It's been about a week since the cat cafe date. It's early in the afternoon and I find myself seated at a nearby cafe.
"Alright, let's get this meeting going!"
The woman across from me lets out an energetic voice as I straighten my back.
"Y-yes, sounds good."
I bow my head down so fast that I bash my forehead against the table. I lift up my head, forgetting all about the pain. Good, the cola and coffee haven't spilt at all.
"A-are you okay!?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
I stroke my forehead as I bow my head again.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to pull off something from a gag manga."
"No, it's fine. It's our first time meeting, so of course there'll be some nerves."
With that, the woman across from me puts on a casual smile. Okay, so how did I end up in this cafe, sitting across from some woman? Two weeks ago, I got a publication message on Syosetu, which is the largest web novel site in Japan, for my web novel "Forever and Always, My Childhood Friend is the Cutest Girl in the World". My emotions could be summed up as: Earth shattering cries. Even now, I still remember the exact contents of the message that was sent to me.
To Mr. Kamino:
Pleased to meet you. My name is Aria Amami and I worked for the light novel editorial department for the Sugar Bunsha company.
I had a lot of fun reading your novel, "Forever and Always, My Childhood Friend is the Cutest Girl in the World". The title caught my eye and I started reading it as a childhood friend story as I started to pick up on areas where it would be popular. The first thing I noticed was how cute the main heroine was. The dialogue between the protagonist and the heroine and the self-deprecating narration were really captivating.
In between my busy work schedule, I would make sure to find time to read it. Our label, the romantic comedy division of the Sugar Bunsha Light Novel company would like to bolster the number of works we have.
This may be a bit presumptuous, but if you are interested, how about we set up a time and place for a meeting. If you are interested, please don't be afraid to contact us.
So why did I have the whole thing memorized? I was so happy that I re-read that message over ten thousand times. Okay, that's probably a lie. But I did end up re-reading it countless times. I had to make sure it wasn't a dream or a joke, so I read each bit carefully so many times over.
Of course, I replied to the message, saying I wanted to set up a meeting. After exchanging messages back and forth, we've arrived to today, the much anticipated meeting date.
"Alright, how about we introduce ourselves first!"
As she pushes up her red-rimmed glasses, the nonchalant atmosphere she was putting up becomes all tense, as if someone were pulling a string.
"Once again, I am Aria Amami of Sugar Bunsha light novel's editorial department. Pleased to meet you."
Without a hint of familiarity, she greets herself in a very practiced and business-like fashion, as she hands me her business card. This is the first time I ever received a business card. Its size doesn't do justice to how much weight it feels like it has.
"I-I'm Tohru Yonekura. Glad to be working with you. I don't have a business card yet though!"
I bow my head in a stiff manner, while my heart is pounding. She can probably sense how nervous I am, or maybe Amami-san is just always this cheerful.
"You don't need to be so formal, let's just put that behind us. Things will work out better if you act casual, you know."
Amami-san is the type of person to leap over the walls between people and casually bring everyone together. Based on the message alone, I thought the sender would be someone who would be all uptight, but it seems like my mental image of her has taken a full 180.
"Call me whatever you want! Amami-san, Aria-san, Amin, Achan, you name it!"
She's essentially really laid back. She seems like the type of person who would hang out at university clubs and definitely doesn't seem like someone who works at an editing department. That being said, I'm not the greatest at this whole formal thing, so this works just fine for me. Having something more casual like this is good, since it can maintain my spirit for writing romcoms.
"Sounds good, Aaa-san!"
"Okay, now that's just a name for a video game character. I mean, my last name has three 'A''s and all, but still."
"Sounds good, Triple-A-san."
"Okay, now the music industry will be pissed if I just copy a band name. I mean, you're still focusing on that and all."
What else would you expect from future best seller, Mr.Yonekura!
