novelhk Page 7
Page 7
"Ding-dong!" The doorbell rang from the entrance hall as soon as the words were spoken.
"Sorry, sorry, there was a little trouble on the way." Machida Sonoko put her hands together, bowed slightly to Baili Xiao with an apologetic smile, and the deep cleavage in her chest was visible through the wide opening of her collar, which made Baili Xiao take a second look: "A former classmate of mine learned about this Shinazugawa Bunko project through connections and just called me to ask about it."
I asked a question? That's all?
Bai Lixiao keenly sensed the worry and helplessness hidden in Machida Sonoko's smile. After recalling the situation carefully, he frowned and tentatively asked, "Akane Akasaka?"
Machida Sonoko froze, then looked at Hyakuri Akira with surprise: "Hyakuri-kun really knows everything. I always feel like I can't hide anything from you... Yes, it's Akane Akasaka. She and I were classmates in college."
"Akane Kousaka? Why does that name sound so familiar?" The two people sitting in the living room had obviously heard the conversation between Hyakuri Akira and Machida Sonoko in the entryway. Eriri tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Could she be an editor at some paperback station, just like Sonoko-san?"
"You call yourself the chief illustrator of a doujin circle, yet you don't even know Akane Kousaka?" Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression was serious, her gaze fixed on Machida Sonoko: "Ms. Sonoko, if I'm not mistaken, the Akane Kousaka you're talking about is the founder of the super popular doujin circle 'rouge-en-rouge,' right? The woman who can be called a legend in the industry?"
Eriri's eyes widened. Of course, she knew who "Akane Kousaka" was, as Kasumigaoka Utaha had mentioned. It was precisely because she was well aware of that woman's strength that she hadn't immediately connected that woman with Machida Sonoko's "college classmate": "Miss Sonoko, is Akane Kousaka really...?"
Machida Sonoko shrugged, followed Baili Xiao to the living room sofa and sat down, sighing deeply: "Although I really don't want to say it, it is true."
The living room fell into a deathly silence. The three people, who had been immersed in the world of anime for a long time, felt suffocated by the name Akane Kousaka.
"Clang!" The crisp sound of glass colliding broke the silence. Machida Sonoko glanced at the drink in front of her, then her gaze shifted to Baili Xiao across from her. When she saw the faint smile on the latter's face, she was completely stunned.
"Miss Sonoko, judging from your expression, it seems that Akane Kousaka's phone call this time is closely related to Shinazugawa's project? Can you tell us?" Baili Xiao's smile grew even brighter, showing no pressure whatsoever due to Akane Kousaka's enormous reputation in the industry.
“...Okay.” Machida Sonoko hesitated for a moment, then forced a smile. “Actually, it’s not a big deal, it’s just that… Akane Kousaka’s club happens to be releasing their latest galgame game on the same day that [5 Centimeters Per Second] was released, and the venues they booked are very close by…”
Chapter 0018 Use your fame to steal your readers! (Two chapters, please add to your favorites and give flowers)
"Shi-chan and Kashiwagi Eri-sensei should know, right?" Machida Sonoko's gaze swept over Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri. The latter two exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. "Logically speaking, the super popular doujin circle founded by Akane Kousaka releases galgames at two anime conventions in summer and winter. This is completely different from the time when major light novel publishers are planning their projects, so there is no competition between them."
"Judging from Akane Akasaka's words, this public sale seems to be aimed at nurturing a junior who has just joined the club... a girl named Izumi Hashima." Sonoko Machida continued, "I looked into Izumi Hashima's information. She is a middle school student with strong doujinshi creation talent, but because she doesn't know how to promote herself, she has always had a small readership and has not been discovered by some well-known doujinshi circles."
"It wasn't until her brother, Iori Hashima, became the second-generation manager of 'rouge-en-rouge' after Akane Kousaka that she was brought into the club by her brother. Her amazing creative talent was then recognized by everyone, and this sales event was held in order to nurture her as quickly as possible."
