Multi-Anime, Kira Yoshikage Yearns for a Peaceful Life

"Then you—"

"Slap!"

Just as Sagami Minami was about to press further, a fair-skinned palm slammed heavily onto her desk.

The golden-haired girl, lofty as a queen, stared down at her coldly:

"That's enough."

"Nakano-san just transferred here, and you're already so eager to bully her?"

"Bullying? That's not..."

Sagami Minami's momentum instantly deflated. "I-I was just joking with Nakano-san..."

Miura Yumiko cut her off again, without mercy:

"If you're really that bored, you could study instead of spreading rumors and slandering others here."

Sagami Minami's face flushed bright red. The strange looks from her classmates made her feel utterly humiliated.

If this kept up, she would definitely become a complete laughingstock.

It forced her to fight back desperately, gritting her teeth and shouting:

"I'm not spreading rumors!"

"Oh?"

Miura Yumiko exposed her without hesitation:

"Are you close with Kira-kun? Otherwise, how would you know he got into a fight with delinquents from another school over the weekend?"

"Or are you stalking Kira-kun, keeping such close tabs on his every move?"

"Then why are you stalking him? Could it be a crush?"

"No way! How could I ever like a guy like that!"

Sagami Minami denied it outright, just like Nakano Mayu had before.

"So you admit you're spreading rumors?"

Miura Yumiko crossed her arms, looking down at her from above.

"I'm not feeling well... I think I need to go to the infirmary..."

Sagami Minami's face paled as she immediately realized the trap in those words.

The strange gazes around her were unbearable. She didn't dare stay any longer, dropping a single line before fleeing the classroom.

"Thank you."

Nakano Mayu said quietly.

Miura Yumiko glanced at her and replied flatly:

"I wasn't helping you."

The girl turned sharply, her dazzling golden hair tracing a beautiful arc through the air.

She hadn't stepped in for Nakano Mayu's sake, but for Kira Yoshikage, who had been slandered.

The reason she hadn't spoken up from the start was because she knew Kira-kun wouldn't like that kind of attention.

As a popular girl, defending the isolated Kira Yoshikage would only make him the center of attention, completely shattering the peaceful life he craved.

So Miura Yumiko needed the right opportunity, a stepping stone.

And Nakano Mayu was that stepping stone.

Everyone would think she was standing up for Nakano Mayu, and no one would pay any more attention to Kira Yoshikage.

"What's this?"

In the office, Kira Yoshikage took a form from Hiratsuka Shizuka's hand, looking puzzled.

Hiratsuka Shizuka sat cross-legged in her swivel chair and raised an eyebrow:

"A Work-Study Program application. Fill it out now, and I'll submit it for you later to secure a spot."

Fifty part-time slots might seem like a lot, but compared to the massive base of 1,500 students in the Mixed Academy, it was barely a drop in the bucket. After all, that student count was already double that of an ordinary high school, not including the Pure Academy.

In a normal school, most parents wouldn't want their children to work part-time jobs, but this was Shuchiin Academy!

The expensive tuition was indeed beyond what ordinary people could afford, yet most parents gritted their teeth and sent their children here, just to get them into this famous noble school.

And given that this was a part-time program co-sponsored by Shinomiya Kaguya of the Pure Academy and the school administration, it would likely be seen by those parents and students as some kind of "opportunity." A job that both earned money and offered a chance to connect with the Shinomiya Family—no one would turn that down.

So Hiratsuka Shizuka could predict that the number of applicants would be enormous!

That was why she had called Kira Yoshikage over—

Others were doing the part-time work to build ties with the Shinomiya Family, but Kira Yoshikage genuinely couldn't afford to eat without it.

Kira Yoshikage shook his head, placing the form back on the desk, politely declining her kindness:

"No need, Teacher Hiratsuka. I've already found a job."

"The boss is a good person, and I don't want to quit for now."

Hiratsuka Shizuka raised an eyebrow again:

"Are you sure? Ministop's hourly wage is 1200 Yen. There's hardly any part-time job in Tokyo with a higher hourly rate than this!"

"Really, no need. My current job is just fine."

Though he knew Hiratsuka Shizuka meant well, his current job paid a full 2000 Yen per hour, and occasionally older women would give him tips. A mere 1200 Yen an hour wasn't enough to make him switch jobs—unless they raised the pay!

Besides.

Kira Yoshikage had a strong premonition that taking this part-time job would be a lot of trouble.

Hiratsuka Shizuka frowned deeply, assuming Kira Yoshikage was too embarrassed to quit on the shop owner. High schoolers all cared about face—she could understand that.

But this opportunity was truly rare, and she didn't want to see Kira Yoshikage let it slip by.

