What does it have to do with me if they hate vests?

"Okay, I'll go pack my things now."

Unable to bear this silent accusation, the Yamada Fairy said dejectedly.

"Are you leaving now?" Si Ji was a little surprised: "Then dinner..."

"Sorry, Assistant-kun," Yamada the Fairy scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "It seems that I can only eat your masterpiece in the future."

Shiki watched in silence as the Yamada siblings began to pack their luggage.

He frowned slightly, feeling a little unhappy.

He made a quick self-diagnosis: It must be because his fat sheep will be out of the circle for a few days, and he can't harvest the influence points of daily tasks during these days, so he feels a little unhappy.

"..."

If you think about it carefully, Yukinoshita Yukino is also in a free-range state, and I don't take her out for a stroll every day to trample on her heart to gain points. The fairy is just away for a while, there is no essential difference, so there is no need to care so much.

It would be better to say that the fairy is not here, so that he will not be distracted by the affairs of the original body here, and can focus on Qiu Ling Wenping's vest to solve the affairs of the Shigong family.

Si Ji frowned tightly.

The conclusions we came to are all good, but why can’t we feel happy?

"Assistant, I'm leaving now..."

Suddenly, the fairy came up to Si Ji and spoke softly.

Si Ji subconsciously grabbed her soft, boneless little hand.

The girl's light pink eyes widened slightly, and in that clarity, Shiki seemed to see his own reflection.

Chapter 43: Not Love

"Since you've called me your assistant, I'll help too."

Si Ji thought quickly and said, "Besides, there is no need to go to the hotel, right? If you just want to write something, you can write it here."

“No, there is actually a difference.” Chris Yamada said in a tone that didn’t sound like he was joking at all: “For example, the hotel’s windows are fully enclosed, the toilet doesn’t have a window to the outside, and there are no tools in the cupboard that can dig open the wall…”

"Let me ask you, are you really rushing to finish your manuscript?"

Si Ji couldn't help but complain.

"Don't underestimate writers who are facing a deadline. Each of them is pushed to the limit and is in a state of fire at any time," said Chris Yamada. "I once had a colleague whose author ran away before the deadline and said he was going to travel to Hokkaido. That colleague went to Hokkaido to search for two days but found nothing. In the end, he called the police and spent three days with the police to catch the author back from Okinawa."

For a moment, Si Ji didn't know whether he should lament that the author who reported the fake news for the sake of freedom was too unrestrained, or that the editor who caught the person in just three days was too tough...

In the end, he could only clap his hands perfunctorily and said in a very formal tone: "The pressure is neighing..."

"That's right. In order for her to work properly, it is the best choice for her to finish her manuscript in the hotel room booked by the library." Chris Yamada said as a matter of course.

During this period, Si Ji has almost sorted out his thoughts.

First of all, he was sure that he had no romantic feelings for Yamada Fairy.

If he had to say it, he probably considered the girl a friend - although he didn't want to say it, Shiki had been alone since he came to this world.

It’s not that no one had shown goodwill to him in the past two years, whether it was Qiu Ling Wenping or Natsume Zhenliu, as long as he wanted, he could immediately make a bunch of so-called "friends".

But unfortunately, starting from scratch, he has seen too much ugliness on this road, and when communicating with those who seem sincere, what he gets is often just desires wrapped in lies.

So, I don’t know when it started, Si Ji stopped seeking comfort from like-minded people, but instead armed his own heart, regarded everyone as NPC, and used the coldest and most rational way of thinking to get to this point today.

Until the day when he decided to take a year off and picked up his true self, Washimiya Shiki, again.

After wearing a vest mask for two years, he couldn't even remember what his original self looked like for a moment. He could only switch between Qiu Ling Wenping and Natsume Zhenliu, groping stiffly trying to find his original appearance.

It was at this point that he met the Yamada Fairy.

To be honest, the other party's first impression on him was not very good.

A domineering, arrogant and self-centered girl.

If the system hadn't responded, he would have just found some excuse to drive the other party away.

However, it was also because of this that, in his later contacts, he gradually understood the girl's true nature.

She looks bossy, but actually cares about other people's feelings. Although she always looks arrogant and her words are quite presumptuous, her words are sincere and true. Even if she is occasionally arrogant, it is within the acceptable range. As for that self-centered and willful appearance...

Well, that's just pure willfulness. But isn't it more real and lovely for a girl to occasionally be a little willful and harmless?

It was because Shiki felt the sincerity and honesty from the girl, which was extremely rare in the workplace, that he unconsciously let down his guard and spoke to her in a very relaxed and casual manner. He even selflessly provided the information he obtained with the help of the alias "Qiu Ling Wenping" to her, because he believed that she would not delve into her secrets, and the facts proved that Yamada Fairy did not disappoint this trust.

