Compare
ResetEarly December. Today was my first time in a while meeting up with the light novel author White Horse Prince for a business discussion. I headed to a café in Aoyama.
The prince usually holds his meetings there.
Waiting at an outdoor table, I eventually saw him arrive. "Ah, my friend." "Oh. Long time no see."
"Though you’ve exchanged emails multiple times, haven't you?"
"That's true. But it’s been a while since we met in person for a discussion."
"Yes. For us who saw each other every day back in college, not meeting for two weeks feels like a long time."
The prince had released a new work recently.
Super Doctor XX. It was a work leaning toward general literature, and it became a massive hit.
"They've reprinted it again. It’s been only a few months since release, yet this is already the 20th printing. A phenomenal success." "……" "Prince?"
He was smiling. Then, he bowed deeply to me.
"Thank you. This book hit because of you, Mitsuhiro."
... The prince is a humble guy. Even with hits like this, he never boasts that it’s his own achievement.
All the works he’s written have been animated and are selling very well (not quite on par with Top’s Kami Matsuda-sensei, though).
He holds a pretty high status as a Labeno author, yet he always expresses gratitude to his readers, and... to me, his editor.
"XX is thanks to your hard work."
"No, it’s because of your advice. I couldn’t have defeated the god alone."
The "god" he refers to is Kami Matsuda-sensei.
Currently, he holds a massive, ultra-award-winning hit with his titles Digimasu and Boku Kokoro.
XX surpassed the print run of a romantic comedy released by Kami Matsuda under our imprint.
"I finally... took one step closer to the god."
The Prince squeezed his hand tightly, murmuring with deep emotion.
His voice trembled, and tears spilled from his eyes. ...The Prince never shows tears in front of others.
Especially not regarding his works.
But... he shows me this side of him. Is it because I’m his editor? Or is it because I’m his friend? I don’t know. "You’re plenty a god yourself, too."
"Thanks. But we're still a long way from there. I haven't beaten every single one of Kamimatsu-sensei's works yet."
"That's true. Deejimasu will be particularly hard to surpass."
The Prince was clearly still striving to reach the top as a light novel author.
"I'll definitely surpass it in my next work. The God himself."
"Yes... though, I need a bit of time." ...Time? "What's wrong?"
"No one knows yet. Not at this stage, no one. You were the only person I wanted to tell first." The Prince said with a smile. "I've decided to get married."
...I couldn't digest those words right away. Marriage...? Married?
With whom? No, who it was didn't matter right now. First and foremost... "Congratulations."
Choosing not to speak as an editor, I offered the Prince my congratulations as a friend.
To me, the Prince was a colleague in work, but also a friend.
I had watched him try his best for so long. Challenging the God, losing, and then challenging him again...
He had been creating his works as if possessed by something.
He had kept pushing himself, day after day, year after year. Knowing that……
That the Prince would find happiness was…… more important than anything else……
"M-my friend? T-there's no reason to cry, is there?"
"Huh...? Ah... I'm crying, am I."
When he placed his hand on his cheek, tears were indeed flowing down.
I suppose I was happier about my friend's wedding than I realized.
My heart, which had been breaking ever since my wife cheated on me.
Even with my emotions glitching like that... the feeling of being glad for someone's success and shedding tears still lives on. No, perhaps it would be better to say it has recovered.
"Thank you. It makes me happy that you're so pleased for me." "The Prince...?"
Despite saying he was happy, he looked a bit lonely. "What's wrong?"
"No... nothing. Nothing at all. You... don't need to know about it." ...Huh?
Well, if the Prince says so, I suppose I shouldn't press him on it any further. "I see. A wedding, huh. And who's the partner?"
"My childhood friend, actually. We had a reunion recently and have been dating ever since."
Ah, so that's why we hadn't been in touch much lately.
I know the Prince's LINE ID too. It's just that he hasn't reached out to me at all recently.
I see, he must have been prioritizing his private time.
And considering what you said earlier...
"You're getting married, so you want to spend a bit less time working?"
"As expected of my friend. You've got it exactly right."
The Prince's XX is selling like crazy.
Public attention on him is high too. Normally, this would be the perfect time to release a new work. A bestseller by a bestselling author should launch while the hype is at its peak.
That's what the editors at Takanawa used to tell me when I worked there. But...
"Of course. Please make sure to cherish your private life."
"...Is it really alright? Are you okay with me being so selfish?"
"What are you talking about? That's not a whim or anything. It's only natural. Please cherish your own time."
"But... what will the higher-ups say? Won't they tell you to write more?"
"That's not something for you to worry about," he said. Besides, Kamimatsu-san is a good person.
He's someone who understands if you talk to him, and the current president is someone who values writers. So it really is okay.
"You prioritize your own happiness. You can write the next work whenever you feel like it. And besides... no matter when you release a book, your fans will buy it. It's fine. The works of White Horse Prince have the power to capture and hold onto their fans' hearts. No matter how many years pass, if you write something and put it out there, your fans will be happy to welcome you back." The prince covered his face with his hands.
And he wept softly. I waited until he stopped crying. Eventually, the prince looked up and...
"Thank you. Being with you as a partner has truly been wonderful."
He said that. Whether as an editor or as a friend, hearing those words made me content. 【★Afterword】
The book version featuring the brother of a famous VTuber is finally on sale!
Released by GA Bunko on 11/15! Pre-orders are open now! Please support us!