Let's Start with an A-Rank!

"Whether in terms of popularity or the quality of the work itself, Sword Art Online is a light novel worth nurturing. Unless something unexpected happens, Sword Art Online is very likely to be among the top three in this competition," one editor remarked.

"No, no, no," Yukinoshita Haruno interjected. "The popularity of Sword Art Online is still steadily rising. I believe it might even win the grand prize."

At this, the other editors exchanged glances. While Haruno's enthusiasm was clear, there was still some skepticism among them regarding whether Sword Art Online was worthy of the Dengeki Novel Award.

"While Sword Art Online's popularity is indeed impressive, it's still too early to determine the grand prize winner. The competition isn't over yet, and it's unwise to make such decisions prematurely," one editor cautioned.

"That's true," another editor added. "Even though Sword Art Online has garnered a lot of attention, we still don't know how it will perform in sales once published."

Realizing she might have spoken too hastily, Haruno nodded in agreement. "You're right, I may have gotten ahead of myself. It's just that I've never seen a new work garner a million views on the first day."

"But," Kagami Ai spoke up, "even though we can't predict final sales, we can't ignore the current million-view milestone that Sword Art Online has achieved. I suggest we strike while the iron is hot."

The other editors quickly voiced their agreement with Kagami's suggestion.

"Indeed, regardless of the final sales numbers, we should contact Izumi-sensei as soon as possible and secure a contract."

"We must act fast," said Ryo Oowada, another editor. "Even though Sword Art Online was submitted as part of Dengeki Bunko's contest, that doesn't mean we automatically hold the rights to it. Until the contract is signed, Izumi-sensei is free to submit Sword Art Online to other publishers."

Oowada voiced the concern that had been on everyone's mind. The Dengeki Bunko contest had been heavily promoted across various platforms—online, in bookstores, magazines, and on social media. This ensured that both readers and authors were well aware of the competition, but it also meant that their competitors, particularly Kadokawa Bunko and Fujimi Bunko, were likely keeping a close eye on the entries.

These rival publishers could very well be analyzing the submissions right now, hoping to poach any promising new works from Dengeki Bunko.

"The scenario Oowada-san described is quite likely," Hiratsuka Yuko said with a knowing smile. "Given how popular Sword Art Online has become, it's possible that even as we're having this meeting, other publishing houses are holding their own discussions on how to snatch Sword Art Online away from us."

"There's no need for 'possible'—I'm sure Kadokawa Bunko is already trying to reach out to Izumi-sensei through private messages on our site," one editor remarked.

Everyone in the room felt a sense of urgency. Losing Sword Art Online to a competitor would be a significant blow to Dengeki Bunko's standing.

"It seems we're all in agreement," Hiratsuka concluded. "In that case, there's no time to waste. Let's contact Izumi-sensei immediately and negotiate the contract terms. Also, since it was Yukinoshita Haruno who first discovered and recommended Sword Art Online to me, she'll be responsible for overseeing this project. Does anyone have any objections?"

"None!" Kagami Ai was the first to respond loudly.

"Of course not, it's only fair."

"Congratulations, Yukinoshita-san."

"Please make sure to secure the contract with Izumi-sensei, Yukinoshita-san!" the other editors chimed in, applauding.

"Thank you, Hiratsuka-sensei, and thank you all," Yukinoshita Haruno nodded in gratitude.

Although she was the one who first discovered Sword Art Online and brought it to Hiratsuka's attention, she knew that in the workplace, expressing thanks and acknowledging the support of colleagues was a vital skill.

However, she truly did feel grateful to Hiratsuka Yuko and Kagami Ai. If it hadn't been for Hiratsuka's intention to support her, a high-profile light novel like Sword Art Online would typically be assigned to a more experienced editor. Despite being the first to discover it, Yukinoshita might not have ended up being the editor in charge.

Hiratsuka had given her a significant opportunity, and it was now up to her to seize it.

As for Kagami Ai, her immediate show of support had deeply touched Yukinoshita. When she glanced at Kagami, her friend gave her a small smile and subtly mouthed a phrase they both knew well from their university days—a signal that Yukinoshita should treat her to oden after work.

