Anime Crossover: My Online Romance is Megumi Kato

"We're here! We're here! Teacher, go to the right after you enter, and I'll be at the last table."

It was a very excited female voice.

"Ah, okay."

Yuta Kijima didn't know if his editor was easy to talk to. Judging from her tone, she seemed very enthusiastic, and he found this type of person a bit difficult to deal with.

Yuta Kijima pushed open the door and went in.

"welcome!"

I glanced around the shop and saw that there weren't many people sitting and drinking coffee.

Walk to the right, and you'll see a short-haired woman in a business suit sitting there, looking around.

"Hello, are you an editor at Shinazugawa Library?"

The short-haired woman shifted her gaze to Yuta Kijima's face and said in an incredulous tone, "You, you're Mr. Kijima?"

Yes, Yuta Kijima disliked having to choose a pen name, so he simply used "Kijima" as his pen name.

Looking at the woman's surprised expression, Yuta Kijima slowly said, "If you're referring to the book 'Your Lie in April,' then it must be me."

Machida Sonoko was quite surprised. She thought that her student, Kasumi Shiko, was already the only young writer in the industry, but she didn't expect that the author of this book was also so young. She didn't think much of it when she heard the voice last night.

Are all newcomers these days monsters?

Machida Sonoko quickly invited Kijima Yuta to sit down.

"Hello, I am Machida Sonoko, the editor-in-chief of Shinazugawa Library. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, I will be in charge of you from now on."

While listening to the introduction, Yuta Kijima was also sizing her up. She was very good-looking, but had a capable demeanor, giving off the feeling of a workplace elite.

“My name is Kijima Yuta. May I call you Editor-in-Chief Machida? Oh, you can call me Kijima. No need for ‘teacher,’ it sounds a bit awkward.” Kijima Yuta sat up straight.

There's a significant age difference between him and Machida Sonoko, and the teachers she talks about always sound strange, even though she looks very young.

Machida Sonoko was clearly still in shock when she asked, "Kishima-sensei, I didn't expect you to be so young, so I didn't even realize it was you when you walked towards me just now."

Yuta Kijima was speechless; he no longer wanted to dwell on whether or not she included the "died of old age" suffix.

"Hmm... It shouldn't be strange for someone my age to write light novels, right? As far as I know, don't you have an author under your company who's known as a beautiful young girl writer?" Yuta Kijima picked up his coffee and took a small sip.

Machida Sonoko hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, but I didn't expect there would be another monster rookie like you." Then, realizing the ambiguity in her words, Machida Sonoko added, "Oh, I didn't mean Kijima-sensei was a monster or anything, I was just amazed that you could write such a light novel at such a young age."

Yuta Kijima didn't care what Sonoko Machida said, but he didn't want to listen to her flattery anymore, so he directly brought up the matter of signing a contract.

"It's alright, let's talk about the contract first."

"Editor Machida, have you brought the contracts we need?"

Hearing what Yuta Kijima said, Sonoko Machida didn't continue the conversation about his age. She took out a pre-printed contract from her bag and pushed it in front of Yuta Kijima.

"Mr. Kijima! I have secured the best possible deal for you this time. I have high hopes for your light novel, so please be sure to sign a contract with our publishing house. You can check the specific terms yourself."

As she spoke, Machida Sonoko's demeanor gradually changed, revealing the seriousness befitting a workplace elite.

Chapter 25 Post-Production Preparations

Machida Sonoko's inner thoughts were not as calm as they appeared.

To her utter surprise, the author of the light novel "Your Lie in April" was such a young and handsome boy.

If you saw them on the street, they would definitely catch her eye.

Yuta Kijima could probably guess what Machida Sonoko was thinking.

It would be surprising to anyone who knew that someone so young could write a light novel, and that it was actually quite good.

Geniuses can't just appear in droves, otherwise they'd lose their value.

As light novels have evolved, the age of the author still plays a significant role; it's really asking a young person who is still in school to write a book.

The creation of each work requires constant refinement by the author, which is a great test of writing skills.

It can only be said that the times are forcing all industries to develop, and the increasing population requires a large amount of entertainment culture to suppress the dullness in people's hearts.

As a result, more and more niche cultures are emerging in the market, and the light novel industry is gradually becoming uneven in quality, with valuable and meaningful works being slowly buried.

