Image: "Chapter-End Artwork Appreciation", location: "Images/1755001023-100446961-113715147.jpg"
The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Online Reviews of DanMachi
After clicking into the comments of several sharing posts, Sakurakoji Talent mentally prepared himself to face the storm of the internet.
Honestly, it was his first time seeing other people critique his work online, so he was somewhat nervous. Though he claimed on the surface not to care about the book's performance, nervousness was nervousness. Perhaps it was humanity's innate longing for recognition.
His brows furrowed slightly, and his usually fair face was rarely so tense. A hint of seriousness showed in his eyes as he began reading the comments. The first was a post discussing the illustrations.
"Wow, this cover illustration is way too gorgeous, isn't it? The style is really unique too. Could it be the work of some new artist?"
"Probably. I've never seen the name Yukimi Sakura before."
"With this level of skill, isn't it a waste to draw light novel covers? I can't approve unless they draw doujinshi."
"The author and illustrator are actually the same person! Does he draw his own illustrations? That's hardcore!"
"Are light novel writers this competitive these days? You also have to master such amazing drawing skills? How are other writers supposed to survive?"
"..."
Hmph~
Seeing that most of the comments were compliments, Sakurakoji Talent narrowed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed the reviews were decent. As a popular newcomer who had just entered the industry, he had apparently avoided the risk of getting flamed by coordinated troll attacks.
As expected of me!
After backing out, he opened another video-sharing post.
"Brothers, believe me! This is absolutely the best newcomer work of the past half year!"
"With delicate writing, Yukimi Sakura-sensei's fresh depictions of psychology and emotion are truly a breath of fresh air in the modern light novel scene!"
"And its worldview is unique, completely different from traditional power-leveling stories! Anyone who likes Western fantasy absolutely can't miss it!"
"Even if you don't like straightforward stories, just look at the illustrations. If you don't buy it after that, you're this! I won't say much else—please watch the VCR!"
"..."
In the video, the blogger enthusiastically praised the quality of the book while holding the first volume of DanMachi in his hands, endlessly telling viewers about its wonderful aspects. Sakurakoji Talent got goosebumps just listening to it and hurriedly pressed pause before opening the comments.
"Since Tsukishima-sama recommended it, I have to check it out."
"I bought one too and finished it. Forgot the beginning, forgot the end, but anyway, 666."
"This illustration style is so novel, and it feels incredibly fresh. It has this elegant watercolor feel... The illustrator is actually the same person as the author?!"
"I read this too, but I think the author tried way too hard with the character portrayals. It didn't feel very good."
"..."
Sakurakoji Talent rubbed his eyes. Had something filthy just slipped in there?
Just as he expected, for viewers who had yet to read the book itself, most discussions focused on praising the illustrations and being surprised that the author and illustrator were the same person.
That was something he had deliberately arranged beforehand. The reason he had not used two pen names was precisely to achieve this effect—maxing out the early buzz!
This way, even if the possibility was small, even if initial sales were not very impressive, it could still generate considerable discussion and traffic, which could then feed back into sales.
He continued browsing a few more video and image posts. Most praised the author and the book, while a small number mindlessly trashed the content and illustrations. For those, he simply reported and blocked them in one go!
Putting down his phone, Sakurakoji Talent walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.
At an elevation of two or three hundred meters, it stood head and shoulders above the surrounding area. From the top floor, he could take in the vast scenery ahead, including Tokyo Bay in the distance.
Rows upon rows of buildings spread beneath his feet, dotting the earth like puzzle pieces alongside parks, green woods, and little plazas. Pedestrians on the roads were nearly invisible—forget lines, they had shrunk into individual pixels. Anyone with poor eyesight would not even be able to see them.
"Humans are not even as good as ants."
After saying that altered classic line, Sakurakoji Talent felt a slight sense of satisfaction. Another thing he had wanted to do was complete.
Knock, knock.
A sound came from the door. Knowing it was the staff member who came for the daily cleaning, Sakurakoji Talent raised his voice slightly.
"Come in."
The unlocked door was pushed open, and a girl wearing the Sakurakoji Family's Maid Outfit walked in.
