081. Shiko's New Work

Sunday afternoon at one o’clock, in a café beside Immortal River Bookstore.

Utterly bored, Utako Kasumigaoka idly stirred the coffee before her, her gaze wandering aimlessly over the throngs passing outside. On the surface, she appeared the very picture of leisure. Yet, the increasingly rapid tapping of her right leg beneath the table betrayed her true state of mind.

Summoned by her editor for a meeting, only to be left waiting here for an hour—such near-flagrant disregard would test anyone’s composure.

As Kasumigaoka began to seriously contemplate leaving, the café door swung open once more. Having already been disappointed countless times, she didn’t even bother to glance up this time, instead calculating how many more minutes she would wait before walking out.

Then came hurried footsteps, followed by a familiar voice: “Ah—Shi-chan, so you’re here after all!”

Hearing the voice that was long overdue, Kasumigaoka felt no joy; her tone was tinged with impatience. “Editor Machida, would you kindly check the time?”

“Well... Let’s not fuss over such a trivial matter…” Machida Sonoko, flustered and out of breath, caught the look on Kasumigaoka’s face, and quickly changed tack. “In any case, you must have heard how seriously the higher-ups are treating this year’s Newcomers’ Award. Suddenly, they’ve put me in charge of everything, and I’ve barely had a moment to catch my breath.”

“Oh? Congratulations, then, Editor Machida.” It was the first Kasumigaoka had heard of this, but her irritation had accumulated, and her response was lukewarm at best.

Observing that Kasumigaoka had at least returned to her usual demeanor, Machida let out a breath of relief. Not that she feared Kasumigaoka would say anything truly outlandish—after working together for the better part of a year, Machida considered herself quite familiar with the high-school-aged author under her wing.

Besides, Machida knew full well where the fault lay, no matter how deftly she tried to smooth things over.

Seizing her chance to sit, Machida ordered a coffee, then propped her chin on her hands and smiled across the table. “So, Kasumi-sensei, shall we talk about your new manuscript?”

At this, Kasumigaoka set aside her annoyance for the moment, drew her laptop from her bag, powered it on, and opened her draft, placing it between them.

Once she was ready, she said coolly, “Let’s hear your thoughts, Editor Machida. For now, I’ve only planned out the next three volumes, and even those are not fully settled.”

Machida’s eyes widened in surprise. “Shi-chan, you’ve already mapped out three more volumes? That’s so different from your debut with ‘Love Metronome’—back then, even if I didn’t have to chase you for drafts, you only ever managed to deliver just before the deadline…”

Kasumigaoka rapped the table with a hint of exasperation. “Could we discuss your feedback, Editor-in-Chief Machida?”

“Oh—so cold, Shi-chan!” Machida replied in a clearly playful tone. But then her expression grew serious. “This new work is unmistakably yours—full of Kasumi-sensei’s style, and it’s excellent. If before I thought it was good, now I find it lacking in novelty.”

She continued, “Let’s put it this way: it’s a work that meets the standard we expect from you, but compared to your previous series, aside from some changes in plot and the protagonists, it’s essentially the same at its core.”

Kasumigaoka frowned, mulling over every word. After a moment, she asked, puzzled, “What did you mean by ‘if before I thought it was good’?”

Machida, as if waiting for this question, took a flash drive from her bag, plugged it into Kasumigaoka’s laptop, and opened a Word file. Lifting her freshly delivered coffee, she blew on it lightly and said, “Take a look at this first, Shi-chan.”

Kasumigaoka gazed at the screen. The title leapt out in bold letters: “My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected?”

Drawn by curiosity, she read on, soon finding herself absorbed in the text.

At just the right moment, Machida spoke. “This is a manuscript discovered by one of my editors for the Newcomers’ Award—its quality far exceeded our expectations. Because of contract restrictions, I can only show you the first chapter of the first volume.”

“The Newcomers’ Award?” Kasumigaoka murmured.

Even with just a single chapter, she could tell this was an exceptional work. In this year’s contest, if not the grand prize, the Silver Prize would almost certainly be assured. Even if, for some reason, it didn’t win, Machida’s attitude made it clear it would at least receive an editor’s recommendation.

As a fellow writer who had once won the Immortal River Literary Newcomers’ Award, Kasumigaoka found herself suddenly intrigued by this unknown author.

“A bittersweet youth story, is it?” Though she’d only read one chapter, Kasumigaoka felt she’d grasped the essence of this “My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected.”

“If the characterization holds up... it could rise even higher—perhaps even become the flagship title for Immortal River’s youth line.”

Machida sipped her coffee, speaking with conviction.

Kasumigaoka fell silent, appearing calm. “So, what do you expect of me? To imitate?”

Machida shook her head. “No, not imitation—innovation. This work, referred to by the author as ‘Oregairu,’ stands out among similar series in the current market because it shapes its protagonist from his own perspective. I don’t want you to imitate it, or even maintain your current standard—I want you to surpass it, to create something truly new.”

She paused, allowing Kasumigaoka time to digest her words, then continued, “The president’s idea is to promote your new work alongside this Newcomers’ Award winner, perhaps even release them together as a collaboration.”

“So, as a senior, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be outdone by a newcomer, would you, Kasumi-sensei?”

For once, Machida looked at Kasumigaoka with rare seriousness.