Crossover Anime: The Heroine is in Trouble? I Take Advantage of the Situation

36,750,000 yen!

36,750,000 yen!

Just a single book—if he wins the bet, he could receive an astronomical sum of money!

money……

Writing novels makes a lot of money!

Shi Yu's heart skipped a beat.

If she had this money, she could save her mother's life without signing a sugar daddy/sugar baby contract.

If we had this money, all the debts our family owed could be wiped out.

If we had that money, we wouldn't have to put up with Seiji Fujiwara's attitude and be constantly tormented.

"Why don't I try writing it?" Shiyu couldn't help but have this thought.

If that scumbag Seiji Fujiwara can do it, why can't she?

It's worth noting that she consistently ranked at the top of her class, and during her junior high school years, she had submitted short stories to numerous publications and newspapers.

With her writing skills, she could easily create light novels with low barriers to entry!

Yes, I can write light novels too!

She abruptly turned off her phone, her eyes blazing with fury.

She turned and took out her notebook, her fingers flying across the keyboard. On the blank document, she typed the title of the story she had been conceiving for a long time—

Love Metronome!

What you, Seiji Fujiwara, can do, I, Utaha Kasumigaoka, can certainly do as well!

……

……

Some are happy, some are sad, and some are about to face their doom.

In the low-rent apartment of Takeshi Sasaki, a contracted author with Shinazugawa Bunko.

When he saw the official announcement from Shinazugawa, he was struck dumb, and the instant noodle bowl in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, spilling soup all over the floor.

They... they're actually serious?!

And they even made the bet public knowledge?!

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He remembered the sarcastic "exposing post" he had made on the forum a few days ago, and his legs went weak, causing him to collapse to the ground.

It's over...it's all over...

This is no longer just talking badly about someone behind their back.

With the publishing house elevating this project to a strategic level, his post was tantamount to openly spreading rumors and undermining morale before the company's most important product launch!

This is challenging the bottom line of capital!

"Jingle Bell--"

The phone rang sharply, startling Ken Saki so much that he shuddered.

The caller ID showed his editor.

His hands trembled as he nervously pressed the answer button.

On the other end of the phone, it was no longer the gentle and approachable editor as usual, but a cold voice.

"Saki Ken, are you insane?"

"They actually used a fake account to maliciously slander Teacher 'Lord Xiaochuan'!"

"Before this was made public, very few people knew about it, and the places where it could have been leaked were extremely limited. It was easy to find out with a simple investigation!"

"No, I..." Ken Saki trembled as he tried to plead.

The editor gave him no chance to speak, coldly saying:

"Come to the company at nine o'clock tomorrow morning to discuss with the legal department the issues of early termination of the contract and compensation for damage to the company's reputation."

"The Shinazugawa River doesn't welcome traitors, and neither does this industry!"

"You're finished, Ken Saki!"

After that, the phone was hung up.

beep...beep...beep...

Saki Ken's face turned pale as he heard the busy signal.

His writing career was declared over; no publishing house in the entire industry would accept his submissions.

He's on the industry's blacklist.

……

……

at the same time.

Seiji Fujiwara also received a "report call" from Sonoko Machida.

"Teacher, I'm so sorry! It's because of our company's lax internal management that such a scoundrel appeared, causing you trouble." Machida Sonoko's voice was full of apology and lingering fear.

At the same time, inform Fujiwara Seiji about the handling of the Shinazugawa.

Seiji Fujiwara wasn't angry; he just chuckled and said, "You handled it very well. Just be more careful next time."

“Yes! Yes! We understand!” Machida Sonoko quickly replied. “To express our apology, the editor-in-chief has specially approved a compensation of 300 million yen, which will be deposited into your account tomorrow as compensation for the damage to your reputation.”

"That would be great!"

Seiji Fujiwara's lips curled into a smile.

Shinazugawa's response was quite good, and he was very satisfied.

------

Please give me flowers, add this to your favorites, and leave a review!

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Turmoil Before Release (6/10)

Time passed quickly.

Only 24 hours remain until the official release of "A Certain Magical Index".

The entire light novel industry was swept up in a media frenzy because of that "betting agreement".

The hype reached its peak.

The controversy reached its peak.

The night before a storm is always particularly noisy.

At this final moment, voices predicting the downfall of Seiji Fujiwara also emerged like mushrooms after rain.

……

Kadokawa Bunko, Editorial Department.

A respected and prudent editor-in-chief is being interviewed by a well-known industry magazine.

The reporter asked respectfully, "Editor-in-Chief, as an industry veteran, what are your thoughts on the recent 'betting agreement' between Shinazugawa Bunko and the newcomer 'Lord Eikawa'?"

