Chapter 11: The Editor
Since the short-haired woman, Machida Sonoko, didn't have high expectations for Yuuta's work, she initiated a conversation:
"I'm Sonoko Machida, the editor here. You look like a student or maybe someone with a lot of free time?"
Upon hearing Sonoko Machida's question, Yuuta replied simply, "I'm a first-year college student."
Sonoko Machida paid close attention to Yuuta's tone. He didn't seem fearful or nervous, but there was definitely a hint of frustration. Was it because of her attitude?
Right, he's here to submit his work.
But when talking to a woman like her, shouldn't he be more proactive?
Sonoko Machida, dressed in a sleek black uniform from head to toe, also wore a pair of black thigh-high stockings. Typically, people who came to submit their work felt a certain degree of nervousness when interacting with her.
She glanced at Yuuta and sighed while looking out the window. "Such an innocent guy. I bet you don't even have a girlfriend yet, do you?"
Yuuta understood that he was being underestimated, but he didn't get upset. Instead, he replied in a joking tone, "While I'm only nineteen this year, I stopped being a 'boy' five or six years ago. Plus, I know a lot of things. Miss Machida, you're only thirty-one, so I suppose my life experiences might be richer than yours."
Sonoko Machida, single for thirty years, had always been the type to tease others. At this moment, she was left speechless and shocked!
Yuuta observed as Sonoko Machida's astonishment turned into a slow blush, and her gaze became increasingly sharp. He realized he had gone a bit too far with his remark.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, I was just joking..." Yuuta had only intended to make a light-hearted comment, mainly because he was irritated at being seen as a mere boy.
As for any other implications, there were none. She appeared quite young and didn't seem older than him.
But when considering life experiences, Yuuta did have a somewhat richer background, and he didn't say anything wrong!
He could fix cars, after all!
However, in the context of the previous and following sentences, Yuuta's words could be interpreted as severe harassment!
While Yuuta claimed that the latter half of his statement about Sonoko Machida was nonsense, she believed that the first half of his statement was nonsense.
After all, the latter half of those self-descriptions was a rock-solid fact.
"Do you have many girlfriends?" Sonoko Machida asked with a sly smile.
Yuuta shook his head honestly, "No, not a single one."
"Hmph!" Sonoko Machida huffed, and once the editors and submitters had left the reception area, she went straight into her office.
Despite her irritation, there was still work to be done, even though Sonoko Machida knew very well that Yuuta's submission wouldn't pass muster.
As a beautiful female editor primarily responsible for female authors, having higher standards than others wasn't surprising.
As one of the Big Three publishers, they rejected countless subpar novels every year. Did people truly believe that writing something would make them a light novel author?
Yuuta let out a sigh, no longer expecting much from this submission. He just hoped to wrap it up quickly and submit to another publisher as soon as possible.
Sonoko Machida quickly opened the manuscript and, upon seeing its thickness, felt a bit relieved. Writing a lot only made rejection more profound, which brought greater satisfaction when rejecting it.
Sonoko Machida still remembered Yuuta's sarcastic remarks from earlier. Although she didn't think he was a delinquent, she found him rather annoying.
Being an editor, Sonoko Machida was diligent and responsible, so she soon focused on the manuscript, planning to reject it after reading the first 5,000 words.
Yuuta didn't want to stare at the woman sitting across from him, so he glanced at the time. He had a lot to do today.
Regarding the novel, Yuuta simply hoped to sell it for one hundred or fifty thousand yen, enough to cover two months of living expenses.
With several hundred thousand words in the full novel, getting one hundred or fifty thousand should be reasonable.
After waiting for over twenty minutes, Yuuta finally lost patience. He had three kids waiting for him at home, and he couldn't afford to waste more time.
"Editor Machida, if it's not suitable, that's fine. I was prepared for this," Yuuta said, smiling as he stood up, ready to retrieve his manuscript.
Yuuta, who had been keeping an eye on the time, didn't notice the faint smile that crept onto Sonoko Machida's lips as she read. Therefore, he was unaware that Sonoko Machida wasn't planning to reject it; she had become engrossed in the manuscript.
Upon seeing Yuuta about to take his manuscript back, Sonoko Machida quickly pressed her hand onto the pages and formally stated, "Wait, starting today, I'll be your editor!"
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