RNP Page 2
Page 2
Seeing that the two were silent because of him, Baili Xiao felt it was necessary to break the awkward atmosphere, so he chose to speak.
"My Shiyu..."
"Cough cough cough! Cough cough! Cough cough cough!" A violent cough interrupted him. Kasumigaoka Utaha turned her face away, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Miss Sonoko, I think we should discuss the business matters quickly. You must be very busy. You can't waste too much time here, can you?"
"No, no, no." Machida Sonoko quickly waved her hand, her eyes involuntarily drifting to the faint blush on Kasumigaoka Utaha's face.
You know, she had been Kasumigaoka Utaha's editor for so long, and the latter had always given her the impression of being a calm, strong woman with a strong sense of independence.
She never thought that such a display of "extraordinary femininity" would ever happen to Kasumigaoka Utaha...
Busy? Taking up too much time?
what is this? !
A strong sense of curiosity ignited Machida Sonoko's gossip spirit, and at this moment she could no longer control herself!
"I'm not busy today, I have plenty of time to spend with you, and we don't need to rush into discussing work..."
Before she could finish speaking, Machida Sonoko couldn't help but shudder and wisely shut her mouth.
She could feel a murderous gaze fall upon her just moments before...
"Aha, ahaha, well then, let's talk about your new work."
With a slightly frightened laugh, Machida Sonoko took a stack of documents out of her briefcase.
"Kasumi Shiko-sensei, [Love Metronome] has been completed. As a popular light novel author, I think you should release your new book as soon as possible to ensure public impact."
"Here is a new project from Shinazugawa Bunko. If you can prepare your new book and pass the review before the deadline, Shinazugawa Bunko will do its best to promote and package you! We aim to make you a leading figure in the new generation of light novels!"
"I know you're going through a creative slump lately, but I believe that Ms. Kasumi Shiko can work miracles. How about giving it a try?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha felt a slight flutter in her heart. As a light novel author, who wouldn't want to prove their abilities? Who wouldn't want to become the number one of the new generation?
But... she knew her own situation best. When she saw that the deadline clearly stated in the plan was half a month later, Kasumigaoka Utaha's lips curled into a bitter smile.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Yuanzi, but in my current state, it's simply impossible for me to complete the project within half a month."
Handing the proposal back to Machida Sonoko, Kasumigaoka Utaha said with a touch of dejection, "It seems... I really can't become a so-called 'leader' after all..."
Before the words were finished, a voice abruptly cut in.
"Wait! Can I take a look?"
P.S.: Guaranteed three chapters per day for the new book! If you want to see more plot developments, please give me some flowers!
There will be two more updates before midnight tonight. If we get 500 flowers, we'll continue with five updates tomorrow!
So, to allow everyone to see more chapters, I'll just send a little bit each; every little bit counts!
Chapter 0004 Teacher Xia Shizi, have you been underestimated? (Fourth update, please add to your favorites and give flowers)
"Uh..."
Machida Sonoko glanced at Hyakuri Akira and handed him the proposal.
In her opinion, if he has a talented younger sister like Kasumigaoka Utaha, then his older brother, Hyakuri Akira, must not be too bad either.
Who knows... she might even have the talent to become a light novel author?
"No..." Seeing the proposal fall into Bai Lixiao's hands, Kasumigaoka Utaha parted her lips slightly, trying to stop her: "You won't understand it, or..."
"Well, it's alright to let him take a look, isn't it?" Machida Sonoko waved her hand with a smile.
A few minutes later, Baili Xiao closed the proposal and pondered for a moment: "As long as I can come up with good creative ideas within half a month, and write an outline and a small part of the finished product to pass the review, this project can be considered complete, right?"
"Yes! But the key point is that Ms. Kasumi Shiko has just finished the last volume of [Love Metronome] and is currently in a period of creative exhaustion. This is normal among light novel writers. Some people recover quickly, while many others need several months or even half a year to recover."
