In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

In addition, in the evening, many children come to play here, and various young wives and ladies gather in groups of three or five to talk about family matters and exchange parenting experiences.

Toka isn't the kind of outgoing person who can easily get along with strangers, but she often comes here with Chiyo and Minamoto, so over time she inevitably becomes familiar to people.

Today, a friendly mother saw her taking pictures of the two people playing on the swings with her phone and came over to say hello: "Hi~"

Shihua seemed a little reserved when she was suddenly greeted: "Hello."

The enthusiastic mother looked at Yuan Qianye not far away and complimented him with a smile: "You two look so young, handsome and beautiful, you're such a perfect match. Oh, you didn't get married right after graduating from high school, did you?"

Toka immediately realized that she had misunderstood, and shook her hands frantically: "No...! You've misunderstood, we're siblings, Chiyo... the baby is our sister."

"Ah, I see... I knew it..."

The mother who initiated the conversation wasn't embarrassed at all; she just laughed it off.

But this misunderstanding left Toka unable to calm down for a long time.

Upon closer reflection, it seems I can't blame others for thinking that way.

The interactions between her and Qianye during this period of time seem to really resemble those of a young couple raising a child together.

On the way back, she wanted to tell Yuan Qianye about the misunderstanding that had happened in the park, but she hesitated and ultimately remained silent, saying nothing.

She was mainly too embarrassed to ask, and she was also worried that her sworn brother might give her a response she couldn't handle...

Just as she was about to reach her doorstep, Yuan Qianye received a phone call.

It was called from Kasumigaoka.

She was with the editor and wanted to ask him out to talk about the matter of Si Ti.

"...Now?" He glanced at Toka.

From the conversation after he answered the phone, Shihua knew what he was worried about, and said directly, "It's okay if you have something to do. If Mom is taking a nap, I can ask Liuhua to help watch her while I cook."

Yuan Qianye nodded and said into his phone, "Send me the address, and I'll leave right away."

After hanging up the phone and dropping them off at home, Yuan Qianye leaned down and gently kissed Xiao Qiandai's forehead before turning around and saying, "I'm going out."

"Be careful on the road. If you need me to save some food for you tonight, remember to send me a message."

"Oh, I see."

Yuan Qianye smiled, waved, and left.

Shihua leaned against the door frame, watching his back, and suddenly seemed to realize something, her face turning a bright red like the fiery clouds under the setting sun!

She slammed the door shut, leaned against the wall, clasped her hands loosely in front of her chest, and her heart pounded.

Chiyo looked at her adorably, letting out innocent laughter and waving her arms wildly in the air, as if she wanted a hug.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Half an hour later, Gen Chiya arrived at a private room in a traditional Japanese restaurant.

The private room is furnished with tatami mats, and you have to take off your shoes before entering.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Ah...no, no, we just arrived recently."

The young man's bones resembled snow among pine trees, and his eyebrows and eyes were like swords yet to be drawn. He looked both imposing and exceptionally handsome.

Not only was Kasumigaoka secretly sitting with her legs together, but Machida Sonoko was also somewhat mesmerized.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Gen Chiya followed Kasumigaoka's gentle patting of the person next to him and sat down beside her.

Kasumigaoka, in a cheerful mood, slowly took a deep breath without making a sound.

Her attentiveness—handing Minamoto Chiya a hot towel and pouring him hot tea—made Machida Sonoko involuntarily sigh to herself, "This is youth..."

The way these two met was quite romantic, like something out of a romance novel, but that's not the main topic today.

After praising the novel "Four-Body" and asking some more specific questions about its content, Machida Sonoko got straight to the point and asked, "Gen-kun, although Ms. Kasumi Shiko has told me about your general situation, I still want to ask you what your specific thoughts are."

Yuan Qianye answered without hesitation: "I want to find some reliable ways to get my novel read by more people as quickly as possible. If I can get some authoritative certification and recognition in the process, that would be even better."

In short, they want to be famous.

That's normal; which writer doesn't want to be famous?

There are writers who are not interested in fame and fortune, but they are far too few and far between.

"I understand."

The door to the private room was opened, and the waiter brought out the restaurant's signature dishes.

However, none of the three of them had any intention of touching their chopsticks at that moment.

After the waiter left, Machida Sonoko slowly raised three fingers and continued the previous topic, answering: "Generally speaking, in Japan, if you want to become a famous writer, there are roughly three ways to do so now."

The first method is the traditional one: participating in various literary awards for new writers. If your work is of good quality and you win an award, you'll achieve great success and gain fame. Publishers will then come to you to solicit manuscripts.

The second method is to submit manuscripts to many well-known literary magazines and newspapers. If the manuscript is accepted, it can be published or serialized in the corresponding publication. Over time, this will gradually build up popularity.

Kasumigaoka Utaha took the second approach. At the time, Fantastic Bunko was holding a writing contest, and after her submission was accepted, Love Metronome was officially launched as a light novel author.

"The last method is to rely on the very convenient internet to publish the work on professional novel websites for serialization. This method has almost no barriers to entry, and you can interact with readers in a timely manner online, providing a strong sense of feedback. However, it may take a long time to see results, which is not very controllable."

Sonoko Machida offered her perspective as an industry insider.

Gen Chiya pondered quietly for a moment: "Ms. Machida, I don't think the latter two methods are quite suitable for me."

Machida Sonoko thought to herself, "I knew it."

