Haruto finally saw Yukino finish reading the first chapter. He thought she would say something right away.
Instead, she picked up the manuscript for the second chapter and continued reading without saying a word.
At that moment, Haruto slowly realized something. The tension in his chest began to ease.
If the story were boring, she would not be spending this much time on it.
Outside the meeting room, the girl in the red tracksuit, the same one who had entered the elevator with him earlier, had already glanced toward the frosted glass door more than a hundred times.
Through the hazy silhouette on the glass, she could see the outlines of the boy and the editor inside. From ten minutes ago until now, the conversation had never stopped.
He had been inside for half an hour.
The girl pulled down her mask to breathe, revealing a beautiful and delicate face.
Her nose was small and refined, her lips a soft cherry pink, her eyes clear like flowing spring water. Her fair skin, hidden under the mask for too long, was slightly flushed.
"What kind of story did he bring?" she wondered, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
She understood this industry well. If his work had been uninteresting, the editor would never have spent this long on it.
But as that thought settled, unease followed.
The longer the wait dragged on, the easier it was to spiral into overthinking. In her mind, she had already replayed more than a dozen scenes of her own manuscript being mercilessly criticized once it was her turn.
Inside the room, Yukino finally spoke.
"The core issue is balance," she said, tapping the pages lightly. "You spent too much narrative weight on Futaba. It is obvious that the two main characters are Futaba and Kou, but where is Kou's presence? After reading all three chapters, Futaba's sensitivity, fear of being hurt, and longing to reconnect with Kou are very vivid."
Her tone sharpened slightly.
"But Kou himself is vague. His appearance, his personality, his relationships with classmates, even whether he treats Futaba differently from other girls, none of that is clearly established. These details matter. In shoujo romance, the heroine is the emotional core, but if the male lead is underdeveloped, readers will struggle to immerse themselves."
Yukino continued pointing things out without holding back.
"Here, and here, and here. Give Kou more room to act. And also expand on Futaba's friends. Honestly, those girls have great potential for conflict. They can easily stir up tension if written properly."
Haruto lowered his head slightly, listening carefully and accepting every critique without argument.
"Fix these parts," Yukino said, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card. "After revisions, come find me directly tomorrow, or at the latest, the day after. Call this number before you come."
She placed the card on the desk and looked at him.
"I'll keep your submission for now. Once the revisions are done, contact me directly. Don't try your luck with other publishers. Shoujo romance is one of Crimson Maple's main strengths. You chose us first for a reason."
"So… this means?" Haruto asked cautiously.
"At least from my perspective, this work passes," Yukino replied, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Three days from now, the editorial department will hold a regular meeting to discuss open serialization slots left by completed works. Your revised manuscript must be on my desk before the day after tomorrow."
Her meaning was clear.
She saw potential in Blue Spring Ride, but whether it would secure a serialization slot depended on the final decision of the editorial meeting. For Haruto, this determined whether he would receive manuscript fees.
For Crimson Maple, each new serialization was a matter of reputation and could not be decided lightly.
"I understand," Haruto said.
Joy surged through him.
Passing the review editor meant the work would be formally considered for serialization. That alone exceeded his expectations.
Yukino had explicitly asked him not to submit elsewhere and to return after revisions.
After a brief moment of thought, Haruto nodded seriously, exchanged a few polite words, and left the meeting room.
At that moment, the girl in red, who had been waiting outside for forty minutes, crossed paths with him as he stepped out.
As they passed each other, she carefully examined his face.
She entered the meeting room next and removed her mask out of courtesy.
She had only worn it to avoid being recognized. If classmates found out she was submitting light novels, rumors would spread instantly at school.
"Reina Fujimoto, right? I'm Yukino Aoyama," the editor said, glancing at her information sheet and then at her again.
A young and beautiful female author. Rare indeed.
"You two arrived one after the other, and you're both from the same high school," Yukino said, her expression a little strange. "Do you know Haruto? Did you come together?"
"Haruto?" Reina Fujimoto blinked. "Who's that?"
"Oh. Then forget I asked," Yukino said, clearing her throat.
But while the words were casual, they planted a seed.
Reina's gaze turned thoughtful.
Another student from Minamijo Third High School.
'Haruto…'
Her eyes drifted to the stack of manuscripts on Yukino's desk. The first page was visible.
Blue Spring Ride by Haruto
In that instant, everything clicked.
'So he was a schoolmate.'
The corner of Reina's lips curved slightly upward. She had worried that submitting light novels instead of focusing on school would earn her scorn, which was why she hid behind a mask.
But it seemed she was not alone.
There was someone else at school just as unserious as she was.
'What a coincidence.'
'Blue Spring Ride…' she thought. 'What a terrible title.'
Yukino accepted the manuscript Reina handed over.
Yesterday's Starlight.
The title made her feel vaguely uncomfortable, but she said nothing. An editor's personal taste never represented the entire market.
As she read more carefully, her expression gradually changed.
Seven minutes passed.
When Yukino looked up again, both her expression and attitude were noticeably more serious.
This novel was interesting.
She could not help wondering since when Minamijo Third High School had started producing so many promising writers.
Outside, Haruto stepped out of the Crimson Maple building and glanced toward the office towers where the other four publishers were located. He let out a quiet sigh and abandoned the idea of submitting elsewhere.
Yukino had already said she would bring Blue Spring Ride to the editorial meeting. She had pointed out clear weaknesses and shown genuine intent to work with him. Going behind her back now would require a level of shamelessness he simply did not possess.
More importantly, Crimson Maple was the most suitable publisher among the five for a shoujo romance like Blue Spring Ride. If it could serialize here, that would be the best possible outcome.
There was no need to gamble.
Even if Yukino's proposal failed at the meeting, he could always submit to other publishers later.
Losing a few days was nothing.
By the time he realized it, it was already noon.
Haruto stopped thinking about it further and boarded the bus home.
_______________________
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