Machida Sonoko looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha with a worried expression and a hint of regret in her eyes: "If we could catch up with this project, Kasumigaoka Utaha-sensei could very well go from a 'well-known light novelist' to a 'popular light novelist'!"
"It's just bad luck. I believe that with my abilities, I can rise to the ranks of top light novel authors even without this project." Kasumigaoka Utaha tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, wrapped it around her finger a few times, and looked away. "It'll just be a little later."
No one wants to admit that they are inferior to others, especially someone like Kasumigaoka Utaha with a strong sense of self-esteem.
"Of course, I'm not doubting Shi-chan's abilities, I'm just a little sorry for you." Machida Sonoko put the proposal into her briefcase, originally wanting to encourage Kasumigaoka Shi-ha, but was met with a warning look from the latter.
Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't approve of the rather affectionate nickname "Shi-chan," let alone mentioning it in front of Hyakuri Akira.
Sorry, sorry, I've gotten used to saying it.
Machida Sonoko clasped her hands together, mouthed something to Kasumigaoka Utaha in a flattering manner, and stood up: "In that case, I won't stay any longer. I hope Kasumigaoka Utaha-sensei can recover soon."
"Wait!" Baili Xiao looked up, glanced at the two of them, and continued, "I have a lot of ideas here, what do you think?"
Lots of...ideas?
Kasumigaoka Utaha was taken aback at first, then frowned: "Brother, light novels aren't just your fantasies. There are many things to consider, whether it's the plot or the target audience, these all require..."
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't be so quick to dismiss it. How will you know it won't work if you don't listen?" Machida Sonoko, who had been sitting up, sat down again, staring at Hyakuri Akira with a smile: "As the older brother of Kasumi Shiko-sensei, you might have some good ideas, right?"
"Hoo..." Kasumigaoka Utaha exhaled, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes.
In her memory, ever since her brother became obsessed with anime, he not only lost his job, but also stayed at home all day watching anime or playing visual novels.
What kind of good ideas would the older brother, who can be called "otaku qun893玖", have?
Just as Kasumigaoka Utaha harbored doubts, Hyakuri Akira looked at her seriously: "First of all, I want to confirm what kind of novels you can write, Utaha. Since you are a light novelist, your writing style has too many limitations, and there may be many ideas that are not suitable for you."
eh?
Machida Sonoko was stunned, and Kasumigaoka Utaha was also stunned.
What's going on? How can a layman doubt the abilities of Kasumi Utako, a currently bestselling light novel author?
Sensing their stunned expressions, Baili Xiao shook his head with a wry smile: "Shiyu, I'm not doubting your abilities... How about this, I'll give you an idea first, something that's quite suitable for your light novel writing style."
"You say it!" Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned, and her right leg, tightly wrapped in black pantyhose, began to tremble involuntarily, her heel hitting the wooden floor with a crisp "tap tap tap" sound.
This only happens when she is suppressing her impatience.
A glint flashed in Baili Xiao's eyes. He took a deep breath and asked softly.
"Did you know? Cherry blossoms fall at a speed of five centimeters per second..."
Chapter 0005 Let's try our best to squeeze every last drop out of him! (Fifth update, please add to your favorites and give flowers)
"We look up at the same sky, but we see different places."
"Hey, did you know? I heard that cherry blossoms fall at a speed of five centimeters per second!"
Five centimeters per second—that's the speed at which cherry blossoms fall. So what speed would it take to traverse the distance between you and me?
Through Bai Lixiao's narration, a breathtakingly beautiful love story unfolds before Kasumigaoka Utaha and Machida Sonoko.
They seemed to see the huge cherry blossom tree, and also the scene of two people looking at each other at opposite ends of the train track being separated by a speeding train.
Everything was not as wonderful as it was described in the light novel.
It is filled with the helplessness and powerlessness that real life imposes on love, just like one of the sentences in it.
