— — — — — —
"Over here! Over here!"
At a sukiyaki restaurant in Chiba, Oikawa spotted Yukino and Yui waiting for him.
Just like always, the moment Yui saw him, she jumped to her feet and waved enthusiastically. While Yukino merely glanced up at him before returning her attention to the novel in her hands, as composed as ever.
"Sorry I'm late. And... happy birthday, Yukino. I brought you a present." He handed her the gift bag he'd been carrying.
"...Thank you." Yukino froze for a second, staring blankly at the bag in his hand.
Only after a long pause did a smile slowly bloom across her face.
"Hey!" Yui puffed out her cheeks in protest. "We agreed we'd give Yukinon our presents during karaoke later!"
She shot Oikawa an annoyed glare before pulling out her own gift. "Yukinon, this one's from me. Happy birthday! And I hope you'll be happy every single day from now on. Keep smiling, just like you are now."
Yukino turned toward her, "...Thank you."
She didn't say much, but the bright smile on her face said more than enough.
She was genuinely happy.
After all, this was the first birthday in her life that she'd ever received presents from friends.
Yukino glanced at Oikawa's gift before opening Yui's first. The moment she saw what was inside, delight appeared on her face... followed immediately by a trace of embarrassment.
"...I love them." She gently stroked the pair of cat-paw socks and the matching cat-paw gloves before looking at Yui with a radiant smile.
"I knew you'd like them!" Yui leaned in and whispered, "They're a little embarrassing, but if you only wear them at home, nobody will ever know."
"I disagree." Oikawa nodded seriously. "Unless Yukino lets me see them in person."
"Pervert!"
"Shameless!"
Both girls immediately turned to glare at him in perfect sync.
Next, Yukino opened Oikawa's gift. Inside was a pair of glasses.
She blinked in surprise before picking them up and putting them on.
"...Well?" Oikawa asked expectantly.
She looked at Oikawa before giving a small nod. "Yeah... they look great."
"My taste is as impeccable as ever." He flashed himself a thumbs-up.
Yui eagerly chimed in. "Yukinon, you look amazing with glasses! Like one of those elite lawyers I see on TV!"
"Heh. How thoughtful of you, Pervert-san." Yukino adjusted the frames with a faint smile.
Judging from the fact that she made no move to take them off, she clearly liked them.
"Pervert-san?" Oikawa frowned, "I thought we agreed you were going to stop calling me that."
"And have you forgotten that you still owe me an apology on the rooftop? Don't think letting you off once means you can get away with anything." He lifted his chin confidently.
Yukino's expression twitched with irritation. But only for a moment.
Then she calmly turned to Yui, "Yui. I went to Copycat-sensei's signing event in Tokyo yesterday. And after seeing him... I realized the rumors online were completely accurate."
"Huh?" Yui blinked.
Yukino continued with a perfectly straight face. "He weighs over two hundred pounds. He's gloomy-looking, too. The kind of face that makes you lose your appetite after one glance."
Oikawa's smile stiffened.
So this is revenge?
"Really?" Yui asked in surprise. "But Hina told me Copycat-sensei was really handsome. She even gave me a signed copy of Clannad. Um... Were you two even at the same signing event?"
Yukino calmly turned her gaze back to Oikawa. "Oikawa, you went to Copycat's signing yesterday too, didn't you? So, what did you think of him? Wasn't he exactly like I described?"
The instant she finished speaking, Yui shot to her feet. "Oikawa-kun! You went too? Were you there with Yukinon? You two are so mean! Why didn't either of you invite me?"
Yukino shook her head. "No. I went by myself."
"..."
'Women really hold grudges...'
'It was such a tiny thing. Did she really have to keep taking passive-aggressive shots at me? That's just cruel.'
"Ahem... I didn't really get a good look at him," Oikawa said with an awkward cough. "I only caught a glimpse of him from a distance, so I can't really describe what he was like."
"Really?" Yukino didn't let him off the hook. "Even from a distance, you should have been able to tell what he looked like. So... Was I right? Or was Hina right?"
Her calm gaze felt sharper than any blade.
Oikawa put on the sincerest smile he could manage. "I think Yukino was absolutely right. Even though I only saw him from afar, Copycat is definitely some overweight shut-in."
