Editor and Author

Back home, after shooing Tsuchima Mai off to take a bath, Jiang Yu collapsed onto the sofa, utterly exhausted.

And truly, he was tired—after all, the events of the day would fill twenty-five chapters if the author were to write them out, amounting to about fifty thousand words in total.

It had indeed been a day spent running around, filled with too many happenings. The morning had been manageable enough, but Jiang Yu, whose body had long since grown unaccustomed to exercise, found tagging along with Aki Luna for an afternoon stroll in Akihabara more than he could handle.

So Luna’s frequent part-time jobs must have toughened him up, Jiang Yu mused, since he didn’t even flinch at a high-intensity shopping spree like this.

Staring up at the ceiling, Jiang Yu rested for a long while. Eventually, he sat up, glanced at the tightly closed bathroom door, and, with nothing better to do, pulled out his phone.

The moment he lit up the screen, he noticed a new email in his usual inbox. Opening it, Jiang Yu’s eyes were immediately drawn to the sender: Undying River Publishing.

An acceptance letter? That quickly? Already guessing the nature of the message, he scanned the contents—and sure enough, it was as he suspected.

Jiang Yu, who had some experience with emails of this sort, quickly skipped over the redundant formalities and focused on the editor’s attached LINE ID and nickname.

Black Cat? That name… how to describe it, it felt a little peculiar. Jiang Yu couldn’t help but think so as he stared at the editor’s chosen nickname.

He opened LINE, intending to add his editor, but before he could, a new friend request appeared. Curious, he tapped on it and accepted.

Huh? The avatar really was a black cat.

Jiang Yu, prepared to instantly delete the contact if it turned out to be a bizarre marketer, was caught off guard when a message popped up right away.

“Hello! May I ask if you are Teacher Bai Li Tusu? I’m Black Cat, an editor at Undying River Publishing, and, barring surprises, your future editor.”

A black cat avatar? An editor? Jiang Yu started to put the pieces together.

Are editors this proactive these days? Or perhaps it’s because of the work itself?

After all, “Spring Monogatari” had topped the “This Light Novel Is Amazing!” rankings for three consecutive years—a work whose excellence was beyond question.

An interesting rumor went that when Watari Wataru first wrote the series, he intended it as a single volume, but unexpected popularity pushed him to continue. That it ran to fourteen volumes before Jiang Yu’s soul crossed worlds was something the author never foresaw.

When the publisher requested serialization to continue, Watari hurriedly mapped out about six more volumes’ worth of plot, enabling the series to go on.

As time passed and the story’s influence grew, it became an undisputed favorite among otaku in Jiang Yu’s former world.

As a scholar of the “White School”—no, the “Spring School”—Jiang Yu’s feelings for this story were beyond doubt. It was one of the finest works he’d ever encountered.

Well… granted, he hadn’t encountered all that many works.

Staring at the editor’s message, Jiang Yu pondered briefly, then his fingers nimbly tapped out a reply.

“I wouldn’t dare call myself ‘Teacher.’ But if you mean the author of ‘Spring Monogatari,’ then yes, that’s me.”

The response came almost instantly.

“‘Spring Monogatari’? Is that how you abbreviate the title, Teacher Tusu? Quite fitting! Well, let’s discuss the details of your work, shall we?”

“I’m all ears.” Honestly, you can drop the ‘Teacher’ honorific…

“First, let’s confirm: You’re a newcomer, correct? You submitted your manuscript to us for the Undying River Newcomer Award, yes?”

“That’s right.”

“Great, that makes things easier. For this year’s Newcomer Award, the editors conduct an initial screening, then the selected works are posted on our official website for public rating. The final results are determined by combining reader votes and editorial opinions to award the Grand Prize, Silver Prize, and Recommended Works.”

“Please, go on.”

“So, my contacting you means your work, ‘Spring Monogatari,’ has passed our initial screening. Next, if you’re willing to sign a contract with our publishing house, we’ll feature your work on the Newcomer Award page. What are your thoughts, Teacher Tusu?”

“I’d like to see it published as soon as possible—there are… various pressing matters.”

“I see. In that case, could you come by tomorrow to sign the contract? According to your information, you live in Chiyoda ward, correct?”

“Yes. What time?”

“I’m available during working hours.”

“Then I’ll come to your bookstore at 10 a.m. tomorrow. It’s on Chongwen Road, right? I think I’ve passed by a few times.”

“That’s right, that’s the place. Call me when you arrive—here’s my number: 080-xxxx-xxxx.”

“Understood. After signing, we’ll need to discuss which excerpt of the novel to release, correct?”

“That’s the standard procedure. Is there any inconvenience on your end, Teacher Tusu?”

“I have something urgent tomorrow. Just coming to sign is fine, but if we could settle the excerpt selection now, I’d be very grateful. (bows)”

“No problem! (smile) I just reviewed your manuscript, and my personal suggestion is to release the first chapter, or perhaps part of the second. The initial meeting between Yukinoshita and the protagonist is quite interesting; including a portion of chapter two is optional, since the excerpt only needs to be between ten and thirty thousand characters.”

“How about releasing the complete first chapter?”

“That works perfectly.”

With that, the two exchanged a few more pleasantries online—though it was unclear if they were necessary—and ended the conversation.

Elsewhere, Kuroneko, having put down her phone, dashed excitedly over to where Black Cat lay resting. She scooped up the feline and, like a child, spun and leapt around the room in delight.

“Meow? Meow, meow!” Black Cat cried out in alarm, clinging tightly to Kuroneko’s sleeve. When she finally stopped, the cat leapt from her arms, darted out of the room—which doubled as both living room and bedroom—and vanished who knows where.

After venting her emotions, Kuroneko sent Machida Sonoko a “mission accomplished” emoji, then walked to the window. As she gazed into the thick night, a sudden urge to cry welled up within her.

To have become the editor of a novel with such explosive potential meant her future might be forever changed…

Was she finally, truly about to gain a foothold in this dazzling metropolis?

No… she corrected herself—a stroke of luck for Teacher Tusu to have caught the favor of the Night Queen!

…

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu put down his phone and also gazed out at the night sky. Amid the dazzling neon, a scattering of stars could be seen.

Fixing his eyes on those faint lights, Jiang Yu seemed ready to gather the stars into his gaze.

In that fleeting moment, it was as if a spark ignited deep within his eyes, shining in harmony with the distant stars.