To create an outstanding light novel, every step, from plot construction to execution, must be meticulously crafted.

Yuta Kijima's ability to create exquisite works is due to the knowledge he gained through his skills.

Yuta Kijima also picked up the contract on the table and began to examine it carefully, comparing the important parts with Aki Tomoya's explanation from the previous night.

While Kijima Yuta was engrossed in reading the contract, Machida Sonoko took the opportunity to sized him up.

She's got a perfect score in looks, a perfect score in style, and now her career is a perfect score too.

Machida Sonoko believes that Kijima Yuta's novels will achieve great success. His works have already surpassed 90% of the light novels on the market, and it can even be said that her own author, Kasumi Utako, cannot surpass him.

It's safe to say that Yuta Kijima no longer needs to worry about the future; with his talent for writing, how bad could he possibly be?

Machida Sonoko took a sip of her coffee and saw that Kijima Yuta had already flipped to the back of the contract, knowing that he had a general understanding of it. So she said, "Don't worry, Kijima-sensei, I wouldn't lie to you about the contract. After all, it's all for the sake of future cooperation."

Perhaps fearing that Kijima Yuta might not feel that she was being sincere enough, Machida Sonoko added, "This time, I've secured the biggest concession from our publishing house for Mr. Kijima. You can take a look at other contracts that are definitely not as good as this, Mr. Kijima."

Machida Sonoko wasn't lying. The contract she gave Kijima Yuta was indeed the biggest concession she could offer. She had to hold onto this promising light novel tightly; she wouldn't sacrifice the future for short-term gains.

Machida Sonoko took another sip of coffee, holding the cup in both hands as she looked at Kijima Yuta.

Although she believed that anyone who knew him would definitely sign the contract, she was dealing with such a young man, and who knew if he might change his mind and not sign it?

Yuta Kijima really only had a superficial understanding of the contract. If Tomoya Aki hadn't explained it to him until midnight last night, he would have definitely signed it after just one glance.

If the publisher really cheated him, he is absolutely confident that he will retaliate.

There's nothing strange about this contract, and based on what I learned last night, Kijima also noticed the concessions from Shinazugawa Publishing. Usually, this kind of contract would be on the desk of a well-established and famous author.

"I've taken a look, and there's really nothing to criticize about this contract. I think if there are no problems, I can sign it now." Yuta Kijima was thinking about signing the contract as soon as possible, publishing it as soon as possible, and getting the money as soon as possible.

Machida Sonoko realized that the young man in front of her was not someone who knew nothing about contracts. He had a maturity that was not typical of a young person. Machida Sonoko immediately stood up and extended her hand to Kijima Yuta to indicate that she was happy to cooperate.

"Don't worry, Professor Kijima. As for the subsequent matters, please leave them to our publishing house."

"It's a pleasure working with you, Professor Kijima!"

Yuta Kijima also stood up and took Sonoko Machida's hand.

Machida Sonoko smiled and said, "Congratulations, Kijima-sensei."

Kijima Yuta gave it a light squeeze, then immediately let go: "Looking forward to working with you from now on, Editor Machida."

Both sides showed satisfied smiles.

Next came some minor contract-signing procedures. With Yuta Kijima signing his last name, his light novel could be officially published.

"Could you explain the relevant publishing matters to me? How many copies are planned for the first edition?" Yuta Kijima asked.

Machida Sonoko nodded in agreement. She knew that signing the contract was not the end, but a new beginning. She felt that the young man in front of her was very understanding, and that these were things that she should have brought up for discussion.

Yuta Kijima was curious. Usually, new authors don't print many copies of their debut work because they don't know how the market will react. He didn't know how much recognition Shinazugawa Publishing would give his work.

"I discussed this issue with the president when I left home this morning. In the end, we decided to print 100,000 copies of your first volume, Mr. Kijima, and we are prepared to reprint it," Machida Sonoko said earnestly.

Yuta Kijima looked at Sonoko Machida, who exuded a professional air, and slowly sipped the last drop of coffee in his cup. He said leisurely, "Are you all that confident in my work? A first print run of 100,000 copies? Aren't you afraid of something going wrong...?"