"At the launch event, Izumi Hashima will release her latest doujinshi, while the 'rouge-en-rouge' circle will release a galgame game based on Izumi Hashima's doujinshi!"
At this point, Machida Sonoko hesitated, took a small sip of her drink, and then gritted her teeth and said, "This is a huge challenge for us!"
After she finished speaking, no one refuted Machida Sonoko, and for a moment, only the faint breathing of everyone could be heard in the living room.
Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri were well aware of the influence of the circle founded by Akane Kousaka. It was no exaggeration to say that 'rouge-en-rouge' could even be called "a legend in the doujinshi world, the strongest doujinshi circle"!
Anything released by this circle, whether it's a light novel, a doujinshi, or a game, will attract many otaku to wait outside the sales point just because of its name, hoping to buy a copy!
Because... the name 'rouge-en-rouge' itself is a guarantee!
"The launch event just happened to clash with our book signing event, this..." Eriri didn't know what to say. It wasn't that she lacked confidence in [5 Centimeters Per Second], it was just that... Akane Kousaka and the club she founded were too famous, just hearing their names gave her an invisible but powerful pressure.
Kasumigaoka Utaha's lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything. Instead, she turned her gaze to Hyakuri Akira sitting next to her: "Brother, what do you think?"
“I know this girl from Bo Island, she’s very talented and a very nice person…” Baili Xiao grinned, and Kasumigaoka Utaha and the others felt a sense of relief when they saw his smile: “However, I’m wondering… what are you worried about? Don’t you think this is an opportunity for us?”
opportunity?
Kasumigaoka Utaha and the other two looked at each other, not quite understanding what the "opportunity" Baili Xiao was referring to was.
"The Shinazugawa Bunko is not the dominant one among all the paperbacks, right?" Baili Xiao stared at Machida Sonoko, who blushed and nodded somewhat awkwardly.
As Baili Xiao said, Shinazugawa Bunko ranks at best in the middle to upper range among many paperback libraries, and is far from being as good as those top-tier paperback libraries with strong capabilities.
"In other words, even if Shinazugawa Bunko goes all out in packaging and promoting '5 Centimeters Per Second,' even if they use Utaha and Eriri's names, the number of readers they can attract will still be limited, right?" Baili Xiao smiled slightly, turning the laptop on the table so the screen faced Machida Sonoko: "Here is the text of the first volume of '5 Centimeters Per Second.' Later, I'll also show you Eriri's original artwork. Ms. Sonoko, if after seeing all this you still think this isn't an opportunity, then I really have to question your judgment..."
"In my opinion, the unexpected clash between this book signing and the 'rouge-en-rouge' launch is not a crisis at all! It's an opportunity, an opportunity to 'use your fame to steal your readers'!"
(The image is of Akane Akasaka.)
Chapter 0019: The book signing event officially begins! (Third update, please add to your favorites and give flowers!)
Within the "rouge-en-rouge" circle.
Akane Akasaka lay comfortably on the sofa, with a sake cup and two bottles of premium sake on the table next to her. As a 30-year-old woman and a legendary figure who single-handedly created a miracle in the doujinshi world, besides discovering promising newcomers, this drink was her only true love.
"Giggle~" With a flush of alcohol on her cheeks, Akane Akane slightly bent her left leg. As she moved, the slit skirt of her dress, which was already on the verge of falling off the sofa, sagged down, revealing two long, pleasing legs clad in black stockings.
"Knock, knock, knock." A knock came from the thick mahogany door. Akane Akasaka opened her eyes slightly and adjusted to a more comfortable position: "Come in!"
The door opened, and a young, handsome boy walked in. He was Iori Hashima, the second leader of the "rouge-en-rouge" club.
His gaze swept across the office before finally settling on the sake, unwilling to look away even a fraction of an inch so that those long legs clad in black stockings could come into view: "I haven't seen you all day, and sure enough, you've come here to drink again."
