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Episode 20: Anime Adaptation Decided Before Posting

The next morning, after I made up my mind to submit the serialized version of my new work, “Dedicate My Heart to You,” someone visited my house.

“Hey, Sensei! Good morning!”

“Mei-san, good to see you.”

It was my editor, Mei Sakuhira, who had come to my house.

“What’s up?”

“I thought I’d have a brief meeting about the book version before stopping by the office. I sent you an email, though. Didn’t you see it?”

Last night, I had indeed talked to Mei-san about receiving an offer for the book adaptation.

“Sorry, I didn’t check properly.”

“Oh, no worries. By the way, I also sent an email to the deputy editor… Well, I guess he hasn’t seen it.”

As we stood in the entranceway talking, my mother joined us.

“Oh, Mei-san. A meeting, is it?”

“Good morning! Yes, just a quick one… Oh, wait a minute. There are a lot of shoes here.”

Mei-san noticed the abundance of shoes placed in the entranceway.

“Oh, um, well…”

Uh-oh.

Right now, the immensely popular singer Alyssa Senba and the popular voice actress Yuri Komagane were staying at my place. If it were to be revealed…

Then my mother quickly spoke up.

“I thought I’d wash the old shoes, you see.”

“I see, I get it now.”

“Please come to the living room. I’ll bring you some tea.”

“Oh, sorry! Thank you very much!”

Mei-san crossed the hallway and headed towards the living room.

“…Yuu-chan, I’ll make sure the two upstairs don’t come out of their rooms. It would be troublesome if they were discovered.”

“Thank you, Mom!”

“No problem,” my mother smiled and went to the kitchen.

And so…

In the living room, at the dining table…

“Well then, Sensei, thank you so much for considering the book adaptation of ‘Dedicate My Heart to You’! I truly appreciate it!”

Mei-san bowed deeply.

“Thank you so much! I’m really grateful! I won’t forget this favor!”

“Oh, no… Is it really that big of a deal?”

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“Of course! Check this out, Sensei!”

Mei-san aimed her smartphone at me.

It was the ranking page on a certain website.

…Wait, what!?

“W-What? Monthly ranking… and I’m in… 5th place!?”

No way, this is insane!

I was shocked and kept looking at the smartphone repeatedly.

“Oh, what’s the matter, Yuu-chan?”

My mother placed the tea in front of us.

“Well, um… the short story I posted yesterday at noon has already reached 5th place in the monthly overall ranking…”

“Oh, is that something amazing?”

Then Mei-san excitedly exclaimed.

“Yes! The monthly ranking is based on the total points accumulated over one month. Generally, if you can get around 60,000 points, you can make it to 5th place in the monthly ranking. However, even for a highly popular work, it usually takes two to three weeks to reach 5th place in the overall ranking.”

“Oh my, so Yuu-chan managed to reach that in just half a day?”

“That’s right! It’s already a monster… a monstrous work! It’s amazing! You’re truly incredible, Sensei!”

“You’re amazing, Yuu-chan ♡”

I… was genuinely surprised too.

Well, last night, I had already ranked 1st in the daily overall ranking with 30,000 points…

I was also thinking that I might rank quickly in the monthly ranking, but…

To think that it would happen in less than a day…

“Sensei, would it be possible for you to submit the serialized version today?”

“Huh… Well, it’s fine… but isn’t it too soon?”

“Haste makes waste, right?”

Well, she does have a point…

“Hey, Yuu-chan, what’s the serialized version?”

My mother asked.

“On this website, there are two types of submissions: short stories, where you can only post one episode, and serialized novels, where you can post as many episodes as you want. The serialized version is a novel that takes the short story version and divides it into multiple parts to form a longer story.”

“Oh… I don’t understand the complicated stuff, but don’t overdo it, okay?”

My mother said with concern.

That’s right, I have my studies to focus on, and I also have my ongoing serialization in Digital Master…

I appreciate her concern about whether handling two works simultaneously would be too much for me.

“Thank you, Mom. Don’t worry, I won’t push myself too hard.”

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“Yes, I won’t make Sensei do anything unreasonable!”

My mother let out a relieved sigh and left the living room, making sure not to disturb us.

“So, about the next step… Sensei, I have a suggestion.”

“A suggestion? What is it?”

“Could you add the phrase ‘Book Adaptation Decided’ to the serialized version and post it?”

“W-Wait, what!?”

I couldn’t help but let out a startled cry at the sudden suggestion.

“Well, um… I’ve never heard of that. A web novel that explicitly declares its book adaptation from the start…!”

It’s common to see popularity grow for a short story and then have it adapted into a longer series.

There have been cases where a novel is adapted into a book just a few days after being posted.

But I’ve never seen a novel that declares a book adaptation simultaneously with the serialization posting… That’s completely new to me.

“But since the book adaptation is already decided, I think it’s necessary to include it. Otherwise, we’ll be bombarded with messages about the book offer later.”

“Well… yeah, probably.”

When I opened the website this morning, I already had several new messages about potential book offers.

“Even the readers on this website will understand and be convinced of the book adaptation when they see the points this short story has gained. It will become a topic of conversation as well.”