After reading it, Si Ti understood Yuan Qianye's ambition through the grand story content; he definitely disdained to use the latter two methods.

The young man's true desire was to win by directly defeating all his rivals in a prestigious literary award.

The answer seems to have been decided from the very beginning.

Since that's the case, there's not much more to say. Once the direction is determined, the subsequent process becomes much simpler.

"In that case, I suggest you participate in the Hayakawa Science Fiction Award, as this literary award is quite suitable for the subject matter of your novel."

Although this year's selection has ended, it will start again next May, with the deadline for submissions at the end of July. The winning entries will be announced in late August, which means you have about eight months. During this period, you can complete your work properly, polish it a few more times, and strive to participate in the competition in the most perfect state.

I have a close senior colleague who is the editor-in-chief of the literary magazine Shinchosha. His expertise in orthodox literature far surpasses mine. If you don't mind, Yuan-kun, I can ask him to take a look at your work.

In fact, what was said later was completely outside of Machida Sonoko's duties.

However, after reading Si Ti, she would have the feeling that "this young man in front of her might really become a great writer in the future."

This is her keen intuition as an editor.

Realizing that he might witness the rise of a young writer.

Naturally, she would want to take advantage of the moment to get closer to him and was willing to use her connections to do him a favor, considering it as building good relationships.

“Eight months…” Yuan Qianye gently raised and lowered his fingertips on his thigh, repeating the time suggested by the editor in a low voice.

Kasumigaoka picked up a fresh oyster for him, dipped it in a little soy sauce, and placed it on his plate.

She also asked on behalf of Ms. Machida, "Chiya, is there a problem?"

Yuan Qianye thanked her for serving him food and then replied, "There are some issues, they are about time."

"Ah... is time too tight?" Ms. Machida, unaware of Gen Chiya's actual typing speed, subconsciously thought so.

The subject matter of "Si Ti" is different from the light novel genres she often encounters in her work.

Light novels emphasize easy and accessible reading, without much depth. Much of the content is readily available, and even minor bugs are insignificant, as the target audience of light novels doesn't care about them.

But the fourth book is different, after all, it is a science fiction novel, which contains a lot of professional knowledge, such as astronomy and physics. This means that when writing this novel, I may have to spend a lot of time looking up relevant information.

Considering that Yuan Qianye's main job is still a student and his daily life is mainly focused on studying, eight months might not really be enough.

But Chiyo Minamoto gave a reply that surprised Sonoko Machida: "Ah, no, I just think this time is too long. I only need two months at most to finish the first part of Si Ti. Isn't there any science fiction novel awards that are a little closer to the topic?"

Machida Sonoko remained silent for a moment.

At that moment, only one thought came to mind: "A newborn calf is truly fearless."

Young man, it's good that you're handsome and have a sharp edge, but to have that edge go too far...

She didn't know what to say.

After hesitating for a moment, she replied, "There are definitely some. There are so many literary companies, big and small, and their subsidiaries, all of which have various essay competitions and awards all year round. But the prestige of these awards combined can't compare to the Hayakawa Science Fiction Award."

Kasumigaoka looked at Minamoto Chiya, who was deep in thought: "Chiya, are you in a hurry to send out the Four-Body?"

Yuan Qianye replied, "I'm not in a hurry, but I have my reasons."

He didn't say what the specific reason was, as it's a personal matter and not easy to discuss.

Machida Sonoko eased the tension by smiling and saying, "The main problem is the limited subject matter. It's obvious that 'Si Ti' is science fiction at a glance. Recently, the Noma Literary Award and the Edogawa Rampo Award have been accepting submissions, but they have strict requirements. The former requires works to introduce the culture and customs of Japan to overseas audiences, while the latter only accepts mystery novels."

She was just casually mentioning it as part of the conversation.

But upon hearing this, Chiyo's eyes lit up, and a brand new idea emerged in his mind: "Ms. Machida, how long until the deadline for submissions to the Edogawa Rampo Prize?"

"There are probably still about twenty days left until the end of this month..." Machida Sonoko answered subconsciously, then suddenly realized what she meant.

She and Kasumigaoka looked at Minamoto no Chiya's thoughtful expression, accompanied by a slight nod, and at the same time thought to themselves, "No way..."

Chiya Minamoto continued, "Could you please tell me about the submission guidelines for the Edogawa Rampo Award?"

You really want to participate in the Edogawa Rampo Award, huh?!

Yuan Qianye's tone and expression when asking questions showed great sincerity.

But in Machida Sonoko's eyes, it was arrogance, utter arrogance!

Yes, she knew that Yuan Qianye was a promising young man with exceptional talent in all aspects and fields.

She has won several kendo championships, and according to Ms. Kasumi Shiko, she has also achieved good results in piano competitions. Now, she has even written an amazing novel called "Si Ti"!

But we must remember that a person's energy is ultimately limited.

The field of literature is even more diverse, with each genre having its own system and vast differences between them.

Not to mention the shift from science fiction to detective fiction.

The former is defined as making reasonable assumptions based on respect for scientific conclusions, and extending imagination based on these assumptions, but it should not be exaggerated too much. Its content should be a mixture of scientific facts and predictive imagination.

The latter requires consideration of a series of factors, such as puzzle setting, clue laying, and logical deconstruction. In terms of plot, it mainly focuses on a subtle foreshadowing and intricate details. The author has to rack their brains to come up with exciting puzzles and consider how to make the case shocking.

The literary themes in these two fields are completely unrelated!