The others remained expressionless, seemingly waiting for her to finish.
'Is no one going to play along? This is so awkward for me!'
Yamada Elf froze in place.
"So, it's time for the next step, right?"
Izumi Chihiro prompted.
"Ahem, besides giving everyone a chance to get to know each other, the main purpose of this light novel exchange conference is to help everyone improve themselves and gain something through discussion. But before that, I think we need to have a more specific understanding of each other… In simple terms, it's about sharing our writing experiences."
Yamada Elf said slowly.
This was the plan she had prepared earlier.
"For example, I myself fell in love with anime and manga a long time ago, then developed a strong interest in light novels, and decided to become a light novel author in elementary school. My pen name comes from my older brother's surname, 'Yamada'…"
"My goal is to 'create the ultimate light novel' and become the savior of the light novel world! I particularly enjoy discussions about sales figures; sales are a writer's combat power, and those with higher combat power are stronger!"
"My debut work, "explosive flame dark elf," has accumulated over 2 million sales, and I bought a villa outright with the anime adaptation royalties! How about that, aren't I amazing?"
Yamada Elf spoke slowly, her face full of pride.
"That's very impressive."
Gokou Ruri said sincerely.
"That's true… Judging solely from her resume, it doesn't quite match the quality of her work and reader reviews."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice was faint.
Yamada Elf almost slipped.
This was indeed her sore point!
The other three didn't feel much about it.
"By the way, my ideal type of opposite sex is… someone who strives with all their might to create interesting novels!"
Yamada Elf continued.
This last sentence was the true intention revealed.
The attitudes of the two silent individuals instantly changed, their gazes like the stare of a death god.
"Ahahaha, it's your turn next!"
Yamada Elf laughed awkwardly.
"Then I'll go."
As Izumi Chihiro spoke, everyone else's attention was drawn to him.
They wanted to know 'Izumi-sensei's' writing experience, not from online sources, but directly from his own words.
"Initially, I decided to write light novels simply because it was the easiest industry to enter, but in reality, it wasn't easy at all. I first submitted ""White Album"," which later became the gal game you all know. After it was rejected, I decided to debut with "Demon Slayer," because that work was more suitable for me at the time, and the writing difficulty dropped sharply."
"But even so, it wasn't smooth sailing. In the end, it was with the help of Eriri… that is, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei, that the decline was reversed, and only then did I have the chance to gradually improve! That's how the Izumi Masamune you all know came to be! As for the pen name, it's actually because of a manga I once read."
"As for my goal, after entering the industry, I also had one: to become a light novel master!"
Izumi Chihiro stated slowly.
Although he said it lightly, everyone could tell that the 'genius', who had long been renowned in the industry, was not as impressive as they imagined; in fact, if he lacked a bit of connections, he might have been overlooked.
There were many people whose debut works were cut short, whose confidence was shattered, and who then chose to switch professions.
Fortunately, that path didn't happen, which is why 'Izumi Masamune' stood before them.
Everyone couldn't help but feel a sudden realization.
"It's worth mentioning that when I submitted my work and met Miss Sonoko, Miss Sonoko once muttered—'There was a previous submitter whose writing wasn't very good, and he kept clamoring to become the savior of light novels. What a troublesome kid.'"
He casually dropped a piece of gossip, which was a kind of echo.
"Pfft."
Everyone couldn't hold back their laughter.
It was too obvious who he was talking about!
"That Machida guy!"
Miss Elf's face turned crimson.
After a burst of laughter, it was time for others to share their stories.
This time, it was Gokou Ruri.
"Speaking of which, at first, I just thought that becoming a light novelist or drawing doujin manga would be an easy way to make money, so I made it my goal. It's just that I wasn't particularly gifted, so I encountered many failures. When I almost gave up, it was the appearance of Chihiro and Nayuta that saved me..."
She spoke very candidly.
"As for my pen name... Gokou Rori, Chihiro gave it to me. Although it's a bit embarrassing, it certainly generates a lot of buzz."
Gokou Ruri smiled when she mentioned this.
Next was Kani Nayuta. As she recounted her experiences, the atmosphere inexplicably grew heavy, even though she had glossed over the earlier parts of her story.
"...And that's how it was."
She ended with a smile.
"Your pen name was also chosen by Chihiro? No wonder! It always felt a bit strange. If you normally address 'Kani' Sensei, doesn't it sound like 'Crab' Sensei? Combined with the name Gokou Rori, Chihiro, you couldn't have been doing it on purpose, could you!"
Yamada Elf raised an eyebrow, connecting everything, and suddenly questioned him.
"Hmm... maybe."
Izumi Chihiro gave an ambiguous answer.
"That kind of thing isn't important! Senpai uses 'Nayuta' when addressing me! I like that name."
Kani Nayuta smiled sweetly, not minding it at all.
"Pen names really aren't important."
Gokou Ruri also said.
Since the people involved didn't care, others naturally felt awkward bringing up their concerns.
Then came the author experiences of the remaining two.
"I think my interest in light novel creation started that day... Ever since I first read the first volume of 'Demon Slayer,' I deeply felt a connection with my soul. It was an extraordinary feeling. Besides Izumi Masamune, I couldn't feel it with anyone else, so I had to find a way to create similar works on my own."
"As for my pen name, well... it's naturally based on Izumi Sensei's pen name."
Senju Muramasa revealed all of this.
Her tone was calm and composed, but anyone could hear the burning passion hidden beneath that coolness.
Her fondness for Izumi Masamune's works surpassed everyone's imagination.
After a moment of stunned, Kasumigaoka Utaha finally spoke, "My life before was quite boring. I could easily succeed at anything, and light novels were no exception. That's what I thought before, but later..."
She recounted a teacher-student relationship with Izumi Chihiro.
Her pen name also had no special meaning, it was just an abbreviation of her real name.
At this point, everyone finally had a more concrete understanding and appreciation of their fellow authors.
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💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter