Of course having that goal was good, but the urgency in her tone felt unusual. Yukino was normally steady and measured. This sounded like she wanted them to achieve it fast.
Reina also looked at Yukino, sensing how seriously she was taking it.
Seeing the confusion in their eyes, Yukino explained, briefly but clearly, what "The Ascent of New Gods" actually was: a nationwide selection event for promising rookie light novel authors.
A few minutes later, both Haruto and Reina nodded, still slightly dazed.
"So you understand now," Yukino said. "Around the end of the year, the seed slots for each region will start being evaluated. Then early next spring, the Ascent of New Gods magazine will go on sale across Japan. But if you want even a chance at being selected for our regional seed slot, you need a work that earns real results in Crimson Maple."
She leaned back and continued.
"And you can't assume serialization openings appear whenever you want them. Sometimes two or three slots open up in a short time. Other times, you might not see a single opening for months. That's why you need to prepare a new, high-quality manuscript in advance and wait. The moment a slot opens, you strike."
Then she smiled, as if she had suddenly remembered something personal.
"Let's see which of you gets into Crimson Maple first. If either of you pulls it off, it'll make me look good too. I've been working here almost two years since graduating, and I still haven't cultivated a single author who landed a series in Crimson Maple. It's honestly been a regret of mine."
She paused, as if she almost said something else, but swallowed it. When she noticed neither of them seemed to catch the slip in her wording, she relaxed. Her pale, cute face brightened, and she laughed.
"Anyway, whoever helps me achieve that goal first, I'll give you a reward."
"A reward?" Haruto's eyes lit up immediately.
"What kind of reward?"
"Well…" Yukino brushed her hair behind her ear, her eyes smiling.
"A fun reward."
She leaned forward a little, clearly enjoying herself.
"And listen, I'm saying this now, so you can't back out later. Even if you don't like it when the time comes, you're not allowed to refuse."
"…," Haruto said, suddenly uneasy.
Reina had been quiet for a long time. The atmosphere started to feel faintly strange, and both Haruto and Yukino turned to look at her.
Reina, meanwhile, was fully immersed in Yukino's words.
A race.
A contest.
After their current novels ended, they would compete to see who earned a Crimson Maple serialization slot first.
Victory.
Defeat.
Competition.
Her chest tightened, and something hot surged up inside her. Right now, both novels are at their fifth installment, but Blue Spring Ride still crushed her Yesterday's Starlight. Would Yesterday's Starlight ever overtake it before ending? She did not know.
But at least right now…
She looked at Haruto, and her fighting spirit flared.
Losses happened. That was normal.
The pain of losing with Yesterday's Starlight was real, but facts were facts.
Still.
If Yesterday's Starlight could not surpass Blue Spring Ride even by the time it ended, then at the very least, in their next duel…
Reina's heartbeat quickened.
She would win from the beginning.
And by "beginning," she did not mean the first installment's rankings.
She meant the moment their new manuscripts were submitted to Crimson Maple's editorial department.
She meant that moment when the editors, after reviewing both works, would sign off decisively and unanimously, saying, Reina's new work was clearly better than Haruto's.
They would praise her series with the kind of admiration she had always wanted to hear, and when they spoke about Haruto's manuscript, it would be reduced to a single sentence.
Just imagining it made the corner of Reina's lips lift. A dazzling, beautiful smile surfaced, so vivid it almost seemed unreal. For a moment, both Haruto and Yukino froze.
She smiled so nicely.
No, that was not the point.
The point was, why was she spacing out in the middle of a serious conversation, and why was she smiling to herself like she had just won the lottery?
It did not match her ice-cold genius honor student reputation at all.
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