Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

It was 3 p.m. in a coffee shop.

A vintage copper chandelier hangs down, casting a warm, dim light that bathes the entire space in an amber hue.

The sofa is made of deep red velvet, and you sink halfway into it when you sit down. The air is filled with the aroma of coffee beans and faint classical music.

Guan Gufeng sat on the red sofa against the wall, with a cup of his signature coffee on the wooden table in front of him.

The cup is a thick ceramic cup from the Showa era, and it feels heavy in your hand.

He picked it up and took a sip, his face scrunching up the moment it entered his mouth.

It's so bitter.

Having grown accustomed to various fruit-flavored lattes in my past life, I utterly surrender to this Showa-style dark roasted black coffee.

"I still can't eat fine chaff."

He waved, ordered a glass of ice water, rinsed his mouth with it, and then picked up the week's issue of Weekly Shonen Jump that he had just bought on the way.

Turning to the second part of JOJO, the story is almost over. If I remember correctly, the classic third part, Star Crusaders, should have started serialization this year as well.

He was thinking to himself: if he draws something related to drawing comics in the future, he might be able to draw a comic to promote his novel.

As I was looking down, a voice rang out above me.

"Hello, is this room occupied?"

"Someone's here." Guan Gu didn't even look up.

"Can I sit across from you?"

"Can't."

Guan Gufeng was surprised that the person actually sat down. He closed the comic book and looked up, about to explain.

"Editor Kurokawa? What are you doing here!"

Kurokawa Akuta sat opposite him, wearing a dark gray wool coat and carrying a brown briefcase.

"Of course I'm here to see the genius who won the fantasy novel award," he said with a smile, his tone genuinely teasing.

Guan Gu Feng paused for a moment, then smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"Editor Kurokawa, please stop joking with me. I just..."

His gaze fell on the stack of documents Kurokawa Akuta took out of his briefcase, and the words caught in his throat.

Could it be that...?

Seeing his expression, Kurokawa Akuta smiled and said, "Didn't expect that, did you? Actually, one of my young editors was originally supposed to be in contact with you. But since this is your debut work, I switched with him."

After figuring out the reason, Guan Gufeng took a deep breath, and his expression changed from surprise to a smile.

"So... what would you like to drink, Editor Kurokawa?"

"Vienna coffee, their whipped cream is really good."

When the coffee was served, Kurokawa Akutagawa got down to business.

He pointed to an envelope on the table. "This is the prize money for this grand prize, a check for five million yen. Keep it safe."

Guan Gufeng opened the envelope, glanced at the light green check, confirmed it was correct, closed the envelope, and put it into the inner layer of his backpack.

"And then, this." Kurokawa Akuta flipped the contract to a certain page and pushed it over.

"Publishing contract. The publisher's idea is an initial print run of 10,000 copies."

He paused, then pointed to the numbers on the contract with his finger.

"The royalty rate for new authors is usually 8%, but since this is the first fantasy novel to win the grand prize, the publishing house gave it 10%."

"The company has determined that your work is geared towards young students, so the paperback edition will be priced at 500 yen."

"As for the release date, it is set for early March, around the time when university students have just started their spring break and high school students are waiting for their spring break."

Kurokawa Akuta flipped through the contract, pointed to it, and said to Sekiya Kaze, "According to the printing tax system, you will be paid as soon as it is printed. Your first royalty payment will be around 50 yen."

At this point, Kurokawa Akuta completely regarded Sekiya Kaze as one of the other authors he worked with, and began to use polite language in his speech.

Kurokawa Akuta didn't stop; he took out another document from his briefcase.

"There is another option. This is my personal suggestion."

Guan Gufeng took the document and glanced at it.

"The first print run is 15,000 copies, and the royalty rate is 11%."

"Of course, there's another option, which I personally proposed." Kurokawa Akuta pointed to another clause in the contract, "The first print run is 15,000 copies, and I can give you 11% of the royalties."

Kurokawa Akuta picked up his coffee and took a sip. Cream got on his upper lip, which he wiped with a tissue.

"But the trade-off is that only half of the first print run royalties will be paid in advance. In other words, under the new plan, the first royalty you receive will be around 400,000 yen."

"The remaining half will be settled after the books are actually sold."

Kurokawa Akuta put down his coffee cup, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at him calmly.