"Ugly, fat, gloomy... Otherwise, how could he write such depressing novels? And who knows? He might even be the kind of scumbag who bullies people and throws his weight around behind the scenes."
The corners of Yukino's lips finally curved upward. A satisfied smile spread across her face.
Yui, on the other hand, looked like her entire worldview had just shattered.
"Oi-Oikawa-kun..." she stammered. "I don't think Copycat-sensei is really like that. We shouldn't judge someone's character just because of how they look. That's not right."
Oikawa looked at her, genuinely touched.
'If only Yukino had half... no, even one-fifth of Yui's kindness.'
After that, they let the subject drop.
Yui happily took over the conversation, telling them stories about her hometown, its scenery, and all the local specialties.
The moment food came up, she transformed into a walking encyclopedia. No matter what dish Oikawa mentioned, she knew something about it.
Talent really was unfair.
Kawasaki had almost no interest in food whatsoever, yet she'd been blessed with incredible cooking skills.
Yui, meanwhile, absolutely loved food. Unfortunately, her cooking was so catastrophically bad that anything coming out of her kitchen could only be described as a natural disaster.
_ _ _
.After enjoying a satisfying dinner, the three of them headed to the karaoke place near the station.
Yui and Oikawa sang their hearts out until late into the night.
Only then did everyone head home.
After getting home, Oikawa planned to fire up MLBB and win back some of the dignity he'd lost during his last losing streak.
Just as he was about to log in, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Hina Ebina.
If she'd just wanted to chat, he would've ignored it.
Instead... She had sent him photos of Yui.
And not just any photos, either. They were the risqué Christmas outfit versions.
'Holy...'
Oikawa had to admit it. A generous bust really did make a photo pop.
[Oikawa]: Got any more? Send a few extra.
His reply flew out at the speed he'd honed surviving internet flame wars.
[Hina]: Oikawa-kun, don't push your luck. It took a ridiculous amount of convincing before Yui agreed to let me take those. That's all I've got.
Oikawa sighed.
Hina's efficiency was seriously lacking.
[Oikawa]: Bye.
He was ready to go play games.
[Hina]: ??? Seriously? You're leaving just because there aren't any more pictures?
Oikawa rolled his eyes.
[Oikawa]: What else am I supposed to do if there are no more pictures? Unless you're planning to send me a photo shoot of yourself. But sorry, but I'm not interested in A cups or B cups.
When it came to women he wasn't interested in... Chatting felt like a complete waste of time.
[Hina]: Oikawa-kun, you're seriously a scumbag. Honestly, I have no idea how someone like you managed to write a pure romance like Your Lie in April, Copycat-sensei.
On the other side of the chat, Hina gritted her teeth as she stared at his reply. "Seriously... he couldn't make it any more obvious that he doesn't want to talk to me. Am I really that unpopular?"
A new message arrived.
[Oikawa]: I really am busy right now. We'll talk at school. Bye. I've got things to do.
"..."
"Bastard!" Hina shot upright in bed and cursed loudly.
_ _ _
Eight o'clock that night—
Oikawa was playing Lancelot, cutting down enemies left and right.
Just as he was completely in the zone, his phone rang. It was Chris Yamada.
He answered without taking his eyes off the game.
"Hello?"
The moment the call connected, Chris's excited voice burst through the speaker. "Oikawa-sensei! Clannad's first-day sales are in! According to the preliminary numbers, as of ten this morning, Volume 1 has sold 57,000 copies across Japan and overseas combined!"
"Full-Drive Bunko has already decided to print another 200,000 copies! At this pace, forget one million. Two million copies is completely within reach!"
"And, Oikawa-sensei... Clannad has already broken Full-Drive Bunko's all-time first-day sales record. As far as I know, selling 57,000 copies on the first day is an astonishing number even by industry standards!"
Chris was so excited he was practically shouting.
And honestly... How could he not be?
Fifty-seven thousand copies. Some of Full-Drive Bunko's books didn't even sell that many in an entire year.
Absolutely terrifying. Simply unbelievable.
"Hm... That's quite a bit better than I expected. I figured first-day sales would top out somewhere around thirty thousand." Without missing a beat, Oikawa typed into the in-game chat: {Push mid. Mom's gonna unplug the Wi-Fi! Go, go, go!}
Then, while continuing to play, he chatted casually with Chris.