"You can handle the club matters. I'm just superfluous here. I might as well come and enjoy myself, hehe~" Akane Akasaka smiled slightly, seemingly intentionally staring into Iori Hashima's eyes. When she realized that the latter had no intention of looking at her at all, she shook her head rather boredly, poured herself a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp: "As expected of a little guy, he doesn't even know how to appreciate a woman's charm."
"..." Iori Hashima's expression froze for a moment, but she quickly smiled again: "The release event is all set, and the promotion is in place. The only thing we need to wait for is time..."
After downing another glass of wine, Akane Kousaka put down her cup: "I've never seen you treat other doujinshi artists in the circle this well. How about it? After this sales event, your sister, Izumi Hashima, has finally come into the public eye. With her creative talent, I believe she will soon be among the top doujinshi artists. You, as her brother, have been keeping her hidden away for so long. Are you finally tired?"
“Look at what you’re saying. I’m not tired, but she was too young before she went to sea. Even if I discovered her creative talent, I couldn’t immediately put her in front of the public.” Iori Hashima smiled, bowed slightly, and retreated towards the door. “Well then, please wait for good news at this sales event.”
"If you haven't received any good news, you should know my temper, right?" Akane Kousaka shook the sake cup in her hand as a farewell, then, as if suddenly remembering something, a glint flashed in her eyes, and she called out to Iori Hashima, who was about to close the door: "Oh, by the way, next to our book launch is a new book signing event by Shinazugawa Bunko, it seems to be someone named Kasumi... Kasumi Utako's new book, it should be fine, right?"
"Of course, there won't be any problems at all." Iori Hashima's smile remained unchanged as she gently closed the door. The smile vanished the moment she turned around, and her brows furrowed slightly. "Kasumi Utako? The light novelist who wrote 'Love Metronome'? Someone whose total sales have only reached 500,000 copies shouldn't have any competitive ability. Am I worrying too much...?"
"Forget it, I've been overworking myself with the sea trip lately, and I've really become a bit neurotic. A light novelist can't cause any big waves."
...a few days later...
At the B1 exhibition hall of the large event venue, long queues formed outside early in the morning, and the queues were growing every moment.
"What's rouge-en-rouge up to this time? They suddenly announced the release of a new doujinshi and a game. If I hadn't been following their official website, I probably would have missed this surprise event!"
"Yeah! I took the tram here yesterday just to buy today's doujinshi and games!"
"I heard that this doujinshi was created by a relatively unknown doujinshi artist named Hashima Izumi. It probably isn't worth you coming all this way, is it?"
"That's precisely why we're even more excited! The fact that rouge-en-rouge is making such a big fuss for a completely unknown doujinshi artist proves that the artist must have real talent! So strong that rouge-en-rouge has to hold a separate sales event for them!" A serious-looking otaku patted the shoulder of the person behind him and said earnestly, "Young man, you're too naive!"
Just then, a timid girl's voice came from the side: "Um...excuse me, is this the line for Kasumi Shiko's new book signing? I...I think I'm lost..."
Her voice, tinged with a sob and helplessness, immediately stirred a strong protective instinct in everyone. But... who is Kasumi Shiko? Isn't this the "rouge-en-rouge" doujinshi release event?
Just as everyone fell silent, Baili Xiao walked out of the exhibition hall in the distance with a smile, picked up a megaphone and cleared his throat: "Ahem! Friends attending Xia Shizi's new book signing event, please gather over here. To repeat, attend..."
Chapter 0020 It's Time to Fight Back! (Fourth update, please add to your favorites and give flowers)
“Phew…” Kasumigaoka Utaha sat in her chair, looking at the neatly arranged stacks of the deluxe edition of the novel “5 Centimeters Per Second” on the table in front of her, and let out a deep breath.
