It was evening two days later. Together with Blake this time, I once again headed for the publishing company in Shinjuku.
"… So we should just head straight up to the second editorial department on the fourth floor…"
No response, as expected from Blake.
… Well, how do I put it… she was fundamentally the type of person who didn't talk much. By the way, the last time I came here, Naruko had dressed up in a formal suit because she was meeting with the editors, but this time Blake was dressed like usual, head to toe in her Madarahime dress fashion.
… Does she not have anything else to wear? That wasn't a question I should ask a girl even if I was wrong, so I didn't say anything, and she could have very well been wearing a different outfit with a similar design…
As those stupid thoughts were running to my head, I proceeded through the lobby and entered the elevator, going up to the fourth floor. Coming out of the elevator, I saw paths going to the left and right, with a telephone placed right in front of me. It seemed that this phone was connected to an inner line that visitors were supposed to use to call the editorial department. I used the phone while looking at the list that was on the same table as the phone.
"Hello, this is the Dengeki Books Editorial Department."
"This is Namikaze… I have an appointment at five."
"Understood. Please wait a little while."
"Ah, sorry, I also wanted to ask if this is the second editorial department?"
"Yes, it is indeed. This is the Media Ascii Works Second Editorial Department, Dengeki Books Editorial Division."
So, that means that in the Mobile Division here, there was an editor named Morino Ibiki. Which means we managed to make it to the same department that person was in.
When I put the phone back, before long, a door opened on the left and a bespectacled man appeared. It seemed that he had come to meet us. Following behind him, we walked through a magnificent passageway you would expect to find in a through the innermost door that the man had come out of, we entered a ridiculously wide office space.
"Sorry for intruding…"
To be quite honest, the place was pretty jumbled. They were meticulous in their cleaning, so all the furnishings were spotless, but it was pretty cluttered. Over there were a large number of cardboard boxes, along with a bunch of bishoujo character posters and dolls for decoration. It honestly was an office that reeked of otaku. It's really different compared to the publisher office Mom used to bring me when she handed over her work.
"Please come in and wait in one of these booths."
"Thank you thank you…"
On the left hand side after entering the office there was a corner that had been partitioned off, and in that section were desks that could seat four people. As advised by the person who had led us in, we picked the closest booth out of the three that were there and sat down.
I took off my jacket, put down my bag, and drank a mouthful of the tea they had prepared for us.
"Phew…" Finally, a single breath.
"Ahh… this is what job interviews must feel like." I struck up some small talk with the girl next to me, but…
Blake looked as pale as a sheet and both her eyes were opened wide. Cold sweat ran profusely down her forehead.
"… Hey, Blake-chan. Calm down. Are you alright?"
"… T-there's no problem."
There so is a problem. She looks like death. Even though she was the one who suggested this tactic…
"Well, I guess it's natural that you're nervous. Sorry about all this…"
"I said there wasn't a problem, didn't I? Please do not apologize to me." Blake closed her eyes halfway, and took one sip of her tea.
"Also, this meeting is being held only under the pretext of us wanting to meet with an editor, so there's not a single reason to be nervous." Blake mumbled while maintaining an expressionless mask, but I felt she was just putting on an act.
Yes, to make it perfectly clear, today we had come to submit an application. By application, what I mean is, for example, someone takes them a manga or novel he or she wrote and makes an appeal to try to get them to sell it. The editor reads the work and judges whether it can be used or not, and should the situation permit, gives the applicant advice on how to get the work published, or introduces him or her to another editorial department. Of course, if the work can't be used, the applicant might get verbally abused, driven away, laughed at… that kind of thing. Even though she had never submitted an application like that, Blake had told me all that.
The office was quieter than I had expected. But, occasionally I could hear what sounded like editors having business meetings with authors over the phone. And the Mobile Division or whatever was somewhere around here… even though Rias had connections, we wouldn't have been able to get in here without at least making up a reason. So, we told them that we were submitting an application to get a work published and successfully infiltrated the office. In a word, we were on a scouting mission.
