***

[AI CENSORSHIP BLOCKED THIS CHUNK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

One hour later, we had arrived somewhere new thanks to Sumire’s sat-nav.

When I stepped out of the jeep, I had to squint my eyes against the glaring sun. “Whoa...”

“This is it! We’re really here!” Sumire stepped onto the pristine white sand and pumped her fist. “The place of my dreams!”

A single layer of blue underlined by pure white. My chest was fit to burst from nostalgia.

“The beach!” Iroha thrust her arms out like an idol arriving at a training camp.

“The sea is such a pretty blue color. And this place really is deserted.”

“I didn’t know Japan had a place like this.”

The beach stretched as far as the eye could see, yet strangely there wasn’t another human being in sight. Behind us was a two-story mansion with room for around twenty people; the kind of place I’d never seen outside of movies. It was plenty big and plenty beautiful, so it surprised me that it was being used as nothing more than a holiday home. If only we had some kind of sports to be training for here, we could get our own anime series.

“It’s only natural that there aren’t any other tourists around,” I said.

I was with Ozu getting our stuff out of the trunk. I glanced at the other car that pulled up in the parking lot after us. It was a foreign-made red convertible, with a low suspension and sleek design. It gave off a sense of fashionable maturity. Since fewer young people drove, that was a rarity these days. Canary stepped out of it with a flourish as the wind played with her long, golden hair. She took off her sunglasses and narrowed her eyes, a gesture that was so glamorous I started wondering whether we were being filmed.

“Because this is her private beach.”

“Anyone within ten feet of her can sense just how successful she is, huh?” Ozu said.

“If a company’s assets counted towards disposable income, Tsukinomori-san would have her beat. Since they don’t, I reckon she’s even richer than him.”

“Do in-house editors really make that much?” Ozu asked.

“I don’t think that’s it.” I shook my head.

Iroha came up to us, apparently attracted by the talk of money. “Don’t all those hits earn her mega cash?”

“They earn thecompanymega cash, and any salary she earns from the company is gonna have an upper limit. You might be looking at, say, ten million yen a year if you worked for one of the big names, but that’s not gonna be enough to keep a private beach.”

“Ten million?! That already sounds like a ton! So how muchdoyou need to earn in a year to keep a private beach? A hundred million?!”

“Dunno. If I had to guess, even that doesn’t sound like enough.”

“Seriously?”

“I get you,” Ozu said. “A hundred million would probably just about cover the management costs and reserve funds, and if that’s all you can afford, there’ll be better things to spend your hundred million on. Moreefficientthings, as Aki would say.”

“If you had five hundred million, you’d have enough to spend on frivolous things, but even then a private beach might be pushing it,” I agreed. “Especially one this big.”

“You guysareteenagers, right?” Iroha said. “You have way too much money sense...”

Iroha seemed utterly unimpressed by our serious financial talk. Also, this wasn’t so much about “money sense” as economics, but now I’m nitpicking.

And yeah, we were teenagers. So why hadn’t we been taught about economics and how to use money? It would be a much more efficient way to prepare us to be better members of society. Was there someone who benefited from the younger generation lacking that knowledge? Eh, maybe it’d make sense if this was the result of such a person’s quest for efficiency.

“But then how can Canary-san afford a super fancy villa and private beach if she’s just an editor, Senpai?”

“She’s not just an editor, is she? This is just a guess, but she probably makes most of her cash from her side hustles.”

“Side hustles?”

“She started up all these projects to promote her writers, and they wound up bringing in lots of income. I had a look...” I opened up the list on my phone to show Iroha.

“Huh? A private online community with twenty thousand members, which costs eight hundred yen a month to join...”

“Making her sixteen million yen a month.”

“Whoa! And her CDs make it into the Oricon top 10 every month when her books release...”

“I did a quick calculation, and she’s looking at around twenty million yen in royalties a month there.”

“Twenty... Wait, she does commercials too?!”

“Approximately fifteen million yen a month, calculated from this company’s performance fees for independent talents.”

“I think my brain’s melting.”

