WANI Magazine Editorial Department.
"Ah, youth. Being young is truly great."
Editor Watanabe, having put down the nine-panel grid storyboard that Machida Sonoko had shown him in passing while Tsushima Kagami and the others were submitting their manuscripts, could not help but sigh with emotion regarding youth.
"Is Kagami-kun planning to develop as an anime director in the future?"
Editor Watanabe did not take the opportunity to urge Tsushima Kagami to hurry up with the content for the next issue; instead, he asked about his future development.
"No way. Kagami-kun is someone who is going to become a Great Writer. How could he possibly go and become an anime director?"
Before Tsushima Kagami could even answer, Machida Sonoko spoke up for him.
Editor Watanabe smiled and slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot that Kagami-kun is also a newcomer author for Shincho."
"He is an award-winning author of the Literary Newcomer Prize!" Kosaka Akane and Sayuri added in unison.
"Right, right, right! An award-winning author of the Literary Newcomer Prize!" Editor Watanabe hurriedly corrected himself.
"However, even if Kagami-kun studies in the Literature Department at Todai in the future, it's not like he can't be an anime director. Or rather, that might be even better. Handling supervision, original art, script, and production all at once—an all-round director!"
"Then I'd really die of exhaustion," Tsushima Kagami said with a smile.
"Oh my, Kagami-kun is perfectly fine being a Great Writer, so why are you always trying to make him become a director?" Machida Sonoko complained to Editor Watanabe again.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. I just feel that one day we'll see Kagami-kun's name on a movie screen." Editor Watanabe quickly took a tactical sip of tea, then spoke again.
"By the way, Kagami-kun, I'm afraid the tankobon for your Hiiragi-senpai is going to sell thirty thousand copies by the end of the month. Tsk tsk, this is something that has never happened before."
"Also, the subsequent royalty split will be transferred to you next month."
Royalty splits generally covered the quantity of the first printing. Regardless of whether they sold out or not, the payment was made to the author in one lump sum—also known as stamp duty. The splits after the first batch were then transferred based on the quantity sold in additional printings, calculated by month or quarter.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Editor Watanabe."
"Alright then, you guys go on and continue enjoying your youth. This old bone still has to continue working overtime."
After speaking, Editor Watanabe stood up. He picked up the Literature Girl manuscript that Tsushima Kagami had handed to him earlier, preparing to return to the editorial room and pass it to personnel in other departments for computer entry and typesetting.
"Then we will take our leave as well." Tsushima Kagami and the others stood up to bid farewell.
...
In the blink of an eye, time arrived at the rest day again.
Chiyoda Ward, Akihabara Station.
Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku walked out of the subway station, both dressed in casual clothes. Rare for her, Yukinoshita Shizuku did not have a part-time job shift scheduled for today. Consequently, Tsushima Kagami had dragged Yukinoshita Shizuku to Akihabara.
Akihabara was originally a famous electronics district. From the eighties and nineties, personal computers began to enter the Japanese market. Especially with the sudden emergence of Windows 95 in 1995, the threshold for computer operation was lowered, and personal computers suddenly became widespread.
The reduction in difficulty of computer usage brought about an explosion of game developers. Consequently, merchants in Akihabara discovered that buyers were mostly game enthusiasts, which led them to gradually shift from hardware to software.
Added to this was the milestone explosive popularity of EVA in the same year. Since ACG (Anime, Comic, Games) are inseparable, the merchants of Akihabara logically began selling EVA merchandise and other goods alongside game software.
Later, with the arrival of maid cafes, it began to embark on the path of 'Moe-ification'. Just like that, Akihabara slowly transformed from an electronics district selling refrigerators and color TVs into a 2D holy land for ACG.
Looking at the now thriving and prosperous Akihabara, what Tsushima Kagami was thinking in his heart was that these people definitely could not imagine that, twenty years later, they would welcome yet another transformation. By that time, Akihabara would be nearly transformed into a wind business holy land for street-standing girls.
"What are you smiling about so inexplicably?"
At this moment, seeing Tsushima Kagami smile with inexplicable wretchedness, Yukinoshita Shizuku asked curiously.
