["I declare! The cover is my wife!"]
["Woohoo, a new wife is here! Eromanga-sensei's art style is so beautiful!"]
["Silver-haired half-elf, Old Thief really has us hooked."]
["Give up, Madoka, Homura, she's mine!"]
["You upstairs, what are you thinking? They are all mine, not one can be left behind!"]
["I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of art style Old Thief's otherworld genre will have."]
["It seems this is the first time Old Thief's work title is relatively in line with market trends, right?"]
["What's with this spoiler-filled synopsis? Someone dies right at the beginning?"]
["Brothers, who can analyze the content of the work from the title? Before, during the early stages of "puella magi madoka magica," many people complained that it didn't match the title."]
["These past few weeks, I can't wait a moment longer! Old Thief's ideas are always so unique, but even though he torments me countless times, I still love Old Thief's works... What should I do? Have I been PUA'd by Old Thief?"]
["Otherworld light novels are a big hit, and I feel like Old Thief's popularity is about to skyrocket. The only pity is whether the content will satisfy everyone. Although the teacher is tormented, it's really enjoyable... I hope Old Thief doesn't go with the flow of those 'Dragon King' works and writes his own unique style!"]
It was just a fleeting pre-sale, but the response it caused was extraordinary. Among light novel authors with similar sales, only Izumi Masamune could maintain such a degree of fan loyalty.
"Demon Slayer" brought everyone passion and sadness, while "puella magi madoka magica" expounded on true 'love and hope,' and the story it constructed was even more unforgettable.
In addition, according to everyone's statistics, Izumi Masamune also has a huge number of female fans, proportionally second only to some female-oriented works, which is truly enviable.
"Even a pre-sale can cause such a sensation. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were Senju Muramasa."
On the train, Eriri held her phone, a hint of a cold smile on her face.
"Eriri, are you jealous?"
Izumi Chihiro turned his head to look at her.
"Jealous? Me, jealous of you? You're just Chihiro! Talk to me when you become a light novel master!"
Eriri snorted, her words not matching her true feelings.
"Heh heh."
He sneered.
"Enough! Don't laugh! Look at how smug you are! Just because you're slightly ahead for a while, you're so arrogant, you conceited fellow!"
Eriri gripped the bottom edge of the seat with both hands, looking at him with an indignant expression.
"Where do you see me being smug? Eriri, don't always judge a gentleman's heart with a villain's mind!"
Izumi Chihiro said with a half-smile.
"I don't understand what you're saying at all."
Eriri tilted her head back, completely ignoring him.
"It's normal not to understand, after all, Eriri is a bad student."
He replied.
"Ugh."
Eriri felt humiliated again.
"You're so annoying! Baka!"
Saying that, she launched a resentful attack, backhanding him with an elbow.
But her earlier words had given Izumi Chihiro a warning, and he slightly dodged, so her elbow hit the back of the seat.
"Hiss... That hurts!"
Eriri gasped, quickly rubbed her arm with her other hand, then glared at him, "Why did you dodge?!"
"If I didn't dodge, you would have hit me."
"So what if you got hit!"
Izumi Chihiro: "..."
Do your words sound like a human's!
After getting off the train.
"How's Sagiri's work status lately?"
Eriri said, shaking her still somewhat numb arm.
It was another roundabout way of asking.
"As for the quality, don't you know by looking at the light novel cover?"
He retorted.
"Who would pay special attention to that kind of thing! I was asking about Sagiri, not caring about your work."
Eriri reacted in her usual way.
"Let me tell Eriri a fun fact: Ero Manga Sensei is actually my illustrator. How about that, surprised now!"
Izumi Chihiro reminded her.
Eriri pursed her lips, not speaking.
Because she was holding back a laugh.
"Go ahead and laugh."
He said casually.
"Alright, alright, just tell me honestly! How was the first volume written! You're not really planning to just churn out garbage for money, are you?"
Eriri stopped pretending.
"Personally, I'm very satisfied with it. I performed well. The main thing is that I haven't encountered any difficulties in writing for a long time. At most, it's the difference between good and better… As for the other question, if others don't understand me, Eriri, don't you understand? Of course, I wouldn't choose to be like everyone else. Wouldn't that lose my unique style and make me just another face in the crowd?"
Izumi Chihiro spoke freely.
"That's true. You're not trying to become the richest person, so the money you earn is enough. Now you're just writing to satisfy your personal hobby, so you don't need to worry about which genre sells better."
Eriri nodded, agreeing quite a bit.
"Sure enough, Eriri can understand me."
Izumi Chihiro showed a relieved expression.
"It's pretty easy to guess what a fool is thinking."
Eriri hadn't forgotten the earlier humiliation and chose to retaliate.
"Oh?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"What are you staring at?"
Eriri looked straight ahead.
Their gazes met, as if sparks were flying.
Fighting at the slightest disagreement was their usual state.
However, this time, Eriri finally learned her lesson.
"I just happen to have a book I want to buy. I'm not playing with you anymore."
Recalling the times she had been teased before, the twin-tailed girl found a random excuse to retreat from the battlefield.
"Scaredy-cat."
As she left, Eriri seemed to hear a voice from behind her, but she gritted her teeth, pretending not to hear it.
...
Although she had made an excuse, Eriri still went to the familiar Takasago Bookstore, ready to see if there were any new works worth reading.
As soon as she arrived, she saw Takasago Tomoe come out wearing an apron.
"Hmm? Sawamura Student, didn't you go back with Izumi-kun?"
"You were behind us?"
"Yes, but I only noticed when we got off the car. Since there was nothing important, I just didn't want to disturb you."
"Not bad, you finally have some sense."
Eriri crossed her arms and nodded approvingly.
"Eh."
She looked at the counter, her eyes widening in surprise. There were two figures there, Madoka Kaname and Homura, almost embracing each other.
"Because puella magi madoka magica is very popular in this bookstore, I bought them,"
Takasago Tomoe noticed her gaze and explained.
"Oh, I see…"
Eriri nodded, thinking to herself that she would buy a set when she got home.
Then her gaze began to wander among the stacks of books.
---
💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter