It's a romantic comedy for everyone, so why am I the only one single?

"Okay, I apologize to you again."

Kagurazaka Ayame smiled and apologized again, then impatiently asked, "How many words did you design for that work, and when will it be fully completed?"

"It will be between 22 and 24 words. If all goes well, I should be able to finish it by the end of next week."

Before she could finish speaking, Kasumigaoka Utaha almost spat out the coffee she had just drunk.

"What!?"

"You'll finish writing 24 words by the end of next week?"

"You've only written 50,000 words so far, right?"

Kagurazaka Ayame and Machida Sonoko, who were also editors, looked shocked, clearly taken aback by Iura Hide's astonishing speed.

Since it's already Friday afternoon, and there are only nine days left until the end of the week, how can I write 17 to 19 words in nine days?!

Are you a tentacle monster?

Iura Hide shrugged. He was about to say, "190,000 words in 9 days, 20,000 words a day, isn't that something anyone can do?"

However, to avoid getting beaten up, he decided to keep a low profile.

"I had already conceived all the plot and even the details; all I needed to do was write it down."

"But you're still a student, right? You need to go to school, don't you?"

"So now I sleep at school during the day and then go back to school and study all night."

""

"From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., that's a full 8 hours. That means I only need to write 2500 words per hour on average."

"!!! Is it even possible to calculate it like this!?"

Even Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't keep her composure anymore.

While that's mathematically correct, who the hell can stay up all night writing code for eight hours straight?!

Is this something a human being could do?

And as a student, how could a teacher agree to a student sleeping in class every day?

Kasumigaoka Utaha clenched her fists unconsciously, and her breathing became rapid.

Kagurazaka Ayame and Machida Sonoko, being editors who had seen many oddballs, quickly recovered.

"Okay, let's assume you can finish writing it all by the end of next week."

If it contains 10,000 characters, it can be divided into three volumes, each containing approximately 10,000 characters.

"Of course, this also depends on the specific circumstances. You should understand what 'fragmented passages' and the like mean, right?"

Iura Hide nodded; of course he understood what "fragmented chapters" meant.

In fact, he had already considered several options for the fragmented chapters before he came.

For example, according to Kagurazaka Ayame, it is divided into three volumes, one for each character. Then, the first volume can be interrupted when Arima Kousei and Kaoru take the stage, at the point where the performance is first interrupted.

To be even more ruthless, the performance could end here after Xiao Xun suddenly faints.

It's guaranteed to keep readers hooked.

"Alright, you know what you're doing. Next, we'll sign the contract."

Perhaps it was because of Yuri Nikaido, or perhaps they really admired "April" and Hideaki Iura, who was able to write "April".

Kagurazaka Ayame not only did not interfere with his writing in any way, but the contract terms she offered also far exceeded the standards for a new light novel writer.

While he hasn't reached the level of those top light novel authors, he's comparable to those veteran light novel authors who have written two or three volumes with average sales of over 15 copies.

"I'm sorry, although I have high hopes for your book 'April,' you are a newcomer after all. This contract is the best I can get for you. However, I can guarantee that compared to other publishers, this contract I'm offering is absolutely the best."

Seeing Iura Hide's curiosity, Kagurazaka Ayame even gave him a special introduction to the world's standards for classifying light novel authors, as well as the changes in the percentage of copyright revenue reflected in those figures.

Newcomers and established authors whose single-volume sales are less than 10,000 copies can be considered the lowest level of light novel writers, with copyrights accounting for the lowest 8%.

If the price of a single volume is yen, they can only receive 80 yen for each volume sold.

It may seem low, but if you can consistently update one volume every month, you can earn 80 a month, which is higher than the income of many white-collar workers who graduated from prestigious universities.

If you have written a work that sold more than 1 copies of a single volume but less than 5 copies, then the revenue share for the next contract can be increased to 10%.

Light novel authors of this caliber are considered the backbone of the light novel industry.

If you have ever written a single volume of a novel that sells more than 5 copies but less than 10 copies, then the revenue share for the next contract can be increased to 12%.

Light novel authors at this level are already considered somewhat famous and capable of holding offline book signings.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's "Love Metronome" was relatively unknown at the beginning, with only one volume released so far and sales of just over 1 copies.

However, after the release of the fifth volume, the cumulative sales eventually reached 50 volumes, with an average sales volume of 10 volumes per volume.

At that time, she was a light novel writer of that caliber.

The next level up involves average sales of 10 to 15 units per volume, with a revenue ratio of 15%, which is the contract that Hideaki Iura has currently secured.

