Chapter 63: Saturday Is Contract-Signing Day!
Because Idol had exploded in popularity, every member of Michiru's band was quickly doxxed by overenthusiastic internet users.
Their schools were exposed.
Even their home addresses leaked online.
And the people seeking them out weren't limited to talent scouts hoping to sign them. There were also obsessive fans, with male otaku making up a particularly noticeable portion.
There was a reason so many people had a negative impression of otaku.
A few extreme examples were enough to ruin the reputation of everyone else, just like one rotten apple spoiling the barrel.
Most outsiders had no way to reliably distinguish harmless fans from dangerous ones.
When personal safety was involved, treating everyone with caution was simply the safest choice.
Once the unwanted attention began interfering with normal life, Michiru's excitement over becoming famous quickly turned into frustration.
None of the band members, Michiru included, dared go outside much anymore.
And so they hid at home for nearly a week.
Fortunately, internet attention had a short lifespan.
Once the initial frenzy cooled down, they should be able to resume their normal lives.
As for Mai's invitation, the entire band reached the same decision.
They would leave it to their manager.
Wherever Saku wanted them to sign, they would sign.
No objections.
Mai became even more satisfied after seeing that attitude.
If the girls had become famous and immediately bypassed Saku to make their own decisions, Mai would've needed to reconsider bringing them into her studio.
She had little patience for people who forgot who had helped them succeed.
Unfortunately, Mai's personal studio hadn't officially been established yet, so any contract with Icy Tail would have to wait.
That suited Michiru and the others just fine.
After experiencing the darker side of sudden fame, they'd become almost allergic to the idea of exploding in popularity again anytime soon.
A period of calm would be good for them.
Music needed time to mature too.
Next time, they wanted to create something themselves rather than relying on another song Saku handed them.
...
Saturday arrived.
As promised, Saku went with Kasumigaoka Utaha to Fushikawa Fantastic Bunko.
Several days had already passed.
It was finally time to make the light-novel contract official.
Normally, the publishing house would've been closed for the weekend.
Machida Sonoko, however, had voluntarily come in to work overtime just to secure Saku's signature.
Because it was Saturday, there weren't many employees in the office.
Yet nearly everyone who was there seemed to know Utaha.
The moment she led Saku inside, people greeted her warmly from every direction.
"Senpai, you're pretty popular around here."
"Isn't that obvious?"
Utaha had clearly put extra effort into her appearance today.
She wore a brown sleeveless top with a long dark-gray plaid skirt, subtle makeup, and a pair of black heels.
The overall effect made her look considerably more mature than an ordinary high-school student.
Utaha was visibly pleased by Saku's compliment and lifted her chin slightly.
"Apparently, only certain people are completely incapable of noticing my charm."
An entire week.
Did Saku have any idea what she'd endured over the past week?
Every day, she'd been forced to watch Mai flaunt their relationship.
Utaha had been holding back a mountain of irritation.
Today was finally a rare opportunity to spend time alone with Saku.
How could she possibly show up looking anything less than her best?
"How could that be?"
Saku answered smoothly.
"Who could possibly overlook Senpai's charm?"
It sounded nice.
Utaha clearly wasn't satisfied.
She couldn't even hear any supporting thoughts from him.
And he wanted her to believe that praise was sincere?
'Bastard.'
Saku wasn't deliberately ignoring her.
Recently, aside from dealing with the game, most of his attention really had been occupied by Mai.
Who could resist a girlfriend who was affectionate, considerate, and willing to indulge practically every hobby you had?
Nobody.
Saku certainly couldn't.
Mai could dress as a bunny girl, nurse, or maid, and with her acting ability, she could even slip naturally into all kinds of different roles.
Faced with someone like that, Saku found it difficult not to adore her.
Naturally, he'd paid far less attention to everyone else lately.
"I can do without compliments you don't mean."
Utaha brushed her hair back and answered coolly.
