Lewd Dimensions

Tokyo, Jimbocho district

Inside one of the many tall buildings lining the bustling streets of a popular district stood the renowned publishing company, Hoshin Shoten.

The upper floors were occupied by management and editorial staff.

In the largest glass-walled room sat the current editor-in-chief, Fujikawa Akira, who was responsible for overseeing the daily operations of his team.

He was busy wrapping up his work for the day, preparing to head home.

Just as he was about to shut down his computer, the phone on the edge of his desk rang.

Glancing at the caller ID, which displayed "Unknown Number," he answered the call.

"Hello, this is Editor-in-Chief Fujikawa Akira. If this isn't important, I'm hanging up in five seconds," he said, clearly annoyed.

"Hello, Fujikawa-san. I was given your contact information by Hayasaka Nao," a voice from the other end replied.

Hearing the name, Fujikawa Akira straightened in his chair.

"Alright, who am I speaking with?" Recognizing the call might be from someone influential, he decided to pay attention.

"Fujikawa-san, my name is Hoshino Ren. Hayasaka Nao is currently employed by my family."

Processing the words, Fujikawa Akira stood abruptly, walked to his office door, and ensured it was properly closed.

Realizing who he was speaking to, he cleared his throat.

"Ahem, yes, this is Fujikawa Akira, Editor-in-Chief of Hoshin Shoten. How may I assist you, Hoshino-sama?" he said, instinctively giving a quick bow.

"No need to be nervous. This isn't anything troublesome," Ren replied in a calm tone. "I'm calling to ask about something that recently caught my attention. Does your team have an employee named Machida Sonoko?"

Hearing the name of one of his editors, Fujikawa, Akira turned and looked through the glass wall toward the still-occupied cubicle.

"Yes, we do, she is still sitting at her desk, is she in trouble or...?" not being able to finish.

"No, Fujikawa-san, this concerns one of the projects Machida-san is currently responsible for. Could you please invite her to your office so we can have a conversation?" Ren calmly explained.

Fujikawa Akira approached his door, opened it, and leaned out, raising his voice slightly. "Machida, drop whatever you're doing and come to my office now!"

Hearing her name, Machida Sonoko, hunched over her desk, raised her head and looked toward the voice.

Seeing her boss staring directly at her, she stood up and hurriedly approached his office.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Come inside. Someone asked for you," the editor-in-chief said, turning and entering his office with Sonoko following.

As the door closed and they both sat down, Fujikawa Akira placed the phone on his desk and pressed the loudspeaker button.

"Hoshino-sama, you're on speaker. Machida is here."

Hearing her boss address the caller as "Hoshino-sama," Machida Sonoko tensed.

"Thank you, Fujikawa-san. Sonoko-san, you're not in trouble, so don't worry. I'd say this is a good thing we're about to discuss," Ren said with a chuckle before continuing.

"I wanted to ask whether you're currently working with an author named Utako Kasumi."

Hearing the name of the author she was responsible for, Machida Sonoko relaxed and responded, "Uhm~, yes, Utako-sensei is being published with us, and I'm her editor… uhh, Hoshino-sama?" She was still unsure who she was speaking to, only aware that her boss addressed this person with respect.

"No need for formalities, Sonoko-san. Just call me casually. The same goes for you, Fujikawa-san."

"Alright, regarding Utaha, how is her novel doing?" Ren asked, dropping all pretenses and getting straight to the point.

"Eeeh~?, Hoshino-san, you, how do you know her name?" Sonoko, perplexed, couldn't help but exclaim.

"Sonoko-san, I transferred to her school recently, and after having a conversation with her, during which she mentioned having problems with her novel, that's about it really," Ren explained.

"Hoshino-san, but does that mean that Utaha straight up said to you that she is Utako Kasumi, uhm~, I'm sorry if I may sound a bit rude, but it just doesn't seem to be possible, knowing her usual behavior and how secretive Utaha is about her pen name."

Ren, on the other side, nodded and quickly came up with an excuse, "Sonoko-san, while it may be true, it doesn't mean it is by any means a very well-kept secret. After coming home, I simply asked one of our employees to do some quick research."

Finally realising how stupid she had been, Machida Sonoko quickly followed.

"Understood, Hoshino-san, so you asked about her novel? What exactly are you interested in?"

"Yes, Utaha mentioned that sales of her new volume aren't going great, something about ratings and all that, is that true?" Ren finally got to the reason for his call.

Machida Sonoko, thinking about the details of 'Love metronome' volume two, and its low ratings, responded.

"While Utaha's novel did great with the release of the first volume, that couldn't be said about the second volume."

"We had many discussions about the flow of her second book, the plot didn't include any new characters, and the two main leads didn't face any obstacles."

With a sigh, she continued.

"Repetitive and bland developments, and barely any progress in the relationship between the two main characters."

Machida Sonoko exhaled, thinking about the thick-skulled girl, "We did as many edits as we could, and when the content of the second volume seemed passable, we sent it to printing."

"After providing substantial promotion for the second volume, sadly, after we received the first selling returns, they didn't seem that great, because of that, the next batch of second volume copies only got almost the minimum amount."

Ren listened to Sonoko's explanation and sat silently for a couple of moments.

"Alright, I more or less understand the situation. Fujikawa-san, Sonoko-san, here's the reason for my call."

"Soon, Sonoko-san, you will receive new material from Utaha."

"My friend and I gave her some ideas. Honestly, from my perspective, they might have potential. But, Sonoko-san, I ask you to guide her properly in the right direction."

"Make sure she doesn't fall back into her old writing style. Include new characters, follow the new plot she sends you, and ensure she doesn't repeat her previous mistakes."

Ren shifted slightly in his seat. "Now, Fujikawa-san, I ask you to print more copies of the upcoming Love Metronome volume and provide substantial promotion for the next releases. Don't worry about the budget or related issues. If any problems arise, just redirect them to Nao-san—she'll handle the financial matters."

Both Sonoko and the editor-in-chief sat in silence.

Finally, Fujikawa Akira broke the silence. "Understood, Hoshino-san. We'll increase the print run for the next batches of Love Metronome and ensure ads for the upcoming book are plastered all over Japan."

Ren smiled. "Thank you, Fujikawa-san." Not hearing from the other person on the call, he added, "Sonoko-san?"

Machida Sonoko nodded with a sly smile. "Hoshino-san, I'll make sure she follows your instructions."

Ren suddenly remembered something important. "Right, Sonoko-san, don't mention anything to Utaha about this call or my inquiries about her novel. Just tell her that her new material looks promising and she should continue in the same direction."

After some brief chit-chat, the call ended.

Ren tossed his phone onto the table between the couch and the TV.

As he leaned back into the couch, he heard the door open and Ai descending the stairs from the second floor.

---

11:15 p.m. same day

Machida Sonoko entered her apartment and took off her shoes.

Exhausted, she dragged herself to her bedroom to change, then took a quick shower.

After preparing a simple dinner and grabbing a can of beer from the fridge, she sat at her laptop and opened her mailbox.

Noticing an unread email from Utako Kasumi, she opened it and began skimming through the contents.

After re-reading it a few times, she took a big gulp from the beer can she was holding and leaned back in her chair.

"It seems to have potential with some edits and a few additions," she murmured.

"With the support from the editor-in-chief and Hoshino-san, I wouldn't be surprised if this sells better than the first volume."

After a few more sips from her beer can, she continued, "But, a maid, a handsome young master, secret past connections—who even lives like that?"

She laughed, unable to believe anyone could experience that kind of situation in real life.