Currently, there are no more than one hundred light novel authors of this caliber who are active in the light novel world.

As for those light novel authors whose average volume sales are between 15 and 30 copies, they are the so-called bestselling light novel authors.

The profit margin suddenly increased to 20%, and each of them is a trump card of major publishing houses.

There are currently fewer than 20 people active in the light novel industry.

As for those who can sell more than 30 copies per volume, they are truly masters, and their profit margin increases directly to 25%.

Currently, there are only five people active in the entire light novel industry.

At the same time, the status of a top author is not fixed. Even if someone has written a work with an average volume sales of over 30, if any of their subsequent works have an average volume sales of less than 15, they will be dethroned and return to the level of a bestselling light novel author.

"The previous version of the manga 'April' consisted of 11 volumes, with total sales of around 400 million volumes, averaging 36 copies per volume."

"Light novels usually sell significantly less than manga, but my novel 'April' was written based on the anime version, and the plot is at least 20% improved compared to the manga."

"Based on the calculations, the average sales per volume should exceed 20, right?"

"I hadn't realized it before, but now it seems that it's really difficult to achieve an average sales volume of over 30 per volume."

"If I remember correctly, even the 'A Certain Magical Index' series, which has sold a total of 1600 million volumes, only has an average of 42 copies sold per volume."

"Sword Art Online, which has sold over 1700 million copies in Japan, only sells about 60 copies per volume."

"The only series that can sell more than a million copies per volume seems to be the Haruhi Suzumiya series."

Unlike manga such as Demon Slayer, One Piece, and Jujutsu Kaisen, which all have average volume sales of several million copies.

"As expected, cartoonists earn more money!"

Iura Hide was muttering to himself, completely unaware of the shocked and envious look on Kasumigaoka Utaha's face not far away.

As a newcomer, she signed a standard newcomer contract and even submitted her work to more than one editor, but in the end only Machida Sonoko took a liking to her novel.

As for Hideki Iura, he immediately signed a Level 4 contract, which is second only to bestselling light novel authors. His works were even considered by Ayame Kagurazaka to have the potential to become bestselling light novels.

To be honest, at that moment she felt as if she had eaten a huge fresh lemon, and she had never felt so sour in her entire life.

She doesn't really care how much money she makes or whether she can have the title of 'bestselling light novel author'.

But she really didn't expect the difference in their works to be so great.

After all, she has always been the top student in her grade since she was a child, and she also has the title of "genius literary girl"!

How could his writing be inferior to that of a male high school student like Iura Hide?

What exactly is this novel, "April," about?

Can a male high school student really write a romance novel that amazes even top editors in the industry?

How on earth did he do it?

These questions kept swirling in Kasumigaoka Utaha's mind, making her unconsciously develop an incredibly strong curiosity about Iura Hide!

Chapter 74 Kasumigaoka Utaha's Thoughts (Fourth Update, Please Subscribe)

"Alright, Iura-kun, no, I should call you Luffy-sensei now."

""

Iura Hide felt inexplicably ashamed.

"Work is done, how about we go out for dinner to celebrate?" Kagurazaka Ayame invited Iura Hide with a grin.

Although Iura Hide thought she was just joking and didn't really have any feelings for him, he still decisively rejected her.

He couldn't wait to get back and tell Kitagawa Kaimu the good news so they could celebrate together.

What's more, Kitagawa Kaimu will be cosplaying a new character tonight!

"Alright then, bring it over as soon as you finish writing the first volume. After all, preparation takes time."

"No problem, I'll be going now."

Suppressing his excitement, Iura Hide quickly packed up the contract and prepared to leave.

However, at that moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was absentmindedly discussing with Machida Sonoko what needed to be modified, suddenly made a decision that seemed incredibly bold to everyone.

"Simi Ma Sai!"

"I am Kasumigaoka Utaha, a second-year student in Class C at Toyosaki High School."

"Hey, can we exchange contact information?"

Iura Hide was taken aback. Asking him for contact information? What was going on?

A hint of doubt flashed in Iura Hide's eyes, but he wasn't surprised that Kasumigaoka Utaha was so calm—or at least appeared to be calm—asking a boy for his contact information.

After all, there are just too many scenes in the original work where the upperclassman gives herself away for free.

"May I?"

Seeing Iura Hide in a daze, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had been very nervous, suddenly felt a little smug.

However, the next second, Iura Hide couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye, and subconsciously leaned back tactically, getting goosebumps all over his body.