"Yay! It's finished!"
Sagiri clenched her fists, her expression excited.
Through her unremitting efforts, even the time she usually spent playing games with her Ni-san was now used for creation, and she had finally completed the illustration work with her strong personal style.
"I'll tell Ni-san right away!"
The girl impatiently pulled her Ni-san into the room, wanting to hear his opinion.
"Hmm, Sagiri's drawing is very good. I believe readers will be very satisfied after seeing it."
Izumi Chihiro looked down at the screen and nodded in satisfaction.
Sagiri's personal style was becoming stronger and stronger. Naturally, what she drew was not the Madoka face from his memory, but it had its own unique charm.
Because he had a preconceived notion, he found it strange, but for other readers, Sagiri's art style, which had made significant progress and was gradually forming its own identity, already possessed a certain level of appeal.
Moreover, after a year of experience, Sagiri also had enough experience in creating dark, battle-style artwork. The current illustration was like night and day compared to the first volume of demon slayer.
"Hehe..."
Hearing her Ni-san's praise, Sagiri's expression naturally became even more joyful.
This is how it feels when one's efforts are affirmed.
"However, it still took more than half a month longer than expected, making Ni-san wait too long."
The girl frowned.
"Actually, it's nothing. Anyway, if we calculate based on the normal update schedule, our work progress is still far from the deadline. Fans are too happy to even complain, so what impact could it have?"
Izumi Chihiro comforted her.
This made some of the guilt in Sagiri's heart disappear.
...
With the completion of the illustration work, the release date was also set, and the publicity efforts began to ramp up, far exceeding the intensity of when they first debuted!
From the perspective of sales, his current level was already that of a pillar in the industry, so he naturally received the treatment he deserved.
When he walked past Takasago Bookstore, he clearly saw a promotional image on the nearby iron stand. It featured a cool, mysterious girl in black, holding a small, shield-like disk in her hand.
"The new work is about to be released, I wonder what Izumi Masamune-sensei expects for the future of his new work?"
Takasago Tomoe acted like she was conducting an interview, holding a rolled-up piece of paper like a microphone to his mouth.
This was clearly a joke between friends, so Izumi Chihiro played along and said,
"My demands aren't high. I hope the initial performance can be slightly better, surpassing the previous work's average of 100,000 copies per volume, and reaching an average of 200,000 copies per volume first! Then we can look to the future."
"Doubling the sales all at once, your ambition is too great, Izumi-kun!"
Takasago Tomoe immediately laughed, then added, "But if it's the genius Izumi-kun, then that statement is indeed very believable!"
Izumi Chihiro smiled without speaking, then turned and took a few light novels from the bookshelf.
Takasago-douchi's judgment was still trustworthy. Works she favored, even if sales weren't high, definitely had their merits.
Perhaps it was due to the subject matter, or perhaps bad luck, waiting for an opportunity to take off.
In short, works placed in Takasago Tomoe's personal recommendation section, unless they fell apart in the later stages, would always maintain a good reputation.
It's worth mentioning that his demon slayer also remained in the top position for a month after the final volume was released, until the deadline set by the girl.
"Has the quality of works improved recently? I feel like Takasago-douchi has placed a lot more works on the bookshelf."
Izumi Chihiro noticed this and asked.
Takasago Tomoe adhered to the principle of 'better to have nothing than to have something mediocre,' so she would rather leave her recommendation section empty than casually fill it with any works.
"Hmm... I wouldn't quite put it that way? I feel it's because the industry situation has improved recently, and more newcomers are appearing. Talented people are naturally becoming more active, and the industry now is clearly more vibrant than before. I imagine Izumi-dono should take some credit for that."
She said, her gaze thoughtful.
"Takasago-douchi, you're really good at flattering me. My current achievements are just so-so, at least one or two hundred people in the industry have reached this level, right? So this must be because of those two."
Izumi Chihiro said with a wry smile.
As time passed, the names Senju Muramasa and Kani Nayuta had already become widely known in the light novel world.
The debut achievements of both of them were at a level that no one had reached for many years in the past, so many people were now wondering if these two could reach that legendary realm?
When excellent role models appeared, perhaps for dreams, or perhaps just to make money, it led many people to consider entering the industry.
Although the idea that one could debut just by reading a few light novels was very naive, there were always geniuses who could easily pick it up, quickly debut, and become popular.
Although no one could reach the level of standing shoulder to shoulder with Senju Muramasa and Kani Nayuta, the prosperous scene they created made many industry insiders once again full of confidence in the future of the industry.
"More or less, more or less. I actually feel that Izumi-dono has that kind of potential, but he just hasn't been able to unleash his full potential yet. I believe that as time goes on, Izumi-dono will definitely become more and more formidable..."
Takasago Tomoe said earnestly.
"My intuition is always very accurate!"
She raised a finger and placed it in front of him.
'Does this mean... I'm a late-game hero?'
Izumi Chihiro was stunned.
He hadn't expected Takasago to think so highly of him. Coming from her usually strict perspective, that was truly a high evaluation.
However, that was ultimately just one possibility for the future. He might grow, but he might also get stuck somewhere and never advance further.
"Of course, it won't work if you don't put in the effort! The current Izumi-dono is still lacking in many things."
Before he could answer, Takasago Tomoe added another sentence.
"Takasago-douchi, thank you for thinking so highly of me. I hope that day truly comes… the day I stand shoulder to shoulder with those two."
Izumi Chihiro's mind seemed to conjure that very scene, and he suddenly felt his heart thumping excitedly.
It was an emotion called excitement.
Before, he had been somewhat afraid to read their works, fearing it might influence him, but now he could face himself more squarely.
Recognizing the gap between them and recognizing himself was not shameful.
Only by doing so could he constantly push beyond his own limitations.