The company I work for is a massive publishing house called Takana.
My specific label is Takanawa Books, which operates under the company.
We specialize in light novels, and recently gained a foothold in the industry by releasing Digital Masters, a series that was adapted into films and anime to become a social phenomenon.
The label counts two massive hits among its roster: Kamimatsu, the author of Digital Masters and an immensely popular writer, and Hakuba Oji, a genius prodigy who penned Arts Magic Online (AMO).
I belonged to one of the top labels in the light novel industry… but then.
“Oka-san, I’m sorry, but I need you to leave Takanawa Books.”
…Standing before me was the editor-in-chief, Tsujikane.
She was a thirty-four-year-old veteran female editor who had climbed her way up to the chair of Editor-in-Chief.
Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail.
Her sharp gaze and glasses gave her a cool impression.
“Leave? Why all of a sudden?”
I had been summoned by the editor-in-chief, Tsujikane, immediately after arriving for work that morning.
We are sitting face to face in the small conference room.
“It’s simple. There’s a rumor circulating through the editorial department that you’re cheating.”
“Huh…! Y-You? Having an affair? How could anyone think such a thing!” It was a completely baseless rumor.
More like, I’m the one who got cheated on!
“Calm down. I believe you’re married, aren’t you? You were having an affair with the lover of one of our label’s artists, right?”
“That’s not true! Who was it that spread such nonsense!” “It was Kisosawa-kun.” …Everything clicked into place.
Kisosawa. The man my wife, Misae, was having an affair with.
He must have… acted to protect himself.
If it were known that he was sleeping with the wife of a male colleague in the same workplace, he’d find it difficult to face going there.
So he struck first.
…Unfortunately for me, I had stayed out until dawn last night and come home late.
Kisosawa must have clocked in right as I was leaving or arriving, and gone straight to Sonegami-san to spread the lie.
「Why don’t you think he’s lying?»
“I don’t. Kisogawa isn’t the kind of kid who would lie.” ”… ” I was sad.
It wasn’t that I was thought to be the kind of guy who’d cheat on his partner.
It was that… they trusted Kisogawa’s words more than mine… That was what hurt.
…Admittedly, Kisogawa and Jūnikan were on good terms.
Even though he’d worked at this editorial department for a long time and contributed significantly, they judged that a younger subordinate with better communication skills was preferable over my unloquacious self. ”… Time to go.” “Huh?”
“No… it’s nothing. I understand. I’m resigning. From this company.” Jūnikan’s eyes went wide. “Qu-quit the company…?”
“Yes. Doesn’t that work out just right? You were the one who said you wanted me to leave, weren’t you?”
“N-no… You can just quit the Takanawa Books label; you don’t actually have to quit the entire company, do you?”
“It’s fine. I’m resigning. Excuse me.” …I didn’t even bother defending myself. It was too absurd to bother.
Kisogawa, and Jūnikan—no, just Jūnikan as well—in the end, they both look down on me. “Goddamn it…” I sighed as I left the conference room.
Walking down the hallway, I noticed a potted plant placed there. “Fuck!”
Frustrated beyond belief, I kicked the potted plant.
Thump. Someone straightened the fallen pot back up.
“Now, now, that’s no way to treat a poor plant.” “Uematsu? The assistant editor-in-chief…?”
Standing there was a man in glasses, wearing a gentle smile. Uematsu Shoji.
The assistant editor-in-chief of our label… meaning the second-highest-ranking person.
He was a kind soul who spoke to everyone with quiet grace and would casually check in on anyone who seemed to be having a rough time.
“Hey, Oka-san. Got a minute for a chat?” ★
We had ended up on the company rooftop.
I poured my heart out to the assistant editor-in-chief, telling him everything.
“I see… I see how that works. It did seem odd when I thought about it.” The assistant editor-in-chief sighed.
“There’s no way someone as earnest as you would cheat. I told Juumei the same thing, but he just ignored me. Can’t expect a young man like him to listen to some old fart like me,” the assistant editor-in-chief said with a wry smile.