In front of her, Shiki was finally no longer Akihime Fumpei or Natsume Makuru wearing vest masks, but just the purest Washimiya Shiki.

The reason why I felt unhappy just now was probably because of the complicated feeling that my rare playmate, whom I recognized, was about to be picked up by his parents, and I didn't know when I would see him again.

Thinking of this, Si Ji suddenly felt a little embarrassed about his childish temper.

However, despite the embarrassment, he still planned to follow his heart and let the fairy continue to stay in Washimiya Ryokan.

"It's okay, just let Miss Fairy stay here. It's still spring break anyway, and I'll help supervise her."

The Yamada Fairy began to boo in dissatisfaction, protesting against his "assistant"'s betrayal to the enemy.

"This is the editor's responsibility." Chris Yamada still objected.

"I'm sorry, but Miss Fairy's new book concerns more than just her, so I also want to be there to support her in completing it." Shiki said seriously.

"Is it the bet with Fuzugawa Bunko teacher Kasumi Shiko?" Yamada Chris also heard about this from Yamada Fairy. He hesitated for a moment, but still felt that it was inappropriate: "What if Fairy tries to slip away, or even pretends to be ill and needs to rest, how will you deal with it?"

“I, I wouldn’t do that kind of thing…” Yamada Yoshinori said timidly.

Seeing her confessing, Si Ji couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, then stretched out his hands with the kindest smile and made a 'pull the cheeks apart' gesture.

The sinister smile made the girl tremble.

"Wow, has it gotten to this extent?" Chris Yamada studied Shiki's gestures and commented seriously.

"Because the fairy's face is very soft and feels good to the touch." Shiki replied with a smile.

"Huh, huh, huh?!" Fairy Yamada immediately covered her soft cheeks.

"That's true, but I still recommend hitting her head with your fist," Chris Yamada suggested seriously.

The Yamada fairy was frightened out of her wits.

"Isn't that a bit too much?" Si Ji asked worriedly.

The girl immediately nodded her head to show that she agreed with Si Ji's concerns.

"Don't worry, hitting this part will probably make her feel pain without causing harm, but the force used is a little subtle." Chris Yamada talked about his experience.

"You should care a little more!" Yamada Fairy complained loudly about his brother's bullying.

"So that's how it is. I guess I understand now. You are worthy of being Mr. Chris." Si Ji said with admiration.

"You don't need to understand something like this so quickly!" The blonde girl wanted to cry but had no tears.

The two men stared at each other, and then—

'Snapped! '

The two men held hands in perfect understanding, their eyes revealing their admiration for each other. The friendship between the men was greatly enhanced in this brief exchange.

It is a cause for celebration that a world has been achieved where only the Yamada fairy is hurt.

Chapter 44: Quality does not equal sales

"But it does seem a little strange... Aren't you always very quick at writing once you have an idea?"

Chris Yamada looked at his sister who was feeling sorry for herself and asked curiously.

As the person who knows his sister best, Yamada Chris is very clear about how efficient the fairy's work is. As long as he has an idea, he can easily end the battle in just one or two days.

When I talked to her on the phone before, the girl swore that she had an idea, but now, she has not been able to write a new volume of the novel at all, which is very different from her previous level.

"Is that so?" Shiki looked at the Yamada fairy curiously, wanting to see what was going on with her.

But the Yamada fairy just pretended to be nonchalant and said meaningless words like "Is there such a thing?" to try to get away with it.

Shiki glanced at Yamada Chris, who nodded with a permissive look, so Shiki pinched the fairy Yamada's cheek, scaring the other person.

"If you don't tell the truth, I will use the punishment of 'tearing your face'."

“Wuwuwuwuwuwu (Aren’t you already talking nonsense)!”

In the end, it was the Yamada Fairy who was defeated first.

She rubbed her reddened cheeks and found a few stacks of manuscript paper from her desk: "Although I already have an idea of ​​how to write the new volume of "The Exploding Dark Fairy", I still feel that it is not interesting enough."

Shiki took the manuscript and flipped through it quickly, only to find that these stacks were actually the latest volumes of "The Exploding Dark Fairy", but there were some differences in the content. Some focused on selling sex, some focused on pretending to be [beep], and some took a different approach. The original work was obviously a cool story about another world, but it ended up taking a funny route...

"There are so many copies already..." Chris Yamada also flipped through it and couldn't help showing a surprised expression.

