Keita Imaizumi sat at his computer desk, still wearing his loose sleeping T-shirt and shorts, looking intently at the computer screen.
The screen displayed the electronic contract titled 'Publication Authorization Agreement' sent by the website's official email.
No matter how well he communicated with the editor over the phone, the terms finalized in black and white were what mattered most.
Keita Imaizumi wasn't the kind of newcomer who would be blinded by a few words of promise. He carefully scrutinized the contract details, especially regarding royalty shares, initial print quantities, copyright ownership, and the right of first refusal for subsequent works.
Just as the editor said, this was indeed a very sincere "Rising Star Debut" contract, with conditions in all aspects superior to the average level given to newcomers in the industry.
The website was clearly very optimistic about the potential of this work and was willing to invest resources to cultivate him, the newcomer author with the pen name "Izumi."
After confirming that all terms were consistent with what was discussed on the phone and finding no obvious linguistic traps, Keita Imaizumi scrolled to the last page and signed his name.
The prompt for a successful email sent popped up, and everything was settled.
Keita Imaizumi leaned back in his chair, his body relaxing involuntarily.
He suddenly remembered Yanami Anna sitting in his lap a few days ago, urging him to finish the second volume quickly.
The thought of telling Yanami Anna this good news immediately surfaced in his heart.
Keita Imaizumi picked up his phone, found Yanami Anna's name in his contacts, and dialed.
The phone rang several times before it was answered, and a sleepy, slurred voice came through the receiver.
"...Ugh... who is it..."
"It's me."
Listening to her groggy voice, Keita Imaizumi felt it was similar to his own state when the editor's call woke him up this morning, and he couldn't help but smile.
"...Keita?" The voice on the other end seemed a bit more awake. "What is it... the sun just came up, didn't it..."
"The sun is already high in the sky, Anna-chan." He glanced at the time on the screen; it was almost nine in the morning. "I have some good news for you."
"Good news?"
"Yeah, my novel is going to be published."
Keita Imaizumi stated the fact in as flat a tone as possible.
Although he was very happy, he wanted to hear Yanami Anna's surprise more, so he decided to act nonchalant...
There was silence on the other end for several seconds.
Then came a rustling sound, like someone suddenly sitting up in bed, accompanied by the sound of clothes rubbing.
"You... what did you say?! Published?!"
Yanami Anna's voice instantly spiked, her sleepiness completely gone, replaced by pure shock and disbelief.
"Yes, I just finished signing the contract."
"For real?! But, isn't the Light Novel Grand Prize still going on? Logically, shouldn't you wait until the final results are out before..."
Yanami Anna asked in quick succession, clearly having figured out the process of the Light Novel Grand Prize event.
"The editorial department discussed it and decided to let me skip the subsequent selection process and go straight to publication."
Keita Imaizumi explained patiently, "They said the work's data performance was too outstanding, so it's a special case."
"Wow—!"
An unshielded cry of wonder from Yanami Anna came through the receiver, her joy transmitted directly through the phone.
"A special case! Keita, you're way too amazing! Then doesn't that mean... you're suddenly rich?"
"There's a sum from the manuscript fees and royalties, but it's not enough for you to squander at will."
Keita Imaizumi was amused by her somewhat money-grubbing tone.
"That's still incredible!" Yanami Anna's tone was full of vicarious excitement. "Damn, if only the novel I wrote could have such good results..."
There was a hint of envy in her voice, but mostly she was happy for him.
"Yours will too," Keita Imaizumi said naturally.
"...Hmph, as if you need to tell me that."
Yanami Anna gave a light snort, but the happiness in her tone couldn't be hidden.
She paused, then announced in a firm, affirmative tone: "No! We must celebrate for you today! This is a big deal!"
"Celebrate?"
"Yes! Must celebrate!" she said decisively. "As for the place... let's make it your house! How about it?"
Keita Imaizumi was slightly taken aback.
He had indeed thought about sharing this good news with her and expected her to be happy, but he hadn't expected her to proactively suggest coming to his house.
This proactivity... made the thought of 'eating' Yanami Anna surface in his mind again.
After all, Anna-chan was delivering herself to his door so straightforwardly...
"No problem on my end," he agreed without hesitation. "What do you want to eat? I'll prepare in advance."
"Let me think..." Yanami Anna seemed to really start thinking seriously; the cute sound of her counting on her fingers came through the phone.
"I want fried chicken, and croquettes, um... I want takoyaki too! Oh right, right, and beef hot pot! The kind with lots of meat! For dessert, let's have strawberry cake! And Häagen-Dazs ice cream, vanilla and matcha flavors!"
She listed a whole bunch in one breath, leaving Keita Imaizumi feeling somewhat speechless.
"Stop, hold on," Keita Imaizumi hurried to interrupt her. "I can't remember all that."
"Eh? Imaizumi, your memory is so bad!"
Yanami Anna let out a dissatisfied complaint on the other end.
"It's not a memory issue; it's that the things you're saying are too messy." He said to Yanami Anna with mock annoyance, "How about this: just come over this afternoon, and we'll go to the supermarket together to buy whatever you want to eat."
"Hmm... okay." Yanami Anna thought about it and seemed to find the suggestion good. "Then it's a deal! I'll head over after I get ready this afternoon!"
"Okay, be careful on the way."
"Got it, nagging guy."
Though she said nagging words, her tone was full of joy.
After hanging up, Keita Imaizumi stood up and stretched, feeling his whole body full of energy.
Meanwhile, at the Yanami Household.
Yanami Anna hung up the phone, hugged it tightly to her chest, and fell backward, landing heavily on her soft bed.
She kicked her legs twice and rolled around on the bed, her face covered in a smile of happiness for Keita Imaizumi.
However,
Being able to find a legitimate reason to go to his house, and also get to eat a lot of delicious food...
It was simply double the happiness!
After giggling to herself on the bed for a while, Yanami Anna sat back up and turned her gaze toward the wardrobe in the corner of the room.
What should I wear for this afternoon's "date"...?
She jumped off the bed, skipped over to the wardrobe, and pulled open the doors.
A dress?
It feels a bit too intentional.
A T-shirt and shorts?
But that seems too casual.
Yanami Anna fell into the dilemma that everyone faces before a date.
...
On the other side, Imaizumi Keita had already changed into casual clothes, ready to head out.
A simple black T-shirt paired with gray casual pants; he looked clean and sharp.
He had mentioned before that he would buy Yanami Anna a new swimsuit and then have her wear it for him...
With that in mind, Imaizumi Keita walked toward the nearby large commercial center.
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