Having already held several autograph sessions, she never imagined that this "5 Centimeters Per Second" autograph session would make her so nervous, even more so than her first autograph session!
It's worth noting that although the novel lists "author Shizuko Kasumi and illustrator Eri Kashiwagi" as the authors, the person who actually contributed the most to the novel was the previously unknown Xiao Baili.
It was he who stayed by Kasumigaoka Utaha's side again and again, correcting the shortcomings and perfecting the story. It was also he who pointed out the flaws in Eriri's illustrations time and time again, and patiently taught Eriri all the drawing skills he knew.
It can be said that: "Although [5 Centimeters Per Second] was born from Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri, its true father is Hyakuri Akira, who is hiding behind the two of them!"
It was for this reason that Kasumigaoka Utaha was unusually nervous, worried about what would happen if the autograph session didn't go well or if the sales figures weren't as high as those for "Love Metronome".
"What's wrong?" A warm hand landed on Kasumigaoka Utaha's shoulder, and Hyakuri Xiao's voice came from beside her: "Utaha... are you trembling with nervousness? Believe me, I have unwavering confidence in [5 Centimeters Per Second]. A child created by the three of us won't be defeated by that little girl, Hashima Izumi!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha looked up at Hyakuri Akira's profile with a sunny smile, then turned her gaze to the few dozen readers standing sparsely in front of her table, and a pang of sadness welled up in her heart... On the other side of the reader group was the line for rouge-en-rouge, with the waiting crowd stretching all the way from the exhibition hall to the outside, with no end in sight!
"Alright, there's no need to envy others. We just need to do our best. And... I don't think we'll lose!" Baili Xiao removed his hand, took two steps back, and gave the entire autograph session stage to Kasumigaoka Utaha.
"Kasumigaoka Utaha! I'm a huge fan of yours. I have all five volumes of 'Love Metronome' in my collection. I love your delicate writing style. No matter how many times I read it, I always sigh with satisfaction. I have very high expectations for your '5 Centimeters Per Second'. I believe that your writing and ideas will definitely not disappoint me!" A girl dressed as a high school student held an unopened copy of "5 Centimeters Per Second" in her arms, her face flushed as she looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha with admiring eyes.
The latter smiled slightly, took out a small gift that Shinazugawa Bunko had prepared beforehand, wrote a blessing on the gift, and placed it in the girl's hand: "Rest assured, [5 Centimeters Per Second] will definitely not disappoint you!"
"Ms. Kasumi Shiko! Could you please sign your name here?"
"Teacher Xia Shizi..."
The autograph session for 【5 Centimeters Per Second】 has officially begun! Whether by coincidence or not, the doujinshi and game release events at "rouge-en-rouge" also started at the same time!
"Please come to the left to purchase doujinshi, and on the right are galgame games based on doujinshi! If you purchase both items at today's launch event, you will receive a small gift carefully crafted by our circle!" Iori Hashima loudly introduced while maintaining order in the venue.
Logically, someone like him, as the head of a club, should only need to wait for the results backstage, and the work he does at this time would naturally be taken over by others. However... since today is the first time his sister, Hashima Izumi, is officially releasing her own doujinshi work, he really doesn't trust others to take charge.
As soon as she finished speaking, Iori Hashima glanced subtly in the direction of Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Fortunately, just as I predicted, not many people came to the autograph session at Shinazugawa Bunko's event, otherwise, our departure from the mainland would definitely have been affected..."
Secretly relieved, Iori Hashima adjusted his bangs, striking what he thought was a super cool pose. His gaze fell on his younger sister, Izumi Hashima, who was standing not far away. I saw that she had a stiff smile on her face, her fists were clenched, and beads of sweat were constantly dripping from her forehead... She was obviously extremely nervous!
My dear sister, this is all I can do to help you. From now on, everything will depend on you...
