[CH.8] Enjoyment After Working Hours (Part 3)
"What kind of story are you writing?"
"Um..."
Despite my usual reluctance to approach beautiful women, I couldn't help but be curious since I'm a web writer myself. There was something enchanting about Kuhou-san's sheltered aura, and I couldn't help but imagine her crafting fairy tales, poems, or even literary works.
"It's a story about a villainess who's been cruel to the heroine, had her engagement broken off, and was condemned, but then she time-travels to change her fate. Along the way, she tries to make the prince of an enemy nation happy."
"A villainess story!?"
"I've always loved otome games, and I especially enjoy stories about noble young ladies."
She briefly showed me the beginning, where the heroine is beheaded right from the start and then time-travels. The guillotine scene was intense! Well, villainess stories are at the forefront of women's trends, and it's only natural for girls to write them.
"But the isekai romance genre is quite competitive, and it's tough to break into the top rankings."
Indeed, within the context of that website, the isekai romance genre was one of the most challenging. Kuhou-san sighed as she admitted that her current work wasn't doing well.
"You know, there's this author I really admire, and I'd love to write a villainess story like theirs and have everyone read it."
"Oh, wow! It's great to have an author you look up to. Having goals is a good thing."
"Yes, I'm a huge fan of 'Okome Takashi-sensei.' Their work '[The Rumored Saintess Who Was Replaced by Her Younger Sister and Awakens as the Second Prince's Beloved Saintess]' is so entertaining! It has a lot of female characters, so I think you'd enjoy it too, Hanamura-san."
My work!?
Seriously!? This girl is reading my work!?
"Is it really that good?"
"Yes, I love it! I have all the books and comic adaptations. Although, I've been noticing a lot of typos and errors in the recent web serials, but the story remains as captivating as ever."
"I'm sorry..."
"Huh?"
...Let's not continue this conversation any further.
I never expected that Kuhou-san was a reader of '[The Rumored Saintess].' This is the first time I've actually seen a fan in person.
Now, let's strike up a conversation with Nishina-san, who is typing away on her tablet across from me.
"Nishina-san, what kind of stories do you like?"
"I'm all about high fantasy. I love stories set in other worlds."
"That's great! I also enjoy stories from other worlds. I've read quite a few isekai manga and novels. What kind of titles do you write?"
"I write '[Hot-Blooded Wizard Gets Banished for Being Too Bothersome, So He Turns the Frigid Wasteland into Paradise: Even If They Beg Me to Return Because Without Me, the Average Temperature Drops by 20°C and Nothing Can Grow, It's Too Late Now].'"
"What a mouthful of a title!"
"When you're trying to climb up the rankings in this genre, your title is more important than anything else!"
I'm well aware of that. The popular web novel site sees a massive influx of new stories every day. While the quality of a story is important, getting readers' attention is crucial. Established authors with a fanbase have an advantage, but for new and unknown writers, getting readers is the top priority.
"Lately, I haven't been getting any bookmarks or rating points... I'm thinking of releasing some short stories or serializing only the ones that were popular."
I feel like my fellow colleagues are heading down a dangerous path.
I always had an image of Nishina-san as a sunshine character who never stumbled on anything, so I never expected to see such determination from her.
But I think determination is important, and although it's surprising, it's not a bad thing.
"...Actually, I want to write about the slice of life genre too."
"Oh, really? Do you have any favorite works?"
"Yeah, I'm really into '[Palace Mage: Exiled and Living a Relaxing Harem Slow Life with Beautiful Girls]' with Hinata-chan. I've bought all the books and even the comics. You should read it, Hanamucchan!"
"Uh... that..."
"Hanamucchan, you look like you'd be into harem stuff."
"What kind of face is that? Well, it's true though. If it's a different work, I might give it a try! But I'm not interested because I've read so much by that author!"
"I wonder if 'Okome Takashi' sensei is really living an elegant slow life. It's amazing."
"Do you think so? I think they were probably an overworked corporate drone."
"Huh?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing!"
It was around the time when that serialization was getting really exciting that the development death march for the new product started... It was a period when I wanted to complain about the protagonist's slow life.
I was about to spill more beans, but I had to stop myself from saying too much, so I went to Manager Mimasaka's desk.
The manager used to be in the literature club, so I'm sure they write mysteries, horror, and human drama.
I peered at their laptop screen.
"I... among many friends, love Yoko the most as my childhood friend!"
"Kyaa! Shun-kun... I love you too! Hug meeeee!"
"And so, I embraced Yoko with all my might."
"Isn't this just a romantic comedy!?"
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