Antique Shop?BEAR? - Chapter 47
Chapter 47 – Hanging Scarf
Sashima Hiroki was bent over his computer, frantically monitoring the ranking of the web novel site “Yomikaki”.
Nothing… nothing… nothing…
One month has passed since the day he registered on the site and started posting. Not once has his pen name been listed in the ranking of the horror genre.
From an early age, Sashima has loved to read and aspired to be a novelist from around junior high school. He was currently in his third year of university. At university, he was diligently enrolled in the Kokubun Department. While others around him were engaged in job hunting, Sashima had yet to begin his job hunt. His dream of becoming a novelist was something he could not abandon. He had submitted his work several times a year to open calls for submissions, and had passed the first and second rounds several times, and had even made it to the final rounds on several occasions, yet he was nowhere near debuting.
Then, during his summer vacation, Sashima finally registered on a website called “Yomikaki”. Unlike most novel sites, this site was divided into two groups: readers and writers, and writers were not allowed to rate or review other novels.
In Yomikaki, it is written that 40% of the readers are dedicated to reading and the editors at each publishing house are involved in scoping. Furthermore, no genre of Isekai exists, rather there are only four genres: royal fantasy, romance, horror, and drama. The actual novels that are posted on the site are generally full-length novels or medium-length novels that could be published as a book.
Moreover, a system called “social tipping” is in place where authors can receive web money from readers for works they like; if a work gains popularity there, some authors earn enough to cover their living expenses. Sashima had been writing mainly horror stories, so he would revise what he had written and post it one story at a time.
Over winter break, Sashima attended the year-end party of his university’s literary club. Even though he wasn’t too keen on the event, he joined the party because it was a year-end party that included reports on the activities of each member and he was eager to hear about them. The venue was Hosho Station, a few stops away from the university. This was the first time for him to get off at the station, but the scenery of Edo-era townscape was breathtaking and he was unable to resist taking pictures of it with his smartphone.
“Sashima!”
Turning around, her classmate, Iguchi Mana, was there.
“You better hurry up, we’re running out of time!”
“Oh… yeah.”
“I’ve got a part-time job, so I’m on the clock!”
The izakaya was practically reserved for themselves and was a creative cuisine izakaya near the station. The renovated interior of the pub was quaint, with the beams and pillars of a house from the Edo period reminiscent of those days. Some people in the circle announced that they had made their debut as published authors! Though some announced that it was a total loss, others advertised that they hoped people would check out the website, and it was Sashima’s turn in the latter half of the day.
“I was not selected for the open call, but I started posting on the website Yomikaki. Please come and check it out if you like.”
“Oh, I’m registered there.” The fourth-year senior cast a quick glance at Sashima. “What’s your pen name?”
“Sora no Toka.”
“I’ll follow you!”
As each of them finished their reports and were picking at their drinks, Iguchi seated herself next to him with her phone in hand.
“I’m registered there, too. I’m a writer, though. Let’s follow each other.”
“What’s your pen name?”
“Miyabi.”
Slightly drunk, red-faced, Iguchi. From behind her glasses, she had a pair of bright eyes, soft cheeks, and pouty lips. As Iguchi’s face approached him, Sashima inwardly felt his heart pounding but feigned to be staring at his phone.
“Yes, okay… ohhh!”
Iguchi ranked in the top 10 in the romance category, and received a considerable number of social tipping.
“H-How did you do that?”
“Well. First of all, I use social networking sites to promote my updates on Twitter, and then on my blog. After that, when readers give me feedback and comments, I thank them politely. Also, update on time every day, and report updates every day.”
“Oh, you advertise…?”
“Of course, you can’t be active without social networking.”
Following that, Sashima asked her in detail about how to get the buzz flowing. He even learned that Iguchi had already received offers from several companies to publish a book, and her first debut as a published author was scheduled for next year. And yet, he was still job hunting. Frankly speaking, he was quite disappointed.
“What’s more. I will include comments and development offers from readers. If you send me a request when I get social tipping, I’ll definitely incorporate it.”
“Even if it’s not something I want to write?”
“You know. If you just want to express what you want to write, you can do it through an open call. However, if you want to get social tipping for your work, or if you want to get a book offer in the shortest amount of time, you have to weave in requests from readers. You can’t become a professional just by writing what you want to write.”
Sashima fell silent.
Following the after-party at a second restaurant, the party was dismissed at 11 p.m.
While everyone was on their way to the station, Sashima suddenly spotted a stone pavement between a coffee shop and a liquor store, and wandered off toward it unsteadily. It wasn’t until he entered the stone pavement that he discovered that Iguchi was following him from behind; the latter laughed at Sashima’s shocked reaction. Even so, the sight of the antique shop at the end of the stone pavement held a magical effect for both of them. Enveloped in warm light, a small antique shop stood at the end of the stone pavement.