After school that afternoon, Haruto stopped by the bookstore near the school gate and picked up a copy of Fleeting Blossoms.
It was the very first issue carrying his own serialized novel, so naturally he wanted to contribute at least one sale.
While he was there, he also took the time to quietly observe how the magazines were selling.
Crimson Maple Literature's flagship magazine, Crimson Maple, was displayed in the most eye-catching spot in the store.
Fleeting Blossoms was stacked not far away, close enough that readers could easily grab both.
Besides students, office workers made up a large portion of the customers. Many of them stopped by the bookstore on their way home from work, went straight to the two magazines, picked them up, and left without hesitation.
Just from their movements, it was obvious they were long-time readers.
Haruto felt a little uneasy inside. He had no idea how Blue Spring Ride's first chapter was being received.
He lingered in the store for a while, but there was no way to glean anything useful from casual observation alone. In the end, he left with the magazine and boarded the train home.
"Hmm? Yesterday's Starlight?"
As he flipped through the table of contents, that familiar title caught his eye.
In an instant, he remembered the masked girl who had lined up with him at Crimson Maple Literature weeks ago to submit her manuscript.
Unlike Reina, he had not gone out of his way to ask Yukino about the competing series before publication.
He was only now realizing that Yesterday's Starlight was also being serialized in Fleeting Blossoms.
Out of pure curiosity, he started reading it right there on the train.
Ten minutes later, he closed the magazine with a lingering sense of satisfaction.
"This is really good," Haruto murmured in genuine admiration.
The story from Yesterday's Starlight's first chapter flowed through his mind. Even though the chapter itself was short, the desire to know what came next hooked him firmly.
"She looked about my age, and that day she was lining up just like me, waiting for Yukino to review her work. That means she did not have any editor connections either."
"She was a complete newcomer, same as me. And yet she wrote something this strong."
As he stepped off the train, he could not help but reflect inwardly.
"Maybe she is what people mean when they talk about a true writing prodigy."
Before he even reached his front door, his phone rang.
"Hello… Yukino?" Haruto hesitated for half a second before saying her name.
"Congratulations, Haruto," Yukino's calm voice came through the line.
"Congratulations? For what?" he asked.
"As of seven p.m. this evening, based on reader votes and feedback submitted through the official site, Blue Spring Ride's first chapter ranks fourth in total votes, and first in rating, with a score of 9.2."
There was a brief silence on the line. Haruto did not speak, and Yukino waited for his response.
"Is that… really impressive?" he asked cautiously.
From her tone, he could tell it was a good result, but without knowing the broader context or how other series were performing, the numbers themselves did not quite feel real to him yet.
"Yes. Very impressive. If we look strictly at first chapters of newly serialized novels, this is the best data Fleeting Blossoms has seen in the past three years. It is also the second best first chapter performance since the magazine was founded ten years ago. Of course, the final numbers will only be confirmed tomorrow at nine a.m., but realistically, the ranking is not going to change much."
That explanation made things clear. Even though Fleeting Blossoms was only Crimson Maple Literature's third-best-selling magazine, each issue still sold over two hundred thousand copies.
Any novel serialized there already met a certain quality threshold.
For Blue Spring Ride to achieve these results in its very first installment was, frankly, explosive.
"Then who is number one?" Haruto asked after a moment's thought.
"That would be a romance novel called First Moon. It was serialized in Fleeting Blossoms three years ago. Its opening chapter resonated strongly with a major social issue in Japan at the time, which struck a chord with readers. That issue received nearly 2,900 votes, and its rating peaked at 9.3."
Yukino leaned back in her office chair, phone in hand, gazing at the neon-lit cityscape outside the window as she spoke.
"But by the time it reached chapter ten, the weekly vote count dropped to just 103, and readers drove the rating down relentlessly. The series was eventually canceled with a final score of 5.4."
Haruto froze for a moment.
"Haruto," Yukino said softly, "the first chapter's performance for Blue Spring Ride is outstanding. But it is only the beginning. Do not let these numbers blind you."
"A novel is only truly successful if readers are still supporting it when it reaches its final chapter."
"I understand," Haruto replied after a brief silence.
"I know what you mean."
"Good. If you understand that, then things become much easier," Yukino said.
"Easier? How so?" he asked.
"You really do not know anything yet, do you?" Yukino sighed lightly.
"Do you think an editor's job is just collecting your manuscript every week and sending it off to print?"
"Isn't it?" Haruto asked, startled.
"Of course not. As your editor in charge, I am responsible for reviewing your plot quality, checking for sensitive content, and, to a certain extent, helping guide the direction of your story."
As he listened, Haruto began to grasp what she meant.
An editor's role was to prevent the creator from becoming too lost in their own perspective.
Many authors became self-indulgent while writing. They killed off heroines, wiped out protagonists' families, introduced infidelity, forced separations, and piled on suffering. Because the author knew how the story would eventually resolve, they did not feel the emotional weight. They even believed they were crafting brilliant drama.
Readers, however, experienced only the pain.
Many would drop the story long before reaching the eventual payoff.
An editor existed to intervene, to stop an author from spiraling into that kind of self-satisfaction and dragging the story's popularity down with it.
In fact, throughout the history of many famous works, editors had played crucial roles.
Take Naruto from another world as an example. Its early arcs were legendary, while the later stages were often criticized. One major reason was the change of editors midway through serialization.
The influence of Naruto's original editor was immense. The idea for Rock Lee, the green-clad fan-favorite, was suggested by that first editor.
Gaara's character was also the result of discussions between editor and author.
Even Sasuke Uchiha's design, personality, and role as deuteragonist were heavily shaped through editorial input.
There were even early concepts where the Third Hokage was supposed to be a powerful ninja dog raised by the Second Hokage, an idea that was ultimately rejected by the editor for being too extreme. That rejection led to the creation of Hiruzen Sarutobi instead.
More fundamentally, before Naruto existed at all, it was the editor who first suggested that Kishimoto try creating a ninja manga.
A good editor could profoundly influence a work.
"So what do you plan to do?" Haruto asked.
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