“With all this, she’ll be making a little over fifty million a month, which comes out to six hundred million a year. If we add on her live appearances, royalties from the essays she writes, and all the other—”

“Let’s not! I get it! Canary-san’s a money-making machine!” Iroha clamped her hands over her ears and started singing to herself before I could keep going.

What I was describing was on a completely different level to the world she knew, and it sounded like her brain was rejecting it. The six hundred million figure itself didn’t surprise me; that was how muchKoyagiwas expected to make in a month if it were picked up and published by Honeyplace Works. We were talking sales, though. To have six hundred million all to yourself blew my mind.

“You must really have taken a shine to me if you’ve been researching all of this so thoroughly!”

“Gah.”

The (self-proclaimed) seventeen-year-old pushed past Iroha to force herself into the conversation.

Canary fluttered her eyelashes and smiled coyly at me. “You could’ve just asked me yourself, you know, instead of doing something so bird-brained. I would have toldyou. My heart, my body, my wallet... Just say the word, and I’ll open up any of them for you, chirp!”

“Isn’t it kinda bad that you’re playing favorites as an idol?”

“Owie, stop pecking on me! Every fan is my favorite, chirp!”

“That sounds like an excuse...so why is it so heartwarming, dammit?”

Her eyes were big and round. Her body was petite with all the right curves and proportions. Nerds would probably deify her as a loli with tits. Hearing her sugar-sweet voice coming out of that body’d send the front row of her live audience hopping into the air like drowning fish.

“I mean it. I’m not hiding anything, so just ask and I’ll tell you, chirp!”

“She’s telling the truth. Canary-san’s totally open with her earnings to anyone. Everyone in the editing department knows how much she’s making.”

“Mashiro.”

Up until now, Mashiro had been staring at the ocean, entranced. At some point, she’d ended up opposite Iroha and Canary—well, next to me—without me noticing. I almost forgot Canary was her editor. They’d probably already spoken about this sort of stuff before.

“Watch your words! You’re making it sound like I fly my mouth every chance I get! But Idon’t! People flock around me to ask, and I don’t have the heart to disappoint them, chirp!”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? If the other editors learn you’re makin’ so much more than them, won’t they get mad?”

Japanese culture was all about conformity. Anyone who stuck out would have trouble navigating society. The same used to be true for Ozu too. So how come Canary got away with that sort of behavior at work?

“Chirp?” Canary looked at me like I’d grown an extra head and tilted her head sweetly to one side. “Do you think gigolos have the right to ‘get mad’ at their benefactors?”

“Gigolos?”

“Oh, I’m speaking in metaphors of course, chirp! I wouldn’t wanna have anyrealgigolos.”

“Um, I still don’t get it.”

“The works I’m in charge of are UZA Bunko’s golden egg! They make up ninety percent of sales, chirp! The other editors aren’t in any position to squawk at me!”

“Ninety percent?!”

Whoa. No wonder she could get away with anything. Canary’s personality was questionable, but her achievements were rock solid. It’d be easy to mistake her for a kid by appearance alone, but behind that overly cutesy seventeen(?)-year-old was a godlike Stand. And this was the rival I was fighting with for Makigai Namako-sensei’s time.

“Conformity’s place in Japanese companies is nothing more than ancient chicken scratch these days! I’m taking my cues from the wider world, chirp!”

“I get it! People should be judged based on their achievements, right?!” I couldn’t help but get excited at Canary’s words.

Mashiro’s expression hardened beside me. Her next words were scathing. “I wouldn’t take her that seriously if I were you. She has this dumb idea in her head that she’s some kind of Hollywood star. She practically worships America.”

“Squawk!” The color drained from Canary’s face. “Wh-Why would you say that, Mashiro-chirp?”

“I don’t want Aki to get any weird ideas from you. I already know about your dream of becoming a Hollywood producer. A dream that was destroyed when you suffered a crushing defeat at your English conversation scho—”

“Stoooooop right there, chirp! Do you want me to turn to ashes right here and now?! I’m warning you, I won’t be reborn, chirp!”

“You stole that cheap idea just now from one of the big-wigs at Imperial Books, one of the industry’s biggest companies!”