Hiratsuka Shizuka clicked her tongue:

"Don't be so absolute. There's still a week until the application deadline. Think it over properly."

She had already decided she'd find a chance to visit Kira Yoshikage's workplace and pick some faults!

Chapter 39: What's There to Argue About?

Tokyo Metropolis, Chiyoda Ward, Fujimi 1-chome 8-19.

Inside the Dengeki Bunko editorial office meeting room.

Kagurazaka Ayame sat on the right side of the room, her gaze sweeping over the other chief editors on both sides.

Two weeks had passed since the Dengeki Bunko Newcomer Grand Prize submission deadline. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the editorial staff, the 4,607 submitted works had been largely reviewed.

Though the timeline was tight, there was no helping it—

The list had to be announced before May 10th, but Golden Week started on April 28th.

During these few days, there were four consecutive national holidays, plus the usual weekends, adding up to at least a week of rest, with the longest stretch reaching eleven days!

And this year's Golden Week holiday, though not a full eleven days, still spanned a solid nine.

The upside was that corporate slaves could get a good rest; the downside was that Golden Week ended on May 7th—

Leaving only three days until the list's announcement deadline.

By then, employees who'd been off for ten straight days wouldn't be able to jump straight into work. That's why Dengeki Bunko had to rush today, the last day before Golden Week, to preliminarily finalize the first-round selection list for the Newcomer Grand Prize.

The editorial department chief, Tachibana Tōru, opened the discussion:

"I've already reviewed the files you submitted. No major revisions needed. The total number of works advancing is 1,123."

"Pass them around and check if any works have been overlooked."

The files were quickly distributed to each chief editor, and the meeting room soon fell silent, filled only with the rustle of turning pages.

Every editor received a different file, because it didn't contain the full list of works. Instead, it listed only the works they were responsible for reviewing, making it easier for them to confirm nothing was missed.

This process didn't last long. Soon, everyone raised their heads and looked toward Chief Tachibana.

"Chief, no omissions."

"Same on my end."

Tachibana Tōru swept his gaze across the room:

"Since there are no issues, let's move to the next topic."

"Among this batch of Grand Prize submissions, which work do you think has the most potential?"

Though this was only the first round of selection, discussions about which works deserved awards had already begun here.

Editors typically divided all submissions into four tiers for evaluation:

Grand Prize, Gold Prize, Silver Prize, and Encouragement Prize.

For most works, their fate was already sealed at this moment.

The Encouragement Prize corresponded to the first round, the Silver Prize to the second, and the Gold Prize qualified for the third round.

Usually, only works marked as Grand Prize candidates had a shot at the final award stage.

But faced with Tachibana Tōru's question, many of the chief editors hesitated.

Almost every chief editor had one or two works they'd labeled as Grand Prize candidates—

These works might not actually have award-winning quality, but they were still given that rating.

The reason was simple: they couldn't let the chief editor lose face, so they padded the numbers.

And precisely because they knew their own works were just filler, they were even less willing to answer this loaded question...

Seeing no one volunteer, Tachibana Tōru had to call someone out.

His gaze landed on Kagurazaka Ayame, who was idly chewing on a pen and spacing out on the right side. He asked abruptly:

"Editor Kagurazaka, do you have any thoughts?"

"Huh?"

The named Kagurazaka Ayame was a bit dazed. She blinked, then answered without hesitation:

"If you're asking me, I'd definitely pick Infinite Stratos!"

The editor-in-chief pressed further:

"And the reason?"

Kagurazaka Ayame patted her ample chest, brimming with confidence:

"Because it's the work I edited!"

The meeting room fell silent. The other editors-in-chief wore expressions of mixed emotions.

Some were envious, others jealous.

Two years ago, Kagurazaka Ayame was just an ordinary editor, but under her wing was an author writing under the pen name Senju Murasama.

And in less than two years, Senju Murasama's Fantasy Demon Blade Legend had surpassed a cumulative circulation of fourteen million copies!

An outsider might not grasp what fourteen million copies in two years meant, but an insider could only describe it in two words—

Terrifying beyond measure!

Before this, the top of the Light Novel bestseller list in all of Japan was The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series.

To date, its total circulation had exceeded twenty-four million copies.

Second place was Slayers, with a cumulative circulation of over twenty million copies.

Third and fourth were Sorcerous Stabber Orphen and Record of Lodoss War, each with cumulative circulations around ten million copies.

And Senju Murasama-sensei's Fantasy Demon Blade Legend had, in just two years, reached a terrifying cumulative circulation of fourteen million copies, successfully surpassing Sorcerous Stabber Orphen to claim third place on the all-time Light Novel circulation rankings!