Meanwhile, at a publishing house, a rising light novel author arrived.
Though only one volume had been released, calling them a bestseller wasn't an exaggeration—after all, selling 100,000 copies in a single week left no room for doubt.
At the Fantastic Bunko department of the Undying River Bookstore in Hikaru City, the next big thing in light novels had just walked through the doors.
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The previously doomed "Love Metronome" suddenly found itself in high demand.
Not only did the 10,000 copies that had been returned sell out immediately, but even the additional 50,000 copies printed afterward were gone within three days.
Finally, another 30,000 copies were printed, marking the peak of its market reach.
For a novel that had already been slated for cancellation, this unexpected phenomenon naturally prompted the publisher to investigate.
After conducting thorough research, the publisher identified two key reasons behind the sudden surge in sales.
"One reason is a blogger who goes by the username 'TAKI.' He promoted 'Love Metronome' on his blog."
"Since he's always among the first to update ACGN (Anime, Comics, Games, and Novels) news and review newly released works, his blog holds a certain level of influence."
"Additionally, he even created—"
At this point, Machida Sonoko paused, glancing down at her notes.
"Created what?"
"A personal fan website dedicated to 'Kasumi Utako.'"
"Ugh, that's disgusting. Stop right there."
Kasumi Utako—better known as the rising light novel author, Kasumigaoka Utaha—shuddered, waving her hand dismissively with a look of utter distaste.
"And the other reason? There's no way just that could cause such a massive boost in sales."
Compared to a week ago, Utaha's demeanor had changed significantly.
She now sat with her long, straight black hair cascading down her back, a white headband perched atop her head.
Her left hand propped up her chin as she leaned on the desk.
The white blouse she wore was snug against her figure, and beneath her black pleated skirt, her long, black-stocking-clad legs were elegantly crossed, her white sneakers tapping idly against the floor.
Although she had just heard something repulsive, it hadn't dampened her mood in the slightest.
If anything, her legs continued to bounce slightly, betraying her subtle excitement.
"The second reason—this is the real driving force behind 'Love Metronome's' sudden popularity—is a middle school student from Higashi Academy named Hojou Kyousuke. He recommended the novel to his friends—or rather, his subordinates."
"Not only did they buy the book, but word spread across other middle and high schools in Tokyo connected to him. Once they heard it was his recommendation, they rushed to purchase it. Eventually, even those outside his circle jumped on the bandwagon."
"Hojou Kyousuke? Who is he? Why does he like my novel? And more importantly, why does he have that much influence?"
Utaha, who had been resting her head on her hand, immediately sat up straight. A barrage of questions tumbled from her lips.
"To answer that, we actually brought in someone from Higashi Academy to speak with us. The information I just shared came from him. He was also the first to receive Kyousuke's recommendation," Machida Sonoko explained.
"Then what are you waiting for? Bring him in already!"
Honestly, Machida was really dragging this out. Utaha's crimson eyes gleamed with impatience.
The past week had been sheer torture for her.
With each update about her novel's skyrocketing sales and every new print order from the publisher, her curiosity about what had triggered this miraculous revival grew more unbearable.
All she had to go on was the name "Higashi."
The swirling mix of gratitude and nagging curiosity had gnawed at her relentlessly, leaving her unable to focus on anything else.
Though the publisher had repeatedly urged her to start writing the second volume, every time she sat in front of her computer, all she could think about was "Higashi."
She needed to know—who was responsible for bringing "Love Metronome" back to life?
Who had given her the chance to continue standing proudly as a writer?
She had even tried searching online, but the only relevant results were the blog Machida had mentioned and the fan website.
Just another die-hard otaku who mindlessly threw themselves at anything they found remotely beautiful, like moths to a flame.
Even though the blog was filled with praise for her work—detailed analysis and glowing reviews—she couldn't bring herself to care.
If all she wanted was praise, she could pick any random student at school and they'd probably be able to rave about her book for three days straight.
No, she was far more interested in the person Machida had just mentioned—Kyousuke.
A single sentence from him had resurrected her novel. Someone with that level of influence had to be extraordinary.
There was no way he was just another otaku duped by her writing skills, like that TAKI guy.
'Knock, knock.'
Hearing the sound at the door, Utaha swiftly uncrossed her legs and sat up properly in her chair.
If it were just Machida, she would've walked in unannounced. Since she knocked, that meant she had brought someone with her.
"Come in."
Utaha placed her hands on the desk and looked toward the door.
It opened, and Machida Sonoko entered first, followed by a tall young man with spiky yellow-dyed hair.
"This is Eikichi Onizuka. And this is 'Love Metronome's' author, Kasumi Utako-sensei," Machida introduced them.
"Nice to meet you."
Utaha's breathtaking face showed no visible emotion. Her voice, once filled with impatience, was now calm and composed.
'Whoa! Super hot!'
Upon seeing her, Eikichi Onizuka's mind screamed in surprise.
Strangely, however, despite being the kind of guy who would usually ogle a beautiful woman without shame, he didn't wear his usual lecherous expression.
Instead, his face showed something rare—humility.
After leaking boss "dating manual" and realizing the chaos he had caused, he had been on edge, worried he'd be forced into extra training as punishment.
But nothing had happened—aside from the novel's sales skyrocketing.
Seeing no immediate consequences, his worries faded, and he decided to test out the dating tips he had learned from the book.
Since it was a light novel, surely its strategies would work best on light novel fans, right?
With that in mind, he headed to Akihabara.
However, upon arriving, he was met with disappointment. The place was swarming with nerds who seemed even more hopelessly single than he was.
There were plenty of cute girls around, sure—but all they wanted was to drag him into their cafés and sell him overpriced omurice.
With his romantic aspirations crushed, he was about to move on to another hunting ground when he spotted a bookstore.