“I stole it?! At least say I borrowed it, out of respect! Why’re you being so mean to me, chirp?! I’m letting you use my private villa, all ’cause you said you wanted to go to the beach, chirp!”

“Th-Thank you... But that can’t be the only reason you brought us here.” Mashiro narrowed her eyes.

“U-Urgh...” Canary looked away and began to whistle. She was stupidly good at it.

I didn’t know what they were on about, but it was clear from the way they interacted that they got on really well. It was enough to warm my heart. They seemed to have the stability of a pair working on a long-running series together. Perhaps it was her skill in fostering relationships that made Canary such a successful editor.

“Iamhappy to hear you trash talk Imperial Books like that, though, chirp!”

"İmparatorluk Yayınları mı?" diye tekrarladım. "O kadar dişli bir rakip mi Mashiro?"

Hafif roman sektörü ya da piyasa hakkında en ufak bir uzmanlığım yoktu. İmparatorluk Yayınları da dahil olmak üzere en ünlü yayınevlerinin isimlerini duymuştum ama bilgim aşağı yukarı bundan ibaretti.

"Canary-san’ın başarılarını, maddi gücünü ve Makigai Namako-sensei’nin eserlerinin ne kadar sattığını düşününce, başka hiçbir şirketin onlarla boy ölçüşebileceğini sanmıyorum..."

"Aptal." Mashiro’nun yüzüme karşı böyle hakaret etmeyeli uzun zaman olmuştu.

"Ö-Özür dilerim. Belli ki daha fazla araştırma yapmam lazım. Yayıncılık dünyasından zerre çaktığım yok."

"Şöyle düşün. Yayın şirketlerindeki editörlerin çoğu inanılmaz bir eğitim geçmişine..."

"Harbi mi?" Iroha gözleri parlayarak söze atladı. "Senin için de mi geçerli bu Canary-san? Dur, sakın bana Tokyo Üniversitesi falan mezunu olduğunu söyleme?!"

Canary’nin dudaklarında kendini beğenmiş bir gülümseme belirdi. "Aman da aman! Yakalandım galiba, cik! Kibirlenip hava atmayı hiç sevmem ama yalan söyleyecek halim de yok! Evet, cik! Tokyo Üniversitesi mezunuyum, cik!"

"Ülkenin en iyi okuluna gitmiş bir de bununla övünüyor!" Iroha kahkahayı patlattı. "Bu kadın cidden benden bile daha sinir bozucu!"

"Sinir bozucu olduğu doğru. Ama senden daha mı sinir bozucu? Hmm." Bir an duraksadım. "Bence ikiniz kıyaslanamayacak kadar farklı türden vakalarsınız."

Mashiro’nun dudağı küçümseyerek büküldü. "Eğitiminle böbürlenmen komik kaçıyor Canary-san, madem o kadar zekiydin neden İmparatorluk Yayınları'na giremedin?"

"Ne...?"

"Gııııhk!"

"C-Canary-san?! İyi misin?! Hâlâ sırıtıyor ama dudağı kanıyor!" Iroha, Canary’nin sendeleyen gövdesini tutarak bağırdı.

Canary titriyordu; bembeyaz kesilmiş suratındaki o özgüvenli gülümsemeyi korumak için kendini parçaladığı her halinden belliydi. "İ-İyiyim ben, cik. Sadece sinirden dudağımı ısırayım derken biraz fazla kaçırdım, cik!"

"Hiç de iyi görünmüyorsun!" dedi Iroha.

Mashiro ise istifini bozmadan anlatmaya devam etti. "İmparatorluk Yayınları, sektördeki en parlak zihinleri işe alacak paraya sahip. Stanford mezunu, Hollywood’da dünya çapında hit üstüne hit patlatmış bir yapımcıları var. Modern pazarlamanın kurucusu kabul edilen Yale mezunu bir psikologları var. Oxford mezunu, İngiltere’deki o meşhur sihir akademisi serisinin yayımlanmasının arkasındaki eski bir menajerleri var. Bunlar editör kadrosunun sadece bir kısmı; şirket yalnızca dünyanın en iyi on üniversitesinden mezun olanları işe alıyor."

"Yayıncılık dünyasının Google’ı olmuşlar desene..."

Sektörün etkileyici olduğunu zaten biliyordum ama roman dünyasının bu denli yetenekli insanlarla dolu olduğundan haberim yoktu.

"Gak! Bunları tekrar duymak kalbimin kuş kafesinden fırlayacakmış gibi hissettiriyor! Millet! Ben içeri kaçıyorum, cik! Makigai-sensei’nin az önce gönderdiği taslağı parlatmaya başlamam lazım, cik!"

"H-Hey!" Mashiro, kollarını sallayarak lüks daireye doğru zıplayan Canary’ye elini uzattı.

Ha? Canary az önce ne dedi?

"Makigai Namako-sensei’nin taslağı mı?" diye yineledim.

"Doğru duydun, cik! Pamuk Prenses’in İntikam Sınıfı’nın yeni cildinin ilk taslağını nihayet yumurtladı. Şu tesadüfe bak, değil mi?! Cik!"

"C-C-Canary-san!"

"Kafanda kuşlar mı uçuşuyor Mashiro-cik? Beni aşağılaman öyle keyfimi yerine getirdi ki ağzım benden habersiz laf kaçırıyor işte! Hiçbir şey ima ettiğim falan yok, cik!"

"Çöp... Tam bir çöpsün..."

"Sesli konuş! Madem artık taslağını benden saklayamıyorsun, bunu ikinci raunt sayalım, cik!"

"Neden kızgınsın Mashiro? Bir dakika, Makigai Namako-sensei taslağını teslim mi etti dedin? Yani o zaman—"

"O saksıyı çalıştır kuş beyinli! Mashiro-chan aslında Maki—"

"Makiri!"

"Şu sake olan mı?!"

Sumire bir anda yoktan var olup elini Canary’nin ağzına bastırdı. Neden yaptığını anlamamıştım.

"Ah, buraya geldiğimizden beri canım fena Makiri çekiyordu. Bahse varım şu gösterişli lüks dairede bir sürü içki saklamışsındır! Hadi gidelim de gece boyunca içelim, sadece yetişkinler!"

"Güneş hâlâ tepede," diye araya girdim. "Hem Canary-san bir şeyler okuması gerektiğini söylememiş miydi—"

"Tamam işte, ben tek başıma içerim, Canary-san da işine bakar!"

"Kes sesini seni korkak tavuk! Daha yeni geldik, sen şimdiden içki diyorsun, cik! Seni buraya niye davet ettim sanıyorsun?!"

"Tamam, tamam! Yüzeceğim, söz! Ama önce şu içkileri bir göreyim, ne olur?"

"Öğğ, amma yüzsüzsün... Hey! Neremi tutuyorsun sen, cik?! Gak!"

Sumire kolunu Canary’nin omzuna dolayıp onu sürüklemeye başladı. Mashiro’ya kısa bir göz kırptı. O kadar hızlıydı ki hayal mi gördüm emin olamadım.

"Az önce ne yaşandı öyle?"

"K-Kim bilir? Benim haberim yok! Aha ha ha!" Mashiro’nun attığı kahkaha rahatsız edici derecede yapaydı.

Hmm...

"Ne soracaktın senpai?" Iroha, yetişkinler tuhaflaşmaya başlamadan hemen önce söylemek istediğim bir şey olduğunu nazikçe hatırlattı. Iroha bazen düşünceli olabiliyordu. Bazen.

"Önemli bir şey değildi. Sadece Makigai Namako-sensei işini yeni bitirdiyse, ona bizden yeni bir iş vermenin tam sırası olduğunu düşünmüştüm."

"Nesin sen, canavar mı?"

"Alevler içinde can ver. Acı çekerek."

"Ha?"

Hem Iroha hem de Mashiro’nun aynı anda bana beddua etmesi için ne yapmıştım ki? Bir görev bittiğinde bir sonrakine geçmek gayet mantıklı değil miydi?

Her neyse. Şimdilik, alkol bağımlısı öğretmenimizden kurtulmayı bir türlü beceremeyen Canary ve Sumire’nin peşinden lüks daireye doğru ilerledik.