Chapter 16: And then, we must keep moving forward.
"Izumi-sensei, I have good news for you. The follow-up sales this week are quite good. While it's not exactly a breakout hit, the sell-through rate has increased. The editorial department will consider increasing the print run." Machida Sonoko called again.
This sudden good news surprised Chihiro, but also left him a little puzzled.
"Why did the follow-up sales increase?"
"Izumi-sensei, don't you know? I thought you asked Kashiwagi Eri-sensei for help."
"Hmm? Kashiwagi Eri… she's my friend, yes, but did she do something?"
"Just check Kashiwagi Eri-sensei's Twitter, and you'll know."
He hung up the phone.
Chihiro opened Twitter and saw the two messages Eriri had posted, finally understanding.
It seemed he owed her a favor this time.
"But that guy didn't say anything…"
He chuckled softly, then dialed Eriri's phone.
"Why are you calling me? I'm drawing right now."
A complaining voice came from the other end.
"Thank you, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei."
"Uh… you know?"
"Of course, I do. It's not like I don't know who Kashiwagi Eri is."
"That's not the point!"
...
"So, how were the sales last week?"
After a few seconds, she spoke again.
"Very good. Normally, after the first week, sales usually drop significantly, and then they can only accumulate slowly over time, or be boosted by new volumes. However, this week, sales maintained above 4,000, so it seems the average volume sales will soon exceed 10,000."
Chihiro replied.
"Hmph! This is all my credit. Thank me to your heart's content!"
"Yes, yes, yes, it's all Sawamura-ojousama's credit! Sawamura-ojousama is the best!"
"...Your agreement makes me sick."
Eriri felt like she was getting goosebumps.
"Alright, that's enough! I'm hanging up, I still need to draw."
She hung up the phone directly.
Then, Chihiro told Sagiri the good news, so she wouldn't worry too much and affect her mood.
"Really? Eriri-nee-san really helped a lot!"
Sagiri exclaimed, her face beaming with joy.
"Of course, this is only a temporary boost, like an extra recommendation. Whether we can maintain it depends on the subsequent reaction, especially the upcoming second volume, which is our main focus."
He offered a gentle reminder, which was also a self-admonition.
Although sales had indeed increased, such methods couldn't be used indefinitely, and there would eventually be a limit.
Only by improving one's own abilities was the best way forward.
"Hmm… if only I could draw better, if only I had the same appeal as Eriri-nee-san, maybe things would be different."
Sagiri's voice was low.
"Sagiri, don't dwell on it! This is our work, and it's certainly not just Sagiri's fault. Don't blame yourself so much. Illustrations can affect sales, but the content is key. Those works that are criticized actually satisfy the preferences of many people. Those with too much money and nowhere to spend it are still a minority."
Chihiro comforted her.
No matter how much one mocked those vulgar, brainless, other-world harem works, they ultimately met the expectations of some people.
Was it really wrong to like harem works, to like suggestive illustrations?
No, it wasn't.
These were all choices made by the market.
"But, this level alone is definitely not enough. I still need to improve."
Sagiri looked up, her gaze, like a mist of water, grew even more determined.
"Then let's work hard together, Sagiri."
Chihiro stroked her head, nodding with satisfaction.
Over the next half-month, sales, though slightly declining, were still impressive. This was already after Kashiwagi Eri's promotional boost, indicating that the inherent staying power of "demon slayer" was showing.
Clearly, some readers who were satisfied with the content had 'spread the word' to their friends, successfully bringing in a new group of readers.
One morning.
"Machida Editor, I wanted to ask, when will the next volume be published?"
Chihiro contacted the beautiful editor again.
"Generally, it's one volume every three months, but in reality, many people update at a higher frequency than that, or even directly stop updating… for example, using a lack of inspiration as an excuse to work on new projects. Izumi-sensei, you mustn't learn bad habits from them. As a middle school student, I'll be very satisfied as long as you update before the deadline."
Machida Sonoko answered the question.
"One volume every three months, huh… can it be faster?"
Chihiro's tone seemed a bit impatient.
"It's not impossible, Izumi-sensei. Are you perhaps thinking of shortening the time? But, won't your studies be affected? Won't there be pressure from your parents and teachers?"
Machida Sonoko was quite worried about this.
"It's fine, my grades are pretty good," he replied.
Because he had lived two lives, his memory had improved, and his academic ability had greatly increased. Plus, most of the subjects were content he had already studied, so he naturally didn't take it to heart.
"Since you say so, then I'll trust sensei! I just don't know how much shorter sensei plans to make it?"
Machida Sonoko no longer tried to dissuade him.
Anyway, in her eyes, he had the potential to become a famous novelist. If he really made it big, then academics wouldn't matter at all.
"One volume every two months, how does that speed sound?" Izumi Chihiro probed.
He planned to use seventy percent of his time for writing and the remaining thirty percent for refining.
A light novel volume is only about 100,000 words. If it were the update speed of an online novelist from his previous life, it wouldn't take long to finish.
But obsessing over update speed was meaningless; what was important was to write words he was satisfied with.
And this speed, for someone just starting out, was enough to ensure quality.
"Of course…" Machida Sonoko wasn't surprised.
One volume every three months was just a normal speed. Of course, there were also light novelists in the industry with incredibly fast update speeds.
Some updated one volume a month, and some even updated several light novels at once. So this speed was just okay, barely enough to be called 'diligent'.
After agreeing on a time with Machida Sonoko, Izumi Chihiro immersed himself in creation once more.
With even greater passion than before.
Because the content of the upcoming second volume made his heart pound even more.
The appearance of the uniquely individual Nine Pillars, and then the plot of the Infinite Train Arc…
Just recalling these plot points in his mind made Izumi Chihiro feel much more spirited, wanting to immediately portray all of it through his writing.
"Work hard!"
He patted his cheek, giving himself a self-motivational boost, then stretched his hands towards the keyboard.
Inside the room, only the sound of keyboard clicks remained.