If "Love Metronome" could serve as a dating guide, surely there had to be other books like it hidden here!
Excited, he stormed into the store and spent all his and Danma Ryuji's gas money on light novels.
As he walked out, his arms loaded with books, a representative from Fushikawa Publishing approached him for an interview.
When asked if he had read "Love Metronome," Onizuka was immediately offended.
He pulled out his well-worn copy—so thoroughly read that its pages were curling at the edges—and shoved it in the interviewer's face.
Just like how he always carried magazines featuring self-proclaimed "love guru", Onizuka had been lugging around "Love Metronome" everywhere, convinced it held the key to his romantic success.
The publisher's rep was thrilled.
Not only had they found a dedicated reader, but they had also stumbled upon the very person responsible for starting the sales frenzy.
And now, that same person stood before Kasumigaoka Utaha.
And no—despite the blonde hair, Eikichi Onizuka was not just another "delinquent blonde."
In just a few seconds, he activated his sharp mind and extracted the key points of the situation.
His boss said that Love Metronome contained romance techniques. The author of Love Metronome was a stunning beauty. And his boss was always surrounded by beautiful women!
Case closed—this novel was clearly written by that gorgeous author as a way to document her love story with the boss!
As for why the content didn't quite match reality, well, Eikichi understood the concept of artistic embellishment.
Boss had so many girlfriends—there was no way he could write the truth outright, or else it would cause serious family drama.
Now, the real question was whether his boss would come after him later for promoting this book. That would depend on how cleverly he played his cards.
If he made sure to praise Kyousuke in front of this beautiful author, then no matter what happened afterward, he wouldn't have the heart to punish him, right?
Perfect. Plan secured!
With that in mind, Eikichi Onizuka bowed at a full ninety degrees.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Eikichi Onizuka! Please take care of me!"
His loud voice echoed through the small conference room.
Utaha's elegant brows furrowed slightly, but instead of commenting, she simply gestured to the seat across from her.
"Take a seat."
Machida sat next to her editor. Although the investigator had already provided a report, she wanted to personally document any crucial details from this conversation.
"Thank you, but I'd rather stand," Eikichi replied.
Standing at attention was the best posture when delinquents were being reprimanded—it demonstrated humility.
Utaha frowned again, puzzled by his insistence. Didn't he realize how uncomfortable it was to talk while looking up at someone?
Still, seeing that he didn't seem to be picking a fight, she simply repeated herself.
"Sit."
"Yes, ma'am!" Eikichi immediately noticed that this time, Kasumi Utako-sensei had dropped the polite speech particle from her sentence.
Seeing her frown deepening, he was reminded of his boss. Without hesitation, he quickly took his seat.
"Tell me everything you know about Kyousuke." Utaha's voice was calm and cool.
She leaned back in her chair, habitually crossing her arms over her chest—only to stop herself upon seeing the person in front of her.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Just like that time in Shibuya when he saw his boss with that incredibly attractive girl, Eikichi didn't dare look directly at the woman who might very well be his future sister-in-law.
He was a loyal subordinate who followed the code!
"Boss is the second-generation leader of the Rampaging Angel gang…" he began, introducing the title he respected the most.
"Boss?" Utaha asked, puzzled.
"Yes, he leads Rampaging Angel, the dominant force in Bunkyo's delinquent scene."
There was no hiding the pride in Eikichi's voice. Within Rampaging Angel, it was common knowledge—if boss had truly wanted to, they could have united all of Tokyo's delinquent factions under his rule by now.
Oh, so he's a delinquent.
Utaha understood now. But strangely, she didn't feel any disgust toward this Kyousuke.
Normally, she would sneer at common delinquents and dismiss them as trash.
However, if what Eikichi said was true, Kyousuke wasn't just any delinquent—he was at the top of the food chain. That changed things entirely.
And from what Machida-san had told her earlier, his influence extended far beyond Bunkyo; he had power over high schoolers across all of Tokyo.
That wasn't something an ordinary thug could achieve. He had surpassed the boundaries of mere delinquency and ascended to another level entirely.
Her mind automatically romanticized the image, and the blurry figure in her imagination gradually became clearer.
Utaha was someone who prided herself on being strong. Strength and admiration for strength were two sides of the same coin.
She could only accept help from someone stronger than herself.
Her novel had been selling terribly, yet it suddenly became a hit because of someone supposedly weaker than her?
That didn't make sense. That wasn't something she could accept.
If that were truly the case, then the confidence she had just barely started to rebuild would shatter into pieces—pieces that could never be put back together.
"He is known as…"
Seeing that the sister-in-law (probably) had gone quiet, Eikichi continued.
At first, he wanted to say The Handless Demon, but he remembered how many times his boss had beaten him up for using that nickname.
So instead, he quickly switched gears.
"He's a super genius who dominated middle school academics with near-perfect scores!"
"Middle school?" Utaha was surprised.
According to the report she received from editor Machida-san, Eikichi was a second-year high schooler at Higashi Academy.
She had assumed Kyousuke was also a high school student, but…
"Yeah, boss just started his first year of middle school."
"A first-year middle schooler… became your leader?"
Even without being well-versed in delinquent culture, Utaha knew that in their world, strength dictated everything.
How could a mere first-year middle schooler command the loyalty of so many delinquents?
"You don't understand—he's an absolute monster when it comes to fighting!"
Eikichi became animated as he spoke, recounting how Kyousuke single-handedly took down Rampaging Angel, annihilated Aimei to rescue him and Danma, and even disbanded Toman all by himself.
Even though he had only witnessed the AiMei incident firsthand, he described the other two stories so vividly that they felt like firsthand accounts.
By the time he finished, even Eikichi himself was amazed. Did he have a hidden talent for comedic storytelling?
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