— — — — — —
Oikawa found out that he was trending again that evening.
A lecturer from the Literature Department at the University of Tokyo had gotten into an online clash with a retired professor from the same department.
According to people online, the lecturer had once been that professor's student.
Not long after the retired professor posted his tweet, the lecturer quietly deleted his own post and deactivated his account altogether.
Even Oikawa was a little stunned.
He'd heard there was going to be a full-on war online and had been ready to sit back and enjoy the chaos. Missing it left him genuinely disappointed.
After finding the professor's Twitter account, Oikawa exchanged a few casual messages with him.
The professor even recommended several books he personally liked.
All classics.
The Brothers Karamazov, fgrand, and Chronicle of a Blood Merchant.
Oikawa had never heard of them before, but they still exchanged a few brief messages. And after getting the professor's address, Oikawa stopped bothering him further.
...
..
The Next Day—
Oikawa was still asleep when Kagurazaka Ayame called him.
"Oikawa-kun, congratulations!"
"Your Lie in April sold over ten thousand copies on the very first day! Dengeki Bunko already decided to print another hundred thousand copies!"
"Honestly, at this rate, breaking a million sales is probably just a matter of time. And volume one got another hundred-thousand-copy reprint too. Its sales growth is even faster than volume two's!"
Her voice practically overflowed with excitement through the phone.
Oikawa took a moment to wake up properly. He originally wanted to tell her not to call him before noon ever again.
But then he remembered he probably wouldn't stay with Dengeki Bunko for his next novel anyway, so he swallowed the words.
"That's great. Sounds like volume one should hit five hundred thousand sales pretty soon then."
That was just how light novels worked.
The first volume always sold the best. After all, if readers didn't buy volume one, how were they supposed to read volume two?
"Exactly! Volume one already passed a hundred and twenty thousand copies sold, and bookstores have been constantly calling to restock."
Kagurazaka sounded more excited the longer she talked. "At minimum, volume one should sell another eighty thousand this month. And that's just volume one. Volume two is guaranteed to hit at least a hundred thousand!"
'One hundred thousand for each volume, huh...'
Oikawa quickly calculated the royalties in his head.
Volume one had an 8% royalty rate and sold for 650 yen per copy. One hundred thousand copies meant 5.2 million yen.
Volume two had a 6% royalty rate and cost 850 yen each. Another 5.1 million yen there.
But according to the bet agreement—
If volume two surpassed one million sales, his earnings would at least quadruple.
That would be twenty million yen.
'Looks like I really need volume two to break a million as soon as possible...'
Oikawa sank into thought.
"O-Oikawa-kun…"
Kagurazaka spoke again, though this time she sounded hesitant. "Um... Dengeki Bunko wants to arrange more events for you. Like another autograph campaign since the last one got a really good response... and maybe a small signing event too."
What the hell?
The moment Oikawa heard "signing event," his entire body tensed up.
Were they trying to get him killed?
Seriously, people online were already joking about forming assassination squads to stab him. And now they wanted a public signing event?
Sure, most of it was probably memes. But what if a few genuinely unhinged fans showed up?
That would be a disaster.
"No. Absolutely not."
Oikawa rejected it instantly. "Neither one. Non-negotiable."
"I figured you'd say that."
Kagurazaka didn't sound surprised in the slightest.
But right after that, she quickly asked. "Then... have you started planning your next novel yet? If not, I could help brainstorm with you!"
Oikawa froze for a second before a faint smile appeared on his lips.
This woman was probably afraid he might leave.
So she wanted him to start a new series as soon as possible.
With amusement in his voice, Oikawa teased her. "So now you're not worried about me wasting my talent anymore?"
"Uhh... well, you've already proven yourself. I believe in you now."
Remembering all the things she'd once said to him, Kagurazaka felt so embarrassed her toes practically curled through the floor.
"Let's talk about it later. And... my next book might not necessarily be with Dengeki Bunko."
He had no intention of hiding that from her.