"I proposed this plan because I have high hopes for your book. After all, it's a book that caused three meetings at the Yomiuri Shimbun. I believe in its market potential."

"Of course, the choice is yours."

Guan Gufeng did not make a decision easily. He placed the two contracts side by side on the table and began to read them line by line, starting from the first page.

The classical music in the store changed from Chopin to Bach, and the piano sounded deep and soothing.

Kurokawa didn't rush him, but slowly sipped his coffee, occasionally glancing at the passersby outside the window.

Guan Gufeng was doing some calculations in his mind.

While the royalties may seem to have increased by only 1%, the 10% threshold has stumped countless writers. As the industry's default standard, crossing this hurdle means becoming a "marketable leading writer" recognized by the editorial department.

As for the prepayment being halved, 100,000 yen was a sum that would have taken a long time to save up, even if one had to split their money in half.

But now, a check for five million yen is lying in his bag.

Guan Gufeng had to admit that his mindset had indeed changed, and he had become more confident.

"I choose the second option."

Guan Gufeng gently pushed the first contract aside and signed his name on the last page of the second contract.

Kurokawa Akuta put down his coffee, looked at Sekiya Kaze, and his eyes were full of admiration.

He spoke calmly and patiently, taking every matter seriously, and showed no arrogance whatsoever after winning a major award; he was simply not his age.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but recall Guan Guqiu, his subordinate who only ever caused trouble. He sighed, wondering what exactly was going on with the Guan Gu family.

"Thank you very much, Editor Kurokawa."

"Of course." Kurokawa Akuta took the contract, and then Guan Gufeng let out a long sigh of relief, casually picked up the cup of coffee, and took a sip.

His face scrunched up again. He quickly pushed the coffee to the very edge of the table, gestured for the waiter to come over, and ordered a cream soda.

A drink made up of vanilla ice cream, soda water, and cherries.

Kurokawa Akuta laughed when he saw him like that.

This is the kind of person a young person should be like.

"From now on, I will respectfully call you 'Sekiya-sensei'." Kurokawa Akuta said with a smile, "Sekiya-sensei, how do you feel after winning the award? Do you feel... triumphant?"

"Actually, it's alright."

He took a sip of cream soda, the sweetness melting on his tongue, the bubbles gently bursting in his throat.

"Starting today, I don't have to work the night shift at the convenience store anymore, and I can also switch to a nicer hotel and take a hot shower."

After listening, Kurokawa Akuta's smile slowly faded. He put down his coffee cup and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Guan Gu".

"Um?"

Do you remember the first time we met in the meeting room?

Guan Gufeng was taken aback, wondering why he suddenly brought this up.

"I remember it very clearly." Kurokawa Akuta's gaze fell on him. "Your eyes were fixed on the call for submissions poster on the table."

"I felt at the time that this young man was different, and it turns out that I was right."

Does this mean that people suddenly start reminiscing about the past when they reach middle age? Guan Gufeng thought to himself.

"I still have to thank Editor Kurokawa for his guidance."

Kurokawa Akutagawa waved his hand. "Don't try to pin this on me. It's all your own hard work." He paused. "Do you remember what I said to you in the hallway that day?"

Before Guan Gufeng could speak, Kurokawa Akuta continued, "At the time, I said, 'But if you need any help, whether it's finding a job, submitting an article, or just wanting to chat with someone, call this number.'"

"I know you have family problems. I know it's not easy for you to come out to work at such a young age. I know that you are the kind of person who is wary of everything and unwilling to open up to others."

"But, Guan Gu..." He picked up his coffee cup, then put it down again, as if he was carefully choosing his words.

Sometimes, it's better to speak out than to keep it bottled up inside. Not everyone is meant to hurt you.

Guan Gufeng then realized that Kurokawa Akuta had taken pity on him because he was suffering so much.

But actually, he didn't have any feelings for that home.

Aside from wanting to bring his sister out, he had no other thoughts.

but……

He looked at Kurokawa Akuta's serious eyes and thought for a moment.

For a newcomer to receive 11% royalties, the process is definitely not as simple as he makes it sound.

Kurokawa Akutagawa may not know how much work he did behind the scenes, but he can guess.

This person is someone you can confide in.

"Actually..." Guan Gufeng put down his cup, "the situation at home isn't as complicated as Editor Kurokawa thinks."