"Ah? Did I smile?"
"You just smiled."
"Alright then. I just saw that realm of vibrant vitality, with all living things competing in growth, right before my eyes, and I couldn't help but be overcome with joy."
"You're sick." Seeing that Tsushima Kagami didn't want to tell her and was just spouting nonsense, Yukinoshita Shizuku muttered a complaint.
"Eh? An Ojou-sama shouldn't use bad language!"
"I'm not an Ojou-sama anymore; I'm just a little woman now."
"How did you learn to be so cheeky? Mother would be sad if she knew."
"Then just don't let Mother know."
"Truly an unfilial daughter. You've gone wild not long after living alone," Tsushima Kagami lamented.
"I'll tell Mother I learned it all from you." After saying this, Yukinoshita Shizuku lightly kicked him in the calf.
"Why don't you learn something good?" Tsushima Kagami stopped to rub his calf.
"Learning good is hard, learning bad takes just a slip—isn't that what you said? So, what exactly is the business we have in Akihabara today?"
Yukinoshita Shizuku quickly interrupted and asked about the main business again.
Tsushima Kagami walked straight into an electronics building. After the two entered, Yukinoshita Shizuku followed Tsushima Kagami to a display counter selling mobile phones.
"Hello, let me see this Nokia. And that Motorola. Thanks."
When the attendant smilingly handed a Motorola GC87 and a Nokia 5110 to Tsushima Kagami, he took them and began humming a song while playing with them in his hands.
"I'm making money~ I'm making money~ I don't even know how to spend it~ I'll buy a Nokia for my left ~ And a Motorola for my right~"
After humming, Tsushima Kagami extended them in front of Yukinoshita Shizuku.
"Which one do you want to buy?"
"You want to buy a mobile phone?" Yukinoshita Shizuku was stunned, looking at Tsushima Kagami.
"Otherwise? It's convenient for us to contact each other in the future when we can't find one another."
"I feel like we are always together, though," Yukinoshita Shizuku suddenly reflected.
"There's always the off chance we get separated and can't find each other, right?"
"True." Yukinoshita Shizuku nodded.
"Which one do you choose? The attendant miss is still waiting."
Just as Yukinoshita Shizuku was suffering from decision paralysis, the female attendant introduced with a sweet voice: "This Nokia 5110 comes equipped with exchangeable colorful shells. I feel it suits girls better."
After speaking, she took out shells of other colors. Yukinoshita Shizuku's eyes lit up upon seeing them.
Sure enough, is technology based on changing shells?
Tsushima Kagami thought again of the old meme from back in the day where everyone roasted Nokia for lacking innovation.
...
When the two finally came out, Yukinoshita Shizuku was constantly fiddling with the mobile phone in her hand, which had already been switched to a red shell; she couldn't put it down. Because they were still students, and there hadn't been a need, the Yukinoshita family hadn't prepared mobile phones for the two of them initially.
"Where to next?" Yukinoshita Shizuku finally put away the phone and asked Tsushima Kagami.
"I want to go look at computers again."
In the few months Tsushima Kagami had been here, his internet addiction had almost been cured because he didn't have a computer. Now that he had money, he absolutely had to get a computer to play with.
"WHY!"
Just as the two were preparing to go look elsewhere, they heard a man's unwilling roar. Passersby walking all around also stopped in their tracks to look. Gradually, more and more people gathered together to watch the commotion. Tsushima Kagami also led Yukinoshita Shizuku closer to watch the spectacle.
"Let alone kissing, when we were dating, I said I wanted to hold hands. You said you were slow to warm up, that you wanted to take it slow. As a result, up until now, we haven't even held hands!"
"Why was it so fast with him?!"
"Yui-chan, have you forgotten? Back when you were dumped by that man... It was me who watched by your side as you cried until your hair was wet. I wanted to comfort you but didn't know what stance to take. My heart ached beyond measure."
"Is this the punishment I get for obtaining you now?"
At this moment, the girl turned her head away, not daring to look the boy in the eye. Her right hand gripped her own left arm tightly, and she spoke with an expression that carried a hint of unbearable pain:
"Kenta, we are already over."
____
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