Mei-san is considering various aspects for me.

“Of course, I won’t ask you to start working on the book right away. Rest assured.”

“I-I see… I understand.”

But things are getting quite complicated.

I prepared the serialized version of the novel yesterday and now I need to get ready to post it on the website.

“So… ‘Serialized Version: Dedicate My Heart to You [Book Adaptation Decided]’… Does the title look like this?”

I showed Mei-san the screen of my smartphone.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Let’s keep the name of the publishing company hidden for now. Oh, and you can mention that it’s been decided for a comic adaptation too.”

“W-What!?”

Is she serious!? I haven’t even posted the serialized version yet…

“Don’t worry, I’ve already gotten approval from the editor-in-chief, so it’s fine.”

“R-Really…?”

Last night, I sent an email to Mei-san saying I’d consider the offer.

I think it was pretty late at night.

But to have convinced the editor-in-chief and even decided on a comic adaptation…

They’re really going all out!

By the way, my father was fast asleep.

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“Isn’t this too soon…?”

“Do you think so? Well, you know, our company has its own manga app, so it’s easier for us to discuss comic adaptations.”

Come to think of it, that’s true.

There have been more manga adaptations of web novels lately.

And many of them are serialized on smartphone apps rather than in print.

And in cases where the book offer comes with a comic adaptation, it’s often from a company that has its own manga app.

“Oh, and could you come to the editorial department sometime next week?”

“For the book version meeting?”

“Well, it’s not too far off. It’s an important discussion.”

“Related to Digital Master?”

“No, it’s about Bokugokoro.”

Bokugokoro is the abbreviation for my new work, “Dedicate My Heart to You.”

What could this important discussion be about…?

“It’s not about the anime adaptation, right? Surely not.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

“…”

“…Huh?”

We looked at each other, puzzled.

“Mei-san? You’re joking, right?”

“Well… um, no. I’m not joking.”

N-No way…

Wait, because… I’ve only posted a short story! An anime adaptation… no way!

(TLN:that escalated quickly)

“Our publishing company group is also strong in anime adaptations, so it was easy to discuss.”

“Well, um… I know that! But… didn’t the talk about the Digital Master anime adaptation come around the time of the third volume or so!?”

“Ahaha, Sensei. The situation was different back then and now, you know?”

The situation… is different…?

“Sensei, you already have a track record with Digital Master. Your books sell like crazy, the anime DVDs sell like crazy, and the movie was a massive hit that made history. And now, as a legendary author, your new work has reached 5th place in the monthly rankings just a few hours after posting a trial short story.”

Now, Mei-san smiles and says.

“So, where do you think this would fail?”

“Well… um…”

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Just then…

“Whoa! Yuta! That’s amazing! It’s incredible! To think that everything from the serialized version posting to the book, comic, and anime adaptations would be decided at once…! Wow, it’s amazing, truly amazing! You’re the real deal, Kamimatsu-sensei!”

“Oh, good morning, Deputy Editor.”

Mei-san says with a smile.

“Hey, Mei-kun! Good morning! But an anime adaptation!? Did the editor-in-chief approve it?”

“Yes, he agreed without hesitation. He said it would be fine with Kamimatsu-sensei.”

“That’s amazing, Yuta! You’re really trusted by the editor-in-chief… But, Mei-kun? In times like this, shouldn’t you discuss it first with me, your direct supervisor, the deputy editor?”

“Oh, well, the editor-in-chief said it’s okay to skip you. I’m sorry.”

Father…

I caught a glimpse of how things work at the company…

“But… are you really okay with this? Starting plans for an anime adaptation when the book hasn’t even been released yet.”

“Well, Yuta, it’s not that uncommon. There’s a light novel series that announced the anime adaptation with the release of its first volume, right?”

“Oh, you mean that one… the one that’s currently airing…”

“During the planning stage of that book, they also started the anime adaptation. The author of that series had a previous work that was a big hit, and they had experience with anime adaptations. When it’s a new work from such an author, the plans for an anime adaptation start right away. Especially since we have our own anime production company.”

“Wow… that’s incredible…”

It seems… Father is saying something that sounds like an editor…

“Oh my, my, you sound just like an editor.”

“Mom!? Did you forget about my job!?”

“The parasite of the Uematsu household… or rather, the parasite of Yuu-chan?”

“To that extent!? Isn’t that harsh!?”

My mother stands next to me with a smile.

She massages my shoulders from behind.

“Yuu-chan, you’re worried, aren’t you? The expectations are too high…”

Why is it that my mother can understand my worries so easily?

“It’s alright. Yuu-chan, you have talent, and you can do it. Many adults, including Mei-san, recognize your talent.”

“That’s right, Sensei. We’re a business too, so if there weren’t prospects for success, we wouldn’t do it from the beginning.”

…If it were me until yesterday, I might have declined.

But after the conversation with Alyssa, I’ve made up my mind.

“Well… um… then, please take care of everything.”

And so, my new work, “Dedicate My Heart to You,” started its serialization with the book, comic, and anime adaptations already decided.

TL notes: oh sheet! I was on a vacation/college work guys,sorry for the late post.

I’ll increase frequency soon enough.

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