Chapter 70

Chapter 70: For This Book, He Almost Performed a Dogeza in the Office

Two days passed, yet editor Morikawa Kuniharu still had not called, which made Nagayama Naoki slightly puzzled. Could something unexpected have happened?

At noon, while heading out for lunch, Nagayama Naoki deliberately paused downstairs and retrieved the materials Fujita Keiko had mailed from the mailbox.

Postal delivery in this era really was slow. Even within the same city, it still took two days.

There were more than a dozen property options. The materials Fujita Keiko prepared clearly listed locations, layouts, prices, and even advantages and disadvantages.

It was obviously prepared with care. The service standard was impressive, far more attentive than real estate agents in later generations.

He casually flipped through the documents. Many residential properties were located in Shinjuku, Nakano, and Bunkyo, along with commercial properties in Shinjuku, Shibuya, and even Minato Ward. Most were situated in areas with convenient transportation, and naturally, nearly all were priced at over one hundred million yen.

Fujita Keiko had already grasped Nagayama Naoki’s preferences quite well.

Then the words “Akihabara” caught his eye, instantly drawing his attention.

Akihabara?

At this time, Akihabara was still primarily an electronics district, mostly selling electrical appliances and electronic products.

But Nagayama Naoki knew that in the future it would become the sacred ground of anime culture.

And commercial properties at this time were not expensive—at least far cheaper than Ginza or Shibuya’s commercial districts. With his current assets, he could purchase at least two units.

That meant the remaining funds could be used to buy a better residence.

Looking at a residence listed in Chiyoda, Nagayama Naoki felt tempted.

After visiting the publisher in Chiyoda previously, he had grown fond of the district’s environment and atmosphere. Buying a residence there seemed entirely reasonable.

Having made up his mind, Nagayama Naoki did not hesitate and immediately called Fujita Keiko.

“Hello, is this Ms. Fujita Keiko?”

The materials listed a new phone number. It seemed she had already transferred to headquarters.

“Yes, Naoki-san, good afternoon.” She sounded energetic; the new job must have been going well.

“I’ve reviewed the materials you sent,” he said directly. “There are several properties I’m interested in seeing in person.”

“Of course. May I ask which ones caught your interest?”

“The commercial properties in Akihabara, and the residence in Chiyoda.”

“Oh? I thought Nagayama Naoki would choose shops in the core commercial districts.”

She truly was perceptive. After only two meetings, she had already noticed his decision-making tendencies—though she had no idea about future development trends.

“Haha, Keiko-san will definitely become an excellent real estate agent.”

“Thank you.” Fujita Keiko sounded pleased. “Shall I pick you up again?”

The last time they met, Nagayama Naoki had not yet bought a car. This time, he could drive himself.

“No need. I’ll drive over myself. Let’s meet directly at the Akihabara property.”

“Oh… alright.” Her tone carried a hint of disappointment.

They scheduled the meeting for a little after 6:30 the next morning, avoiding both the heat and rush hour.

Not long after hanging up, another call came in.

“Hello, this is the Nagayama residence.”

“Good afternoon, Naoki-san. This is Morikawa Kuniharu from Shogakukan.”

“Oh? Morikawa-san, good afternoon.”

“I’m calling to inform you about the status of your novel,” Morikawa Kuniharu said. “After discussions with the department head, we are willing to offer a 10% royalty rate.”

“Your novel is excellent, of course, but as a debut author, this royalty rate is already at the top tier within the industry.”

“In addition, we have decided on an initial print run of 100,000 copies, to be promoted simultaneously through bookstores and other channels.”

Morikawa Kuniharu spoke at length, and his eagerness to publish the novel through his company practically overflowed through the phone.

Nagayama Naoki was surprised.

“One hundred thousand copies?”

For a debut author in Japan, an initial print run of 10,000 copies was already considered good. Reaching 50,000 meant an outstanding work. Printing 100,000 copies from the start meant treating “Natsu no Niwa” as if it were a major author’s new release.

Such treatment required considerable courage within the fiercely competitive publishing industry.

After all, publishers could only release a limited number of books each month, and many veteran contracted authors were still waiting in line for publication slots.

“You must have worked very hard, Morikawa-san. That print run couldn’t have been easy.”

“Yes, I discussed it with the department head for quite a long time.”

Morikawa Kuniharu recalled how, just the day before, he had practically followed the department head even to the restroom, nearly performing a dogeza in the office for the sake of this book.

“Our sincerity toward you should be clear, Naoki-san. We sincerely hope you will choose our publishing house.”

Nagayama Naoki actually had no strict requirements regarding publishers. The book was destined to become a bestseller anyway. Since Shogakukan showed such sincerity, there was no reason to hesitate further.

“Morikawa-san, I have no objections to the royalty rate or the initial print run. Let’s arrange a time to formally sign the contract.”

“Yes! Thank you very much!” Morikawa Kuniharu finally relaxed. “If you are available, we could sign the contract tomorrow.”

Everything seemed to be happening at once.

Even the locations aligned conveniently.

“Morikawa-san, I’ll happen to be in Chiyoda tomorrow morning for some errands. I’ll come by after I finish—around ten to eleven.”

“Understood. I will await your arrival tomorrow morning.”

In Japan, book royalties are paid in advance. Once a publisher prints the book, payment is issued regardless of future sales performance.

A children’s novel typically sells for around 500 to 1,000 yen. Based on 100,000 copies and a 10% royalty rate, Nagayama Naoki could receive up to 10 million yen from this deal alone.

Future earnings were impossible to estimate.

Buying property in the morning would empty his wallet; signing the contract in the afternoon would fill it again.

Thinking about this, Nagayama Naoki could not help but feel pleased. Money truly did multiply once it started flowing.

All thanks to “Natsu no Niwa.”

With that thought, Nagayama Naoki stepped onto the balcony again.

Over the past few days, he had occasionally seen three children playing at the old house downstairs, seemingly treating it as their summer vacation playground.

As long as it was not during nap time, the elderly man Nagai Tadahiro did not stop them. Living alone was probably a little lonely.

Watching their energetic figures, Nagayama Naoki felt that perhaps “Natsu no Niwa” had truly been born from such encounters.

However, after the weeds had been cleared, the yard was left with nothing but bare yellow soil. The garden now felt too empty.

A mischievous thought crossed his mind.

Should he plant cosmos flowers there, just like in the book?

It was late August now; they should bloom in autumn.

Bringing scenes from the novel into reality sounded interesting.

As for the ending of the story… better not.

After all, he could not go around cursing the old man.