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[Game] Chapter 168: Overseas Publication and Anime Adaptation
🕑 Added 2025-03-13 17:47:24 +0000 UTCStill not fully awake, Utaha glanced at phone’s caller ID and lazily brought it to her ear. “Sonoka? What’s so important that you’re disturbing my quality time with Ichin so early in the morning?”
“...”
On the other end of the line, Sonoka, who was already at the publishing office, could feel her irritation steadily rising.
Here she was, working hard over the weekend, and this spoiled little princess was busy enjoying a romantic morning with her boyfriend? Was the world even fair anymore? She was almost thirty and hadn’t even had a boyfriend yet. Why did this brat get to have it all?
But thanks to her professional composure, Sonoka quickly managed to calm herself down and spoke to Utaha. “I’m calling because there’s something very important I need to discuss with you. Why was your phone turned off?”
“Huh? It was off?”
Utaha was taken aback. She gestured to Ichin to hand over her phone and then realized it had run out of battery.
“It’s dead. Ichin and I stayed outside last night, so I didn’t charge it. But it’s not a big deal. So, what’s this important thing you’re talking about?”
Leaning comfortably against Ichin’s chest and finding the perfect angle to relax, Utaha narrowed her eyes, waiting for Sonoka’s explanation.
So they really were spending the night together? And not even at home?
Sonoka’s envy grew even stronger.
After taking a couple of deep breaths, she spoke. “We had a meeting yesterday, and it’s been officially decided that your novel will be published overseas, including English and Chinese versions. Also, the anime adaptation has been confirmed, and it’s going to be produced by Kyoto Animation.”
Sonoka’s words completely woke Utaha up. She quickly sat up from Ichin’s embrace, completely ignoring the blanket slipping down and revealing the scenery beneath.
“It’s been confirmed for overseas release? And the anime adaptation too?!”
“Yes, the decision was made yesterday afternoon,” Sonoka replied, now that Utaha sounded fully alert. “Your novel was competing with a few others released around the same time as The Metronome in Love, but after the first and second volumes were published, none of the others had the staying power your series has. So, after discussions and a vote within the editorial team, it was your The Metronome in Love that earned the qualification. It’s a well-deserved achievement. Congratulations, Kasumigaoka-sensei. You can now proudly call yourself a light novel author with both overseas releases and an anime adaptation.”
Ichin, who had overheard everything, gently patted Utaha’s head and said, “Congratulations. This is amazing news.”
Utaha stared blankly for two seconds before speaking to Sonoka on the other end. “Are you at the publishing office right now?”
“Yes, I’m the one responsible for your book. Now that the overseas release and anime adaptation are confirmed, I have a lot of work to do.”
“I’ll head over right away. Lunch is on me!”
With that, she hung up the phone.
“Ichin, hurry up and freshen up. We’re going to the publishing house!”
Utaha’s face was brimming with uncontrollable excitement as she threw herself at Ichin.
“Alright, calm down a little.”
Ichin gently kissed Utaha on the forehead and said with a smile, “Everything’s already been decided. The cooked duck won’t fly away. Let’s freshen up first, have some breakfast, and then head to the publishing house.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Utaha was too excited to care about much else. Although she nodded, her actions were far quicker than usual.
After having breakfast at the hotel, they hailed a taxi and went straight to the publishing house.
Even though it was the weekend, there were still quite a few people in the editorial department.
As soon as they entered, they saw Sonoka busy typing away at her desk.
Sonoka was so focused on her work that she didn’t notice Ichin and Utaha’s arrival until Utaha poked her cheek with a finger, pulling her out of her work-induced trance.
“Oh! You guys are here.”
Sonoka greeted them and gestured for them to sit down. She handed Utaha a document. “Take a look. This is the drafted contract for The Metronome in Love’s overseas release. No need to rush and sign it now. You can take it back and have a lawyer review it if you want.”
Utaha nodded and planned to read through it herself first.
Meanwhile, Ichin asked, “Sonoka, is it confirmed that Kyoto Animation will be handling Utaha’s anime adaptation?”
“Yep, it’s confirmed. We’ll be meeting them again next week to finalize the details.” Sonoka sounded quite excited when talking about the anime adaptation. “Actually, Kyoto Animation reached out to us first. Several producers over there are friends with our editor-in-chief and really like The Metronome in Love. They feel it’s a perfect fit for their studio. Utaha, it’s best if you can come over when the Kyoto Animation team visits next week.”
Utaha, who was skimming through the contract, listened carefully to Sonoka’s words and replied, “Got it. Just let me know the exact time once it’s confirmed, and I’ll make sure to take the day off.”
Stretching lazily, Sonoka leaned back in her chair and sighed, “I’ve been working as an editor at Fushikawa Publishing for years now, but I can finally say my career has reached a new milestone. Utaha, you’re the first novelist I’ve worked with who’s made it to the point of having an anime adaptation!”
In the industry, several light novels get adapted into anime every year, with three or four adaptations per season at minimum. However, high-quality adaptations from light novels are rare.
The quality of The Metronome in Love was undeniable, and the fact that Kyoto Animation was adapting it guaranteed a promising result.
Utaha quickly skimmed through the contract but, just as Sonoka advised, didn’t sign it right away. She planned to have a lawyer go over it first. Ichin happened to know someone reliable, so it was a simple matter.
At noon, Utaha treated Sonoka to a luxurious lunch before heading home with Ichin. She couldn’t wait to share the good news with her parents.
She scanned a copy of the contract and sent it to the lawyer Ichin recommended, asking him to check for any loopholes. Once he confirmed there were none, Utaha happily signed her name, planning to take it to the publishing house the next day.
After carefully storing the contract away, Utaha immediately jumped onto Ichin.
“Ichin, Mom just said we should go over to their place for dinner to properly celebrate.”
“Yeah, no problem.”
Ichin, who was browsing through the latest news in the gaming industry, turned his head, only to be kissed by Utaha. Seeing her bright smile, he couldn’t help but smile back. “Still feeling that happy?”
“Of course, I am!” Utaha replied, her face pressed against his as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “This is a huge milestone in my career. Of course, I’m going to be excited for a while. Oh, right! I still haven’t told Eriri yet. I need to send her this news and let that struggling doujin artist realize the difference between us.”
As expected, even though her mood was exceptional thanks to the good news, her competitive nature hadn’t changed one bit.
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