The next day, before dawn, Akira Fujimiya woke up.
He glanced at Yuigahama Yui sleeping beside him and began quietly putting on his clothes.
Last night, Yui had surprised him—an act that gave him a whole new understanding of her.
My little fool… sometimes she's really bold, he thought, smiling faintly.
He looked at the maid outfit lying beside the bed.
Carefully, he pulled the quilt over her before leaving the room. He hadn't hurt her in any way; he treated her the same way he always had.
After tucking her in, he leaned back on his arms for a moment and closed his eyes.
He had taught her some unusual tips yesterday, enough to prevent her from being unable to sleep.
.....
Heading downstairs, Akira spotted Hiratsuka-sensei yawning as she stretched near the kitchen table.
"Sensei, didn't you sleep well last night?" he asked.
"I couldn't," Shizuka Hiratsuka replied dryly.
"If you don't get enough exercise or don't tire yourself during the day, it's easy to have trouble sleeping," Akira reminded lightly.
"It's not because of that," she said, shaking her head.
"The commission?" he asked quietly, understanding immediately.
"Yes. Even though there's still plenty of time, I can't sleep when I think about the future," Hiratsuka-sensei said softly, staring into the distance.
Akira fell silent, letting her words hang in the air. Shizuka-sensei didn't add more, walking slowly toward the Sakurasou entrance.
They ran all the way to the park nearby and sat on the benches in quiet contemplation.
"Funimiya, do you believe something like a miracle could happen in this world?" she asked, glancing at the empty playground.
"Yes," Akira said without hesitation.
'It's a miracle that I ended up in this world'. He added inwardly
"Even if I do nothing… could it still happen?" she continued.
She continue after a short pause. "..If you had been born ten years earlier, maybe I could have introduced you to my father, and things could have been… different."
Hiratsuka-sensei averted her gaze and sighed.
"Maybe one day… I will really be ten years older," Akira added quietly, looking at her with a faint smile.
"Chuunibyou?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
"Maybe," he replied lightly.
The chances are slim, but with my abilities—enhanced memory, improved physical skills—perhaps I could manage to make myself mature too.
"Funimiya… I—"
"If you ever leave without saying goodbye, I will drop out of school and find you. If you hide and marry someone you don't like, I will rush in and stop it myself," he said calmly. "I will not let your feeling being wasted."
Shizuka-sensei's face flushed slightly, and she was momentarily stunned.
Then a faint smile appeared. She could tell it was a lie—but a comforting one, as she slowly muttered—
"What a troublesome student, I have"
.....
Later, they had breakfast and headed toward Sobu High School.
Akira held Yuigahama Yui's small hand gently. While, Saki Kawasaki walked a few steps behind, making no attempt to disturb the two.
As they approached the school, Akira's phone rang.
It was Yumiko Sato.
"The online pre-orders for Non Non Biyori have already started," she reported. "Future Comics, weekly released, covered it specifically. The single volume contains one extra chapter compared to the weekly release. Readers are eager to see the next chapter, so pre-orders are skyrocketing."
Akira listened calmly.
He already suspected that it would hit the bestseller list. Future Comics had ample time to print additional copies if needed.
By lunchtime, the numbers were astonishing—
In just four hours, hundreds of thousands of pre-orders had been recorded.
Akira raised an eyebrow.
He had expected slower growth. Then he remembered the lady—she must be behind this.
After lunch, his phone vibrated again.
"In five hours, 200,000 pre-orders," he read silently.
In a single hour, the number had jumped by 100,000. How could this be possible? He didn't bother questioning Yumiko Sato—it had to be her work.
...
At Future Comics Publishing House,
Yumiko Sato asked the online store manager about the data.
"There's no issue with the numbers," the young woman replied. "Every user's info checks out. But the jump in one hour is still incredible."
"Good," Yumiko Sato breathed out, secretly admiring Akira.
Two hundred thousand pre-orders already surpassed previous first-place records. Within 24 hours, the total might reach 300,000, guaranteeing a bestseller spot for Non Non Biyori.
Knock! Knock!
Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door.
"Come in," Yumiko called.
A woman in a business suit entered—the representative in charge of the bookstores.
"Editor-in-Chief Sato, all major bookstores have increased their orders for Non Non Biyori. The total now exceeds 500,000 copies," she said matter-of-factly.
"What…what did you say?" Yumiko Sato exclaimed, stunned.
"Almost all the major bookstores in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto contacted us directly," the woman explained. "Other regions remain between 10,000 and 100,000 copies per store."
Yumiko stared at the figures, disbelief mixing with excitement. Although order volume doesn't equate to final sales, it shows confidence in Non Non Biyori.
Once stocked, these books would sell in-store, and once they approached a sellout, they would be restocked.
Unsold volumes could be returned, and the final profit would depend on actual sales.
No one could be certain if it would sell 500,000 copies—but the order numbers were real. Future Comics would need to print more to meet demand.
Before taking further action, Yumiko Sato needed approval from the president of the publishing house.
Printing half a million copies was not trivial.
She instructed the bookstore representative to continue monitoring online pre-orders while she went to speak with the president.
Hanada Yui's assistant, seeing her arrive, smiled but did not stop her.
"Has President Hanada eaten lunch?" Yumiko asked quietly.
"The president has eaten. You can go straight to her office," the assistant replied.
Yumiko nodded started walking towards the office.
After reaching, she knocked lightly on the office door.
"Come in," came the voice.
Yumiko pushed the door open. Hanada Yui looked up, rose from her chair, and gestured to a seat.
"President Hanada, I have an urgent matter regarding Youzai," Yumiko began, standing respectfully. "The current bookstore orders exceed 500,000 copies. If we supply these, we'll need to print another 500,000. Online pre-orders are already estimated at over 300,000 copies."
"Akira Fujimiya's work?" Hanada Yui asked, momentarily stunned.
"Yes," Yumiko confirmed.
Even though Hanada Yui was president, she usually didn't handle the editorial or internal publishing matters. She likely wasn't aware of Non Non Biyori's surge in popularity because she had been occupied with electronic comic software and administration. {Lets call it Manga App for now}
Yumiko continued presenting the figures and logistics, ensuring that Hanada Yui understood the scale and importance of the orders.
...
The news was unprecedented.
Both online pre-orders and bookstore demand indicated that Non Non Biyori was about to become a cultural phenomenon.
Akira, meanwhile, continued his calm demeanor, fully aware that this was the result of not only his efforts but also strategic coordination by those around him, including the mysterious young lady orchestrating parts of the pre-order surge.
With the sunrise, the stage was set: Non Non Biyori was on track to dominate the charts, and Akira Fujimiya's influence on both the artistic and commercial worlds had been cemented.
...
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