Let me explain it simply one more time. We had passed into the "Second Editorial Department, Dengeki Books Editorial Division." The place "Morino Ibiki" worked was the "Second Editorial Department, Mobile Division." These two were different divisions that belonged to the same editorial department, and the one we were interested in was the latter. The genre of the work that Blake created seemed to mesh relatively well with Dengeki Books, so under that pretext, Rias had been able to get us to the Dengeki Books Editorial Division. If possible, I wanted to ask the editor we were going to meet to allow us to have a meeting with Morino Ibiki.
"By the way, you don't seem to have anything here, so what are you making your application with?"
"… I already mailed it in. My application this time was for a novel, so it wouldn't make sense to bring it in and expect him to read it on the same day, right?"
Ahh, I see. That's certainly true.
"So, which work did you send them…?"
"… Earlier, I had brought a black, bound doujinshi to your house, right? That."
"T-that one…?"
"What's wrong?"
"Well…"
That one… she was going to make a professional editor read that novel that Naruko had spent so much time bashing…? W-will this really be alright…? And that… wasn't the only thing I was worried about…
"… Let me just say it. You're dealing with someone who's meeting with you as part of work. So don't treat this as if you're casually talking with a friend or something, alright?" Because your mouth is every bit as nasty as Naruko's.
"You don't have to tell me that. I already know."
Blake gently covered her face with one hand, and then suddenly flicked her arm to the side. When she did that… her crimson eyes had turned to the normal black color.
"Devil Eyes deactivated… camouflage complete… is this character and tone of voice more acceptable?"
What was up with her attitude, as if she was trying to say "I have assumed a character that is more appropriate for human negotiation"? All she did was take out her color contacts very quickly, right? Pretty handy trick there.
"Do you really understand…?"
But there was no time to confirm that. A new person had entered the booth. It was a man with black hair wearing bandana and sunglasses.
"Ahh, I'm really sorry! The editor who's handling your case still hasn't come in today! Would you mind waiting another fifteen minutes or so?"
"… I don't mind."
"Feel free to leaf through a few of the magazines over there while you're waiting!" As he told us to read some of the magazines, he went and comfortably sat himself across from us. "Nice to meet you, my name is Ebisu. I'm just a lowly new editor here."
"Ahh… nice to meet you too, Ebisu-san."
"By the way, you two sure have some strange connections. Our department generally doesn't deal with applications made by amateurs. We only handle applications just occasion-ally from semi-pros or pros. And the work you sent to us was a doujinshi derivative of a preexisting series, so this situation is honestly quite unprecedented."
Wait, so this guy also read the doujinshi?
"Well, that company does help us out a great deal with our related goods. Like, for instance, those things over there are good examples."
Ebisu-san vaguely gestured with one hand to the "things over there." Even if you say that… it's not like I know which things you're talking about. For Ebisu-san, he was probably speaking under the assumption that we were well informed about "that company" or whatever, and so it was unavoidable that he would be difficult to understand.
"So, after that we decided that we would just read your work and meet with you and see how things went."
Well, he was a pretty blunt person, wasn't he?
"This is just my personal opinion, but I thought it was pretty interesting. What you sent us was a so-called time travel Moonlight Fantasy doujinshi, right? I'm personally a fan of the Moonlight Fantasy series, especially the demon queen Madarahime, and I'm relatively knowledgeable about plot elements in derivative novels like time travel and alternate universe, so I can't deny that I may be somewhat biased in my opinion here. There were certainly a lot of words you made up, and places that were difficult to understand. I had read your setup notes so I didn't have a hard time at all, but it would be good for you to remember that there will be many people who don't feel the same way."
Hey, pretty good, Blake. He certainly added on a lot of annoying things at the end there, but a professional editor thought your book was interesting.