"Do your best," Hiratsuka said, her tone now more serious. "I expect to see a signed contract with Izumi-sensei on my desk within three days."

"Understood!"

"Oh, and one more thing," Hiratsuka added with a playful smile. "Tell the programming team to disable the delete button on Izumi-sensei's author account."

"Already done," Kagami Ai replied, stifling a laugh. "The programmers said they've already taken care of it."

"…I was just kidding."

"They put it back."

"…"

With a few final remarks, Hiratsuka dismissed the meeting.

Back at her desk, Yukinoshita Haruno immediately opened the contract template on her computer. For a potential flagship series like Sword Art Online, a standard contract wouldn't suffice.

Earlier, she had consulted Hiratsuka Yuko about which contract tier to offer, and the decision was made to start with an A-rank contract.

This decision had surprised many of the editors, including Yukinoshita herself.

Dengeki Bunko's contracts were categorized into tiers: S, A, B, C, and D. The benefits and resources provided to the author varied depending on the tier.

Typically, new authors received C or D-rank contracts. Experienced authors with proven track records might receive a B-rank contract, with the possibility of upgrading to A-rank if their new work showed promise.

An S-rank contract, however, was reserved for works that had already become blockbuster hits, offering the highest level of support and resources from Dengeki Bunko.

However, contract tiers were not set in stone. If a novel performed exceptionally well, the contract could be upgraded. This had happened with Utaha Kasumigaoka, a popular Dengeki Bunko author.

Her series, Love Metronome, had initially started with a D-rank contract. The publishing team had even warned her that if sales didn't pick up, the series might be cut after just two volumes.

But against all odds, Love Metronome had defied expectations. The first volume topped the Dengeki Bunko bestseller list for six months straight, and the limited edition of the second volume sold out within a week, prompting an urgent reprint.

Even now, Love Metronome remained a strong seller, consistently ranking in the top ten. Earlier this year, it was adapted into a successful audio drama, which boosted its sales even further. With this momentum, the series was likely to be adapted into a manga or even an anime in the near future.

Naturally, the D-rank contract had since been upgraded to an S-rank contract.

When people mentioned Utaha Kasumigaoka, they often thought of her editor, Sonoko Machida, a capable and approachable woman.

Machida had been Yukinoshita and Kagami's mentor when they first joined Dengeki Bunko, patiently teaching them the ropes of the editing world and how to communicate effectively with authors. At that time, Machida had been a seasoned editor, but she was now the deputy editor-in-chief of Dengeki Bunko.

As Machida often reminded them during their gatherings, she was proud of Utaha Kasumigaoka's achievements but often lamented how challenging it was to get her to submit her manuscripts on time.

After finalizing the contract draft, Yukinoshita picked up her phone and navigated to Izumi Ki's author profile.

She was relieved to see that Izumi had properly filled in her phone number and email address. In the past, she'd had trouble contacting authors who hadn't provided accurate contact details.

"I wonder what kind of person Izumi-sensei is?" Yukinoshita thought as she dialed the number.

As the phone rang, Yukinoshita felt a slight nervousness, but she pressed on, asking, "Hello, is this Izumi-sensei?"

Meanwhile, Izumi Kotomi, having just finished a round of Rainbow Six, was surprised to see an unknown number calling her. She initially assumed it was someone trying to sell her something and was about to decline when she heard a young woman's voice on the other end.

"Izumi-sensei?"

It took Kotomi a moment to realize that someone was addressing her as "Sensei" for the first time.

After a brief pause, the voice continued, "Hello, I'm Yukinoshita Haruno, an editor from Dengeki Bunko. Am I speaking to Izumi-sensei?"

Yukinoshita Haruno? Dengeki Bunko?!

Kotomi immediately perked up, almost cheering out loud. She couldn't believe how quickly she'd been contacted after submitting Sword Art Online. Was it even considered a submission yet? The speed of this response was astounding!

Having spent most of the day immersed in Rainbow Six, Kotomi had no idea that Sword Art Online had already hit a million views.

As for why the God-Level Heroine System hadn't notified her...

Usually, the system would chime in whenever she earned popularity points, but seeing how engrossed Kotomi was in her game, it had decided to remain silent, planning to inform her once she was done playing—like a "Do Not Disturb" mode in games.