Chapter 86: Sales Performance Is Good

Having been delayed for quite some time at the massage shop, by the time Kitahara returned home again, both Hayami Rina and Aya-chan were already at home.

Having not seen each other for a whole day, the moment they saw Kitahara return, joyful smiles bloomed on the faces of both mother and daughter in unison.

Especially the lively and energetic Aya-chan—she dashed over like a cheerful little bird, throwing herself straight into Kitahara’s arms.

"Kitahara-oniisan, I missed you so much! Where did you go yesterday? How come I couldn’t find you all day?"

Aya raised her head, blinking her big, watery eyes as she asked with a face full of curiosity. She hugged Kitahara tightly, as if terrified that he would suddenly disappear again.

Kitahara smiled faintly, gently stroking Aya-chan’s hair, and spoke tenderly:

"Aya-chan is a good girl~ Big brother had some matters to attend to yesterday, which is why I went out for the whole day. Making Aya worry about me—I’m sorry!"

Hayami Rina walked over as well. Her beautiful eyes gazed at Kitahara, overflowing with immense love, gentle and affectionate as a spring stream.

Even though deep in her heart she wanted to hug Kitahara tightly like her daughter, she still exercised self-restraint to suppress those emotions.

"Kitahara-kun, did your business go smoothly? Nothing unexpected happened, right?"

Such a inquiry was merely her expressing her concern.

In truth, as for what Kitahara had actually gone out to do, Hayami Rina had no idea, nor had she ever entertained the thought of deliberately prying or inquiring into it.

Because in her heart, as long as Kitahara returned home safely, that was already enough.

"It went extremely smoothly! Rina-nee, are you and Aya-chan doing fine at home as well?" Kitahara said.

"Mm... everything’s great!"

In Hayami Rina’s eyes, her love grew even deeper.

Separated by merely a single day, yet that longing was already so thick and intense.

Noticing Hayami Rina’s emotional state, Kitahara spoke to Aya in his arms:

"Aya-chan, how about you go watch anime for a bit first? Kitahara-oniisan just came back and is a bit dirty, so I need to go to the bathroom to take a shower. I’ll also trouble Mommy to scrub my back—you can turn up the TV volume a bit higher, okay?"

"Okay!" Aya said very obediently.

Hayami Rina’s eyes lit up...

...

The next morning, Hayami Rina went back out to continue tidying up the single-family house. Kitahara didn’t get involved with that, focusing instead on his writing.

What he was writing was Tokyo Love Story—he wanted to become a great author and elevate his social standing.

That way, it would provide convenience for his subsequent operations.

"Ring ring ring, ring ring ring~"

Before he could write more than a few words, the telephone rang. Kitahara felt helpless—why was it so hard to quietly type out a few words?

"Moshi moshi, this is Kitahara Chiki. May I ask who’s calling?"

"Kitahara-kun, you finally answered the phone! I called you so many times yesterday and you didn’t pick up—don’t you want to know how the sales performance of your erotic novel is doing?"

A soft, feminine, and alluring voice came through; the call was from his editor, Suzuki Misaki.

Kitahara slapped his own forehead—he had truly forgotten all about this!

"Misaki-nee, I went out to handle some affairs yesterday and was busy all day, completely forgetting about it. How are the sales going? Hurry up and tell me!"

"It’s doing exceptionally well! During the test sales the day before yesterday, over three hundred copies were sold. Yesterday, we increased the number of bookstores stocked, and sold over a thousand copies. Kitahara-kun, your book’s situation is very optimistic—it might even turn into a smash hit! Right now, our side is already preparing to print additional copies!"

"Sugoi! That’s awesome!"

Hearing such good news, Kitahara was extremely happy.

Although he didn’t rely on this stuff to make money, having something he worked hard to create gain popularity and acclaim from the public was ultimately worth celebrating.

This meant that his effort and capabilities had been affirmed.

"Misaki-nee, over at the publishing house, what’s the estimated total sales volume expected for this book?" Kitahara asked.

"For now, it’s estimated between fifty thousand to one hundred thousand copies! If the sequel can maintain the quality and hit the shelves in a timely manner, it will keep the book’s popularity going. In that case... the sales volume would be beyond estimation! Kitahara-kun, you have to seize this opportunity! How is the content for the second volume coming along? Have you finished writing it?"

"Uhh... not yet."

"What’s going on? Kitahara-kun, you need to work hard! It’s been nearly two weeks already—even if you haven’t finished, it should be almost there, right?"

"Misaki-nee, the truth is, an unexpected situation came up. I’d better talk with you in person. I’ll head over to the publishing house to find you right now."

Kitahara was quite distressed.

Back then, choosing to write an "erotic novel" was done purely on a whim, written just for fun. Who would have thought it would actually become a hit!

Now things were getting a bit troublesome—swamped with minor affairs every day, matters were overly complex.

He didn’t have much time to begin with, and was still planning on writing a serious piece of literary work, so where would he find spare time to write more about goblins?

It had been so long, yet this second volume of Primitive Desire had less than twenty thousand words written, with the completion date nowhere in sight.

He had originally planned to take it slow, writing a little whenever he felt like it.

Who could have known that plans couldn’t keep up with changes?

As things stood today, he might as well just let Suzuki Misaki ghostwrite it...

Taking along the manuscript for Goblin Volume 2, which was less than half written, Kitahara hurriedly went out the door and headed toward Shueisha Publishing House.

Before long, he met this light-system editor.

Truth be told, every time he saw those massive headlights, Kitahara couldn’t help but look twice. Matsuda Yumi couldn’t match them even at full speed, and Hayami Rina paled in comparison as well.

Truly fucking incredible!

"Kitahara-kun, what’s the situation? Is that the manuscript for the second volume in your hand? Pass it over for me to look at first."

The editor’s attention was immediately on the manuscript; as soon as Kitahara entered the door, the manuscript paper in his hand was snatched away.

Kitahara could only smile helplessly, quietly waiting for Suzuki Misaki to finish reading first.

"Tsk tsk, adding a male protagonist to the second volume—this was something I didn’t expect! Kitahara-kun, your brain hole is truly mind-boggling! The cuckold plotline is so interesting! Huh? Why’s it gone—is there only this tiny bit?"

"Uhh, Misaki-nee, over these past few days I’ve been busy writing a new book, a serious work of literature. As a result, the progress on this one slowed down quite a bit," Kitahara explained.

"Nani? Kitahara-kun, you opened another new book? Weren’t you very short on money? This goblin book can make you a nice sum to ease your financial pressure!"

Suzuki Misaki asked in confusion.

"Mm... a while back I indeed was quite short on money, but recently I came into a stroke of windfall wealth, so I’m not short anymore..."

"Then what about this book? Do you not plan to write it anymore, Kitahara-kun? This is truly a bit of a pity! If this work can be completed, I feel it could leave a heavy, colorful stroke in the realm of erotic novels!"

Suzuki Misaki wasn’t interested in the "windfall wealth" Kitahara-kun spoke of.

Purely from an editor’s perspective, seeing an excellent work abandoned halfway made her feel deep regret and pity!

Encountering this kind of situation, as an editor, was incomparably heartbreaking and depressing.

After all, they were always dedicated to discovering and nurturing truly outstanding works; seeing a potential masterpiece cut short due to various reasons...

It undoubtedly felt as agonizing as watching a young seedling one meticulously cared for wither away before growing strong.

Seeing this, Kitahara voiced his own idea:

"Misaki-nee, why don’t you ghostwrite it for me instead? Once we make money, we’ll split it fifty-fifty!"