037. Sonoko Machida

"Eh~ Shiko, are you almost done with the first volume of your new work? Just a week ago you hadn’t made any progress at all…”
Chiyoda District, Tokyo, Island Country. Undying River Bookstore, in the editorial office of a certain publishing house.
Machida Sonoko, dressed in an unusually sharp black suit for a publisher’s editor, was taking advantage of her rare break to tease the author stuck in writer’s block under her charge.
Unexpectedly, she received news that progress on the new work was going well. Outwardly, she was teasing her author, but in truth, she was concerned about the manuscript’s status. Sonoko found herself genuinely surprised.
“If you’d drop that nickname, I might actually tell you what’s going on.” The voice on the other end of the phone sounded impatient, yet resigned.
Sonoko’s makeup was understated, her heels were low, and her hair cropped short, giving her an energetic, lively air that matched her frank speech.
“Eh~ Shiko, just tell me, won’t you? After all, I’m the one responsible for looking after you.” Sonoko replied with an exaggerated grin, speaking in a deliberately flamboyant manner.
“Make it clear—you’re only responsible for ‘looking after’ my work, Editor Machida!” The voice on the phone grew louder, punctuated by the sound of something repeatedly hitting the floor.
“Heh… alright then, Teacher Kasashiko, please tell your dear editor what’s going on with the new manuscript?” Sonoko dropped her playful tone, though her words remained informal.
The other side began narrating at length, while Sonoko interjected with dramatic exclamations from time to time.
“It’s not TAKI this time? You actually switched to a different boy?!”
“That boy plays the piano so well? So the new work leans toward music? Shiko, do you have the background knowledge for that?”
“Hm… you don’t? Just a skill to introduce into the plot, not the main theme? I think you could dig deeper into that potential, you know.”
“Eh~ and the boy’s your junior? This really is an ultra-development straight out of a galgame, with the heroine descending from the heavens to meet the protagonist…”
“…Heh, alright, alright, Shiko, go ahead, I won’t interrupt anymore, okay?”

“…”
“So, the new story is set in Harmonious City again? Is it connected to the previous work?”
“Eh~ just the same place, same timeline, but a story happening between different characters… I’d prefer if you could bring the previous characters in, even just a bit.”
“Shiko, don’t be so stubborn. You’re already planning to build an IP and rake in the money—ah, no, I mean to promote the region and maybe earn a little income.”
“Chief Editor Machida! The president wants you in the meeting!” a colleague suddenly called out.
“Ah~ Shiko, you heard that, right? I’ll hang up now. Next time, let’s discuss your mysterious little boyfriend~” Sonoko teased, and before the other could protest, ended the call.
“...Another meeting? The Newcomer Prize season is truly exhausting~” Sonoko stretched and headed toward the conference room.
By the time she arrived, most of the staff had already gathered. As a newly promoted editor-in-chief, Sonoko naturally had little say in senior management meetings like these. Her seat was far from the president’s.
But as a newcomer to the management ranks, Sonoko didn’t expect to have any real influence in such meetings.
Most of the time, Sonoko played the role of listener, perhaps occasionally reporting on her department’s recent works—what had been bestsellers, which might be axed.
Then she’d receive a lukewarm nod from the president.
This really is the battlefield of the workplace, Sonoko mused, gazing idly at the patterns on the meeting table, waiting for the gathering to begin.
Soon, everyone had assembled. President Kawashima Yasuno stood, coughed twice, and launched into a lengthy speech.
He’s already over fifty, isn’t he? Still so dedicated… Sonoko mused.

“Colleagues, everyone is aware of the current state of the publishing industry. Recently, light novels have become increasingly formulaic. Readers may tolerate this for a few years, but what about after that? In fact, some are already voicing dissatisfaction. As publishers, we must not only deliver popular works, but also anticipate the future of the market. For example…”
“…In short, we must place great importance on this Newcomer Prize. The evaluation standards must be raised. It’s better to have fewer new entries than to let in works that lack allure! I hope you can discover something as captivating as last year’s grand prize winner, ‘Love Metronome’!”
At last, Kawashima finished his monologue and took a sip of tea to soothe his dry throat, then continued, “Editor Yamaguchi, please explain the key points for this year’s Newcomer Prize.”
A middle-aged man in a black suit and neat, efficient hairstyle stood, bowed slightly, and said, “Yes! Allow me to brief everyone on the main considerations for this year’s Newcomer Prize. First…”
Sonoko listened intently, mentally summarizing the obviously scripted speech.
First, the works recommended for this year’s prize must not be too formulaic; originality is the top priority in the selection process.
Second, the prize must be widely publicized, aiming not to fall short of the spring joint Newcomer Prize held by Dengeki Bunko and Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko.
Third, the judging period will not exceed one month. Aside from pre-submitted entries, submissions during the judging period will also be accepted.
Finally—and most importantly—any cheating will be strictly forbidden. The fairness of the prize must be guaranteed. Technical staff will stand by to prevent malicious voting. If any such behavior is reported or discovered, the work’s eligibility will be immediately revoked.
Sonoko, deeply shocked, gazed at the silver-haired, aged figure at the head of the table, moved by his decision.
This was not just a matter of resolve, but also a profound passion for light novels.
In the light novel industry, and indeed in any field, it’s rare for a successful company to break the stagnant waters of its industry and inject new vitality.
The foresight and decisiveness revealed here were not qualities possessed by ordinary entrepreneurs. Even if the driving force was the company’s own growth, such enterprising spirit is seldom seen in large corporations like Undying River.