"We always think we can change the future, but when we finally stand at the finish line, we find that we have only been changed by the future. It turns out that we can never catch up with the speed at which cherry blossoms fall."
Thirteen years, measured in the speed of cherry blossoms, has just brought the two of them to the farthest point in time.
"...call."
Bai Lixiao's story had already been told, but it was only after a long time that Kasumigaoka Utaha dared to exhale the breath that had been hanging in her chest.
Her large, red pupils shone with an unusual light as she quietly gazed at Baili Xiao's profile.
It was only then that Kasumigaoka Utaha realized that her brother wasn't as bad as she had imagined.
"Beautiful! Perfect!" The praise was generous, and the last English sentence even had a very obvious Kansai accent.
Machida Sonoko covered her mouth and smiled shyly, then focused her attention on Baili Xiao.
"To think you could come up with such a storyline, if you could really recreate the '5 Centimeters Per Second' you described, it might even be a contender for this year's Best Light Novel award!"
Baili Xiao smiled slightly. Possessing the ability of the "God of Screenwriting," his mind was filled with numerous storylines.
Whether it's romance, which Kasumigaoka Utaha excels at, or action, battle, or fantasy, he can immediately come up with dozens or even hundreds of classic plot developments if you set any direction!
"It is indeed a beautiful and tear-jerking love story, but now I'm more puzzled by something..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha lowered her right leg, adopted a slightly more ladylike sitting posture, and tilted her upper body slightly towards Hyakuri Xiao.
Bai Lixiao naturally noticed her movements. When he turned to Kasumigaoka Utaha, he saw her increasingly larger, pale face.
Those small, alluring lips, coated with glossy lip gloss, slowly approached, stopping just centimeters from Baili Xiao's cheek: "Brother, what you said at the beginning, that my abilities are limited, is that true?"
Before hearing the story of "5 Centimeters Per Second", Kasumigaoka Utaha was even angry because she was looked down upon by Hyakuri Akira.
But now... she had a vague premonition.
Perhaps, as my brother said, my lack of ability is what puts him in such a difficult position.
"Well... you're still young, you'll have plenty of time in the future." To cover up his embarrassment, Baili Xiao chuckled as he placed his right hand on Kasumigaoka Utaha's head.
In anime, this is a tried-and-true head pat, but...
The person standing before Baili Xiao now is not the fictional Kasumigaoka from his previous life, but the real Kasumigaoka Utaha!
The soft, fine black hair, carrying a faint warmth, lay close to my palm, traveling all the way to my heart!
"Thump thump thump!" The increasingly intense heartbeat was something Baili Xiao couldn't tell if Kasumigaoka Utaha and Machida Sonoko could hear, but he himself could hear it clearly!
It's like watching a drum set performance up close!
"Ugh..." With a muffled sound from her nose, Kasumigaoka Utaha lowered her head, her bangs perfectly covering her cheeks.
Even so, Machida Sonoko, who was just watching from the sidelines, noticed that Shi-chan's originally fair neck was now covered with a light pinkish tinge.
"Ahem! Well, I won't bother you any longer." Machida Sonoko awkwardly stood up, quickly walked to the entrance to change into high heels, and was about to open the door to leave when she suddenly remembered something.
"Shi-chan! Since your brother has so much stock, remember to try your best to produce some! I have high hopes for you on this project! Go for it! The future number one light novel writer!"
P.S.: Five updates today! Hopefully, we can reach 500 flowers before midnight.
If we arrive, I'll continue with five updates tomorrow!
Keep it up, everyone!
Chapter 0006 Returning to the Room to Discuss the Plot! (First Update, Please Add to Favorites and Receive Flowers)
"Tap tap tap..."
The sound of high heels faded into the distance, leaving only an embarrassed Baili Xiao and Kasumigaoka Utaha, who kept her head down, alone in the large living room. The atmosphere became extremely awkward.