Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 15 - Chapter 4.9

  MANUSCRIPT COMPLETION

“…… There. The full manuscript is finished,” says Machi as she finishes skimming through the printed-out manuscript and brings an end to the cramming session I thought would never end.

“IT’S OOOOOOOOOOOVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!” I yell as I fall backwards onto the tatami mat.

The room makes pigsties look neat and tidy.

There are enough empty energy drink cans and nutrient supplement bottles strewn around the room to bury someone alive.

“That was rough ………… So much harder than any of my Shogi training ……”

That final push after eating all that crab was the climactic battle in an epic war.

One revision after another. Adding parts here, subtracting parts there, it was a never-ending cycle.

Mistakes always happened no matter how much I learned ……

“…… It’s funny, though. Now that it’s over, that really bad headache and all the pain in my shoulders and back are gone! Just disappeared! I’m not even tired anymore!”

“Wonderful to hear,” Ma-chan says with a grin. “After all, you still must compose the preface, the afterword, the five columns that will go between the chapters and your About the Author segment for the cover flap, Kuzuryu-sensei.”

“It’s not over yeeeeeeeet––––––!!”

My headache and back pain come back right away. ☆

“He-he. Please… have a long rest in the onsen hot spring tonight ……”

With that, Ma-chan starts packing up.

She has a different battleground to prepare for.

“Feel free to complete those tasks by the time of my return. Two days should be more than enough, no?”

“……!”

Hearing that, I sit straight up on my ankles with perfect posture and bow my head all the way down.

“Ma-chan, really …… I’m so sorry about taking up your time like this. You didn’t have any time to prepare for an extremely important match because I was so slow ……”

The final match of the Women’s Legend League is tomorrow in Tokyo.

But she was here helping me all the way up to the day before that all-important match……

She was with me the entire time, so I know.

I know for a fact she didn’t have a single minute to work on her strategy.

Hey! I know that Ma-chan is good enough to win every match up to the finale on skill alone.

The reason she didn’t …… is because she was working with me to get this book done.

“Working with you all this time has shown me that more money, time and effort than I ever thought is required to survive in the publishing world. I know how much you sacrificed for this book, Ma-chan ……”

Even drawing up an outline isn’t easy.

Putting together a chart to demonstrate a formation is really hard, but she did it hundreds of times while checking each and every one of them for mistakes.

“The writing process is only one step in publishing a book …… You had so much more to do than I did! Even when you were telling me to take a break, you never slowed down, did you?”

I lost count of how many times she woke me up when I fell asleep at the computer.

She threatened me by saying that I wouldn’t get a wink of sleep until the manuscript was finished, but that was a lie.

Rather than wake me up the second I conked out, she let me snooze for as long as the schedule would allow.

Then she woke me up. But she didn’t do it like a slave driver …… She motivated me, cheered me on with a gentle push.

In other words, she hasn’t gotten anywhere near as much sleep as I have and must be so much more exhausted.

“Having to travel all the way to Tokyo for a match when you’re really tired …… You’re already at such a disadvantage ……”

“Not to worry,” she answers with fire in her eyes and makes a promise. “I have a reason that will not allow me to lose. As an editor.”

An editor?

Not …… as a Shogi player?

“An editor’s work is not complete once the manuscript has been finalized. There is a sequence that must be followed when publishing a book.”

“Huh? …… What sequence?”

“Sales and marketing that connect a publication to customers’ bookcases. Because it is not enough to simply to stock shelves in bookstores. Customers must have a desire to pick it up. Recently influencers on social media have had a large impact …… However the most effective method of advertising has remained unchanged for countless decades.”

“? And that is ……?”

“Proof of advantage on a Shogi board.”

“……!”

“For the readers of said publication to use the strategies contained therein to achieve an overwhelmingly decisive victory. That is by far the best advertisement for a Shogi book. Always has been. Well, I am the editor of this particular one, but the duty falls on my shoulders,” says Ma-chan jokingly as she places her hand on her chest. “I also happen to be the first reader of Kuzuryu’s Notebook.”

Her eyes are overflowing with confidence.

“My efforts …… could provide the impact necessary to change the world. My performance on the board is a vital part of sales and marketing. While being interviewed as a newly anointed dual title holder, I shall answer during the interview: Kuzuryu’s Notebook was the key to my improvement. What could sell more books than that?”

It’s true that Machi Kugui the Shogi player is the best person to test out the ideas in my book in an actual match.

That’s because Machi the Tormentor is known for building up an extremely sturdy fortress for her King using the anaguma.

If she changes up her style to the well-balanced type that software typically plays and starts winning even more than other Shogi pros who use that style, of course that’s going to attract a lot of attention.

Everyone will want to know how she did it.

–––Especially in such a short amount of time.

Sitting across from the board, talking about all of this with Ma-chan as she grew right before my eyes …… was a lot of fun.

So much so that I could forget about everything other than Shogi.

It was like that Shogi retreat we went on when we were kids.

“I shall win the match tomorrow. That victory shall prove your theories in this book to be correct. Just–––.”

Ma-chan looks at me apologetically as her voice trembles ever so slightly.

“The irony of it being against her is …… Oh!”

“!! M-Ma-chan!!”

Flump ……

Ma-chan starts getting to her feet when her knees give out and she falls on top of me headfirst.

Still sitting on my ankles, I reach out to catch her.

“Are you okay?! You didn’t hit anything, did you?!”

“…… Aye, my apologies …… A little dizzy is all ………… May I stay here for a moment?”

“Th- …… That’s fine by me ……”

I’m supporting her from underneath, so …… They’re pressing up against me.

Those two large, soft ……

“He-he. What a thank you this is …… I feel as though I’ve come out ahead ……,” Ma-chan says with a weak smile.

All those writing sessions and late nights really have taken a toll on her. I can see it in her eyes.

If I let go now, she’ll collapse right to the floor …… I embrace her petite frame and pick up where I left off earlier.

“Don’t worry about that. I want you to defeat her with everything you have.”

“…… Are you sure?”

“She went to Tokyo to become as strong as she possibly can. The shortest route to the top is to face strong opponents on the biggest stage. That doesn’t change, win or lose. And–––.”

“And?”

I glance down at the newly completed manuscript and answer.

“The book needs a supervisor, right? Someone needs to check to see if what I’ve written actually connects them to a world they’ve never seen before …… There’s only one person who can provide that answer.”