165. Kasumigaoka's New Work (Conclusion)

"Eh—how could that be?" Tomoya Aki asked with an expression of utter disbelief, turning his head to look at Utaha Kasumigaoka sitting right beside him.

To his surprise, she actually nodded in a matter-of-fact manner, saying with a cold tone, "Out of everything the junior just said, I completely agree with only this one sentence."

Struck by a rapid succession of critical hits, Tomoya Aki slumped forward onto the table in a defeated posture, his status unknown.

After the laughter and banter subsided, Jiang Yu turned serious and asked, "So, when will the Senior's new work be released?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka thought for a moment and said, "Probably around the middle of this month? I heard from Editor-in-Chief Machida that, due to President Kawashima's business arrangements, my new work seems to be scheduled for release alongside the winner of the Newcomer Award."

"Eh? Released together?"

Jiang Yu looked bewildered.

Utaha Kasumigaoka smiled broadly, looking at Jiang Yu's face with keen interest as she spoke, "In other words, this time we are both competitors and business partners~~ Baili Tusu-老师?"

Jiang Yu shivered slightly and hurriedly waved his hands, saying, "Please spare me from that title... Also, how many volumes is the Senior's new work expected to be?"

At the same time, he thought to himself inwardly: President Kawashima? Ah, that's right. I remember seeing in some basic information about The Comic Market that the person in the president's seat seemed to be named Kawashima?

Regarding this kind of simultaneous release strategy, Jiang Yu understood President Kawashima's intent with just a little thought. It was nothing more than using authors who had already made a name for themselves through their publishing house to boost the sales of excellent works within the Newcomer Award. This practice was not uncommon in the publishing industry. Many newly debuted writers who happened to know well-known authors would often ask them to write a foreword or introduction, which served as a form of promotion.

More than that, Jiang Yu was much more concerned with the number of volumes in Utaha Kasumigaoka's new work. Because the original work in his past life was a manga, he was somewhat curious about what kind of brilliant story Utaha could weave based on the skeletal framework he had given her.

Hearing this, Utaha Kasumigaoka unconsciously tapped her right index finger on the table. After a moment of silent contemplation, she said, "No more than three volumes. Ideally, two volumes for the main story and one volume for the side stories. However, regarding this work... there is still one minor issue."

Tomoya Aki, who had been playing dead, immediately propped himself up upon hearing this and said in surprise, "That's rare. Does Utaha-senpai still have unsettled issues half a month before the new book's publication? We must be pretty close to the 'deadline' for the work, right?"

The so-called "deadline"—that is, the originally prescribed submission date for a work—is not limited to the publishing industry but is universally used across all creative fields.

Deadlines generally fall into two categories: the first is the timeline initially set by the editor, which still allows time for proofreading and revisions after the work is submitted; the second is the hard deadline where failure to complete it on time jeopardizes the publication schedule itself, meaning the manuscript must be finished by a specific date to account for printing, binding, shipping, and other logistical factors.

It is worth mentioning that authors who fail to meet deadlines actually account for seventy percent of the total, to the point where printing plant guards know exactly how to handle submitted manuscripts.

Additionally, if a work truly cannot make it on time, there is also the concept of a "delay" or "postponement"—for example, a certain super-boaster from Chiba who takes a whole year to write a single volume, claiming it is the ending when it really isn't, and then later claiming the ending will be released across two bundled volumes... One can't help but wonder if this author is trying to get rich by receiving hate mail and razor blades.

Jiang Yu also looked at Utaha Kasumigaoka with some bewilderment, clearly wondering what kind of issue could possibly arise regarding this work.

As for Umaru Doma... she was drinking her cola with a blissful expression and had no intention of interrupting the conversation.

Utaha Kasumigaoka crossed her hands in front of her chest, lightly resting her chin on them, and said with a gentle smile, "It's the title. The title of the work hasn't been decided yet, and as the provider of the inspiration, I think it's best to leave that right to you, Junior."

Jiang Yu blinked, evidently processing the news, yet he noticed that while Utaha Kasumigaoka spoke with a smile, her gaze was exceptionally serious. He took a gentle breath, exhaled, and then nodded with a smile, saying, "It's an honor. Then let's call it... 'Your Lie in April', how does that sound?"

By the end, Jiang Yu's face carried a trace of a nostalgic expression that utterly baffled everyone present, as if he had recalled a somewhat distant yet exceptionally beautiful time.

Utaha Kasumigaoka silently chewed on the name in her heart a few times before her eyes lit up, and she readily responded, "I don't think there could possibly be a better name than this."

"......Although I don't quite understand what you two are talking about, just hearing that name alone gives me an irresistible urge to read it. The middle of this month? I'm so looking forward to it~ the Senior's new work!"

Tomoya Aki once again transformed into Utaha's fanatical supporter.

"Hmm~ The middle of this month? I'll go buy a copy to show my support."

Suddenly, Megumi Kato, who had seemingly been engrossed in her phone the entire time, chimed in.

"Ah... Oh... By the way, I haven't thanked you all yet for making a special trip to a low-sales author's book signing event."

Facing Megumi Kato's blunt remark, Utaha Kasumigaoka seemed somewhat unequipped to handle it and began changing the subject.

"Not at all. Didn't a lot of fans show up today?"

In response, Megumi Kato delivered another direct hit.

"Is... Is that so?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka was starting to look slightly dumbfounded.

"Besides, hasn't there been a lot of lively discussion online too?"

"Yeah, those readers seem to be split into two heroine factions, attacking each other back and forth. Right, Utaha-senpai?"

Isn't that all because you wrote that kind of tangled love triangle... Tomoya Aki chose to join the fray while secretly complaining in his heart.

To everyone's surprise, Megumi Kato looked at the somewhat flustered Utaha Kasumigaoka, shook her head earnestly at Tomoya Aki, and said with a sincere tone, "No, that's not it. They've also been praising the work itself quite a bit. I even saw some opinions saying this is the best romantic comedy in recent years."

"Th-Thank you."

Utaha Kasumigaoka still wore that familiar look of profound awkwardness, instinctively casting a glance of appeal for help toward Jiang Yu.

Noticing Utaha Kasumigaoka's gaze, Jiang Yu shrugged, signaling that his hands were tied. His actual inner thought, however, was: So Senior Utaha can make an expression like that too... or something along those lines.

After gathering together for lunch and lingering in the burger shop until around 3:00 PM—during which the group actually had a rare, serious discussion about club activities, though it ultimately failed to yield any concrete results—Utaha Kasumigaoka parted ways with the others. She seemed to have other activities scheduled there for the afternoon, so Jiang Yu and his companions naturally could not ask her to stay.

Having achieved the purpose of their trip, the group prepared to board the return train home. While waiting for the train on the platform, Jiang Yu caught a fleeting glimpse of what appeared to be Ayano Mizuno, who was linked arm-in-arm with a man, wearing a beaming smile. Just as Jiang Yu was about to take a closer look to confirm, she vanished into the bustling crowd.

An illusion?

Jiang Yu felt a silent ripple of doubt, but reality did not afford him much time for contemplation; urged by Umaru Doma's call, he stepped through the train doors.