After Kotomi returned ho, her parents and younger sister happened to be there as well.
It was the perfect opportunity to announce that her novel was getting published!
However, before sharing this good news, it wouldn't be her style if she didn't stir things up a little.
"Mom, Dad, Aimi, I have both good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?" Kotomi asked solemnly after entering the living room, putting on an Oscar-worthy performance.
"Let's hear the bad news first."
Akina Izumi replied without a hint of worry. No one knew their daughter better than she did, and it was obvious that Kotomi was up to sothing.
Aimi, having grown up watching her sister's antics, didn't even need to guess. She could tell Kotomi was stirring up trouble again, so she simply pretended to be disinterested and ignored her.
There was no helping it—Aimi was currently sulking.
During school today, she accidentally found out that Iroha and her sister occasionally exchanged text ssages, Line chats, or even phone calls in secret. At first, Aimi thought it was normal, but the more she dwelled on it, the more uneasy she felt.
Her own sister, without telling her, was secretly chatting with her best friend. The thought left her feeling unsettled.
On top of that, Kotomi had co ho quite late today. The little emotions bubbling in Aimi's heart surged up instantly.
Kaneyoshi Izumi, on the other hand, just chuckled and said nothing.
"Hey... At tis like this, even if you want to hear the bad news first, shouldn't you at least show so concern and ask what's going on?"
Kotomi pouted in dissatisfaction at how readily her mother answered.
"Haha, you've used this trick since elentary school. I can tell from your tone whether sothing is actually wrong or if you're just playing around."
Even after being exposed by her mother, Kotomi remained unfazed. Bantering like this had practically beco their daily routine.
With her hands behind her back, Kotomi swayed slightly and leaned closer to Akina, shaking her shoulder coquettishly.
"The bad news is that I'm going to Kyoto alone for at least three days. Mom, aren't you worried about ? They say a mother worries when her child travels far!"
Akina flicked Kotomi's forehead with her fingers.
"If you were going on a romantic trip to Kyoto with your girlfriend, I might actually care. I'd be wondering if you two would co back and imdiately go register your marriage. But since you're just going for an art exhibition, what's there to worry about? Are you afraid soone will kidnap you? I doubt that—I feel pretty confident no one would dare."
"Why not? I'm so cute!"
"With your appetite? If soone kidnapped you, they wouldn't be able to afford to keep you fed," Akina laughed.
Kotomi was montarily stunned before puffing up her cheeks in a pout.
Sitting nearby peeling an apple, Aimi couldn't help but perk up her ears at their conversation—especially when her mother ntioned, "If you were going with your girlfriend." Aimi imdiately beca restless.
Could it be that Kotomi had secretly started dating soone without her knowing?!
Aimi couldn't accept this!
No way... Did gumi actually succeed?!
Akina casually added, "Of course, before that even happens, you'd first need to actually have a girlfriend."
Hearing this, both Kotomi and Aimi simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.
Though their reasons for relief were entirely different…
Kotomi had been worried that her mother had discovered her relationship with gumi.
Aimi had been worried that her sister was actually dating soone.
"Alright, you've finished telling us the bad news. Now hurry up and tell us the good news!" Akina Izumi urged.
Kotomi's lips curled into a smug grin. If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging furiously by now. As if introducing a heavyweight guest, she slowly revealed the first volu of Sword Art Online from behind her back, humming a dramatic "ta-da!" sound effect as she did so.
Once she fully displayed it, Kotomi spoke in an exaggerated tone as if announcing a world-shocking event:
"Ta-da! The first volu of Sword Art Online has finally been published after a month of effort!"
Her parents and sister clapped together. However, Kotomi couldn't shake the feeling that, while they were genuinely happy, they weren't particularly surprised. Had she not built up enough suspense? Was her dramatic reveal lacking impact?
Kaneyoshi Izumi seed to notice Kotomi's confusion. Smiling warmly, he reached into a drawer and pulled out two copies of Sword Art Online—one first-edition limited release and one standard first-edition.
