After the introductions, Machida Sonoko took the seat across from Hayashi Maki.
"Well then, Kurosora Twilight-sensei, I've gone over your submission in detail. I think your work has real potential, so we're ready to sign you. Regarding your series—do you have any special requests?"
Hayashi Maki smiled calmly. "I only ask that the manga adaptation rights and live-action rights remain with me. If we ever do a manga version, I want to choose the artist myself."
Sonoko raised a brow. "Of course. We value authors' rights—those adaptation rights belong to you, Sensei."
"Seeing you so confident in your work, I think our partnership will be a good one."
"Haha, I'll take that as a blessing, Machida-san." Hayashi Maki pushed his laptop toward her. "Actually, I've already started drafting Volume Two. You can look over the opening and the outline to get a sense of where I'm taking it."
"This is my first time writing, so I'll be counting on you for all the contract and publicity stuff."
"No problem. That's literally my job as your editor. Alright, let's see where Volume Two is going—"
And the moment she started reading, she was hooked.
Volume One had focused on developing the characters of the black-stockinged upperclassman and the tsundere blonde twin-tail classmate—both heroines dragged into helping the protagonist make a game. Cue love triangle, comedy, and classic romcom chaos.
But in Volume Two… a third heroine appeared. And the love triangle became an all-out love war.
Sonoko found herself actually looking forward to seeing who the protagonist would end up with—if anyone.
It was sweet. Painfully sweet. And when she hit the "I was here first" moments—the kind of emotional gut-punches that later became infamous as "White Album" scenarios—her chest actually ached.
Part of her didn't even want the protagonist to choose anymore.
Hayashi Maki had written every heroine so well, each with their own charms, that it was impossible to root against any of them. You couldn't help but want to step into the protagonist's shoes yourself and make the choice.
But then—nothing. The rest wasn't there yet.
When she finally looked up from the screen, her eyes were practically sparkling with heat. It was enough to make Hayashi Maki shift uncomfortably.
"…Something wrong, Machida-san? Is there something I should change?"
Sonoko sighed and shook her head. "We can talk edits later. Twilight-sensei… I want to lock you in a room and make you keep writing until you finish! I need the next part now!"
"Uh… Even if you love the story that much, I can't exactly live in a writing cell forever, you know?" Hayashi Maki said with a helpless smile.
Sonoko scratched her head and coughed. "Just kidding. But honestly—if you keep writing like this, without losing pace, it's going to be huge."
"If every rookie author was as low-maintenance as you, my job would be a dream."
Her words carried an unspoken comparison. She couldn't help thinking of a certain black-stockinged young author with a big personality—Kasumigaoka Utaha, whose debut volume had sold over 500,000 copies. But her Volume Two completely lost the magic of the first, and the sales crashed. Sonoko had even suggested ending it early to preserve her reputation.
Once a writer's name slips, it's painfully hard to recover. Readers won't give you a second chance.
No matter what advice Sonoko gave, Utaha couldn't recapture her debut's spark. In the end, Sonoko told her she might need to go fall in love for real before trying to write another romance volume.
Now, though… Sonoko was looking at someone who might even be able to teach Utaha a thing or two. So much in Hayashi Maki's story could serve as perfect reference material for Love Metronome.
Her eyes lit up even more.
"Anyway, back on topic—Twilight-sensei, your work is excellent, and I'm fully backing it."
"But if we just print and sell it outright, the sales could flop. We normally promote first—release some preview chapters to hook readers, build up hype, then launch the full volume."
"That's on our end. You'll just need to make a Twitter account, pop in now and then to interact with readers, maybe do a signing event or two."
"I'll be in touch with details. For now, to maximize your debut's impact, I suggest you enter our company's New Light Novel Author Award. It'll help the work break out faster."
Sonoko explained the process thoroughly, making sure Hayashi Maki understood the key points. Finally, they settled on the retail price.
He was a newcomer, so the price couldn't match big-name authors—but she still gave him the highest rate a rookie could get. She had that much faith in his potential.
Besides, if she gave him the best terms now and he kept delivering hits, it would benefit her too.
A win-win.