Inside, however, she was thinking something entirely different.
'It's just cosplay, isn't it?'
'I can learn that too.'
「Are girls' sixth senses really this terrifying?」
A chill ran down Saku's back.
Before he could respond, a short-haired woman in professional attire approached them.
"Utaha-chan, you're finally here."
Her gaze immediately shifted to Saku.
"And this must be Aha-sensei. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Aha was Saku's pen name.
At least, that was the name he'd chosen for Your Lie in April.
Nobody in this world knew what "Aha" really referred to.
Saku found that fact deeply amusing.
Machida Sonoko looked to be around thirty and was dressed neatly and professionally.
She stood roughly as tall as Utaha and was fairly attractive, with the polished appearance of someone accustomed to dealing with authors and publishers.
Seeing her enthusiastically extend a hand, Saku was about to return the handshake when Utaha suddenly intercepted it.
"If we're going to exchange pleasantries, standing in the hallway isn't very appropriate."
Utaha smiled.
"Why don't we talk in your office or a meeting room?"
Machida paused.
Her eyes moved between Utaha and Saku.
Then understanding seemed to dawn on her.
"Oh."
She immediately withdrew her hand and ushered the two of them into an empty meeting room.
Once they were seated, Machida didn't immediately bring out the paperwork.
Instead, she started with casual conversation.
"Aha-sensei, I've heard quite a bit about you from Utaha-chan."
"I'll admit, I was skeptical at first."
She smiled.
"I didn't expect you to really be this young and talented."
"You're too kind, Editor Machida."
Saku smiled politely.
"Senpai has told me quite a bit about you too."
Machida blinked.
"You call Utaha-chan 'Senpai.' Are you her junior at school?"
"We don't attend the same school," Utaha corrected, "but he's a year younger than me."
"It still works."
Saku shrugged.
"From the perspective of when we entered the industry, I'm her junior anyway."
Then he looked back toward Machida.
"Also, Editor Machida, when we're speaking privately, you don't need to call me 'sensei.' It feels strange."
"If you don't mind, just call me Jinnai Saku."
Machida paused.
"Are you a foreigner? Your Japanese is so natural that I couldn't hear even the slightest accent."
"Strictly speaking, I'm mixed."
Saku answered casually.
"But I grew up here."
"I've actually spent far less time in China than Japan."
He wasn't lying.
When his grandparents had still been alive, Saku's father used to take him back to China every year during the holidays.
Though every visit usually ended with his father receiving a thorough "education" from Grandpa's walking stick.
Once both grandparents passed away, however, those ties gradually disappeared.
His father barely mentioned going back anymore.
Even during the Qingming Festival, his father went alone, almost as if the matter had nothing to do with Saku.
"I see."
Machida nodded in understanding.
Mixed families weren't particularly unusual in Japan.
Still, this was the first time she'd personally encountered someone with Saku's background trying to debut as a light-novel author, so her surprise was understandable.
Once the small talk had gone on long enough, Machida finally brought out the contract.
"All right."
"Let's go over the actual terms."
She began explaining Fushikawa Fantastic Bunko's royalty structure, what benefits Saku would receive, and the obligations expected of him as an author.
Utaha didn't sit quietly during the discussion either.
She carefully reviewed the details several times on Saku's behalf and occasionally raised questions that were, in practice, indirect requests to improve the terms.
Saku let her handle the areas where her experience exceeded his.
Machida pushed where she could.
Utaha pushed back.
Eventually, they reached a bottom line both sides could accept.
Only then did Saku sign his name.
The entire process went smoothly.
As an added bonus, the assigned editor responsible for Saku would also be Machida Sonoko.
In other words, both Saku and Utaha were now authors directly under Machida's supervision.
Two major talents in the same editor's hands.
To celebrate, Machida immediately offered to treat them to a meal.
It would serve as Saku's unofficial welcome party.
From today onward, he was officially part of Fushikawa Fantastic Bunko.
…