He was older than Juumei, yet ranked lower in the hierarchy.
Jūzen had always looked down on Uematsu.
”…Do you believe the deputy editor-in-chief’s claim that I haven’t been having an affair?”
“Of course. You’re not that kind of person. I can tell just by looking at you.” He smiled and gave my shoulder a pat.
“You always stay late, work harder than anyone else, and contribute immensely to the company. No matter how others perceived you, you’ve consistently been holding up Takanawa Books. There’s no way someone as conscientious as you would cheat.” ”…”
Unlike Jūzen, this person actually saw me as an individual. ”…That makes me happy,” I whispered, tears falling softly, drop by drop.
There was someone who truly understood me and acknowledged my worth.
“Shall I speak to upper management from my end and try to cancel the label transfer?”
”…No, I told them I’m quitting the company.” “Qu-quitting?”
”…Yes. I just didn’t want to stay here anymore.”
I didn’t want to face Kisinogawa or Jūzen anymore.
The very idea of being in the same company with them repulsed me.
“I see… Listen, Okaya-kun. If it’s alright… ” The deputy editor-in-chief spoke with a serious expression.
“Want to start a new label with me?”
“A… a new label?”
“Yeah. I’m planning on quitting here soon and launching a new light novel imprint.”
“Now? In this economy? A brand-new imprint?” That’s insane… The LN market is already saturated.
There’s no guarantee that starting a new imprint will succeed.
In fact, there’s a much higher chance it’ll just crash and burn.
“Big publishers have a lot of restrictions. For instance, they usually won’t pick up works from Narou with low scores, right?”
“Narou” refers to “Shousetaka,” the online writing site Become a Novelist.
The platform uses a point-based rating system.
High scores indicate high ratings, which equates to strong sales, so many imprints reach out to popular works.
Conversely, it’s rare for low-score works to get any attention. Our company is especially strict about this.
“There are plenty of interesting works with low scores that never see the light of day, and I hate that. But it’s hard to publish them here. So… I want to create a new imprint to give buried talent a stage to shine on.”
……I was moved by the Associate Editor’s philosophy.
It’s not always that the things shining brightly on the surface are the good ones.
There are also things that are properly working hard, even though they remain unseen.
…I found myself identifying with myself and those kinds of works simultaneously.
“Besides, I have dissatisfaction with the way things are done here too. It’s absurd to assume that weekend shifts are a matter of course or that coming home in the morning is just part of the job, isn’t it? We’re office workers, after all? Don’t you think it’s natural to wake up in the morning and come home at night?”
…Akari pointed this out even before I left the house. Yeah, that is weird…
“I want to create a label where both writers and editors can smile.”
The Associate Editor extended his hand with a fluid motion.
“I want you to cooperate as well. Won’t you come with us?”
…I quit Takanawa.
That wasn’t just because I felt dissatisfaction with the Editor-in-Chief, Juugan, or Kiso, who was an employee.
I had dissatisfaction with the methods and the way of working too.
……I’d rather go with Deputy Editor Uematsu, who actually gets me, than with Jūken. “Please, I’m counting on you.”
I took the hand of the deputy editor……no, Ms. Uematsu.
And so it was that I found a new job the very same day I quit. ★
Okaya Mitsuhiro and Deputy Editor Uematsu were set to launch a new label.
Editor-in-Chief Jūken Rie would later hear about it.
“Tsk. Well, fine. That man was just dead weight around here anyway. It’s a relief he’s gone.” What Editor-in-Chief Jūken didn’t know……
was that the one secretly supporting this label was Okaya. And after Okaya left……
Jūken would come to learn everything. Okaya’s importance and his true capabilities.
And that it was Kisogawa who had been having an affair……
It wouldn’t be long before she realized all her mistakes, leading her to kneel in the dirt and weep apology alongside Kisogawa at Okaya’s feet.