Even if Dengeki had handled certain things terribly, Kagurazaka herself had still been an excellent editor.
"Huh? Y-You already negotiated with another publisher?"
His words hit her like a bolt from the blue, shattering every hopeful fantasy she'd been clinging to.
"Not yet. But I'll probably start talking to them soon."
During the remaining autumn break, Oikawa planned to settle the matter completely.
His main requirement was simple: A publisher with connections strong enough to get novels adapted into anime, one that could turn his books into an animated series.
Of course... The royalty rate couldn't be too low either.
The minimum he wanted was 10%. The same level as top-tier authors.
"I... see."
Kagurazaka originally wanted to persuade him to stay.
But after everything that had happened recently, she simply couldn't bring herself to say the words.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally managed only one sentence. "Oikawa-kun... you're an incredible writer. I'm proud that I got to be your editor. One day, you'll definitely become one of Japan's greatest authors."
"I believe in you. I'll support you forever, always."
The call ended.
And Oikawa's quiet "thank you" faded into the wind.
…
..
Afternoon - Inside a café
"Oikawa-sensei, it's great to finally meet you! I'm Chris Yamada."
Oikawa looked at Chris Yamada, the man who had rushed over the moment he learned what city Oikawa was in.
Chris had blond hair, and even when he smiled, he still looked kind of intimidating.
In that regard... he oddly reminded Oikawa of Kawasaki.
Maybe because of that, Oikawa instinctively found him easier to get along with.
"Editor Yamada, nice to meet you too. I'm Oikawa Toru."
After shaking hands, Oikawa took a seat.
"Oikawa-sensei, this is the contract our Full-Drive Bunko prepared for you. Please take a look first."
The moment they sat down, before Oikawa could even speak, Chris handed over the contract.
Oikawa gave it a quick glance.
It was a contract for his next novel, and Full-Drive Bunko had already stamped it with their official seal.
The entire contract only had three blank spaces left: The title of the novel. The signature line. And the royalty percentage.
The message Full-Drive Bunko wanted to send couldn't have been more obvious.
They were loaded and serious.
A meaningful smile appeared on Oikawa's face as he picked up the pen.
"What if I write down a really outrageous number?"
"Any number is fine."
"This is the sincerity Full-Drive Bunko wishes to show you."
Chris' expression didn't change in the slightest. Before coming here, he had already prepared himself mentally.
Even if Oikawa wrote down thirty percent, he was willing to accept it.
"I like that answer."
Oikawa wrote down a number.
He had no intention of shopping around to more publishers anymore. Sometimes there was no need to compare endlessly.
Chris visibly relaxed, joy written all over his face.
But the moment he saw the number Oikawa had written, he froze.
"Oikawa-sensei... you didn't write this wrong?"
It wasn't too high. It was actually too low.
Only ten percent.
That was merely the royalty rate of an ordinary top-tier author. In Yamada Chris's eyes, the boy sitting before him deserved far more.
Even double that wouldn't have been excessive.
"Ten percent is fine. I only want ten percent royalties. But I need Full-Drive Bunko to help me with one thing."
"...I want Your Lie in April adapted into an anime."
That was Oikawa's real priority.
Only after Your Lie in April got animated could he obtain the twenty-five percent royalty clause tied to it.
"No problem. Absolutely no problem." Chris Yamada agreed without even thinking.
Strictly speaking, Full-Drive Bunko wouldn't profit much from animating Your Lie in April itself.
But building a good relationship with Oikawa while only spending some industry connections?
That was an incredible deal.
And honestly, Chris felt that if the higher-ups at Full-Drive Bunko had any vision at all, they should fully invest in the adaptation.
Your Lie in April was practically made for animation.
After all, words alone could never hit as directly as visuals and music.
Chris could already imagine the day the anime aired, and just how many viewers' tears it would destroy.
After settling the business talk, Oikawa and Chris went out for an extravagant meal.
Company expense account, of course.
.
.
.