Yuta Kijima couldn't help but be surprised by Shinazugawa Publishing's decision; to his knowledge, no publisher had ever dared to place such trust in a new author.

He himself didn't care, as long as he could get the royalties the moment the book was printed, regardless of whether the subsequent printed works could be sold.

“Our publishing house highly values ​​Kijima-sensei’s work, and we will do a good job of promotion and distribution in the early stages. This is a gamble for our publishing house, and it’s not a big deal if we lose,” Machida Sonoko explained earnestly.

“I have no reason to stop your decision. I also believe in my own abilities. As long as my royalties are paid on time, that’s all that matters,” Yuta Kijima said confidently. He then added, “I’ve also asked a friend of mine to help with the publicity. That should be of some help to you.”

"A friend of yours, Kijima-sensei?" Machida Sonoko was quick-witted and soon caught the key information in the words.

"Yes, don't worry, we'll give each other some hearts."

Chapter 26 Found a treasure

"Speaking of which, you should know this friend in your line of work, right?" Kijima Yuta muttered to himself. Aki Tomoya's fan base consists of genuine, real fans. If it weren't for his insistence on creating the most authentic blog and his unwillingness to get involved with money, numerous publishing houses would have already wanted to collaborate with him for promotional purposes.

Kijima Yuta agrees with but does not support Aki Tomoya's behavior.

Seeing how Aki Tomoya would rush off to work after school every day, Kijima Yuta himself didn't think that such persistence was meaningful.

People always need to eat.

Yuta Kijima shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the random thoughts.

“It’s TAKI. He’s my friend, and he promised to help me promote my light novel.” Seeing that Machida Sonoko was still thinking, Kijima Yuta spoke up.

Machida Sonoko knows this blogger. TAKI is a well-known self-media blogger in the industry. His blog does not show favoritism towards works. Only excellent works will be published on his website.

Many publishers have tried to contact TAKI, hoping to help promote their light novels, but none of them have responded.

Seeing Machida Sonoko's stunned expression, Kijima Yuta knew she must know about Tomoya's website, and said, "Of course, the rest of the promotion will depend on you. This little bit of promotion alone won't be enough."

"Yeah, I remember he even helped promote Xiaoshi's light novel before. If it weren't for him, Xiaoshi's work would have been canceled." Machida Sonoko recalled the situation back then. Xiaoshi was even planning to give up. It was really fortunate.

Afterwards, Yuta Kijima asked a few more questions, which Sonoko Machida answered for him. After a while, Yuta Kijima thought that he had finished dealing with everything and decided to take his leave.

“Okay, I’ll contact Mr. Kijima via mobile phone regarding the publication details.” Machida Sonoko told Kijima Yuta how to contact him afterward.

Yuta Kijima smiled, his voice tinged with a hint of helplessness, and said, "I already said you don't need to bring the teacher anymore, so bye-bye."

"I'll contact you if anything else comes up." With that, Yuta Kijima got up and left.

Machida Sonoko sat in her seat, looking quite well; she was clearly satisfied with the conversation that had just ended.

"By the way, if Shiko knew she had such a talented junior, she would be very surprised." Machida Sonoko took out her phone, eager to share what she had seen and heard that day. It wasn't every day that she could meet such a monstrous rookie.

"Xiao Shi, are you up yet?"

I received a reply shortly after sending it.

"What? Is your menopause keeping you up all morning, and you're bothering me now?"

Seeing such a sharp exchange, Machida Sonoko was clearly used to it. No one knew Shinobu's personality better than her; this level of aggression was obviously from someone who hadn't woken up yet.

"It's nothing, I just sent a message to tell Xiaoshi to take care of herself. There's no need to rush the manuscript, you can take your time." Machida Sonoko didn't share what happened today right away, but instead decided to tease Xiaoshi first.

Their relationship had long since transcended that of an ordinary author and editor. Although she was often met with harsh words, she knew it was all out of Xiao Shi's love.

"Auntie, did you take the wrong medicine today?" Kasumi was clearly startled by Machida Sonoko's words. Every time Machida Sonoko contacted her, it was to urge her to finish her manuscript. This sudden concern made her very uncomfortable.

Machida Sonoko laughed, "Why can't I care about Shi? By the way, I signed a really talented author today, but Shi, don't worry, I won't abandon you."