029. Erno Aki’s Suggestion (Continued)

When all the blossoms have faded in the world by April, the peach trees bloom splendidly in the mountain temple.

It was still early April, the season just emerging from winter, carrying the lingering elegance of cold days yet welcoming the warmth of spring. After breakfast and washing the dishes, Jiang Yu changed into his school uniform and left the house with Mai Tsuchiya, who had already dressed while he was cleaning up.

Feeling the gentle sunlight spill over him, surrounded by drifting, playful petals of cherry blossoms, Jiang Yu was struck by a sensation: he was truly, vividly alive.

Though only a few days had passed since the start of the term, all sorts of troublesome matters in every sense had kept Jiang Yu unusually busy—so much so, he nearly thought he’d fallen back into those days when he worked tirelessly, lost in a fog of endless tasks.

Each day, staring at tens of thousands of lines of code, debugging ceaselessly, building prototypes for the sudden whims of the planning director, only to find them not quite interesting enough and then discarded… And the boss, taking on more outsourcing jobs than ever, required each person to shoulder the workload of three—leaving Jiang Yu more exhausted than an animator in the anime industry.

Upon reaching Detective Hill, Jiang Yu spotted a familiar figure. As he drew closer, his suspicion was confirmed.

“Hey, Yu! Good morning. You’re awfully slow!” The boy greeted him cheerfully, dark circles under his eyes, patting Jiang Yu on the shoulder.

Jiang Yu stared expressionlessly at his friend and retorted, “Don’t you have to work today? Blocking… waiting for me here?”

“Ah, it’s Senior Aki! Good morning!” Mai, walking beside Jiang Yu, waved in greeting.

Aki Lunya gazed at the radiant girl before him, feeling almost unable to meet her eyes, replying awkwardly, “Good morning, um…”

Sensing Aki Lunya’s embarrassment, Mai laughed softly, “You’re my brother’s good friend, Senior Aki. Just call me Mai.”

“Ah, yes, good morning, Mai.” Aki Lunya discreetly wiped sweat from his brow.

Jiang Yu took up the conversation. “So, Lunya, what are you doing here so early?”

“Of course, I wanted to join you on the way to school after so long!” Aki Lunya answered matter-of-factly.

“...Heh, are light novels still that entertaining?” Jiang Yu smiled.

Aki Lunya’s weary eyes sparked with surprising brilliance. He spoke with enthusiasm, “It’s absolutely fantastic! Both the opening and the character development—Hachiman Hikigaya is so different from most light novel protagonists nowadays! The way the heroine appears is interesting, and the key point is…”

Jiang Yu looked at the animated Aki Lunya in bewilderment, regretting he’d broached the topic. It seemed Lunya always ignored his surroundings and slipped into solitary reverie when the subject was his passion.

Mai, watching from the side, was astonished at how Aki Lunya seemed transformed, covering her mouth as she giggled quietly. Perhaps this was what they called a “hardcore otaku.”

Though her brother and she were also enthusiasts, neither was as fervent as Senior Aki.

“...Uh, Lunya, maybe you could pause for a moment?” Jiang Yu scratched his head, trying tentatively to interrupt Aki Lunya’s torrent of words.

It had no effect.

“Yu, I’m telling you, your views on youth are fascinating! Maybe this is what people mean by—gray high school life versus rose-colored high school life? And regarding the protagonist’s personality…”

“…”

“Ah, brother, I’ll head this way now, alright?”

“Mm, be careful.”

Even as Jiang Yu and Mai parted ways at the intersection, Aki Lunya had not ceased his chatter.

“…So, Lunya, could you please stop now?” Jiang Yu said helplessly, watching Aki Lunya who remained enthusiastic.

“Dagala, Yu, do you realize how magnificent the light novel you wrote is?!” Aki Lunya spoke with the fervor of a true devotee, his eyes ablaze.

“It’s not that exaggerated, Lunya…” Jiang Yu rubbed his forehead, feeling overwhelmed by Aki Lunya’s passion for “Spring Things.”

“It’s not an exaggeration! It’s as intense as when I discovered ‘Love Metronome’ last year… No, it’s even stronger—a true masterpiece!”

Aki Lunya gripped Jiang Yu’s shoulder, his expression serious.

Jiang Yu brushed off his hand and sighed inwardly: classics truly remain classics wherever they are, perhaps thanks to the flawed industry of this world…

“Well… Do you have any advice, Lunya? About submitting the manuscript?” Jiang Yu composed himself and asked earnestly.

“Ah, well, I think you could choose either Electric Library or Kadokawa Sneaker Library. But your work doesn’t quite fit the style of Fujimi Fantasia Library.”

After pondering for a moment, Aki Lunya answered as if reciting from memory.

“But didn’t Electric Library and Kadokawa Sneaker Library just co-host a newcomer award during spring break? If you submit to those two now, your work will coincide with the award winners’ publications. Though I think your work is far superior—”

Before Jiang Yu could ask, Aki Lunya added this clarification.

“Yeah, I thought about those two, but the newcomer award just ended. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I came to consult you.”

Jiang Yu shrugged, smiling wryly, his face showing helplessness.

“Hmm… Given the style, let’s not consider the so-called ‘Big Three’ of light novels for the last one. So…”

Aki Lunya fell into deep thought.

Jiang Yu watched his friend’s troubled expression and felt a warmth in his heart: this was true friendship.

Not until they neared the school gates did Aki Lunya finally relax his furrowed brow, staring at Jiang Yu with burning eyes. He pronounced each word deliberately: “My suggestion is Undying River Library!”

Undying River Library? Jiang Yu frowned, searching his memory. Wasn’t that one of the top-tier libraries, just below the Big Three?

As Jiang Yu hesitated, Aki Lunya noticed his friend’s confusion and explained, “It’s the library that published ‘Love Metronome’!”

“Ah, now you mention it, I understand its influence,” Jiang Yu realized.

Aki Lunya became excited again. “Right! It’s a great choice, isn’t it? Plus, since I helped promote ‘Love Metronome,’ I’m well acquainted with an editor at Undying River. And they’re about to hold a newcomer award soon.”

“Hmm? You promoted ‘Love Metronome’ and got to know the editor well?” Jiang Yu seemed to miss the main point.

“You really should work on extracting key information, Yu,” Aki Lunya said, exasperated that Jiang Yu had overlooked the crucial detail—the upcoming newcomer award.

“And the editor I know is only the one in charge of Ms. Kasashiko, who was recently promoted to chief editor for discovering her,” Aki Lunya explained briefly to clarify Jiang Yu’s doubts.

Seeing Jiang Yu’s “I see” expression, Aki Lunya continued without pause, “Besides, Undying River’s distribution channels in the country are not much different from the Big Three. The reason those three are recognized as the top light novel libraries is their high public awareness.”

“Public awareness?” Jiang Yu mused.

“Yes, basically if you mention light novel libraries, those three are the first to come to mind. It’s like how, when you mention sports brands, you immediately think of Nike and Adidas…”

Aki Lunya tried to clarify the concept for the apparently confused Jiang Yu.

“No, I get it. In other words, it’s about brand impression, right?” Jiang Yu interrupted, indicating his understanding.

“Exactly. And that ‘impression’ is ingrained by the steady stream of excellent works these libraries have published, just like ‘Glass Shards’ is recognized for consistently producing quality games…”