— — — — — —
Time flew by. The ten-day autumn break was already halfway over.
Because the bet contract was signed late, the second volume of Your Lie in April was delayed a bit. But today, it was finally announced that the official release would be in three days, and the book will be available in all bookstores.
Hearing that, online discussions about Your Lie in April suddenly exploded.
A lot of light novel bloggers were openly pessimistic.
Most of them thought the second volume would flop.
A Twitter blogger with 130,000 followers, "LN Review Corner," posted:
{"It's hard to imagine just how bad the quality of Your Lie in April Volume 2 must be for a major publisher like Dengeki Bunko to give up promoting it."}
{"My advice: don't buy it."}
A top-tier Dengeki Bunko author with 290,000 followers, Mizukagami Kito, wrote:
{"Young people are always arrogant, thinking they're one-in-a-million geniuses. In reality, they're just normal."}
{"I estimate Volume 2 won't sell more than 50,000 copies. If it manages to sell the initial 70,000 print run within half a year, the publisher will already be celebrating. Sigh~ Young people should focus on honing themselves. You don't just become a top author because you say so."}
A Facebook book blogger with 350,000 followers, "Saiki Book Club," said:
{"No matter how I look at it, I don't think Volume 2 of Your Lie in April is the 'masterpiece of the century' that its author claims it is."}
{"If it sells over 100,000 copies, I'll kneel and apologize to the author live. Feel free to prove me wrong."}
{"Oh, and one more thing. In my opinion, Volume 1 was trash too."}
A Kyoto newspaper editor with 120,000 followers added:
{"Since when did light novel authors start claiming they're producing so-called 'masterpieces'?" I see that as arrogance, not confidence at all."}
{"Is this a distortion of human nature, or a collapse of morality? I think it's nothing more than a cheap attempt to grab attention. I support stricter oversight from the publisher to prevent this kind of thing from happening again."}
...
And more voices piled on.
For a while, Oikawa became the target of everyone's criticism, and his Your Lie in April Volume 2 was labeled garbage before it even released.
And for all that noise online—
Oikawa could tell someone was pulling strings behind the scenes. He just didn't know who.
But he didn't care.
The quality of a book isn't decided by forced praise or deliberate slander.
Readers would judge for themselves after reading it.
So Oikawa wasn't worried at all.
Writing speaks for itself.
If you've got the skill, you've got it. If you don't, you don't.
Of course… people like him, with a "cheat," were a different story. He was just an honest Copycat Transmigrator.
Even if Your Lie in April didn't achieve success, it would still be fine. Did anyone think the countless light novels in his head were just for show?
Holding his phone, Oikawa hopped into his group chat.
Compared to the chaos on social media, the vibe here was completely different. Most of the people in this group were his die-hard readers.
"What the hell is wrong with those people? Volume 2 of Your Lie in April isn't even out yet, and they've already sentenced it to death?"
"This is just blatant jealousy. Their slander is completely baseless."
"Oikawa-sensei, I just want to ask one thing: how good is Volume 2, really?!"
"Exactly, Sensei, fight back! Slap those guys in the face!"
"Oikawa-sensei, everyone in this group will always support you."
"We didn't come to you just because you were successful, and we won't leave you just because things get rough."
"That's right! Hit them back hard, Sensei. I'll be there to back you up!"
Reading through the messages, Oikawa felt a bit stunned.
Why did this feel like a fan club?
No wonder those "fandom warriors" loved this kind of thing. When it came to hype, these people were something else.
After thinking for a moment, Oikawa typed a line into the chat: "It's a masterpiece. Whether you'll love it or hate it, no one will be able to deny its uniqueness. Just wait and read it."
...
..
After two days—
Oikawa woke up at eleven, replied to a few messages, washed up, and headed out.
He had a packed day ahead.
First up, he had to meet Shizuka Hiratsuka. This woman insisted on treating him to a meal, and no matter how much he tried to refuse, she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Honestly, he felt a little guilty toward her.
When Volume 2 released, he was already planning to turn off his phone to avoid getting bombarded by her messages.
"Reservation for Shizuka Hiratsuka!"
The place she picked was a high-end Japanese buffet. After giving her name at the entrance, he was quickly led to a private room.
"Well, look who finally showed up. The great author himself."
Shizuka spoke with a hint of sarcasm. "What, do I have to ask you three times just to get you here, great author?"
"Not at all. I just didn't want you to spend so much, Shizuka-sensei." Oikawa smiled awkwardly.
"Hmph. I can afford to treat you to a meal. Don't underestimate a high school teacher's salary." She handed him a tablet, lit a cigarette, and said, "Order whatever you want. No need to hold back."
Even though it was a buffet, some items still cost extra.
Oikawa didn't order much. Just some salmon, sweet shrimp, and a few other seafood dishes.
"Didn't I say you don't have to hold back?"
"I'm not. I ordered everything I like."
They went back and forth a bit.
If he ate a little less now, maybe her anger later wouldn't be quite so fierce.
Cause and effect, after all.
After they'd been eating for a while, Shizuka hesitated, choosing her words carefully before finally asking, "Oikawa… did something unfair happen to you at Dengeki, or whatever it's called?"
"Huh?"
Oikawa quickly shook his head. "No, no. Sensei, don't believe those rumors online."
"Then… why isn't Volume 2 getting any promotion?"
She looked at him seriously. "If you've been treated unfairly, you need to tell me. I still have some contacts in Tokyo. They might be able to help."
Hearing that, Oikawa felt a surge of warmth.
For a moment, he even considered telling her the truth—that Your Lie in April was actually a tearjerker.
But he shut that idea down immediately.
His instincts told him that bringing it up in a closed room with Shizuka would end very, very badly.
"Ahem."
He coughed lightly before answering, "Sensei, it's really not what you think. I haven't been treated unfairly. The reason there's no promotion is because… Volume 2 does have some issues."
"That made the publisher lose confidence in me. But it doesn't matter. I've already decided my next light novel won't be published with them anyway."
Shizuka relaxed after hearing his explanation.
But her interest quickly shifted to his next project.
"You've already planned your next book? What's it called? What genre? Another healing story?"
Oikawa smiled and nodded. "I'll definitely try to make it a healing story. I prefer all my books to be 'healing' stories. After all, my motto is to bring joy to readers… and keep the sorrow for myself."
"As for the title, I haven't decided yet. It's either Overlord… or No Game No Life."
"Or maybe Angel Beats!… CLANNAD… I really haven't decided yet."
He'd been thinking about it a lot lately.
Which one should he write next?
At that, Shizuka raised a thumbs-up.
"Oikawa… you really care about your readers."
"Just as Your Lie in April brings smiles to its readers, I'm sure all your works will be just as wonderful."
.
.
.