When I glanced at Blake, she had a bit of a blush on her cheeks while still retaining her emotionless mask. She probably wasn't completely dissatisfied with his comments. Of course, our visit today was primarily concerned with contacting the people involved with My Wing, Morino Ibiki in particular, and Blake's application was to the very end just the pretext under which we came. But if Blake could also get her work assessed like this, that was a good thing too.
"Ah, also, they never told me what kind of people would be coming, and I'm surprised at how young you two are. And what's more, I didn't expect two people to show up. Did you both have a hand in the project? The doujinshi you sent us had a manga and a novel portion. So perhaps one of you was in charge of the original story?"
"No, that's—" I'm just accompanying her… is what I wanted to say, but Blake cut me off.
"Yes. We're brother and sister and wrote it together."
"Wha—… !? Hey, you—" In my surprise, I began to protest, but Blake slapped a hand over my mouth. Her expressionless face and black eyes stared right up at me.
"Isn't that right… Haruto Onii-san?"
"… !?"
When had we decided on this setup!? Nobody told me anything! I sent Blake a resentful look, but we couldn't take back what was already said. Whatever may happen, we had to stick to this story. I turned my gaze back front.
"Yes. We wrote it together."
"So, who did what?"
Even if you ask that… honestly, Blake was the one who wrote the entire thing, so how exactly should I answer? I scratched my head and hesitated, but Blake nonchalantly answered. "Nii-san thought of the setup. For example, the special move names and such…"
"So for example, this 'Divine Demonic Destructive Drill'?"
"Yes. He said he had put his all into that name."
I definitely did not! That's just your own opinion about it, isn't it!? Blake vaguely glanced in my direction.
"In truth, the manga and novel were written by me, but the setup notes Nii-san made were very important to the work. So, I can say that we both wrote it."
Dammit! What's with that haughty facial expression, as if she's bestowing some great honor on me…!? Thanks but no thanks! Also, wait… so I'm the person she claims wrote that thick set of notes? I hadn't read the notes at all, but didn't Naruko trash that thing, saying that it was embarrassing and jokingly comparing it to something like a book of sorcery? I don't know about this…
"Ah… I'm not too sure about that 'Divine Demonic Destructive Drill' line…"
See!? The editor looks completely bewildered!
Having been softly criticized, Blake seemed displeased and scowled. But she still tried to smooth things over with her next question.
"… Well, Ebisu-san, what name would you give to this special move?"
"Ahh, hmm…" Ebisu-san crossed his arms and thought about it for a few seconds. "How about 'Pure Magic Destructive Killing Drill'?"
… That didn't seem to be all that different of a name.
Afterwards, Blake and the editor talked for a bit about the naming (even though all the names they came up with honestly sounded the same to me). The discussion didn't seem to be going anywhere (that was just my personal opinion though), so I wanted to suggest that we start looking into the My Wing issue before the other editor showed up, but Blake seemed to have really gotten into her conversation with Ebisu-san, so I couldn't get a word in edgewise and I couldn't really look around without her.
And then, the conversation stopped for a moment, so I took the opportunity to forcibly steer the conversation back onto something more productive.
"So what kind of person is the editor that will be meeting with us today?"
"Eh? You want to know about 'Rino-chan'?"
"Rino-chan? Sounds like a pretty cute name."
It was probably a female editor, then. An image of a cute office lady (with big boobs) came to mind.
"That's what it seems like, right? Hahaha, but that's completely off the mark. Once you see the real thing, you'll be really surprised."
"… How will we be surprised?" Blake cocked her head to the side.
"Fufu, well…" Ebisu-san put up a finger and looked as if he was about to launch into a ghost story, and suddenly began to speak in a low voice. At the same time, someone appeared behind him. "The old man's really scary, and he looks like the head of Yakuza gang—"
"Sorry for being late. I'm the one he called Rino-chan. Nice to meet you."
He introduced himself with a deep voice. What incredible timing that was.
Having realized that his comment was overheard, Ebisu half jumped with an "Uwaahhh!" and looked over his shoulder, quickly lowering his head.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't think you would be behind me like that, sir!"
"… No, it's fine, people always say that about me."
W-whoa… this man really looked like a Yakuza boss! He's a huge, tall, bald headed guy with scars in his face. Just like Ebisu-san had said, this man has an intimidating presence. He exuded an inhumanly sinister atmosphere from his entire body. To be frank, I could feel waves of killing intent coming off him.
"H-hello, I'm Namikaze. Nice to meet you."
"… Nice to meet you, Namikaze-kun."
Both Blake and I were a bit taken aback by this warlock with such a cute nickname, but for now at least we safely completed our opening greetings. And then the man responded with a heavy voice that surely emanated from the depths of hell.
"… Yes," he nodded.
Ebisu-san stood up, switching positions with 'Rino-chan.'
"W-well, I'll just return to work then… good luck!" With that final word of encouragement, Ebisu-san hastily ran away.
Eh? Seriously? That just leaves us alone with… w-we're supposed to just talk with this Rino-chan? Wait just a second! Don't just abandon us here! Why does it feel like we've been left on a sacrificial altar?!
"… Something wrong?" (Stare)
"N-nothing!' (shock)
The minute our eyes met, I looked away.
Uwah, this isn't good, is it? We were supposed to get information about My Wing and Morino Ibiki out of this clearly reticent, difficult seeming person?
No way! We're done for! If I knew this was going to happen, I would have much rather have brought up the issue at hand while the good-natured Ebisu-san was still here. Crap, what should we do…?
When I looked to the side in bewilderment, this time I met with Blake's gaze. Probably for the same reason as I had, Blake was also looking to the side. It seemed that even Blake had a hard time meeting Rino-chan's gaze straight on.
"… We have to do what we came here to do." Blake mumbled, almost as if she was talking to herself. She then resolved herself, faced front, and nervously broke the ice. "… Umm, did you happen to read the doujinshi I sent you the other day?"
"I read it. As well as the setting notes."
Rino-chan's words were clear and concise. Blake's manner of speaking was quite gloomy, so listening to these two talks didn't give me a cheerful feeling. I could almost see a black aura rising from the booth. In this case, two negatives did not make a positive.
"Here are copies of the manuscript and the setting notes."
Rino-chan stacked up bundles of A4-size papers onto the desk. There were three stacks of the thick papers, each held together by a separate clip.
… There was a stack for me too? But I really never read any of this.
I looked down at the bundle of papers that was passed to me, and felt just a bit awkward. It's a bit late to be saying this, but I really should have read this before coming.
Rino-chan began to read the memo that was on top of his desk. It was something Ebisu-san had written and left behind.
"Brother and sister wrote it together… the main writer is the little sister, and her pen name is 'Blake Belladonna'… is that correct?"
"… Yes."
"Blake-kun, are you aiming to become a novelist? The doujinshi I received also had a manga portion though…"
From the start, Rino-chan barely looked at me, and focused his attention on Blake. To a pro, it may have been obvious that I was just an extra here at this meeting.
"I…" Blake grasped the hem of her skirt tightly and hung her head. Even though she spoke a bit clumsily, she spoke from the heart. "… I like writing stories and drawing. So much so, that if possible, I want to be able to do both as a job… but, today I'm making an application for a novel."
"I understand. So, would it be correct to say that right now, you are aiming to debut your work with our firm?"
"Yes."
"I see… well, allow me to speak with that in mind then."
His tone was completely indifferent as he continued talking. It almost felt like a medical interview.
"What amateur novelist competitions have you applied to?"
"I apply for your company's competition every year."
"How many years have you applied? Have you applied for any other competitions?"
"I've applied for three years. Other than your company, I've also applied for the MF and SD competitions every year, but I've never made it to the final round."
"… I see. That's quite impressive for someone so young."
"… Ah, thank you very much."
… This is uncomfortable. What was with this heavy, gloomy atmosphere? Ebisu-san, come back, I'm begging you.
Feeling intolerably restless, I glanced around. The other booths were separated by a partition, the wall being made of cabinets and cardboard boxes, so I couldn't get a glimpse at what was happening in the office. The area we were in was in the dead center of the office, but felt more like a private room. Perhaps because our opponent looked so scary this time, I felt as if I was locked up in an interrogation room.
"It's quite unusual for someone so young to apply every year like that. Do you have any special motive for applying?"
"… It's like I said before, that I really want to write stories… but honestly speaking, I also want to earn money. Income from book royalties would be much higher than what I'm earning at my part-time job right now, so if I could make a good debut, I could make a good amount of money for my family."
This was the first time I had heard about Blake's motivations. I remember she had told me at Summer Comiket that she secretly had a part-time job, but… their family might not be very well off.
"… Do you think that reason is selfish?" Blake asked in a bit of a worried voice, and Rino-chan frowned in silence for a while before finally speaking.
"No." And that's all he said. It really appeared to me that Rino-chan had seemed to be angry at something ever since he came into the booth. Was it because Ebisu-san had said he's a scary person? Ugh, he really had gone too. The talk continued in this stifling, heavy atmosphere… and at last we arrived at the main issue of Blake's application.
"So… about the manuscript I read…"
Thump thump. I felt like I could hear the sound of Blake's heart beating out her chest.
"We won't be able to use it for a publication."
Rino-chan denied Blake candidly, with a tone of finality.
"This goes without saying, but you haven't been able to get through the rookie competition, so there's no reason we would be able to publish your work. The reason I'm speaking with you here in the first place is because I am fullfiling an obligation to someone who we are indebted towards. This may sound harsh, but just because you're well connected doesn't mean we can treat you any differently. If we did, then that would be doing a disservice towards the people who apply for our firm's rookie award."
"… I understand. I apologize for taking up so much of your time." Blake apologized timidly.
Hearing her words, I felt a sick sensation in my gut. I mean, the reason Blake was here was at my request, for the sake of Naruko.
I understand where Rino-chan was coming from for being a bit hostile thinking that Blake had forced this appointment because of her connections, but that blame should have been placed on my shoulders. But I couldn't say that here. Because then, all Blake's efforts might just go to waste.
"This is the last time we will meet with you because of your connections. Next time, please send your manuscript directly into the competition. Like everyone else… Now, about what you have written…"
"… Yes…"
"… There were certainly some interesting points in the character dialogues. I especially thought this red haired original character was good… after I read it, I really was turned on by this Naruko-tan… she was very moe moe, yes."
This damn old man. What the hell are you calling moe moe at an age like yours? What exactly are you saying looking like that and sounding like that… although, I understood that it was his job. That character was modeled on my sister, you know. Dammit, and just when I thought I had forgotten… wasn't there a scene in which that character became a sex slave? Blake, dammit, don't use my sister for that!
"… I don't really like that character though…"
"… I see. That's quite unfortunate. On the contrary, I found all the characters other than Naruko-tan quite terrible. I also think you tried to jam too many elements into the setup. Working out a setup is definitely not a bad thing, but you don't seem to have gotten the hang of it. The organization was a mess and the descriptions were way too dense, and it comes off as a prototypical wannabe novel in a bad way… I'm doubtful a manuscript on this level could even get through the preliminaries. Even bearing in mind that this work is based on something else, the craftsmanship is just awful. It is not even close to something we could sell on the market."
As the severe criticisms rolled in one after the other, Blake paled even further than she usually was. At first, she countered each of his points, with a "But, if I change that…" or with a "That's not right…" or with a "… The 'dark force' is a very important element of my original world… ," but she was shot down each time with his relentless logic, with a "The only person who feels that way is you, and to the readers it isn't important at all. It's just something that makes everything difficult to read," or a "using your writing as a method of self-expression is perfectly fine, but aren't there things you should worry about before getting to that point?"… so her will to resist slowly vanished.
"… And those are my general comments on the work. Next I'll go into the finer details… if I may, I will start in order from page one, so please follow along in the copies you have."
This time, Rino-chan flipped through the doujinshi page by page, droning on and on about each and every little thing he found wrong with the book. The copy of the manuscript he was referencing had been marked completely red by a pen on each and every page.
Don't tell me that all that writing was there to mark out the "bad parts" of Blake's novel… and if so, he was planning on going through each and every comment…? The fault-finding session continued for what seemed like an eternity. We were dealing with a seasoned professional here, so Blake and I had no choice but to sit through this one-sided consultation.
… Ten minutes had passed, and then twenty.
… And then an hour… and then three hours… and finally…
Staring fixedly at the ground and listening to the harsh criticism, Blake's expression, for the first time since I've met her, warped in frustration.
"… sob… hngh…"
"Don't make my little sister cry, you asshole! Isn't there a better way you can say things!? No matter how you look at it, what you're doing now is just too cruel, isn't it!? You're talking to a fourteen year old girl, you know!"
The minute I heard Blake crying, I felt myself bursting with anger. I had yelled out half-unconsciously. I also stood up forcefully, and slammed a fist down vigorously onto the table.
But Rino-chan didn't seem the least perturbed by my yelling. Wordlessly, he began to wipe up the tea that had been spilled on the table by the force of my fist.
Seeing him do that, I suddenly came back to my senses. I had shouted quite loudly, so the people outside were probably curious about what had happened. I heard people chattering all around me, and the people having business meetings in neighboring booths were discreetly peeping in to see what was going on. I felt absolutely horrible. When the thought occurred that I might have made Blake feel the same way, I really just wanted to vanish.
Ahhh crap, seriously… I had acted just like a child there, hadn't I? That's embarrassing.
What rude things did I just say to the person who had so kindly taken time out of his work schedule to meet with us? He could have probably put what he was saying differently, but it's not like I could tell him to not criticize things he thought were bad. It wouldn't be good advice if he were being lenient. I wasn't talking to a schoolteacher or my friend here. I was talking to this man about business on equal footing, and he was telling us how to do things. He was being serious and sincere, and it was natural that we sat here and just listened.
… But how was I supposed to just bear with all that!? To be told with a single stroke that something you had lovingly crafted was not something they could use… even though I knew he had a point, it was just way too cruel. And this girl was the same as Naruko. She had worked out this thick set of setup notes, thinking about what characters would say, what kinds of things, and I was certain that she had put her all into it.
To think that—
"Nii-san." Still seething with resentment, I heard Blake's kind voice admonishing me from the side. It was the same gentle tone she used when talking about her own little sisters. As I stood there, she pinched my sleeve and tugged. It seemed she wanted me to sit back down.
Briskly rubbing the tears off her face with her sleeve, she looked up at me with wet eyes. "… It's fine… thanks for getting angry for me."
"… I-I see…"
I was captivated by her teary face… o-oh right, I forgot that she's also pretty attractive. It's not something I'm aware of normally, so it has slipped my mind. Her half-crying expression was incredibly charming, so I couldn't help but think weird thoughts despite the situation we were in… ah! What the hell I am thinking she is just a junior high school student for god's sake.
"… I apologize. When it comes to his sister, sometimes Nii-san's head goes funny."
"Umm… I also apologize. Yelling out so suddenly like that…"
Hey. My head didn't go funny at all though… even as I thought that, I followed Blake's lead and lowered my head.
"… It's fine, I don't mind."
Fortunately, Rino-chan seemed to forgive us. Rather, he seemed completely composed.
"Shall we take a short break?"
… Rino-chan stood up from his seat, and spoke with a voice that didn't reveal an ounce of what he was feeling. He held a wet handkerchief in one hand, so he might be going to deal with that.
