After exchanging some playful banter, the tension between them gradually eased.
"Kotomi, are you still nervous?"
"Haruno, are you trying to comfort me like a big sister? Weren't you even more nervous than me just now?"
"Tsk, you caught me. Alright then! Let's get to the sales report for Volume 1's first day on the shelves. These figures include both online and offline sales, broken down separately and combined for the total."
As she spoke, Haruno Yukinoshita pulled up the detailed sales data for Sword Art Online Volume 1 from the previous day and continued:
"Online sales: 6,700 copies. Offline sales: 5,472 copies. The total number of copies sold yesterday was 12,172, officially placing it at #4 on the Dengeki Bunko bestseller rankings."
"By the way, Dengeki Bunko received a flood of bulk orders this morning, most of them for Sword Art Online Volume 1. Some bookstores even took an aggressive approach, outright ordering 3,000 copies in full payment. The sales department and warehouse are now buried in back-to-back orders, scrambling to keep up."
"Thankfully, before printing, I had already pushed for an increased print run, so our current stock can still hold out for a while. Otherwise, we might've already run out of copies by now."
"That said, at this current selling rate, we estimate that Volume 1 will be completely sold out within two weeks. We're already fast-tracking the reprint process, aiming to have the second batch ready within a week of the first printing selling out. We don't want too much downtime between print runs since that could negatively impact sales momentum."
Selling 12,172 copies in a single day and making it to #4 on the bestseller list—despite telling herself to stay calm, Kotomi couldn't hold back her excitement and cheered loudly:
"YES! Bestseller rank #4!"
She quickly opened the Dengeki Bunko website and checked the rankings. Sure enough, Sword Art Online was sitting at #4, while Utaha Kasumigaoka's Love Metronome had been pushed down to #5.
Kotomi had overtaken Utaha Kasumigaoka.
As for the top three, they were all works by veteran authors who had been publishing for years, with at least eight volumes already released. Their accumulated reader base was not something that could be easily shaken.
Moreover, the top three series had all been adapted into anime, meaning their popularity was on an entirely different level. Kotomi, a newcomer, couldn't expect to compete with them just yet.
Still, selling over 12,000 copies on the first day was an astonishing feat. If she told someone that this was a new author's debut light novel, they probably wouldn't believe her. They'd likely assume some established writer was secretly using a new pen name to dominate the rankings.
In fact, as Sword Art Online continued to gain traction, more and more comments in the discussion forums speculated whether "Izumi Ki" was actually a well-known author using an alias.
Kotomi had no way to explain it, so she simply chose to ignore the speculation. Those who understood, understood.
"Kotomi, congratulations! When I saw today's sales report, I was so shocked my jaw nearly hit the floor."
"Considering that many of Dengeki Bunko's recent light novels have gained traction due to anime adaptations, reader attention has been pretty divided. This made the timing of your release a bit tricky. I was worried it might hurt your sales, so I tried asking Chief Editor Hiratsuka if we could adjust the release date, but she rejected my request."
"I didn't want to stress you out, so I never mentioned it. Yesterday, I was so anxious I could barely eat or sleep. But when I saw the sales figures today, it felt like a massive weight had finally been lifted from my shoulders. Selling over 12,000 copies on the first day—which means you've officially qualified for that mystery event happening at the end of this month!"
Haruno Yukinoshita deliberately left the statement hanging, her voice brimming with suspense.
This morning, when Chief Editor Hiratsuka saw the first-day sales of Sword Art Online Volume 1, she immediately slammed the table and made a decision—
The autograph session at the Dengeki Manga Expo at the end of October would be for Sword Art Online!
When Haruno asked if they should keep it a secret from Kotomi for now, Hiratsuka thought for a moment and gave a vague response:
"It's okay to keep a little mystery. Since this is her first time earning an autograph session, let's make it a surprise experience for Izumi Ki."
A surprise?
Haruno loved surprises!
With that in mind, she decided to keep the autograph session a secret for now. Her plan was simple—one day before the Dengeki Manga Expo, she'd call Kotomi and casually ask if she was home and free.
If Kotomi said yes, then the next morning, Haruno would drive straight to the Izumi household, pick her up, and take her to the venue.
Only when they arrived at the event hall would she reveal that Kotomi had earned the right to hold an autograph session.
Kotomi would be so moved she'd burst into tears!
Maybe she'd even throw herself into Haruno's arms, looking up at her with teary eyes and a soft, sugary voice, saying:
"Thank you, Haruno-nee! You're the best!"
Imagining this scene sent an electrifying shiver down Haruno's spine. Her face remained calm, but internally, she was screaming—
Will Kotomi actually cry in my arms? Will she snuggle up to me and call me 'Haruno-nee'? Ahhh! Absolute bliss! If that happens, I'll die happy under her skirt!
"So what exactly is this mystery event?" Kotomi asked, snapping Haruno out of her fantasy.
"Heh heh heh, I'm not telling! But don't worry, it's definitely a good thing. Just be patient and look forward to it. When you find out, I guarantee you'll be moved to tears!"
"Really?" Kotomi sounded skeptical.
If Yukino had told her something like this, she would've believed it without question. Yukino always spoke in a calm, reliable manner. But Haruno? Half of what she said was a joke, and the other half was usually… still a joke.
The sisters couldn't be more different.
"Really, really! I'm your editor, aren't I? Would I arrange something bad for you? We're in this together—mutual support is the key to our success!"
"I get the logic, but can you find a better metaphor for our partnership?" Kotomi sighed.
"Hmm… birds of a feather?"
"Haruno, may I ask what your average grade was in Japanese class during middle school?"
"...Can I choose not to answer that?"
Silence speaks louder than words.
"Got it," Kotomi sighed, dropping the topic.
After exchanging congratulations and thanks, Haruno had to get back to work on Sword Art Online's reprint plans. Kotomi, not wanting to interrupt, ended the call.
She turned back to her screen and continued admiring the bestseller rankings.
"Yesterday, the #4 spot belonged to Utaha-senpai's Love Metronome—but today, it's mine!"
Kotomi sat in her chair, hands on her hips, basking in the moment of victory. Then, another thought struck her—
What about that veteran author, Toki Renmu, whose book launched around the same time as mine?
He was the reason she had lost her promotional video spot for Sword Art Online. Of course, that loss had ended up working in her favor, as she got a high-budget animated trailer instead, which had drawn massive attention and glowing reviews.
But now that both their books had officially released, Kotomi was curious—
Since Toki Renmu had received a stronger promotional push, how were his sales numbers?
She scrolled through the rankings and found The Girl Who Lived Inside a Mecha Never Smiles Volume 10 sitting at #8.
She didn't know his exact sales figures, but one thing was clear—
He sold less than I did!
Kotomi took a deep breath, then suddenly struck a triumphant pose—hands on her hips, standing tall on her chair, head thrown back in laughter. If she had wings, she might've flapped them and flown into the sky at that very moment, and no one would have been surprised.
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