Yusei was startled by Utaha suddenly slamming the table and standing up, seeing her look of utter disbelief.
He seemed to sense that his words had struck a nerve with both Utaha and Megumi. He could only briefly explain the SAO's marriage system.
This seemed to calm Utaha down a bit, but then she also realized her reaction had been excessive. She quickly tried to explain.
"I'm just worried that news of a high school student getting married wouldn't be good. How can you get married when you haven't even finished your studies?"
"..." Yusei felt Utaha was clearly talking nonsense.
Yusei wasn't so low in emotional intelligence as to not see through that.
"Alright, I get it. So, tell me about your novel. Why do you need my help again?"
Bringing up the matter of the novel, Utaha, who had just been feeling a bit troubled, immediately darkened.
"Don't even mention it. Some newcomer submitted to the same publishing imprint as me, Fujikawa Shoten. Now all the resources are being taken by that guy. I don't even get a featured spot anymore."
"..." Yusei said helplessly, "There's nothing I can do about that. I don't own Fujikawa Shoten."
"Of course I know you don't own it, and I'm not jealous. The main issue is that guy's writing is all borderline content, with no literary skill whatsoever. I bet all his readers are just otaku."
'Borderline content is still content, but it sells... Literary skill is built up over time. The key is guys eat this stuff up, and there's nothing we can do about it.'
Yusei could help Utaha brainstorm some plot ideas, but when it came to this kind of competition, he was powerless.
He expressed that he was unable to help.
However, Utaha seemed dissatisfied with this.
She looked at Yusei, puzzled, "Don't you know how to do illustrations?"
"I do, but just having exquisite illustrations won't necessarily attract readers, will it?"
"Who says?"
This seemed to be a plan Utaha had been considering for a long time. She became somewhat enthusiastic.
"I've thought it through. Those otaku are ultimately attracted by the borderline illustrations in the other novel. If the cover art for the heroine in my novel was like that too, it could also attract a lot of people."
Yusei looked at Utaha. He suddenly felt his Senpai wasn't quite herself.
"Are you sure? This is a romance novel, a pure love route. If you add that kind of stuff, are you sure your heroine won't just become eye candy?"
"Besides, didn't you just say novels like that have no substance?" Yusei thought to himself. Utaha also came to her senses and couldn't help but sigh dejectedly, her face full of worry.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this novel had consumed most of her energy.
On one hand, she was worried about Yusei's life-or-death situation in SAO. The government had mentioned players escaping SAO, but there was no list.
On the other hand, it was for this novel. This was the first step in her writing career, so she didn't want it to end like this.
Seeing this, Yusei felt a bit unwilling to see her like this, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't exactly show up at that guy's door with a sword and cut him down.
It was Megumi, who had been listening quietly, who suddenly spoke up.
"Since Kasumigaoka-senpai's competitor's readers are all otaku, why doesn't Kasumigaoka-senpai target the female reader market instead?"
Megumi's words made Utaha pause. She then turned to look at the calm girl.
"Change my style?"
Megumi thought seriously and said, "I think what kind of readers you attract depends on the story itself."
"For example, male readers might like harems, while female readers and Fujoshi might be more interested in the romantic entanglements of a pure love story."
Megumi's words made Utaha's eyes light up. She suddenly realized that if she lost one group of readers, she might as well give up on them.
Instead of writing to cater to their tastes, she could turn to another reader demographic.
Right now, she should be writing emotional stories full of love, hate, and complex relationships.
Thinking this, Utaha looked at Yusei, who was eating his ramen.
"Kouhai-kun."
Swallowing the ramen in his mouth, Yusei looked up at Utaha. She was smiling.
"What is it?"
Utaha said with a beaming smile, "Kouhai-kun, what do you think of this idea?"
"Sounds pretty good."
"Great! Then it's decided. The male protagonist has two childhood friends at school and a lively, attractive desk mate. But during a summer camp organized with another school, he falls for a girl from the other school, abandoning his original childhood friends. In the end, the male protagonist ends up with nothing and gets... well, let's say a bad ending... What do you think?"
"..." Yusei felt this story sounded rather chilling.
"Maybe let's not. Perhaps that male protagonist would find a different path," Yusei said with a dry laugh.
"Hmph." Utaha didn't press further. Clearly, she was joking, but she did seem to be in a better mood.
Her problem, with Megumi's suggestion, was more or less solved.
She had been stuck in a rut before: since she couldn't win back one segment of readers, she might as well discard them and focus wholeheartedly on catering to another reader demographic.
The three finished their lunch and prepared to return to the school building. However, just then, a black luxury car drove through the school gates.
Since the path from the cafeteria to the building passed by the front gate, they could see the school entrance from this route.
Yusei recognized the car immediately and knew who had arrived. He hadn't expected them to come so quickly.
"You two go ahead first. I'll catch up later," Yusei said to Megumi and Utaha.
But clearly, the two girls didn't understand what was happening and looked somewhat confused.
Then, two people got out of the black sedan. Black-suited bodyguards held umbrellas for them.
The arrivals were none other than Kaguya and Asuna.
Asuna's eyes first found Yusei holding an umbrella... and then the two girls beside him.
Asuna raised an eyebrow slightly, her brows furrowing.
Kaguya's eyes had already turned cold, looking indifferently at Megumi and Utaha standing next to Yusei.
A strange, tense atmosphere began to spread in the heavy rain.