"… Um, I'm sorry." Sounding more down than I had ever heard her, Blake muttered. This was also the first time I had seen her act so sincerely. "… Because of me, it's become very difficult for us to get any information regarding Morino Ibiki…"
"No, I'm sorry too… it was my request that led to things getting like this… I apologize."
We exchanged apologies. We used words from the heart that would not have come out if it had not been for a situation like this. I felt strange. We had very seldom talked to each other in the past, but we had come to a strange sense of mutual understanding. What exactly was this weird feeling of camaraderie?
This awkward, unpleasant silence continued for a while. Finally, Rino-chan came back. For some reason, he was holding a tray. "Please." Concisely speaking just that one word, Rino-chan placed some new cups of tea and pudding on the desk.
"Please eat."
"… Ah."
What was up with him…? What exactly does he want to do…? Is he… not angry with us? While we sat there completely puzzled, Rino-chan calmly sat down in front of us. With his usual warlock-like expression, he spooned up a bite of pudding and sent it into his mouth.
Bite, chew chew, gulp.… he nodded, seemingly content.
"The pudding is good. It'll cheer you up."
… Huh? I turned and met Blake's gaze. Could it be, that this person was…
"… Are you trying to cheer us up?"
"… Chatting really isn't one of my strong suits… sorry."
Griiinnnnn. A rather repulsive looking light smile appeared on Rino-chan's face. It was a look that could make children swoon… but I'll just interpret his actions as trying to cheer us up.
Yes… this person's criticisms were incredibly harsh, and he also looked absurdly scary, but he wasn't such a bad guy. He really wasn't a bad person…
"Well, before we continue where we left off, let's talk a bit about what you'll do from here."
"… What… I'll do… from here…?" Blake put herself on guard, and I understood why. She was probably worried about what he was going to say this time.
"Yes, from here… in other words, with regards to your next project."
"Eh…? Next?" Blake widened her eyes and repeated his statement as a question. "Umm… but you told me you couldn't use what I gave you, and this was the last time we would meet because of my connections…"
"Yes. From what I read of your manuscript, I am unable to take you on as your editor. As I said before, if you really want to debut with our firm, get your manuscript through our company's rookie competition. Without using your connections, in the usual established way. Not doing that would be quite sneaky."
"… I understand."
It was the same verbal exchange as before… or so I thought, but Rino-chan continued with a "But…"
"I would welcome any additional manuscripts you send to me. Please understand that I would only be giving you advice on it, and I wouldn't help you more than that, and I wouldn't be helping you get it published. But if you want… or rather, before that, if you're not fed up after today's session…"
If you're prepared to get heavily criticized once more, please come again. That's what he appeared to be saying. Blake took one deep breath, and nodded with an "… Alright."
"… I look forward to working with you."
"… Yes, me too. It's just that, to say the least, the way you are now, things would be out of the question, so please don't get your hopes up too much. I would ask that you do not neglect your schoolwork or other things and misunderstand this situation as your being accepted by an editor. There really are very few people who can successfully debut, and speaking from the experience I have with the authors that work with me… there are people who will take ten years between the time they are accepted by an editor and the time they actually debut their work. And then, even though they work so hard to debut like that, if their work doesn't sell they will just fade back into obscurity… so please, make sure your own life is your top priority."
Almost like he was warning Blake, Rino-chan repeated his blunt words, and at the end even lowered his head.
… So… in a word…
"… So, you're trying to tell me that the probability of me debuting with your company is rather low?"
"Yes, exactly."
He said yes! Even though he had just made her cry a little while ago! It really seems like "subtlety" is not in this man's dictionary!
"And… that's not the only thing I want to say. I don't know if this is putting it correctly… but, to so called 'wannabes' like Blake-kun, debuting comes first and foremost. Of course, that's not an incorrect way of thinking. But, from our standpoint, debuting is the beginning. It's not the goal."
