Chapter 11: Takasago Tomoe
Takasago Bookstore is a bookstore not far from Detective Slope.
Generally speaking, local ACG enthusiasts would go there to buy light novels or manga.
Normally, the owner would be minding the store.
However, after school or during holidays, the owner's daughter, Takasago Tomoe, would appear as a salesgirl.
Furthermore, she, Eriri, and Izumi Masamune are all students at Shimamura Middle School, and they are even in the same class.
She has long, beautiful, smooth black hair, a gentle and delicate appearance, and looks like a very feminine young girl.
She appears well-behaved on the surface, but in reality, her speech is quite casual.
What made Eriri feel most terrified was that despite being the same age, Takasago Tomoe's chest was already well-developed, while Eriri's showed no signs of growth at all.
"Izumi-dono, are you here to buy new books today? It seems there's nothing particularly recommendable recently... Eh, who is this?"
Takasago Tomoe saw a familiar face enter, so she stepped out from behind the counter, only to notice a slightly timid girl behind him after getting closer.
"My younger sister, her name is Sagiri," he explained.
"Oh, so it's your younger sister! She's so cute! I didn't expect Izumi to have such an adorable younger sister!" Takasago Tomoe praised repeatedly.
"My name is Takasago Tomoe, and I'm in the same class as your brother. You can just call me Onee-san," Takasago Tomoe said, bowing slightly as she introduced herself.
"Mm... Mm," Sagiri nodded gently, not saying much.
"She seems like an introverted child..." Takasago Tomoe straightened up again.
At this moment, Izumi Chihiro's gaze fell on the bookshelf nearby.
Her gaze followed his.
Those were works just released today.
It seems the author's name is Izumi... Izumi Masamune?
Wait, Izumi Masamune?
This gave her an unfounded association.
"One for collection, one for reading, one for evangelism."
Is it real or fake?
Izumi is only a middle school student; how could he possibly become a debut light novelist? This must be a coincidence, right?
Although Takasago Tomoe thought Izumi Chihiro was excellent, she didn't think he was excellent to this extent.
"Hui-jie-jie, I wanted to ask, how are the sales of 'demon slayer'...?" Sagiri clutched the hem of her skirt, looking a little nervous.
She didn't know if she was nervous because of the conversation or worried that his work wasn't selling well enough.
"Average, I don't know how it's selling elsewhere, but in our bookstore, this speed should be considered relatively slow... Of course, it's much better than those works that completely bombed," Takasago Tomoe said honestly.
Thanks to Fujikawa Bunko's promotion, 'demon slayer' certainly wouldn't sell zero copies, but it was also impossible for it to become an instant hit.
Izumi Chihiro wasn't discouraged; to become popular from the start, it either had to be a new book by an established author or so well-written that it attracted many people during online pre-reading.
And although he had polished the early plot of 'demon slayer,' he couldn't make it too interesting.
A scene of deep-seated suffering from the beginning probably wouldn't attract too many readers.
He only hoped that when readers reached the climax at the end of the first volume, they would give him a good review, thereby influencing more people to buy it.
"I see..." Sagiri frowned.
"Izumi, 'demon slayer' isn't written by you, is it?" Takasago Tomoe turned her head and probed.
"Since you've discovered it, I won't pretend anymore... It is indeed written by me," Izumi Chihiro hadn't expected her to be so perceptive, so he calmly nodded.
"When did you start writing light novels, and you even debuted directly!" Takasago Tomoe said in disbelief.
"Not long ago, about three months ago," he replied.
"I didn't expect you to be a genius!" Takasago Tomoe looked him up and down, nodding to herself.
"A genius? Not really," Izumi Chihiro casually denied.
How could someone like him be considered a genius?
"It's rare for a middle school student to debut..." In Takasago Tomoe's memory, such things rarely happened, so he must be a very capable person.
As the two were about to continue chatting.