"Oikawa-sensei... Are you busy right now?" Chris thought he could hear frantic tapping over the phone.
Hearing the keyboard-click sound effect coming from his phone, Oikawa didn't hesitate. "Yeah. I'm working. I'm writing Volume 2 of Clannad. I'm only a few tens of thousands of words away from finishing it. It's a pretty long volume, though. It'll probably end up at over two hundred thousand words."
Chris immediately became flustered, "O-Oikawa-sensei, then... should I call you back later?"
"It's fine. No need. I was about to take a break anyway." As he spoke, Oikawa relentlessly attacked the enemy's base, trying to end this painfully one-sided match.
The score was already 21 to 4.
And yet... the other team still refused to surrender.
"...Go ahead, Editor Yamada."
"Right..." Chris paused before continuing, "Oikawa-sensei, the Your Lie in April anime starts airing on TV Tokyo on January 8. I was thinking we could ride that wave of publicity. What if we partnered with Dengeki Bunko and ran a bundled promotion?"
"Customers who buy both Your Lie in April and Clannad together would get ten percent off the combined price. What do you think? Would you be okay with us working together with Dengeki Bunko?"
Oikawa blinked.
'Wow. A joint promotion with Dengeki, bundled with Your Lie in April. This guy's actually a genius.'
"I've got no objections. If Full-Drive Bunko can work something out with Dengeki Bunko, I'd be happy to see it happen."
Truth be told, Oikawa didn't harbor much resentment toward Dengeki Bunko.
"...You don't mind?" Chris sounded genuinely surprised.
He'd always been under the impression that Oikawa and Dengeki Bunko had parted on terrible terms.
"What would I object to?" Oikawa chuckled as the Victory screen appeared on his monitor. "I never really had any personal grudge against Dengeki Bunko."
"What happened back then wasn't entirely Chief Editor Miki's fault."
"Besides... If we do this, the books being sold are still my books. The biggest winner is me. So why would I oppose it?"
To Oikawa, this collaboration between Full-Drive and Dengeki had virtually no downside. Only an idiot would refuse.
After all, the most important thing in the 21st century was money.
As for Oikawa, Your Lie in April was his biggest cash cow. Each volume retailed for 850 yen, and with a 25% royalty rate, he earned a little over 200 yen for every copy sold.
According to the latest figures Ayame Kagurazaka had shared with him, the second volume had already sold close to 400,000 copies. Breaking one million was only a matter of time. Not to mention, once the anime started airing, sales were almost guaranteed to explode.
"I guess I was overthinking it." Chris laughed awkwardly. "In that case, I'll report the proposal to the editor-in-chief and get in touch with Dengeki Bunko."
"...If we end up holding another autograph event... I'll have to trouble you again, Oikawa-sensei."
"No problem." Oikawa agreed without hesitation. "Whether it's for Clannad or Your Lie in April, I'm happy to do signing events. I turned down Dengeki Bunko's invitations before because I'm an Full-Drive Bunko author now. But if Full-Drive Bunko needs me to show up, of course I won't refuse."
The two spent a while discussing the details of the campaign.
During the conversation, Oikawa also mentioned that Your Lie in April had been picked up by Weekly Jump for a manga adaptation.
Chris became even more excited. "Then we should bring JUMP into this too! If all three parties work together, we can make this promotion much bigger. It'll be a win for everyone involved."
Sometimes, Oikawa genuinely felt Chris had chosen the wrong career.
Instead of being an editor, he should've been working in event planning. Having him edit manuscripts was honestly a waste of talent.
...
..
At nine o'clock that evening—
Full-Drive Bunko's official social media account posted an announcement.
As of 10:00 AM today, less than 24 hours after release, Volume 1 of Clannad has already sold 57,000 copies. Congratulations to Copycat-sensei for creating yet another million-selling light novel! Once it reaches that milestone, it will also become Full-Drive Bunko's first million-selling title in the company's history.
Like, repost, and comment on this post for a chance to win one of 100 autographed copies of Clannad, personally signed by Copycat-sensei!
The comments section exploded.
It wasn't just the readers. Even people throughout the publishing industry were left completely stunned.
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