"Today is the release day of your novel. Your mother and I have had it marked on our calendar for a while. At the start of this month, your mother kept asking every few days, 'Dear, isn't Kotomi's novel coming out soon? You better not forget to buy it when the ti cos!'"
Kaneyoshi chuckled. The first thing he did after work today was head to a bookstore near his office to buy a copy of Sword Art Online. When he arrived, he found out there were two versions. Not knowing the difference, he simply bought both.
"You didn't even tell before buying them! After finishing my housework this afternoon, I also went to the bookstore," Akina added. From behind her, she pulled out two more copies of the first volu. It seed that when the Izumi couple faced different editions of the sa book, instead of choosing their favorite, they just bought both.
"Onee-chan, I want an autograph!"
At this mont, Aimi Izumi, who had been sulking earlier, couldn't hold back any longer. She, too, pulled out a copy of the first volu from behind her back. After school, she had rushed to the bookstore to buy one. The store she visited mainly catered to students, so by the ti she arrived, the first-edition limited copies were nearly sold out. If she had co any later, she might have missed out entirely.
However, Aimi hadn't expected such a significant price difference between the two editions.
The first-edition limited version of Sword Art Online was priced at 1,683 yen per copy.
The standard first-edition was 887 yen.
Aimi had wanted to buy both, but unfortunately, she had been spending too much on capsule toys lately. When she took out her phone to pay, she checked her bank account and was t with a painful reality—her balance was running low.
She suddenly thought of the Kendo Club senior who had casually handed her sister 350,000 yen.
In that mont, Aimi completely lost interest in capsule toys.
Thinking about all the ones she had bought, she was filled with regret. She wondered if she could sell so of her completed sets for a small profit on a secondhand marketplace.
Capsule toys tied to popular thes could be a lucrative "investnt." When demand was high, resellers could earn a substantial premium just from the markup.
But once the trend faded, their value plumted.
Aimi's prized collection of polar bear capsule toys was a pri example. She hadn't even realized how inflated their resale price was at the ti—she had simply collected them because she found the polar bears adorable.
Had she known earlier, she would have sold the most popular capsule toys on a secondhand marketplace—even selling just one could have covered her costs, selling two would have made a huge profit, and selling the entire set would have transford her ager savings.
Unfortunately, by the ti Aimi realized this, she checked an online secondhand marketplace only to find that the premium prices for her polar bear capsule toy set had long since disappeared. Instead, their value had plumted.
Poor Aimi—she hadn't even graduated middle school, yet she had already experienced the crushing disappointnt of watching an investnt turn green, as if she had just walked into a field of freshly harvested financial losses.
Sighing, Aimi then ntally cheered herself up, Hang in there! Just a few more days until allowance day! This month, I'll save up properly and make sure I can support Kotomi after graduation!
"So you all bought copies already, huh? I was planning to surprise you," Kotomi said. Though her words sounded regretful, her heart was full of warmth.
She then pulled out a signing pen and began swiftly signing each book.
Consider it practice for a future book signing event.
That said... when would she actually get to hold a book signing?
Dengeki Bunko's benefits and promotional activities were fairly transparent, and royalties were always paid on ti.
However, there was no clear standard for when a signing event would be arranged.
From what Kotomi knew, the editorial team would pick a few comrcially promising works, and then a panel of chief editors, deputy editors, and veteran staff mbers would discuss and select one title as the best candidate for a signing event.
While this process ensured that only works with high literary and comrcial value got signings—giving them a prestigious reputation—it also left most authors wondering: How exactly do I qualify for a book signing?
Getting on the bestseller list was the first step, but even after that, how could she stand out from the crowd and secure a signing event?
Kotomi had considered this question before, but after realizing that she wasn't even on the bestseller list yet, she knew thinking about book signings was premature. So, she had set the thought aside for the ti being.
For now, she would set a small goal: make it into Dengeki Bunko's top ten bestsellers. Then, she'd aim for Japan's overall light novel bestseller list. As long as she could establish herself there, she wouldn't have to worry about inco anymore!
As for book signings?
Making money was the priority. If she got the chance to hold a signing event, great. If not, she wouldn't stress over it.
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