Chapter 409: Delightful Situation
After picking up the phone, Eriri said, "Good morning, Sister Kaori!"
Hearing the noise on Eriri's end, the editor Izumi Kaori asked, "Eriri, have you already gone out?"
"Yes, we came out to take a look. Sister Kaori, is there something you needed to call about right now?"
Although it was the weekend, because of the tankōbon release, Izumi Kaori, as the editor in charge, naturally wouldn't idle at home. She arrived at the publishing house early in the morning to monitor the sales situation in bookstores across various regions in real time.
After most bookstores had opened and begun sales, good news kept pouring in from all regions. Some bookstores that had initially ordered small quantities were already calling to request restocking less than an hour later.
Even the large bookstores, due to the long queues forming on this first day, contacted them after making estimates, hoping to restock once within the next few days to prevent shortages.
Although the specific sales figures hadn't been tallied yet, and sales had just begun, Izumi Kaori couldn't help but call Eriri.
"Eriri, I have great news! This is definitely a huge success; it's going to take off! It's not just the popularity from the serialization—it's completely taking off!"
Based on the current situation, Izumi Kaori made a simple estimate for the first week's sales, believing they could definitely exceed forty thousand, and possibly even surpass fifty thousand. Furthermore, if these sales stabilize, it is possible for the first volume to break one hundred thousand copies sold in the first month.
If the sales figures stabilize after that, and the decline doesn't exceed ten percent, then an anime adaptation will be a foregone conclusion.
The publisher itself wouldn't even need the author and editor to propose the idea; it would secure an absolutely excellent production company for the manga to guarantee the quality of the anime adaptation.
After hearing the editor's words, Eriri remained silent for a while, said a few simple words, and then hung up the phone.
Taking a deep breath, Eriri forcefully suppressed her internal excitement, grabbed Kaede and Utaha's arms, and whispered, "The first week's sales... are going to take off..."
Kaede and Utaha exchanged glances, both smiling.
Patting Eriri on the head, Kaede said, "Let's go. First, we'll check out the queue situation, and then we'll find a place to properly calm down."
The three started walking forward from the end of the line.
As they passed the extremely long queue, Eriri's smile never faded as she watched readers occasionally emerge from the bookstore holding the manga they had just purchased.
"Hehe~~ Hehehe~~~"
Anyone who didn't know better would think the girl had gone silly.
Utaha, however, could understand completely. After all, when her novel was released, although there weren't many people on the first day—far less spectacular than today—her mood was still very excited. She even learned the first day's sales figures from Machida Sonoko that evening and couldn't sleep well the entire night.
For someone as exaggerated as Eriri, no matter how excited she was, it was entirely reasonable.
Finally, having walked past the long queue, and without anyone noticing them, the three eventually left Akihabara and found a nearby café that had just opened, walking inside.
After ordering, Eriri picked up the coffee that was served and took a sip, then cut a piece of cappuccino cake and put it in her mouth. Only then did she let out a breath and lean back against the booth cushion.
"Ah... I suddenly feel drained of energy..."
Slowly stirring the coffee in her cup, Utaha chuckled and said, "Your reaction is even more exaggerated than I imagined. You're actually exhausted?"
"What do you think?" Eriri rolled her eyes at Utaha and said, "After hearing the news from Sister Kaori just now, I felt like my heart was about to burst out of my chest. After holding it in until now, once that rush subsided, I really did feel a bit drained!"
"Hmm~~~"
Utaha lifted her chin and asked, "So, compared to when Asakura-kun confessed to you back then, which feeling was stronger?"
"Uh..."
Eriri froze for a moment, then turned to look at Kaede beside her.
Coincidentally, Kaede was also looking at Eriri, and he smiled and said, "I'm quite curious too, because your reaction, Eriri, was a bit unexpected for me."
"Kaede-kun... why are you joining Utaha in teasing me?"
Eriri's face flushed slightly. She grabbed Kaede's arm, shaking it as she said, "Of course there's no comparison... If I had to choose, I wouldn't mind losing the manga or anything else, but if I didn't have Kaede-kun, I would truly cry!"
Although manga was a very important part of Eriri's life now and the career she wanted to pursue forever, compared to love, Eriri felt that it truly wasn't as important as Kaede.
And even taking ten thousand steps back, if she really didn't become a mangaka, she could still choose to be a doujin artist or an illustrator, and the income would still be quite good.
But a boyfriend like Kaede—if she lost him, she would truly have nowhere to cry; she might as well find a rooftop and jump.
"I thought you'd say you wanted both," Kaede said, smiling as he stroked Eriri's cheek. "But I'm very happy with that answer."
"Hehehe~~~"
Rubbing against Kaede's palm, Eriri took a moment to glare at Utaha.
Utaha, unfazed, calmly took a sip of her coffee.
"As someone who eats dog food from morning till night, my heart has become incredibly strong."
"Isn't that pathetic?"
Eriri, truly a good friend, didn't forget to twist the knife.
Ignoring Eriri's counterattack, Utaha put down her coffee cup and said, "Although we've only seen the situation in Akihabara, other regions are likely just as lively. If things continue this way, once the first week and monthly sales figures are released, the status of the manga nurarihyon and your standing in the industry, Eriri, will be basically stabilized. We can say the anime adaptation is worry-free. So, next up, it's time for my new book."
"Oh right, and your new book, Utaha."
Patting her chest, Eriri calmed her emotions and asked, "You must have decided on the title, right? With multiple pairs of protagonists and several stories interwoven, I thought the title would be difficult to settle on."
"Yes, it was indeed difficult to settle on."
Utaha nodded and said, "There's a slight difference between the original outline and the current one. After all, during this time, I learned about the romances of many different people and modified some of the characters' storylines. The core characters also increased from just the male and female leads, making it feel a bit like an ensemble drama. I thought about it for a long time and finally settled on a name: *Love Stops Like Rain*. What do you think of this title?"
After hearing the title, Kaede rubbed his stomach: "Hmm... I don't know why, but I feel a bit of a stomachache."