As days pass, more and more discussions about the future plot of "WorldEnd" emerge in forums and group chats, sparking curiosity among readers!
Even those who usually enjoy comedy, moe, or harem genres couldn't resist picking it up.
They all wanted to know what made this book so captivating, and they found themselves feeling both pain and joy as they experienced the deep malice of "WorldEnd!"
As they know, readers who enjoy comedy, moe, and harem genres might not dislike tragedies.
Perhaps the type of tragedy they enjoy just hadn't appeared until now.
But "WorldEnd" hooked many readers with its oppressive, unresolved pain, fulfilling that unique "lonely" feeling from their adolescent years.
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A week later...
"Akif...Shadow-sensei, doesn't it sound strange? Should I just call you Shadow sensei? Never mind?"
Listening to Machida Sonoko's voice on the phone, Akifumi replied indifferently, "Whatever makes you happy..."
"Shadow-sensei, the sales for the first week of 'WorldEnd' are in!" Machida's voice carried an unmistakable joy.
Akifumi smiled but didn't respond.
There was always someone eager to speak first, but why the rush?
Not getting the response she expected, Machida couldn't help but pout.
"It really is like what Mihari said, you never react to sales, Sensei. It's like you're not interested in royalties."
"Well, whether I know the sales or not doesn't stop me from getting paid, right?"
"True..." Machida shook her head.
She had hoped to see him as excited as the younger newbies, but it seemed like that wasn't happening.
"The first week sales for 'WorldEnd' are 27,000 copies!"
At 600 yen a volume and a 10% royalty rate, that's 1.62 million yen!
Though this is far from the numbers seen with comics, it's still not bad! Especially for the first week.
But this number is a bit lower than Akifumi had expected.
After all, even the first volume of Madoka Magica sold over 60,000 copies, and the second volume almost hit 50,000 on its release day!
Compared to that, 27,000 feels a bit low.
"That's still not too bad, right?"
"..." Machida was silent.
'Was he seriously downplaying it?'
'27,000 copies in the first week!'
'That's enough to hit 100,000 by the end of the month!'
'And 500,000 for a single volume – that's an incredible result!!'
'And yet, here he was calling it "not too low"?'
'If any other author heard this, they'd probably want to punch him in the face.'
Despite wanting to complain, Machida couldn't ignore the fact that Akifumi was a rising star in the comic world.
Though she wasn't as familiar with the light novel sales, she had heard from others that this was still a solid number.
Still, comparing comics to light novels is a different thing altogether.
The animation crowd is much wider, while the light novel crowd is narrower.
Machida decided to explain, "Sensei, we can't say it's 'low.' In the light novel world, these first-week sales are considered a hit! This is a super hot work that will definitely reach 500,000 copies!"
"Okay. As long as I didn't embarrass you, Machida-san."
'Embarrass?'
That's impossible!
Other authors will be jealous of this success!
And given that Machida Sonoko had worked hard to get this book published so quickly, she was certainly in line for a nice bonus!
'Now, where can I travel for a vacation...?'
Though "vacation" was a joke, Akifumi couldn't help but fantasize.
"Machida-san, now that the first volume is out, it's time to start planning for the second, right?"
"!!"
Not only did they have the drive to release a second volume so soon, but they also brought it up themselves!
Machida couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Mihari!
Though she also wanted to get started on volume two, the first volume had only just been released a week ago – talking about volume two already felt a bit rushed!
With a polite tone, she said, "Sensei, there's no need to rush. We have time for the second volume. Five months, six months – the readers won't mind."
"Machida-san, you don't need to be so formal." Akifumi sighed.
"You know, this work is meant to pave the way for my new manga, right?"
"Waiting for readers' feedback is one thing, but I have my own thoughts."
Is this what genius looks like?
Passionate about publishing, unstoppable!
No wonder he managed to complete two works in just six months.
His work ethic is the key to success!
Machida carefully asked, "So, Sensei, do you mean...?"
"Let's release the second volume next month."
"??"
'Was I imagining things?'
Did he just say next month?!
Machida was stunned.
"Next month... is that really possible?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
The first volume was just released on October 1st, and now he was talking about releasing the second volume by November 1st? That's barely more than 20 days!
"Actually, I finished the second volume back in September. The third one is almost done too. I calculated it, and releasing it next month is totally feasible!"
"The only thing we need is for you to work a little harder, Machida-san."
Machida, still in disbelief, tried to process what Akifumi just said.
"So... you're serious about releasing it next month?"
He wasn't joking at all.
He was already on track to finish the third volume, and he was pushing to release the second one in a month.
She hesitated but then said, "Sensei, isn't one month too short a time to prepare?"
Considering that the first volume had just been published and the second volume was supposed to be ready in no time... it seemed too fast!
But with Akifumi's passion and confidence, Machida Sonoko realized that nothing was impossible for him.
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