Iori Hashima sighed inwardly, then rallied her spirits and continued leading the group forward: "Those who wish to purchase doujinshi, please proceed to the left... to purchase..."
However, what he didn't know was that just as he turned his gaze away from Kasumigaoka Utaha's autograph session booth, the two of them rushed into the venue through the staff entrance in a panic!
"Baili-kun! Baili-kun!" Machida Sonoko's eyebrows twitched as she limped over to Baili Xiao, panting as she handed him what she was carrying. Without a care for her image, she sat down on the spot, took off her two pairs of high heels, and tearfully massaged her toes: "Baili-kun, please don't assign me, a woman in her thirties still wearing high heels, to these kinds of errands in the future..."
"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry to have troubled you." Baili Xiao took the things and looked at Eriri, who had returned with Machida Sonoko: "Is everything ready?"
"Of course! This time it's the deluxe version!" Eriri wiped the sweat from her forehead and gave a thumbs-up: "The effect will absolutely amaze you!"
"Alright! Then... let's sound the horn of counterattack!"
Chapter 0021 The Weapon of Victory! (Fifth update, please add to your favorites and give flowers)
At the "rouge-en-rouge" release event, a girl with glasses and waist-length hair swaying slightly had just bought a doujinshi and couldn't wait to tear open the transparent packaging to read it.
She wanted to assess the skill level of the doujinshi artist "Bodao Chuhai" before deciding whether to buy the galgame game adapted from the doujinshi.
At first glance, the art style of the doujinshi is not bad. Of course, this "not bad" is only applicable to the "unknown" Pojima Sailing. If it were any artist with a little fame, the girls would at most give it a "not bad" evaluation.
As she continued reading, the girl's attention gradually shifted from the "art style" to the "plot" as the pages turned. With the development of the story, she became more and more focused, eventually spending a long time looking at every word and every action before reluctantly moving her gaze to the next picture!
Soon, the pages of the doujinshi were turned to about a third of their thickness. The girl let out a satisfied sigh, forced herself to look away from the doujinshi, and carefully stuffed it into her bag and zipped it up to prevent herself from looking at it again.
Any good thing should be savored slowly, rather than trying to experience all its flavors as soon as you get it!
"Hey, have you seen the doujinshi I just bought?" The girl asked her friend excitedly while clutching her bag. "Wow! That artist, Hajime Izumi, the art style isn't that great, but the story..."
"Stop!" A few black lines appeared on her best friend's face as she waved the unopened doujinshi in her hand: "Don't you remember that line? Spoilers will get you killed!"
"Hmm..." The girl stuck out her little tongue and acted cute. She was so excited that she had forgotten the phrase "spoilers will kill you."
"Judging from your reaction, the game adapted from the doujinshi is worth buying, right?" her best friend asked tentatively. She knew the answer without the girl even needing to reply: "Of course! And I'll buy three sets!"
Three sets... one for personal use, one for collection, and one for missionary work...
"Okay, okay, let's go line up then." My best friend shook her head helplessly, her eyes sweeping across the venue, a hint of doubt arising in her mind: "What's that autograph session over there?"
"I heard it's a book signing event for a light novel author named Kasumi Shiko. It seems to be about romance novels. You know how romance novels are these days, they're all about domineering CEOs or young masters and ladies, it's not realistic at all. How can they compare to doujinshi and games?" The girl pouted and shook her head, pulling her best friend's hand towards the line selling galgames. But just as she was about to take a step, a soft female voice rang out in the small venue.
"Hey, did you know? I heard that cherry blossoms fall at a speed of five centimeters per second!"
In her voice, one could clearly feel the girl's joy and happiness, like a couple suddenly being affectionate under a cherry blossom tree, or like the longing and confusion of having feelings for someone but not yet confessing them.
The previously noisy venue fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were drawn to the booth for the "5 Centimeters Per Second" autograph session. There, a not-so-large LCD screen stood on the table, and an image appeared on the screen after it had been dark.