Ever since Your Lie in April won the Grand Prize, Dengeki Bunko had started its promotional campaign.
Netizens were quite curious at first. After all, it was extremely rare for a Grand Prize winner from Dengeki Bunko to be a "healing-type" light novel! Compared to the dominant Isekai trend or complex high-fantasy settings, the competitive edge of healing-type stories usually isn't that strong.
For instance, between That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and Plastic Memories, which one has a wider mainstream appeal and sales reach?
Healing-type novels are rarely at an advantage because writing a story that readers find truly moving and accessible is difficult—let alone one of Grand Prize caliber.
To better promote the book and let the public judge the quality of the winner, Dengeki Bunko released snippets of the text online. This strategy worked; the sheer quality of Your Lie in April was enough to shut down any rumors of "under-the-table" manipulation by the publisher. Consequently, the novel became a minor viral sensation before it even hit the shelves.
Eriri, who had professional ties with Dengeki Bunko, naturally became aware of the work.
It's too good!
That was the only thought in Eriri's head. This light novel was so good that she couldn't wait to buy a copy—but unfortunately, it was still only in the promotion phase.
Eriri's collaboration with Dengeki Bunko was regarding illustrations. She was, without a doubt, the famous "Eri Kashiwagi" of the doujinshi world, but Eriri desperately wanted to go mainstream. She didn't want to rely solely on her reputation as a pornographic artist to survive in the ACG circle. She had tried to conceive her own original manga, but her mind simply couldn't construct a complete, compelling story. She was stuck drawing fan-made doujinshi.
Becoming an illustrator for Dengeki Bunko was her way of trying to hone her skills. When she heard Your Lie in April was looking for an illustrator, she had contacted the editors to ask if she could take the job.
The response from the publisher was a bit perfunctory. They felt that while Eriri was famous, it was for all the wrong reasons (erotica). The editors felt it would be jarring to have an artist famous for a "H-style" draw the illustrations for a pure, literary, healing-type novel.
Receiving that reply, Eriri knew her wish might go unfulfilled—but she truly wanted to draw for this book! The story had deeply moved her. She thought she had lost the chance, but who would have guessed that the author of the novel she couldn't stop thinking about was actually her classmate? And they sat right next to each other!
Without a hint of hesitation, Eriri stood up and headed toward the exit, intending to catch Cao Shuang.
"Oh, crap! I forgot the contract."
Scratching the back of his head, Cao Shuang turned back toward the cafe and ran right into Eriri at the entrance. She was clutching his contract in her hand.
"This... I believe this belongs to you, Cao Shuang-kun."
She handed it over. Cao Shuang took the contract and looked at her.
Eriri suddenly realized she had instinctively used his name again. She panicked, waving her hands around frantically as she tried to explain.
"I—I—I don't know any Cao Shuang! I just happened to see your stuff left on the table and thought it might be yours, so I opened it to look, and I—I—I..."
Cao Shuang let out a helpless sigh. He really didn't know if Eriri was genuinely ditzy or just faking it.
"Alright, look... I'm not nearsighted and I'm not blind. You're not Superman; I'm not going to fail to recognize you just because you're wearing dorky glasses."
It's over! My identity is exposed! Life is meaningless!
Eriri stood frozen like a black-and-white statue, her mind trembling. Her dorky, shut-in otaku image had been discovered; she was going to become a laughingstock.
"I don't know anyone named Eriri!"
You can lose at life, but you must never lose an argument!
"Sigh... I never actually said your name..."
"Eh?"
They found another cafe and sat down. Eriri was incredibly fidgety on the sofa, feeling like her behavior just now had been incredibly stupid. It's over! Cao Shuang is definitely laughing at me in his head. She felt her life was over.
"So, Sawamura-san... you want to be the illustrator for this light novel?"
Taking a sip of his coffee, Cao Shuang found it unexpected that Eriri wanted to "go mainstream." Of course, any artist who starts in erotica wants to climb higher and have an original work to their name, but not many actually make the transition successfully. Cao Shuang felt her desire was perfectly normal; people should always strive for more.
"Let's put that aside for a second. I never would have guessed that our school's 'unreachable flower' was actually..."
"Ba—Baka! You're not allowed to tell anyone!"
Eriri bared her little tiger fangs in a "vicious" pout. To Cao Shuang, her "menacing" look made her seem like a golden retriever trying its best to act tough.
"Fine! So what if I like 2D culture?! So what if I don't want people at school to see me like this?! Laugh if you want to!"
Eriri turned her head away with a pout, looking like she had given up on everything. Ever since she was little, she had been ostracized by her peers for liking anime. To protect herself, she felt forced to hide her true nature at school, acting the part of a glamorous, mixed-race Ojou-sama.
"Alright, alright, don't get angry. I'm not mocking you. I'm just surprised that the dazzling Eriri sitting in front of me is an otaku."
"Really?" Eriri sniffled.
"Of course it's true. Why would I mock you? Besides, I'm clearly an otaku too, so I can understand why you do it."
That's true.
"As for you wanting to do the illustrations... I have the final say, but I can't just give you the job based on your word alone. How about this... draw a sample for me first. Then my editor and I will decide if it passes."
Of course, given Eriri's skill, it was a foregone conclusion. She was a "God-tier" artist in the doujinshi world precisely because her style was exquisite. Even without the erotica, she was the ace of the school's Art Club. Cao Shuang was just following formal procedure.
"Really?!" Eriri stood up, excited.
"Hmpf—don't get too excited yet. There's no guarantee it'll pass. My requirements are very strict."
"Hmph! Then just wait and see! I am the industry-famous Eri Kashiwagi-sensei! A mere illustration? I—"
Eriri suddenly froze, realizing she had just "self-destructed" and leaked her secret identity once again.
Cao Shuang facepalmed. Are you a reincarnated suicide-bomber truck or something?