Multi-Anime, Kira Yoshikage Desires a Peaceful Life

The reason she managed to sign Senju Murasama-sensei was nothing but snatching her away, wasn't it? Otherwise, why would such an award-winning author choose to sign under her?

Whether it was connections or resources, those veteran editors were far ahead of her, even now when Senju Murasama-sensei had created a sales miracle.

But there was one thing those veteran editors couldn't match—

They weren't willing enough to grind!

Kagurazaka Ayame cheerfully replied to the author she'd noted as "Vehicle Killer-sensei," then paused:

"Okura Hotel?"

The location itself wasn't a problem. Okura Hotel was a five-star establishment, and the "Angel Ladder" on the top floor was a frequent haunt for high society.

But wasn't this too much of a coincidence?

How could all these authors choose the same place, and at the same time?

"Could it really be the same person?"

Kagurazaka Ayame inexplicably recalled another editor's speculation, but quickly shook her head to dismiss it.

One person submitting multiple works wasn't unheard of in Dengeki Bunko's history. Last year, there was even an author deranged enough to submit over a dozen works at once!

But while the quantity was high, the quality was truly worrying—most didn't even pass the first round of selection.

Yet if it really was the same person, why would the author use different email addresses to submit?

Not just email addresses, even the LINE accounts were different.

It couldn't be that the other party was so bored they used four accounts to send her the same information, could it?

Kagurazaka Ayame muttered to herself:

"Coincidence, it has to be a coincidence."

Shimazaki Yuna sent the chat screenshots to Kira Yoshikage and asked nervously:

"Kira-kun, is this okay?"

"It's okay, but..."

The account labeled Kira-kun quickly replied, making Shimazaki Yuna's heart leap into her throat:

"But what?"

Kira-kun: "But why are there three screenshots?"

Shimazaki Yuna: "Because I used three different accounts, so I had to screenshot them separately."

Kira-kun: "Why use three accounts?"

Shimazaki Yuna: "Because Kira-kun said you didn't want to attract attention..."

Kira-kun: "These three books are all yours. What do they have to do with me?"

Shimazaki Yuna: "But..."

Kira-kun: "Besides, even if you use three different accounts, where are you going to find two other people to meet Kagurazaka Ayame? Do you know the Clone Technique?"

"Ugh~"

Shimazaki Yuna weakly lowered her head. It seemed she hadn't considered that problem.

She struggled to type out a reply:

"I could ask a friend to help..."

Halfway through typing, Shimazaki Yuna's fingers paused, and she silently deleted the words.

Asking a friend for help would make things complicated. They'd ask questions, and it would make Kira-kun dislike her.

Besides.

She didn't have any friends.

Chapter 41: Is This It?

"Angel Ladder"

A purple-haired girl in glasses, wearing a white dress, stepped out of the elevator. She glanced around and quickly spotted the familiar figure standing behind the bar.

The girl sat down on a high stool at the counter, pretending to be nonchalant as she asked in a faltering voice:

"Um, could I have a... uh~, what do you recommend here?"

Never having been to a place like this, Shimazaki Yuna stumbled. She had no idea what one usually ordered here.

"How about lemon water?"

Kira Yoshikage treated her like any other customer, his tone normal.

"Uh~, okay."

Shimazaki Yuna nodded obediently, her gaze wandering as she sized up the other patrons around her.

Just then, her phone vibrated. She picked it up and glanced at it.

"I'm here, 'Vehicle Killer' sensei. Where are you?"

"I'm at the counter."

"Hold on, I'll be right there!"

At the elevator entrance, a mature woman in Office Lady attire with short, ear-length hair walked straight toward the counter. She looked at the only girl seated there and asked uncertainly, "Are you 'Vehicle Killer' sensei?"

Shimazaki Yuna seemed a bit nervous: "Hello, Editor Kagurazaka. My name is Shimazaki Setsuna."

Kagurazaka Ayame smiled warmly: "No need to be so tense. Just chat with me like a friend."

"Your lemon water."

Kira Yoshikage placed a freshly mixed glass of lemon water on the counter.

"Thank you."

Shimazaki Setsuna thanked him softly, bit the straw, and took a sip. The cool, refreshing taste filled her mouth, helping her calm down a little and feel less nervous.

