I can for Teacher Ikaros."
Her tone sharpened.
"We're going to start the Northern Expedition."
"…"
End of the chapter
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