Chapter 35: Nisio Isin, A Grand Debut
Watching Suzuna Hiiragi kneeling in place, engrossed in reading the manuscript without even taking a bathroom break, Shunsuke couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration.
After all, they had stayed up quite late last night. Despite her lack of experience, Suzuna had endured everything, with Shunsuke's Jotaro Kujo-level stamina and all the strain that came with it.
Not only did she handle that, but she was also up early the next morning to serve, spending an hour cleaning, and still had the energy to review the manuscript…
For such a dedicated and hardworking editor, how could he not feel admiration? He could only hope that all the editors he meets in the future would be this committed.
Yet, despite his admiration, after reflecting from a wiser perspective, Shunsuke started to regret how easily he had lost his first time.
Was it really okay to give away something so significant so easily, and to this particular person?
It should have been someone like Mai, Mashiro, or Kato… or Sagiri… No, maybe not Sagiri.
But Shunsuke understood that, even if given the chance to do it over, he would probably make the same choice.
After all, he had feelings for people like Mashiro, and he didn't want it to be rushed. He preferred it to happen naturally, unlike his purely physical relationship with Suzuna.
It felt a bit hypocritical, but Shunsuke knew that's just who he was. He was well aware that he was on the path to becoming a playboy, but he had come to terms with that part of himself and didn't want to change.
Maybe that was what it meant to reconcile with oneself. (Or not.)
As Suzuna finally finished reading the manuscript and slumped contentedly to the floor, Shunsuke had already prepared breakfast.
"Suzuna, enough playing around. Come eat breakfast."
Looking at her, Shunsuke tapped her lightly and said.
"Gulp gulp."
The sound of swallowing echoed, and after a while, Suzuna took a deep breath and said, "Sorry, Shukin-sama, I think my legs have gone numb. I can't get up."
"Huh? Why didn't you say so earlier? With that expression, it's easy to get the wrong idea."
Shunsuke quickly turned her over and helped her move her legs.
He had definitely overdone it, forgetting that Suzuna also lacked experience. Kneeling for an hour straight would make even someone from Japanese struggle, leaving her knees stiff.
However, Suzuna didn't seem to mind. Instead, she countered, "After reading such a great manuscript, of course I'm beyond satisfied. It would be strange not to be."
"More satisfied than yesterday?" Shunsuke asked, dissatisfied.
"Of course!"
Suzuna gave him a look as if to say, How could those even be compared?
Shunsuke couldn't help but laugh out of frustration. He nodded and smiled, saying, "Alright, alright, it seems I was a bit inexperienced yesterday. Just wait for next time."
Suzuna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her smile full of temptation. "No problem. But when that time comes, Shukin-sama, I hope you bring the manuscript."
"Good grief..."
After another friendly exchange, Shunsuke decided to add a little something extra to Suzuna's breakfast.
At the dining table, Shunsuke suddenly asked, "For Norwegian Wood, can I publish it under a different pen name?"
As expected from a professional editor, Suzuna instantly grasped his idea. "You want to separate it from your light novels?"
Shunsuke nodded. "Exactly. Even though I've put in real effort, isekai light novels still carry a low prestige. Putting them next to Norwegian Wood would make them seem cheap. It's not suitable for my development in traditional literature. So, from now on, I'll publish all overly commercialized novels under the name 'Fujii.'"
"Fujii" had been Shunsuke's pen name all along—a testament to his laziness when it came to thinking up names.
Suzuna considered for a moment and then agreed. After all, using a pseudonym was a long-standing tradition among writers. It was something worth trying.
"So, what name are you planning to use for the new pen name, Fujii-sensei? Don't tell me it'll be 'Shunsuke' again," Suzuna joked.
"Let's drop the 'Fujii-sensei' stuff for now. Just call me Shunsuke."
"No way. This is my pride as an editor," Suzuna insisted.
Seeing that there was no convincing her, Shunsuke remained silent, reclining in his chair and gazing up at the ceiling. He was terrible at coming up with names. Should he just go with "Haruki Murakami"?
No, better stick with "Nisio Isin." That name felt a bit more fun.
"Nisio Isin? How do you pronounce that? N-I-S-I-O-I-S-I-N? Not bad, not bad. This is much better than the previous one," Suzuna said, clearly satisfied.
"Then why didn't you stop me before?"
Shunsuke shot her a look, starting to feel embarrassed about using his last name as a pen name.
His chuunibyou tendencies were clearly linked to his age—everyone had their moments of indulging in them when the time was right.
Suzuna shrugged. "No matter how strict we editors are, it's not our place to interfere with an author's pen name."
"Fine. It's almost time, Suzuna. Please handle the payment for the manuscript."
"Fujii-sensei, rest assured." Suzuna smiled seductively. "With the relationship we share, it's rare for an editor and author to be this close. I'll do my best to get you a good deal."
"If nothing goes wrong, each page of Norwegian Wood should fetch about 15,000 yen, and royalties would be around 10%."
"The manuscript fee can be a bit lower—10,000 yen per page is fine—but please try to negotiate a higher royalty rate for me."
"Fujii-sensei, this isn't a light novel. In traditional literature, the manuscript fee is the main income. It's rare to see something sell a million copies." Suzuna gently reminded him.
Even though she had high hopes for Norwegian Wood, million-copy sales were nearly unheard of in traditional literature, with only a handful of established authors achieving that—certainly not something a newcomer could expect.
"Of course, if it were released under Fujii-sensei's name, it would certainly sell more, but you've already dismissed that idea," Suzuna remarked.
Shunsuke couldn't explain further, so he simply said, "I have a lot of confidence in Norwegian Wood."
"Alright then, after all, Fujii-sensei, you're the one calling the shots."
"And as for Monogatari, I plan to write it as a long-running series. After Norwegian Wood succeeds, I'll release it under the name Nisio Isin. Suzuna, I'll need your help to make that happen."
"Turning a commercial novel into something fit for traditional literature, and a long-running series at that? Fujii-sensei, you really know how to give people extra work," Suzuna teased.
"You can handle it, can't you, Suzuna?"
"If Norwegian Wood becomes a huge success, then yes."
"Then there's no problem. After that, I'll write another novel that will be just as good as Norwegian Wood."
Though the two had already shared the most intimate of relationships, Shunsuke knew that, for now, this was still just a transaction.
While he held the upper hand, Suzuna also had her own demands—chief among them being good works. As long as he provided that, he could ask anything of her.
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