Aimi's Disappointment Because She Can't Take Care of Her Sister

"Speaking of which, honey, how much do you make a month at work?"

"About 300,000 yen per month," Izumi Kaneyoshi replied, rubbing his nose and chuckling. "Goodness, my daughter's first earnings from writing are equivalent to nearly two and a half months of my salary. Akina, maybe one day, we'll have to rely on Kotomi to support us."

"You're absolutely right! How about you quit your job tomorrow, and we can enjoy an early retirement," Izumi Akina joked lightheartedly.

Kaneyoshi smiled and gently stroked her snow-white hair, "Silly wife, what are you thinking?"

Watching the affectionate exchange between their parents, Kotomi smiled slightly and glanced at her sister, Izumi Aimi, who was staring in shock at the bank notification on Kotomi's phone.

"Still in disbelief, Aimi? Our parents have already accepted it," Kotomi said with a chuckle.

"Of course, I'm shocked! I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you would make so much money from writing novels."

"It might not have appeared in your dreams, but I made it happen in reality. Your sister is pretty amazing, right~?"

Aimi nodded, feeling that her once familiar sister had undergone many changes without her noticing.

In the past, while Kotomi enjoyed reading novels, she never seemed like someone who would write them. But now, not only had she started writing, but she had also successfully signed with Dengeki Bunko and earned her first manuscript fee.

A sum of 860,000 yen—Aimi thought to herself that even when she graduated from university and found a job, she wouldn't dare dream of making 860,000 yen in a single month.

Yet her 16-year-old sister had already achieved it.

Moreover, Aimi had a premonition that this 860,000 yen was just the beginning of Kotomi's journey in the world of writing.

I used to think about supporting my sister... Although I should be happy that she's successfully taken the first step on her creative path, Aimi couldn't help but feel a strange sense of loss, as if she were already mourning the fact that she might not be able to take care of Kotomi in the future.

"Kotomi, what's the name of the novel you submitted to the Dengeki Bunko contest?" Kaneyoshi asked.

"Sword Art Online. It's not published yet, but you can read it on Dengeki Bunko's website, Dad."

After learning the title, Kaneyoshi immediately took out his phone, searched for the Dengeki Bunko website, and entered "Sword Art Online" in the search bar. After clicking confirm, the page automatically redirected to the book's details.

3.1 million views, 40,000 comments.

Although Kaneyoshi didn't know much about light novels, just seeing these numbers made him realize it was an impressive work.

The thought that such an impressive novel had been written by his eldest daughter filled Kaneyoshi with a surge of pride and joy.

"Kotomi has really written something remarkable. Who would have thought that our family would produce a great writer? Your grandfather will be thrilled when he finds out," Kaneyoshi said with a wide grin.

"Times have changed. There are so many ways to make money now that didn't exist in our day. What used to be considered mere hobbies can now be lucrative professions. For example, video games, once seen as a waste of time, are now professional competitions. Your brother wanted to pursue a career in esports, and that caused quite a rift with your father."

"That's true. Kazuma has always been headstrong, and my father is rather old-fashioned. When he found out Kazuma wanted to go into esports, he was furious," Kaneyoshi said with a rueful smile as he thought about his younger brother, Izumi Kazuma.

Hearing her father mention Kazuma, Kotomi's memories of her uncle surfaced.

Izumi Grandfather had two sons: Izumi Kaneyoshi and Izumi Kazuma.

Unlike the mild-mannered Kaneyoshi, Kazuma had a more fiery temperament and a strong personality, often clashing with their father. It could be said that Kazuma inherited his temper from their grandfather.

In essence, it was a case of two stubborn men being father and son.

Kazuma was the youngest child of the family, born much later than Kaneyoshi, with almost a 20-year age gap between them.

This year, Kazuma was only 23 years old.

At 23, he was in the prime of his youth, eager to make his mark on the world.

Having been passionate about video games from a young age, Kazuma always dreamed of becoming a professional player, competing on the world stage, and winning championships.

Naturally, their old-fashioned and strict grandfather was adamantly opposed to this dream, leading to a strained relationship between father and son. It's often the case that conflicts arise between people with similar personalities, and this was certainly true for Kazuma and their grandfather.

However, Kotomi's impression of Kazuma was quite positive.

Although Kazuma had a bit of a temper, he doted on his two nieces and respected his older brother and sister-in-law.

Every time Kazuma visited his brother's home, he would arrive with arms full of gifts.

One hand would be carrying gifts for his brother and sister-in-law, while the other held presents for Kotomi and Aimi.

"Still, Kazuma seems to have joined an esports team now. I wonder how he's doing."

"He's doing quite well, I think. His salary with the team is high, and he gets a good share of the prize money after each competition. He doesn't have to worry about living expenses and has even saved up a bit. So, things are going well for him. It's just that Dad is too stubborn and refuses to acknowledge Kazuma's dreams."

Whenever the relationship between his brother and father was brought up, Kaneyoshi would always smile helplessly. Although he wished their relationship could improve, there wasn't much he could do except let things take their course.

"Back to the topic at hand, Kotomi, this 860,000 yen is your first manuscript fee, your first earnings. Do you have any plans for it?" Akina asked.

"Yes," Kaneyoshi added with a nod. "You're 16 now, and it's time you learned how to manage your finances. So, we won't handle this money like we did with your childhood New Year's money. You're free to choose how to use it—whether to save it or invest it. The choice is yours."

"Your father's right. Learning how to manage your finances early is a good thing for you. So whether you decide to spend it all or save it, we won't say anything. Of course, if you need advice, you can always ask us," Akina said, sharing the same view.

860,000 yen was no small amount, but the Izumi couple was willing to use this opportunity to teach Kotomi how to manage her income and savings.

They weren't worried about her making mistakes; after all, mistakes are part of growing up. This had always been their approach to parenting.

"How should I spend it...?"

Kotomi started to seriously consider this. It was her first earnings, so how should she allocate it?

After thinking about it for a while, Kotomi decided to stop overthinking it.

She figured the best thing to do with this money would be to buy herself a new computer.

She already had a laptop, so naturally, she would choose a desktop computer.

As for the graphics card, there was only one choice.

Go straight for the 3090Ti!