Is what Amami-san looks like she wanted to say as she blows some air through her nose. I was going to suggest dropping the "Mister" and just go all casual, but I stopped. This might be standard in the business world and imagining people call me "Mr.Yonekura" tingles at my heartstrings. It definitely will make me seem like an author, that's just how it is.
"I sort of expected it, but you're awfully young, Mr.Yonekura. Are you a student or something?"
"Ah, yeah actually. I'm in my last year of high school."
"High school!? Amazing, you're so young, so brilliant!"
Keep your eyes on the prize! And the voice of a certain childhood friend begins echoing in my head every time Amami-san starts acting up. Even though Amami-san is older than me, it doesn't really matter. I barely held back the words I was going to say. Rin did tell me after all it was rude to ask a woman her age.
"Ah, a high school student huh...?"
Amami-san stares at me with curious pupils, as if I were a panda at Ueno zoo. Finding the right time to do so, I observe her myself. She doesn't really seem that much older than me. I'd probably say she's in her early 20's.
Her breasts are small, but are pretty splendid and she has wavy shoulder length blonde hair. Her innocent looking eyes are surrounded by her red-rimmed glasses. Her lips are tender, and her face had an air of vulnerability to it that could loosen the tension of the room.
That way, she seemed more like a beautiful girl as opposed to a beautiful woman. Her grey suit does not match her aesthetic at all in that sense. Rather than looking like someone who would waste away long hours at an office, she looked like someone who would go all out at all Halloween night parties in Shibuya.
While having those naughty thoughts in my head, Amami-san opens her mouth as her eyes gleam as if she were a staff member of a clothing store who discovered a beautiful girl hidden away.
"Don't tell me you're some sort of child prodigy!?"
"No, not at all... you're definitely exaggerating it."
It's rare for me to ever receive praise, so my lungs start feeling ticklish.
"It's not an exaggeration at all! Child prodigies are the greatest! As a poet once said, 'The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age'. Instead of conforming to the rigid machinations of adult life, children are able to freely explore and express whatever they desire! It truly is amazing!"
"O-oh, I see now..."
I give a vague reply to her statement. Well, I guess that's what happens when you grow up. I take a sip of my cola, as my lungs are still feeling ticklish from before.
"How old are the other authors out there?"
"Light novels authors are usually in their late 20's or early 30's I guess. They're the type of people who usually have some sort of social experience."
"Really now?"
"Yeah. That's why a high school being an author really is out of the ordinary. In terms of doing the best for your career, aiming to be a best selling author should be a no-brainer!"
Best selling author, it's the one thing many writers yearn for. However, of the many that seek it, only a handful are bestowed that title. And now Amami-san is telling me I have an opportunity to seize that title. To be honest, I'm shaking. If I'm not careful, my mouth might start to loosen up.
That being said, I shouldn't get cocky. Instead of being conceited, I should look at things objectively. I remember getting caught in my tunnel vision when I was in middle school and having my dreams crushed right under my nose. I'll never let that happen to me again.
"We're not starting yet, so I'll start thinking about that when I actually start publishing."
"You're so calm for your age! Amazing!"
That's because I take after my guardian angel! As Amami-san nods to herself, I give my eternal thanks to my childhood friend. Every time I got riled up, Rin was always there to rein me in. This time, I made sure to engrave her deeply into my mind.
"Oh my bad! I shouldn't let my mouth run like that, that's a bad habit of mine, sorry."
"No way, I'm bad at being formal, so I'm grateful about that."
"O-okay, that makes me super happy. So let's get to the main question."
After taking a sip of her coffee, Amami-san straightens herself up and pushes up her glasses. Seems like that's how she prepares herself to go into serious mode.
"Firstly, I would like to confirm that my company, Sugar Bunsha would like to publish your novel. The conditions of publication will also include details for royalties and the number of copies that will be published."
I've seen this exact situation in my dreams countless times while I was toiling away trying to achieve my goal.
Let the "Meeting with the editor at the cafe" begin.