Kagurazaka Ayame said, "I'll have a Gin and Tonic."

"One moment."

After receiving the blond bartender's response, Kagurazaka Ayame turned her attention back to Shimazaki Setsuna and asked with a smile, "'Vehicle Killer' sensei..."

Shimazaki Setsuna hesitated and interrupted her: "Could you not call me that name?"

Kagurazaka Ayame immediately corrected herself, her smile unchanged: "Then, Shimazaki sensei, regarding this Dengeki Novel Award, what expectations do you have for your work?"

Shimazaki Setsuna finally seemed to show a flicker of interest: "Is there a chance to win the Gold Prize?"

"There is~"

Kagurazaka Ayame nodded affirmatively, not sparing her praise: "Shimazaki sensei's Accel World is outstanding in both setting and plot, and the writing is excellent—it could go straight to publication without any editing. A work like this, in any other year, would absolutely lock down the Gold Prize!"

"However, the number of high-quality works this year is really a bit overwhelming. Accel World might have to share the Gold Prize with other works, or even settle for the Silver Prize..."

Shimazaki Setsuna wasn't disappointed. Instead, she seemed relieved, patting her chest as she said, "The Silver Prize is already good enough."

Kagurazaka Ayame's gaze grew even more approving. Her mentality was much better than she'd imagined.

And her personality was great too—what a wonderful kid!

In truth, when she'd discovered that the author she was looking for was a beautiful young girl, she'd been a bit surprised.

Plus, the other party looked quite young, as if she were only a high school student.

This made Kagurazaka Ayame even more overjoyed.

Over at Fusousha, an editor who preferred to remain unnamed, Machida Sonoko, bragged to her every day about having a JK beautiful girl author under her wing. Even though sales weren't great—not even close to a fraction of Senju Murasama sensei's—it still annoyed Kagurazaka Ayame.

So she'd been holding a grudge, wanting to get back at her.

And now, wasn't this opportunity practically handing itself to her?

"Um."

Shimazaki Setsuna stole a glance at Kira Yoshikage, who was mixing drinks, and asked quietly, "Can I ask a few questions?"

Kagurazaka Ayame smiled and nodded: "Of course. What does Shimazaki sensei want to know?"

Shimazaki Setsuna asked with some confusion, "It's only been a short while since the submission deadline, and the first round of judging isn't even over yet. Why did Miss Kagurazaka come to find me so quickly?"

Kagurazaka Ayame raised a finger and explained, "It's simple. Even though the submission deadline just passed, the review process doesn't start from the deadline."

"Actually, most works are submitted months, or even half a year, before the award deadline."

"For those works, we have plenty of time to review them."

"As for works submitted within the last month before the deadline, they make up less than a quarter of the total."

"Although there are many, when you divide them up, each editor ends up reviewing very few works."

"Although the first-round results are announced on May 10th, the related work has actually already been completed ahead of time."

"As for why I sought out Teacher Shimazaki..."

Kagurazaka Ayame put on an air of mystery:

"Think of it this way—the Dengeki Novel Award process is like panning for gold."

"Most of the submitted works are copper ore; only a small portion are gold ore."

"The purpose of the first round is to filter out that copper ore, leaving behind the more valuable gold ore."

"Then, in the second and third rounds, those gold ores are sifted again."

"Eliminating the ones with too many impurities, keeping only the higher-purity gold ore."

"Only the purest batch makes it to the finals."

"But Teacher Shimazaki's work isn't gold ore—it's real gold, shining with a brilliant luster!"

"Gold ore needs to be screened and refined to determine its quality, but real gold can be seen with the naked eye, basically locking in a spot in the finals in advance."

"It's just that this time, there's a bit too much real gold, so there might be some variation in the rankings."

As she spoke, Kagurazaka Ayame added reassuringly:

"The final ranking of a work actually has a lot to do with the editor's personal preferences."

"Even if it only ends up winning the Gold Prize, that doesn't mean Teacher Shimazaki's work is inferior to others."

"Can Teacher Shimazaki understand what I'm saying?"

Shimazaki Yuna nodded thoughtfully, then asked with curiosity:

"If Accel World can only win the Gold Prize, then which works are qualified to win the Grand Prize?"

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Kagurazaka Ayame's lips. She wasn't surprised by this question.