Multi-Anime, Kira Yoshikage Desires a Peaceful Life

Furthermore, Slayers and Record of Lodoss War are both works from 27 years ago.

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen is from 22 years ago, and even The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series is already 13 years old.

But Fantasy Demon Blade Legend has only been out for two years!

In just two years, with a cumulative circulation of 14 million copies, it has surged to the third-place throne—this is absolutely an unprecedented achievement!

It was thanks to this success that Kagurazaka Ayame could become the editor-in-chief, sit in this meeting room, and stand on equal footing with seniors who average ten years older than her!

And besides Senju Murasama and Fantasy Demon Blade Legend, she also has a batch of excellent authors under her command, who have swept various Light Novel Grand Prize awards over the past two years—among the 13 Newcomer Grand Prize winners in these two years, three works came from authors under Kagurazaka Ayame!

That might seem like less than a quarter, but don't forget there are over a dozen editors-in-chief here!

So someone like her truly has the right to say, "Because this is a work I reviewed."

Though it sounds a bit arrogant, she certainly has the capital for it.

An old-school editor with a worrying hairline spoke up in dissatisfaction:

"Kagurazaka, that's a bit too arrogant. Infinite Stratos has decent prose, but its overall quality is clearly inferior to Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World."

"I'm just stating my opinion,"

Kagurazaka Ayame shrugged nonchalantly:

"Besides, the director asked me to say it."

The director, who had been thrown under the bus, looked a bit helpless but couldn't say anything.

Thanks to these two speaking up, the other editors-in-chief began weighing in with their opinions.

"Actually, I think Accel World is pretty good too. The sci-fi setting with a future worldview is very novel and should appeal to young readers.

Especially for readers who are already a bit tired of the 'other world' genre, this work might just break out as a dark horse!"

"I also think Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World is excellent. While some readers might be fatigued with the other world genre, there's no denying it's still the mainstream."

"Speaking of which, I feel Kino's Journey is quite outstanding. Though its theme differs greatly from the mainstream, both the prose and plot are flawless! With a traveler's perspective, passing through different countries, experiencing different stories, and all of it containing thought-provoking philosophy—this type of work is almost unprecedented. I believe even readers tired of the other world genre won't reject this masterpiece!"

"Masterpiece? I beg to differ. For the mainstream, Re:Zero is the true masterpiece!"

"I think Re:Zero is the next Fantasy Demon Blade Legend. Who agrees, who opposes?"

"I oppose! Kino's Journey is the future!"

"What use is your opposition? You tasteless fool!"

"I have no taste? Hah, let me be blunt—your taste is a pile of crap!"

"Kino's Journey is very good, though I wish the author would change the ending of 'The Land of Gentle People.'"

"I still think Re:Zero is the masterpiece, but I agree with you on that point."

"Change? It can't be changed! If the ending of The Land of Gentle People changes, the story loses its meaning!"

"Is tragedy the only meaning of a work?"

The atmosphere in the meeting room quickly grew tense. What started as rational debate soon devolved into heated arguments, faces flushed red.

"Quiet!"

The director's face darkened as he slammed the table, finally silencing the noisy meeting room.

The director once again turned his questioning gaze to Kagurazaka Ayame:

"Editor Kagurazaka, what are your thoughts on these works?"

"Thoughts?"

Kagurazaka thought for a moment, then spoke:

"Objectively speaking, these works are all very good."

"But if there's one commonality, besides their outstanding quality, it's that their pen names are all very strange."

"..."

The meeting room fell silent instantly. Many editors-in-chief quietly glanced down at the pen names of those works:

Infinite Stratos

Pen name: 17 years old, afraid school isn't violent enough

Accel World

Pen name: Vehicle Killer

Kino's Journey

Pen name: The Last Gentleman of the Joestar Family

Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World

Pen name: 15 years old, wants to be a yangko star

To be fair, they really were all strange.

Suddenly, someone asked:

"Could it be that all these works are from the same author?"

The meeting room fell silent for a moment, as if everyone was weighing the possibility of this guess.

For instance, '17, Afraid Campus Isn't Violent Enough' and '15, Wanting to Be a Yangge Star'—not only were they equally bizarre, but even their formats were identical...

But before anyone could seriously consider it, someone immediately retorted:

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"That's right, this must just be a coincidence."

"Exactly, a coincidence!"

The editors were arguing themselves red-faced, simply because if these works belonged to the same author, they'd likely all end up signed under one editor.

But if they were from different authors, then each of them had a chance to snag one!