All in one breath.
"After you debut, things will be different than when you were an amateur. Deadlines spring up, new information and material pop up and you have to craft new stories using those. There will even be times where you don't even have time to absorb all this new information but you'll still just have to keep on writing. The one thing that you can depend on at times like those are the experiences you've gained through life. Even if you take a detour along the way… for example, if you found something else you wanted to do, and decided to pursue that for a while, the experience you gain there is definitely not useless. This probably sounds rather extreme and these might be words that would anger most novelist hopefuls… but you should pursue some other line of work until you retire, and then debut as a novelist with your wealth of life experience. Even if you did things like that, you wouldn't be late to the game."
That is certainly quite extreme. As expected, the man suggested the easygoing route. Even though she wants to become a novelist now, he talked about doing something forty years down the line. And also, this is something I've been thinking up to now, not only does this guy sound like he's giving us a lecture, but he's terribly longwinded. But, he seemed to be honestly trying to be sincere and considerate, and I could tell that he was speaking seriously. This was also what he did as a job, so there wasn't really a reason he would be lecturing us. Well, annoying things are annoying, so I found myself almost wishing he would drop dead from a heart attack right now… but it might not be a bad idea to have some faith in him, I think.
Rino-chan looked Blake in the eyes as he spoke onwards. "What I just said… did you take it as me trying to get you to give up your dream of becoming a novelist?"
"Yes, I feel like you're lecturing and patronizing me, saying something like 'You should listen to my advice when I say that you should try doing something else. Because you have no talent'. It's quite unpleasant."
Did she just say "yes" straight out!? And what's more, she felt unpleasant because he was being patronizing!? Certainly, I sort of agreed with her, but that's not something you can say out loud! Why do you have to speak so aggressively no matter who you're talking to!? What happened to the girl who was sitting here and quietly negotiating with him!? Did she die or something?!
"Kukuku, patronizing and unpleasant, hm?"
At Blake's tactless remarks, Rino-chan raised his voice for the first time and laughed. He looked seriously scary. Did her words anger him…?
"Ah, but I'm sorry. Certainly, I probably sounded like I was lecturing you. Looking like this and being this old, there aren't many people who would say something like that to me, so it's difficult for me to realize when I'm being that way."
"Not surprising."
Blake's poisonous mouth just kept on going. She's completely returned back to her old personality, hasn't she?
"Yeah. Well, while I'm here lecturing and patronizing you, let me give you the punchline. Blake-kun, please realize that your time as a 'wannabe' is very precious. Whether or not you end up debuting with our company, it's good that you have things that would make you want to go and earn money. In your case, there are other things that you want to do just as much as this, right? You're still young, so go have various experiences, see various things, and enjoy your life. I think that's a good shortcut to becoming a novelist. You don't have to be in such a hurry. It's a matter of your own future, so please think about it slowly and carefully."
"… Thank you for your opinion. I will try my best." she said that really sarcastically… Well, that's fine and all, but it's not doing wonders for my nerves.
"Yes, please try your best. It's good to listen to the advice of those older than you." Rino-chan didn't seem like he wanted to give up and replied to Blake. And then…"Well, let me give you this. It's my email address and cell phone number. Please use this to contact me."
He took a business card out from his bag. When Blake took the card from him, her eyes widened.
"N-Niisan, this is…"
"What's wrong?"
At Blake's strange expression, I put myself on my guard and stared at the lettering on the business card. MediAscii Works Second Editorial Department, Dengeki Books Editorial Division…
"Eh…? Wait… t-this name…"
Swish! Swish! Becoming more and more bewildered, I looked back and forth between the business card and the editor in front of me.
"… Ah, sorry, did I confuse you?"
And then, Rino-chan, seeming to misunderstand why we were surprised…
"… Let me clear that up. My real name is Morino Ibiki… nice to meet you."
He offered that simple explanation as to why the name he gave us was different from the name on his business card.