The editor-in-chief adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and gave a meaningful smile: "Hehe, it's a good thing that young people have vigor. And Aida-kun of the Shinazugawa family has always liked to take unconventional approaches."

"But Kadokawa Bunko has always adhered to the principle of respecting the market, but even more so, respecting the creative process of authors."

"A great work needs to be carefully crafted, not created by gimmicks and gambling."

“We prefer to provide new authors with a stable and secure creative environment rather than putting them under immense pressure in the spotlight and making them take a high-stakes gamble with no clear winner.”

These words were flawless.

This not only highlights the "humanistic concern" of its own publishing house, but also subtly defines the actions of Shinazugawa Bunko and Seiji Fujiwara as "short-sighted" and "disrespectful to literature".

Once the interview was published, it was immediately reprinted by many peers, and the words revealed a mentality of enjoying the drama.

"Well said! That's the style of a great shrine!"

"To put it another way: We don't play games; we rely on our strength."

"Hilarious, just wait and see how he gets off the stage after Aida Ryuji and that newcomer fail."

……

Haruhiko Ōkōchi, a renowned literary critic.

He also published an article in his personal column entitled "A Tragedy for Literature: When Gimmicks Take Over from Content".

The article's wording was full of harshness and contempt.

"...I am saddened to see that the light novel market is now being eroded by a superficial and materialistic trend."

"A work that has not yet been tested by the market is being elevated to a pedestal by the publisher simply because of the author's past minor achievements, and then hyped up with an absurd 'betting agreement.' This is undoubtedly a desecration of literature itself!"

"That young man who uses the pen name 'Lord Xiaochuan' may have some talent in handling dark themes, but that does not mean he can control a long story that requires a grand narrative and profound depth."

"Blinded by capital and vanity, he chose the most dangerous path. And we, unfortunately, will witness the fall of a so-called 'genius.' This is not only his personal tragedy, but also a tragedy of our times!"

Haruhiko Okouchi, a veteran commentator, has a loyal following.

His article quickly provided the "theoretical basis" and "moral high ground" for this pessimistic movement.

Countless readers who consider themselves to have refined taste regard his articles as the ultimate standard.

They believe that Seiji Fujiwara is an opportunist whose soul has been corrupted by business.

……

On the Amazon pre-order page for "A Certain Magical Index", the comment section has already become a battlefield.

Due to the popularity of the betting agreement, a large number of people who enjoyed the spectacle and those who were critical or trolled flocked to the scene, leaving behind a deluge of negative comments.

[I love long, straight black hair]: I really liked the style of "6 Days, 6 People", but Teacher, you're actually going to write some kind of campus fantasy? I'm so disappointed! And you're doing this kind of hype. This is no longer the pure Prince Xiaochuan I know.

[Where is the Snow Woman?]: 35 copies? Hahaha, I'm already popping champagne! Waiting for Prince Xiaochuan to cry as he goes back to collect his pitiful 10% royalties!

[Like the Wind]: I haven't read this author's books, but this marketing tactic is truly repulsive. I feel the book's quality must be poor to resort to such underhanded methods. I've blocked them and will never buy from them.

[Little Hoshino]: Sigh, I was really looking forward to it, but now I feel like I've been fed flies. If you're going to make a change, why be so high-profile? Do you have to put yourself in such a dangerous position? Young people are too impulsive.

Looking around, the entire comment section was a mess, with hardly any supportive comments.

These negative voices, when combined, formed a terrifying storm of public opinion, seemingly threatening to completely engulf the yet-to-be-released "A Certain Magical Index".

The atmosphere in the editorial department of Shinazugawa Bunko was oppressive.

The colleagues in charge of publicity looked serious, with a thin layer of sweat on their foreheads.

They are also working hard to promote it.

However, many publishers were unwilling to see a genius who did not belong to them rise to prominence, and they all stepped in to fuel the flames.

This rendered the promotion of Shinazugawa's efforts seem like a drop in the ocean.

Machida Sonoko was extremely anxious, pacing back and forth at her desk like a cat on a hot tin roof.

"What should we do? Public opinion is completely out of control..." she muttered to herself, her face full of worry.

The immense pressure nearly drove her to a breakdown.

She thought for a moment, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

The call was quickly answered.

"Hey."

Seiji Fujiwara's perpetually calm voice came through the receiver.

“Teacher!” Machida Sonoko said, her voice trembling with tears, “Did you go online? I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! Those comments… those articles… it’s all our fault, we messed things up.”

She hurriedly apologized, already prepared to be scolded.