Kagurazaka Ayame watched the bickering crowd lazily, looking detached and utterly unconcerned.

Chapter 40: Subway, Old Man, Phone

At 3:20 PM, the bell rang punctually across the campus.

The teacher at the podium packed up their textbooks and left the classroom, while students gathered in small groups, ready to head off to their club activities.

Kira Yoshikage had a club too, but given that the Light Music Club was on the verge of disbandment and no one had informed him of the club room's location, he could legitimately skip club activities.

As usual, he climbed over the wall to leave school, entered Mita Station, and without pausing, boarded the subway that arrived right on time.

Kira Yoshikage found a seat and pulled out his buzzing phone from his pocket.

It was Shimazaki Yuna.

Shimazaki Yuna: "Kira-kun, did you receive an email?"

"What email?"

"It's from an editor at Dengeki Bunko. They seem to think your work has met the standard for signing a contract."

Shimazaki Yuna attached a screenshot of the email and added a worried note: "Kira-kun, could it be a scam?"

Kira Yoshikage thought for a moment and replied:

"Probably not. If they know your email and that you once submitted to Dengeki Bunko, they're likely a real editor."

Most companies in Japan lack awareness of big data, treating data as their own property and refusing to share it with other firms. While this leads to data monopolies, it also ensures the privacy of client information is well protected.

Still, the identity of this so-called 'Dengeki Bunko editor' remained questionable. Normally, the publishing house would wait until the first round of selection ended before sending emails to all passing authors. But with over ten days left until the first-round results were announced, this email clearly didn't follow procedure.

Kira Yoshikage opened his own email and found one from an unknown sender:

"Dear Author, your work Infinite Stratos has been reviewed and meets the standard for signing a contract. For the signing process, please add the editor's LINE for details. When adding the editor's LINE, please specify your book title and author name.

Dengeki Bunko Editor [Chief Editor]: Kagurazaka Ayame

Contact: ..."

Without a doubt, this email was nearly identical to the screenshot Shimazaki Yuna had sent.

Kira Yoshikage didn't hesitate. He copied the LINE account from the email and sent an add request.

He expected to wait a while, but the request was approved almost instantly.

"Hello, are you '17, Afraid Campus Isn't Violent Enough'?"

"Yes."

"I'm the chief editor at Dengeki Bunko, Kagurazaka Ayame. Do you have time to meet in person now?"

Just as Kira Yoshikage was about to reply, Kagurazaka Ayame added another line:

"Your work has the potential for a grand prize. Please contact me as soon as possible."

Kira Yoshikage stared at his phone screen, silent for a long time.

Subway, youth, phone.

Still, the more he looked at it, the more it felt like a scam.

Was the next step asking for a deposit?

Or maybe his work involved sensitive content, and he'd need to pay to unlock it?

Kira Yoshikage thought it over for a moment and replied:

"Tonight at eight, Okura Tokyo Hotel, 'Angel Ladder'."

After sending it, Kira Yoshikage forwarded the chat log to Shimazaki Yuna:

"You can add her LINE. Arrange to meet her at the same place at seven-thirty tonight."

"Okay."

Receiving Shimazaki Yuna's reply, Kira Yoshikage put away his phone.

Whether it was a scam or not, it was all the same.

If it wasn't, that would be best.

If it was, Kira Yoshikage didn't mind letting the Pink Panther touch him a little.

Mm, just a touch.

He promised nothing else—at most, he'd press down with his thumb.

Ding-dong!

The subway arrived at Roppongi Itchome Station. Kira Yoshikage flowed with the crowd out of the station and headed toward the nearby Okura Tokyo Hotel.

Dengeki Bunko Editorial Department.

Kagurazaka Ayame, idling away as she waited for the end of her shift, was in a cheerful mood.

Just now, she had successfully contacted the authors of those works that the editors-in-chief considered "final-worthy."

During the meeting, she had acted as if she couldn't care less about those authors—

But in truth, she had long since secretly tracked down the email addresses those authors used for submissions and, under the name of Dengeki Bunko's editor-in-chief, sent each of them a meeting invitation!

While others were still arguing themselves red-faced over the ownership of the first tower, she had already stolen a march and decided to steal the base outright!

Kagurazaka Ayame's lips curled slightly, her mood soaring.

Some might think her behavior despicable, but she preferred to call it efficient!

"If you don't snatch, where do authors come from?"

Kagurazaka Ayame felt no shame—on the contrary, she took pride in it.