His gaze crossed the spacious room and landed on her standing far away on the other side. Sakurakoji Talent smiled with amusement.
"Miss Aoyama, that outfit suits you quite well too."
"P-Please don't make fun of me!" Aoyama Nanami blushed furiously. Her eyes darted away as her Hands nervously clutched the hem of her Maid Outfit, not knowing where to put them.
She still wore her sharp high ponytail, but now there was a white headband on her head. The lively aura contained within the young, beautiful girl could not be fully concealed even by the Maid Outfit. Instead, it gave her a different sort of charm.
"I wasn't making fun of you. That's what I genuinely think." Seeing her embarrassment, Sakurakoji Talent gently shook his head.
"Compared to how you usually dress, this outfit looks better on you."
"...Thank you."
Seeing that he truly did not mean to tease her, Aoyama Nanami shyly accepted his compliment.
"Are you getting used to the work here? Is there anything you find difficult?" Sakurakoji Talent asked about her work situation.
"Mm-hm, no. Miss Yashiro has been very responsible in teaching me. There are a lot of things and rules to remember, but I think it should be fine."
As she said this, Aoyama Nanami revealed a bright smile as well.
To familiarize herself with the work here, she had even taken the day off from school. Fortunately, she had already achieved Perfect Attendance, so it did not matter if she did not attend school from now until spring break.
Though she had only spent a day observing and learning, with Yashiro Ichiyo's attentive instruction and her own strong learning ability, she had already grasped most of what a maid needed to do. Next came becoming proficient through practice.
As for the skills needed for certain special tasks, she could only follow the senior maids and learn when the time came.
Before this, she had never known that real maids were like this. It was completely different from what she had imagined. Only after seeing it up close did she realize that this was also a profession worthy of great respect.
"That's good." Sakurakoji Talent had only asked casually. Naturally, he trusted both her abilities and those of his family's maids.
"Thanks to Sakurakoji-san, I was able to receive this opportunity. Thank you so much!" Aoyama Nanami looked earnest as she bowed deeply in thanks.
"Hmm?" A trace of displeasure entered Sakurakoji Talent's voice.
That startled Aoyama Nanami. She quickly understood where the problem lay and answered tentatively.
"...Thank you, Young Master?"
"Mm." Sakurakoji Talent assumed an expression that said this was more like it, then reproached her. "As a maid of the Sakurakoji Family, don't call me Sakurakoji-san in the future. Call me Young Master or Talent Young Master."
"Of course, I'll call you Nanami directly from now on."
"Yes." Aoyama Nanami shrank back slightly, the tips of her ears flushing red as she responded in a soft, hesitant voice.
"Very good!"
Image: "Five-Finger Fist-Heart Sword", location: "Images/1755749264-100446961-113719142.jpg"
Author: Thanks for ATTRHT's spicy strips~
The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Why Are You Still Writing This Crap of a Novel?
Hmm?
Sakurakoji Talent suddenly widened his eyes. Feeling the healing progress within him change once more, the way he looked at Aoyama Nanami subtly changed as well.
He had not received any healing points from her for several days. It seemed that their relationship had advanced from calling each other by surname to calling each other by name, bringing them closer and causing this result.
"...Go finish your work. Don't mind me." As he processed this information, Sakurakoji Talent instructed her to move freely.
"Ah, yes!" Aoyama Nanami did not notice the change in his mood. After agreeing, she began cleaning his room.
Sakurakoji Talent's residence—the entire top floor of Ten no Yashiro—was a Loft Apartment. Because of its enormous area, along with the many precautions required for cleaning expensive furniture and hard-to-reach corners, cleaning it every day took quite a bit of time.
Naturally, he could not clean such a large house by himself. Though he could have done so, and for certain reasons he was confident he could get full marks in household skills, he was very busy now and had no time to spend on such things. Previously, he had people come up at set times to tidy the place. After Aoyama Nanami arrived yesterday, the job had been handed over to her.