Although the thickness of these manuscripts is not as thick as a whole volume, and is roughly one-third of the content of a normal volume, the total number of words in these versions has long exceeded the number required for a volume.

"These stories are all good and quite interesting to read. Can't we just merge them into the latest volume?"

"No, there's no way I can beat that female vixen at this level..."

The Yamada Fairy shook his head heavily.

Obviously she had found an opportunity to read Kasumi Shiko's "Love Metronome" and knew the gap between her own novel and the other's.

"I have to write better," she muttered like a madman, "If it doesn't work, I'll go find other famous writers to discuss the next story development... It hurts?!"

But before he could finish his words, Si Ji, who was always putting his knowledge into practice, knocked him on the head.

"What are you thinking about?" Si Ji said unhappily.

"What do you mean by wild thoughts? I'm just trying to improve the quality of the latest volume so that it can sell more!" The blonde girl covered her head and argued angrily.

Her pale pink eyes were full of grievance: if it was just a bet between her and that fat female fox, she wouldn't have done it to this extent. It was because she involved Four Seasons that she worked so hard. In the end, the person involved not only didn't thank her, but also hit her head.

Shiki sighed heavily.

"It's totally meaningless for you to do this. For example," he thought for a moment, and then simply gave an example: "What do you think of Natsume Makura's writing ability?"

The girl looked as if she had eaten bitter herbs, and her expression suddenly became twisted.

"He's an annoying guy... His only talent is writing, which is so good that it makes people feel like God is blind. That talent cannot be denied at all."

Even Yamada the Fairy, who hated Natsume Mura-ryu the most, had to admit with a pinch of his nose that his writing skills were top-notch.

Whether it is the elegant and concise writing style, the just-right gorgeous rhetoric, or the ingenious story structure and narrative techniques, even the entire text is easy to read, humorous where it should be humorous, serious where it should be serious, without the slightest sense of obstruction, making people unconsciously indulge in it, and after reading it, they are filled with mixed emotions. Everyone can see a different Hamlet in it.

"So how much do you think the sales will increase if Natsume Makura-ryu guides you to complete the latest volume now?" Shiki asked, raising his index finger.

"One hundred thousand... no, at least three hundred thousand volumes?" the girl tried to guess.

After all, even the most unsuccessful works of Natsume Makuru would be worth tens of millions, so 300,000 is a completely conservative estimate.

Chris Yamada thought for a moment and then answered uncertainly: "Zero, right?"

"Bingo, you are worthy of being an editor." Shiki snapped his fingers and looked at Yamada Chris: "If you put aside the error, that's it."

"Hey, why? Even though I'm reluctant, if that guy writes it, the quality will definitely be much higher than mine, right?" Yamada Fairy asked in confusion.

"Because in the current situation, quality is not equal to sales. The Exploding Dark Fairy has already published more than a dozen volumes. Looking at the entire series, your latest volume is just a small part of the scale."

Shiki explained, "Even if a writer of Natsume Makuryu's caliber helps, without a credit, it's almost certain that only people who bought the previous volumes will buy this latest one, so the actual sales ceiling has already been set. No matter how good this volume is, it's unlikely to attract other people."

The fairy Yamada stammered for a few times, and finally said unwillingly: "Then the latest volume of Kasumi Shiko must be selling less and less!"

"Actually, they should have submitted their manuscripts." Chris Yamada was silent for a moment, but finally said truthfully: "Fuzuigawa Bunko has used 'Countdown to the Final Volume' as a selling point to promote her latest volume. Considering that Love Metronome has only published six volumes, it has been very popular recently, and some famous bloggers have spontaneously promoted it. There should be many people who will buy the previous volumes as well."

"So cunning, they actually sent out the books so much in advance!" Yamada Fairy said indignantly while knocking on the table.

Because what is compared is the sales volume at the beginning of the month, the one that comes out earlier in the month will definitely have an advantage.

"In short, no matter whether we win or lose in the end," Chris Yamada put the manuscript on her desk, "the most important thing is to write the latest volume first and get it published."

From his point of view, the stakes on both sides didn't seem to be important. Even if Fairy Yamada lost, it shouldn't matter. It would be better to let her, who always claimed to be the strongest light novelist, suffer a little setback, which would be more beneficial to her future development.

The girl took the manuscript and replied sullenly, "I know."

Then Yamada Chris looked at Shiki again, and after a moment of silence, he bowed slightly to him again and said, "I'll leave my sister to you."

Chapter 45: A Moment of Girlish Heart

Because he needed to negotiate with the publisher about the publication of the latest volume, Chris Yamada decided to go back to FULLDRIVE Bunko for the time being.