Since he had yet to arrange a Personal Maid for himself like his younger sister had, Yashiro Ichiyo suggested that Aoyama Nanami become his Personal Maid in the future and take care of his daily affairs. After brief consideration, Sakurakoji Talent agreed.
That was fine too. Having someone he knew clean and manage his private space made him feel more comfortable.
Watching Aoyama Nanami move back and forth through the room, her movements light, careful, nimble, and quick, Sakurakoji Talent sighed inwardly as he watched her focused expression. He only hoped that nothing he worried about would happen later.
That afternoon, he arrived beneath the Fumikage Bunko building at the agreed time and address.
After finding the conspicuous Fumikage Bunko sign and confirming he was in the right place, he entered the building.
He stepped into the elevator and lightly pressed the floor button with his fingertip. The elevator quickly rose to the editorial office floor.
Walking through the reasonably spacious corridor, he checked the room numbers and signs once again. He passed the shared large office, then walked carefully past room after room until he finally stopped before a door bearing the correct number and knocked.
"Come in."
A young woman's voice came from behind the door. Sakurakoji Talent did not hesitate and pushed the door open directly.
Like any other standard private office, the first thing that entered his sight was a long table covered in folders, sheets of paper, pens, and a computer. Behind all of that sat a woman whose eyes were still fixed on the computer.
She wore shoulder-length short hair and a standard business suit, dressed exactly like an office lady.
Hearing the door open, she glanced toward it before standing up in surprise.
"Um, is there something you need? This is the Bunko editorial office, not the talent agency department."
"If you're looking for production crew or planning staff, you may need to go to another floor."
Machida Enko felt that her eyes, which had long suffered under computer blue light, had received a little healing at that moment. Who was this person? Some celebrity?
No, no, she had never seen a celebrity this good-looking! If taking a photo had not been so rude, she would have taken out her phone already.
He had probably come to the wrong place, so she kindly directed him. At the same time, she widened her eyes, wanting to memorize his appearance so she could look up his identity online later, show off to her coworkers, and use it to put down Shi-chan, who was always smug about her youth and beauty!
"Sorry to bother you. I'm Yukimi Sakura, the author of DanMachi."
"I arranged to meet the deputy editor-in-chief here today. Is this the right place?"
Not picking up on her somewhat baffling topic, Sakurakoji Talent gave a polite smile for their first meeting and briefly introduced himself.
"Nani?"
Machida Enko's sapphire-blue eyes widened. She could not believe what she had just heard. Rubbing the corners of her tired eyes, she looked at Sakurakoji Talent again and asked in astonishment.
"Sorry, maybe I stayed up too late and got tinnitus, so I heard wrong. What did you just say?"
"I said I'm Yukimi Sakura, the new author scheduled to come here today. Is this the Fumikage Bunko editorial office?"
"..."
After confirming that she had not misheard, Machida Enko became even more stunned. She stared blankly at Sakurakoji Talent, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Seriously? Bro?
With that face, why were you writing light novels? Wouldn't it be better to debut on the spot?!
Weren't light novel writers mostly chūnibyō boys and girls, or sloppy middle-aged men?
She had worked in this industry for so many years, and Shi-chan was the only young, beautiful female author under her!
As for the appearance of the person before her, all she could say was that it would be an absolute waste of talent if he did not become a model or celebrity!
Since when did light novel writers need such high looks? Machida Enko's expression became incredibly complicated.
"? Hello?" Seeing that she remained silent for so long, Sakurakoji Talent could not help reminding her.
What did you mean by staring at me like the sky had fallen? I wasn't some kind of monster. For a first meeting, shouldn't you at least invite me inside? Was it polite to leave me standing at the door like this?
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry! I got lost in thought for a moment!"
"Yes, this is indeed Fumikage's editorial department. Please come in!"
Coming back to herself, Machida Enko hurriedly invited him in, stepped aside, and personally poured him some tea.
"Please sit."
After placing a disposable cup on the other side of the desk, she pointed at a chair and invited Sakurakoji Talent to sit.
"Thank you."
Sakurakoji Talent sat down calmly. Machida Enko returned to her seat, still staring at him in disbelief.
Before you continue